The Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin

by Harriet Beecher Stowe

  excluded all circulation of air, and almost produced suffocation.

  The captain and pilot had a long talk about the price, and some

  altercation ensued, the captain not being willing to give the

  price demanded by the pilot; during which time there was great

  suffering below. The women became so exhausted that they

  were mostly helpless; and the situation of the men was not much

  better, though they managed with a stick to break some holes

  through the canvass on their side, so as to let in a little air, but

  a few only of the strongest could get there to enjoy it. Some

  of them shouted for help as long as their strength would permit;

  and at length, after what seemed to them an almost interminable

  interview, the pilot left, refusing to assist them; the canvas

  was removed, and the brig obliged to turn tack, and take another

  course. Then one after another, as they got air and strength,

  crawled out on deck. Mary and Emily were carried out by

  their brothers as soon as they were able to do it.

  Soon after this the stock of provisions ran low, and the water

  failed, so that the slaves were restricted to a gill a day. The

  sailors were allowed a quart each, and often gave a pint of it to

  one of the Edmondsons for their sisters; and they divided it

  with the other women, as they always did every nice thing they

  got in such ways.

  The day they arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi a

  terrible storm arose, and the waves rolled mountain high, so

  that, when the pilot-boat approached, it would sometimes seem

  to be entirely swallowed by the waves, and again it would

  emerge, and again appear wholly buried. At length they were

  towed into and up the river by a steamer, and there, for the

  first time, saw cotton plantations, and gangs of slaves at work

  on them.

  They arrived at New Orleans in the night, and about ten

  the next day were landed and marched to what they called

  the show-rooms, and, going out into the yard, saw a great many

  men and women sitting around, with such sad faces that Emily

  soon began to cry, upon which an overseer stepped up and

  struck her on the chin, and bade her “stop crying, or he

  would give her something to cry about.” Then pointing, he told

  her “there was the calaboose, where they whipped those who

  did not behave themselves.” As soon as he turned away, a slave-

  woman came and told her to look cheerful, if she possibly could,

  as it would be far better for her. One of her brothers soon

  came to inquire what the woman had been saying to her; and

  when informed, encouraged Emily to follow the advice, and

  endeavoured to profit by it himself.

  That night all the four brothers had their hair cut close,

  their moustaches shaved off, and their usual clothing exchanged

  for a blue jacket and pants, all of which so altered their ap-

  pearance that at first their sisters did not know them. Then,

  for three successive days, they were all obliged to stand in an

  open porch fronting the street, for passers-by to look at, except,

  when one was tired out, she might go in for a little time, and

  another take her place. Whenever buyers called, they were

  paraded in the auction-room in rows, exposed to coarse jokes

  and taunts. When any one took a liking to any girl in the

  company, he would call her to him, take hold of her, open her

  mouth, look at her teeth, and handle her person rudely, fre-

  quently making obscene remarks; and she must stand and bear

  it, without resistance. Mary and Emily complained to their

  brothers that they could not submit to such treatment. They

  conversed about it with Wilson, a partner of Bruin and Hill,

  who had the charge of the slaves at this prison. After this

  they were treated with more decency.

  Another brother of the girls, named Hamilton, had been a

  slave in or near New Orleans for sixteen years, and had just

  purchased his own freedom for one thousand dollars; having

  once before earned that sum for himself, and then had it taken

  from him. Richard being now really free, as the money was

  deposited in Baltimore for his ransom, found him out the next

  day after their arrival at New Orleans, and brought him to the

  prison to see his brothers and sisters. The meeting was over-

  poweringly affecting.

  He had never before seen his sister Emily, as he had been

  sold away from his parents before her birth.

  The girls' lodging-room was occupied at night by about

  twenty or thirty women, who all slept on the bare floor, with

  only a blanket each. After a few days, word was received

  (which was really incorrect), that half the money had been

  raised for the redemption of Mary and Emily. After this they

  were allowed, upon their brothers' earnest request, to go to their

  free brother's house and spend their nights, and return in the

  mornings, as they had suffered greatly from the mosquitos and

  other insects, and their feet were swollen and sore.

  While at this prison some horrible cases of cruelty came

  to their knowledge, and some of them under their own observa-

  tion. Two persons, one woman and one boy, were whipped to

  death in the prison while they were there, though they were not

  in the same pen, or owned by the same trader, as themselves.

  None of the slaves were allowed to sleep in the day-time,

  and sometimes little children sitting or standing idle all day

  would become so sleepy as not to be able to hold up their

  eyelids; but, if they were caught thus by the overseer, they

  were cruelly beaten. Mary and Emily used to watch the little

  ones, and let them sleep until they heard the overseers coming,

  and then spring and rouse them in a moment.

