Mr. Hopkins remained but a short time in the office of overseer. Why his career was so
short, I do not know, but suppose he lacked the necessary severity to suit Colonel Lloyd.
Mr. Hopkins was succeeded by Mr. Austin Gore, a man possessing, in an eminent degree,
all those traits of character indispensable to what is called a first-rate overseer. Mr. Gore
had served Colonel Lloyd, in the capacity of overseer, upon one of the out-farms, and had
shown himself worthy of the high station of overseer upon the home or Great House
Farm.
Mr. Gore was proud, ambitious, and persevering. He was artful, cruel, and obdurate. He
was just the man for such a place, and it was just the place for such a man. It afforded
scope for the full exercise of all his powers, and he seemed to be perfectly at home in it.
He was one of those who could torture the slightest look, word, or gesture, on the part of
the slave, into impudence, and would treat it accordingly. There must be no answering
back to him; no explanation was allowed a slave, showing himself to have been
wrongfully accused. Mr. Gore acted fully up to the maxim laid down by slaveholders,-"It
is better that a dozen slaves should suffer under the lash, than that the overseer should be
convicted, in the presence of the slaves, of having been at fault." No matter how innocent
a slave might be--it availed him nothing, when accused by Mr. Gore of any misdemeanor.
To be accused was to be convicted, and to be convicted was to be punished; the one
always following the other with immutable certainty. To escape punishment was to
escape accusation; and few slaves had the fortune to do either, under the overseership of
Mr. Gore. He was just proud enough to demand the most debasing homage of the slave,
and quite servile enough to crouch, himself, at the feet of the master. He was ambitious
enough to be contented with nothing short of the highest rank of overseers, and
persevering enough to reach the height of his ambition. He was cruel enough to inflict the
severest punishment, artful enough to descend to the lowest trickery, and obdurate
enough to be insensible to the voice of a reproving conscience. He was, of all the
overseers, the most dreaded by the slaves. His presence was painful; his eye flashed
confusion; and seldom was his sharp, shrill voice heard, without producing horror and
trembling in their ranks.
Mr. Gore was a grave man, and, though a young man, he indulged in no jokes, said no
funny words, seldom smiled. His words were in perfect keeping with his looks, and his
looks were in perfect keeping with his words. Overseers will sometimes indulge in a
witty word, even with the slaves; not so with Mr. Gore. He spoke but to command, and
commanded but to be obeyed; he dealt sparingly with his words, and bountifully with his
whip, never using the former where the latter would answer as well. When he whipped,
he seemed to do so from a sense of duty, and feared no consequences. He did nothing
reluctantly, no matter how disagreeable; always at his post, never inconsistent. He never
promised but to fulfil. He was, in a word, a man of the most inflexible firmness and
stone-like coolness.
