The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-27
THE STORY OF KING BIP.
MEMORY OF SLAVERY DAYS BY THE
BLACK mi OF JIMTOWN.

IN UT In GhA DA m
BLACK HOMER OF JIMTOHN.
or Royal Lineage In Africa, hip Could Net
brock BondnEe-Eue Pound Freedom In tho
Tennessee ssountains-An End in the war
That showed H,m at ANY Rate n Hero.
SOUTHERN PINES, n. O.. June 90" Long
time TO dc wah," said the Black Homer of jim
town, "ol' mahs' he have to meek a trip to Now
leens.. an he fotch back wiz i'm q now nigguh
wat he done buy on do levy. Dat now nigguh
man boan de blacklist I evuh did see, sub. He q
lackly young buck, but black Um.m.m-umi
now black dat man wuz! 'Peahs to mo of yo'
dab tab on dat nigguh's cheek 1t done look like q
white mahk, sub! Pow'ful black. no wuz,
pow'fuli An de eye dat man hadi 'Peahs lack
IL bun hole clean froo yo' wen he tu'n dat
eye squah on vol An no tote no haid mon
st'us high, an street lack he tink duh
ain no one on dat plantation dcs' as good az
him. But he been kyne to all us dahkeys, II he
do feel lack he way 'bovo us. an he wuck in de
field willin' as kin be, but all de tahm he act
des' lack he done bean dom oil mahsuh mighty
big favuh. an des' lack mahsuh otta bean
wuckin' 70 him, 'stod O. him wuckin' TO NAH
sub. But oil mahs' hc teck a pow'ful fancy to
dis hyuh new nigguh, an tink he de bes'es' one
he got on the plantation. Dat doan' meek no
difunce to dc new nigguh. not a teeny bit, an
he done toto he haid high, an flash he eye, an
street des' de same.
"Dis hyuh mighty proud mans name 1t bean
Bip, an bahmby I done git tahd de way he stride
'roun' lack he a lion in a cage an we bean only
des' tomcats, an, l say:
"'Puh waffo' yo' swull up so pow'ful big I
Waffo' yo' done tote yo' haid SO high. an street
lack yo' bean n Leftenant in dc Cha'lstown
Bluesi Pub Yo' dcs' only a common nigguh.
on oil mahsuh's plantation! OATS all!
nncn Rim hc frpw I'm ha hnid ap' fnld he
aims cross he chcs' an flash he eye an say:
Else wuckin' on dis hyuh plantation des'
lack de res de cattle, OATS 80 I he say. But I
ain got no right to DO dom 1t! l ain no common
nigguh Ise a king! Isc a king!
Den Bip he done poun' he chcs' wild he ls',
an frow he haid highuh an highuh, an flash
he eye till l quavuh in my feet, an mos scenk
whah l stan! l heah. many times, bout de
King O. de Cannibal Islan's. an I tink mebbe Bib
done bean dat hongry chap an gwan TO gobble
me 'kase l bean so peeuht wiz him, an I spec
he see | mos skecuht to def an feel sorry 70
ME, 'kase bahmby he come off he high boss. an
we wuck along in dc field ng'in, an he done toll
me boat hesef.
"'Why! no say. i 'membuh wen I live wiz
my fadduh an my mudduh. way ovuh in Ar.
faky, an dough I done bean des' a piccaninny,
8. 6 yeah oil, / know my fadduh an mudduh dey
bean King an Queen O. dat kcntry, an rule a
mighty heap O. folks. My fadduh he wauh n
monst'us big Fol' ring in he nose, an my mud.
duh she have eahrings big roun' as a teacup. an
bracelets on huh aims an ankles. 'Peahs to me
she doan' wauh a low full sight else but dem
rings an bracelets. an my fadduh's gahments
dey mighty skecuhs. but nobody doan' come
nigh EN- 'cep' dcy bow way down to de
CROWN. Dcy pow'ful mona chs. my fadduh an
mudduh. an all dat kentry an all dem heaps o.
