The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-01-16
A CHRISTMAS IN VIRGINIA.

Mr.. Alfred johnson passed Chrlst:c rs
day with his brother, Mr.. Ralph Miller
johnson, in New York City, where a
family reunion of the Johnson and Davis
families was held. From New York Mr..
johnson went to Virginia, spending
several days on the colonial estates of
Shirley and: Westover on the James
river below Richmond.
These are among the Oldest and finest
country places in America, and are full of
historic associations. The present manor
house at Shirley. still occupied by the
descendant of it's builder (1642). has been
the scene of many stirring incidents of
the Indian, Revolutionary and Civil wars.
The house-party during Christmas
| week at Westover numbered over thirty
people, assembled from cities as wide
apart as Boston, Mass, and Charleston,
S C. These met the son of their host
at Richmond and made the interesting
trip down the James river together on the
| famous old steamer Pocahontas under his
guidance. Some of the features of the en-
tertainment for the guests were:-a tur-
key hunt, duck shooting, base ball game
on the lawn, permitted by the extreme
| mildness of the weather, and in which
the young people of both sexes joined;
and an old fashioned, Southern holiday
season ball, lasting till the break of
dawn, and to which the gentle folks of
the entire country side for miles around
We're bidden The panelled walls of the
old house were gaily and appropriately
decked with red holly berries and Christ
mas greenery, gathered by the guests on
the estate; and fresh roses, picked on the
Southern side of it's brick walls and from
the tomb of the beautiful Evelyn Byrd,
in the old garden, were placed in front
of the portraits of ''Knightly men and
laydies faire" who thronged and revelled
in these same halls at pre-Revolutionary
Christmases and now gazed sedately in
their quaint attire upon the festive scene.
In response to a request from The
Journal for further details of his visit
in Virginia Mr.. johnson writes as fol-
lows:
In these hasty notes can but touch on
one or two of the most striking aspects
of the life on those grand old estates.
Among these were, the way in which
the farm labor in this region, the heart
of the "black belt" is hired. On the
estate of Shirley, anywhere from ten to
twenty hands are employed, varying with
! the seasons. These men, all colored,
are paid from fifty cents to dollar a
day each, apparently according to the
impression they have made on the over
seer of the estate. But this salary is
only the beginning: in addition they are
housed in the old Quarters" free of
charge, and a certain fixed quantity of
rations is dealt out daily to the men who
have families, IN the form of bacon,
| all eat together in the old slave kitchen,
located in detached building, construct
ed of bricks brought over from the old
country, entirely at the expense of the
| master.
| The overseer, himself a gentleman,
with charming southern manners, and
who has devoted his life to farming and
is we'll posted on ali its modern meth
DDS and theories, drove me over the
estate, and sometime may try to write
you a few Of the interesting things he
told me about southern farming. Here,
however, | can only say that last year,
owing to the drought, several of their
staple crops failed, and the main return
was five hundred tons of hay, which, as
| ! 10 HOY ~
on their own wharf trihe better than
| $500 per ton.
| Many quaint customs still prevail
among the farm hands; one of which,
that OF taking absolute rest from all but
the most necessary work for about ten
days during the Christmas season, was
In full force during my visit. The negroes
either remain at their quarters merry
making or Teasing, or 60 a visiting or
hunting throughout the entire holiday
period. One of their number is dele
gated IN turn to water and feed the
stock, ETC., but beyond that no work
whatever is done.
! Directly opposite Shirley, across the
j ames river, and near the mouth of the
Appomattox is Bermuda Hundred. a
name which greatly mystified Northern
oS1o Va q SCHCi oliou dSo, NHeIl, DIS
! the base Of General Ben. F. Buffers
operations, it began to figure largely in
the daily newspaper war dispatches.
This outpost of Jamestown was largely
settled by persons who had been ship
wrecked on the Bermudas. and the old
colonial subdivision of villages, by which
each hundred colonists were placed under
the authority of captain, is still pre-
served in Virginia nomenclature
listened to tales from old confederate
veterans, still residents of the estate,
relative to General Buffers treatment
of them, and it would seem to show that,
to say the least, "the General was no
gentleman.
One of my informants related to me
thrilling tale tof how, when fleeing for
his life from Buffers soldiers, who had
discovered him crossing the lines to visit
his mother, then lying at deaths door,
he had reached the house and secreted
himself in its huge, dark, cavernous
attic.
Then, candle in hand, he led me up
the beautiful, carved, colonial staircase
of three flights, and then on through a
concealed panelled door, and up sue
cession of steep, narrow, winding steps
to the attic, with its rough hewn
beams, as heavy and as we'll morticed
together with wooden trunnels as the
timbers of thousand tonned ship, and
disclosed tp mo tho coorot bi6i,,. ,lo