The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-02-22

several hours preceding the funeral
FRED. DOUGLASS, EARLY LIFE.
The Most Brutal slave-Owners werethe
Most Religious. He said.
Fre1exsnx Dusxsass SUPPOSED tasat his
fsrye owsrer was no oxter than his own
father Time ID Save " not known IN
ss parrRSsaars. asch as birthdays ana ex-
oct dates, 90 that he did nct know hS$
exact ere. He was sent "a his sixth year
from tsge estate where he was born 90
wait upon boy IN Baltimore. Here he
was treated kiniiy. ard his mistress be-
gan 60 teach han how to Rad. tin his
uaster roFbaEA Il: but Frederick. having.
as he sast, sxad fas nssssd . Esxsc opened
perserea-ca II teaching hasHselfs ard Sue
cesfed. with casual assistance from poor
w4bse boys IN the streets and % reading,
at a Subsequent period, he added writzsHg.
When about Is his owner sn the counksy
took him from has master In town In
Consequence ct q family, quarrel. and
Frederick was TRANSFORMER from sort
OF page or <ootmsan 10 a field labcrer. HIS
third master was more itoeFak and. hav-
ing time to mediate. he plannet an es-
cape with some fellow slaves, but 4 was
detected. and Frederick, after being tara-
prisoned and threatened with sale. was
sent hack 20 his old quarters In Baltimore
whence he finAAy n,araged 90 escape la
reality. In his escape he was assisted by
those secret agents who were scattered
through some OF thu Southern stateU for
the especial purpose Of s6dknx the escape
OF runaway slaves. Douglass used 10
speak OF the brusash degradation to wfAcm
the slave was reduced the degtz7sct3on Of
all family tier. which wnD persistentay
aimed at. ana TIE reaction OF tle tnDtitu-
ton on The ws1afes themselves. lowering
their character often according TO Doug
lass. and wr5ng1ng tt,eir affections IA the
care Of their coiored children II was
worthy uf remark. ne said that such
slaves, chdfdren Of the paanter. fnyasf
ably suffered much greatr har3shfps. and
had more to contand with than the others.
They were. In che first place. q constant
disposed to find fault wtth them: they
could sehoom do anything to please her:
and she was never better pleased than
wtilen she saw him under the hash. e.
peciafly when she suspected her husband
of showing TO his u,ulatto children 0avorS
which ll8 withheld from his black eeaveA
The master was frequently cosmpeated TO
seA this clsEs Of slaves out OF defegcnce
TO the feelings OF his whzke wife. and.
cruel as IL may strike any one for . man
to sell his own cilsliren to human flesh
fuongers. yet e was often tina dictates OF
Humanity for Hmm TO do so. Unless he
did this he not only had to whip them
himself, but had to stand back and see
one whtke son tie up his brother Of few
shades darker complexion than himself,
and apply the lash TO Ids naked hack. II
he iispod one word OF disappnovaI it was
set down 10 Ills parental partially. and
only made . bad matter worse. both for
himself and the slave whom he would
seek to defend or protect
There was something naturat and touch
ing In an instance Of natural feeling
which alr. Douglass related my mother
and were separated when was an I'M
fant-before knew her al my mother.
II was . common custom In the part of
Maryland from which ran away to part
children from their mothers at a very
early ago Frequently before the child
had reached dts twelfth month us mother
would be taken from 1t and hired out at
5ume farm q considerable Distance or
The child would be placed under the care
OF an old woman too old for field tabor.
For what This separation was dome do
not know, unless It was TO handler the de-
veiopnent OF the child's affection towards
its mother and TO blunt and destroy the
natural affection Of the mother for the
child This was the inevitable result. I
never saw my mother to know her as
such more than four or five times I'm my
rfe and each OF these tGrnes wsre OF very
Aflort dtixaton and at night She was
hired BY a Mr.. Stewart. who lived about
. dozen miles from my house. She made
her Journey To see me, performing the
whole distance on foot after days hard
work. she was a field hand, and a whip
ping was the penalty for not being In tho
field at sunrise. unless provsse3 wzts,
special permission TO the consrary--a per
mission seidUu given I do not recoascct
over seeing my mother by tho light ct
day She was with me IN thu night She
woiid lie down with me and get me 10
sleep. but long before I was awake she
was gone "
According 10 afr. Douglass SHAREHOLDERS
processing religion were great deal worse
than others-mcre gravely cruel, more ex-
acting. and very mean-not even giving
their people enough to eat. which I'm
Maryland was very contrary to public
opinion. Not 10 give a slave enough to
eat was regarded as the most aggravated
development OF meanncss. even among
Shareholders The rule was. no matter
how coarse the food. bet there be enough
% II. This meanness the professors
seemed TO carry into punishment. assign
sng Scrsisagras reason for u, said
Douglass: II have said my mas
ter found religious sanction for
his cruelty. As an exasncse VII state
ons OF many facts going to prove the
charga ! have seen hsua tie UP q lame
Young woman and whip her with a heavy
cowirFde upon thu naked shoulders. caus-
ing Tire warm. red barscd to drip. and In
Gsssefsrasscn of the deed ne wos,it quote
0hts passage OF Scripture: He thar
knoweth his masters via ard doeth q
nos. shall be eeaseys with many etrsres.' I"
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ITO. pRENIER nE YApAN