Slavery exempted from the yoke no man with a colored skin no matter what
his faith, talent, genius, or worth might be. The person of Christ in a
black skin would scarcely have caused it to relinquish its tyrannical
grasp; neither God nor man was regarded by men who dealt in the bodies
and souls of their fellow-men. Robert stated to the Committee that he
fled from "John R. Laten, a very harsh kind of a farmer, who drank right
smart," that on the morning he "took out," while innocent of having
committed any crime, suddenly in a desperate fit of passion, his master
took him "by the collar," at the same time calling loudly to "John" for
"ropes." This alarming assault on the part of his master made the
preacher feel as though his Satanic majesty had possession of him. In
such a crisis he evidently felt that preaching would do no good; he was,
however, constrained to make an effort. To use his own words, he said:
"I gave a sudden jerk and started off on a trot, leaving my master
calling, 'stop! stop!' but I kept on running, and was soon out of
sight."
The more he thought over the brutal conduct of his master the more
decided he became never to serve him more, and straightway he resolved
to try to reach Canada. Being in the prime of his life (thirty-nine
years of age) and having the essential qualifications for traveling over
the Underground Rail Road, he was just the man to endure the trials
consequent upon such an undertaking.
Said Robert: "I always thought slavery hard, a very dissipated life to
live. I always thought we colored people ought to work for ourselves and
wives and children like other people." The Committee saw that Robert's
views were in every word sound doctrine, and for further light asked him
some questions respecting the treatment he had received at the hands of
his mistress, not knowing but that he had received kindness from the
"weaker vessel;" while enduring suffering under his master; but Robert
assured them in answer to this inquiry that his mistress was a very
"ill, dissipated woman," and "was not calculated to sympathize with a
poor slave." Robert was next interviewed with regard to religious
matters, when it was ascertained that he bore the name of being a "local
preacher of the gospel of the Bethel Methodist denomination." Thus in
leaving slavery he had to forsake his wife and three children, kinfolks
and church, which arduous task but for the brutal conduct of the master
he might have labored in vain for strength to perform.
As he looked calmly back upon the past, and saw how he and the rest of
the slaves had been deprived of their just rights he could hardly
realize how Providence could suffer slave-holders to do as they had been
doing in trampling upon the poor and helpless slaves. Yet he had strong
faith that the Almighty would punish slave-holders severely for their
wickedness.
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