The Wedding Gift

by Marlen Suyapa Bodden

  Mr. Harris finally announced the conclusion of the estate’s valuation, and he went to the courthouse and returned with papers signed by the judge proving that the will had been entered into probate. He asked to speak first with Charles and me, and then he wanted Emmeline, Belle, Eddie, Bessie, and Dottie to join us. When only Charles and I were present, he told us how Cornelius wanted his estate to be distributed. I asked about Isaac, and Mr. Harris said that he was still Charles’s property. Charles said that he had already arranged to sell Isaac out of the state. Mr. Harris sent for the servants. They were uncomfortable in our presence, but the lawyer was gentle with them. He asked them to sit. They hesitated, but I joined him in persuading them to do so.

  “First, I need each one of you to promise that you will not repeat, to anyone, what I am going to tell you,” he said.

  They each promised.

  “Mr. Cornelius Allen wrote a document, a paper, called a will, saying what he wanted to be done with his property upon his death. I will come straight to the point. Emmeline, Belle, and her children, Bessie and her children, Dottie and her children, and Eddie are free.”

  Everyone prayed silently. The former slaves stared at Mr. Harris. Emmeline looked at me.

  “Yes, Emmeline, it is true.”

  They cried, even Eddie, and tears came to my eyes too.

  “Thank God. Thank you, Mr. Allen. Thank you, Mrs. Allen. And thank you, Mr. Harris,” Emmeline said.

  “You don’t have to thank us,” I said.

  “Yes, ma’am, we do. Thank you for doing what the paper said,” Emmeline said.

  Belle was still crying.

  “Sir, what about my girl, Sarah? Did Mr. Allen say if she’s free too?”

  “Yes, in fact, although it may seem somewhat confusing. Mr. Allen’s will basically says that Sarah was the property of Mrs. Clarissa Cromwell, but only during Mrs. Cromwell’s life. Upon her death, Sarah reverted, or went back, to Mr. Allen’s estate. But Mr. Allen said in his will that, if Mrs. Cromwell died before him, Sarah would be free upon his death.”

  Belle whispered something to Emmeline.

  “So if she didn’t run…” Emmeline said.

  “Yes, it’s a shame that she did, but let us pray that Mr. Cromwell’s catchers do not find her. Now, there is more important information that you need to know, and this may be one reason why Belle and Eddie are still unhappy. I know that Mr. Allen bought Belle’s husband, Zeke, and that Eddie has a wife and children on the Barkley plantation. Now, in addition to freeing you, Mr. Allen said that you are each to get money from his estate. He gave fifteen thousand dollars to Emmeline, fifteen thousand to Eddie, fifteen thousand to Bessie, fifteen thousand to Dottie, and ten thousand to Belle. That is enough money for Belle to buy her husband from Mr. Allen’s estate and for Eddie to buy his wife and children from Mr. Barkley.”

  Eddie was so happy that he could not stop smiling, but Belle was still sad.

  “Belle, is there still something that concerns you?”

  She kept her head bowed and struggled to speak.

  “Go ahead, baby. Answer Mr. Harris,” Emmeline said.

  “Sir, what about my sister?”

  “I’m sorry, Belle, but we are doing the best we can to bring her back. But the truth is that, because they have not yet caught her, they probably never will. Now, there is a recent amendment, or change, to the will that says that the five of you and your families, should you wish to purchase them, must be taken, at no expense to you, to a free territory. I have consulted with the pastor of a large congregation and two prominent lawyers with whom I studied law in Connecticut and who live in Ohio, and they agree that the prospects are good for free Negroes in a town called Xenia in that area. I understand that this is all surprising to you, but Mr. Allen and I discussed this change to the will in detail, and he was clear that it was a requirement that you must be moved to a free state.”

  “But, sir, how is we going to get there?”

  “Mr. Allen thought of that too, Emmeline. He said that the lawyer handling his estate at his death should choose a pastor to take you there, and that the pastor was to help you find homes and employment. I have selected the Reverend Townsend, of the church that I attend, to perform this task.”

