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Allen Parker's Worcester
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BY ALLEN PARKER (Worcester, Mass.: Chas. W. Burbank & Co., 1895, 96 pp) CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER II.IN the locality where I lived there was no attention paid to the ceremony of marriage by the slaves. In fact on many plantations many of the slaves were not married at all but herded together very much like cattle, living in common quarters. On other plantations, slaves were allowed to marry, though it often happened that the husband lived on one plantation and the wife and her children upon another, but even in this case there was seldom any marriage ceremony performed. If a young slave took a fancy to marry a slave girl, he first obtained the consent of the girl herself, which, if he was good looking and belonged to a good family, was easily obtained, but if he was a "no-account nigger" owned by a failed planter or let out to a poor white the case was different. After obtaining the girl's consent he would go to his master or mistress, and ask for permission to marry, and if he stood well with them he had no difficulty in getting their consent. He would get permission to go to the plantation where his girl lived to obtain the consent of her master. When he arrived at the plantation where his girl lived, he would go directly to the owner, or master as he was called, and with whom be was most likely acquainted, and who had perhaps been informed by the young slave's master of the intended visit and its object; when a conversation something like the following would take place: "Hello Sam! Is that you?" "Yes Massa, its me." "How is your Master and Mistress and the little folks?" "Dey is all well Massa, cept Mistress hab got a sore foot." "Is that so Sam, how did it happen?" "D'no, spects she hurt it in de garden." "Well Sam, when you go home give her my compliments, and tell her that I hope she will not be laid up long, but by the way Sam, what message did your Master send by you?" "Did'nt send no message, sar, I comed myself." "What! You don't mean to say that you have run away Sam?" "No sar, Massa told me as how I might come and see Massa Jones." "Well Sam, what is it, does your Master intend to hire you out next year and you want me to hire you?" "No sar, Massa John don't let his niggers, he wants me hisself. But I comed to see you Massa cause I think that you yellar gal Sue is a right smart, good gal." "That so, Sam?" "And I thought that perhaps, maybe, that seeing as you and Massa John was good friends, and being as I want no bad nigger at all, that maybe, possibly, you might consider to consent that me and she might be married." At this stage of the proceedings the "man" would look the "property" over as carefully as a farmer would a horse or a cow he intended to purchase, knowing as he did so, that, if the marriage was a desirable one, it would be for his interest to give his consent, for would not all the children that might be born to the couple be his own property, and could he not thus increase the value of his personal estate? "Got any bad habits, Sam?" "No sar." "Ever been whipped, Sam?" "No sar." "Let me look at you, Sam?" "Yes sar." Then Sam would be carefully looked over to see if he had any defects that would be objectional if transmitted to his offspring, then more questions would be asked. "Well Sam, I like your looks, and I will think it over. You come and see me next week and I will tell you." "Can I see Sue, Massa?" "Yes Sam, you can see her when she comes from the field." After spending some hours with his sweetheart, Sam would go home and at the end of the week would again get permission to go to the Jones Plantation, and upon arriving there he would as before, go at once to the master. "Hello! Sam, you here again, what do you want this time?" "Well Massa Jones, I comed to see as to what you thought about me and Sue getting married." "Get out you nigger." "But Massa told Sam to come," "How's that Sam?" "Massa Jones told Sam to come in one week, and den Massa Jones tell Sam as how he can marry Sue or not." "O yes, I remember now, well Sam I have talked it over with Sue's Mistress and we have concluded to let you marry Sue, and I will have a cabin built down by the quarters and Sue can live there." "Thankie Massa." Sam would go again and find Sue and they would spend the evening together and from that time would be considered as man and wife. But each would continue a slave and must do his or her master's bidding no matter how much it might conflict with their own ideas of right and wrong. In due time the cabin would be built and would be considered as the home of Sue, and also of Sam, whenever he could get permission of his master to leave the plantation or whenever he could manage to steal away without leave. It should be remembered that no slave was allowed to be off the plantation after sunset, without a written pass from either his master or mistress. In order to prevent the slaves from strolling about men were employed at public expense to patrol the roads and were instructed to whip every nigger found at large without a written pass. A whipping of this kind meant thirty-nine lashes on the bare back. These men were called by the slaves "Pattie Rollers." (Patrolmen) and were of course hated as they deserved to be. They were generally poor whites who did the work partly for the money they could get out of the business, and partly on account of the excitment there was in it. They would go two, or three together mounted on horse-back, and generally accompanied by one or more dogs. They were also armed with guns, and carried great whips, made of raw-hide or leather. If they found a slave in the road they would at once demand his pass which he was obliged to show when he would be allowed to go on, but if he did not have one he would do his best to keep out of the way of the "Pattie Rollers," so that if they caught him at all it would be after quite a chase. If the slave was a good runner he would make straight for the home plantation. He would of course know the advantage, for being on foot he could take to the woods, which he was sure to do if hard pressed. Once in the woods he might be obliged to hide unless the "Pattie Rollers" had dogs with them, but even in that case he might manage to give them the slip, for if he came to a stream of water he would wade or swim across it, or he might walk in it for a little way, in either case the dogs would lose the scent when they got to the water, and unless they could see or hear him could not follow. In this way he often managed to evade his persuers. As soon as he found that he was not followed, he would go his way, or he might hide a while till he thought all danger was passed and then either go home, or continue on his way. In any case if he managed to get on to his master's plantation before he was caught, the "Pattie Rollers" were obliged to let him go. If they caught him before he reached the home plantation, he would be tied to the nearest tree, what few clothes he had on would be taken off, and he would be given thirty-nine lashes on his bare back. In spite of the danger of being caught the slaves were often out nights without passes. * * * * * * The slave's love for his family was as strong as that of his white master for his, and he would be found in his wife's cabin as often as possible. Of course all the children born in the slave's cabin were slaves like their father and mother. But there was this difference between the children of the master and the slave. The white child inherited his father's name and property, but the child of the slave mother was by law considered the property of the mother's master even if the father was a free negro, or as it too often happened a free white man. The slave children were called by the name of the master, and the father had but very little control over them while they were small and none at all when they were large enough to be of any use on the plantation. * * * * * * On every plantation was a place where the slaves were buried when they died. For the slaves were very apt to die, as the master generally took more care of his cattle than of his slaves. When a slave died, the body was placed in a rough box, carried to the grave and buried with less form as far as the master was concerned than would be given the burial of a pet dog. There was not often any funeral service at all. Sometimes in the case of the death of a favorite the master's family would show some interest, but generally no more notice was taken of a slave's death then would be given to a valuable horse or cow. The master feeling that he had lost so much property that was more or less valuable. RETURN TO TOP
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