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Life from 1770-1865 for our ancestors. History, fiction and family lore. |
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Chapter 16 December 23,1803 Mansfield, Wearg and Arden Esq's; Mr. Bertie, We are assessing our situation in regards to you not honoring the loan that we made to your Uncle, Barlow. We would hope that you would soften your stance in this matter and come to England to accept the Earldom of which you are entitled. The King has been advised of our predicament and we have been informed that he doesn't want to become involved in a family matter. You have a second cousin once removed that has shown interest in becoming Earl but he would need your release of all rights to the Earl-ship that you now hold. Could we count on your cooperation if we traveled to the states of America and have you sign the needed papers? We look forward to an answer from you and your cooperation in this matter. On behalf of the Bank of England, Mansfield, Wearg and Arden, Esq's James smiled to himself as he read the letter. It was the middle of February and he was in no hurry to reply to those blasted solicitors. 'On second thought, maybe I should reply right away and ask for a stipend when they come out here to Surry County. Say maybe a small amount of two hundred pounds. And I'll allow them to stay rent free in the old log cabin. That should speed up their stay in this country. Straw tick on the floor for sleeping should do it. Since Joel left and decided to go west to homestead a place of his own, and the cabin just sits empty. I can't believe these young folks that are continually moving west and leaving us old people behind. The thought is just sad!' 'Seems I don't even see that much of Markus anymore. He spends a lot of his time with his Mother, Mary, and his twin sister Layla. That includes spending time in the village that is on Jack Martin's land since Layla is with her husband David Uwatie. It works great for Mary since she only lives fifteen miles from the village, as the crow flies.' James smiled with pride when he thought of his son, John. Last fall James had sent John away to West Point, Virginia to a Military Academy. It was a new school and James felt proud that he could afford the expense. What was more satisfying was the marks John had with his entry exams. James was besides himself at times with making Nimrod focusing on his studies. Nimrod was ten years younger than John, and wanted to do anything and everything besides study. He took after Markus more than John, that was for sure! It was the end of February and Bob was tired of the cold. He kept telling himself, 'Don't worry about the small stuff!' He had traveled home for Christmas and had felt like an outsider. Will was happier then a two pecker Billy Goat with a hundred Nanny's. Sweety was expecting a baby and showing a little bump and Will was as proud as a Peacock. The air had become cold as the sun had just set and it was about to get dark. Bob knew the camping spot he was aiming for was just ahead as he hurried to get there for the night. However as he rounded a thick area of brush, he saw that a big fire was burning at the campsite. Bob's thoughts were, 'I wonder why anyone but a greenhorn would want a fire like that. Let the whole countryside know where you're at, would you! I might as well stop in.' “Hello the camp!” Bob yelled. “Come in if you're peaceful.” Bob saw a tall lanky middle aged man standing by the fire. Bob shook his head. The man should be standing in the shadow of a tree, not exposing himself to a bullet. “I'm peaceful! I'm Robert Fraser coming in. What's with the big fire?” “It's cold night young man. I'm trying to warm up these old bones of mine. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Butler here. Although I'm no longer in the Army.” The man had hair down past his shoulders with an Army Officer's cap on his head. He was dressed in woolen clothes instead of Buckskins. “I can tell you're not from around these parts. What are you doing out here, if I might ask?” Bob thought the guy looked a little crazy. “Seeking justice! I hope!” Butler looked at Bob for a minute and then asked, “Are you a Federalist?” “Sorry but we don't follow what our government does out here. But I think Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party makes a lot of sense. We don't need a Government telling us what to do. Now, what kind of justice are you looking for?” “For what and why should be the question! General James Wilkinson is a traitor. And I have the proof right here in this letter.” Butler waved a letter in front of Bob's face. “This almost sounds like this is muckraking? What did he ever do to you?” “See these locks. I was ran out of the Army because I refused to cut my hair. Before that traitor Wilkinson demanded that the Army have Military Regulation Haircuts, we would braid our hair before battle and fight as free men. Now there is no individuality with our troops. They are like the European Armies and have become just a blot in a line of blots. But enough of this. This letter is a letter that was intercepted by a fellow officer. It is addressed to General Wilkinson from Vice President Aaron Burr. In it Burr encourages Wilkinson to notify the Mexican Government and have them stop the expedition that Jefferson has planed with the Louisiana Purchase. That's treason! I need to reach General Martin and deliver this letter to him. He'll know what to do!” “Aren't you too far west for that?” “His wife said that he was visiting his brother Jack in Surry County, North Carolina. How far is that yet?” The conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a group of horses coming up the trail. Bob looked at Butler and asked, “Are you expecting someone?” “No! No one knows about this letter except my friend and he would never tell.” “Well I need to get my mules into the trees. I'll stay in the shadows and stay hidden in case you have an enemy I don't know about.” Bob grabbed his three mules and headed into the trees. A hundred yards into the trees, Bob tied the lead mule to a sapling and hurried back to camp. Before he got there, Bob heard several shots simultaneously fired and then someone yelling, “Get that letter!” And then, “Grab his horse and let's go!” Bob heard the horses galloping away. He had pulled his rifle off the lead mule, so he continued to walk quietly back to camp. He felt no one had remained behind and was curtain of what he would find. Bob was right! Butler lay in a pool of blood with at least four holes in him. No one else was around and there was no letter to be found. Bob went back to his mules and brought them back to the camp. Then he took a few minutes to take in all that had happened. He took up the mule's lead rope and headed to Anderson's Bottom. He needed to tell, what he had heard and seen, to somebody. Bob had a strong hunch that he was going to be out of the fur trade business for quite a while. After a couple of miles down a trail that he knew, Bob stopped and gave the mules a break, and to rest. He took the packs off the mules and turned loose the two he could trust to stay close. The old ornery one he tied to a tree where there was grass. He took out some jerky and didn't make a fire, thinking it was best to make a cold camp. Instead of a fire, he threw as many blankets as he had on the ground and put the three fur packs around the blankets to act as a wind break. He crawled in and fell asleep, chewing on the jerky. Two days later Bob was at Anderson's Bottom and the trading-post. He walked in, surprising Sid, who exclaimed, “Bob, what's going on? I wasn't expecting to see you for at least another week.” “Have you seen General Martin pass through here recently?” “Ya, about a week ago? Maybe closer to two weeks. Why?” “I need to speak with him about something that should be very important.” Bob wasn't going into the why with anyone. “He must still be at his brother's place.” “That's where I'll go then. Can I leave my mules here with you? I also would like to sell you all the furs that I brought in this winter if that's alright with you.” “Sure, but aren't you going to finish out the season this year?” “I might not. We'll see! It seems like there's lot fewer Indians out there gathering furs. I think I would like you to give me credit instead of cash.” That night Bob slept on the furs in the lean-to behind the trading-post. The next morning he was up with the sun and after a good breakfast at the eatery, he was on his way with his weapons and backpack. With all the things that he carried, Bob was jogging with about fifty pounds on his back. Towards evening he met General Martin with six troopers and his mulatto servant trailing along behind. He thought it was Martin because eight people with horses in a group was unusual. As the General approached him, Bob stuck his hand in the air as a sign to stop. “General Martin?” Bob asked. “That's who I am.” Replied Martin. “Who are you?” “Robert Fraser, Sir. I'm a fur trader and I need to speak to you in a matter of utmost importance.” “Alright, tell me what it is that's so important.” “In private Sir. What I have to tell you is not for everyone's ears.” Martin looked at Bob for a minute and then said, “Men, set up camp at the next fair place and we'll stay for the night. Toby, stay with me. Mr. Fraser, Toby is my trusted servant as well as my slave. Anything you have to say can be said in front of Toby.” “Very well. Do you know a Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Butler?” “Yes, I've met a Colonel Tom Butler. Why do you ask?” “Four nights ago, he was shot multiple times. I had talked to him before he died. He had a letter that someone had taken from his body. In it, he said, was evidence that General Wilkinson was working with the Mexican Government to stop the Louisiana Expedition.” “And you don't have that letter? Listen! General Wilkinson is the highest official in the United States Army. Without evidence we have nothing. Don't get me wrong. I have heard that he is on the payroll of the Mexican Government. Several people have heard it from his own lips stating, 'If the Mexican Government is stupid enough to give me money, I should be smart enough to take it!' But trying to stop the Expedition by siccing the Mexicans onto the Expedition is treason. I don't believe Wilkinson is a party to treason. I will write a letter of what we've been talking about for Wilkinson and you will need to take it to him. We have to forewarn him. Do you need money for travels?” “Where can I find General Wilkinson? I have money of my own. That's not a problem. The problem is I want to be part of the expedition. I would like to go with them. When I went to sign up last fall they said that their roster had already been filled. They told me that Captain Clark is part of the expedition and he and his crew took the keelboat that Lewis had built in Pittsburgh and floated it down the Ohio last fall. Can you write a letter on my behalf so that I can join the expedition?” “Better yet! We will get a letter from General Wilkinson enlisting you for the expedition. Let's see.... for what reason? Can you read and write?” “You bet! Until I was ten years old I had a private tutor in Norfolk, thanks to my Grandfather. Then we came out to Surry County. After that my Uncle taught me for a couple of more years. So yes, I can do the three R's with the best of them. I know a lot more than reading, riting and rithmetic. I can track game, talk Cherokee, and make hand signs. Sleeping under the stars is not a problem either.” Bob had a suspicion that General Martin liked to be in charge and didn't want to have anyone be superior to him. He used the local flavor of speech on purpose, not wanting to rile General Martin in any way. “Good! I think we can have you go on that expedition as a writer consigned by Wilkinson. I don't have enough pull to get you on that expedition but he does. So I need you to take this letter to Washington, our National Capital and ask for General Wilkinson. You will stay with us tonight and I'll write the letter for you to take. I'll give it to you in the morning and send you straight off.” -------------------------------- In the morning General Martin gave Bob two letters. Martin had instructions with each letter, “This letter has my seal on it. Do not open it! This other letter is saying Toby's horse is loaned to you and you are on the way to Washington with an important dispatch. Stow your stuff in the saddlebags. Here is more hardtack for you on your journey. And here are some dollars for lodging and eating in the evening. Don't tarry anywhere. Don't push the horse, but put long hours in the saddle. I can see you getting there in six days to a week if you push it.” Bob was given a horse's reins. The first thing he did was bare back the horses lips to look at the teeth to get an idea on how old the horse was and if he had any abscesses. Looking at the horse's body, Bob could see that it was an excellent horse that was given to him. Turning to Martin, he said, “I think we can do that.” Bob set himself onto the horses saddle and said, “Wish me safe travels. Goodbye General.” And reining the horse around, headed north to Anderson's bottom to connect to the road heading east. “Sargent Rye, can I talk to you for a moment?” General Martin had been analyzing Robert Fraser and hadn't felt comfortable with what he had seen. In his experience most people could be hoodwinked, but not all people. “Sargent, I'd like for you to get on your horse and follow along behind that fellow. If you get an opportunity, bring him down and feed him to the wolverines. Do you understand? “Oh yes General! And I get everything he has on his person?” “That is right. Everything but the horse.” “Will do General. See you in a couple of days.” Rye threw his saddle on his horse and left camp in a hurry. As he left he thought, 'Ya Toby. I'll bet that those guys will be taking turns running so you can rest your butt on a horse from time to time. Nobody will ride double with Toby, because he smells different. Even though, he sure looks like the General!' Bob left the group with a gallop that turned into a fast lope. After a couple miles he checked his back trail and saw dust. 