The Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin Read online

  book was completed, a copy of it was sent, through the mail, to

  every editor from whose paper such advertisements had been

  taken, and to every individual of whom any facts had been nar-

  rated, with the passage concerning them marked.

  It is quite possible that this may have had some influence in

  rendering such advertisements less common. Men of sense often

  go on doing a thing which is very absurd, or even inhuman,

  simply because it has always been done before them, and they

  follow general custom, without much reflection. When their

  attention, however, is called to it by a stranger who sees the

  thing from another point of view, they become immediately

  sensible of the impropriety of the practice, and discontinue it.

  The reader will, however, be pained to notice, when he comes to

  the legal part of the book, that, even in some of the largest cities

  of our slave States, this barbarity had not been entirely discon-

  tinued in the year 1850.

  The list of advertisements in Mr. Weld's book is here inserted,

  not to weary the reader with its painful details, but that, by

  running his eye over the dates of the papers quoted, and the

  places of their publication, he may form a fair estimate of the

  extent to which this atrocity was publicly practised.

  The Wilmington (North Carolina) Advertiser, of July 13,

  1838, contains the following advertisement:

  “100 dollars will be paid to any person who may apprehend, and safely confine

  in any jail in this State, a certain negro man, named Alfred. And the same

  reward will be paid if satisfactory evidence is given of his having been killed.

  He has one or more scars on one of his hands, caused by his having been shot.

  “The Citizens of Onslow.

  “Richlands, Onslow Co. May 16, 1838.”

  In the same column with the above, and directly under it, is

  the following.

  “Ran away, my negro man Richard. A reward of 25 dollars will be paid

  for his apprehension, DEAD or ALIVE. Satisfactory proof will only be required

  of his being KILLED. He has with him, in all probability, his wife Eliza, who

  ran away from Col. Thompson, now a resident of Alabama, about the time he

  commenced his journey to that State.

  “Durant H. Rhodes.”

  In the Macon (Georgia) Telegraph, May 28, is the following.

  “About the first of March last the negro man Ranson left me without the

  least provocation whatever; I will give a reward of twenty dollars for said negro

  if taken, dead or alive; and if killed in any attempt, an advance of five dollars

  will be paid.

  “Bryant Johnson.

  “Crawford Co., Georgia.”

  See the Newbern (North Carolina) Spectator, Jan. 5, 1838, for

  the following.

  “RAN AWAY from the subscriber, a negro man, named SAMPSON. Fifty

  dollars reward will be given for the delivery of him to me, or his confinement in

  any jail, so that I get him; and should he resist in being taken, so that violence is

  necessary to arrest him, I will not hold any person liable to damages should the

  slave be killed.

  “Enoch Foy,

  “Jones Co., N. C.”

  From the Charleston (South Carolina) Courier, Feb. 20, 1836.

  “300 DOLLARS REWARD. Ran away from the subscriber, in November

  last, his two negro men, named Billy and Pompey.

  “Billy is 25 years old, and is known as the patroon of my boat for many years.

  In all probability he may resist; in that event, 50 dollars will be paid for his

  HEAD.”

  CHAPTER V.

  ELIZA.

  The writer stated in her book that Eliza was a portrait

  drawn from life. The incident which brought the original to

  her notice may be simply narrated.

  While the writer was travelling in Kentucky, many years ago,

  she attended church in a small country town. While there, her

  attention was called to a beautiful quadroon girl, who sat in one

  of the slips of the church, and appeared to have charge of some

  young children. The description of Eliza may suffice for a

  description of her. When the author returned from the church,

  she inquired about the girl, and was told that she was as

  good and amiable as she was beautiful; that she was a pious

  girl, and a member of the Church; and, finally, that she was

  owned by Mr. So-and-so. The idea that this girl was a slave

  struck a chill to her heart, and she said earnestly, “Oh, I hope

  they treat her kindly.”

  “Oh, certainly,” was the reply; “they think as much of her

  as of their own children.”

  “I hope they will never sell her,” said a person in the com-

  pany.

  “Certainly they will not; a Southern gentleman, not long

  ago, offered her master a thousand dollars for her; but he told

  him that she was too good to be his wife, and he certainly should

  not have her for a mistress.”

  That is all the writer knows of that girl.

  With regard to the incident of Eliza's crossing the river on

  the ice--as the possibility of the thing has been disputed--the

  writer gives the following circumstance in confirmation.

  Last spring, while the author was in New York, a Presby-

  terian clergyman of Ohio came to her, and said, “I understand

  they dispute that fact about the woman's crossing the river.

  Now, I know all about that, for I got the story from the very

  man that helped her up the bank. I know it is true, for she is

  now living in Canada.”

