Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/189

Rh by a goodly number of the most influential citizens, which I determined, myself, to present to Congress, to prevent the colored people from owning slaves unless through some change in law. As there are so many changes going on now, the whites should also own each other; then let the colored people have their slaves if they choose to. I have even known slaves to own slaves before now, and treat them very cruelly.

I now started for Natchez, where I told you before I was to teach some ladies' maids hair-dressing during my stay there. I had some papers, among them this petition, put away in a box in my trunk, with some pieces of jewelry, that I valued very highly. One day being hurried, I forgot my keys, and left them in my trunk, when the papers were taken out. I always accused a governess of taking them as the servants could not read, and I know the ladies of the family were above anything of the kind. I was in the house for several weeks, and saw the slaves there were well treated, not only the house servants, but those in the quarters.

On one occasion an overseer misused a slave, and Dr. J. turned him off without a moment's notice. This worthy gentleman even kept pastors to suit his slaves; if they did not like their pastors they were changed. On account of his kind treatment of them, they seemed delighted to work for him. When he wanted to speak to any of them he did not speak as if to dogs, but remembered they were human creatures, and that he would have to give account for the manner in which he treated them. He also had his modes of punishment—he had his own jail, and was his own judge. During my stay there, I went round a good 16