Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-06-06

The above is q recent photo
graph taken of Ralph Taylor, for
merly owned by Miss Felicis Hub-
bard, who married Major Thomas
Srriggs. Purchased from him in
1856 by his sister, Mrs. Charles b.
Whitney, upon the recommendation
of Mr. David Yerby, to whom he had
been hired for some time, and taken
with her from Lancaster to Danyille,
Va. She paid $1,000 for him, and
he soon made up this amount in bires,
as every one who hired him once was
anxious for his services again.
lie was most faithful servant MP
to the surrender, after which he
followed his mistress to Rockbridge
county, Va, where he has lived,
under the shadow of the same moun-
tain with her ever since, ready, both
day and night, to come at her call
and do her bidding with the same
loyal fidelity which has characterized
him from boyhood to the present
time. Since his freedom, money
would weigh lightly in the balance
with the virtues which he daily ex-
hibits in his ministrations around the
old Douglass homestead" where in
the evenings after his days work is
done, he regales his "Missus," and
hsJu5 hsJu frieeHReessr eeHRee ssrHftBgh ghisttSi6S' OF which
if heard by some of the frequenters
of Marvin Grove Camp, would move
their hearts, as perhaps nothing else
could-speakipg from our own stand
point. These scenes are now so
rare we can but wish that some of
our northern friends could witness
this evidence of fidelity, and know
for themselves how possible it is for
friendship between slave and owner
to last through time and strangle
prejudice, so rife now in the states.
In answer to our inquiry: Have
you any recollections of your early
life in Lancaster, Uncle Ralph? He
said: eyes, Missus, dat 1 has; my
daddy he 'longed to ole Mars Sam
Downing-he war named Ralph
Taylor, too-and were hired hui
year to Mars David Yerby down on
"Skeeter Pint" on Fleets Island.
Missus, you is bearded of skeeters, l
knows, but dem dar skeeters down
dar is big as wassus; deed day is
Missus, and dey seems TO be all right
if nuthen sturbs EN-, but jes let any
thing bodder dem skeeters an dey
rises up like cloud and you kin heb
EN- roarin leben miles oft-yes,
Missus, smack from here to Lexing.
ton whar dat man you tuck me tc
struck my pictur Oft! Dey is called
"hawk muskeeters" Missus, an dert
is thousands of millions of bushels
oh dem; an, when I'd go arter d,
cowsin de evenin's, an I'd git benin
dem cows-what had been stanin' il
water up to der noses to keep de
varmints often dem-an I'd git benin
dem COWS an start EN- hum dey u(
run. an / wud run, an I'd slash m,
hans bof up an down, an right al
lef, an smack fust my knees an del
my shoulders to kill many as / could
but dey'd rise in my face like cloud
an swarm round me an take m
bref an snffocate me, an me a run
nin' tool"
Oh, Uncle Ralph, you vii
make us lose all faith in you
religion, if you talk this way! "Wel
oh coarse Missus dat might be. Yo
amt ben down dar. You kin star
an look at de water dar, way out, a
5 out, an out, an dey amt no cen
nothin' down dar, an dey amt no ee
to de skeeters neder; an Missus, eff
had dat tale to tell ober agin I'd So
). dar was more 'en dat. an you coul
hear 'em roarin' for twenty mile
std of leben, dat is when dey |
sturbed."
Uncle Ralph when the young wi
died that your Miss Sarah brought I
here from Lancaster county, di
you ever marry again? "Yes, mum,
marry agin' an she die too"
Il Well, then after that, did you ev
think of matrimony? "Yes Missu
onct, an I'll tell You bout dat. / lik,
> old Aunt Rachall's an UnC
,, Ephrum's gal pretty we'll, an when
!. went dar to call upon her, her mar
my an daddy tole me to tote swift,
up stars wild me an whip dem t,
!. lazy boys down so dey could max e
go to work. dun zactIy as dey to
me, Missus, an was a hittin' at e
pretty lively, an bress Godl Miss.
y I'd dun forgot dat ole Uncle 70
Gnn-what uset] ter b'lonp to Ma