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Annette Gray

Annette Gray image
Parent Issue
Day
25
Month
August
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

"He bought rae - soraewhat high - For with rae carne a hearthe could'nt buy." Byron's Coas air. The following story I teil as it was told to me, by one of the most intelligent slaves I ever met. I am aware of mnking myself Jiablo to the charge of indelicacy; bu' the pure minded wil! take no offence. - There isan awful amount of facts in connection with the licentiousness of slavery,which are continuall y suppressed, from the difficultyofgiving them utterance without disgusting modest ears . Those which i relate are not of this cearse, revolting kind; but to people of reflecting minds they will mply more than they reveal. Annette Gray (I give her a fictitious name, because we of the free States are not free) was bom and educated on the frontiers of slavery. Her master and mistress were English people, very kind to their slaves, and rcmarkably scrupJ concerning the modesty of their depon ment. They never allowed any of the temporary connections so universal among slaves: and the master observed a9 much propriety toward his female servants, as loward his own daiighters. The lady, too, inculcated many lessons lo prove höw sinful, and how disgraceful, were the proflígate connections so common betweeu rtfas ters and their slaves. Annette's mother being a religious woman, and many years a servant in this well ordered fiirñily, frequently and earnestly repeated such lessons; so thatthe young girl grew up with a dogree of purity and seif-rcspect very unusual among her wretchcd clase. Was it a regard for the rights of an tijured race, that led this Engiish family to pursue a course so honorable? No; it wasmerely prideof the;rown respecta ilily, Their slaves might have said, wiih the poor mourners in the Bride of Lanmermoor, "Their gifts are dealt for nae love for us - nor for respect whether we feed or slarve. They wad gie us whin stone for loaves, if il would serve their ain yanity; and yet they expect us to be gralefu', as they cait, as if they served us for true love liking." Factsjustify this soemingly harsh conclusión. Whm Annetle wasabout fifteerj years old, her master became heir to a valuable estáte in England,and concluded to remove (hither. Hia American properly was all sola; and with the carriagehorses, and "sunflry old candle was sold Annette. Young, moiherless, sensitively modest, and with an unusual share of personal comeliness she was sold to the highest bidder - the most nolorious old proflígate in the city! His ostensible purpose waa topurchase her as a waiiing maid for his wife. When ohe first entered the family he had a favorite mistress among the slaves, and for the time being took very little notice of other individúale. Annetle became a fivorite with the lady. Being intelligent and tasteful, the expense of ihree distinct tridos was incurred, with a view to make her services more valuable; and in pro cesa of time she could dress hair in the niost approved French slyle, fit dresses neatly, and give to capB and bonnets the true Parisian air. This brought her into frequent contact wilh the most fashionable friends of her wealthy mistress, and she acquíred a gentility of manner, and currectness of pronuuciation, indicating anything but slavcr-.Meanwhile the favoríte mistress, for some whim pr other, was discarded and sold, and her masier was casting his eye around insearch of a new Sultana. Well tnight Mr. PreBton teil Harriet Martineau that "the progress of southern society was coniinually toward cnentalism!" Annette, young, fresh, and innocent, naturally altracted hU attention; but experience had made him refined in his vices, and he sought eXc itement by self-imposed restraint. No coarse ribaldry, no personal rudeness, startled the modesty of his helpless 8lave; but his smiles were frequent and most gracious, his flattery most insidious, his presenls abundant. By degrees, as be met her on the stairs, or in the passage vays,he would pluyfully touch her under the chin , or twine his fingers in her glossy black rinlet9, and then smile to see her btüsh. One day, he suddenly entered the room wherc she usually sat sewing for her mistress, and when she tiinidly rose to depart, he forbade her to leave the room. Perceiving her terror, he said to her, "You foolish child, what is there to be afraid of? Don't I always treat you well? And siuce your room is cooler than tny own, why should you object to my coming here when I choose?1' tíhe did object, however, and sought to avoid him; bui he forbade her to keep the door closed, and she was afraid to inform her mistress, She showed me some very pretty specimens of carved whale-bone and ivory, which he had cut dursng these lounging hours in her apartment; and all this while, the most cunning flattery was puured into her ear. Among other things, he said, k'Do you remember, about six years ago, when you were a little girl, meeting a gentleman in Square,riding a white horse? Do you remember how the horse caricoled and reared, as you crossed the tree..? And do you remember how the gentleman turned the horse round, lookcd after you, and nodded at you?" Annotte said that she recollected t