THEIR ATTEMPT TO MAKE THEIR ESCAPE


Two years after my father's departure, my mother, with her two
children, my sister and myself, attempted to make her escape. After
traveling two days we reached Illinois. We slept in the woods at
night. I believe my mother had food to supply us but fasted herself.
But the advertisement had reached there before us, and loafers were
already in search of us, and as soon as we were discovered on the
brink of the river one of the spies made enquiries respecting her
suspicious appearance. She was aware that she was arrested,
consequently she gave a true account of herself--that she was in
search of her husband. We were then destitute of any articles of
clothing excepting our wearing apparel. Mother had become so weary
that she was compelled to leave our package of clothing on the way. We
were taken back to St. Louis and committed to prison and remained
there one week, after which they put us in Linch's trader's yard,
where we remained about four weeks. We were then sold to William
Lewis. Mr. Lewis was a very severe master, and inflicted such
punishment upon us as he thought proper. However, I only remember one
severe contest Mr. Lewis had with my mother. For some slight offence
Mrs. Lewis became offended and was tartly and loudly reprimanding her,
when Mr. L. came in and rashly felled her to the floor with his fist.
But his wife was constantly pulling our ears, snapping us with her
thimble, rapping us on the head and sides of it. It appeared
impossible to please her. When we first went to Mr. L.'s they had a
cowhide which she used to inflict on a little slave girl she
previously owned, nearly every night. This was done to learn the
little girl to wake early to wait on her children. But my mother was a