  It has been objected that the representation of the scene in

  which the plan for kidnapping Eliza is concocted by Haley, Marks,

  and Loker, at the tavern, is a gross caricature on the state of

  things in Ohio.

  What knowledge the author has had of the facilities which

  some justices of the peace, under the old fugitive law of Ohio,

  were in the habit of giving to kidnapping, may be inferred by

  comparing the statement in her book with some in her personal

  knowledge.

  “Ye see,” said Marks to Haley, stirring his punch as he did so, “ye see, we

  has justices convenient at all p'ints along shore, that does up any little jobs in our

  line quite reasonable. Tom, he does the knockin' down, and that ar; and I come

  in all dressed up--shining boots--everything first chop--when the swearin's to

  be done. You oughter see me, now!” said Marks, in a glow of professional pride,

  “how I can tone it off. One day I'm Mr. Twickem, from New Orleans; 'nother

  day, I'm just come from my plantation on Pearl river, where I works seven hun-

  dred niggers; then, again, I come out a distant relation to Henry Clay, or some

  old cock in Kentuck. Talents is different, you know. Now, Tom's a roarer when

  there's any thumping or fighting to be done; but at lying he an't good, Tom an't;

  ye see it don't come natural to him; but, Lord! if thar's a feller in the country

  that can swear to anything and everything, and put in all the circumstances and

  flourishes with a longer face, and carry't through better'n I can, why, I'd like to

  see him, that's all! I b'lieve, my heart, I could get along, and snake through, even

  if justices
were more particular than they is. Sometimes I rather wish they was

  more particular; 'twould be a heap more relishin' if they was--more fun, yer know.”

  In the year 1839, the writer received into her family, as a

  servant, a girl from Kentucky. She had been the slave of one

  of the lowest and most brutal families, with whom she had been

  brought up, in a log-cabin, in a state of half-barbarism. In

  proceeding to give her religious instruction, the author heard,

  for the first time in her life, an inquiry which she had not sup-

  posed possible to be made in America--“Who is Jesus Christ,

  now, anyhow?”

  When the author told her the history of the love and life and

  death of Christ, the girl seemed wholly overcome; tears streamed

  down her cheeks, and she exclaimed piteously, “Why didn't

  nobody never tell me this before?”

  “But,” said the writer to her, “haven't you ever seen the

  Bible?”

  “Yes, I have seen Missus a-readin' on't sometimes; but, law

  sakes! she's just a readin' on't 'cause she could; don't s'pose

  it did her no good, no way.”

  She said she had been to one or two camp-meetings in her

  life, but “didn't notice very particular.”

  At all events, the story certainly made great impression on

  her, and had such an effect in improving her conduct, that the

  writer had great hopes of her.

  On inquiring into her history, it was discoverd that, by the

  laws of Ohio, she was legally entitled to her freedom, from the

  fact of her having been brought into the State, and left there,

  temporarily, by the consent of her mistress. These facts being

  properly authenticated before the proper authorities, papers at-

  testing her freedom were drawn up, and it was now supposed

  that all danger of pursuit was over. After she had remained in

  the family for some months, word was sent, from various sources,

  to Professor Stowe, that the girl's young master was over, looking

  for her, and that, if care were not taken, she would be conveyed

  back into slavery.

  Professor Stowe called on the magistrate who had authenti-

  cated her papers, and inquired whether they were not sufficient

  to protect her. The reply was, Certainly they are, in law, if she

  could have a fair hearing; but they will come to your house in

  the night, with an officer and a warrant; they will take her be-

  fore Justice D--, and swear to her. He's the man that does

  all this kind of business, and he'll deliver her up, and there'll

  be an end of it.

  Mr. Stowe then inquired what could be done; and was

  recommended to carry her to some place of security till the

  inquiry for her was over. Accordingly, that night, a brother of

  the author, with Professor Stowe, performed for the fugitive that

  office which the senator is represented as performing for Eliza.

  They drove about ten miles on a solitary road, crossed the creek

  at a very dangerous fording, and presented themselves, at mid-

  night, at the house of John Van Zandt, a noble-minded Ken-

  tuckian, who had performed the good deed which the author, in

  her story, ascribes to Van Tromp.

  After some rapping at the door, the worthy owner of the

  mansion appeared, candle in hand, as has been narrated.

  “Are you the man that would save a poor coloured girl from

  kidnappers?” was the first question.

  “Guess I am,” was the prompt response; “where is she?”

  “Why, she's here.”

  “But how did you come?”

  “I crossed the creek.”

