Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, Late a Slave in the United States of AmericaGrandy, Moses
History
Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, Late a Slave in the United States of America
Grandy, Moses
Slavery -- North Carolina
It was some time after this that I married a slave belonging to Mr.
Enoch Sawyer, who had been so hard a master to me. I left her at home,
(that is, at his house,) one Thursday morning, when we had been
married about eight months. She was well, and seemed likely to be so.
We were nicely getting together our little necessaries. On the Friday,
as I was at work, as usual, with the boats, I heard a noise behind me,
on the road which ran by the side of the canal. I turned to look, and
saw a gang of slaves coming. When they came up to me, one of them
cried out, 'Moses, my dear!' I wondered who among them should know me,
and found it was my wife. She cried out to me, 'I am gone!' I was
struck with consternation. Mr. Rogerson was with them, on his horse,
armed with pistols. I said to him, 'For God's sake, have you bought my
wife?' He said he had; when I asked him what she had done, he said she
had done nothing, but that her master wanted money. He drew out a
pistol, and said that, if I went near the wagon on which she was, he
would shoot me. I asked for leave to shake hands with her, which he
refused, but said I might stand at a distance and talk with her. My
heart was so full that I could say very little. I asked leave to give
her a dram. He told Mr. Burgess, the man who was with him, to get down
and carry it to her. I gave her the little money I had in my pocket,
and bade her farewell. I have never seen or heard of her from that day
to this. I loved her as I loved my life.
Mr. Grice found that I served him faithfully. He and my young
mistress, his wife, advised me, as I was getting money fast, to try to
buy myself. By their advice, I asked my master what he would take for
me. He wanted $800; and, when I said that was too much, he replied, he
could get $1000 for me any minute. Mr. Grice afterwards went with me
to him; he said to him that I had already been more profitable to him
than any five others of his negroes, and reminded him that we had been
playfellows. In this way he got him to consent to take $600 for me. I
then went heartily to work, and, whenever I paid him for my time, I
paid him something, also, towards my freedom, for which he gave me
receipts. When I made him the last payment of the $600 for my freedom,
he tore up all the receipts. I told him he ought not to have done so;
he replied it did not signify, for, as soon as court day came, he
should give me my free papers. On Monday, in court week, I went to
him; he was playing at billiards, and would not go with me, but told
me to come again the next day; the next day he did the same, and so on
daily. I went to his sister, Mrs. Grice, and told her I feared that he
did not mean to give them to me; she said she feared so too, and sent
for him. He was a very wicked young man; he came, and cursed her, and
went out of the house. Mr. Grice was from home; on his return, he went
to my master, and told him he ought to give me my free papers; that I
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