RUTH HARPER, GEORGE ROBINSON, PRISCILLA GARDENER, AND JOSHUA JOHN
ANDERSON.
Ruthie's course in seeking her freedom left John McPherson a woman less
to work for him, and to whip, sell, or degrade at his pleasure. It is
due to candor, however, to say that she admitted that she had not been
used very roughly by Mr. McPherson. Ruth was rather a nice-looking young
woman, tall, and polite in her manners. She came from Frederick,
Maryland.
George Robinson stated that he came from a place about one and a half
miles from the Chesapeake Bay, one mile from Old town, and five miles
from Elkton, and was owned by Samuel Smith, a farmer, who was "pretty
cross and an ill man." George's excuse for withdrawing his valuable
services from Mr. Smith at the time that he did, was attributable to the
fact, that he entertained fears that they were about to sell him. Having
cautiousness largely developed he determined to reach Canada and keep
out of danger. George was only twenty-one, passable-looking in
appearance, and of a brown color, and when speaking, stammered
considerably.
Priscilla Gardener fled from the widow Hilliard. Her master departed to
his long home not a great while before she left. Priscilla was a young
woman of about thirty years of age, ordinary size, and of a ginger-bread
color; modest in demeanor. She first commenced her bondage in Richmond,
under the late Benjamin Hilliard, of whom she said that he was "a very
bad man, who could never be pleased by a servant," and was constantly
addicted to fighting not only with others, but also with herself. So
cruelly had Priscilla been treated, that when he died she did not
hesitate to say that she was glad. Soon after this event, sick of
Slavery and unwilling to serve the widow any longer, she determined to
escape, and succeeded.
Joshua John Anderson fled from a farmer who was said to be a poor man,
by the name of Skelton Price, residing in Baltimore county, near a
little village called Alexandria, on the Harford county turn-pike road.
Price, not able to own a farm and slaves too, rented one, and was trying
to "get up in the world." Price had a wife and family, but in the way of
treatment, Joshua did not say anything very hard against him. As his
excuse for leaving them, he said, coolly, that he had made up his mind
that he could get along better in freedom than he could in Slavery, and
that no man had a right to his labor without paying him for it. He left
his mother and also three brothers and two sisters owned by Price.
Joshua was about twenty-two years of age, of a coarse make, and a dark
hue; he had evidently held but little intercourse with any class, save
such as he found in the corn-field and barn-yard.
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