The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-08-24
A PLUCKY OoUOHBa), MAN.
Representative Txrrsney, Tells I
story OF Slave Days In. Missouri,

Representative Ttrrsney, TeIls =
Story OF Slave Days In. Missouri.
some queer things used to happen
In the old slave days in. Missouri"
said Representative, John, Tarsney
just before he" started for Europe.
Ihe condition of*the slave was never
very burdensome' one in, Missouri.
The farm country andlthep nearness of
the Iowa line prevented :anything like
those plantation cruetiessof> which we
sometimes read. In fact, [ should
Judge that some offthe" Missouri slaves
had as good a time as their masters.
In Illustration, might tell a queer
story, which had it's scene i'm indie
pendence, Mo. Old Banker Sawyer. Of
independence, carried on the same
Sawyer, Bank, which, exists TODAY
away back in the .5Os' when Independ-
ence as the eastern end of the Santa
re trail was the great oe1tfftting
point for those daring and misguid-
ed people who meditated' a flight
across the plains: Among otter chat
tells OF Banker Sawyer was a big
Dlack negro named DUSTIN. Dustun
was great mechanic, and, tad vast
fame all over the western country
as the maker of that fashion of wagon
known as the prairie schooner Saw
yer had beside the bank wagon shop
at Independence: And his negro. Dus
ton ran the wagon shop. The wagon
shop did a good. trade, and" Sawyer
said to DUSTIN one day:
You make a. lot Of: money working
overtime, DUSTIN. Why don't, YOU buy
and own yourself?: Why do you con-
tlnue in slavery You've got $500 or
5000 down in my bank now"
And it was true. DUSTIN had laid
up quite little store of money, and
the fact of a slave with money on de-
post in the bank Of his master is of
itself illustrative Of the lax condition
of the institution in Missouri.
'What'n you take for me-? asked
DUSTIN.
{" Seeing it's you,' said Sawyer. I'll
sell out cheap. If you want to buy
yourself I'll take $500 while you're
easy worth $4,000
"Dust1ln bought himself, paid $500
down and took the. rest of himself on
credit. Sawyer made out his freedom
papers, and DUSTIN made a mortgage
on himself to Sawyer for the $1,000.
linen he went to work. In a year he
had paid himself free. In two wears
more he bought his wife ana little girl.
Then he began to make money. But
ne hadn't proceeded far nor laid up
much ahead when one night a fire
started, and the next MORNING found
Dustun's wagon shop in ashes Shop,
tools, stock and everything was burn.
ed up as clean as a, whistle, and, with
the forethought of his race, DUSTIN
had no insurance.
1T was a plain, hard, bitter case of
begin again with DUSTIN. He thought
the situation over and then went to
his old master, Sawyer After ten
minutes talk Sawyer lent DUSTIN
$1,000 took mortgage On his wife and
younk one. Duston rebuilt his shop
and opened up anew. He kept his old
trade and added to it. 1t finally be.
came very questionable to start
across the plains in anything but one
OF Dustun's prairie schooners With.
in a year DUSTIN again had a clea,
title to his wife and family.
Life went easy after that with tine
old black wagon maker. He died
about ten years ago at Independence
worth fairly $4,000. The & laughter
whom he bought from SAWYER and
then mortgaged and cleared the title
to again was for long time, and is.
l believe now, teacher, in the col.
ored school at Kansas City. Old Dus.
tun's memory in Independence is to
this day highly respected" -Washin
ton Star