Life of James Mars, a Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut — John Shaqi
Life of James Mars, a Slave Born and Sold in ConnecticutMars, James
History
Life of James Mars, a Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut
Mars, James
Mars, James, 1790-; Slavery -- Connecticut
I stopped with the family a few days, and then went home, or what I
called home. It was where my parents and sister were. I found them very
lonely. I had not been home many days before our quiet was disturbed,
for the parson had his hunters out to find our whereabouts. He somehow
found where we were. My sister and myself were at play out at the door;
we saw two men in the woods, a little from the house, coming very fast,
and they came into the house. My father was not far from the house;
mother was in the house. The men were Captain Phelps, the man who owned
the house, and Mr. Butler, the law-student. They told us that we must
now say whether we would go with the parson or not, and we must decide
quick, for the parson was coming, and he would soon be on the spot, and
there was no time to lose. Mother had said she was not unwilling to
go herself, if it was not for father and the children, and the parson
had made her such promises that she was somewhat inclined to go. The
parson talked so fair to her, he beguiled her, I suppose, somewhat as
our first mother was beguiled in the garden. The beguilers were both,
I do not say preachers, but they were both deceivers, and he talked so
smooth to mother that he beguiled her. He told her if she would go to
Canaan and see to his things and pack them up for him, then if she did
not want to go, she need not. Mother talked with father; he did not
incline to go, but finally he consented. The parson ordered a wagon,
and it was soon on the spot; but where was Joseph?――he is not here. “I
want him to go with us, that we may be all together,” said the parson.
Father saw what the parson’s plan was: he told him the boy was on the
way,――he could get him when we got to Canaan. I should have said that
those two men that came to tell us that the parson was coming, hid in
the barn before the parson arrived, and were not seen by him. They had
a few words with my father while the parson went for his team. We set
off for Canaan, and in the land of Canaan we arrived that day. Where is
Joseph? Father said he would go for him the next day in the morning, or
in the day. Father went, as the parson supposed, for Joseph. The parson
was loading; mother was packing; all was now going on well. Night came,
and when all was still, for father had told some one it would be late
before he got back, he came and took the parson’s horses, and took
mother and the two children on horseback, and instead of going South,
went to Norfolk, and got there about two o’clock in the morning. We
stopped at a tavern kept by Captain Lawrence. The horses were sent back
for the parson, for he said he should start the next day; but it seemed
that he did not start for old Virginia, for we often heard of him after
that day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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