(Andrew Jackson Bounds—Beaver Dam Ducks Club– Ho’ace)
In a July 1854 Arkansas Supreme Court case, testimony indicated that several slaves belonging to Benton County resident Sarah Ridge “frequently carried guns.” One of the men, Wagoola, used a “large rifle.”
Bondsman Quinn had several accidental encounters with bears where he was forced to climb a tree to avoid attack, and one bruin had even attacked his fellow slave, Jerry, during a fishing excursion. With the use of his “Bowie knife,” Jerry was able to fend off the bear long enough for the pair of men to make their escape.[1]
Owners were more apt to allow enslaved people to hunt between harvests during the slowest times on the farm, and sometimes the bondsmen hunted in secret. The amount and quality of allotted rations to slaves usually proved insufficient in quality and quantity. Some slaves stole food when the big house did not supply them adequately. However, if they had the opportunity, many enslaved men hunted and fished to provide extra protein to the families’ meager diet.
[1] Interview with Doc Quinn, Lankford, Bearing Witness, 242-243. Quinn explained that one of his enslaved companion’s sole responsibilities was to care for the canines and drive predators from the fields.
Arkansas Wildlife History 