A young and beautiful lady, closely veiled and attired in black,
arrived one morning at “Poplar Farm,” and was shown immediately into
a room in the eastern wing, where she remained, attended only by old
Nancy. That the lady belonged to the better class was evident from her
dress, refined manners, and the inviolable secrecy of her stay at the
residence of Dr. Gaines. At last the lady gave birth to a child, which
was placed under the care of Isabella, a quadroon servant, who had
recently lost a baby of her own.
The lady left the premises as mysteriously as she had come, and nothing
more was ever seen or heard of her, certainly not by the negroes. The
child, which was evidently of pure Anglo-Saxon blood, was called Lola,
and grew up amongst the negro children of the place, to be a bright,
pretty girl, to whom her adopted mother seemed very much attached. At
the time of which I write, Lola was eight years old, and her presence
on the plantation began to annoy the white members of Dr. Gaines’
family, especially when strangers visited the place.
The appearance of Mr. Walker, the noted slave speculator, on the
plantation, and whom it was said, had been sent for, created no little
excitement amongst the slaves; and great was the surprise to the
blacks, when they saw the trader taking Isabella and Lola with him at
his departure. Unable to sell the little white girl at any price, Mr.
Walker gave her to Mr. George Savage, who having no children of his own
adopted the child.
Isabella was sold to a gentleman, who took her to Washington. The grief
of the quadroon at being separated from her adopted child was intense,
and greatly annoyed her new master, who determined to sell her on his
arrival home. Isabella was sold to the slave-trader, Jennings, who
placed the woman in one of the private slave-pens, or prisons, a number
of which then disgraced the national capital.
Jennings intended to send Isabella to the New Orleans market, as soon
as he purchased a sufficient number. At the dusk of the evening,
previous to the day she was to be sent off, as the old prison was
being closed for the night, Isabella suddenly darted past the keeper,
and ran for her life. It was not a great distance from the prison to
the long bridge which passes from the lower part of the city, across
the Potomac to the extensive forests and woodlands of the celebrated
Arlington Heights, then occupied by that distinguished relative and
descendant of the immortal Washington, Mr. Geo. W. Custis. Thither the
poor fugitive directed her flight. So unexpected was her escape, that
she had gained several rods the start before the keeper had secured the
other prisoners, and rallied his assistants to aid in the pursuit. It
was at an hour, and in a part of the city where horses could not easily
be obtained for the chase; no bloodhounds were at hand to run down the
flying woman, and for once it seemed as if there was to be a fair trial
of speed and endurance between the slave and the slave-catchers.
The keeper and his force raised the hue-and-cry on her path as they
followed close behind; but so rapid was the flight along the wide
avenue, that the astonished citizens, as they poured forth from their
dwellings to learn the cause of alarm, were only able to comprehend
the nature of the case in time to fall in with the motley throng in
pursuit, or raise an anxious prayer to heaven, as they refused to join
in the chase (as many a one did that night), that the panting fugitive
might escape, and the merciless soul-dealer for once be disappointed
of his prey. And now, with the speed of an arrow, having passed the
avenue, with the distance between her and her pursuers constantly
increasing, this poor, hunted female gained the “Long Bridge,” as it
is called, where interruption seemed improbable. Already her heart
began to beat high with the hope of success. She had only to pass
three-quarters of a mile across the bridge, when she could bury herself
in a vast forest, just at the time when the curtain of night would
close around her, and protect her from the pursuit of her enemies.
But God, by His providence, had otherwise determined. He had ordained
that an appalling tragedy should be enacted that night within plain
sight of the President’s house, and the Capitol of the Union, which
would be an evidence, wherever it should be known, of the unconquerable
love of liberty which the human heart may inherit, as well as a fresh
admonition to the slave-dealer of the cruelty and enormity of his
crimes.
Just as the pursuers passed the high draw, soon after entering
upon the bridge, they beheld three men slowly approaching from the
Virginia side. They immediately called to them to arrest the fugitive,
proclaiming her a runaway slave. True to their Virginia instincts, as
she came near, they formed a line across the narrow bridge to intercept
her. Seeing that escape was impossible in that quarter, she stopped
suddenly, and turned upon her pursuers.
On came the profane and ribald gang, faster than ever, already exulting
in her capture, and threatening punishment for her flight. For a
moment, she looked wildly and anxiously around to see if there was
no hope of escape, on either hand; far down below, rolled the deep,
foaming waters of the Potomac, and before and behind were the rapidly
approaching steps and noisy voices of her pursuers.
Seeing how vain would be any further effort to escape, her resolution
was instantly taken. She clasped her hands convulsively together,
raised her tearful and imploring eyes towards heaven, and begged for
the mercy and compassion there, which was unjustly denied her on earth;
then, with a single bound, vaulted over the railing of the bridge, and
sank forever beneath the angry and foaming waters of the river.
In the meantime Mr. and Mrs. Savage were becoming more and more
interested in the child, Lola, whom they had adopted, and who was fast
developing into an intellectual and beautiful girl, whose bright,
sparkling hazel eyes, snow-white teeth and alabaster complexion caused
her to be admired by all. In time, Lola become highly educated, and was
duly introduced into the best society.
