Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom | Page 6

of several other aged slaves, was, that "they
were getting old, and would soon become valueless in the market, and
therefore he intended to sell off all the old stock, and buy in a young
lot." A most disgraceful conclusion for a man to come to, who made
such great professions of religion!
This shameful conduct gave me a thorough hatred, not for true
Christianity, but for slave- holding piety.
My old master, then, wishing to make the most of the rest of his slaves,
apprenticed a brother and myself out to learn trades: he to a black-
smith, and myself to a cabinet-maker. If a slave has a good trade, he
will let or sell for more than a person without one, and many slave-
holders have their slaves taught trades on this account. But before our
time expired, my old master wanted money; so he sold my brother, and
then mortgaged my sister, a dear girl about four- teen years of age, and
myself, then about sixteen, to one of the banks, to get money to
speculate in cotton. This we knew nothing of at the moment; but time
rolled on, the money became due, my master was unable to meet his
payments; so the bank had us placed upon the auction stand and sold to
the highest bidder.
My poor sister was sold first: she was knocked down to a planter who
resided at some distance in the country. Then I was called upon the
stand. While the auctioneer was crying the bids, I saw the man that had
purchased my sister getting her into a cart, to take her to his home. I at
once asked a slave friend who was standing near the platform, to run
and ask the gentleman if he would please to wait till I was sold, in order
that I might have an opportunity of bidding her good-bye. He sent me
word back that he had some distance to go, and could not wait.
I then turned to the auctioneer, fell upon my knees, and humbly prayed
him to let me just step down and bid my last sister farewell. But,
instead of granting me this request, he grasped me by the neck, and in a
commanding tone of voice, and with a violent oath, exclaimed, "Get up!
You can do the wench no good; therefore there is no use in your seeing
her."

On rising, I saw the cart in which she sat moving slowly off; and, as
she clasped her hands with a grasp that indicated despair, and looked
pitifully round towards me, I also saw the large silent tears trickling
down her cheeks. She made a farewell bow, and buried her face in her
lap. This seemed more than I could bear. It appeared to swell my
aching heart to its utmost. But before I could fairly recover, the poor
girl was gone;--gone, and I have never had the good for- tune to see her
from that day to this! Perhaps I should have never heard of her again,
had it not been for the untiring efforts of my good old mother, who
became free a few years ago by pur- chase, and, after a great deal of
difficulty, found my sister residing with a family in Mississippi. My
mother at once wrote to me, informing me of the fact, and requesting
me to do something to get her free; and I am happy to say that, partly
by lecturing occasionally, and through the sale of an engraving of my
wife in the disguise in which she escaped, together with the extreme
kind- ness and generosity of Miss Burdett Coutts, Mr. George
Richardson of Plymouth, and a few other friends, I have nearly
accomplished this. It would be to me a great and ever-glorious
achievement to restore my sister to our dear mother, from whom she
was forcibly driven in early life.
I was knocked down to the cashier of the bank to which we were
mortgaged, and ordered to return to the cabinet shop where I previously
worked.
But the thought of the harsh auctioneer not allowing me to bid my dear
sister farewell, sent red-hot indignation darting like lightning through
every vein. It quenched my tears, and appeared to set my brain on fire,
and made me crave for power to avenge our wrongs! But alas! we were
only slaves, and had no legal rights; consequently we were compelled
to smother our wounded feel- ings, and crouch beneath the iron heel of
des- potism.
I must now give the account of our escape; but, before doing so, it may
be well to quote a few passages from the fundamental laws of slavery;
in order to give some idea of the legal as well as the social tyranny