The Express.
London, England, 1864-08-15 00:00:00

STORY OP A BLACK itEPUGEE,.

A correspondent writes from the Federal station
at Beaufort, Smith Carolina, fa inns :
On the let of the present month there enme into on: lines
at Beaufort, South Carolina, * abort, stout. thickset negro
man, black as night, with not a drop of white blood in hi'.
veins, but with unmistakable intelligence in every feature, a
countenance radiant with good-eaters, and whops shrewd
observations and remarks would have done credit to the i c
tellect of the best specimen of the Oatieasisn nee. He
landed from a primitive boat, not made of " liadrushee,''
bat from a name kind of gran, whisk bad Bret been
twisted into a rope of 1,1 inch in diameter. To keep tb:s
t rope together, it was bound round, or, so tits psalm word
term it, aerooi, with other grim.

This rope was plaited together u I have seen door m-te,
beginning in the centre, and building out to form the
foundation or Boor, then up to form the Aden It Ives rive
feet four inches in leagni, three feet friar loch.. bread, and
cue foot six inches in depth—measuring from the top or
bulwark' of the boat. On the bottom, or Inside fluor, to
keep it from collapsing, there were Wes pieces of pito
wood. There was an old abutter on the °Maid*, or under-
neath, on which the boat was fastened. Inside and outside it
was pitched, to keep it watertight. The roan Fire his name
as Jack Frowurat Oak* that be was horn the slave of Dr.
Hall, Fidler, of Beaufort, S.C. now of Baltimore—a n... 0
who was among the foremost to Like South Carolina out < f
the Calm:, but who was too shrewd (or something Cm)
to waning with esosesion, as by so dams be might loss
his " possawicas, tot he was very rash." la world be
hard to convince Jaak that kis umsest in net .• secs.-
sionist still, we his dimes liseiheen lent to Elder 'Jolley
for their victuals and clothes "till the war is over."

Jack spent most of his life on one or the other of the
doctor's plantations near Beaufort, always verities as a
field hand. He does not know his ego, hot I should judge
him to be 45. The noble fellow would not make his ago
au excuse for not fighting for others' freedom. He has en-
listed in what was formerly the Ist S. C. Coloured Regi-
ment (Colonel Higginson), now known as the 33rd U. S.
C. T. i gin Jaak's narrative le his own words, as writtea
down by Mr. Judd, omitting such peerages as would impli-
cate Jack's amietanta.

