University of Virginia Library

Chapter
Left Overs. See Chap 12

The incident I am about to relate should
have appeared in Chap 12th and formed a part
of the story of my trip to Washington to witness
the inauguration of President Grant. As stated
in that chapter, I was accompanied by Mrs. Isabella
Gibbons one of the teachers in the Primary department
of our school. I had told her in advance that she
was to go in the ladies car with me, instead of
the smoking car, where the rules of the road
required all colored people to travel in spite of
the fact that they were called upon to pay first
class fare, and also that this rule was in direct
violation of the Civil Rights Bill — or rather of the
15th Amendment — the above Bill had not then
been passed. In one or two instances previous to
the trip of which I write, colored persons had been
awarded quite large sums as damages against railroad companies on account
of being ejected from the cars to which their tickets

entitled them.

The tracks of the Orange
& Alexandria R. R. upon which we would travel
to Washington, formed a junction near our
school with the Virginia Central. At this place
the O & A trains always made a short stop to
change the switch, and from this point the O.
& A. ran on the V. C. track to Gordonsville where
their lines again diverged We frequently
took advantage of this arrangement by boarding
our trains at the switch and did so that day
Mrs. Gibbons was about to follow me into the ladies
car when the conductor seeing her called to
her to go back to the next car, and she, fearing
they would start the train and leave her behind did
as directed. When I saw what had happened I
immediately sought her out in the negro, otherwise
the smoking car where I sat down beside her until
the conductor came for our tickets. I asked him
if she could go into the ladies car with me "Is
she your servant?" said he. "No, she is a friend
with whom I am travelling." "I will see about
it" was the answer. "We shall put on another

car a little farther on." Of course I knew that
this pretense that the ladies car was full was
all a subterfuge, as I had just come from there
and there were plenty of vacant seats. As I was
getting interested in a new experience I made
no further appeal, but every time he came to tear
off a coupon from our tickets I gave him a look
which meant "I understand you sir." and he would
look conscious and hurry by as quickly as possible. So
I had the experience of riding in a second class
smoking car on a first class ticket to Washington
just to uphold a principle, but I told Mrs. Gibbons it
must not happen on our return.

The bridge across the Potomac was undergoing
repairs when we started for home some days later
so we had to cross the river in a steamboat and
take our train at Alexandria. As Mrs. Gibbons
followed me into the ladies car a brakeman
stopped her and ordered her back into the next
car. I turned to him and said, "She goes with
me sir." "O, is she — is she your — " "She goes with
me." He stepped back, and as she came in

she heard him say. "There, that colored woman
had gone in!" The other brakeman replied. "O well
the captain will make it all right." (They often
called the conductor — captain) I put Mrs. G. into
the seat next to the window, and told her not to move
if they told her to leave the car. — that they could not
get her out without they moved me first, and I knew
they would not attempt that, — and that if they were
rash enough to do so we could bring suit against
the company that might cost them several
thousand dollars. So she sat there nervous
and trembling when the conductor came. I
had both tickets and looked him straight in
the face as I handed them to him. He
simply said "For you and her?" I said "Yes."
and he tore a coupon from each and passed
on. When we were about half way on our journey
Mrs. Gibbons laughingly remarked, "I am afraid
I don't get $15 000 out of this trip." And thus she
had the experience of a ride from Alexandria
to Washington Charlottesville first class car to balance my experience in the smoking car because I was determined to
uphold a principle.

Left Overs See Aunt Jenny Pickett Chap 18

Aunt Jenny, in spite of her years and poverty
was as happy in her freedom as if she had been
young and capable of earning her living. To
test her some one said to her one day when she was
glorying in the thought that she was not longer a
chattel. "Now Aunt Jenny, as you are so old
and without means to live upon, would it not
have been better for you if you could have
remained a slave, and had a good master
or mistress to take care of you"?

Aunt Jennys eyes blazed as she replied
"I'se glad to be free if only for tonight!"

See Chap 8th Our Teachers

There were three other teachers employed
in our school before I gave up the work there, viz.
Robert Scott Jr. Egbert Terry, and Benjamin Tonsler.
As they were not working under the auspices of

the Society in Boston I omitted to mention
them in the Chapter on "Our Teachers," but
feel that they should receive recognition as
having taken up the work under the local
School Board while it was co-operating
with the Freedmens Aid Society.

Robert Scott was a pupil of Miss Gardners
as also was Egbert Terry until she resigned
when the latter came under my instruction
for a time, and both were soon given places
in the towns schools. As well as I can now
recall they did very satisfactory work and
Terry is still teaching near Charlottesville.
Robert Scott died many years ago.

Benjamin Tonsler was in my class
for about two years, I think, possibly more,
when, finding him a particularly bright
and promising boy, I appealed to Gen.
Armstrong in his behalf, and succeeded
in getting him into a position in the
Hampton School where he could earn
all the expenses of board tuition etc.

while he remained there. He graduated at the end
of two years, and upon his return to Charlottesville
was immediately given a school by the local
Board. He was very successful, and at last
accounts, was Principal of the colored schools
in that city.

Margaret Lewis. Chapter 18th

In a recent letter from Rives Minor
I have learned that Margaret Lewis is now
alone in the world, her husband Paul
Lewis and all her children having passed
away. Paul had become the owner of a
home before I left Charlottesville, but I
doubt if he had much other property
so I fear her last years are to be not
only lonely, but years of poverty as well
She truly deserved better of Fate.

I have mentioned in some of the previous
chapters that Miss Gardner and I stopped in
Washington at the Hotel corner 8th st and Pennsylvania
Ave on two occasions I think. This hotel was
conducted by Mr. Joy, a native of Massachusetts
if I have been correctly informed. Upon learning
that we were teachers in schools for the freedmen
Mr. J. exerted himself to make our stay in his
house as pleasant as possible, and in the
afternoon of our first day there he sent a
servant up to our room asking us to come
down to the parlor as he wished to introduce
us to a gentleman from Virginia

"Is he a rebel?" asked Miss Gardner. "I don't
want to meet any rebels."

"N-n-n-no." stammered the colored
man. "There are no r-r-r-rebels in this
house, nor no J-J-J-Johnson men either."

The following incident occurred on
our visit to Libbey Prison as related in Chap.
12th While being shown over the prison
by the officer in charge, we saw several
soldiers who were under guard for some
offence or breach of discipline. Some of
these had a heavy iron ball attached to
their ancles by a stout chain a few feet in
length, so when they moved about they
were obliged to lift the ball and carry it
in the hand. Miss Gardner asked the
officer what they had done to deserve such
a punishment. He told her they had
attempted to desert. "And they must
be punished like this just because they
wanted to be free?" said she in horrified
tones. "Why Madam" was the reply. "I
think desertion is the greatest crime a
soldier can commit!"

These were the different points of
view of a Quaker woman and a
military man.