  “Sir, what if they find Sarah and bring her back and we’re gone?”

  “Sarah would be able to join you in Ohio. Now, for reasons that I cannot discuss with you, it is important that you leave here as quickly as possible. Eddie, if you want to buy your family, please tell me now and I will speak with Mr. Barkley tomorrow to arrange the purchase; and Belle, if you wish to buy your husband, I can immediately write the papers for Zeke’s purchase from Mr. Allen’s estate.”

  They both agreed.

  “Remember your promises to not discuss this with anyone. You should pack your belongings, but do so quietly, and be ready to leave Saturday night. Yes, Emmeline. Is something else worrying you?”

  “Sir, I was thinking about Miss Mary, the midwife. She’s been so good to me and my girls. Is there any way that I could pay to buy her freedom?”

  Charles spoke for the first time. “Mr. Harris, Mary is probably one of the most valuable slaves on this plantation. And I don’t think we should start giving all the slaves notions of freedom. If Cornelius wanted her to be freed, he would have provided for her in his will.”

  Mr. Harris said, “Emmeline, Belle, Eddie, Bessie, and Dottie, please step outside and wait in the hallway.” Then he closed the door behind them.

  “Mr. Allen, I understand what you’re telling me, but one of the privileges of freedom is the right to buy and sell property. And since the slaves are going to be sold anyway, what difference does it make if Emmeline wants to buy Mary and free her?”

  “The truth is, I want to buy her for my plantation, but I really am concerned about the effect of freeing slaves other than the ones in Cornelius’s will. What ideas will be planted in the other slaves’ heads?”

  “You are more knowledgeable than I about plantation management, but I know that Mary bought her sons’ freedom, and thus it would not be unusual if she is similarly freed. What I suggest is this: you could purchase the rest of her family that is still enslaved as a lot and take them to Mobile County with you. I’m sure Mary would move there to be close to them and would work on your plantation as a freed person.”

  “I can see why Cornelius put so much trust in you,” Charles said.

  We called the freedmen back in, and Mr. Harris told Emmeline the welcome news about Mary, but he warned her not to say anything to her yet. He said that he would handle the purchase and would draft manumission papers. He then dismissed them.

  “Now to the difficult part, speaking with your sons, Mrs. Allen.”

  I sent a servant to call them and my sister-in-law. Mr. Harris addressed them. “The will has been entered into probate. A copy of it, and all supporting documentation, has been duly filed with the court. The valuation of the estate, after deductions for the payment of debts and smaller bequests, including the manumission of the former slaves Emmeline, Belle and her three children, Bessie and her four children, Dottie and her five children, and Eddie, costs associated with said manumission, and legal fees and costs related to the settlement of the estate, not including the proceeds of this year’s harvest, is a total of one million and two hundred thousand dollars.”

  My sons smiled when they heard that figure.

  “I will tell you how the estate is apportioned among all of you, but first you must know that one of the terms of the will is that anyone who contests any grant made by the grantor or seeks to nullify any or all parts of the will forfeits his or her grant.”

  No one said anything.

  “One-half of the estate goes to Mrs. Theodora Allen, one-quarter to the estate of the late Mrs. Clarissa Cromwell, and the balance, in equal shares, to Paul Allen, Robert Allen, Mr. Charles Allen, and Mrs. Martha Laurence.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean when you say that Clarissa’s estate get
s one-quarter of my father’s estate. Who actually gets that money?” Paul asked.

  “Because she died without a will, the court has appointed your mother as the administrator of Mrs. Cromwell’s estate. The money will be placed in a trust for Mrs. Cromwell’s son.”

  “What are you saying? That money was our father’s, and we are his legitimate heirs. Therefore, Clarissa’s share should go to us, not to her bastard. And why do we have to share a measly one quarter of the money?”

  “My duty is to enforce your father’s wishes, as he specified them in his will.”

  “But you wrote the will.”

  “These were your father’s wishes. I am the executor of the will. Your father, who, I remind you, studied law, made certain that the will was properly drafted and witnessed,” Charles said.