  One young woman, who had been sold by the traders for the

  worst of purposes, was returned, not being fortunate (?) enough

  to suit her purchaser; and, as is their custom in such cases, was

  most cruelly flogged--so much so that some of her flesh

  mortified, and her life was despaired of. When Mary and Emily

  first arrived at New Orleans they saw and conversed with her.

  She was then just beginning to sit up; was quite small, and

  very fine-looking, with beautiful straight hair, which was formerly

  long, but had been cut off short by her brutal tormentors.

  The overseer who flogged her said, in their hearing, that he

  would never flog another girl in that way--it was too much for

  any one to bear. They suggest that perhaps the reason why he

  promised this was because he was obliged to be her nurse, and

  of course saw her sufferings. She was from Alexandria, but

  they have forgotten her name.

  One young man and woman of their company in the prison,

  who were engaged to be married, and were sold to different

  owners, felt so distressed at their separation that they could not

  or did not labour well; and the young man was soon sent back,

  with the complaint that he would not answer the purpose. Of

  course, the money was to be refunded, and he flogged. He was

  condemned to be f
logged each night for a week; and, after

  about two hundred lashes by the overseer, each one of the male

  slaves in the prison was required to come and lay on five lashes

  with all his strength, upon penalty of being flogged himself.

  The young woman, too, was soon sent there, with a note from

  her new mistress, requesting that she might be whipped a

  certain number of lashes, and enclosing the money to pay for it;

  which request was readily complied with.

  While in New Orleans they saw gangs of women cleaning the

  streets, chained together, some with a heavy iron ball attached to

  the chain; a form of punishment frequently resorted to for

  household servants who had displeased their mistresses.

  Hamilton Edmondson, the brother who had purchased his

  own freeedom, made great efforts to get good homes for his

  brothers and sisters in New Orleans, so that they need not be

  far separated from each other. One day Mr. Wilson, the over-

  seer, took Samuel away with him in a carriage, and returned

  without him. The brothers and sisters soon found that he was

  sold, and gone they knew not whither; but they were not

  allowed to weep, or even look sad, upon pain of severe punish-

  ment. The next day, however, to their great joy, he came to

  the prison himself, and told them he had a good home in the

  city with an Englishman, who had paid a thousand dollars for

  him.

  After remaining about three weeks in this prison, the Edmond-

  sons were told that in consequence of the prevalence of the yellow

  fever in the city, together with their not being acclimated, it

  was deemed dangerous for them to remain there longer; and,

  besides this, purchasers were loth to give good prices under

  these circumstances. Some of the slaves in the pen were already

  sick; some of them old, poor, or dirty, and for these reasons

  greatly exposed to sickness. Richard Edmondson had already

  been ransomed, and must be sent back; and, upon the whole, it

  was thought best to fit out and send off a gang to Baltimore

  without delay.

  The Edmondsons received these tidings with joyful hearts, for

  they had not yet been undeceived with regard to the raising of

  the money for their ransom. Their brother who was free pro-

  cured for them many comforts for the voyage, such as a mattress,

  blankets, sheets, and different kinds of food and drink; and,

  accompanied to the vessel by their friends there, they embarked

  on the brig “Union” just at night, and were towed out of the river.

  The brig had nearly a full cargo of cotton, molasses, sugar, &c.,

  and, of course, the space for the slaves was exceedingly limited.

  The place allotted the females was a little, close, filthy room,

  perhaps eight or ten feet square, filled with cotton within two or

  three feet of the top of the room, except the space directly under

  the hatchway door. Richard Edmondson kept his sisters upon

  deck with him, though without a shelter; prepared their food

  himself, made up their bed at night on the top of barrels, or

  wherever he could find a place, and then slept by their side.

  Sometimes a storm would arise in the middle of the night, when

  he would spring up and wake them, and, gathering up their bed

  and bedding, conduct them to a little kind of a pantry, where

  they could all three just stand, till the storm passed away.

  Sometimes he contrived to make a temporary shelter for them

  out of bits of boards, or something else on deck.

  After a voyage of sixteen days, they arrived at Baltimore, fully

  expecting that their days of slavery were numbered. Here they

  were conducted back to the same old prison from which they

  had been taken a few weeks before, though they supposed it

  would be but for an hour or two. Presently Mr. Bigelow, of

  Washington, came for Richard. When the girls found that they

  were not to be set free too, their grief and disappointment were

  unspeakable. But they were separated--Richard to go to his

  home, his wife and children, and they to remain in the slave-

  prison. Wearisome days and nights again rolled on. In the

  mornings they were obliged to march round the yard to the

  music of fiddles, banjoes, &c.; in the daytime they washed and

  ironed for the male slaves, slept some, and wept a great deal.

