Christopher had a heavy debt charged against Clayton Wright, a
commission merchant, of Baltimore, who claimed him as his property, and
was in the habit of hiring him out to farmers in the country, and of
taking all his hire except a single dollar, which was allotted him every
holiday.
The last item in his charge against Wright, suggested certain questions:
"How have you been used?" was the first query. "Sometimes right smart,
and then again bad enough for it," said Christopher. Again he was asked,
"What kind of a man was your master?" "He was only tolerable, I can't
say much good for him. I got tired of working and they getting my labor
and I getting nothing for my labor." At the time of his escape, he was
employed in the service of a man by the name of Cook. Christopher
described him as "a dissatisfied man, who couldn't be pleased at nothing
and his wife was like him."
This passenger was quite black, medium size, and in point of intellect,
about on a par with ordinary field hands. His wife, Ann, in point of
go-ahead-ativeness, seemed in advance of him. Indeed, she first prompted
her husband to escape.
Ann bore witness against one James Pipper, a farmer, whom she had served
as a slave, and from whom she fled, saying that "he was as mean a man as
ever walked--a dark-complected old man, with gray hair." With great
emphasis she thus continued her testimony: "He tried to work me to
death, and treated me as mean as he could, without killing me; he done
so much I couldn't tell to save my life. I wish I had as many dollars as
he has whipped me with sticks and other things. His wife will do
tolerable." "I left because he was going to sell me and my son to
Georgia; for years he had been threatening; since the boys ran away,
last spring, he was harder than ever. One was my brother, Perry, and the
other was a young man by the name of Jim." "David, my master, drank all
he could get, poured it down, and when drunk, would cuss, and tear, and
rip, and beat. He lives near the nine bridges, in Queen Ann county."
Ann was certainly a forcible narrator, and was in every way a wideawake
woman, about thirty-seven years of age. Among other questions they were
asked if they could read, etc. "Read," said Ann. "I would like to see
anybody (slave) that could read our way; to see you with a book in your
hand they would almost cut your throat."
Ann had one child only, a son, twenty years of age, who came in company
with his parents. This son belonged to the said Pipper already
described. When they started from the land of bondage they had large
hopes, but not much knowledge of the way; however, they managed to get
safely on the Underground Rail Road track, and by perseverance they
reached the Committee and were aided in the usual manner.
* * * * *