'Maybe there's a whirlwind on the road. A group of horses would make more dust than that.' After another ten miles, the dust was still there. Bob got an uneasy feeling thinking about Martin laughing over Wilkinson taking money from the Mexican Government. Looking over his shoulder, he muttered, “Maybe Martin thinks I'm a lamb being led to the slaughter. I think I'll camp out tonight.” Bob had traveled through Anderson's Bottom without stopping and kept going until a sign, 'Taylorsville',was by the road. The sun was starting to set and Bob wheeled the horse around and galloped back a hundred feet. He turned the horse off the road and jumped off the horse to lead him into the underbrush. He grabbed his blankets off the back of the saddle and spread them out into a bed. Then he threw the saddle off the horse and grabbed the saddlebags and slipped them under the blankets. Pulling the harness off the horses head, he put a lead-rope on the horse and led him farther into the woods, leaving him there to graze. He came back and put his rifle next to the blankets and slipped behind a tree with his bow and arrows and some hardtack. He sat back and thought, 'This could take half the night before someone shows up or maybe not at all. I could be just paranoid and nobody will show up!' An hour after the sun went down, a full moon was climbing into the night sky. An hour after that the ground was full of shadows and light. Bob caught a shadow moving out the side of his peripheral vision. He slipped an arrow into his bow and waited in the shadow of the tree. A man emerged from the underbrush with a raised rifle and slowly approached the bed. Bob knew what the man was doing. He was feeling each footstep to make sure he didn't step on something and make a noise. Bob had eased up into a standing position and drew the bow back and let the arrow fly. When the arrow struck home the man squeezed the trigger and with a bang a bullet flew harmlessly into the air until it landed almost a mile away, landing two inches from a squirrels hollow log nest and disturbed his sleep. Bob notched another arrow and shot again. He walked around the body firing until the body looked like a pincushion. Then he stepped up to the body and felt for a money belt. Finding one he removed it after breaking an arrow off that had the money belt pined to the body. Then Bob walked to get his horse and broke camp. As he walked by the horse the man had, Bob took the horse's reins and rode towards town. That night he slept in a livery after making sure to wake up the stable hand to give both horses oats and hay. The next morning Bob waited for the sun to come up before he went to Ruth's Cafe and had a leisure breakfast. Then he went back to the stable and paid his bill and left with both horses saddled. If the stranger in the woods last night was General Martin's man, Bob hoped he had left enough clues for Martin to draw the right conclusions. Outside of town he dropped Toby's horse's reins, and sitting on the new horse, rode away. About fifteen miles down the road Bob pulled into a dense tree stand. He pulled the horse deep into the woods, then walked back to the road. Sitting close to the road he broke the seal to General Martin's letter and read; General Wilkinson, I have information that Mr. Burr and you want to foil the Louisiana exploration and are working with Mexico in this endeavor. I advise you to cease these activities immediately and don't kill the messenger. From one man to another Bob thought about Martin's letter. 'He had not signed it. He didn't need to. Would Wilkinson have asked Bob who sent the letter and then killed him? Was General Martin thinking Wilkinson was just being a sly fox or was Wilkinson a snake? Was Martin part of a den of vipers? This left him with what? Was there no one to trust and would there be no expedition? Unless... he went straight to the top. When Thomas Jefferson ran for the Presidency he ran against Aaron Burr. When Burr lost, Jefferson had to accept him as his Vice President. Mm.. how could he talk to Thomas Jefferson? Monticello! He might be home. If not, Monticello was on the way to Washington. He could use a letter from Jefferson to Lewis.' The late morning passed into early afternoon and still Bob waited. The peace was shattered late in the afternoon by General Martins party of seven horses and riders flying by. Watching them race by, Bob stood up and stretched, 'I think I'd better find a trail heading north. I sure don't want to go through Martinsville any time soon!' On the evening of the fourth day, Bob rode up to the gates of Monticello. He consistently did forty to fifty miles a day by taking a load off the horse, running alongside it part of each day. The gates were manned by a mulatto and his son. The mulatto, Ben, lead the conversation by yelling, “State you name and purpose for coming to Monticello.” “My name is Robert Fraser and I am seeking to speak with President Thomas Jefferson. It's a matter of utmost importance.” “Jasper, run over to the horse barn and find Master Bacon and tell him to come to the gate. We got someone he needs to see.” Bob looked at the cluster of buildings and thought it might be a half mile away. Jasper was a teenager and sprinted away so it didn't take long for a man to return to the gates on a horse. “Why would you need to speak to the President, Sir.” Master Bacon seemed like a man that didn't have any time to spare and was ready to send Bob on his way. “I met a man that had made camp in western Virginia. His name was Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Butler. He was shot and killed before he had a chance to complete his mission. I need to tell the President what that mission was and no one else.” “I will write an introductory letter for you. Follow me up to the livery and you can have supper with us and stay the night. I won't take no for an answer.” Bacon was maybe a man of thirty with medium height and carried himself as a man of authority. After turning his horse over to the stable boy, Bacon led Bob to a wing of the mammoth house that President Jefferson had named Monticello. Once inside the wing, Bacon led Bob to the bedroom he would have for the night. Bacon stated, “The chambermaid will be here shortly with water for a bath.” He went to a standing closet and said, “We have clothes and different size shoes here for you to choose from. The chambermaid will take you to the dinning room after you are cleaned up. I think you have plenty of time before supper.” A young lady came in about that time and Bacon said, “This is Thena and she will take care of all your needs.” With that, Bacon gave Bob a wink and left. There was an awkward moment and Thena said, “I'll get your water and be right back.” “I'll come help you.” “You don't need to do that Master. I'll have a young boy to help me.” Bob looked at her. He then realized that she had some features of Africa on her face and she was in all probability, a slave. “You don't need to do that. We can do this together.” Thena looked at Bob like he had just lost his mind. “As you wish, Master.” She lead Bob into the kitchen and had him tip a large cauldron into four buckets which they took back to his room. Thena opened a side door and said, “This room is a water closet. We can bathe here.” Bob walked into the room with his two buckets and saw a porcelain tub in the middle of the small room. Bob didn't hear the 'we' in Thena's introduction to the water closet. He stepped out of the room to retrieve Thena's two buckets of water and poured them into the tub before he turned around. Thena had half of her buttons on her dress undone. “Thena! What are you doing!” “Taking off my clothes so I don't get them wet. I need to scrub you and get you clean. I know Master. You're a backwoods man and you always jump into a creek and never really get clean. I have been given the job to get you clean and that is what I will do. While we are doing it, do I need to shave you? I can even cut your hair if you will let me.” All at once Bob realized he was about to get the full treatment that he had heard rumors about, “I would love for you to shave me and cut my hair!”He stripped his clothes and stepped into the tub. He had to sit up to stretch his legs out and the water barely covered his legs. Thena had him fold his legs so he could lie down and she proceeded to wash and rinse his hair. When she started down his body, Bob stopped her hands and said, “I can do the rest myself!” “You can't do your back.” Thena understood what he had said and after scrubbing his back said, “I'm going after more water to rinse you. Finish washing and I'll be back. When Thena returned, Bob had finished scrubbing himself with the homemade soap and washcloth. He felt like he was as clean as he had ever been, almost to the point of being rubbed raw. One bucket of water went over his head and then he stood while Thena circled him, rinsing as she went. Bob was embarrassed being in front of her with no clothes on, but that didn't seem to upset her in the least. Bob had to stop and think about what he was going to say, “Do you do this often? Having men naked in front of you.” “I do what my Masters tell me to do.” “And if they want you to sleep in the bed with them at night?” “I do what my Masters tell me to do.” “When was the last time that happened?” “Last week I had an elderly man stay for the night. It was nice since he was clean and quick.” Bob was appalled. This young woman was completely without a will of her own, depending solely on her master to decide what was right for her, “Don't you worry about the French Pox?” “My Masters would not let something like that happen to us. They take care of us! Let's find clothes that will fit you. The clothes that you wore, I will have them cleaned for you. They will be cleaned and in your room by morning.” Bob had another thought, 'This woman is intelligent! Did she just tell me what white people are supposed to hear from slaves?' Thena put her clothes on and helped Bob find clothes in the standing closet that would fit him. Then she led him through the walkway to the main house where dinner was being served. There Master Edmund Bacon was waiting for him. “Wow, you look like a new man. It's amazing what you find when you get past all that hair and dirt.” “Thank you. Monticello is spectacular. How did President Jefferson do all this?” “He didn't do it by himself. He inherited a lot of it. And his deceased wife inherited the rest of it. Some of his ancestors were here almost two hundred years ago, accumulating. And they keep the money in the family. Thomas married his first cousin and his parents did the same thing. Then as far as building this place? The Hemings help a lot. That's a long story in itself.” “How do you mean?” “That girl, Thena? Her Mother is half white. Thena is three quarters white. And they have a willingness to turn all white if they can. They put their noses up at the field hands and want no part of them. How does that help Jefferson? He uses them as bait for skilled craftsmen that work building all this. The craftsmen come because our Hemings girls are so beautiful and loving. The craftsmen live here, weeks at a time and if they are married, their wives appreciate the money their husbands bring home for them. The President already has some girls that look completely white.” Bacon was on a roll and was expounding on the wealth Jefferson had. “Are any of those children Thomas Jefferson's?” Bob knew the Federalist, during the last election had a Journalist publish a report that Jefferson had children from a slave. Bacon looked off to the side and said, “Not to my knowledge.” Then he looked at Bob and said, “But I know Thomas's wild ass brother and nephew are here a lot of the time. In a few minutes you will meet his nephew, Isham Jefferson. He can perhaps write you the letter to take to President Jefferson.” Bob tried to read what and how Bacon had said