Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-03-08
A MOTHERS LOVE.
The Poor Ncgress who PerJured Herself
TO save Her SONS Life.

A dramatic story was told at a din
ner party recently by a lawyer in
whose practice the incident had oc-
Cured, says the n. Y. Evening Sun:
Just before the emancipation OF the
slaves q young mulatto, owned by a
South Carolina planter, in a sudden ts
of anger struck and killed his masters
son, who was also his own half brother.
With the assistance of his mother the
young negro managed to escape before
The deed was discovered and made his
way north, where all trace Of him was
lost.
As soon as she was freed the unhap-
py mother followed %northward. de-
termined that somewhere and somehow
sac would lind her sou ii lie was sti.l
alive. for he was all she had in the
world. Year after year she drifted
vaguely from place to place, providing
for her wants by doing the work of q
laundress and never resting from her
efforts to find her boy. She had been
a comely young in her early
DAYS, but hard work and her restless
heart had made her old at 40, and at
so she was bowed aud wrinkled like Q
woman at three score and ten.
One day n summons came to her
from an adjoining state. a fearful
legal document which she did not COM
prehend, but which she understood in
some vague way TO be connected with
the welfare of her child. In her per-
plexity she sought out this lawyer and
told him the story of her life. Inquiry
showed that she had been summoned
to prove the identity Of a crime-hard-
ened negro who was under trial in a
neighboring state on a grave charge.
A curious train of evidence had re-
vealed much OF the early life of the
criminal, and had fastened upon him
the suspicion Of being the negro who
had so many years before killed his
masters son in South Carolina. The
question rested upon the testimony Of
the aged negress as to whether Or not
this was the man.
She was brought into court. Before
her was the strange and imposing ar
ray of court officials; the solemn nature
Of the oath was carefully explained to
her and she was then sworn to tell
tlt tIutu, tuc WiOIC tiutu, anu hOtA-
ing but the truth" The story of her
life was drawn out by skillful question
ing. and then the prisoner was brought
before her. Mother and son stood
again face to face; he with all the sins
OF a criminals life on his shoulders,
and she bound by what was to her
devout soul the strongest vow a human
being can make, to speak the word
that should send his guilty soul to its
punishment. She gave one devouring
look ut the slouching figure aud hard
ened face before her. All the hunger
Of her life appeared in her eyes. Then
she raised her bent frame to its fullest
height. and. lifting her right hand,
looked calmly ut the judge and law
yers. .'Befo' heaven, l swears," she
said, dat l nebber saw dis boy befo'."
She had saved him from the gallows.
but he was sentenced TO serve "A term In
the pcnitentiary for the charge on
which he was originally arrested.
But 1t cost her own life. Remorse
and terror for the not-to-be-forgiven
sin which she believed herself to have
committed together with the deep
wound which her heart had received
after the hope of so many years were
loads too heavy for the tired soul. and
in q few months the frail body was
buried In the potter's field with the
lawyer rs the only mourner.