That was what got him in trouble. Slaves was not allowed to read. They didn't want them to know that freedom was coming. That Indian in uncle Tom made him not scared of anybody. He had a newspaper with latest war news and gathered a crowd of slaves to read them when peace was coming.
White men say it done to get uprising among slaves.
A crowd of white gather and take uncle Tom to jail. Twenty of them say they would beat him, each man, till they so tired they can't lay on one more lick. If he still alive, then they hang him. They had him in jail overnight. His young master got wind of it, and went to save his man.