The Slave 1962
Heinz Francis
In 48 B.C., twenty-five years after the revolt of Spartacus, the slave leader's son Randus (who is ignorant of his heritage) has grown to become a soldier in the Roman army. Stationed in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, Randus has been promoted to centurion by his commander, Gaius Julius Caesar, and is given an important task to accomplish: To travel to the city of Zeugma in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and learn of the secret plots planned out by the local Roman governor, Marcus Licinius Crassus. Randus leaves Egypt on a war galley out to sea, accompanied by his decurion friend Lumonius, his Germanic servant Beroz, an ambitious Gallic officer named Vetius, and Vetius' sister Claudia.
Shortly after departing from Alexandria, Randus meets and befriends a young Egyptian slavegirl named Saida, who is owned by Claudia. On a thick foggy night, the galley collides with a hidden reef and Saida is thrown overboard. Randus dives in to save Saida, but both are unable to get back to the ship as it sails away. The two are soon washed up onto a beach and decide to travel across the desert until they find a caravan that can provide them with water and supplies. They soon encounter a slave caravan guarded by a detachment of Berber mercenaries who work for Crassus, but are captured and added to the slaves' ranks. During the journey across the desert to Zeugma, one of the slaves, an ex-gladiator and survivor of Spartacus' army named Gulbar, recognizes Randus as the son of Spartacus and Varinia after discovering Spartacus' amulet around the young centurion's neck. Together, Randus and the slaves manage to free themselves from their captors and kill all of the Berber soldiers. Before Randus' friends, Vetius and Lumonius arrive with some of Crassus' guards to rescue Randus, Gulbar tells Randus to find him and his slave army at the legendary "City of the Sun" before the slaves vanish into the desert.
Randus proceeds to Zeugma, where he meets Crassus, who cold-bloodedly orders the execution of the slaves who participated in the uprising despite Randus' protestations, and Lumonius informs him of Crassus secretly amassing a huge army. Accompanied by Beroz, Randus later rides to the City of the Sun, in whose ruins he finds the grave of Spartacus. As he turns away, Gulbar and the freed slaves appear and convince him to take up his father's legacy. Later that night, Randus, armed with his father's sword and helmet, frees several slaves condemned to death and then begins a rebel campaign, resparking hope in the people of the province, who are being brutally oppressed by Crassus. Randus is tasked to capture the Son of Spartacus, but naturally fails to succeed; to throw off suspicion, Beroz occasionally plays his master's role until Randus can change into his secret identity unnoticed.
In order to draw the Son of Spartacus into a trap, Crassus organizes a party in his palace, whose central attraction is the slow death of several slaves in a sealed cage filled with poisonous fumes. Randus dons his mask and intervenes; in the resulting chaos, Murdok, the brother of Crassus' most important ally King Pharnaces and the party's featured guest, is killed. When Crassus flees, Randus pursues him into the castle dungeons, where he is trapped and unmasked. Enraged, Crassus decides to deliver Randus to Pharnaces in order to maintain his support in defeating Julius Caesar and subsequently assuming rulership over Rome. Lumonius, who remains loyal to Randus, flees and informs the rebels of Crassus' plan before he proceeds to warn Caesar.
Later, as Crassus' entourage camps in the desert, the rebel slaves, led by Beroz, attack them, free Randus and capture Crassus and Claudia, while Vetius is killed by Randus. Spared by Saida's pleas for mercy, Claudia is abandoned in the desert with Beroz's dagger for a merciful suicide, while Crassus is killed by the slaves pouring molten gold into his mouth. Later, Caesar arrives and, after learning of Randus' heritage, reluctantly sentences him to death by crucifixion because Randus has become a powerful symbol for resistance against Roman order. But as the sentence is about to be carried out, all the people in the province appear, willing to join their hero in death. Impressed by this show of loyalty, and realizing that killing them all would leave the province worthless, Caesar pardons Randus. Randus returns his father's sword to Spartacus' grave so that a future hero may use it to rise against oppression.
The decurion Randus holds himself so well in the command of his troops, that Caesar promotes him to centurion. He is subsequently sent to Egypt, to keep Cesar informed on the actions and intentions of co-triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus - a man too rich, and ambitious, for Caesar's comfort. A fateful sea trip from Egypt to Rome forces Randus in captivity by mercenary troops, and leads a revolt by which he gets freedom for himself, and all the other slaves. Through an amulet he received from his late mother, a man who had fought by Spartacus' side, identifies the young man as Spartacus' and Varinia's son. At first reluctant to accept this story about his origins, Randus will be forced by the circumstances to repeat the feat of his father, twenty years later.