very well ; tbr she thought it strange the gentleman should take so much notice of her. "I was ihat gentleman," said he; "and from that moment I resolved that, sooner or later, I would have you. I inquired, then, to whotn you belonged, and kept my eye on you ever after." VVhere a man has irresponsible power over his victim, reserve is of course banished as soon as suits h3 convenience. - The master became more explicit in his language, but still thought to gain her affection8. She remonstratcd; begging him to choose another, among the many slaves who would be proud of his addresses; for herself, she had been educaled toer such a connection sint ui an1 degrading. At first he laughed, and then he swore. He had made no perceptible progrese ia her good graces, when a journey to Sulphur Springs, in Virginia, was agreed upon. Annette and one man servant were the only slaves they took with them. In describing this journey, 1 was much struck with the vividness of herdescription. As nearly as 1 can remember it was as folio ws: "When I asked for a bed at the hotel, they laughed in my face. aive a nigger a bed!' said they - 'We never heard of such a thiiig,' However, my mistress interceded for me, and I had a bed. In general, the female slaves slept on the floor, or on the skins that coveretl the travelling trunks; and the men slept in J-he carriages. If any of them got angrjrwith another, they would often run the carriage into the river wlule he was aáleep, and leave it therc. The hotel had a piazza round it. All about were scattered huts for travelers, some single, some in rows, some in Gothie style, and some very light and airy; well-wooded hills closed it in all around, and a pond spnrkled at a distance. One d.iy, p.s l stoodon the piazza, I saw a great muny elaves at the pond, washingclothes and spreauing them out on ihe grass. - They danced and capered about in such a strangc manner, that I went down to ask what could be ihe matter. 'Oh,1 said they in their sluve gibíensh, 'Don't you know? Van June's coming.' uWho is Van June?' 'Oh, dont'iyou know? Van June, one big buckra man f rom the North; and Missis gib me new npron and new handerther, because Van Jone's coming!' " The 'big buckra man' was Van Buren, the President. They made a great ball for him. The hotel and all the traveleis'huts were üluminated; and the trees on the one sido oí' the hills were all hung wilh lamps. It was a beautiful glit to .see couplcs dancing on the green, and the ladies dressed in white, glnncing in and out among the ehadows. Here and there, slaves were coming uut from betwecn ihe trees into the broad light louking like devib. Vun Buren broughta mulatto servant witHiim, named Charles' Ingram. Sotnetimes he said he was free, and sometimes he said he was a slave . 1 think he was a ölave, because Williams, who superiniended the President's afFiirs, floggcd him one day for hot putting away the hu mess. "The slaves at the Springs made a ball, and gave a dinner to Charles Ingram; and I diinced wiih hcv.. Tiicy calledhim.'ihe black President.' Van buren catne in to see us dance. He shot.k hands with us all round, and told us to be obedient to our maslers, and they would be gooi to us: that the Bible fraid we ought to oboy our masters." At Sulphur Springs her master first em plo}eJ coerción, in the formofa ihreat. - He soon surrnunded himself with a convivial club, who drank with him all niglit, and fclept or gambled through the day. - Some of these mun were ferecious in their temper?, and more indecent in their nianners than himself. They assaiied poor Aunette, with all sorts of obscene jests, and the more she was confused, the more they enjoyed their manly .port.Tu a Mississippian, one of the most violent and despicable of these men, her mistar threafened tosell heiyinlessshe provcd obedienthis towishe?. This terrified her exceedingly. She knew that she would have to encounier the samo sort of persecution, probabiy in a more odious fnrm, and perbaps coupled with cruel punishments, whichshe had never vet experieneed. Then catne the sickenini; thought of being separated from home and friends, without hope of ever seein ihem again. Still she begged him to seek some qt heiobject, apd leave her in peace. At last, he lost all patience, and said, "if you dure to fusten your door to-night, or to make any complaint to your mistress, I will sell you to tiie Mississippian fn-morrow; and a grand exchange you will make of it, 1 can teil you." The door was not fastened; and the poor gii 1, shrinking from the degradation ofher late, became her master's paramour; a siiuation to which most of her degraded class would have been proud to attain. When the family returned home, she agam made an effort to free herself from tke disagreeable thraldom; urging her op-, pressivc sense of shame, and the scruples in which she had been educated. "I have often lhought,"said Annette to me, "how lucky it was that my master was not young and bandsome, and thathe so often disgusted me by his beastly intoxication. He was so kind to me, ihat I might have been tempted to love him; it would have been natural, you know. Slave mistresses do Bometimes love their masters; and halmost klus them when theynre turnedaway for some body else. I can not be thankful enough that my