The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1914-03-26
A Southern
Christmas
Before the Emancipation
Proclamation
By ELLA RAY WEIGH

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. Is. when the
steamer Tecumseh was passing Baton
Rouge. In the cabin sat two men play
ing cards. In those days on the Mis-
slssippi gambling went on openly.
either chips or money on the table
without any ppetense 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 great many
Presently he took the last OF his OPP
ponent's funds.
Arthur st. Clair could not afford t.
lose this money. He owned a good
plantation and the negroes to work It,
but had no capital. Indeed. many of
the planters Of that day were in a con-
tinuai state of debt. usually borrowing |
on a new crop before having llquidat-
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 very kind mas
ter 60 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 n temptation TO risk separating one
of the families he owned. for the pur-
pose of making an attempt to recoup.
81 have negro boy. ten years old"
he said. whom I consider worth at
least S40O. VIII you lend me 5000 on
him2"
Certainly. sub; with pleasure. sub"
"I'll draw up a note containing a
len on the boy"
ITS not necessary. assure you, sub,
Your word is quite enough. sub"
SO they played on till the amount
oaned was lost; then 5000 more was
This also being lost. bill
Il sale for the boy was made out for
he property to be delivered ten days
rom the date. signed by St Clair and
landed to the gambler
II would be happy to loan you more
n other OF your servants. suh." said
be gambler
No" said the other ruefully. by
THAT | have done / have separated a
amlly. The boy | have lost at cards A.,
the only child of the best man and
he best woman | have on my planta
on. II will break both the fathers :
nd the mothers hearts to part with
i'm. have done very wrong and will
o no more"
st. Clair with lowering brow. went
nt on the guard. rs the deck outside I
he cabin was called. and. sitting him
III down In one of the wooden arm :
lairs he found there, gave himself up
remorse at having yielded to temp
ton. He was not troubled at the
oney he had lost. for money In itself II
as OF little value in his eyes. But he
I'd used his credit to the uttermost
rthing. and he saw no way to pre-
mt the boy he had lost Billy, from e'
ling torn from his parents. In ten
ys a scene would be enacted that he
eaded. Ten days! Why. in ten days
would be Christmas.
St Clair arose from his chair and
ced the guard feverishly. OF all the pi
VS. in the year TO take a boy from III
; parents and turn him over to "a
'angers. Why had he not made the
ne twenty days-any other than on
ristmas day? II had not occurred rl'
him that the tenth day from the tn
eSent would be the day on which all
ristlans tried to make all other to-
ristians happy. How could he tell tn
! man. Sam, that on Christmas day on
'tead OF being made happy by gifts Sc
/ family was 70 be made miserable up
the loss of one OF its number? FOL
& Clair carried his trouble home l
tn him, but kept II TO himself till the GU
Y before Christmas He tried TO or
rye himself TO tell his wife, that she II
ght relieve him Of the task OF telling fro
IN and Susan. the parents Of little bill
lly, that on Christmas day they must tor
RI with their best beloved. But his tir'
ort was failure. Adelia st. Clair On
'k as much interest in the welfare of ma
r negroes as IL they We're a part of hu
r own family. Her husband could NV
nerve himself TO confess how weak ha'
had been ella
lie knew that Sam was very fond of Ing
n. though he was Sans master. He |
d often stood between Sam and go.
rm and had given him everything he COZ
nted. He felt that he could impart wa
news To Sam with less pain to SUI
nself than TO any one else and knew lat
II by confesSing the whole story pei
m would blame him less than any ha'
p else. SO the day before Christmas 1
ling the slave aside where be would glo
he overheard by others, he r,ale ina
confession. Ola