people dey done gwan L be mine. 'kase l de
prince o dat house, but one day nudduh king he
resh on us wiv he tribe 70 we done spec he
nigh, an cotch us all an tie us up, an mahch
us. mahch us, mahch us, days an days till we
ritch de sea, an den a lot o white men dey teck
us way in boats, an i nevuh see my fadduh no
mo-. Dey frow me an my mudduh on a ship
wiz heaps an heaps mo- cullud folks. an
sail us cross dc sea to Cuby. Dab dcy
put my mudduh. do queen. wuckin' in
do suGah plantation. an l live in dc
mahsuh's house till l grow up. an den one day,
while my mudduh wus wuckin' in de cane. dey
sell me to 20 to dis kentry. an l ncvuh did SEQ my
mudduh no mo-. Dat ten yeahs ago. an I wuck
in de Loosyanna sugah fields an on de levics
till yo' oil mahs' he buy me an fotch me heah.
ain NO common nD"s i nissu mf hT I'se 1.S kin %Ha i f.sst a
king! show 70 some day wcvvuh l got a right
to Be hyuh; . R shoT Y. y Son. .o,, -. sun ,n.1s..
80: subj. An I toll my d NANNY 'bon, b Bip
she done osglle him. an she smoker an say:
Doan, 20 DO q fool nigguh. chile! Dis de
mule drivuhs is. DE las king wat try to hoi'
he haid up an stret in dis hyuh kcntry bean dat
o. king wat send Il Breetesh oy1h hynh to run
Dis hyuh Bip bettuh be kecuhful wiz he high
niEguh, chile' Dis de Ian, o freedom. an mahs'
he done whup de gizzuhd oat'n dat biR.feelin'
f!el, han Bip Of he doan' quit tinkin' it amt
Rim %f Put, d 9 L; dS s nan GHinot he, dPoc lee elm, dat at
came roun'. One mawnin hip he doan' tu'n oat
WA dc c,b rest 3. Of Of us to go to, de hei;' an, "a, dc
no haiuh of I'm. -Bip hcdonc gone, shu's 20 BON
done P,iS,i$S; {. 70 ? AaaEy to git he Sinsdom BACK
He done p,'intin' TO Candy. dsh's whah he
dome mo 5 Rint in,c fo'r my ny, o. io,G nanny mn ba say h Ar n
mighty. sorry he try to git way frum dis houh
hey call out de dogs, an bahmbyd de dogs
wioop! It lead en- plumb todes dc Sigi gum
swamp, an, swmsh; into i dey go, q, ,nahsuh
day 1t go 10 we done heah from EN-, an den oil
wnhsah an, the ove'seeGh dey come back alone.
deep in de swamp. do dogs deyE done run BIZ
down: DO oyc'seelh been leadin, OIL mahsuh in
an he meek K pow 'fui base to sls back rs dey tail
Rip to pieces. ''ksse mahs' often say no woen'
take ten hundud dolluh TO dat nigRuh. Do
Oveseouh git dab des' AZ dc two dogs make dcy
iomp 70 TIp's froat, BiP he standin' wiy he
haid frowed high. DE dogs bean dc bigges' an
fecuhses' blood houns in all dat kentry. Dey
Iomp 70 Bps froat. Pip he ritch out wiz bofe
he hHHn,s' an he ns ei sic,c dc W win pip pipe pD ., one o d9s VIZ
dog wiz he udduh ham, an dab he hol'
en- out at aims lent. s%queczin' de life
wrIKGle in he mighty cleteh. DE owe
sccuh he SO ovuhwhcm'd wiz s'prise, no
| dag stan dab lapR he dana fnnk rnnf In do
swamp. an wen he git he senses back. .Bip wuz
tah'n away out o sight in do tanglc. an de dogs
dey bean stretch duid at de foot o. dc big gum
tree. wiz dey eyes squeezed way out on doy
cheeks. or mahs he done come up dos' den.
"Whah he is g. he pun, no hretf mos gone.
dab choked To def. He caln't say a wud. Mahs'
he look, an he know.
What "A monst'us good nigRuh dat Bip Is !
he say. II n mighty shame IL he git up Sorf
dab. an stahv to def We mus put mo- dogs
aftuh hint
% 50 dex came hack An, git mo-, dnua an,