The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-03-16

these few remaining relics of slavery
shall go suffering to their graves or
shall pass into eternal freedom in
comfort and with a benediction for
those they served on earth remains
with a people who can pay a debt
of gratitude in recognition of a faith
fulness and loyalty that should not
go unrewarded.
One 115 Years Old.
For nineteen years the Carter
Home has been maintained by the
church and by small contributions OF
the five aged women of whom l write
one is, according to what seems au-
thentic records, 115 years old. The
others are ninety, eighty-two, seventy
five and sixty years of age, respective
ly.
Scarcely able to walk and lettering
feebly, with a staff in her hands, her
eyes white from blindness and her
face shrivelled like a mummy's, Maria
Johnson slowly made her way to the
entrance of the home
How old are you, Aunt Maria?" l
asker her, and she replied in culver
ing voice.
DE las time | heerd OF marster
put hit down was when he cum home
from de wah, an den was sixty
eight years OBJ age"
This would make this nanny
about one hundred and fifteen years
old and she looks it,
When asked where she came from
she replied, cor Ferginny," Maria
was owned before the war by James
Dowden, who had a large plantation
near Richmond. Just before the close
of the was she was brought to Geor-
gia, probably with the refugees who
were flying from the advancing enemy
and taking with them as much of
their slave property as possible. At
the close of the war she was left in
Athens, and so was far from her old
slave home and from those who might
have cared for her.
Patsy Green.
Next came Patsy Green, and as She
hobbled through the doorway she
screened her eyes from the sun with
her hand and exclaimed:
DE OF oman is monty nigh bin.
or Patsy Green hain't berry far from
de crossin 'ob de ribber."
Patsy told me she was ninety years
of age. Her master before the war
was DR.. George K. Hamilton, of De-
Kalb county, Ga. Her folk, she said,
have all passed away, and if she had
not found a place in the Carter Home
she would have been without any
place to go.
Emma Foster, another of the
''mammies" in the home, said she was
eighty-two years of age and her old
''marster" was H. &. Sizer, who own
ed before the war a plantation in
Holmes county, Miss.
Jemima Stokes, who was the slave
of William Spears, whose plantation
was near La Grange, Ga, said she
was seventy-fve year of age, and five
years ago was a destitute pauper
without a helping hand in the world
until a kind woman sent her to the
Carter Home.
Leila Key, who says she Is silky
years of age, was a slave on the plan
tation near Newman Ga. AS her mind
is not strong she cannot recall the
name of her former master"
The question may bs asked why
not send these poor creatures to the
almshouse? The reply is, first, if
there is anything abhorrent to the
soul of the old time darkey, it is the
"po' house" Ever since the slaves
obtained their freedom they have had
instilled into them that to go to the
poorhouse was the greatest stigma
and the lowest degradation. There
fore, to send these negroes to the
almshouse would be worse, so far as
they are concerned, than to let them
die in the street.
WARMER AT HALEIWA.