William was about fifty-one years of age, a man of unmixed blood.
Physically he was a superior man, and his mental abilities were quite
above the average of his class.
He belonged to the estate of the late Mrs. Sarah Twyne, who bore the
reputation of being a lady of wealth, and owned one hundred and twelve
slaves. Most of her slave property was kept on her plantation not far
from Old Point Comfort. According to William's testimony "of times Mrs.
Twyne would meddle too freely with the cup, and when under its influence
she was very desperate, and acted as though she wanted to kill some of
the slaves."
After the evil spirit left her and she had regained her wonted
composure, she would pretend that she loved her "negroes," and would
make a great fuss over them. Not infrequently she would have very
serious difficulty with her overseers. Having license to do as they
pleased, they would of course carry their cruelties to the most extreme
verge of punishment. If a slave was maimed or killed under their
correction, it was no loss of theirs. "One of the overseers by the name
of Bill Anderson once shot a young slave man called Luke and wounded him
so seriously that he was not expected to live." "At another time one of
the overseers beat and kicked a slave to death." This barbarity caused
the mistress to be very much "stirred up," and she declared that she
would not have any more white overseers; condemned them for everything,
and decided to change her policy in future and to appoint her overseers
from her own slaves, setting the property to watch the property. This
system was organized and times were somewhat better.
William had been hired out almost his entire life. For the last twelve
or fifteen years he had been accustomed to hire his time for one hundred
and thirty dollars per annum. In order to meet this demand he commonly
resorted to oystering. By the hardest toil he managed to maintain
himself and family in a humble way.
For the last twenty years (prior to his escape) the slaves had
constantly been encouraged by their mistress' promises to believe that
at her death all would be free, and transported to Liberia, where they
would enjoy their liberty and be happy the remainder of their days.
With full faith in her promises year by year the slaves awaited her
demise with as much patience as possible, and often prayed that her time
might be shortened for the general good of the oppressed. Fortunately,
as the slaves thought, she had no children or near relatives to deprive
them of their just and promised rights.
In November, previous to William's escape, her long looked-for
dissolution took place. Every bondman who was old enough to realize the
nature and import of the change felt a great anxiety to learn what the
will of their old mistress said, whether she had actually freed them or
not. Alas! when the secret was disclosed, it was ascertained that not a
fetter was broken, not a bond unloosed, and that no provision whatever
had been made looking towards freedom. In this sad case, the slaves
could imagine no other fate than soon to be torn asunder and scattered.
The fact was soon made known that the High Sheriff had administered on
the estate of the late mistress; it was therefore obvious enough to
William and the more intelligent slaves that the auction block was near
at hand.
The trader, the slave-pen, the auction-block, the coffle gang, the rice
swamp, the cotton plantation, bloodhounds, and cruel overseers loomed up
before him, as they had never done before. Without stopping to consider
the danger, he immediately made up his mind that he would make a
struggle, cost what it might. He knew of no other way of escape than the
Underground Rail Road. He was shrewd enough to find an agent, who gave
him private instructions, and to whom he indicated a desire to travel
North on said road. On examination he was deemed reliable, and a mutual
understanding was entered into between. William and one of the
accommodating Captains running on the Richmond and Philadelphia Line, to
the effect that he, William, should have a first class Underground Rail
Road berth, so perfectly private that even the law-officers could not
find him.
The first ties to be severed were those which bound him to his wife and
children, and next to the Baptist Church, to which he belonged. His
family were slaves, and bore the following names: his wife, Nancy, and
children, Simon Henry, William, Sarah, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Louis, and
Cornelius. It was no light matter to bid them farewell forever. The
separation from them was a trial such as rarely falls to the lot of
mortals; but he nerved himself for the undertaking, and when the hour
arrived his strength was sufficient for the occasion.
Thus in company with Andrew they embarked for an unknown shore, their
entire interests entrusted to a stranger who was to bring them through
difficulties and dangers seen and unseen.
Andrew was about twenty-four years of age, very tall, quite black, and
bore himself manfully. He too was of the same estate that William
belonged to. He had served on the farm as a common farm laborer. He had
had it "sometimes rough and sometimes smooth," to use his own language.
The fear of what awaited the slaves prompted Andrew to escape. He too
was entangled with a wife and one child, with whom he parted only as a
friend parts with a companion when death separates them. Catharine was
the name of Andrew's wife; and Anna Clarissa the name of his child left
in chains.
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