The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-12-19
A Southern
Christmas
Before the Emancipation
Proclamation
By ELLA RAY WEIGH

~~NNNNNNN~NS
It was Dec. 15. That was before rail-
roads had taken from the Mississippi
river the great carrying trade of
freight and passengers. and the steam
ers plying back and forth between
st. Louis or Cincinnati and New Or
leans were the main means Of convey
ance in the southwest. One might
start from either of these cities early
in December. when the ground was
covered with snow. and reach New
Orleans for Christmas to find summer
still lingering.
On this day of Dec. 10. when the
steamer Tecumseh was passing Baton
Rouge. in the cabin sat two men play
ing cards. In those days on the Mis-
sissippi gambling went on openly.
either chips Or money on the table
without any pretense of concealment.
and these two men were playing with
the principal currency Of the period
the state bank bills. One of them
was professional gambler, the other
young sugar planter. whose home
was in Louisiana. not far from New
Orleans. The gambler was quietly
taking away from the planter what
money he had with him; now permit
ting him to win a few dollars. and
now forcing him to lose q great many.
Presently he took the last Of his op-
ponent's funds.
Arthur st. Clair could not afford to
lose this money. He owned good
plantation and the negroes to work it.
but had no capital. Indeed. many Of
the planters Of that day were In con-
tinual state Of debt. usually borrowing
on new crop before having liquidat'
ed their Indebtedness for the old one
St. Clair was one Of these. Besides
working on the credit system In vogue
at the time. he was a very kind mas
ter to his slaves and never denied them
anything they wanted. no matter what
the cost. Nevertheless. having lost
some $500 to the gambler. he yielded
to temptation to risk separating one
Of the families he owned. for the pur-
pose of making an attempt to recoup.
'T have negro boy. ten years old"
he said. "whom l consider worth at
least $4OO Will you lend me 5000 on
him?
Certainly. sub: with pleasure. suh."
I'll draw up note containing
Hen on the boy"
"It's not necessary. assure you. sub.
Your word is quite enough, suh."
So they played on till the amount
loaned was lost; then 5000 more was
borrowed. This also being lost. bill
Of sale for the boy was made out for
the property to be delivered ten days
from the date. signed by St Clair and
handed to the gambler.
II would be happy to loan you more
on other Of your servants, suh." said
the gambler.
mo" said the other ruefully. "By
what have done have separated a
family. The boy / have lost at cards
is the only child Of the best man and
the best woman l have on my planta-
ton. It will break both the fathers
and the mothers hearts to part with
him. have done very wrong and will
do no more"
st. Clair. with lowering brow. went
out on the guard. as the deck outside
the cabin was called. and, sitting him
self down in one Of the wooden arm
chairs he found there. gave himself up
to remorse Mt having yielded to temp
tation. He was not troubled at the
money he had lost. for money In itself
was of little value in his eyes. But he
had used his credit to the uttermost
farthing, and he saw no way to pre-
vent the boy he had lost. Billy. from
being torn from his parents. In ten
days a scene would be enacted that he
dreaded. Ten days! Why. in ten days
1t would be Christmas.
st. Clair arose from his chair and
paced the guard feverishly. OF all the
days In the year to take a boy from
his parents and turn him over to
strangers. Why had he not made the
time twenty days-any other than on
Christmas day? 1t had not occurred
to him that the tenth day from the
present would be the day on which all
Christians tried to make all other
Christians happy. How could he tell
his man. Sam, that on Christmas day
instead of being made happy by gifts
his family was to be made miserable
by the loss of one Of its number?
ST. Clair carried his trouble home
with him. hut kept it to himself till the
day before Christmas. He tried ia
nerve himself to tell his wife. that she
might relieve him of the task of telling
Sam and Susan. the parents Of little
Billy, that on Christmas day they must
part with their best beloved. But his
effort was failure. Adelia st. Clair
took as much interest In the welfare Of
her negroes MS II they were n part of
her own family. Her husband could