I" Two years ago now, the doctor sent me and sixteen
others to the village of Aikia, I,Z miles back, wloae
the country is all broken up into hills and valleys,
where we were to work for Mandge Holley, who was to
keep us, the doctor told us, till the war wee over--be
(Honey) giving us victuals and clothes. About the
15th of May, 1d6.3, I started off one dark night to gat
to Beaufort ; took only a blanket and pair of pants,
and travelled as hard as I could till almost room-
ier, and then hid in the swamµµ I was disturbed
and frightened by the cry of bloodhoeeds coming
oo my Mack. To get away, I bad to noes the. swamp
end double on them, going towards Augusto. Bat they
kept the acorn, and chased me all day, though I went
acme brooks and swamps ever so maim Mmes. Bo it was
12 o'clock at night when I got to the bridge at Auguste,
though distant but 16 mike from AO tee. At the far end
of the bridge is • gate when the goad stands pelt ; and
ohm I mane to him be asked me where I was from, and I
told him from Gardner's Comer; when be said he thought
I was lying, and if be knew I was be would sorely kill me,
foe no Bigger ahead roe away to the d—d Yuba, if he
could help it. After that he took me to pol, sad word
was sent to Dr. Fuller, who seat and told Holley I was in
gaol at Augusta, and be had Met take me out, and do Jost
as heehaw to do with me, may be mast keep me aim till
after the war. There were 16 bloodhounds and 12 men
after me, wo I found oat when I got beck to Aikeo, gad
they only lost my track at 10 o'clock. Jost as moon as
Master Honey got me bane, besetithe dorsi° worry and bite
me, and the soars on coy legs and arms are what they did
with their teeth. Alter begat tied of that fun, he took me
to • blaasmith, who pate nag armed m ankle, banding
the ends in when it was red hot." (A large sear a an
around the ankle, showing the mark from the barn of tte
hot iron.) Arad then • heavy timber chain was wound twice
around my waist, and locked. The chain weighed as much
as fifty pounds, and was put next to ray 'thin, and I wore
both thew derbies four weeks, and get a bard dogging every
day beside. Neater Holley Woadf whipped me, swim he
bad got me now when he wanted me, and where be would
have full matidatition. When he took off the fetters I was
too Miasma sick to do anything, and be lambed at me,
tiding me I had better ' try again to go to the Yan-
kees. Sims tb,a Holley has kept • gaud on all his Diggers,
so that we could sot get away, watching m so dem stud
treating me so badly that I got completely cowed, and gave
it up till the last day of March in this year when be set me
a new tuk, to go to the woods and cut and split 155 rails,
feeding sad watering the cattle. 25 head, three them • day,
bands doing the Lommumen's chores. for • day's work.
When I came up at noon, the first day, to get some-
thing to cat, the house w oetae told me Mr. Holley
would give me GLO lashes busses I had sot cot
some firewood before I went away in the morning.
I said, ' I can't do more den I can. Hes master, an' I
Wave, sad I can't hinder him.' So atom droner I west down
in • little bash, where I could see when Hutu Holly oorne
home, and, when be did come the boesuromen told him
what mho said she +add, sad be went off very.ottiek
toward whir. I bad boos working, hat 01 ODOM be did not
hod ma then; and so by and by I saw him come back and
go into the home. In • little while he came out with his
gm. sad • sword buckled armed him. and whistled for his
six bloodhound dega, who went attar him. As exam I saw
that, I jumped up mod ran like lightning the other way.
When the hounds fairly got as my trail and I beard them,
I was two miles off, mil by cumin little menthe I pot
them out till an hear before madam, when I came to a
pond and could see the dogs not more than :900 yards
behind me. I tumbled right is sad waded out
till I could Pat touch any toes and keep my noes above
water to breathe, and the dogs lost me entirely.
When Holly and the other ms cane down to thlo pond
they rode all around it, and 1 baud them say, 'He can't
get AMU DO how, for we an come in the morning. apd the
doge will take hie scent and find him.' Attar they had
gone I got oat and wrong out my clothes, saddened by the
road direct, and ran adwalked all sigh& till I ham I wee
gone 35 miles from Aiken ; and thee at daydawn I got to a
pond, and went oat on • log that was sticking in the water,
and Woke down some rashes and bathes 'sough to No down
on and cover me up, and there I kept all day, for 1 was
dreadful tired, and moot starved, too. When night come I
wee so weak from hunger that I amid acareely ger along ;
but I felt better when I harked sad couldn't bear so dogs.
So I cause on and got a half-mile, when I saw a little
boom jut back from the road, amid thJurlit it wan •
nigger Muse, and mot al gig up to tits door. when •
white woman came out ad soared on. dreadfully. She
asked no what I wanted, sad I saw I was in for a
lie anyhow. So I sad, 'ls master at ham? and sure
enough he came right out. When be asked me where
I came from I to' biro Poootaigo, and before be could
sek say move I said. ' We cached fifty Yankees yesterday
dowa there, ad muter was so Melded that he let nee go up
to Ramwell'a to see my family.' Then 1 mid I had got off
tho track and was hungry, sad would net be sell me some-
thing to eat. The ammo streakedaiglht late the he.,. and
brought ma oata piece of breed and a bona with "Attila meat
on it, and said they should not az anything from • good
faithful nigger. The man said the sews was greed, and this
he told me to go op the very road 1 had jest come down,
and I started, but only went on till I saw him go isto
the house, and then turned and wan softly the other way,
eating as I went :Jam, and trying to be thankful to the
man for hie good iotestiocia. Then Meet the lot of
May I began to go about at night to try to find where
the Beath pickets were, s as to watch for a chance to
gut on to Port Royal. One night I mine down .to Port
Royal Ferry and hid myself in a ditch—l 'lid not know it
was a rifle pit—close to the causeway. I bad sot been there
more than two minutes before two pickets came and sat
down within five fret of use, so near that I could hear every
word they said. Then I thought my time had come. But
they went to sleep after two boon, and I mewled away, and
war getting ready to go in for • swim to the Yoakum All
at coos • picket started up from the bulkhead and snug
out, 'Who goes dare!' I answered, ' A friend,' and blood
and mo. He did not tire,. bat shouted to the other
picket to atop me, but before they were aware of it I
was clean gone. So I found it was of no toe to try to
get over that way, and concluded to try another. I got
an axe and knife—no matter how—and I cut • lot of
rushee, and went to work in the wood and made this
boat. It took roe two days to weave it after the stuff wee
all ready. The pitch 1 got by cutting into • tree sad catch-
ing the gum. The old 'Miter nadeden to the bottom of my
boat came from Pr. Fuller's house. It was three elites to
the water, and I carried the basket alone on my bead in the
dark night for far of pickets. It ass rio Lea is the sight
when I got all ready to oat on the creek that I did sot get
down to the Coosa till daybreak, and so I landed on a little
hummock close by the mouth of the creek, and hid
the beat and myself for another day. Bat be-
fore nine o'clock next night I put out and peddled
over to Port Royal, too glad to get away. The Yankee
picket was sot asleep, bat challamed me before 1 got over
mar the shore, and I told him right off I wee • runaway
sager coming ashore foe freedom ! The Basica picket heard
me. aid after I got up the bank be boned emus :--
. Yolks, who you get r Yanks say. ' One your fellows.'
' What you ming to do with biro r . Don't know ; wbat you
' think bat r ' Cut him up for flehhait ; he is good for
nothiag elm' "
Jack will prove him a false prophet. I would ash it Jack
Prows isnot as worthy of freedom as his former owner.
Dr. Fuller—aye, as soy other human being en O'd'e round
earth. He has shows. the pluck, the grit, of so Aim/e-
-goism—the perseverance and heroism of a true, genuine,
sad noble roan.

RoTAI. Fall HOSPITAL, GRAY'S-11RN-110AD. —The
*Lieber of pat:este relieved et this haspittl &Wee t►e wok
ending kith August wee 3,473, of which 1,094 sere new
cum

DOCTOR, what do you advise I
DEsttß dvise Alfred Melba's Concerts : afterwards to EVANS'.
ENT-GAJWILIt. bear some charming singing, order one of
ttrir capital chops and magnificent potatoes, and Jut Is the best
advice I ten give row.