Bailey, John. The Lost German Slave Girl: The Extraordinary True Story of Sally Miller and Her...

BAILEY, John. The lost German slave girl; the extraordinary true story of Sally Miller and her fight for freedom in old New Orleans. Grove Atlantic. 268p. notes. c2003. 0-8021-4229-X. $14.00. SA John Bailey, an Australian barrister and teacher, writes about race relations. His first book, The White Diver of Broome, on Asian and British pearl divers in Australia, won awards for historical nonfiction. He came upon a compelling court case that eventually became the focus of this book on slavery in the US. His story, which takes place from 1843-1849, covers the social and cultural history of New Orleans, the peculiar aspects of slave culture in the deep South, immigration and indentures in the US in the early 19th century, and legal cases involving slavery during the same time. More specifically he covers the case of Sally Miller v. Louis Belmonti and the subsequent cases involving Sally Miller and her owners Louise Belmonti and John Fitz Miller.

Many German immigrants came to New Orleans in the 1810s. Severe weather conditions in Europe had been hard on the population and immigration was an attractive alternative to those with enough money to afford the passage across the ocean. Due to unforeseen circumstances, a shipload of destitute German immigrants arrived in New Orleans in the late 1810s. Most were "redeemed" or indentured in order that they might pay the captain of the ship for their fare. These unfortunate Germans spread out in all directions from New Orleans and some were never heard from again. A core group settled in New Orleans and began to work off their indentures. Among those who disappeared were the family Mueller; a father, son and two daughters.

Years later, in 1843, a German woman who had done well for herself was horrified and elated to discover one of the daughters, now grown, serving as a slave to a bar owner in New Orleans. The German immigrant was convinced that the slave known as Sally Miller was really her goddaughter Salome Mueller; they had been shipmates on the voyage from Europe. The subsequent court cases against the owners of Sally Miller occupied New Orleans for most of the rest of that decade and made and broke several reputations in the process. Central to the case was the identity of Sally Miller. Was she German, or was she black? And if she was not the lost German, who was she? The defense maintained that she was black; Southern society was on the side of the owners who had paid good money for her services. Sally Miller's fate was eventually decided by the Louisiana Supreme Court.

A compelling account of life in slave society before the Civil War, the story of Sally Miller/Salome Mueller reads like fiction. This is because the author deliberately fleshes out the historical account. He says "In some instances I have created conversations and scenes, and have woven a sense of the times and the reality of slavery into the narrative. When the court records are incomplete I have made assumptions about the progress of the litigation and the tactics of the parties; however, the story I relate is true in all its basic elements...." It does seem that the author takes great license with what is scanty information. Keeping that in mind, the book is a darned good read--a true mystery. The chapter on New Orleans is social history at its best. Penelope Power, retired Libn., Baltimore, MD