This is a great novel. Full of novelty, wisdom and interest: how can the reader not be engaged? It is beautifully written, so each page is a pleasure to read. And it is unlike a lot of what was being written at the time, or since, which alone makes it worth reading.
Singer is Polish-born American Jewish writer who wrote and published first in Yiddish and later translated himself into English. Regarded as the greatest modern Yiddish writer, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1978.
Sometime in the seventeenth century most of the Jewish population of the Polish village of Josefov was massacred by raiding Cossacks. Among the few who escaped was Jacob, a learned and pious teacher. He was captured soon afterward by Polish brigands and sold as a slave to a peasant farmer who lived in a remote village in the Carpathian Mountains.
Jacob had many moments of disillusion and near-despair. His marriage to a Gentile woman made him subject to death by burning and to excommunication from his own community. But Jacob and his wife endured and hoped and loved each other. And Jacob never wavered in the fidelity to his God.
In 17h Century Poland, the Jews have been welcomed in by King Casimir III, but not necessarily but his subjects. Jacob, a Jew, has become enslaved. He has lost his wife and children in a pogrom, and now lives little better than an animal. Eventually he is ransomed.
In the vast Westward movement prior to the Civil War many Southern slave - owning families migrated by steamboat up the Missouri River and took up the fertile lands stretching away from its banks. In post Civil War days these settlers formed a political-geographical entity known as "Little Dixie."
A fewer number of slave owners took the more difficult passage up White River or traveled overland from the settlements along the Mississippi. Some of of these founded plantations and families in the territory that later would be included in Christian County at its legislative formation March 8, 1859. Among these slave-owning families were the Marleys, Leightons, Weavers, Horns, Brays, Lawings, McDaniels, Vaughans, and Heradons.
Sometime in the 1840's it is believed, Benjamin Morley left the State of North Carolina with his family and possessions, including slaves, and ended his journey in what then was Taney County, Missouri. He took up 860 acres of mostly timbered land about five miles south by east from Ozark in what came to be called the Elk Valley community. In due course the community acquired a grist mill, blacksmith shop, store, church, and school.
Jesse A., who at the County's birth became one of the first judges of the county court; Rachel, wife of Benjamin Walker; Sarah Jane, wife of James Walker; Eli, who founded the family whose descendents live in Christian County today; Mary E., wife of Joseph Chestnut; and the minors Aaron, John, and Eliza.
Benjamin followed custom in devising his lands solely to his sons. Then after providing a life estate for his widow he bequeathed his personal property including slaves, to various members of his family, unless the property had been given them 'in advancement,' that is, when they set up their own married households.
Benjamin Marley died in 1864 without having changed his will to conform with the new facts of national life and President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. The will occupied Page One, Book A, Probate Court Records of Christian County, Missouri, because, having been filed originally in Taney County, it escaped the courthouse fire which consumed all Christian County records in August, 1865, and could be transferred to the new set of records set up after the disaster.
"I give demise and bequeath to my eldest son Jesse A. Marley all the property I have given him in advancement, both in real and personal, to- wit as follows of real estate the North Half of the Southeast Quarter of Section Twelve and the West Half of the Northwest Quarter of Section Thirteen, all in Township 26 and Range
21 situate in the County of Taney and the State of Missouri containing 160 acres. Also one Negro Boy by the name of George together with other personal property advanced to him at and since his marriage to have and to hold the property aforesaid to him the said Jesse A. Marley his heirs and assigns forever."
Paragraph Six provided: "I give and bequeath to my eldest daughter Rachel L. Walker during her natural life and then to her children the heirs of her body all the property I have given her in advancement consisting of one Negro woman (slave) by the name of Chanor and her three children (slaves) Emily, Joe, and Allen." The testator then provided that Benjamin Walker, husband of daughter Rachel, was to pay over to the executor for further payment to daughter Sarah Jane the sum of $150.00 in cash to equalize his gift, since he had given Sarah Jane only one slave. The will goes on to say that if Benjamin Walker fails to pay said sum, then the child slave Emily bequeathed to Rachel is to be sold at public auction to the highest bidder amongst the Marley heirs and the proceeds turned over to Sarah Jane Walker.
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