University of Virginia Library

8. VIII.

WUN uv the most important cases — important
in a national sense — ever tried afore
a court uv justis, came off afore Squire Gavitt at
the court-house, at the Corners yesterday. It was
important, becoz it involved the very eggistence uv
the institution upon wich Kentucky is built — becoz,
upon its decision hung the question whether or not
the Bible shood be respectid and its holy injunctions
obeyed — whether Kentucky shood, clingin to the
Skripters, go on ez a Christian State, or denyin it,
go back into infidelity and barbarism. I scasely
need say that the porshens uv the Bible to wich I
refer, is the ever blessid chapters relatin to Ham,
Hager, and Onesimus — the only parts of the Skripter

we pay much attention to. But ef them is attacked
successfully, wat follows? The entire strukter
comes tumblin to the ground. Therefore, holdin
to Aferkin slavery, we are orthodox believers.

The circumstances uv the case wuz suthin like
this: A nigger uv the name uv Gabriel, wunst the
happy and contented servant uv that eminent Christian,
Deekin Pogram, becum possessed uv the spirit
uv the devil, and sullen, becoz the Deekin sold his
wife to raise the means to send his second son,
Isaker, wich wuz a studyin for the ministry, to a
Theolojikle Institoot, somewheres in Georgia; and
also enraged becoz his female offspring, Elizer, happenin
to attrack the attenshun uv his eldest son,
Elijer, he run away in the fust year uv the war, and
follered the Federal army, finally enlisting as a sojer.
Durin the progress uv the struggle, he learned to
read, and bein powerful in prayer and sich, he
headed a revival, and hevin gifts that way, attracted
the notis uv Genril Howard, or some uv them fanatics,
who hed him instructed, and finally made
him an agent uv a branch uv that accursid Freedmen's
Burow; and sure enuff, after the war, he
appeared in this vicinity, salaried by the society, and
commenst unfittin the niggers for their normal condishun
by teechin on em to read, and establishin

Sunday skools among em, and givin em advice generally,
wich wuz aginst the dignity and peace uv
the commonwealth. The citizens stood it with the
pashense carakteristik uv the people uv Kentucky
ontil last Monday. The Deekin hed a dispoot with
a nigger relativ to a triflin matter uv wages. The
nigger hed bin workin at the stipulated price uv $4
per month — the Deekin brought in, ez a offset, his
board at $2 per week; and ruther than hev any fuss
about it, proposed to let him work the balance out
durin the winter months. To this ekitable arrangement
the nigger demurred, holdin that board wuz
inclooded, and this Gabrel advised the nigger to sue,
and he did so.

Enraged at his interference, the Deekin went
before Square Gavitt, and complained of Gabrel ez
a vagrant, and employed me to attend to the case.
Pollock, the Illinoy storekeeper, volunteered to defend
the nigger, and there wuz a tremenjus eggsitement
over it.

I opened the case by stating that the nigger's
biznis wuz to prove that he hed vizable means uv
support: Pollock insisted that it wuz our biznis
to prove that he hedn't, but the court decided agin
him.

The nigger then swore that he reseeved from his

congregashen $30 per month for services. I submitted
that, ez he wuz a interested party, other
proof wood be required. Pollock interdoost the
elders of the congregashen, but I checkmated him
there, by submittin that the testimony uv niggers
wuzn't admissable, wich the court decided it wuzn't.

Immejitly Pollock submitted that whether or no
his client coodent be considered a vagrant, ez he
cood testify himself to the fact that he (Gabrel) hed
in his house $200 in greenbax — a suffishent support
for a time, at least.

Ther wuz a immense eggscitement in the court.

“Wher duz he keep it?” asked the Squire, visibly
agitated.

“In his chist at the house wher he boards,” sed
Pollock.

“This court stands adjourned for thirty minits,”
sed the Squire, boundin over the railin in front
uv him. “Hold on,” sez he; “hold on, Deekin;
a fair start is all I want. Don't take advantage uv
my age to get ther first,” and pell-mell over one
another the entire audience, ceptin Pollock, the nigger,
and me, started on a keen run for the house.
In a few minits they returned, pantin and out uv
breath, when the Squire called the court to order
agin, wich bein restored, he remarked, —

Ef it cood be established that the nigger hed
$200 in greenbax it wood nessessarily discharge
him, ez no man with that sum cood be considered
a vagrant; but he thot ef the prizner at the bar
shood look in the direckshun uv his house, he'd find
it wuzn't ther any more, ez a house, the materyal uv
wich it wuz built wuz lyin permiskus. Likewise,
probably, he wooodn't be able to find the $200 he
hed in his chist. The place that knowd it wunst
will know it no more forever — it hed been confiscated
by the enraged citizens. He wantid it understood
that no such triflin impediment in the way uv
justis ez the possession uv $200 cood be allowed
within the jurisdickshen uv this court. The nigger
not bein able to prove his means uv support, and
ez the court knowed uv its own knollege that he
ain't now got any $200, the court wood ask the
criminal's counsel wat other nonsense he hez to
plead.

Sed Pollock, the Illinoy storekeeper, —

“I wood beg leave to state to this court that,
under the Civil Rites law, the defendant cannot be
arrested ez a vagrant, ez the law under wich the
accused is arrested only menshuns persons uv color,
makin a distinkshen agin em.”

Never, while memry retains her seat, shel I forget

the scene that ensood. Filled with a sense uv
the responsibility restin onto him, the Squire rose
slowly from his seat, his face uv a deathly palenis,
wich hed the effeck uv hightnin, by contrast, the
intense rednis uv his nose, and risin to his full hite,
remarked that the court hed expectid that objeckshen
to be urged, and hed, therefore, prepared fur it.
That law doesn't bind this court to any alarmin extent,
considerin it ez infringin onto the reserved rites
uv the States.

“Will the court be so good ez to menshun for the
informashun uv the populace, wat the reserved rites
uv the States are?” sez Pollock.

“The court insists that it shel not be interruptid
when it's deliverin itself uv an opinion. Considerin
it ez infringin upon the reserved rites uv the States,
uv whom Kentucky is the cheefest and the loveliest
among ten thousand” — at this pint his nose glowd
redder, and it seemed to me ez tho a halo uv lite
encirkled his frosty head, ez he fearlessly continued
— “the court holds that law to be unconstooshnel,
and ez sich, shel not regard it. Hez the counsel
anythin more to remark?”

“Nothin,” sed Pollock. “And knowin the court
so well ez I do, I wonder at my makin sich an ass
uv myself ez to hev remarkt anything at all.”

“Hez the counsel for the State anything to say?”

“Nothin,” sed I. “I am willin to trust the case
in yoor hands, feelin confident that justis — genooine
Kentucky justis — will be done.”

Wareupon the Squire hed the prizner stand up,
and, drawin on a black cap, in a very impressive
manner, sentenst him to eighteen months hard
labor, breakin stone for the turnpike, wich we are
buildin from the Corners to the stashen, at the conklushen
uv wich Pollock very profanely added,
“And may the Lord hev mercy on your sole.”

The nigger wuz immejitly stript uv his good close,
wich the Squire thot wood just fit him, and a soot
uv vagrant's close wuz given him, and he wuz to-wunst
put to his labor.

We hev hopes that this will end the nigger skools
in this vicinity, ez well ez the diskontent that hez
eggisted among the niggers ever since the disturbin
Gabrel hez bin here. The Corners is now enjoyin
a holy calm — more so than any period for a month.