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Virginia Mathews, stately in point lace and diamonds, with the air and manner of an empress. balls, when the gentlemen were all "in masque," with graceful, charming Mrs. Dawson opened the ball on the 25th of January, Jackson's day, or the 22nd of February, Washington's birthday, at "the head of the set," in the old-fashioned cotillion, with beautiful, fascinating Mrs. Here in the late fifties or early sixties all the public entertainments were given. On the southwest corner of Vine and First North Streets, in the center of the town, was the large two-story brick building known as Saltmarsh Hall, a part of which was used as a Masonic Lodge.
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On the southeast corner of Walnut and First North Streets stood the Odd Fellows' Hall, a two-story brick building erected in 1859 or i860. In front of the market house, on the southwest corner of Walnut and First North Streets was Barker's Hotel, afterwards kept by Bob Travers. Feelings ran high on both sides, everybody in the town in a measure became involved in the feud, and it is impossible to describe the excitement and grief that prevailed when the difficulty terminated and the tragedy became known. The parties involved were all prominent in social life. Accusation followed accusation, recrimination followed recrimination, until it ended in the fatal meeting. Troy's residence fell a victim to flames, followed in quick succession by the destruction of Judge Bird's house in the same way, then Judge Bird became so exasperated that he openly charged this negro with arson, and denounced the Bells as accessories to the crime. In those days to accuse a gentleman's servant of crime, especially a favorite servant, was regarded almost as great an insult as to accuse the gentleman himself, and a master would fight in defense of his slaves as quickly as he would in defense of his children - hence no one dared make public the accusation against the negro but when Dr. When my uncle died, a year or two later, he became my father's coachman, and was a faithful, devoted servant up to the day of his death. He was afterwards offered his freedom, which he declined to accept. Louis and go North with them, but he preferred to come home. He told my father that a number of abolitionists had tried to induce him to leave my uncle at St.
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While Missouri was not a free State, it was so near the "Missouri Compromise line" that Ben could easily have escaped to the free States, and with so large an amount of money been independent for life. This conduct, on the part of a negro, impressed every one as a wonderful illustration of honesty and fidelity. Not a cent was missing out of the entire amount. He then handed him my uncle's purse, told him the amount that was in it, and accounted for every dime he had used on the trip home. On his arrival Ben at once unbuckled the leather belt from around his own body, handed it to my father, told him the amount of money it contained, and asked him to count it and see that it was all there. Louis he became violently ill, and upon the advice of a physician Ben, his faithful body servant, placed him on a steamer and brought him home in a perfectly helpless and unconscious condition.
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In 1849 or 1850 my uncle, without the knowledge of my father, went to Missouri to buy lands, and carried with him a large sum of money in a leather belt buckled around his body, as was then the custom. Freeman or bondman, what greater gift can a man offer than to endanger his own life for the salvation of another? History can chronicle no braver or more heroic act, and none that speaks louder for the Southern slave's devotion to his master of the kindness of the master to his slaves, for only kindness will beget such love and devotion.Īnother illustration was found in Ben, the body servant of my Uncle Billups Gayle, a brother of my father, Col. He then returned for the two girls, carrying one under each arm, and after placing them in safety went back the third time and rescued his wife from the burning steamer just before it went under. On Red River the steamer caught fire and all would have perished but for the noble efforts of this negro, who threw himself in the stream, placed his master on his back, and swam to shore with him. Diggs was returning home from a visit to Louisiana with his two daughters and their maid, Walter's wife. In recalling the above-mentioned free negroes I am reminded of two or three others, whose faithfulness as slaves deserves to be crowned with the "laurel wreath of fame." One of these, Walter Diggs, a strong, able-bodied mulatto man, was the body servant of the father of Mr.