 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|||
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
||||
| 114 THE UNDERGROUND RAIL ROAD. vinoed him of her good sense and decision of purpose with regard to this matter. For, in answer to the first question he put to her, she answered, that " As many creature comforts and religious privileges as she had been the recipient of under her ' kind mistress/ still she * wanted to be free/ and 'was bound to leave/ that she had been * treated very cruelly/ that her children had ' all been sold away' from her; that she had been threatened with sale herself ' on the first insult/ " etc. She was willing to take the entire responsibility of taking care of herself. On the suggestion of a friend, before leaving her mistress, she was disposed to sue for her freedom, but, upon a reconsideration of the matter, she chose rather to accept the hospitality of the Underground Rail Road, and leave in a quiet way and go to Canada, where she would be free indeed. Accordingly she left her mistress and was soon a free woman. The following sad experience she related calmly, in the presence of several friends, an evening or two after she left her mistress: Two sons and two daughters had been sold from her by her mistress, within the last three years, since the death of her master. Three of her children had been sold to the Richmond market and the other in Nelson county. Paulina was the first sold, two years ago last May. Nat was the next; he was sold to Abram Warrick, of Richmond. Paulina was sold before it was named to her mother that it had entered her mistress's mind to dispose of her. Nancy, from infancy, had been in poor health. Nevertheless, she had been obliged to take her place in the field with the rest of the slaves, of more rugged constitution, until she had passed her twentieth year, and had become a mother. Under these circumstances, the overseer and his wife complained to the mistress that her health was really too bad for a field hand and begged that she might be taken where her duties would be less oppressive. Accordingly, she was withdrawn from the field, and was set to spinning and weaving. When too sick to work her mistress invariably took the ground, that " nothing was the matter," notwithstanding the fact, that her family physician, Dr. Ellsom, had pronounced her "quite weakly and sick." In an angry mood one day, Mrs. Cahell declared she would cure her; and again sent her to the field, " with orders to the overseer, to whip her every day, and make her work or kill her." Again the overseer said it was " no mse to try, for her health would not stand it," and she was forthwith re-taroed. The mistress then concluded to sell her. One Sabbath evening a nephew of hers, who resided in New Orleans, happened to be on a visit to his aunt, when it occurred to her, that she had f better get Nancy off if possible." Accordingly, Nancy was called in for .examination. Being dressed in her " Sunday best" and " before a poor -sandle-ligbt," she appeared to good advantage; and the nephew concluded to start with her on the following Tuesday morning. However, the next |