A Slave Tale
I was born in 1834 on a large plantation, that contained over a thousand acres, and over one hundred enslaved souls, located thirty some old miles south east of Atlanta, Georgia. I was descended from imported Africans, and probably from some of the darkest of the native race. Darker than most of my fellow slaves on this plantation. My master is a well-known man, who has deep roots in the state of Georgia. It is rumored that he has property in other states, and he is involved with workings of the government as well. Some of my earliest memories of childhood were of being an unkempt child. I remember my ma trying her might to comb out my hair with everything imaginable to attempt to present an array of neatness. I think that it was a loss cause, because soon after her attempts, I would be back out into the barn playing in the same stuff. I would find myself back into the same demise of her scolding me while she used her instrument of torture on my head. I only had a meager set of clothes. The only attire that I had were a pair of woolen britches that have been covered with patch upon patch. The only way that I knew it was made of wool was the roughness of the material that it rub
I also felt great joy. That she was free at last. I knew that she was in a wonderful place, where she was not some one's property to be used as a master saw fit. The witches among slaves were supposed to have been persons who worked with us every day. They were called old hags or jack lanterns. Those, both men and women, who, when they grew old looked odd, were supposed to be witches. Sometimes a baby would be smothered by its mother and they would charge it to be a witch. If the slaves went out hunting at night and were lost, it was believed that a witch led them off, especially if they feel into a pond or stream. I had heard rumors that the plantation next to our masters' had two of his slaves run away. The master had sent slave hunters after them. It only took a short period of time for them to be captured. They were severely beaten for their longing to live as free men. We dug a shallow grave without ceremony, the coffin was placed in the grave and the dirt heaped above it. Not one prayer was said, nor a hymn sung for the master seemed to feel that the sooner the matter was over the more time the slaves would have to work. The slaves were not to feel at all in front of the master, we are made to be of livestock to him. I hope by the grace of Him, who died that we might live, to meet Moab in that land where all shall be free, and where there shall be no night nor any sorrow, and where there shall be none to oppress. If slaves did not owned a Bible, they used a red pepper and salt mix. They would scattered it in the room. The slaves would feel the effects of their efforts more than the witch, for the pepper would make them cough when they went to bed.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Atlanta Georgia, Sam Sam, Methodist Church, Slave Auctions, Sadie Minnie, Voodoo Witches, Zeck Zeck, Sundays Sundays, Holy Ghost, Mack Mack, cotton fields, white folks, black white, coffin placed, whipping post, witch cabin, methodist church, colored folks, hopes dreams, day called,
Approximate Word count = 3674
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)
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