Kingsbury, my brothers, is in the old State of Alabama. For three
hundred years the Vanderwaters have owned Kingsbury and its slave pens
and factories, and slave pens and factories in many other places and
States. You have heard of the Vanderwaters--who has not?--but let me
tell you things you do not know about them. The first Vanderwater was
a slave, even as you and I. Have you got that? He was a slave, and that
was over three hundred years ago. His father was a machinist in the
slave pen of Alexander Burrell, and his mother was a washerwoman in the
same slave pen. There is no doubt about this. I am telling you truth. It
is history. It is printed, every word of it, in the history books of our
masters, which you cannot read because your masters will not permit you
to learn to read. You can understand why they will not permit you to
learn to read, when there are such things in the books. They know, and
they are very wise. If you did read such things, you might be wanting
in respect to your masters, which would be a dangerous thing... to your
masters. But I know, for I can read, and I am telling you what I have
read with my own eyes in the history books of our masters.
The first Vanderwater's name was not Vanderwater; it was Vange--Bill
Vange, the son of Yergis Vange, the machinist, and Laura Carnly, the
washerwoman. Young Bill Vange was strong. He might have remained with
the slaves and led them to freedom; instead, however, he served the
masters and was well rewarded. He began his service, when yet a small
child, as a spy in his home slave pen. He is known to have informed on
his own father for seditious utterance. This is fact. I have read it
with my own eyes in the records. He was too good a slave for the slave
pen. Alexander Burrell took him out, while yet a child, and he was
taught to read and write. He was taught many things, and he was entered
in the secret service of the Government. Of course, he no longer wore
the slave dress, except for disguise at such times when he sought to
penetrate the secrets and plots of the slaves. It was he, when but
eighteen years of age, who brought that great hero and comrade, Ralph
Jacobus, to trial and execution in the electric chair. Of course, you
have all heard the sacred name of Ralph Jacobus, but it is news to you
that he was brought to his death by the first Vanderwater, whose
name was Vange. I know. I have read it in the books. There are many
interesting things like that in the books.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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