Show I AFItIC riuxcsss Woman fetranse llifctory of Mulatto Florida f Who Died In Mary K Sammis aged 83 died recently Arlington The deceased ly at her Qiome in the wife of a white man ceased was ca mulatto She also although herself a of being the enjoyed the distinction who African princes daughter of an Zacharaih Kings1ey a wife of Was the soldier and one of the slave trader a who early planters of Duyal county had great wealth for those days own thousands of acres of land in this ing and other counties of the state besides slaves who warked his plantation planta-tion roam at Fort George and other plantations planta-tions further up the river Airs Mary EL Sammis had undaunted energy Her hospitality is a byword of the antebellum white folk in this county and in their hearts she enjoyed E warm place She probably was more highly thought of by the white people than by the black as all her associations associa-tions were with the white people The position she enjoyed was a peculiar one and only definable by a perusal of ithe peculiar circumstances connected with her birth and life Her father as was said before wa a BlaVG trader On one of his expeditions Ito Africa me met the princess of a tribe I end married her there after the custom of the country In his will which Js one of the curious documents of the office r of-fice of the County Judge explaining the marriage he says Kor do I know in what light the law may consider my acknowledged wife Anna Madgigaine Tal as our connubial if relations took place in a foreign land where our marriage was celebrated solemnized by her native African customs cus-toms although never celebrated according ac-cording to the forms of Christian usage us-age yet she had always been respected i as my wife and at = such I acknowledge a her nor do I think that her truth honor hon-or integrity moral conduct or good sense vlll lose in comparison with ray < wnt I tZacbariah JKingsley had no tolerance I tftf o 0 it n with race prejudice although he owned slaves and evidently was a believer in the right of the stronger human to put in bondage the weaker Earlier in his will he says I do enjoin my colored and natural children that seeing that the illiberal and inequitable laws of this territory will not afford them and their children that protection and justice which is due in civilized society to every human being be-ing always to keep by them a will ready made and legally executed directing di-recting the disposal of their property after their death until they can remove re-move themselves and property to some land of liberty and equal rights where the conditions of society are governed by some law less absurd than that of color The old gentleman had a kind place in his heart for his slaves He says Should I leave any slaves I earnestly recommend to my executors not to separate the families by selling them individually without their consent if to be avoided It is my will and I do hereby authorize my executors not to separate the families but to allow any of my slaves the privilege of purchasing purchas-ing their freedom at onehalf the price of their valuation on condition that they migrate to Hayti if they cannot be allowed to stay free in this country Some of these slaves it is said did purchase their freedom and went to Hayti expecting that under the negro government there they would have more freedom and privileges Several of them came back in the face of the law prohibiting free people of color from coming into the territory One of these was a negro woman who when the authorities got after her declared that they could do with her what they pleased but that she would rather be hanged than return to that country Some friend interceded with the governor govern-or in her behalf and the upshot was that she was allowed to remain But to return to the history of Mrs Sanimis She was said to be a remarkably remark-ably handsome mulatto modest and of refined deportment and the same was said of her sister The result was that both secured white husbands One married mar-ried John Sammis and the other wed ded a man named Baxter Neither of these marriages would be allowed under the laws of Florida which were strict against miscegena tion So to avoid prosecution they went out in a vessel many leagues from the shore and beyond the jurisdiction of the states authorities and there the ceremony was performed One of the stories connected with the Kingsley girls concerns a blueHooded son of one of the oldest houses of South Carolina lie came to Florida on a visit and is said to have fallen desper ately in love with the young woman who afterward became Mrs Baxter The girl firmly declined his proffer of marriage because she would not be come the wife of any man whose fam il5 would not recognize her One of the daughters of Mrs Baxter lived in Paris during the 50s and be came reigning belle the swells of the city going wild over her beauty wit refinement and accomplishments |