Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-09-19

had he Stlil been Save. 49,. -. T.
Cruel Punishment.
Mr.. Taylor, in speaking of the pun
ishments melted out to slaves said Il
cannot become interested in Uncle
Toms Cabin because | have seen so
many things that completely surpass
it's scenes. | was fortunate enough to
ESCAPE much hard treatment during
my life as slave, but have seen hui
man beings treated so scornfully that
I would shrink from even describing
il. | have seen men and women
stripped to the skin and staked out, a I
stake to each limb, then logged 100 |
or $50 lashes, and all sometimes for
some trivial offense.
The Persecution of Henry.
81 will tell you one instance that
stands out particularly prominent in
my memory. My old mistress had a
man named Henry, who was married
to woman belonging to some other
slave owner. The mistress wanted
Henry to go to another plantation
about thirty miles from the one where
his wife lived, and promised the man
that he could come back for visit eV-
cry four weeks. Henry went along,
as he could do nothing else, but his
mistress failed to keep her word about
letting him go back once each month.
Makes His Escape.
Henry waited short time and fin
ally decided to run away. This he DID,,
and Immediately the slave. hunters
were upon his track professional
slave hunters. who followed that bust
ness for a living, got $40 for getting
upon the track of a slave and $25 for
capturing him. They earned the $50
with Henry and captured him after
nine days of hunting. He was taken
back to Canton and placed in the Mad
ison county Jail, where he stayed a
| few days, finally being taken, by order
of the mistress, back to the plantation
and put into chains. | remember the
day they brought him, back. | was
sent to the blacksmith to have the
iron bands for the ankles and wrists
made. 81
One Hundred Lashes.
"The mistress ordered that Henry
be given one hundred lashes for every
day he was absent, and the overseer
decided to give these lashes by the
hundred, one hundred each Sunday -
nine weeks Accordingly, Henry,w. h
his iron bands and chains, was COM
PEELED to work six days in the week,
; along with the others, and to do his
full share of work; then on Sunday
he was brought out, his limbs were
; plantation on which Mr.. Johnson was
born was owned by G. F.. Cook. Mr.
Johnson served his masterfor eighteen
: years, then ran away He walked
: twenty-five miles to Macon, where he
Joined the Fourth Missouri Colored
, Volunteers, serving in Company e
, staked out SO he could hardly move q
muscle, then he was whipped one hun
bred lashes.
Henry stood the treatment fol-
three Sundays, but one morning we
: awakened to learn that Henry had es
= capped He had in some manner still
/ unknown loosened his letters and hat
made good his escape from under tn
y nose of the driver, WHO was hell
e specially responsible for Henry a
night never saw nor heard o
5 Henry after that, but suppose he go
4 into the north and was safe
q Isaac Johnson.
e Isaac Johnson, employed by Silbel
|
people of Ottumwa who has seen tn
hardships of the slavery in the soutf
If Mr.. Johnson was raised on a plants
Z ton in Randolph county, Mo-. nea
Huntsville. He was born in 1874. TIL
On the plantation on which Nj
n Johnson worked there were fort
le slaves and while their master was nc
u considered as hard on the slaves q
IL most of the plantation owners wher
i he was, he was considered an abs
e. lutte man. This Ottumwa man We
at employed as carriage driver and as
ne servant in the home of his master an
81 he experienced an easy life whe
Oh there was taken into consideration tt
ed amount of hard labor that was pc
es formed by the other slaves.
=. -. Treatment of Slaves.
Speaking of the hardships Mr.. job
son said it was very common occu
renee to see a slave stripped of h
TN shirt and dashed over his back with
on large whip for one hundred to one hu
Is ,dred and fifty times. The slaves we
rs given a holiday during Christm
m week and on New Years day, numbe
N of them are taken to slave trading 81
lis tions and sold to the highest. biddt
OF Often when babe was born, if it W
II. healthy and hearty it was sold VIII
es about two months old for 5000.
:, Given Forty Acres of Land. :,
70. After President Lincoln's proclan
les ton freeing the slaves, Mr. johnson
he father and mother were given fol
tle acres of land by Mr.. Cook, their nj
he ter and the tools used by the ED
he Johnson, who was a blacksmith,
Ter gether with a team OF horses, and
or COW was also included in the maste
nd gift After the war lsaac Johns
ks. returned TO his master and worked
him about year. During that III
The he was treated in & very satisfactt
in manner
nv Admired Lincoln.
'ur- When asked for his opinion of
EN- raham Lincoln, Mr. Johnson sa
be mo greater and better man ever
len ed He did more for the coored p
Irs. pie than any other man could e
Ma do. In my opinion he was anot
the Moses"
on -----------
900 MICS nIJEEN MAN CHE