Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-08-13
SOUGHT HIMSELF.
OLD SLAVE DAYS IN MISSOURI.

"Some queer things used to happen
| In the old slave days In Missouri" said
Representative John Tarsney to a Star
writer just before he started for Europe.
1.-THE condition of the slave was not q
very burdensome one In Missouri. The
farm country and the nearness Of the
Iowa line prevented anything like those
plantation cruelties Of which we some
times read. In fact, should Judge that
some Of the Missouri slaves had as good
q time as their masters.
sin illustration might tell q queer
story which had It's scene at Independ-
ence, Mo. Old Banker Sawyer Of In
dependence carried on the same Sawyer
bank which exists to-day, away back In
the flfties, when Independence, as the
eastern end Of the Santa Fe trail, was
the great Quitting point for those
daring and misguided people who
meditated q flight across the plains.
Among other chattels of Banker Saw
yer was a big, black negro named
Duston. Duston was great mechanic
and had vast fame all over the western
country as the maker Of that fashion oil
wagon known as the "prairie schooner
SAWYER had besides his bank wagon
shop at independence. And his negro
Duston ran the wagon shop. The
wagon shop did good trade, and Saw
yer said to Duston one day:
"sYou make a lot Of money working
over time, Duston. Why do you con-
tinue In slavery Why don't you buy
and own yourself? You have got fivt
or six hundred dollars In my bank now.
"And It was true. Duston had laid al
quite store Of money, and the fact OF
slave with money on deposit In the banl
of his master Is Of itself illustrative o.
the lax condition OF the institution II
Missouri.
"whatll you take for mer aske'
Duston.
"'Seeing it's you said Sawyer, III
sell out cheap. IL you want to bu!
yourself I'll take 1880, while your
easy worth $1,000
"Duston bought himself, paid $50
down and took the rest Of himself oil
credit. Sawyer made out his freedom
papers. and Duston made mortgage ol
himself to Sawyer for the 81 900. TheI
he went to work. In year he had pai'
himself free. In two years more h
bought his wife and little girl. Then h
began 10 make money. But he hadn'
proceeded far nor laid up much ahea'
when one night a fire started, and tn
next morning Duston's wagon-shop wa
In ashes. Shop. tools, stock and every
thing was burned up as clean as
whistle, and with the forethought OF hi
race Duston had no insurance.
at was plain, hard, bitter case o
begin again with Dustou. He though
the situation over, and then went To hi
old master, Sawyer. After ten minutes
talk. Sawyer lent Duston 81 900, takinl
mortgage on his wife aud young one
Duston rebuilt his shop and opened NJ
anew. lie kept his old trade and adde'
to 1t. II finally became very unfashion
able to start across the plains In any
thing but one Of Duston's prairie
schooners. Within year Duston agai'
had clear title to his wife and family
life went easy after that with tn
old black wagou-maker.. He died abou
ten years ago ut Independence wortl
fairly $4,000. The daughter whom h
bought from Sawyer and then mortgaget
and cleared the title to again was for
long time. and IL, believe, now,
teacher In the colored public schools a
Kansas City. Old Duston's memory II
independence is to this day highly re
spcctcd. "-washington Star.