He struck her a few blows.  Swinging thus by her arms, she succeeded in placing one of her feet against the body of the tree, and thus partly supported herself, and relieved in some degree the painful weight upon her wrists.  He threw down his whip—­took a rail from the garden fence, ordered her feet to be tied together, and thrust the rail between them.  He then ordered one of the hands to sit upon it.  Her back at this time was bare, but the strings of the only garment which she wore passed over her shoulders and prevented the full force of the whip from acting on her flesh.  These he cut off with his pen-knife, and thus left her entirely naked.  He struck her only two blows, for the second one cut open her side and abdomen with a frightful gash.  Unable to look on any longer in silence, I entreated him to stop, as I feared he had killed her.  The overseer looked at the wound—­dropped his whip, and ordered her to be untied.  She was carried into the house in a state of insensibility, and died in three days after.

During the whole season of picking cotton, the whip was frequently and severely plied.  In his seasons of intoxication, the overseer made no distinction between the stout man and the feeble and delicate woman—­the sick and the well.  Women in a far advanced state of pregnancy were driven out to the cotton field.  At other times he seemed to have some consideration; and to manifest something like humanity.  Our hands did not suffer for food—­they had a good supply of ham and corn-meal, while on Flincher’s plantation the slaves had meat but once a year, at Christmas.

Near the commencement of the weeding season of 1835, I was ordered to whip a young woman, a light mustee, for not performing her task.  I told the overseer that she was sick.  He said he did not care for that, she should be made to work.  A day or two afterwards, I found him in the house half intoxicated.  He demanded of me why I had not whipped the girl; and I gave the same reason as before.  He flew into a dreadful rage, but his miserable situation made him an object of contempt rather than fear.  He sat shaking his fist at me, and swearing for nearly half an hour.  He said he would teach the Virginia lady to sham sickness; and that the only reason I did not whip her was, that she was a white woman, and I did not like to cut up her delicate skin.  Some time after I was ordered to give two of our women, named Hannah and big Sarah, 150 lashes each, for not performing their tasks.  The overseer stood by until he saw Hannah whipped, and until Sarah had been tied up to the tree.  As soon as his back was turned I struck the tree instead of the woman, who understanding my object, shrieked as if the whip at every blow was cutting into her flesh.  The overseer heard the blows and the woman’s cries, and supposing that all was going on according to his mind, left the field.  Unfortunately the husband of Hannah stood looking on; and indignant that his wife should be whipped and Sarah spared, determined to revenge himself by informing against me.