mas'er was not youn and handsome; for it would have been a sin to love him. As it was, though I could not help myself, and would have gladly done so if I could, yet I could not look my misires8 in the eye. My chamber was directly over hers. She heard his footstcps and his voice there; and when I came into her room in the morning, and left him in my own, I never could help hanging my head for shame. She never spoke to me about itj but sometimes when I came to dress her, she was violently cross and scolded me for every thing; then, in a few minutes, she wouid speak kindly, and try to make up by giving me some present. I imagined I could read her thoughts. I suppose 8hc said to herself, 'Poor, youngcreature, it is no faalt of hers. ilow can ehe help herseH?' I thinlc so, because see never used to treat me socapriciously before we went to Sulphur Springs." "They were n wretched couple, rich as they were. The bouso was superbly furnished - full lengthmirrors, marble tables, and carpets from garret to basement, so thick and soft that you could not hear a foot fall. Many a time, when the bell has 8ummoned me to the drawing-room have l found my mistress at one end of the apartment bchind the heavily fringed damask curtains, her eyes red with weeping; and at the other end my master dozing on the rich sofa, drunk with champaign. Perhaps the) had nut spoken to each other fordays. When I entered, both would give me orders at once; and if 1 obeycd my mistress, my master would sometimes seize a book, or a shoe. or any thing withn bis reach, and throw it at my head. cursing me lor not niinding him first ; yet 1 did notdare todoolherwise ihan wait upon my mistres; for I was bought fur her wating maid; besides, Í pitied her, and feit ashamed before her." "Some oflhe slaves were very impuden t to him, espociaily when they saw iiim intoxtcaied. He had a Frencri mulatto coach man, who f-aiJ all mnnner of saucy things, and seldom got putiUhed for it. i never knew how it was that he should bcar so much from that mulatlo. The other shn es sniJ he knew somelhing, that made hi- master afraitl of hun. One day he calíed to the grooin, 'Bring out ihe horses! M.is sa and me go lo Heil to-day.' This made a great laughing anc! jokirig, and he was ordered to be wliipped fur it; but he made Mr. believe that he meant to say he was going to Summor Hül, only as he was French ur;d did not know how lo speak the word.'Oneday, some garden rakes had boon left ir. the palh, and Mr. ordered the cönchmen to piek tliem up, and put them out of liis way. Where shall I carry them?' 'To Hel!,for all I care.' 'Massa, that be right in your way.1' The other slaves that heard it, loqked at each oiher, and showed aJI their while teeth; but the Frenchaian was not even scoldcd at. '¦I grew very unhnpy. My inasler was disagreable tome; and I could never fórget what my mothor used tos:iy aboutthe sin ándshartieofsuchcoñnection?. S.mie times i wiíhed, since I was so entirely in bis power, that I could love him; and then I was shockcdat mysolflor such a wickod thought. 1 was ií a le more uricónifurlable by the suspicion ihai I mu beeoíne a j mot: er; aid fcuin the firet d ly I belonged j to this man, I had hemd the servants teil I that he alvvays 3old his oun chüdren soon after ihey wcre boni, in order to keep them cfiltofhiá wile'o way. This tliought haunted me írom morniog till night. 1 couhi not Lear to tliink that such wou Id be the fate of my child. "Again í tned to break my sharneful bonds: and threatcned to appoal to my mistress for protection, beging her to sqH me to a man of beiter ctiaractcr. This made my master very angry. He lo!d iue 'í need nt feel so safe becaut I was at home. lie knew how to punish rae. He had only to rite a letter to Mississippi, and send me off by ihe noxt slave ship.' "After ti)ftt threat, 1 had no peace. I fancied he showed me less kindness, andthat this was a sign he was abuut to scl! me. My niind turned towards the Free States; and I listened eagerly io every thing that was said about thein. I heard of a coiored man who had helped ofFsome slaves. I went to him, and asked him if hc could help me. He said he would; but advised me not to leave, except when the house was full of company. It was easy to fiud such u iine; fur our house was thronged witli v:sitor3; but I waited for a chance to leave on Saturday, knowing that they could not advertise me in the papers uniil Mondar. A celebrated beauty an.J heiress from the North, (i lady well known to the editor,) was passing through the city; and as her sta y was short, my rná. iress made a ball for her on Suturday. - The slaves were of a hoity toily; for thcy take great pride in their master's having famous guests, and making grand entertainments. A.I1 of them were talking about the rich Miss , ihe beautiful Miss . Í, of course, was one to reccive the ladies, as they carne; and my curiosity was great tosce the northern belle.- Among the crowd, one particulariy attracted my attention by the extreme simplicity of her dress. She wore plain white muslin, with a satin sash, without ornament of any kind, save a single band of pearl around her hcad. When I resledon one knee to arrange her shoe lacing, she thanked me with a sweet smile, and said ahe preferred to do it herself. IVhat was my surprise to disrover ihat this was the famous belle! When I told it to the servants, they seemed to have no opinión of her at all. 