The cholera of 1832, in its ravages, swept off many of St. Louis’ most
valued citizens, and among them, Mr. George Savage. Mrs. Savage, who
was then in ill-health, regarded Lola with even greater solicitude,
than during the lifetime of her late husband. Lola had been amply
provided for by Mr. Savage, in his will. She was being courted by Mr.
Martin Phelps, previous to the death of her adopted father, and the
failing health of Mrs. Savage hastened the nuptials.
The marriage of Mr. Phelps and Miss Savage partook more of a private
than of a public affair, owing to the recent death of Mr. Savage. Mr.
Phelps’ residence was at the outskirts of the city, in the vicinity of
what was known as the “Mound,” and was a lovely spot. The lady had
brought considerable property to her husband.
One morning in the month of December, and only about three months after
the marriage of the Phelps’s, two men alighted from a carriage, at Mr.
Phelps’ door, rang the bell, and were admitted by the servant. Mr.
Phelps hastened from the breakfast-table, as the servant informed him
of the presence of the strangers.
On entering the sitting-room, the host recognized one of the men as
Officer Mull, while the other announced himself as James Walker, and
said,--
“I have come, Mr. Phelps, on rather an unpleasant errand. You’ve got a
slave in your house that belongs to me.”
“I think you are mistaken, sir,” replied Mr. Phelps; “my servants are
all hired from Major Ben. O’Fallon.”
Walker put on a sinister smile, and blandly continued, “I see, sir,
that you don’t understand me. Ten years ago I bought a slave child
from Dr. Gaines, and lent her to Mr. George Savage, and I understand
she’s in your employ, and I’ve come to get her,” and here the slave
speculator took from his side pocket a large sheepskin pocket book,
and drew forth the identical bill of sale of Lola, given to him by Dr.
Gaines at the time of the selling of Isabella and the child.
“Good heavens!” exclaimed Mr. Phelps, “that paper, if it means
anything, it means my wife.”
“I can’t help what it means,” remarked Walker; “here’s the bill of
sale, and here’s the officer to get me my nigger.”
“There must be a mistake here. It is true that my wife was the adopted
daughter of the late Mr. George Savage, but there is not a drop of
negro blood in her veins; and I doubt, sir, if you have ever seen her.”
“Well, sir,” said Walker, “jest bring her in the room, and I guess
she’ll know me.”
Feeling confident that the bill of sale had no reference to his wife,
Mr. Phelps rang the bell, and told the boy that answered it to ask his
mistress to come in. A moment or two later, and the lady entered the
room.
“My dear,” said Mr. Phelps, “are you acquainted with either of these
gentlemen?”
The lady looked, hesitated, and replied, “I think not.”
Then Walker arose, stepped towards the window, where he could be seen
to better advantage, and said, “Why, Lola, have you forgotten me, it’s
only about ten years since I brought you from ‘Poplar Farm,’ and lent
you to Mr. Savage. Ha, ha, ha!”
This coarse laugh of the rough, uneducated negro-trader had not ceased,
when Lola gave a heart-rending shriek, and fell fainting upon the floor.
“I thought she’d know me when I jogged her memory,” said Walker, as he
re-seated himself.
Mr. Phelps sprang to his wife, and lifted her from the floor, and
placed her upon the sofa.
“Throw a little of Adam’s ale in her face, and that’ll bring her to.
I’ve seen ’em faint afore; but they allers come to,” said the trader.
[Illustration: LEAP OF THE FUGITIVE SLAVE.]
“I thank you, sir, but I will attend to my own affairs,” said Mr.
Phelps, in a rather petulant tone.
“Yes,” replied Walker; “but she’s mine, and I want to see that she
comes to.”
As soon as she revived, Mr. Phelps led his wife from the room. A
conference of an hour took place on the return of Mr. Phelps to the
parlor, which closed with the understanding that a legal examination of
the papers should settle the whole question the next day.
At the appointed time, on the following morning, one of the ablest
lawyers in the city, Col. Strawther, pronounced the bill of sale
genuine, for it had been drawn up by Justice McGuyer, and witnessed by
George Kennelly and Wilson P. Hunt.
For this claim, Walker expressed a willingness to sell the woman for
two thousand dollars. The payment of the money would have been a small
matter, if it had not carried with it the proof that Lola was a slave,
which was undeniable evidence that she had negro blood in her veins.
Yet such was the result, for Dr. Gaines had been dead these three
years, and whoever Lola’s mother was, even if living, she would not
come forth to vindicate the free birth of her child.
Mr. Phelps was a man of fine sensibility and was affectionately
attached to his wife. However, it was a grave question to be settled in
his mind, whether his honor as a Southern gentleman, and his standing
in society would allow him to acknowledge a woman as his wife, in whose
veins coursed the accursed blood of the negro slave.
Long was the struggle between love and duty, but the shame of public
gaze and the ostracism of society decided the matter in favor of duty,
and the young and lovely wife was informed by the husband that they
must separate, never to meet again. Indescribable were the feelings of
Lola, as she begged him, upon her knees, not to leave her. The room
was horrible in its darkness,--her mind lost its reasoning powers for
a time. At last consciousness returned, but only to awaken in her the
loneliness of her condition, and the unfriendliness of that law and
society that dooms one to everlasting disgrace for a blood taint, which
the victim did not have.
Ten days after the proving of the bill of sale, the innocent Lola died
of a broken heart, and was interred in the negro burial ground, with
not a white face to follow the corpse to its last resting-place. Such
is American race prejudice.