~f 75
48.


	Sc~ue of the citizens of Midd].esboro today can reaall stories that their parents told thorn about the days when slaves were bought and sold in the U~jt~d States. Among these is one Mrs. Martha Neikirk, a daughter of an old Union soldier now deceased. Mrs. Rhuben. Gilbert, Mrs. Neikirk‘s

I mother said that:	“Once my mother and I were out in the woods picking huok1e~ber-

ries and heard a noise as of someone moaning in pain. We kept going toward

~ ~	the s ound and fainallj came to a little brook. Near the water was a negro vïome.n with her h»~ ad bent over to the ground and weeping as if her heart was broken. Upon asking her what had caused her agony she finally managed to control her emotions enought to sob out her story. The negro woman said then that her master had just sold her to a man that was to take her far away from her present owner and inoidently her children. She said this oouldn‘t be helped but she could ask the good Lord to let her die and get out of the

misery she was in.
~	~ ~ seems that such incidents were ooiîwion in those days. Mrs. Sarah


Sloan, now residing in Middlesboro tells the stories her mother has told her and she remembers one story in particular about old Aunt Suzy, an old negro slave who, after the close of the Civil War lived near Mrs. Sloan1s mother. Aunt Suzy was the property of the Southern plantation owner and had lived on. this plantation until she had raised a large family. One day a northern buyer ósine there and said he wanted to buy some slaves as cheap as possible so, aunt Suzy was getting old and not able to work as she once had, her owner nAturally thought that ~while he had the chance he should sell her~but he wanted to keep her children as they were young and able to

~ ~	do hard work. So poor old Aunt 8uzy was sold along with some others and taken Norith. Here she was bough‘t~ byanother trader and sold to a new master. It seems this new master was kind to her and felt s~npathy for her in her