At the expiration of three weeks Mr. Lewis called at my boarding
house, accompanied by his brother-in-law, and enquired for me, and the
General informed him where I was. He then told me my mother was very
anxious for me to come home, and I returned. The General had ordered
Mr. Lewis to call at headquarters, when he told him if he had treated
me right I would not have been compelled to seek protection of him;
that my first appearance was sufficient proof of his cruelty. Mr. L.
promised to take me home and treat me kindly. Instead of fulfilling
his promise he carried me to the trader's yard, where, to my great
surprise, I found my mother. She had been there during my absence,
where she was kept for fear she would find me and take my brother and
sister and make her escape. There was so much excitement at that time,
(1861), by the Union soldiers rendering the fugitives shelter and
protection, he was aware that if she applied to them, as he did not
fulfill his promise in my case, he would stand a poor chance. If my
mother made application to them for protection they would learn that
he did not return me home, and immediately detect the intrigue. After
I was safely secured in the trader's yard, Mr. L. took my mother home.
I remained in the yard three months. Near the termination of the time
of my confinement I was passing by the office when the cook of the
Arsenal saw and recognized me and informed the General that Mr. L. had
disobeyed his orders, and had put me in the trader's yard instead of
taking me home. The General immediately arrested Mr. L. and gave him
one hundred lashes with the cowhide, so that they might identify him
by a scarred back, as well as his slaves. My mother had the pleasure
of washing his stained clothes, otherwise it would not have been
known. My master was compelled to pay three thousand dollars and let
me out. He then put me to service, where I remained seven months,
after which he came in great haste and took me into the city and put
me into the trader's yard again. After he received the punishment he
treated my mother and the children worse than ever, which caused her
to take her children and secrete themselves in the city, and would
have remained undetected had it not been for a traitor who pledged
himself to keep the secret. But King Whiskey fired up his brain one
evening, and out popped the secret. My mother and sister were
consequently taken and committed to the trader's yard. My little
brother was then eight years of age, my sister sixteen, and myself
eighteen. We remained there two weeks, when a rough looking man,
called Capt. Tirrell, came to the yard and enquired for our family.
After he had examined us he remarked that we were a fine looking
family, and bid us retire. In about two hours he returned, at the edge
of the evening, with a covered wagon, and took my mother and brother
and sister and left me. My mother refused to go without me, and told
him she would raise an alarm. He advised her to remain as quiet as
possible. At length she was compelled to go. When she entered the
wagon there was a man standing behind with his hands on each side of
the wagon to prevent her from making her escape. She sprang to her
feet and gave this man a desperate blow, and leaping to the ground she
made an alarm. The watchmen came to her assistance immediately, and
there was quite a number of Union policemen guarding the city at that
time, who rendered her due justice as far as possible. This was before
the emancipation proclamation was issued. After she leaped from the
wagon they drove on, taking her children to the boat. The police
questioned my mother. She told them that Capt. Tirrell had put her
children on board the boat, and was going to take them to Memphis and
sell them into hard slavery. They accompanied her to the boat, and
arrived just as they were casting off. The police ordered them to stop
and immediately deliver up the children, who had been secreted in the
Captain's private apartment. They were brought forth and returned.
Slave speculation was forbidden in St. Louis at that time. The Union
soldiers had possession of the city, but their power was limited to
the suppression of the selling of slaves to got out of the city.
Considerable smuggling was done, however, by pretending Unionism,
which was the case with our family.