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Spotswood Rice, The Slave Trump Mentioned, Once Wrote Two Stunning Letters. One To His Kids, One To Their Owner

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Amber Randall Civil Rights Reporter
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The slave President Donald Trump mentioned Tuesday once wrote two powerful letters vowing revenge on those who enslaved his children.

Spotswood Rice, the slave-turned-Union soldier, escaped plantation life to fight for the Union side in the Civil War. Rice spent twelve years living apart from his wife and seven children, who were owned by the Diggs family.

Rice eventually reunited with his wife and most of his children in September of 1864. Rice, desperate to get his remaining two daughters back, wrote a letter to his children promising they would be together again.

My Children: I take my pen in hand to write you a few lines to let you know that I have not forgot you and that I want to see you as bad as ever. Now, my dear children, I want you to be contented with whatever may be your lots. Be assured that I will have you if it cost me my life. On the 28th of the month, 800 white and 800 black soldiers expect to start up the [Missouri] river [from St. Louis] to Glasgow [commanded by] a general who will give me both of you. When they come, I expect to be with, them and expect to get you both in return. Don’t be uneasy my children I expect to have you. If Diggs don’t give you up this Government will and I feel confident that I will get you. Your Miss Kittey said that I tried to steal you But I’ll let her know that God never intended for man to steal his own flesh and blood. … And I want her to remember if she meets me with ten thousand soldiers she [will?] meet her enemy. I once [thought] that I had some respect for [slaveholders] but now my respect is worn out and I have no sympathy for them. And as for her Christianity, I expect the Devil has such in hell. You tell her from me that she is the first Christian that I ever heard say that a man could steal his own child, especially out of human bondage.

Rice  wrote another letter, this time to the spinster Kittey Diggs. Rice vowed revenge against Diggs, who owned his daughter Mary.

I received a letter … telling me that you say I tried to steal, to plunder my child away from you. Now I want you to understand that Mary is my child and she is a God-given right of my own. You may hold on to her as long as you can, but I want you to remember this one thing: that the longer you keep my child from me, the longer you will have to burn in hell, and the quicker you will get there …

I want you to understand, Kittey Diggs, that wherever you and I meet, we are enemies to each other. I offered once to pay you forty dollars for my own child, but I am glad now that you did not accept it. Just hold on now as long as you can and the worse it will be for you. Never in your life did you give [my] children anything … not even a dollar’s worth of expenses. Now you call my children your property. My children [are] my own and I expect to get them.

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