That one--the
death of old Jack--was communicated to him as a fact, by his friend, Dr.
W. H. Holcombe, of Waterproof, La., now an officer in the confederate
army.
The author does not mean to say that his story is true as a connected
whole. It is not. In it, persons are brought into intimate relations who
never had any connection in life; events are grouped together which
happened at widely different times; and incidents are described as
occurring in the vicinity of Newbern--the slave auction, for
instance--parts of which occurred in Alabama, parts in Georgia, and
parts in Louisiana. But all of the characters he has described _have_
lived, and all of the events he has related _have_ transpired. He would,
however, not have the reader believe that all he says of himself is
true. Some of it is; some of it is not. The story needed some one to
revolve around; and, as he began by using the personal pronoun, he
continued its use, even in parts--like the scenes with Hallet, wherein
the _I_ stands for entirely another individual.
The real name of the character whom he has called Selma (he can state
this without wounding the feelings of any one, as none of her relatives
are now living), was Selma Winchester. She was educated at Cambridge,
Mass., was a slave, and died of a broken heart shortly after being put
at menial labor in her mother-in-law's kitchen. Her character and
appearance, even the costume she wore on the occasion of her visit to
the opera--a scene which many residents of Boston and vicinity will
remember--are attempted to be described literally.
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