A KIND MASTER; JENNY CHASTISED ONE OF HIS SONS FOR AN INSULT, AND AS A
PUNISHMENT SHE WAS SOLD--SEIZED FOR DEBT--SOLD A SECOND TIME.
Jenny was about forty-five years of age, a dark mulatto, stature medium,
manners modest and graceful; she had served only in high life; thus she
had acquired a great deal of information. She stated that she was born a
slave, under John Bower, of Rockbridge, Virginia, and that he was the
owner of a large plantation, with a great number of slaves. He was
considered to be a good man to his servants, and was generally beloved
by them. Suddenly, however, he was taken ill with paralysis, which
confined him to his bed. During this illness one of the sons, a young
gentleman, offered an insult to Jenny, for which she felt justified in
administering to him, a severe chastisement. For this grave offence she
was condemned to be sold to a trader by the name of William Watts, who
owned a place in Mississippi. The conditions of sale were that she was
to be taken out of the state and never to be allowed to return. It so
happened, however, before she was removed that Watts, the trader, failed
in order to cheat his creditors it was supposed. Governor McDowell, of
Virginia, was one of those to whom he was largely indebted for a number
of slaves which he, the Governor, had placed in his hands for disposal,
some time before the trader took the benefit. Therefore, as the Governor
was anxious to recover his loss as much as possible, he seized on Jenny.
It was through this interference that the condition relative to her
being sent out of the state was broken.
"The Governor," said Jenny, "was a very fine gentleman, as good as I
could expect of Virginia. He allowed his slaves to raise fowl and hogs,
with many privileges of one kind and another; besides he kept them all
together; but he took sick and died. There was a great change shortly
after that. The slaves were soon scattered like the wind. The Governor
had nine sons and daughters.
After his death Mrs. McDowell, alias Mrs. Sally Thomas, took possession,
and employed an overseer, by the name of Henry Morgan. He was a very
good man in his looks, but a very rascally man; would get drunk, and
sell her property to get whisky. Mrs. McDowell would let him do just as
he pleased. For the slightest complaint the overseer might see fit to
make against any of the slaves, she would tell him to sell them"--"Sell,
Mr. Morgan." "He would treat them worse than he would any dog; would
beat them over the head with great hickory sticks, the same as he would
beat an ox. He would pasture cows and horses on the plantation, and keep
the money. We slaves all knew it, and we told her; but our words would
not go in court against a white man, and until she was told by Mr.
White, and her cousin, Dr. Taylor, and Mr. Barclay, she would not
believe how shamefully this overseer was cheating her. But at last she
was convinced, and discharged him, and hired another by the name of John
Moore. The new one, if anything, was worse than the old one, for he
could do the most unblushing acts of cruelty with pleasure. He was a
demon."
Finally the estate had to be settled, and the property divided. At this
time it was in the hands of the oldest daughter, Mistress Sally, who had
been married to Frank Thomas, the Governor of Maryland. But the Governor
had discarded her for some reason or other, and according to his
published account of her it might seem that he had good reason for doing
so. It was understood that he gave her a divorce, so she was considered
single for life. It was also understood that she was to buy in the
homestead at a moderate price, with as many slaves as she might desire.
Said Jenny, "I was sold at this settlement sale, and bought in by the
'grass widow' for four hundred dollars." The place and a number of
slaves were bought in on terms equally as low. After this the widow
became smitten with a reverend gentleman, by the name of John Miller,
who had formerly lived North; he had been a popular preacher. After a
courtship, which did not last very long, they were married. This took
place three years ago, prior to the writing of this narrative. After the
marriage, Rev. Mr. Miller took up his abode on the old homestead, and
entered upon his duties as a slave-holder in good earnest.
"How did you like him?" inquired a member of the Committee.
"I despised him," was Jenny's prompt answer.
"Why did you despise him?"
"Because he had such mean ways with him," said Jenny. She then went on
to remark as follows:--"Coming there, taking so much authority over
other people's servants. He was so mean that he broke up all the
privileges the servants had before he came. He stopped all hands from
raising chickens, pigs, etc. He don't like to see them hold up their
heads above their shoulders." Didn't he preach? she was asked. "Yes, but
I never heard him preach; I have heard him pray though. On Thursday
nights, when he would not want the servants to go into town to meeting,
he would keep up until it would be too late for them to go. He is now
carrying on the farm, and follows butchering. He has not yet sold any of
the slaves, but has threatened to sell all hands to the trader."
Jenny once had a husband, but he went to Canada, and that was all she
could tell about him, as she had never had a letter or any direct
information from him since he left. That she was childless, she regarded
as a matter of great satisfaction, considering all the circumstances.
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