The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-02-20

money. They earned some cash by
work ont of time. During tho wood
chopping season they We're given daily
tasks. and tor all the-waed chopped
above the daily allowance they We're
paid fair wages. Ii fact on nla,tv
plantations they had the privilege of
cutting wooti at any time during the
year. often 81 occupying themselves of
bright nsneushine evenings.
They also did work. cut woed. clean
diteltes &c. for the snail taime. who
were neialhois. Some planters
always paid their slaves wages for ali
the Sun lay work done during the roll
ing season. The late Thomas Pngh
who opened the Madewaod Plantation
uear Napoeonviile annually dlstrib-
uted amongst his slaves some seven
or eight hundred dollars, 1T the end Of
the year, preratlng il as near as pos
slble to he records for good eolidnct
and efficiency they had made during
the year. But he was the only planter
that / ever knew to make any sueh
donations.
1t was custom also with most large
oaneis of slave property to give their
people materials for il grand feast
duiins lie Christmas holidays, pfeVi-
ded the rolling season WAS complete
La that case, tile feast was given later.
The hands had tie eppartunitr aud
privilege of inviting heir friends from
the adjacent rlantatioils, So that 1t
WAS hot unusual to see several hun
died Of them having Il grand time to-
gethtr on saell occasions.
The planter waaia give them a beef,
hogs, sheep, all the meat necessary,
viii, flour, lard, molasses, &c. to nc
company. The slaves would cook or
harbaene their meats themselves.
In the meantime the female cooks
about the planters homes were put to
work. making pound. spunge and 9TH
er cakes in abundance, under the eye
of the mistress of the house, to finish
off the meal in the quarters.
These were great teasts on the plan
tatiou ending with balls that furnished
much pleasure and amusement To the
slaves. putting them in a good humor
to begin the new years tolls.
1t is. huae"er true that there We're
slave owners y lio did nothing for the
enjoyment of their people for even one
day in the year, and even forbid their
attendance at such frolics.
II they derived any pleasure or sat
isfactiol from such harsh treatment of
the unfortunate ones | was never able
to perceive where it came III.
When Christmas came along every
body had to fortify himself with pock-
cts filled with dimes aud half dimes.
Every slave that lie met considered
him fair object of pillage, and with
hat off and head bowed, was ready
with MERRY Christmas, Master or
Mistress aud he ALWAYS expected to
be the recipient of something in re-
turn. AS general rule the slave WAS
ever ready to compromise on dram
of whisky. And as that liquid, in
those days wheu people had not the
fear of the Internal Revenue laws in
their heaas, cost only 20 cents a gal
lon, 1t was generally used freely on
such occasions.
Many families, who owned no slaves
kept II jug Of whisky in their houses
10 obtain favors aud small Jobs be the
slaves i'll payment thereof.
It was surprising what slave would
do to obtain whiskey. No punishment
could be severe enough to break lin
of that desire. He would rob his
masters's cribs, steal his sugar and
molass.s and sell it for one tenth oI
It's real value i'll liquid fire. pre-
sume that his ambition for such liquids
arose principally from the fact that II
was forbidden him to have il. Know,
ing this burning ambition OF the slave
tor Intoxicating stimulants. one would
naturally have expected that freedom
to the negro would make race o.
intolerable drnnkards. The fact was
the reverse. The sdoing away
with the law of proscr ption
! forbiddng the negro to obtalu whis-
, key, destroyed the ambition to acquire
it. and he is no worse to-day than hi,
+. white brother in his efforts TO destroy
! himself by such foolish practlces,
/ There were all kinds of slaves, and
the treatment they received was as
| varied as they themselves were.
| The pFiuclpal thing that they hat. f.
! DO was to work and ahey masters aae
! ovtrseers. The whip was used eftsI
! ana halshly on some plantations
whilst on Others it was seldom resoltet
| to. When owners furnished thei
slaves with good tools and MATERIAL
to work with, the whip was seldom ;
necessary adjunct, but when, as wa
| very often the case the slave had pool
tools al d could not therefore perform
good work he was often aided by
| free use of the whip.
/ Work had to be done, and If he lo,
was dull or the plow broken, the worl
had to be done.