  After a few weeks their father came to visit them, accompanied

  by their sister.

  His object was partly to ascertain what were the very lowest

  terms upon which their keeper would sell the girls, as he indulged

  a faint hope that in some way or other the money might be

  raised, if time enough were allowed. The trader declared he

  should soon send them to some other slave-market, but he would

  wait two weeks, and, if the friends could raise the money in that

  time, they might have them.

  The night their father and sister spent in the prison with

  them, he lay in the room over their heads; and they could hear

  him groan all night, while their sister was weeping by their side.

  None of them closed their eyes in sleep.

  In the morning came again the wearisome routine of the

  slave-prison. Old Paul walked quietly into the yard, and sat

  down to see the poor slaves marched around. He had never

  seen his daughters in such circumstances before, and his feelings

  quite overcame him. The yard was narrow, and the girls, as

  they walked by him, almost brushing him with their clothes,

  could just hear him groaning within himself, “O my children!

  my children!”

  After the breakfast, which none of them were able to eat, they

  parted with sad hearts, the father begging the keeper to send

  them to New Orleans, if the money could not be raised, as per-

  haps their brothers there might secure for them kind masters.

  Two or three weeks afterwards Bruin and Hill visited the

  prison, dissolved partnership with the trader, settled accounts,

  and took the Edmondsons again in their own possession.

  The girls were roused about eleven o'clock at night, after they

  had fallen asleep, and told to get up directly, and prepare for

  going home. They had learned that the word of a slaveholder

  is not to be trusted, and feared they were going to be sent to

  Richmond, Virginia, as there had been talk of it. They were

  soon on their way in the cars with Bruin, and arrived at Wash-

  ington at a little past midnight.

  Their hearts throbbed high when, after these long months of

  weary captivity, they found themselves once more in the city

  where were their brothers, sisters, and parents. But they were

  permitted to see none of them, and were put into a carriage and

  driven immediately to the slave-prison at Alexandria, where,

  about two o'clock at night, they found themselves in the same

  forlorn old room in which they had begun their term of captivity!

  This was the latter part of August. Again they were em-

  ployed in washing, ironing, and sewing by day, and always

  locked up by night. Sometimes they were allowed to sew in

  Bruin's house, and even to eat there. After they had be
en

  in Alexandria two or three weeks, their eldest married sister,

  not having heard from them for some time, came to see Bruin,

  to learn, if possible, something of their fate; and her surprise

  and joy were great to see them once more, even there. After

  a few weeks their old father came again to see them. Hopeless

  as the idea of their emancipation seemed, he still clung to it.

  He had had some encouragement of assistance in Washington,

  and he purposed to go North to see if anything could be done

  there; and he was anxious to obtain from Bruin what were the

  very lowest possible terms for which he would sell the girls.

  Bruin drew up his terms in the following document, which we

  subjoin:--

  Alexandria, Va., Sept. 5, 1848.

  The bearer, Paul Edmondson, is the father of two girls, Mary Jane and Emily

  Catherine Edmondson. These girls have been purchased by us, and once sent to

  the South; and, upon the positive assurance that the money for them would be

  raised if they were brought back, they were returned. Nothing, it appears, has

  as yet been done in this respect by those who promised, and we are on the very

  eve of sending them South the second time; and we are candid in saying that, if

  they go again, we will not regard any promises made in relation to them. The

  father wishes to raise money to pay for them; and intends to appeal to the libe-

  rality of the humane and the good to aid him, and has requested us to state in

  writing the conditions upon which we will sell his daughters.

  We expect to start our servants to the South in a few days; if the sum of

  twelve hundred (1200) dollars be raised and paid to us in fifteen days, or we be

  assured of that sum, then we will retain them for twenty-five days more, to give

  an opportunity for the raising of the other thousand and fifty (1050) dollars;

  otherwise we shall be compelled to send them along with our other servants.

  Bruin & Hill.

  Paul took his papers, and parted from his daughters sorrow-

  fully. After this, the time to the girls dragged on in heavy

  suspense. Constantly they looked for letter or message, and

  prayed to God to raise them up a deliverer from some quarter.

  But day after day and week after week passed, and the dreaded

  time drew near. The preliminaries for fitting up the gang for

  South Carolina commenced. Gay calico was bought for them

  to make up into “show dresses,” in which they were to be