  “Why, the Lord helped you!” said he; “I shouldn't dare

  cross it myself in the night. A man and his wife, and five

  children were drowned there, a little while ago.”

  The reader may be interested to know that the poor girl was

  never re-taken: that she married well in Cincinnati, is a very re-

  spectable woman, and the mother of a large family of children.

  CHAPTER VI.

  UNCLE TOM.

  The character of Uncle Tom has been objected to as impro-

  bable; and yet the writer has received more confirmations of that

  character, and from a great variety of sources, than of any other

  in the book.

  Many people have said to her, “I knew an Uncle Tom in

  such-and-such a Southern State.” All the histories of this kind

  which have thus been related to her would of themselves, if

  collected, make a small volume. The author will relate a few

  of them.

  While visiting in an obscure town in Maine, in the family of

  a friend, the conversation happened to turn upon this subject,

  and the gentleman with whose family she was staying related

  the following. He said, that when on a visit to his brother in

  New Orleans, some years before, he found in his possession a

  most valuable negro man, of such remarkable probity and honesty

  that his brother literally trusted him with all he had. He had

  frequently seen him take out a handful of bills, without looking

  at them, and hand them to this servant, bidding him go and pro-

  vide what was necessary for the family, and bring him the change.

  He remonstrated with his brother on this imprudence; but the

  latter replied that he had had such proofs of this servant's im-

  pregnable conscientiousness that he felt it safe to trust him to

  any extent.

  The history of the servant was this. He had belonged to a

  man in Baltimore, who, having a general prejudice against all

  the religious exercises of slaves, did all that he could to prevent

  his having any time for devotional duties, and strictly forbade

  him to read the Bible and pray, either by himself or with the

  other servants; and because, like a certain man of old, named

  Daniel, he constantly disobeyed this unchristian edict, his master

  inflicted upon him that punishment which a master always has

  in his power to inflict--he sold him into perpetual exile from his

  wife and children, down to New Orleans.

  The gentleman who gave the writer this information says that,

  although not a religious man at the time, he was so struck with

  the man's piety, that he said to his brother, “I hope you will

  never do anything to deprive this man of his religious privileges,

  for I think a judgment will come upon you if you do.” To this

  his brother replied that he should be very foolish to do it, since

  he had made up his mind that the man's religion was the root

  of his extraordinary excellences.

  Some time since there was sent to the writer from the South,

  through the mail, a little book, entitled “Sketches of Old Vir-

  ginia Family Servants,” with a preface by Bishop Meade. The

  book contains an account of the following servants: African

  Bella, Old Milly, Blind Lucy, Aunt Betty, Springsfield Bob,

  Mammy Chris, Diana Washington, Aunt Margaret, Rachel

  Parker, Nelly Jackson, My Own Mammy, Aunt Beck.

  The following extract from Bishop Meade's preface may not

  be uninteresting:--

  The following sketches were placed in my hands with a request that I would

  examine them
with a view to publication.

  After reading them, I could not but think that they would be both pleasing

  and edifying.

  Very many such examples of fidelity and piety might be added from the old

  Virginia families. These will suffice as specimens, and will serve to show how

  interesting the relation between master and servant often is.

  Many will doubtless be surprised to find that there was so much intelligence

  as well as piety in some of the old servants of Virginia, and that they had

  learned to read the Sacred Scriptures, so as to be useful in this way among their

  fellow-servants. It is, and always has been true, in regard to the servants of

  the Southern States, that although public schools may have been prohibited, yet

  no interference has been attempted, where the owners have chosen to teach their

  servants, or permit them to learn in a private way how to read God's word.

  Accordingly, there always have been some who were thus taught. In the more

  Southern States the number of these has most abounded. Of this fact I became

  well assured about thirty years since, when visiting the Atlantic States, with a

  view to the formation of auxiliary colonization societies, and the selection of the

  first colonists for Africa. In the city of Charleston, South Carolina, I found more

  intelligence and character among the free coloured population than anywhere else.

  The same was true of some of those in bondage. A respectable number might

  be seen in certain parts of the Episcopal churches which I attended, using their

  prayer-books, and joining in the responses of the church.

  Many purposes of convenience and hospitality were subserved by this encourage-

  ment of cultivation in some of the servants, on the part of the owners.

  When travelling many years since with a sick wife, and two female relatives,

  from Charleston to Virginia, at a period of the year when many of the families

  from the country resort to the town for health, we were kindly urged to call at

  the seat of one of the first families in South Carolina; and a letter from the

  mistress, then in the city, was given us, to her servant, who had charge of the

  house in the absence of the family. On reaching there, and delivering the letter

  to a most respectable-looking female servant, who immediately read it, we were