My Life in the South | Page 6

me; he was a
groom, a white man master had hired to train the horses. Mother and he
began to talk, then he took a whip and started for her, and she ran from
him, talking all the time. I ran back and forth between mother and him
until he stopped beating her. After the fight between the groom and

mother, he took me back to the stable yard and gave me a severe
flogging. And, although mother failed to help me at first, still I had
faith that when he had taken me back to the stable yard, and
commenced whipping me, she would come and stop him, but I looked
in vain, for she did not come.
Then the idea first came to me that I, with my dear father and mother
and the rest of my fellow negroes, was doomed to cruel treatment
through life, and was defenceless. But when I found that father and
mother could not save me from punishment, as they themselves had to
submit to the same treatment, I concluded to appeal to the sympathy of
the groom, who seemed to have full control over me; but my pitiful
cries never touched his sympathy, for things seemed to grow worse
rather than better; so I made up my mind to stem the storm the best I
could.
I have said that Col. Singleton had fine horses, which he kept for racing,
and he owned two very noted ones, named Capt. Miner and Inspector.
Perhaps some of my readers have already heard of Capt. Miner, for he
was widely known, having won many races in Charlestown and
Columbia, S.C., also in Augusta, Ga., and New York. He was a dark
bay, with short tail. Inspector was a chestnut sorrel, and had the
reputation of being a very great horse. These two horses have won
many thousand dollars for the the colonel. I rode these two horses a
great many times in their practice gallops, but never had the
opportunity to ride them in a race before Col. Singleton died, for he did
not live long after I had learned so that I could ride for money. The
custom was, that when a boy had learned the trade of a rider, he would
have to ride what was known as a trial, in the presence of a judge, who
would approve or disapprove his qualifications to be admitted as a race
rider, according to the jockey laws of South Carolina at that time.
I have said that I loved the business and acquired the skill very early,
and this enabled me to pass my examination creditably, and to be
accepted as a capable rider, but I passed through some very severe
treatment before reaching that point.
This white man who trained horses for Col. Singleton was named
Boney Young; he had a brother named Charles, who trained for the
colonel's brother, John Singleton. Charles was a good man, but Boney
our trainer, was as mean as Charles was good; he could smile in the

face of one who was suffering the most painful death at his hands.
One day, about two weeks after Boney Young and mother had the
conflict, he called me to him, as though he were in the pleasantest
mood; he was singing. I ran to him as if to say by action, I will do
anything you bid me, willingly. When I got to him he said, "Go and
bring me a switch, sir." I answered, "yes, sir," and off I went and
brought him one; then he said, "come in here, sir;" I answered, "yes,
sir;" and I went into a horse's stall, but while I was going in a thousand
thoughts passed through my mind as to what he wanted me to go into
the stall for, but when I had got in I soon learned, for he gave me a
first-class flogging.
A day or to after that he called me in the same way, and I went again,
and he sent me for a switch. I brought him a short stubble that was
worn out, which he took and beat me on the head with. Then he said to
me, "Go and bring me a switch, sir;" I answered "Yes, sir;" and off I
went the second time, and brought him one very little better than the
first; he broke that over my head also, saying, "Go and bring me a
switch, sir;" I answered, "Yes, sir," and off I went the third time, and
brought one which I supposed would suit him. Then he said to me,
"Come in here, sir." I answered, "Yes, sir." When I went into the stall,
he told me to lie down, and I stooped down; he kicked me around for a
while,