'She can be no great things,' said they, 'if she ties her own shoes.' - She's never been used to be waited upon, that's plain enough.' "I wondered within myself whether she was a sample of the ladies in the Free States. I had already to'd my colered friend whnt evening 1 had chosen to escape; and he told me I should find walking to and fro, in front of his house, a white man in Quaker dress. If I spoke to him, and he answered, 'Thy name is Jane Neal,' it would be a sign I had found the right person. My heart throbbed with the hopes of escape and the fear of failure. What money and trinkets I had were sewed within the clothes I wore. I was afratd to take any bundie, lest the other servants might notice it as something sin-guiar. Whüe planning how I sliould slip out unperceived, I was told to go and order Borne fresh ice-creams from the confectioner's. The party may be waiiin for the ice-crearas to this day, for ouht f snow. I had othcr business on hand With great difticulty, I found, in the ob. scurity of evening, the house whëre 1 had agreed to meet the siranger. I soon saw a man in Quaker dress, walking to and fro. He gave me tho signal agreed upon and said, 'Follow me, friend." He hud a' wagon and horses in readiness, and he carried me thirty miles that night, to the house of another friend, who carried tno rit'ty miles further on; and at last I found myself in Philadelphia. At one place, I staid three days at the rail roatl depot; for the man who had the management of it told me that there we re advcriisement& posted up describing such a person ns I was and he advised me to hide rnysölf. 1 wrta oncealed ín a cbamber in his house; and peeping from tbc Windows I saw two constables, whom 1 knew to be in my masterV employ, go on in the cara, and on ihe tbird dy go back. 1 had liltle doul)t they wero searching for me; lor I was tp!d two men froiTi the South had been making close u, quiries fora runawny slave. I eluded theni however and cnme safely to New York." Annetle remaineil sömetime at New York, and would not have left it, had she not met in,tho streets so many gentleman and ladies whom she had seon as guests at her master's höFpitable mansión. Thinking Boston would be a sufer place, she tcok passage ihiiher. In that city hep babc Wüsborn. Some of the colored who kuew her history, advised her to put the child to the alms-house; bui she replied, ''No, I wiil never desert it. I wish it had died when it was born: but siuce it i here,it is my duty to take care of it; f the child is ruined, he shall never have occusion to reproach my neglcctas the cause.11 This virtuouá rèsoluiion she canied into effect. Finding it impossible to pursue her trade, of mantua-making, with the constant care of her babe, she went out lo service, and devoted nearly all her wages to pay for its being nursed. . In the streeis áhe sometimes met those she had visited at her master's; but as none recognized her, she grew bold in the feeling of secu rity, and not oly went into the street?, but veuturud to meeting on Sunday. One day, turning a corner suddenly, she carne upun a whole family of travelers, near neighbors of her master. "How do you do, Anneite?"'said they:"Wedid notknow you were here. VThere does your mistress put up?" "At the Tremont," was the ready reply. "What number?"- 'Twenty-eight' "Teil her I shall cal! to ace her immediately. 1 had no idea shó was in ihe city." With a palpitating heart, Annettcr htistened home, resolving to show her face no more in the street, tiil the traveling season was over. But the news of her wheroabout was probably eonveyed by writing; for, about six weeks alter, a genteel looking young man carne to the back door of the house wbere she lived,under pretence of inquiriug for the master. She was startled, for she thoughtshe had aeen him when ehe was a slave; and she wa9 per-, fectly sure that the cane ho carried was unc of a number lier master had made fi om the ruins of some oíd Fort, as conven iont presents for his friends. This gave her an air of embarrassment, much increased by his scrutiniziug gaze, and his questions concerning her name, birthplace, etc. That same evening a message was brought, purporUng to be from a colored wpman of her acquaiutance, Soulliack St., who wished to ?ee her at eight o1clock, alone, on particular business. Tbis changed suspicion into alarm. Sho w;:s put into a carriage, and brought to tho house of a friend; and there l heard tiio story. We deemed it best for her to leavo Boston. Her present prospecls are good; I would mention thern, if we, of the nomina! ly free States; were really free. The men of New England may bear this state of things with silent submussion, and culi íheir criminal acquiescence patriotism; but a thousand times has my pulse beat high with indignation, to find tbat I, too, a free-born woman of Massachusetts, was a. bond slave of the South; obliged to suppress my best impulses, and obey the díctales of my conscience by stealih. The slaveholder'd whip has a long lash, that ronches from Georgia far beyond Mason and Dixon's line. "Oh, what a precious name is Liberty, to scare, or cheat the simple into slaves."