Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-09-05
pEFo' DE WAN.
How n Bright Young Slave Escaped being
Sold to Dealer.

A little while ago a colored man from
an adjoining county came over into
this county, his former home, and met
many old friends. To one he related
remarkable episode of the days ''befo'
de wah."
He said that he was as tough a mu-
latto as the country ever produced.
and his young master resolved to ''send
him down the river" as the slave own
ers used to express it. One day the
! young master told him TO have the
horses ready, and they would depart
early the next morning for Knoxville.
The young master had received in
formation that certain slave buyer
from the cotton fields would visit the
city mentioned in quest of "likely ne
gro men,"
The early dawn found tho young
farmer and his valuable human proper
ty speeding away over the smooth road
South. After they had gone n little
way. Rich" for that was the cogno-
men by which the "lillely boy" was
known. inquired of his master If he was
/ going to Knoxville to put into eXecu-
| ton threat he had often heard him
make-to sell him to cotton planter.
The master told him it was his mis-
sion. Rich became much affected by
| the announcement and shed tears.
He recalled the hours of their boy
| hoou, and dwelt upon the pathetic in
| general. The young masters heart
was touched, but his resolve was not.
Night came on, rs it always did when
travellers by the "Old Wilderness Road"
got well into the mountains. A jug
! of fine old Bourbon steaded their
nerves and brought balmy sleep to the
restoration of their strained energies.
Next morning they were up with
the lark, and all day they talked about
the endless separation soon to follow,
pausing occasionally to admire the rug
ged scenery and take a drink. The
rabbit hunts by day, the coon hunts by
night, the romps, the fights they had,
the floggings they have caught from
"the old man" were oil lived over
again.
Another night and another day and
their Journey had ended. But the raid
on the big jug had not. They "hit it
purity lively" that "last night on earth
together forever and evcrmore." They
were comfortably full long before mid
night. At least the young master was
full of old liquor and the slave was full
of pretence. He had dropped upon a
scheme.
With dawn, Rich was up moving
about the city. a shave. clean clothes,
cigar, cane, and many extras were
added. Finally he sought the slave
buyer. and introducing himsels AS Mr..
=, of Madison county. Kentucky,
stated that he was IL the city with the
splendid young niger" OF which he
had written him, and was now ready
for trade. The boy was described in
glowing terms, and the price fixed at
81, 500 which the trader said he would
give, provided the description was ac-
curate. So the proceeded to the tav-
ern and into n little back room, where
the young master was found snoring
away on a pallet beside the bed where
Rich had taken the precaution TO tum-
BILE him before going out. His beard
of several days growth, dusty and
soiled attire. unkempt hair, and gen.
eral appearance was anything but at
tractive.
Fifteen hundredv' grulfly remarked
the old dealer rs he glanced at the pitt
ful-looking object. Fifteen hundred
dollars for that id thing! | would
not give you cent more than half
! that much" and he walked out on the
street. 1t is useless to say they didn't
get their prices near enough for
trade.
About noon the young master awoke,
not feeling the best in the world. He
was compelled to borrow shoe horn
to put on his hat and there was u
mighty bad taste in his mouth, to say
nothing of considerable red in his eye
and feeling of a sort OF goneness in
general about his stomach. Rich told
him that he had been out to see the
buyer, and the old fellow wanted TO
know the price, rs all depended on
that-the least he'd take was the CUES
ton, and to be in a hurry, rs he. the
buyer, had made about all the pur-
chascs he wanted, and was ready to
leave town. The young master called
for paper and envelope, and wrote as
follows:
Dear Sir: You have seen the boy.
My lowest price is 81. 200. Heis worth
every cent of it." The note was duly
conveyed, and was soon returned with
an answer on the back, saying, 1--WE
can't trade"
The following day the wcll-rested
horses, the happy muatto, and dis
appointed white man might have
been seen vending their solitary way
through the woods" towards Kentucky.
--RicGDaond Gilman.
|