  “What is the date of the will? Wasn’t he sick for some time before he died? How do we know he was legally capable of entering into it?”

  “The will was written in 1836. There was a recent amendment, but it does not affect any of your grants,” Mr. Harris said.

  “Whose grants are affected?”

  “The manumission of and bequests to the former slaves,” Mr. Harris said.

  “How recent was the amendment? Was my father already ill when he made it?”

  “No, he was not. He met me in my office, and he was healthy and of sound mind.”

  “I can’t believe he willingly freed those niggers.”

  “Paul, do not use vulgar language in my presence.”

  “I’m sorry, Mother, but I’m sure you understand why we’re so angry and can’t believe that Father treated us so shabbily. Especially given that, now that everyone knows what Clarissa did, we may not even have positions at our respective banks when we return. Mr. Harris, it just occurred to me, since we don’t know where Clarissa’s bast…er…son is, how will he get the trust?”

  “Mr. Harris, there’s no need to discuss that now. I will tell the family the details about that matter at another time,” I said.

  “There is one other issue we do need to speak about. As you know, Mr. Cromwell filed a petition to try to get Mrs. Cromwell’s share of Mr. Allen’s estate. My partner and I do not believe he will succeed, but we want you to know that the possibility exists. If he is successful, it will only affect Mrs. Cromwell’s share and no other,” Mr. Harris said.

  “Are you sure, Mr. Harris, that the court would find that only Clarissa’s grant was affected?”

  “Yes, of that I am certain, and I remind you that, if anyone tries to challenge his or any grant, by operation of the will, he will forfeit his share.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  SARAH CAMPBELL

  MRS. GREEN SHOWED ME TO THE WASHROOM AND told me where I could hang my clean clothes to dry, and she gave me a set of her husband’s garments to wear. Mr. Adams’ advice to take some of Mr. Allen’s unused undergarments, which I at first had rejected, turned out to be sound.

  “Mrs. Green, can I help to wash your laundry?”

  “No, William. I think it’s best if you help me in the kitchen. You never know when patrollers or the sheriff are riding around, looking into people’s property.”

  I cooked for the family while they were at church on Sunday. In the middle of dinner, however, I cried.

  “You’re missing your family, William?”

  I told them that, at home, after we made Sunday dinner for our master and his family and while others served them, my mother, Belle and her family, and I went to my mother’s cabin, where we had our own meal. “I was thinking that I’ll never have this with them again.”

  “You’ll meet someone, William, and you’ll have your own family. And you can raise your children the same way your mother raised you.”

  I packed my bag Sunday night and thanked Mrs. Green and said good-bye to her children. Mr. Green told me that I could keep the overalls, as it was an old pair and would be better for me to wear in the wagon than my own clothes. We departed at five thirty Monday morning. He gave me similar instructions to what LeRoy and Arthur had offered, except he said that he would say “get down” when he saw a patroller or militiaman.

  “We always get stopped at least once in every settlement or village along the way, but the patrollers all know us and they don’t bother looking at our freedom papers. Sometimes they look in the back, though, so make sure you hide yourself real good when we say ‘get down.’ It’s another thing when we get to Mobile proper. Most the time they have patrollers, slave catchers, and sheriffs there because they know runaways go for help in the freedmen’s villages and escape to the North on ships. And after they check our papers or look in the wagon, make sure you stay down until we tell you to get up.”

  As Mr. Green said, patrollers stopped the wagon to speak to him and looked in the back of the wagon only twice before we reached Mobile.

  “All right, William, we’re about to enter Mobile proper. There’s going to be patrollers and sheriffs in about forty-five minutes. I’m stopping the wagon now and going to the back to give you my blanket. Wrap yourself in it and make sure you hide yourself real good. They might have dogs and the smell from my blanket is going to throw them off any scent they’re searching for.”

  He told me to get down about fifteen minutes later, and I heard men’s voices.

  “Your papers.”

  I heard dogs panting.

  “What’re you coming here for and how long are you staying?”

  “Sir, we’re building a house in the Springhill village. We’ll be here until Friday afternoon, and then we go back home.”