it. He thought the Plantation Manager had lied when his eyes went out the window, but he couldn't say. “Isn't the President worried that someone will catch a venereal disease and spread it though to all the slaves here?” “No he doesn't and maybe he should. He has young men of the Hemings that work as craftsmen around the area and bring money in. They could also bring in more than money. And they love to go down to the field-hands shacks and raise a little hell when they come back. Here's Islam now. Islam, this is Robert Fraser from Virginia. Bob, tell Islam what you told me.” “I met a man in western Virginia, one night, about two weeks ago as he was setting up camp. He gave me a wild story about being let out of the Army because he refused to cut his hair. Then he said he had been given a letter from a friend and that the friend had stolen the letter from General Wilkinson's post drop. The letter was from Vice President Burr to Wilkinson, telling him that he had to get in touch with the Mexican Government and stop the Louisiana Expedition. The man was going to General Martin for help. We heard horses coming so I took my mules into the trees and before I got back I heard gunshots. Then I heard, “Get that letter!” Then the horses rode away. All I could think of was reporting to General Martin. So I did! Martin sent a letter that I was supposed to take to Wilkinson. I guess he must have thought I wasn't as much of a buffoon as he thought. Because, he sent a man after me to kill me. I had been hoping that President Jefferson was here so he could help get me aboard the expedition and warn Lewis. We might be running out of time!” Isham looked at Bob for a few minutes. His thoughtful look turned into a cagey look and then he said, “This is the beginning of March. The expedition won't leave onto the Mississippi River until the end of April at the earliest. We have plenty of time for me to write my Uncle a letter and receive one back from him. You can stay here and rest up while we wait. Does that sound alright with you?” It was Bob's turn to stare off into space and he began wondering, 'Is Isham in his enemy's camp? What other reason would Islam want me to stay here?' His eyes opened wider for a second and he turned to Isham, “I would prefer that I see President Jefferson personally. No offense.” “None taken. Although you do know that your stay here could be very pleasant. If you don't like your chambermaid, we could change that!” A thought came into Bob's mind and he almost laughed, “I hate to tell you this Sir, but I think I might have the early stages of the pox.” “The French Pox? My Uncle would kill me if something like that would sweep through our slaves. Tell me you haven't touched Thena!” Bob almost laughed again when Isham rushed out of the dining room, yelling as he went, “Thena, Critty, where are you? James Hemings, have you seen your two sisters?” Bacon was laughing when Isham started hollering, “You didn't do more than touch Thena did you?” “Well she did wash, cut my hair and shaved me besides being naked. But just between you and me, I would never want to have a child that was born in slavery and that I couldn't do anything about!” “I admire you for that. I wish I could say the same thing. But unfortunately I can't. I was drawn into their web before I realized what was happening. I hope this wakes these people up and Isham starts staying at his home and his wife and not here. Now, I'm going to write your letter and give you a fresh horse tomorrow so you can get a good night's sleep and ride away in the morning.” “Thank you Sir. I appreciate all you're doing for me. Goodnight! I'll see you in the morning.” Bob went to his room and it was no surprise that Thena wasn't there. He laid down but could see he wasn't going to go to sleep. Five minutes later he got redressed and went looking for Mr. Bacon. “Sir, would you have a quill, paper and ink that I could use?” “Of course. Let's go into Thomas's study, there you can sit down and write.” Going into the study, Bacon sat in Thomas Jefferson's chair and pulled it up to the desk. He pointed to the dictation table in the corner of the room where everything Bob needed was at. Bob took a single sheet of paper off the stack, opened the inkwell, dipped his quill into it and started writing, Dear Mother and Father; I am writing this letter thinking this might be the last time I have privy to a piece of paper. There is a very good probability that I will be going on the Louisiana Expedition and won't see you for as long as two years. Don't worry about me but if you would, pray for me. I have nothing holding me back and I believe it will be an adventure of a lifetime. Tell Will I hold no animosity against him and tell him that after all that I have seen in my wanderings, we are all little fish in a big ocean. I have 130 pounds with Sid Benet at the trading-post at Anderson's Bottom. If I'm not back in three years, have Sid give it to you and use it for the family. Tell Chelsea and Jacob to study their three R's and obey their Mother and Father. Your son, Robert Fraser. “I'm going to bed Bacon, I'll see you in the morning.” All at once, Bob was tired. “If you give me a minute, I'll have this letter finished and you can take it with you in the morning. I'll be in the fields early tomorrow morning but you can come here and eat and I'll meet you in the stable when you're done eating.” “Sounds good!” Bob walked back to the wing of Monticello, where the house slaves lived, through the enclosed walkway to his room. Thena was coming out of his room as he arrived, “Oh, I'm sorry Sir. I brought your clothes back and they're clean. Would you want anything else? A bed warming perhaps?” “No, I'm alright Thena.” Bob saw a disappointed look come over her face and decided to be more honest. “If I would want to get married and you were free, I would think about it. But right now, I don't know if you have warmed the wrong mans bed up or not.” Thena had tears in her eyes as she gave Bob a hug and said, “I know what you mean. Then I could decide for myself! Goodnight.” She turned and walked away. The next morning after breakfast, Bob was given one of the nicest horses he had ever seen. By noon he was riding through Charlottesville looking for the postal service. When he saw the sign above a building he tied the horse to the hitching post and went in, “I would like to mail a letter to Leonora, North Carolina.” Bob had folded his letter in half and glued the open edge with wax from a candle. He had put the town and county and state and who it should go on the outside of the single sheet of paper the night before when he wrote the letter. “That's over two hundred and fifty miles. That will be eighteen cents.” Bob blinked for a second and reached into his money belt. He knew mailing a single sheet letter from Rockford to Leonora was six cents but didn't realize the letter he was sending would be three times as much. Bob pasted a smile on his face and said, “Thank you.” He really wondered if he should have said, 'Thank you for highway robbery'. It was three days before Bob arrived in Washington and found a roadhouse to stay in. That night Bob had to pay extra for his bath and he shaved himself. The next morning he was in the reception area to the President's House when the doors opened. He held the letter out when he approached the young man at the desk. “I would like to see the President, Sir.” “And your name Sir?” “I'm Robert Fraser.” The man at the desk took the letter and said, “Have a seat. I will be back shortly. The man stepped into a corridor and disappeared. When he returned the man said, “The President will see you after lunch. In the meantime, I would suggest you go to a milliner's shop and pay for some better clothes. Right now you look like you are destitute. I hope that's not true!” Bob looked at the man and thought, 'You're right.' “Where would the best place be to go?” Bob wasn't worried about money since he had lifted the moneybag off the fellow he had made into a pincushion. “If you go south two blocks and turn right for a half block, you should find a Ready Made Clothes, sign. They will find decent clothes for you to wear.” Bob followed the directions of the desk attendant and entered a nice store stuffed with clothes. A bell hung above the door, announcing his presence. A matronly lady of about fifty appeared from the back room. “May I help you young man?” “Yes, I have an audience with the President after lunch and I need some better clothes to wear.” “I see. Will you need special clothes to wear after today?” “I don't see why I would, And I don't think I need to carry around added baggage with what I do.” “Why I ask is, we could rent you some clothes and you could bring them back after your audition. Would you be interested in something like that? What do you do for a living?” “I'm a fur trader. Yes, I would be very interested in renting clothes.” “We don't get many fur traders here. Let's see if we can find a suit that will fit you. Let's see...... how about something like this? The pants come to the knee and with white stockings, the leg is covered. We would put this with a ruffled shirt and a high collared jacket. Your hair is trimmed short enough to fit you with a white wig. I have one where the curls come down to the shoulders.” “I don't think so! I like a full length pant leg. And I don't need a knee high stocking. Maybe boots over my pant legs. And forget the ruffles. A plain white shirt will do with a plain jacket. As far as the wig goes, my hair is just fine.” “Alright! But you know, you are seeing the President.” The lady seemed very put out that her advice was not being followed. “But you shouldn't portray yourself as being something you're not. Actually, I wore shoes as a boy. But at the age of ten my family and I moved from Norfolk to the frontier and I've worn double soled moccasins since then or went barefooted. Having knee high boots is just something I have always wanted. But they would be impractical in the woods. They would make some Indian's job easy if he was tracking you.” “Well, you'll have to tell Jefferson who you are. You should dress respectfully to honor the station of the Presidency. Don't you agree?” “You're right! I'll tell him who I am and dress like I bought a Sunday best suit. Although Buckskins are perfectly acceptable on the frontier.” “That's the way to think. You need your best foot forward!” She decked Bob out with clothes that fit and put him in front of the mirror. “What do you think young man?” “That doesn't look like me. How much will this cost me?” “If you bought what I dressed you out in, it would be four dollars and some. But we need a dollar plus a three dollar deposit. And you will need to go next door to the cobbler for your boots” “But I'm only renting this for the afternoon. Can't you do better than this?” “Eighty cents is as low as we can go.” “Why do you need so much?” “Because if we don't find other people to rent these clothes to, we have to sell them for less because they are already used. We're hoping to make a twenty cent profit by renting these clothes to you. Now we'll have to raise the used clothes price in order to make a profit. The man at the President's House is my son and he talked us into trying a rental enterprise. Being close to the big house, we thought it might work.” “I think he's right. After today I won't need these clothes anymore!” “Here is your change young man. Now you'll have to go next door to the cobbler to get your boots.” Bob shook his head and walked next door. The lady had retained his clothes until he would come back. She had nothing to lose since she already had the price of the new clothes in full. Stepping into the cobbler's shop he was surprised he didn't see shoes around the shop. “Good morning.” The cobbler said, “What can I help you with?” “I just came from the tailor shop next door. They said you make boots here?” “Yes we do. Let me get my tape and I'll measure your feet. But before we go through all that trouble, let me ask what you want so I can tell you what the cost will be.” “You don't have-ready made boots to rent?” “Just as I thought! You've been next door at the tailor's shop and the clothes you have on are rented. Am I right?” “That's right.” “Well, let me tell you something. That hussy is going to be the ruination of old Mr. Levi. Renting clothes! Mr. Levi used to make clothes to fit the person, like I still make shoes to fit one individual. I take pride in my fit, like Levi used too. But that hussy thinks they can have clothes hanging around and they'll make money.” “Forgive me, but I think I'll wear the moccasins I have on. Thank you for your time. Goodbye.” Exiting the cobbler's store, Bob wondered what to do next. He had the thought, 'It's close enough to lunch that I should eat and get back to the President's House.' By a quarter after twelve, Bob was sitting in a chair waiting to see the President. By one thirty, Bob was getting antsy waiting around while doing nothing. A man came in from the inner corridors and said, “Robert Fraser?” “Yes?” “The President will