A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. HavilandHaviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Religion
A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. Haviland
Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Freed persons; Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith), 1808-1898; Underground Railroad
"O, my God has saved me so far, but my pore Mary was sole down de
ribber, when I is here in de city to git a little money to start wid.
When I gets into missus' door, I sort o' felt somethin' wrong, an' axt
her, 'Whar's Mary?', She say, 'I sole her las' week,' an' I cried, 'O
my God! save my pore chile Mary!' an' she kotched up de tongs an' beat
me on my head 'til I loss my min', and when I come to I was layin' on
de floor bleedin'. You see here is a sore yit" (pointing to her head).
There was a gash that must have been three inches long by the
appearance of the scar and sore, yet unhealed. "Missus said I never,
the longes' day I live, should set foot in Cincinnati, 'case free
niggers ruin me, an' afore she have such a fuss as dis, she put de hull
of us in her pocket. I knowd what dis mean, and I tried mighty hard to
cheer up afore her. But my tears was my meat and drink a few days. I
'membered your word to go to de Lord day an' night, 'case I couldn't
come to you no mo'e. In three days he answered my prayer, an' jus' tole
me I's gwine to be free, an' I tole my husban' so, but he couldn't git
faith in me. I tole 'im to put faith in God, as I did now. But I did
lose faith in my bes' frien' when Bailey tole me you an' Hatfiel'
betrayed my gal Mary, an' got a hundred dollars reward; den I was mos'
crazy. And when dat 'oman tole me to go to you, an' I tole her I did
talk to you, and tole her what Bailey said 'bout you an' Hatfiel', she
said he was a bad man, an' lied only to keep my mouey. She begged me so
hard I tole her if you'd tell me whar Mary is, I'd have faith in you,
an' when you tole me so quick, all my faith in you come back. How I
wish you could see my man, for he's so sure they'll cotch us. I don't
know whar he is, for we's scattered among de good people. O, what a
time I had wid 'im to git 'im started. I loaded an' unloaded four times
afore he'd come. At las' a pore white man tole me he hear missus say
she gwine to sell us all to de firs' trader come along. I say, 'What
shall I do?' He say, 'If I was you, I'd run away.' I say 'Here's my man
an' chillen, can't go widout 'em.' He say 'All go, an' if dey cotch you
'twon't be no wuss dan to go to de trader, and if I can do any way to
help you I will, for I feels sorry for you.' When I tole my man, he was
so skeered he didn't know hisself scarcely. He was ready to do anyhow I
wants 'im, au' I went to dis white man, an' ax 'im for his boy ten year
ole, to go wid me to market, an' take all my family, an' I'd cover 'em
up in de market wagon. 'An' I'll tell your boy I wants 'im to watch my
team for me, an' I'll gib 'im a dollar.' 'All right, only tell 'im what
you'll do, an' tell 'im to come an' ax me an' he musn't know I knows
about it.' An' I tuk missus' young hosses, an' put my man an' chillen
in, cover 'em up, den put a bag o' taters an' apples an' a basket o'
chickens in front. An' I had dis little boy by de chickens, so if he
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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