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The Effect the Proclamation of Secretary Seward produced in Kentucky.

Confedrit × Roads

(wich is in the Stait uv Kentucky),

December, 20, 1865.

At last! The deed is dun! The tiranikle government which hez sway at Washington hez finelly extinguished the last glimerin flicker uv Liberty, by abolishin slavery! The sun didn’t go down in gloom that nite—the stars didn’t fade in2 a sickly yeller, at wich obstinacy uv nachur I wuz considably astonished.

I got the news at the Post Offis (near wich I am at present stayin, at the house uv a venerable old planter, who accepts my improvin conversation and a occasional promise, wich is cheap, ez equivalent for board). Sadly I wendid my way to his peaceful home, dreadin to fling over that house the pall uv despair. After supper I broke to em ez gently ez I cood the intelligence that three-fourths uv the States hed ratified the constooshnel amendment—that Seward had ishood his proclamation, and that all the Niggers wuz free!

Never did I see sich sorrer depicted on human countenance—never wuz there despair uv sich depth. All nite long the bereaved inmates uv that wunst happy but now distracted home wept and waled in agony wich wuz perfectly heart rendin.

“Wo is me,” sobbed the old man, wringin his hands.

“John Brown’s karkis hangs a danglin in the air, but his sole is marchin on.

“It took posseshun of Seward, and thro his ugly mouth it spoke the words ‘the nigger is free,’ and there is no more a slave in all the land.

“Wunst I hed a hundred niggers, and the men were fat and healthy, and the wenches wuz strong, and sum uv em wuz fair to look upon.

“They worked in my house, and my fields, from the rising uv the sun to the goin down uv the same.

“Wuz they lazy? I catted them till they wuz cured thereof; for lo! they wuz ez a child under my care.

“Did they run away? From Kentucky they run North, and lo! the Locofoco Marshals caught them for me, and brought them back, and delivered them into my hand, without cost, sayin, lo! here is thy nigger—do with him ez thou wilt (wich I alluz did), wich is cheeper than keepin dogs, and jest as good.

“Solomon wuz wise, for he hed uv konkebines a suffishensy, but we wuz wiser in our day than him.

“For he hed to feed his children, and it kost him shekels uv gold and shekels uv silver, and much corn and oil.

“We hed our konkebines with ez great a muchness ez Solomon, but we sold their children for silver, and gold, and red-dog paper.”

And all nite long the bereaved old patriarch, who hed alluz bin a father to his servants (and a grandfather to menny uv em) poured out his lamentations.

In the mornin the niggers wuz called up, and ez they all hed their koats on, and hed bundles, I spect they must hev heard the news. The old gentleman explained the situation to em.

“Yoo will,” sed he, “stay in yoor happy homes—you will alluz continue to live here, and work here, ez yoo hev alluz dun!”

The niggers all in korious, with a remarkable unanimity, remarkt that ef they hed ever bin introdoost to theirselves, they thought they woodent. In fact, they hed congregated at that time for the purpose uv startin life on their own hook.