see you now. Follow me.” The man led Bob through a large hallway that ended in front of a big door. The man pushed the door open and announced, “The President of the United States welcomes Robert Fraser, Fur trader and frontiersman.” He turned around and shut the door leaving Bob inside a huge room that had a large desk and chairs around it. Thomas Jefferson rose from behind the desk and said, “Welcome Robert. Have a seat. I read that you have an interesting tale to tell. I'm interested in hearing what you have to say. Proceed.” “First let me introduce myself. Most people call me Bob. I work with our Indian people gathering furs to resell. I speak the Cherokee Language fluently and know sign speaking. I am usually dressed in buckskins and drag around three mules that carry my furs and trade goods from village to village.” “Now for my story. About three weeks ago, when it was dusk and the sun had gone down, I saw a huge bonfire up ahead and let whoever it was know that I was coming into camp. The man that was there, yelled to come on in. He said his name was Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Butler. He said he had a letter in his possession that he was taking to General Joseph Martin. He gave it to me to read. In it was a letter written to General Wilkinson from Vic. President Aaron Burr. In the letter it stated that if General Wilkinson didn't want the Louisiana expedition to succeed he should contact the Mexican Government and have them stop it. Burr went on to state that the Louisiana Purchase should maybe become a new nation since the United States was large enough. We heard horses coming at a gallop so I told Butler I had to hide my mules. Before I got back I heard shots and Thomas Butler was dead. Then I heard someone yell, 'Get that letter!' and they left. I grabbed my mules and hightailed it out of there. I found General Martin and told him my story. He sent me to Wilkinson. I stopped at Monticello and received a letter from Edmund Bacon to give to you. And here I am!” “Was anyone else there at Monticello?” Jefferson seemed pensive. “Yes there was. Your nephew, Isham.” Thomas Jefferson's eyes tightened and he said so softy as to himself so Bob could barely hear him, “You can't be in two places at once.” Then he looked up to the ceiling and then back to Bob, “I appreciate you going through all this trouble of warning me about the danger the expedition is in. Unfortunately the evidence is gone and my hands are tied. Burr has been a pain in the old bun and Wilkinson is a blowhard of the worst kind. If I get a second term, I'm going to retire Wilkinson, that I can promise you! Now what can I do for you?” “I'd like to go on the expedition! I could be a great help to you in that capacity. I can read and write as well as the other skills I mentioned before.” “You would? When we asked for volunteers, the only types of men we got were men that were reckless, buffoons or simpletons. We have one by the name of Willard, that is a blacksmith, who might be all three. I think you should go along and help Lewis and Clark out. Meriwether is not leaving for St. Charles for another five days, but that gives us enough time to outfit you out. There's a cobbler two blocks south and then turn right for a half of a block. Go there this afternoon and get measured for a pair of Army Regulation boots. Come back tomorrow and I'll have you meet Captain Lewis. He'll outfit you with Uniforms and a rifle. A knife is at your discretion, plus any other weapon you want to take with you. Stop at the front desk and get an order for the boots. Welcome to the corps of discovery. That will be all.” “Thank you Sir. I won't let you down Sir!” “Of course you won't. You'll do just fine.” Bob was walking on air when he approached the front desk and made his request. Walking back to the cobbler, he walked in and said, “I'm back!” Chapter 17 Late one afternoon, James was lounging around with his buddies at the trading-post in Rockford. Reflecting on his life he began to summarizing all that he had accomplished, his main thought was, you know, for a man of fifty seven he felt good. Yes Sir, really good in fact. More than he could say for his buddy Bill. In his mind he still thought of Bill as Strongheart. That perfect specimen of human strength. Two years ago Bill had started fading and last year he died. He had become just a shadow of his old self. It had been disheartening that Bill's son Bob, hadn't been around to say goodbye to his Dad. Even though they didn't share last names, Bill had been a dad to Robert Fraser since he was ten. Bill had taken Bob into the wilderness and taught him everything he knew. It had been over three years ago that Bob had left to become part of the Corps of Discovery. Their return had been heralded in all the newspapers across the country. That Christmas, in 1806 had been a great celebration when Bob arrived home for Christmas. Bob had taken the men out to the horse barn, regaling them with tales from his journey. Bob had his story down pat, since he must have told it a hundred times. Starting from the beginning, when he met Captain Meriwether Lewis at the President's house and got to know him as they traveled to St. Charles on the Mississippi where Captain Clark waited for him. Bob told of how they had drug the keelboat and two flat boats upstream. Most of the men pulled the boats while others poled the boats away from the shore line so the bottom of the boat wouldn't scrap and get hang up on the river. George Drouillard, (Drewyer, as William Clark entered it in his journal.) was a French-Shawnee that was hired for his sign language skills. George wouldn't pull a boat, so he was always hunting and picking camping spots. Because of all the work pulling the boats, they were eating two pounds of meat a day and nothing else. Bob said, he knew the story, why the British sailors were called limeys. He plucked small clover plants up and ate them, while they pulled on the boats. (The story was that the English sailors drank a cup of lemon juice a day or sucked on lemon drops to prevent scurvy.) The other men were soon showing signs of scurvy, with their teeth getting loose in their mouths. They developed rough scaly skin and hemorrhages under their skin became prevalent, After three months the men started to become weaker instead of stronger. The first casualty was Charles Floyd who died from a burst appendix. It was a wake up notice to Lewis and Clark. Bob said, Drouillard and himself encouraged the leaders to start cooking a mess of green plants. The leaders told the men they had to eat a small dish of the greens every night or they wouldn't get their ration of whiskey every night. Bob said the whiskey lasted until they got to the Rockies. Bob talked about pulling the boats in the hot sun and in the first week of July he came down with sun fever and just about died. He and the rest of the crew had dysentery from drinking the river water. And the mosquitoes and flies just about drove them crazy, while they were shirtless from pulling the boats and sweating. The crew finally began dipping their shirts in the river and started wearing them wet. Bob kept coming back to how the men suffered through sun fever, scours and then boils on their skin. Bob talked about meeting different tribes along the river and then traveling up the Missouri where they met the Sioux. In the beginning of August they had parlayed with the Otteaus, Missouria, Saukees and Osage at a place they named Council Bluffs. The Osage told Lewis and Clark that the big tribe up north were the Sioux. It was the Osage name for 'snake'. It did not go over very well when six weeks later the expedition met up with the tribe, and Drouillard called them Sioux to the Lakota's face. The Lakota felt since they had been insulted, they needed restitution. Since they were a large tribe, Lewis and Clark should just drop off most of the trinkets with them. They parlayed, held counsel, and then threatened Lewis and Clark to take what they wanted. After a tense night Lewis and Clark left them to continue up the river. Lewis and Clark had asked the Sioux, like they did all the tribes, if they knew of any white men that were living in their territory. To Bob it was obvious that white blood was in some of their people. But Bob also knew that the native mindset was 'you are for us or against us'. In other words, once you became part of the tribe, you were no longer White but Lakota. Lewis was appalled that the Lakota had made a raid to the south against the Osage and had fifty some captives. He tried to talk the Lakota leaders into taking the captives back and asking for peace between the tribes. The Leaders laughed at him. In time the Osage captives would become part of the tribe. Lewis and Clark were complete disgusted with the tribe. And because of this the expedition continued to call them Sioux. In October of 1804 the expedition arrived at the Mandan Villages. There were now only two villages where there used to be five. There, Bob learned that these people were Traders. During the month of August, all hostilities with other tribes were set aside and they traded. One of the things Bob noticed was that the Mandan's were lighter skinned and some of the people had gray eyes. Bob always expounded on how Meriwether had heard that the Welshmen of 1173, under the leadership of Prince Madoc, after losing their women to the Cherokee, had joined another tribe. After building a stockade to house the expedition for the winter, Lewis and Clark Expedition personnel became quite close to the Mandan's. Bob talked about little known facts, like how the Mandan's had tricked the soldiers into going out hunting for them in the middle of the winter. James still smiled as he pictured in his mind, the Medicine Man of the tribe, who had several Buffalo Dances over the winter, where the night before the hunts, soldiers would play the part of a Buffalo Bull in rutting season. The soldiers would go out hunting, facing frostbit and Sioux war parties, all to not loose face with the people. The soldiers were less enthused when it became painful to urinate and they had to go see Captain Lewis for treatment. The treatment was mercury put into the blood to combat the clap that they caught. The joke was on the soldiers because the squaws were widows or captured squaws from another tribe, that had been 'wife of many'. He recalled how Lewis had talking a French Canadian, Toussaint Charbonneaw, into becoming part of the expedition. When they left the Mandan Tribe, Toussaint and his wife, Sacajawea, along with their baby boy, Baptist, came with them. Bob's voice filled with excitement when he spoke about the beautiful, majestic mountains they saw and crossed over which were the Rocky Mountains. Here they met a Shoshone Tribe whose blue eyed Chief, Cameahwait, was a brother to Sacajawea. And he told how without the Shoshone's help, they never would have made it. Bob talked about wintering along the Pacific Ocean and how the clothes just rotted away because of the constant rain and humidity. He spoke about being part of the group that went to see a beached whale along the coast. He continued on to tell them how the whole camp got sick from eating fish and Sacajawea fed them roots to heal them. After Bob left, James had spent the rest of the winter regaling Bob's trip to his buddies at the trading-post. It was winter and he had boys at home to take care of the livestock so he could relax and enjoy himself. Come spring, James knew that he'd be out of shape when it came time to plant crops. It was late in the afternoon when everyone in the store were surprised to see a three seater surrey stopped at the trading-post, pulled by six horses. It was the first part of March, which wasn't that cold, but the surrey was buttoned up like it was the coldest day of winter. When the snaps for the openings came undone, out stepped the driver with five men. The five men had coat tails and top hats, like they had just stepped out of the streets of London. The five men came in and hurried to warm themselves by the pot bellied stove, like they were cold. The driver stepped up to the counter to get Carl's attention, “Could you be so kind as to direct me to the James Bertie farm?” “James!” Carl yelled out, “This man's looking for you.” James could hear the driver from where he was sitting and found Carl's theatrics funny. “I'm James.” while standing up. The driver pointed to the five men and said, “They're looking for you.” James walked up to the five men and asked, “What can I do for you all?” “We are with the Mansfield, Wearg and Arden solicitors office out of London, England. We're here to have you sign away your Earl-ship and items germane.” “Did you bring my two hundred pounds?” James heard gasps behind him. Two hundred pounds represented more than four years of a common wage earner's salary. “Please Lord Bertie! No one needs to know your business.” “Oh, belie to that. If I claimed that I was cheated from you gents, you would be lucky to leave Surry County with the clothes on your backs. And I doubt that you would