I was quite ready to ask Mary to give me some information about herself, so to begin with, I said: Well Mary, how old are you and what state do you come from?

I’se thirty years old, Sah, an’ I was raised on ole Major Bascombe’s plantation in de state ob Alabama. Dere was one hundred an’ fifty field hands on de plantation, an’ twelve house servants in de place. I was one ob de parlormaids, Sah, she added with a sort of pride.

Was your master a good one? I next asked the woman.

Well, Sah, he was a pretty good Massa on de whole; he fed us well, an’ he didn’t work us too hard; but he was bery strict, an’ dere was plenty ob whipping on de plantation, an’ in de house too.

Were you ever whipped?

Mary looked at me with an expression of surprise on her face at being asked such a silly question. Ob course I was, Sah, many a time, she replied. I got my fust whippin’ when I was

’bout seven years old, an’ I got my las’ one when I was twenty-five years old; only a week

’fore we was all set free by de President ob de United States.

How were you whipped?

When I was a little girl I used to get spanked; when I grew big, dey whipped me on de bare back or bottom wid de strap or de hick’ry switch; and I’se had de paddle on my bottom several times, said Mary, coolly as possible.

Who used to whip the women?

One ob de overseers gener’ly; but sometimes de Massa himself used to whip de house-servants, Dere was a room kep’ for de purpose, an’ when a gal or a woman was whipped, she was tied face downwards on a long bench, den her close was turned up an’ she got her allowance.

Were the whippings severe?

Oh, dey always hurt us dreffully an’ made us squeal out loud an’ wriggle; an’ sometimes we was whipped till the blood come.

Here Dolly broke in, saying: And when the skin of a woman’s back or bottom has been broken by a whipping, the marks never entirely disappear. Mary has plenty of marks upon her body at this moment. Show your bottom to the English gentleman, Mary, and prove the truth of what you have told him.