The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-09-23
TWO old /
Manuscripts That Were Pen
ned q Century Ago Be-
fore the Revolution.
SLAVES PLEA FOR LIBERTY
Views OF a British Officers
Wife Before Hostilities
Began

Rnuau
= newark sunday CAR man was rum
iiaeias n q Dig chest hied WIN oio
manuscript the other Day Wnen ne came
upoil tWo interesting iettefs' enc Wrateeh
speaore me rSevolution ana the olheF ~
me year lcVo' Ohe was written py 2
losihs wire % hef husDana an oHacer
"a 4 pfalisn regiment, ana the o1ner was
inc pea o. q slave % the son and
81 ms Old master ana mistress
ZOE the privilege OF buying ms freedom
Eacn Is a gem IN Its way and would De
nignly valued by antiquarians. Both are
IN a me state OF preservation, and It Is
nard GO realize that a slave could nave
written 80 well, both as regards penrnan-
ship ana grammar and composition AS
for the woman's letter, written as It was
at a time when comparatively few Of her
sex knew how to write at all, It IS ex-
ceedingly well done. Indeed, II Is far bet
ter done than most Of the letters Of that
period that have been preserved
The wife's letter Is written from the
island of New Providence to st. Angus
tine, where her husband was when last
she heard from him. It IS ingenious and
sincere to a delightful extent. and con
tains many little touches which Will at
tract and please many who care for the
time-stained documents Of the past when
they reveal something Of the actual life
and color Of the dsvs IN which. they were
pennea. This 1ettes was written on Sep
tar4ber % RIA three Years befara me
paro.r+;or = = .s fa,ious-
s.asr Daarast ra~rafT ~. ~ ra
ps - go 49, 4haSsc.4 ps~saas+ =
~,y1 s NJ vorr ~ aanar,,a5na 900
ina +bst ~, no,ss SIN Il II q s.eus-
49, LII ns4t rfs.ssns hf1 a.
nsrns+r - - ms,r no.fnr
80 s4rs,r sats9saa4 - 49,
So, s ~ 90. 81,
r.ma.m 49,. 1.. .L.aa -
$3.50 - go ~ n,aas.,ua 81 -
aas~.saa ~ - $500 rans -, 49,
w,m-ts-s~ Ias nooa er go
80 49, rero,nra mhsob 1890 ne varv
srs-S ws,+ ~an ~anaa $500 ara
a'htah hans ! raeatvsa T-r.ar,ninr
- :. = A.r,st,na uza,,1a = ,,,,t
49, a-st - 1Tra5sn5- abovt n,antb
s.rs la.*s- 80 1900 Tanaan w;u
800 - ~sl,a.aa +bis WIN
49, Io+ 49, 4ra MIR Tsnor 2ouydlI
a5 i Ian - 60 -. ss,ra IA,
tba+ : sbs,, saana buf Z verv nnbannv
- n-.4sa,,t { an varv sarrv tbat
49,, aha,,Id $50 yarv m,,eb b,,rr,ed az
q - - ab,a - mr,+e osfen e lonpar
,attars 2 80 wbosa ontv ,hann,ness At
nresant il that Of hearing from YOU. NV
Dr.
81 believe papa writes you by this OPP
p~ertunfty. He told me he would II he
had time. Mama desires her love to
YOU, so does Jack and Nanny. They
keep pretty healthy considering how
sickIy Providence has been for some
time. Agreeable to my Dear SewelPs de-
sires I lave taken everything that DR..
Gray thought proper & I think that /
am rather in a better state Of health
than when you left me, all but the Pain
in my side, which stih continues to be
very troublesome, but I hope that | shah
get rid of that when 7 see you, as : shall
then be quite happy Papa would have
sent fruit and Turtles by this Opportunity
but he thinks It uncertain Whetner you
are at Augustine, as it is now a great
while since we heard from you.
II thank You my DR. for the combs
WAlcQ dfG very WStt 1dA X MS Ii Rc"T
ell I must now bid you Farewell God /
hope will protect you & send you safe
home to her who is & ever will be, YOU
loving & affeetionate wife.
eELTZTH MAUNSELL"
II r. not absolutely certain that Maun-
sen was IN the T~wenty-third regiment. or
e NAV have been that his regiments
,ooven,en4s we're governed largely by
+hasa e tha Twantv-third doing garrison
5,,4wa g. a,,g,stiha If an events. he
Sasssor 80 4 do.,h+ ~ of7cpr IN
49, 49, haa r. anvslanes and tba
sN,,r ~sal ~ 5000 VIA,
iesssa mas ~ u,r,ttav,
isu Seine 49, s.ss sn.~s,,,a q
3 lno TS-.-., 3. a.
olrected g WE, " I $3.50.
sAuguseihe ny slasor "a g -
Capt. oeirrup w. - 80
OF fhacheray raehsi NO 90
blood personagel, was ~ S'uol =
~portunity. Alluded 70 IN ehe ieeeef' so,,s
officer of Maunseifs y uooot,
on his way to re3ein his eozaraano.
From the letter 1t Wo'aids appear tnap
the husband was somewhat ren'ise m
writing. and the gentle way IN wnich' sne
chitles him has a touch OF the patnos IN
it which is not wholly lost 70 the reader
by the fact that the cniding was done q
century and a quarter age. f'rom anoener
letter found in the old chest the writer