have any documentation stating that I had released my Earl-ship.” James heard another gasp and wondered if he was bragging to his friends. “Now, which one of you is Mansfield, Wearg or Arden?” To James's eyes they all looked too young to be adults, much less solicitors. “None of us Sir. We're young associates of the firm. I'm James Earl Holt, you may call me Jim. This the Honorable Henry Standish and this is Allen Heller. These two young gentlemen are our two clerks, Richard York and Danial Reynolds. These two will write out any documents as we need them and write out copies as needed.” “Call me Dan.” Mr. Reynolds stuck his hand out. “Richard is fine.” Mr. York added. “Glad to meet you all. Richard is the name of one of my son's” James did the round of handshakes and wished he'd taken a bath that morning. “That's probably the only thing we have in common, besides having roots in England.” Richard seemed to have diarrhea of the mouth, and gave the air of superiority over this country hack that probably had no education. The attitude caused James pause to listen to what Richard had to say. “What do you mean by nothing in common? We're both English!” “Yes we are, but we're genetically different. I did some research on the Bertie's and you are, for the most part, are a Saxon from mid England. The Yorks didn't become established in England until after William the Conqueror took the Crown in 1166. About the time the Danes took Normandy from France in the 4th century, the Vikings were taking Northumbria, which was one of seven kingdoms of England. That didn't include Scotland or Wales. During the time the Scandinavians held Northumbria, the capital was Jorvik. (Yor-vik) After William took control of the area, it became Yorkshire and the city became York. One of my ancestors came with William and established the House of York. I guess you could say the northern part of England was a melting pot of people.” To this remark, James decided to enlighten these 'know it alls', “You can say the same thing about southern England. Of the seven kingdoms, Anglo's had settled East Anglia, just like Anglo's had settled Northumbria. William brought Dane and French blood to mix with the Anglo's and Saxon hierarchy that had mixed with the Celt people that were here, along with the blood the Romans left behind. We're not that much different. And now my children could care less about what England represents. That's the main reason why I'm giving up my Earl-ship. They could care less if they blend with the Germans, Italians or Greeks. People are all the same to us in the new world! Now if you people would follow me, I'll take you across the Yadkin to my farm.” “Wow!” Richard replied, “For someone that is giving up becoming an Earl, you sure seem to know a lot about England.” “My Father was made to make copies of the Domes Day books when he was in his studies. It was a Bertie's tradition that every hundred years a student had to make a copy of the books and change the wording. The first copy had to be changed from French to English since the Royal Courts did everything in French. Plus the Bertie's have copies of scrolls from the Saxon Kings. It was all to prove who their ancestry was and what they did and what they had and everything they owned. I had to read the history we have before my Father would support me in my endeavor to farm. I think my sister might have those copies now. Let's get home before it gets dark.” By then the five men from England were warm as could be, but they soon cooled off while crossing the river. There was a cold wind from the north and the water and rocking raft made the spring weather colder. The driver and owner of the surrey dropped the five Englishmen off and said he was going as far as Salisbury, where he would stop for the night. By the time the men arrived at the Kitchen House the kitchen felt like a tropical paradise. James left the five men in the kitchen and went looking for Julie and Nancy. He found Nancy reading in the parlor, “Nancy, do we have enough leftovers to feed six men?” “No, but I can mix up some johnny cakes with honey. We have some side pork that could go with the cakes.” “Good! I have five men in the kitchen warming up. They came home with me from Rockford. They're staying with us for a few days so I'm putting them up in the old cabin. Do you know where Mark and Nimrod are?” “They might be out in the horse barn. They were talking about running their trap line in the morning.” “I'll go look.” James left Nancy and headed for the barn. When Nancy stepped into the Kitchen House she was greeted by five men that looked strange in her eyes. They had broadcloth suits on and looked completely out of place. “Now what did my father bring home?” She asked, smiling at them. Allen immediately stood and stepped forward, stating, “I'll have you know, young lady, that we have come all the way from London, England just to conduct business with your father.” “O, yes. Father is always saying that he had an Uncle that left him with a title and a debt. I hope you're not coming to collect?” “No, he has a cousin in the third degree that has agreed to take on the debt with the arrangement of full privy to the Earl-ship. He's paying for our trip here plus a stipend for your Father.” While the conversation was going on, Nancy was busy bringing out the corn meal and mixing the ingredients after stoking the fire to begin baking the bread. Richard was in awe. Here was a lady that was beautiful and industrious. Some would say that her nose was a shade too big and maybe she was a little too tall, but those were things that Richard thought made her look all the more beautiful. He wondered where her husband was. Maybe he worked for James Bertie and was just around the corner. While Richard was watching Nancy, James came back in from looking for the boys. He began filling everyone in on what he had been doing, “Well it's a good thing that we had new ticks. The boys are filling them out in the barn now. I have a fire going in the old log cabin as we speak. The cabin should be warm by the time you're ready for bed. Has everyone met Nancy? Her younger sister, Debbie got married this spring, but Nancy doesn't seem to be happy with any of her suitors.” “O Dad, you just hush, I'll get married when I'm ready!” This had been a contention between the two for the last three years. Some would say a rhetorical endearment. “Nancy, you know that after turning twenty this spring, you are now considered an old maid. If I didn't love keeping you for myself so much, I would have found you a rich widower.” “I don't need a rich widower. All I need is a man that doesn't drink and has a deep affection for me. And maybe put a roof over our heads. And doesn't go catting around while I'm home caring for our three babies in nappies. And I want a man who helps me when I need him.” “My dear daughter, you don't ask for much.” “I don't, do I. That's because I have that all, right here. Except for the three babies.” Richard heard all the banter between the two and felt so moved, he couldn't help but exclaim, “I could do all that for you Nancy. I will give you everything you want!” “And stay here? Wouldn't you miss England?” Nancy was flummoxed that someone would propose a life together after having just met her. “I'm almost thirty and have been looking for you for the last five years! Why wouldn't I make concessions if that is what is needed. I'm sure I can find a clerking job around here somewhere.” Richard felt like he was in a trance, making plans as he was speaking. “Why don't we get to know each other a little bit more. Right now I should see if the johnny cake is done. How do you gentlemen like your side pork?” The answer was; “Fried to a crisp, done and, make sure the fat is done.” Richard bellied up to the table with the rest of the men and thought about what his mouth had rattled off before his brain had kicked in. He watched Nancy and decided. 'Yes, he could make concessions for her.' Nancy seemed full of life, with a happy outgoing personality. He had to ask himself, 'Was she as beautiful on the inside as she appeared on the outside?' He felt like it would only take hours to find that out. In a few days IF Nancy would become committed to him, he'd have to write to his widowed Mother and let the family know that he was staying behind and becoming an ex member of England. Then he would have to find something to do for employment, something that he had some knowledge about. So far he only had money from his employer for expenses and would be forfeiting his paid time that he had spent coming here. But at the same time he had been given a free passage across the Atlantic Ocean to find his destiny. The young solicitors wouldn't think kindly of Richard for leaving them to report to their superiors with what he was planning to do. He decided the first thing he needed to do was talk to James in private. Finishing their late supper, the five Londoners were led down the hill to the old log cabin, where they met James's two sons. James introduced the two parties, “Boys, I'd like you to meet these men from England. This is Jim, Henry, Allen, Dan and Richard. These boys are two of my boys, Markus, we call him Mark and Nimrod.” There were handshakes all around and the five men looked around at their surroundings and were appalled! There were two, one foot high platforms in the far corners of the cabin with ticks filled with hay and one more tick on the floor closer to the fireplace with blankets folded on the ticks. The first thoughts of the five Londoners were, 'It just keeps getting worse!' As they had left the Atlantic Border, the accommodations for sleeping provisions had deteriorated and kept getting cruder, the farther they traveled in this vast land. In England a bed had a rope netting tied to a bed frame. Then a straw tick with a feather mattress on top of the tick with downy pillows, surrounded by heavy drapes around the bed to keep the air warm. These ticks and the old cabin was an all time low for sleeping arrangements. James saw the look of almost horror on their faces and had a hard time to keep from grinning. In his home, everyone had a rope net supported by a four post bed. While the beds were without a canopy and drapery to enclose the bed, Julie had a downy feather tick on top of a straw tick for themselves and was working on having all the beds in the house have a downy tick. Every spring she enlisted everyone she could, to catch the barnyard fowl and tip them over to pluck the birds bellies for their down. Mark interrupted their milling by stating, “Breakfast is at six in the morning. I'll be down to make sure everyone is awake by five thirty. Alright? See you men in the morning. Turn the lantern off when you go to bed. Don't need to burn this old cabin down!” Mark was ready to call the day over. He already had plans on what he wanted to get done the next day. The next morning as Mark led the five Londoners into the dinning room, they were greeted with a long table set with biscuits and gravy, along with hominy grits. With the food were pitchers of milk and sassafras tea to drink. As they sat down to eat they looked around. Richard had spotted Nancy sitting down at the table so he took a place across from her. A young teenage African girl was standing in a corner of the room, by a hutch, waiting to serve the table as needed. On the walls were portraits of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin along with a painting of a ship in a tumultuous sea. The room reminded them of home, making them feel homesick. James was at the head of the table and asked everyone to bow their head. He opened his prayer with, “Thank you Lord for this food that you have given us. Thank you for bringing these men from across the sea and continue to give them safe passage as you return them home. Forgive us Lord for any sins that we might have, seen or unseen. