The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-01-25


When the federal troops made
raid through this part of the country
he was carried off down the country
with great many other negroes. 1t
was the second time in his life the old
fellow had been carried off by the in
vaders, and, after staying on one Of
the islands near Charleston for few
months, he made his way home again
after the war was over and tried to
resume his old life.
But after 70 years of slavery free
dom dazzled his wits and he could
not learn to be the same man. He
had always had someone to look to
for support and to depend on in every
way, and without this he was like a
blind man, and evidently felt and
showed himself in false position.
1t would have been amusing if it had
not been pitiful. to see some of the
little airs the old man felt he ought to
assume toward his former owners, and
unconsciously dropping them and be-
coming his old self for little while.
But the burden of freedom was too
much to carry, and old Daddy Ben
didn't live more than two and half
years under its cares.
DADDY MONDAY.
There was an old man named
Monday living on a nearby planta-
ton. He was a few years younger
than Daddy Ben, but they had mu-
tual respect and friendship for each
other. Daddy Monday was quite a
tall and very black man, with white
hair, very white teeth, and quite pro-
nounced features. He was the very
essence of grandiose, pompous polite
ness, and used the longest words and
most complicated sentences he could
possibly invent. In telling one good
morning he would pull off his hat and
hold it in one hand, give low bow,
and, with smile that showed all his
teeth, he would say: Good morn
in, boss. How is you copporosity
and ingratiate dis fine mornin', sir ?"
Then, with look of pride at the Lam
guage he could use, straighten him
self up and politely await an answer.
While freedom dazzled him as it did
Daddy Ben, it seemed to elate instead
of bewilder, and he entered into its en-
joyments with all of his heart, and
while just as polite as ever, there was
ali added dignity and independence of
bearing. He was frst-rate carpen-
ter, and soon made enough money to
buy himself home and small tract
of land.
To show how kindhearted and con-
siderate an old gentleman he was at
heart, as were so many Of those old
negroes, he was employed by lady
to do job worth about SIS, and when
it was finished, as money was very
scarce, the lady did not have it to
pay him at once, and when he had
come by appointment several times
and had failed to get it, seeing how
worried the lady was, one day, when
he was going away, he stood with his
hat in his hand and said: "Mistis,
l am very sorry to trouble you, ma am,
an / hope you won't trouble yourself
any mo- about it. Let me do that
work for you for nothing. I know
times is hard, en- ladies en- gentlemens
can't Go as they d like to-" He never
came for it again, and the money had
to be sent to him. He did this from
simple kindness of heart. Can any
one imagine one of the present gener-
alton acting in any such way? If he
happens to dream you owe him five
cents, he'll dog your footsteps until
he gets it.
FAITHFULNESS TO OWNERS.
1t is pleasant to recall these old
men. Their faithfulness to trust and
loyalty to their owners was something
wonderful and very hard for those
who never witnessed it believed in.
l have often sat among group of
them, for some years after their free
dom, and listened to their stories of
their experiences in "slabery time"
they would sometimes say "een
reb me'-and 1 never remember to
have heard one of them speak in dis
paragement of their owners, but often
in extenuation of what seemed like
cruelty even to themselves. I have
often heard them speak in disparag-
ing terms of other than their white
people," and if the ex-slaves of those
white people were present, there would
be a quarrel and perhaps a fight.
They seemed to regard there owners
as the better part of their own lives
and loyalty to them a sort of divine
command. 1 have known negroes
who would steal, lie, cheat and do all
sorts of mean things who wouldn't
even listen to word of disrespect to-
ward their former owners. 1 heard
one once, while talking of old times,
say: "De boss has gin me many er
lickin' in his time, en- 1 thought den
er mighty hard Ting, but when 1
look back on it now l don't b'lieve
he ebber hit me er lick l didn't de-
serve. I see now it was all done
for my good" And the speaker was
a member of the legislature at the
time. Was loyalty like this ever
equaled?
But there was one man they all
hated and never did forgive. and that
was "de obersheer. All of their
sufferings in "reb time" were, if pos
sible, laid on his shoulders. To the
negro's mind he is the man who, since
freedom, has developed into ode Ku-
Kluk," the ballot-boX stuffer, and
the 1yncher, and with whom he is
waging war of determination The
few old ones who still flag super
fluous on the stage" have the same
feeling toward their owners and ode
obersheer."
They feel that their owners belong
to them. Last year an old colored
woman, who still lives on the planta-