  “We know them. They come down here to work all the time,” someone else said.

  “Just the same, we need to check their papers. Josiah, I’m going to describe two people to you and you tell me if you saw anybody matching their descriptions on the way down here. One is a mulatto woman, yellowish, tall, long hair, speaks good English; the other is a man, very tall, over six feet, bright yellow mulatto with gray eyes. Did you see anybody who looks like either one of them?”

  “No, sir. I didn’t.”

  “All right, do you want to make some money, Josiah?”

  “Sir, how?”

  “There are large rewards for anyone who turns in either of these two runaways, and we think they are going to Mobile. Two hundred for the woman and one hundred for the man. If you come across either of them, or if you get any information about where they may be, you go down to my office on the corner of St. Francis and Water streets. If we catch them based upon what you tell us, you’ll get the reward. Now, we need to look in the back of the wagon.”

  I heard them walk to the rear. Someone opened the canvas covering and helped a dog to climb aboard. I kept my body stiff so that I would not tremble, and I hoped that the animal would not smell my fear or hear my heartbeat. The dog sniffed, and it apparently lifted something with its snout. As the animal moved around the wagon, it stepped on my knee. I stayed still. It got off me. The hound evidently was unable to identify my scent or Isaac’s scent, and the patrollers ended the search and permitted us to continue.

  When we had traveled another five minutes, Mr. Green told me to stay down because it was likely that they would have men posted near where we were going. After another forty minutes, we were stopped again. This time, it seemed as if only a slave catcher was present. He inspected the wagon and repeated the information about the rewards offered for Isaac’s and my capture. The wagon slowed as we made a turn. I stayed down. Mr. Green got out of the wagon. I heard a familiar and sweet voice answer after he knocked on a door.

  “Good morning, sir, how can I help you?”

  “Good morning, ma’am. I’m looking for Miss Adeline.”

  “You found her.”

  “I have somebody here, in the back of my wagon. He come a long way to see you. Is it all right if he comes out?”

  “Sure, if it’s me he came to see.”

  He opened the canvas cover. We were in an alleyway. Miss Adeline did not at first recogn
ize me, not only because I was disguised as a man but also because it had been over two years since I was at her house with my mother and Eddie.

  “Good Lord, sweet Jesus. Sa…uh, get out of there and come inside, quick. Mr….come in, and I see you got somebody else with you. Come in, everybody.”

  We entered her home. She was careful to not say much about my identity. Her grandchildren came in from playing on the front porch. They either did not remember me from my prior visit or did not see through my disguise. Miss Adeline gave us dinner and after we ate, Mr. Green and his son took their leave. I thanked them and asked that they give my regards to the rest of their family. When their wagon had pulled away, Miss Adeline told me to bathe and that I would tell her everything afterward.

  “But, Miss Adeline, did you hear about Belle? That we got her back?”

  “Thank you, Jesus. That is wonderful news. You know I never stopped praying. I want to hear everything about how her and Miss Emmeline is doing. But first, I’ll get you some of my daughter’s clothes to put on and a scarf to wrap your head after you bathe.”

  It felt good to wear a dress, even though it was too short for me, but I was surprised to find that I missed wearing trousers and not having to cross my ankles when I sat. I told Miss Adeline almost everything about my escape from Allen Estates and why I had fled.

  “What trouble me is that they is looking for you all the way down here and willing to pay so much money for you. You know you can’t leave the house. They have catchers and patrollers all over the place.”

  “But I have papers, Miss Adeline.”

  “What kind of papers?”

  “I have a traveling pass and freedom papers.”

  “How you get those? Never mind. I don’t need to know.”

  “And almost everybody believes that I’m a man. And Miss Adeline, I can’t stay inside forever.”

  “We’re going to think about what to do, baby. Did you tell Miss Emmeline this is where you was coming?”

  “No, I told her as little as possible. But she cut my hair and took me to a tailor, a freedman, who made my clothes and gave me advice. Miss Adeline, can your sons help me get a job on a ship, one that’s going to a free state?”