Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-11-29

OF musical tendencies who could play
the guitar or banjo, and 80 donces we're.
fre uent, while com hui Kings were.
quite as much OF a frolic. The me-
groes' quarters" consisted OF row or
rows OF cabins, generally OF logs, 'front.'
ing street not tar from the owners
house, and to the rear. Here, after
supper was ended, the slaves were left
to them selves, and found what amuse-
ment they could until the bell rang for
bedtime. Then all were supposed to
retire, and any who failed to be in
place when the overseer or driver
made the final round for the
night were subject TO severe pun
ishment The slaves were not per-
mitted to leave the plantation with
out written pass or permit from their
owner or overseer, and in town the fire
bell was generally rung at 8 o'clock as
signal for them to go home. After
the ringing of the boil the night
watchmen or patrol OF the town
started on their rounds, when every
slave found on the street was stopped
and questioned, and if found without a.
pass was arrested and locked up The,
ringing OF the fire bell was, therefore,,
a signal for general scampering, and
in every direction belated darkies
could be heard pounding the sidewalks
! with their generous feet in an effort
TO reach home before the night watch,
started out. This we'll understood
feature OF Southern life it was that.
gave rise to the once popular song,
Kun, Nigger, Run, the Patrol WIN
Catch You.
The diversions of the plantation
were very simple. In the season pos
sum and coon hunts were in ORDER, the
slaves who 'oined in the sports often
being accompanied by members Of the
owners family, who went for the mere
pleasure of hunting something, With
the slaves, however, the expedition
was strictly business enterprise, for
then, as ever since, the fat 'pOssum
was esteemed u most toothsome dainty,
and lucky indeed was he who managed
to secure one Of these much-coveted
animals for his own exclu i've eating.
The preparation for the table was q
matter of much interest and no little
care. After the possum had been
made re9dy for the roasting, u large
pumpkin was split in two and tho seeds
taken out of one half, which was de-
posted before the fire and filed with
peelel sweet potatoes Tho 'possum
was then hung up by II $ tail before u
roaring fire, directly above the pump
kin, and slowly twirling around, he
was equally roasted on every side,
while his fat, forced out by the heat,
dri 1Ded on the sweet potatoes and
pumpkin, POTATOES and pos um were
all cooked ready for consumption at the
same time, and fea was thus pro-
vided which, according to darby esti-
mate, was fit for the gods.
The life of the slave, with its inter-
walls of relaxation, was not, in the
main, an unhappy one. There was a
complete lack OF responsibility. The
old-time negro slave lived only for the
| day. The morrow troubled him not.
He was sure of u living, for he know
his master could not afford to let him
starve. He was not allowed to learn
anything. All books to him were
sealed, But knowing nothing Of them
he never missed the information they
contained. His greatest satisfaction
was to have good master, and when
he had any ambitions, the highest
was to run away and go North, where
he would be free 1t was often graft
fed, too, for if any one will take the
time to look over the files of any news
paper published in the border States
before the war, he will find that one of
its most conspicuous features was the
picture ofarunning negro with bundle
slung on a stick over his shoulder,
and description of the slave supposed
to have run away. But instances are
also not lacking Of slaves accompany