Pictured are some plantation slaves celebrating Christmas in the 1850s.
When Pony Joe returned from Richmond that evening, a fresh suit was laid out on his bed. He quickly bathed and dressed. He wasn’t used to this type of attire and wished the evening over, but not wanting to offend his hosts or to draw any undue attention to himself he would play the part of the honor guest. Pony Joe was greeted as he made his way into the dining hall by Mr. Buckley and his wife, Elizabeth. Mr. Buckley cordially introduced him to various members of the family and friends who were mingling with others and enjoying their drinks. The dining table was exceptionally displayed with all types of elegant silver and dinnerware. Christmas decorations adorned the room and an elderly black gentleman quietly played Christmas carols on the violin. Mr. Buckley motioned for Pony Joe to sit next to him. The meal was exceptionally tasteful. There were several different types of meats including turkey and ham. There was dressing, peas, sweet potatoes, green beans, mashed potatoes, pudding, fruits and several different cakes and pies for dessert. After the meal, Christmas carols were sung around the tree by all the family members and guests. A total of 30 some people in all. Pony Joe was surprised as it had turned out to be a lovely evening celebrating the birth of baby Jesus. It was late when Pony Joe said his thanks and wished each one a Merry Christmas before leaving for the evening.
The next morning Pony Joe was up bright and early. He headed for the horse barn. There he found Big John cleaning out the horse stalls. Pony Joe whispered to Big John if he had been able to obtain any passengers for him. Big John nodded and said he, his wife, Eva and their little Cassie would be ready. Pony Joe’s heart skipped a beat! Yes, Lord, thank you he whispered. Pony Joe took Big John into the tack room and shared the planned escape.
There was very little activity on the plantation as it was Christmas. Soon Mr. Buckley and his family would gather the slaves together for their annual time of Christmas giving. Twice a year, Easter and Christmas, the slaves were given time off. Christmas and the day following would be a holiday for them to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.
Later that day, Pony Joe took the Chestnuts out for a ride around the plantation and up and down nearby roads. Mr. Buckley had received a telegram from Mr. Blythe and all was set for his departure. That evening, he said his goodbyes and began to pack and prepare for his trip home. As he bowed his head that night, he asked God for His divine protection and thanked him for the dark cloudy night.
Early the next morning, Pony Joe was up, ate his breakfast and finished packing. Buckeye and the two chestnuts were tied to the back of the wagon. He nodded to the assistant overseer, Mr. Seymour, whistled to his team and off he went.
If all had gone as planned, Big John and his family had left the night before and should be near old black Tom’s cabin. They were to leave a little after midnight. They were to cross the wide shallow stream behind the cabins and travel northwest along the stream. The stream had a large
amount of brush on each side which would help to camouflage their movement. Moving quickly, they had covered over twenty miles and reached old black Tom’s cabin about six o’clock that morning. The cabin was near the stream in a dense covered thicket of trees. They gave the password and entered through a hidden back entrance that was camouflaged to look like part of the wall. Once inside, a stair inside the wall led down to an underground cellar. They would be safe here until Pony Joe picked them up. Until then, they were instructed to eat and get some sleep.
Tom was a kind and gentle old soul. He had had several masters. Some had been kind, others, well he still wore the scars of the lash on his back. Tom had been given his freedom by his last master. He would like to go north but God had given him an important job and he was going to see it through. After all, maybe one of these passengers would turn out to be part of his family that had been sold away from him years ago.