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen! Men, you met my daughter Nancy last night. This is my wife Julie, and my little girl, Sara. This is Jim Holt, Henry Standish, Allen Heller, Dan Reynolds and Richard York. James then turned to the black girl in the corner and said, “Dilly, please set the table with spoons! We don't want to have our guest think that we're barbarians.” Turning to his guests,James continued, “Dilly and her Mother, along with her sisters and brothers have come to us from a difficult situation. When their old master died, his children sold off Dilly's Father to the cane fields down south because he was a half brother to the old masters children. They didn't want any reminder of the stain on their Fathers name so they sold his family on an auction block in town. The price was too reasonable to pass up so I bought them. They had been in danger of being sold as separate parcels before I entered a bid. I don't know if it was a good thing or not, because it seems like the farmers in these parts are buying a black family to do the tasks that take more strength. I think it's making the rest of us soft.” “I know what you're saying.” Allen Heller commented. “In England, we're getting blacks shipped into our country to work on the loading docks and factories. It's a real temptation to use them since they're able to be purchased so cheap. But you know if we didn't buy them a lot of those poor souls would be killed in Africa. Because you see it's the captured people from tribal wars that are being sold to the Arabs and then loaded onto ships to be sold on a new continent. The captured people would be killed or eaten if the Arabs didn't buy them.” Mark spoke up from the table, “You have said something that is a hot debate with slave owners now. Souls! Some slave owners feel that black people have no souls. I feel that is pure blarney. If old man Dobson could have a half cast child from a slave, then we are all humans and all of us either have souls or none of us have a soul. It's never been questioned when some of us, who have native blood in us, if we have a soul. Am I right Dad?” “You're right son! Some of the slave owners treat their slaves inhumanly and appease their conscience by believing a slave is an animal.” James knew and understood where Markus was coming from. Henry Standish added his observation on the matter, “ Slavery has gone on for thousands of years, and not only with the African People. It was in the Bible, when a fellow Jew could become a slave to feed his family. And in times past, one country would win a war with another country and sell the people to help pay for the soldiers wages. One way or another, people will justify the wrongs that they do. It's human nature!” “You're right Henry. I for one would never buy an African off a ship from Africa. We have enough Blacks that are stuck here with no way to go back to Africa if they wanted too.” James was tired of the subject and wanted to have the visit of these men over with, “If everyone is about done eating, we should adjourn to the living room and do some paperwork.” “Sounds good to me.” James Holt said. “We have some papers that I drew up that we can change if needed. Once we have what we all agree on, Dan and Richard will start making copies. Dan and Richard, we will likely not need you this morning. Alright?” “That sounds good to me!” Richard said, “Would it be alright with you Sir, if I could ask your daughter, Nancy, to take a walk with me?” “That should be fine Richard. But you will need a chaperone. Sara is too young to be a proper chaperone yet. Nancy, if you walk with Richard, have Sara and Dilly walk twenty paces behind you two. That should give you plenty of privacy to talk. Dilly, I want you to tell me if you see anything inappropriate.” “Yes Master.” “I'll walk with Dilly and Sara, Sir.” Dan Reynolds spoke up. “And I have a pocket watch to keep time so we won't be late for lunch, if that's alright with you?” “I would appreciate that Dan. Thank you! Take the main road toward Rockford but turn around before you get to the river. Julie, if you would excuses us?” James arose. “We'll be right back with our papers James.” Jim said, “Then we'll get started.” “I'll get my hat and coat, Richard. Then we can go for our walk.” Nancy went outside to the Kitchen to get her coat. Returning to the back door of their house, she met Richard coming out, “Do you like my bonnet, Sir?” “Yes, that looks like a nice bonnet. What's special about it?” “I made it. It's made out of rye straw and Daddy lets me use as much as I want. I have several hats at the trading-post for sale.” Nancy was quite proud of her accomplishment. “Wow! Industrious as well as beautiful. Will you marry me Nancy?” Richard was sure that he wanted to build a life with Nancy by his side. “I just met you last night Richard! Are you sure about this?” “Yes I am! I am at your beck and call. Should I look for an occupation in Rockford?” “We can look in Rockford. If we find nothing that you would like to do, we can look to Salem. My sister Debbie and her husband and little Elisabeth moved there last year. I'm sure there is something there you could do.” Nancy scrutinized Richard closely. He was no teenager given to an infatuation. If he had not a drinking problem and was a man of the pen, he could be a clerk or accountant. He could be all he claimed to be and an excellent catch. Nancy decided she would encourage him all she could. She slipped her hand into his as they walked along, making plans. Walking behind them, Dilly and Dan were having a conversation of their own. Dan wanted to know more about this dark skinned girl, “How old are you Dilly?” “I'm fifteen or sixteen. I don't know for certain when my birthday is. No one in the cabin roe ever kept track of those things. None of us can read. Maybe old Dobson had a book where he entered the births and deaths in it of the slaves he owned.” “Do you like it here?” “Not really. I'm lonely here. Everyone is nice, but they treat us like children as if they don't know anything. I miss my friends that I had back home. I even miss my Mother, even though she is right here. She does what she is told to do, but she just stares off into space a lot. I know she misses Daddy like I do. Most of all I'm afraid of what might happen in the future.” “What do you mean, being afraid of the future?” “Nancy!” Dilly pointed up ahead. “She can depend on her Dad to look out for her and can make choices of what will happen in her life. My Daddy's gone and may never come back. He can do nothing for me. I have to be strong and try to do the best that I can. I want children, but I don't want to jump over the broomstick with another slave. The lighter the skin the better off my children will be. I have to find a man that is free and would want to purchase my freedom. There are some colored men that are free in Salem and I think Nancy would help me.” Dilly had grown up with what her Mother thought was privileged. Their cabin had a wood floor instead of dirt and her Dad had always been given the easier jobs that needed doing. Dilly didn't tell Dan this, but if she ran out of choices, she had thought about entrapping Mark or even Nimrod when he became older. She wasn't that desperate yet and she had time, but the thought had crossed her mind. Dilly had listened to enough conversations between Master James and his sons to know that children were the most she could get from a White man. There were laws in every state that had slaves, that made it a crime for a White man to marry a woman of color. Being thrown in prison was not something a man wanted. “Freedom isn't all that it is perceived to be. Children in England work in clothing factories, sixteen hours a day with only a Sunday rest. They never make enough to ever leave.” Dan was sympathetic to her plight but could see that she had a good situation here. “Until they grow up! They have an ending to the slavery that helps them live through it. I also want an end to my slavery.” Dilly was pretty sure Dan wouldn't talk to her Master Bertie, at least she hoped not, because she could be wiped if a master thought a slave was getting too uppity. “I'm sure that if you keep searching and hoping, you will someday get your wish. You are a pretty young thing and I have a hard time looking chastely at you when I look at you. The longer we talk, the more attractive you become.” “You could take me to England with you.” “I think not. That would cause all kinds of problems. The biggest problem would be explaining to my wife! She would have a problem if I brought a girl, much less a girl of color into my household.” Dan looked around at the beauty of the countryside and all the land that wasn't being tilled. His Father, stepfather he reminded himself, was a farm tenant all the while he was growing up and was still working for the Duke. His Mother had confided in Dan, after he had grown up, that she had been a chambermaid and the Duke was his sire. Looking around at this beautiful countryside, he could see all kinds of opportunities for an ambitious young man. Twenty eight was not too old for a person to start over, 'If James Bertie could start with the cabin down by the creek and end up with five hundred and some acres and that house on the hill in thirty some years, I can do just as well!' “Let me check my watch. I think it might be time to head back for lunch.” After hailing at Richard and Nancy, they all headed back to the homestead. They could see that seven year old Sara was getting tired and the two men took turns giving her piggy back rides. Dan thought more about his situation in life. He had married for the dowry that had been offered to him by his father-in-law. His wife was a plain girl with a big nose and to top the distaste he had for her was the nasally-whiny poor me personality. He would do well to be shut of her! BUT, he wanted the money the marriage had brought to him. Mm. He'd have to write her a letter, glorifying how wonderful they would have it, IF, she would come over the Atlantic and bring everything with her. IF not, he would just start out like all the other homesteaders. Squatting on a piece of land and farming it until he had the money to buy it. Dan looked over at Dilly. If he treated her right, would she work like a man for him? He thought she would. Now to just talk James Bertie into turning her over to him. If his wife came over with his money, she would just have to accept Dilly for what she was. An extension of his homestead, along with filling functions his wife, Malinda, didn't like to fill. Lunch was a short repast of soup and cornbread. After lunch, Richard and Dan were put to work copying the first document three times, that relinquished the Earldom to Johnathan Peregrine Bertie. One copy went to James, one to the new Earl and one to the solicitors. The three young lawyers were still debating the exact wording for transferring of debt to the new Earl. James had his two hundred pounds in his possession and they still had that document to word appropriately. The two clerks were working on copying the transfer of debt to the new Earl, when the three lawyers took the rest of the day off to begin once more in the morning. Dan reached over to Richard and tapped him on the shoulder. “Did Nancy and you come to an understanding?” “That should be between Nancy and me. But yes, I'm staying in America and will be looking for a job.” “And you're marrying her?” “Yes, I'm marrying Nancy!” “Would Nancy ask for Dilly as a wedding present from Mr. Bertie. I think I'm staying in the States too. And I could buy Dilly from you. I'm afraid James wouldn't sell Dilly to me or he would ask more for her then what I have. You might wait for the money while I start farming. You understand.” “Wow, you're full of surprises. What about your wife in England? Aren't you being a little unscrupulous? You are talking about taking up with a colored girl? Do you know anything about farming? I have never seen this side of you before!” “There are opportunities here in the States for farmers. I do know how to farm. If it means leaving my wife in England, so be it. If Mr. Bertie can make a successful life farming, I can too. I want to stay and I'd like you to still be my friend. Would you?” Dan thought Richard was a gullible fool to a fault and could be talked into anything. “Alright. In a couple of days we will be done with this work and you can go look for a farm. I need to find a job to support Nancy and I'll talk to her about Dilly. I don't understand you. But I'll keep quiet about your interest in Dilly. You have a good job with a young wife that loves you and you are throwing it all away to farm?” Dan smiled at his friend and said, “Thank you.” To himself he thought, 'When Richard says it like that, it does sound like I am making a big mistake. I can't let it become a mistake. Once I write Malinda and stay here, I'll have to do whatever it takes to make this work.' The next day Richard asked James for Nancy's hand in marriage. James knew this was happening and also knew his Nancy. When she made up her mind, it was impossible to change it. He told Nancy and Richard that he would tell the Minister to announce the two's prenuptials for the next two Sundays and when the marriage would take place. In the meantime after the documents were completed, Richard would be off to Rockford and Salem to look for an occupation. Two days later after the copies were complete, Richard and Dan announced to the three lawyers of their intentions to stay in the states. Mark was charged by his Dad to take the three lawyers to Mt. Airy and help them find someone for hire, or catch the stagecoach to the coast. At the last minute Dan asked James if he could ride along with Mark. James didn't know what to think. Richard staying, he could understand. Dan, that was another matter altogether. What sort of man would write a letter to a wife to come to America by herself? What about all the danger that she would face? There had to be something wrong with Dan. James gladly told Dan to go with Mark and the three lawyers. The night before they left for Mt. Airy, Dan sat down and wrote his letter to his wife Malinda. In his letter, he expounded on the many opportunities the country had to offer and how he had fallen in love