re given two shirts per year. If they happen to wear out, the children would have to go naked until the next year. No beds were supplied, only coarse blankets. Master Thomas would not even give a sufficient amount of food to eat, which was usually mush (coarse boiled corn meal). This was considered to be the most pitiful act even among slave holders. The general rule is, no matter how coarse the food is, just make sure there is enough of it. Mr. Severe, one of the overseers, was a cruel and heartless man. He seemed to treasure the time spent with his whip. Mr. Severe was replaced by Mr. Hopkins, a very different man. He was not as brutal as Mr. Severe; he whipped when he felt it was necessary, but took no joy in it. The slaves considered Mr. Hopkins a good overseer. This was rarely the case, however. Colonel Lloyd, for example, would tar his gardening fence to keep the slaves from eating his fruit. If his horses didn’t move fast enough or wasn’t clean enough, the blame would go to the keepers. The slave could never answer to any complaints, just stand, listen, and tremble. One time Colonel Lloyd passed a slave on the street that belonged to him, but the slave did not know who he was. The slave told the Colonel that his master did not treat him well. Three weeks later, that slave was shipped off to Georgia, away from his family and friends, to serve his punishment for answering a simple question truthfully. Mr. Gore, an overseer for Colonel Lloyd, was strict, serious, and had no sense of humor. This man had the audacity to shoot another man in the face simply because he would not remove himself from a creek where he was recovering from his wounds. Mr. Gore’s response was that this slave was out of control and if he wasn’t controlled then the other slaves would see this and copy the example. Mr. Gore’s explanation was adequate and all was forgotten. A city slave differs greatly from a slave on the plantation....
