n by the cruel Mr. Plummer, my
attention had not been called, especially, to the gross features of
slavery. I had, of course, heard of whippings and of savage _rencontres_
between overseers and slaves, but I had always been out of the way at
the times and places of their occurrence. My plays and sports, most of
the time, took me from the corn and tobacco fields, where the great body
of the hands were at work, and where scenes of cruelty were enacted and
witnessed. But, after the whipping of Aunt Esther, I saw many cases of
the same shocking nature, not only in my master's house, but on Col.
Lloyd's plantation. One of the first which I saw, and which greatly
agitated me, was the whipping of a woman belonging to Col. Lloyd, named
Nelly. The offense alleged against Nelly, was one of the commonest and
most indefinite in the whole catalogue of offenses usually laid to the
charge of slaves, viz: "impudence." This may mean almost anything, or
nothing at all, just according to the caprice of the master or overseer,
at the moment. But, whatever it is, or is not, if it gets the name
of "impudence," the party charged with it is sure of a flogging. This
offense may be committed in various ways; in the tone of an answer; in
answering at all; in not answering; in the expression of countenance; in
the motion of the head; in the gait, manner and bearing of the slave.
In the case under consideration, I can easily believe that, according to
all slaveholding standards, here was a genuine instance of impudence.
In Nelly there were all the necessary conditions for committing the
offense. She was{72} a bright mulatto, the recognized wife of a favorite
"hand" on board Col. Lloyd's sloop, and the mother of five sprightly
children. She was a vigorous and spirited woman, and one of the most
likely, on the plantation, to be guilty of impudence. My attention was
called to the scene, by the noise, curses and screams that proceeded
from it; and, on going a little in that direction, I came upon the
parties engaged in the skirmish. Mr. Siever, the overseer, had hold
of Nelly, when I caught sight of them; he was endeavoring to drag her
toward a tree, which endeavor Nelly was sternly resisting; but to
no purpose, except to retard the progress of the overseer's plans.
Nelly--as I have said--was the mother of five children; three of them
were present, and though quite small (from seven to ten years old, I
should think) they gallantly came to their mother's