with the country. Dan went on to tell Malinda to sell all that they owned, take the money she didn't need, and buy a bank draft from the Bank of London. Then he instructed her to hide it on her person until she came to meet him at Salem, South Carolina. He gave the letter to Allen Heller, along with a shilling, and asked him to deliver the letter personally to Malinda. The ride in the buggy was spent in silence as the three solicitors were miffed as to what they were going to tell their firm's partners. Dan was silent because he was enjoying the scenery since the weather had warmed up and the surrey was open to the air. Birds were singing and the landscape was dotted with small cabins with a large farm, once in a while. They were in luck when they reached Mt. Airy and learned that a stagecoach was scheduled to arrive that evening. Leaving Mt. Airy, Mark stated what he was thinking, “Let's take another way home. I'd like to stop and see my sister at Martin's place.” “Another sister?” “Yes, she's my twin and she had a baby boy last year. I spent last summer with them and I'd like to see them again if you don't mind.” “How old are you if I might ask?” “I'm seventeen as of this spring. Why do you ask?” “No reason, you just look older than that. You look and act like a grown man.” “I am a grown man!” They traveled for another two hours when they heard a scream that could curdle the blood. It was filled with enough grief and anguish to last a lifetime. Mark immediately turned down the lane leading to the scream. Bursting through the trees, into a clearing and a small cabin, the two men saw a woman being drug towards the front door of the cabin and off the porch. Seeing the buggy with two men coming at them, the perpetrator dropped the woman and ran around the cabin. “He killed my husband!” yelled the woman as she ran back to the porch where her husband laid. Mark dropped the reins, grabbed his rifle and chased after the runner. Five minutes later they heard a gun discharging and all was quiet. Dan was still sitting in the buggy with his hands on the horses reins. He looked at his hands and noticed the reins were in his hands. When the reins got there, he had no idea. Everything had happened so fast. He looked up and saw the woman holding her husband's head in her lap, while crying her heart out. Dan reached for the neck rope and got off the surrey. He put the rope around the neck of one of the horses and turned the horses to a tree, where he tied the rope. Then he walked to the porch. “Who did this Madam? Did you know him? What's his name?” “Guile Collier! The skunk! He's been pestering me behind my husband's back, and I told him, “Over my husband's dead body. And he killed him!” The woman went to wailing again. Mark came around the corner and shook his head. The woman looked up and exclaimed, “Did you kill him?” “I kilt him. He ain't going to bother anyone no more!” “Good! Serves him right!” Then she exclaimed, “Oh no, poor Agnes. Whatever will she do?” “Agnes is his wife?” Mark had the thought to ask. “Yes, and she has seven young'uns. That man didn't know nothing except making babies. I'm glad you did him in! Now, poor Agnes! What is she going to do?” Mark thought about that, “Well, could you and her keep these places going without a man around?” “I don't know? Oh Ralph, why didn't you shoot him when he came around? I know. You didn't believe in killing when talking should do the deed!” Clary shuddered. With both of them growing up in Eastern Virginia and coming from large families, gave them no choice but to go west and seek cheap land. “That's a good question Mam. Sometimes when a man is in rut, he needs killing. Especially if he's chasing another man's wife!” Mark was giving no apologizes for shooting that man in the back. Most frontiersmen were all in favor of, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' Killing a man that needed killing was part of keeping riffraff in line on the frontier. “I think we should stay with you for the night Mam. I'm Dan Reynolds and this young lad is Markus Bertie.” “Call me Mark. And you are?” “Clarissa Durham, but everyone calls me Clary. Would you go with me and break the news to Agnes? I'm sure she's not going to know what to do either!” “Alright, let's go face Guile's widow. No time like the present. Should we take the buggy or would you like to walk?” Mark began to realize how serious it was to shoot a man. Especially a married one. “It's about a quarter mile so let's walk.” Clary just wanted to get this over with. “How old's your cabin?” “It's five years old. We were married for seven years. Guile was so helpful at first. Then he got the idea that we should be having children like him and Agnes was. He was crazy! That had to be it? He started bossing Ralph around like he had the right! And Ralph kept made excuses for him.” Clary shook her head and thought, 'Ralph just couldn't kill him!' “I've heard of people like that. If you give an inch, they'll take a mile. Everyone should know where their boundaries are.” Dan was quiet while the two were talking. Looking around and thinking, he could only see opportunity and tried to hide his smile. More help, and with a little cash for tools, he could continue farming here. A thought struck him and he asked, “Did Ralph get the money together to buy this land?” “Almost! One more year and he said he could borrow the rest of what we needed. We should have walked away from this land and moved away. Why didn't we?” “You always know better with hindsight. What's done is done. Now you need to go ahead and forget the past, or you'll make yourself crazy!” Mark was becoming affected by this sorrowful lady that was working out her grief by talking. For an older widowed woman, she was quite attractive in her own confiding way while handling the grief she was going through. They walked into another clearing where another cabin stood. This cabin was much the same as Clary's cabin except it looked more lived in and that was understandable given that seven children ran around it. A woman came to the door of the cabin and watched the three people walking across the clearing. Clary stopped and stood stiffly about six feet away from the porch and started stating the reason for the visit. She didn't try to be kind and just spilled it out, “Guile killed my husband and this lad killed your husband. I had to come tell you!” Agnes looked like she had been handed a body blow and slid to the chair by the door, “Why would he do that?” “I think Guile wanted me to be a wife to him too and Ralph objected. They got into a heated discussion and Guile stabbed Ralph with a knife.” The bare facts were all Clary could utter. Dan had been looking around and listening. Out of the brood of children he saw one boy amongst six girls and the boy was one of the younger ones. They were all too small to really work. He spoke up, “Do you have somewhere you can go? Some family perhaps.” Agnes looked at him and saw another unfeeling jerk that they called men and recognized him for what he was, “My Daddy gave me away to Guile when I turned thirteen and he won't want me back with seven children. My Mamma's dead and my Step mamma doesn't want me back either. They have enough children of their own without me bothering them.” “I need a place to start farming. I'd have you stay here if you could feed me and fix me up with a tick to sleep on. I'll bring food to the table and start farming this land. Is that alright with you?” Agnes's shoulders slumped. She knew what her husband had been like and didn't expect anything different, but she knew she had no place to go. For the last two years, she hadn't become pregnant and that had been one of the reasons why Guile had been chasing Clary. Agnes was twenty four and already felt used up. Unlike Clary! She looked at this man that looked younger than her and said, “That would be fine. Have you all had anything to eat yet? I haven't got much.” Clary shook her head. She knew Guile hadn't saved any money because he had not tended his crops like he should have, mainly because he was always hanging around her place, bossing Ralph around. Agnes couldn't have much in the house so she said, “Thank you for your hospitality but I think we'll go back to my house before it gets dark.” Dan spoke up at that point and said, “I think I'll stay and get familiar with the children!” “As you want Dan. I'll see you in the morning.” Mark wasn't sure he liked spending a night alone with a woman. It was unacceptable to do that and if it became known the woman's reputation would be ruined. He'd have to convince Dan to say they slept by the roadside on the way to see his sister. …...................................................... Three weeks later, on a Sunday morning, Richard York was riding to Rockford from Salem on a horse James had given him to use. He had a job with the Moravian Church Tobacco Works. He was now an Assistant to the Vice President of Accounting. And in this coming week he was marrying Nancy. Life couldn't be any better! Then he thought of Dan Reynolds and frowned. Mark Bertie and Dan had walked into the company's offices with a young woman named Clarissa Durham. They asked for, and got, an appointment with the President of the company. Then the Vice President of accounting was called in to their meeting. The upshot of it was that Dan Reynolds had an open account for expenses to raise tobacco, including labor and seed. It seemed that this Clary was putting up currency as equity to cover Dan if he had a crop failure. Unbelievable! Then they took Richard out to an evening supper and they filled him in on all the plans they had cooked up. The profits would be split in half, but Dan was needing to build up his good standings in the area, but Clary couldn't since she was a woman and Mark was to young. Then when Richard and Dan were alone, Dan asked Richard if he remembered asking Nancy to request Dilly as a wedding present. Richard realized he didn't know Nancy well enough to know how Nancy would take it, him asking for a slave that was a young female to come along in a new marriage! When Richard arrived at the Bertie Farm, He was greeted by Nancy before he had the saddle and reins off the horse and brushed the horse down. She ran into the barn and threw herself at him. He could feel her excitement vibrating through her body. “Did you find a house for us? How big is it? You know everyone is coming to the wedding! I think Mark found himself a wife. And he's only seventeen! Dad has said men should be at least twenty five. But she's almost twenty five. Maybe that's why Daddy gave them our negro family. They are getting married next week. They're penuptials have been announced once already. Mamma has already told Dad he can afford to get more help for the spring planting. They were getting to old to put the crop in by themselves!” Richard gave a sigh of relief. He barely had gotten a word in edgewise. It dawned on him what the human males had learned through the ages. Earn the money and show up. By the time the rant had ended he was all smiles. Chapter 18 In the year of our Lord, 1867, Markus Alexander Bertie was feeling poorly. A lot of water had run under the bridge since he had been born to a Mother that had still been a child, all the way to an old man of seventy seven years of age. Looking back on his life, he had quite a story to tell to anyone that would listen, “My mother was a thirteen year old girl, who never knew for certain who was the Father of her twins. My twin sister felt it was a Cherokee brave named Tsula, translated, the name means Fox in the English language. What I was certain of was that James Bertie was my Father as well as my Grandfather. He loved and encouraged me to be the man I am.” “When I was seventeen years old, I killed a man. Shot him in the back! When you know a man killed someone unjustly, you give him no quarter. The man I shot had just killed a woman's husband. The man had a wife with seven children, but that wasn't good enough. He wanted the neighbor's wife as well and killed the Husband in order to do just that.” “The neighbor's wife, Clary, was twenty four years old, and had been married for eight years with no children. I was seventeen! Shortly after I took up with her and got married to Clary, she became pregnant. It just went to show that her Husband had been infertile, which was neither here nor there. Just saying. Since Clary was seven years older than me, I began saying that I was ten years older than I was. I would just tell people that I looked younger.” “When I married my wife, Clary, she had some money and Dad gave me a family of slaves. The man I kilt had a family with seven children. The clerk from England, Dan Reynolds,had been there when I killed the man. Dan had decided that he was going to make his fortune in our new country. He had written to his wife, instructing her to come to America, but she never came. By the time he figured out that she wasn't coming, Agnes, the widow lady with seven children was pregnant with Dan's child. So was Dilly, the teenage girl that was one of my