Durham Station

1850William Buckley had a secret. He gave a rifl e to Jessie, one of his daddys slaves. He knew his daddywould defi antly not approve. Slaves were not allowed to read or write in that part of North Carolina,much less own a gun. Everybody on the farm knew that Jessie had a gun, and knew that WilliamBuckley gave it to him. They thought nothing about it. Old man Buckley has been bed ridden forthe last six months and it was unlikely that he would ever get out of his room again. William Buckleyknew his secret was safe. Old man Buckley passed away six months later without ever knowing hisson gave a gun to a slave. He left William twelve hundred acres of prime farm land six miles fromDurham Station and eleven slaves. William Buckley had just turned thirty four. Two days afterthe funnel, William Buckley and Jessie hitched up the buggy and went into town and had papersdrawn up making Jessie a free man. He also gave Jessie ten acres near the river. They had beenfi shing and hunting buddies for years and Jessie thought he knew William better than any manon earth, yet it was a complete surprise to him. On the way home William asked Jessie if he wouldstay on and run the farm. Albert thinks he runs the farm, but I know who gets the work done. Mr. Barkley had said. Albert, William Barkleys oldest son wasnt altogether there, and Barkley knewthat Albert, would mistreat the slaves, if it wasnt for Jessie. Everybody knew that Jessie and Mr. Barkley were close. Jessie had a son Buck, and a daughter Mindy. They played with Jeff , WilliamBuckley, youngest boy practically everyday. Jeff was the only one that felt the way his father did. Buck and Mindy also had a secret. Mr. Barkley let them work over at Mr. Bradshaws for a few days,and they took a short cut through the woods on the way home. They saw something that was sohorrible that Mindy, who just turn fourteen, just shut it out of her mind, and refused to talk aboutit. Buck takes the secret with him when he runs off to go into the union army, where he fi nds Jeffon the battlefield wounded. They come home together, but the secret from ten years earlier almostgets Buck killed.