Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-19
FIVE CENTS A DAY
An Old Shoemaker's Ante-Beilum
"reminiscences.
A SLAVE IN old VIRGINIA
Lost Promised Freedom and Sent
to Georgia.
WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER

strange ana very interesting HiStoTy. ILS-
pecially interesting is it to those whose
memories go back to the days of slavery
and the great rush of negroes to Washing
ton at the close of the war, when they
came in by thousands.
Ottway Niclas was sold under somewhat
peculiar circumstances at the outbreak of
hostilities, separated from his wife and
children in Virginia and taken to Georgia.
There he remained until the restoration
of peace and until some time after. when.
hearing of the whereabouts of his family,
he joined them here in Washington.
He is about seventy years of age and his
hair is almost white, but he is hale and
hearty and his mind is quick and active.
His memory regarding the incidents of his
early life as a slave seems vivid and clear.
Brought up as a confidential house servant
in an old Virginia family, he possesses
digniiied bearing and courteous manner
that early association with refinement and
culture alone can give.
His face is honest and Intelligent and his
ready smile shows a nature at once kind
and humorous.
He likes to talk of the old days "befo' the
war;" and was particularly willing to tell
his story when he learned that the writer's
people were from the same town in
Georgia in which he had lived.
In Old Virginia.
The scene of the first part of his story is
a section of Virginia, but few hours ride
from .ashington, where the family name
of his "Ole Miss as he still fondly calls
her. is-stilI well known. When sold he was
bought by the owner and manager of a
shipping business in well-known town in
Georgia. His story, however, had best be
told in his own words as nearly as posi-
bic.
You see," he began, gazing thoughtfully
at the shoe on which he was working, my
ole miss owned ali my brothers and two
three O. my cousins an me, an she had
always told US, ever since We was big
enough to understan', that when she died
all to be set free.
Most of Us bein' married, she had adj
vised US to stay aroun' the neighborhood
when she gone, and take keer o our
wives.
Nearly all o. our wives belonged to other
folks. you see, and couldn't leave. My
wife lived on the next farm to ours.
We'll, when ole miss come to die, she
called in friend and made him promise
to be our guardian, and to look after us
You see it was the law in them days that
if a colored set free he had to
name somebody to stan for him as long as
he staid in Virginia. SO he promised her
he'd do it. But after she died. 'sted o him
settn' us free, he KEEP us, and put some o.
US out to work, maxim US pay him for our
time
Sh0emaker's Apprentice.
be her house servant and to take keer o.
things around the place, and o. course l
didn't know nothin' about farmin', so 1
tole my guardian l wanted to learn
t1ade. He said he didn't care if 1 paid him
for my time.
Then | went an hired myself out to a
shoemaker
How much did he pay you. Uncle OFT
Way he was asked
Five cents a day" he replied.
Then, he noted look Of surprise on
the face of his questioner, he smiled and
continued: Most everybody said l was a
fool for worSin' for , cents a day, but /
never said nothin cepn to tell em l
knowed what / was about. You see. /
wanted to learn my trade. and was willin'
TO work for my teachin.
But how did you support yourself all
this time?"
well, in different ways. I didn't have
to get to the shop till O'Clock in the
mornin', and | left al in the eVenin, SO
l had little time o my own for outside
work
II used to get up early in the mornin' and
go aroun' spadn' up peoples gardens for
EN-, and I got ~ cents a square for that.
"Then they was lots o boardin' houses in
town and I'd go to them ard help wash
dishes for my meals. and cut wood and
tote water and do all sorts O. little odd
jobs.
THAT way made my board and the sl3.Io
a month / had TO pay my guardian for my
time After while | got to be foreman
o. the shop at s. week
The ola mar mentioned this last quite
CASUALLY as though the rise of an unedu-
Gated colored man from an apprentice at >
cents a Gay to foreman at IS Il week. sup
porting himself and earning S13 month
outside in the meantime, were d matter of
course.
When the War Came.
when I'd been workin this way about
four years" he continued, 1.-The war come
on. and everything and everybody was up
set. People was all takin' and most of EN-
goin of to the army. and nobody knowed
what was eoin' to happen. One day my
guardian said he was gon' to sell all of u.s.
l asst him what about what he had prom
ised my ole miss on her deathbed.
lie said he didn't keer nothn' about
that-she was dead now. So he took US all
down to Richmond, cep'n two o my broth
ers. one OF EN- too young to be sold
and the other went off to the confederate
army with our guardians son. one o. my
cousins off and joined the northern
army. / was mighty bothered goin' away
from my home and my wife and my little
chillun, but | never said rothn' much,
cause l rcckoned the good Lord would take
keer of us all
When we got down to Richmond a man
come along and said: Look here. boys is
you all for sale? We said: Yes, sir Then
he said: Howe you like to go down to
" here went. jes' got away from
the man we was with.
IT'S mighty hot down there, boysr he
says, and powerful far away.
I'VE tole him reckoned If other folks
could stan the heat we could, and we didn't
keer nothin' bout it's bein' far if the kyars
would take us there.
Taken to Georgia.
so he jest laughed and said all right
He bought us next day for $500 apiece
eleven Of us, nine men and two women
and We started for Georgy.
Il liked that man from the first. When
we got down there we found everything es
Ike he said it would be, but he was always
good and kind to
Il had told him IN Richmond l wasn't no
farm hand, and he said he'd put me at any
trade 1 wan. ed To work at.
Nv ell. got there one Saturday evenin,
and tell you l felt mighty strange. Mon
DAY Elornn' | was sent UP 10 a shoemak-
ei : shop and the boss toie me he'd try me-
and il 1 Was any account ned keep me.
Il tole my marSter l didn't have no tools
and lie gimme Il fiIty-doliar bill to go down
town to buy some.
Il bought ~ worth and I've got some of
EN- yet. cause he give EN- all ME wien
was set Tree.
Here Uncle Ottuay reached into his tool
bCX and prCdul ed part of the original set
of tools he bought nearly forty years ago.
When plat ed beside some others he had