slaves. Yes, they were both carrying Dan's babies! Even though Dan was still married to Malinda, who was in England. We discovered that as long as Dan didn't talk about her, he could still marry Agnes. No one was going to check records in another country. What he couldn't do, and wouldn't want to do was marry Dilly. That would have been unlawful and would have landed him in jail. Besides that, his colored children would always be considered second class people.” In the early spring of 1810, Clary and I had enough of Dan Reynolds. Dilly was having Dan's second child by then and Daffy, Dilly's younger sister by three years was also pregnant with Dan's child. I sold the slave family to Dan, except the youngest sister, and severed all ties with him. His wife Agnes said, 'I'm glad when he's off, Dilly-Daffing around. He leaves me alone that way!' We moved back across the river from Rockford and bought two hundred and thirty five acres from a farmer that was going west. “In the early spring of 1814, Dad died. Clary and I had five children by this time and I was busier than a coon dog chasing his tail. My older brothers came from Tennessee and Illinois and the fight was on to settle his estate. Mom and Sally had no rights and Nimrod moved in with them.” “That August, the city of Washington was invaded by Great Britain. We had declared war against England because Great Britain treated us with impunity. They still considered us as part of them and felt we would never be able to govern ourselves and someday our country would come crawling back to England on our knees. They confiscated our sailors off our Merchant Ships and practiced their 'impressment' on them. England refused to surrender our western forts to us after the Revolutionary War and put trade barriers between us and France. In Canada, England provided weapons to their Indian Allies and encouraged them to attack our settlers. Great Britain burned Washington after defeating our Army at Bladensburg, Maryland in spite of the victories we had won. Overall we beat England to a standstill and won respect from them and other countries. It was after the treaty was signed that the Battle of New Orleans was fought. Andrew Jackson and his motley crew of New Orleans Citizens, Longshoremen, Indians and Pirates killed a fourth of the 8,000 men that England had sent to fight for control of New Orleans. Since Americans still relied on water ways to transport their products, England's plan was to stop America's economy cold.” “All this did was delay the squabble that was heating up with our family. Finally a Judge ordered three men to settle the estate and divide the value amongst the family. Sally wasn't listed to sign her name as an entity, being she was not married and was considered incompetent and a lifelong dependent. She lived out her life with Mother and Nimrod. No one questioned my legitimacy as a son, but they did wonder about Layla.” “Layla was still considering herself Cherokee, and had a family by the name of David Uwatie, who was Cherokee. Her first born child was named Dagataga, meaning 'Stands firm' because he did not back down from bullies at the age of five. Baptized into the Moravian Church as Isaac, Isaac demanded to be called 'Stands Watie.” “ Clary and I kept working together with the money that she brought into the marriage. With our great marriage, the holdings of land and slaves our expanded interests grew. With my inheritance and Clary's money we had accumulated over two thousand acres of land in the first fifteen years we were together. With the growth of our town of Rockford, we decided to build a boarding house-tavern there. It was a two story structure with two chimneys for fireplaces. Two rooms on each floor had fireplaces connected to a chimney. To us, in 1830, it was a genius design. Our plan was to have dignitaries spend time in our spacious rooms while they attended court, at the Courthouse in Rockford.” “In 1831 the Federal Government passed legislation to send all native people, not owning land, to Oklahoma. The 'Trail of Tears' was administered to all the Eastern Tribes of the United States and won many enemies against the Federal Government. Stands Watie was one of their bigger enemies. At twenty six years of age he led his people to Oklahoma and tried to live by the promises that were given. But he never forgot! Most of the natives that owned land became part of the White World. Most of the colored natives hid under the blanket of free colored people, losing the identity of their native side of themselves, in order not to be taken to Oklahoma. Some natives fled west to join other tribes out on the great American Desert.” “In 1835, Texas declared their independence from Mexico. Trouble had been brewing since 1829 when Mexico had abolished slavery in their country. Then the new president, Antonio Lopes de Santa Anna got rid of the Mexican Constitution and declared himself President for life. After the massacre at the Alamo, the Texans and the American people were out for blood. Men from the States of America went south to fight alongside the Texans. When they won the battle at San Jacinto, the Texans held Santa Anna for three weeks until Santa Anna gave up the Texas Territory. Ten years later Texas entered America as a State, which started the Mexican American War. When The United States invaded Mexico City, Santa Anna gave up all the North American Land. The ceded land stretched all the way north to Oregon.” “During that time in 1832, my wife Clary, died from childbirth. She was close to forty eight and shouldn't have been pregnant, much less with twins. The twins tried to come at the same time and we had an idiot for a midwife. All three died! It was a real blow to my children and me. My son John was already twenty two, out of the house and married. Fred was on his own at twenty one and Adam was twenty. Fereby was sixteen and married. My daughter, Nancy was fifteen and took over mothering the younger children. Nancy also took over running the house-hold with the house-hold servants being a big part of it. Nancy had her hands full.” “I struggled without Clary by my side. Nimrod helped me complete the boarding house and I hired a young lady to host and organize the operation. Her name was Nancy Ann Gladberry. Things were going quite well until the young lady, the host of my boarding house, ambushed me! Nancy Ann made me realize that Clary was gone and she wanted to take Clary's place. In every function except one, my daughter Nancy was doing just that. I had my doubts whether or not she was too young for me. She was younger than my first two sons, and I had it around town that I was ten years older than that! The plus ten would make her thirty years younger than me. After her chasing me one whole summer, I finally agreed. We got married in the fall on October 29, 1833.” “I was proud of all my children and grandchildren. I was extremely proud of my son Nathan, who was a minister. My son Mark Jr. was a Major in the Confederate Army and my son Tyre, was our Town Doctor. One of the things I most hated to see was when my sixteen year old son, Little C, decided to join the Confederate Army after Mark Jr. was killed and the war was all but lost. He ended up spending most of his time in the Army as a prisoner of war. My daughter Nancy, not my sister Nancy, stayed an old maid until the age of forty five before she married a widower. That was one extreme event and she made the local paper. The other extreme were two of my granddaughters that got married before their thirteenth birthdays. The young girls getting married, at that age, was from encouraging young men to inlist into the Confederate Army. It was sad that a lot of young girls became widows!” “When the confederacy was formed, we didn't have enough money or friends. Either that or Richmond was filled with political scalawags. By the time Mark Jr. was killed in 1864, the handwriting was on the wall. My son, James Fredrick saw what was going to happen. He took his family and fled to Illinois. I couldn't blame him. His wife was a Grant and he could hide behind all of his cousins in Yorkville.” “I refer to the fall of '64' to this spring of '67' as the 'Starving Years'. It could have been a lot worse for us if we hadn't done the things that we did. In the fall of '64' we received word that Stands Watie and his Gorilla Fighters were passing through on their way to Virginia. I knew this couldn't be good. To my way of thinking, we were going to have a tough time making it through the winter without having to share our food with either side of the conflict. I rounded up some help and drove our cattle, sheep and goats to Brushy Island and hid them in the trees. Most of the help came from old men like me and young boys. That same day my wife Nancy Ann, sat on the porch of our boarding house, churning butter with our son Jasper, when a Confederate Company crossed the river and came through town. Now Jasper had never been right in the head. He was something like my sister Sally.” “When an Officer at the head of the column of rag-tag soldiers rode up the hill to the boarding house, he was faced with Nancy Ann sitting on the porch with her butter churn. Rockford had both Armies come through Rockford during the war, and each time we had gotten a little poorer. The Officer stated his intent with, 'We need to buy some animals to feed our men. We can pay with Confederate Dollars. Where can we find them Mam?' Nancy didn't say a work. In a gruff and desperate tone the Officer stated, 'Listen lady, if you won't tell us where to find them, than I guess we'll just have to take this fine young lad with us and he can show us.'” “That was the end of the rope for my wife, Nancy, and she stood up and entered her decree, 'If you lay a hand on this lad that can't help you in the slightest, then the devil will be on your back for the rest of your life and you will rot in hell!' Her eyes were shooting daggers and she looked like she could take on the complete detachment, 'What we have left is not near enough for us!' The chagrined and frustrated Captain rode away with his tail between his legs, knowing that the people were no longer behind the cause and it was doomed.” “The Gray Coats walked through town and left. But not before little C met them on the north side of town with one of the old herd bulls. Stands Watie had not ridden in with his full battalion and we were glad. Stands had learned that to flow through the country without starving, they had to spread out. He also didn't want to face relatives that would have to say, 'no' to him. By the time the war was over, he was a Brigadier General. Stands returned to Oklahoma to raise cattle and grandchildren.” Markus looked around at his cronies and said, “I'm sorry, but I think you'll have to excuse me. I'm tired and I think I'll stretch out and take a nap.” While he slept, he slipped deeper until his heart stopped beating and his soul slipped into another dimension. When he stood up and stretched, he saw his Dad standing there waiting for him. Standing around him were a host of family and friends. Mom, brothers, sisters, cousins, all young once again and glowing with the presence of their Savior. My Dad, James, looked at me and I read what was on his mind, 'I'd like to introduce my wife, Easter to you. Here in heaven there is no jealousy with no desire to possess. Julie is on one side and Easter on the other with no bickering. This is paradise!' I looked and saw two ladies on each side of Dad. It was amazing that a person knew who everyone was without facial recognition. I didn't see my Dad's first wife Nancy, and realized what that meant. 'Ouch! How did I get here? With hate in my heart for the Federal Government and the Blue-coats, how can I hope to remain here?' Then a Voice came into my subconscious, 'You believed in my all powerful redeeming grace and asked for forgiveness of that hate! THAT is sufficient.' I looked at my cousin, Bob Fraser and he answered all the questions that I had wondered about, just by looking at me, 'Yes, I ended up in Missouri with a beautiful lady, inside and out. Had a son that is the apple of my eye. I lived longer than most of the men from the expedition, dying at the age of sixty three. I credit my long life to not ever taking the treatment of mercury to cure a case of French Pox. All my life I ran scared of that stuff.' He stood beside a beautiful lady that glowed with youth. I looked at Dilly and saw the glow that surrounded us as well as her youthful appearance, 'I have my freedom! My children and my grandchildren have their freedom as well. All because of the War and Father Abraham Lincoln. Along with some of my children fighting on the Union Side.' I bowed my head, knowing that many southern people felt slavery was a second matter of importance. The number one issue that a lot of people had was that the Federal Government had run roughshod over States Rights. I thought, 'Clary' and she was there in front of me. A sob of joy flowed through me and I reached and held her. The End |
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