t and shield
a young woman, who had been most cruelly abused and beaten by his
overseer in Tuckahoe. This overseer--a Mr. Plummer--was a man like most
of his class, little better than a human brute; and, in addition to
his general profligacy and repulsive coarseness, the creature was a
miserable drunkard. He was, probably, employed by my old master, less
on account of the excellence of his services, than for the cheap rate at
which they could be obtained. He was not fit to have the management of
a drove of mules. In a fit of drunken madness, he committed the outrage
which brought the young woman in question down to my old master's for
protection. This young woman was the daughter of Milly, an own aunt
of mine. The poor girl, on arriving at our house, presented a pitiable
appearance. She had left in haste, and without preparation; and,
probably, without the knowledge of Mr. Plummer. She had traveled
twelve miles, bare-footed, bare-necked and bare-headed. Her neck and
shoulders{64} were covered with scars, newly made; and not content with
marring her neck and shoulders, with the cowhide, the cowardly brute had
dealt her a blow on the head with a hickory club, which cut a horrible
gash, and left her face literally covered with blood. In this condition,
the poor young woman came down, to implore protection at the hands of my
old master. I expected to see him boil over with rage at the revolting
deed, and to hear him fill the air with curses upon the brutual Plummer;
but I was disappointed. He sternly told her, in an angry tone, he
"believed she deserved every bit of it," and, if she did not go home
instantly, he would himself take the remaining skin from her neck and
back. Thus was the poor girl compelled to return, without redress, and
perhaps to receive an additional flogging for daring to appeal to old
master against the overseer.

Old master seemed furious at the thought of being troubled by such
complaints. I did not, at that time, understand the philosophy of his
treatment of my cousin. It was stern, unnatural, violent. Had the man no
bowels of compassion? Was he dead to all sense of humanity? No. I think
I now understand it. This treatment is a part of the system, rather than
a part of the man. Were slaveholders to listen to complaints of this
sort against the overseers, the luxury of owning large numbers of
slaves, would be impossible. It would do away with the office of
overseer, entirely; or, in other words, it wo