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A Long Lost Mother.

[Evansville Journal.]

Twenty-eight years ago Mary Stowers, a slave woman, belonging to Harrison Stowers, of Owensboro, was sold to parties living in Shelby county, Kentucky, and was with her little girl of two years taken away, leaving her boy, Willis Green, then four years old, with her former master, John Stowers, who had sold her to his brother. For some time after her sale she managed to send word to her boy occasionally, but after a couple years she was sold to the dreaded negro-traders, and was taken south, after which all trace of her was lost. The boy Willis grew to manhood, and by the events of the war became free and came to Evansville. During all these years, not having heard of his mother, he supposed her dead, but her memory was still bright, and he often thought of her as she must have suffered in the cotton-field under the lash of the cruel taskmaster.

On Monday he was almost electrified at being told that an old woman, claiming to be his mother, was in the city in search of him, but the lapse of time had been so great that he was incredulous, but faint as the hope was, he determined to follow it, and see if it should prove delusive. He went, as directed, to the house of his uncle Ed. Davis, and there met an old woman who clasped him in her arms, and wept over him as her son. To test the genuineness of her claim, Willis asked, "How do you know I am your son?" And the old woman gave her reasons, detailing facts that were known to him as having occurred. He then showed her his right hand, and asked, "Can you tell how I lost that little finger?"

"Yes," replied she, "your young master cut it off while chopping a trough," and Willis accepted the evidence as much stronger than that of the traditional strawberry mark.

The aged woman, after being sold to Alabama, was placed on a cotton farm, and worked as a field hand until the close of the war extinguished slavery. As soon as free, she determined to return, and worked to that end, but ill health several times interfered to prevent, and it was not until two weeks ago that she found her way to Lewisport, and subsequently to Owensboro, where she heard that her daughter was dead and her son, and brother, (Ed. Davis), were in Evansville, and now, after a separation of twenty-eight years, the old and broken down woman has found her son, who rejoices at the reunion, and welcomes her to his humble home.