The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1864-04-26

The renders of Dred' will recall, by
THIS narrative, some Of the features oi
that remarkable work. The truth
fitness Of these statements can be en-,
tirely relied on.
While lskpg the census Of Craney
Island, last summer, ! BECAME ac-
quainled wilh a nan aud his wife who
had come rom Suffolk few weeks
previously, and from whom CLEANED
tie following narrative:
Calling at house,.l explained to
ibe womsn. who wanted me TO enter
the objeci Of my wish, and asked,
Have you a husband \
Yes, lie is jusl out Of the door
When be came 10 asked, What
is your name
Abraham Lester.
j am as, or 10 my 4ith year !
was i5 the 10Th Of last March.
One of the inquiries to be made,
was How long have you eeen in the
Union lines 2 But very often the
eontrabands did not undestaud the
question, 50 / asked, How long have
you been from home ? foI home is
the.term they generally apply to their
place Of abode with their masters.
lie answered, -four years
Supposing that be misunderstood
me, for il had not been that length
OF time since the war commenced, |
asked, How long have yoa been with
the Union army
Ever since they came TO Suffolk.
was in Dismal Swamp three years,
and when heard that iIie Yankees
had come to Suffolk ! weat with them
and have been with them ever since.
What did you live Upon ia the
swamp r
o., / always had enough to eat. ]
killed 'coons,' possums and bears, and
used to get wild honey lived well,
always lad enough 10 eat
Why did you run away from your
mastery
Because he was 50 bad ! couldn't
live him lie generally hired me out
down South, and only came home
at Christmas. But that year he SAID
| could suit others and | had cot 70
stay At home aud suit him. | stood Il
as long as | could. He swore he
would Kill me, 50 | ran away. Mas
ter was so bad thet eyeN boy and girl
be had would run away as soon a
they were big enough a little girl,
only twelve years old, once stayed
away two months in he fore part Of
the season, living on eren . bufies, or
whatever else size could get, and was
almost starved when She was found
The first time | ever saw that woman.
said he, pointing to the one to whom
] he'd spoken. she was in the swamp.
We agr ed to live together on condi-
tion that she was to 20 only when and
where ! said. So we camped there
in the swamp. Our camp he called
il, we should call it hut, or cabin, was
built in the water, ana filed ii blocks
Of wood for floor, so as 10 keep
above the water, and many time !
have had to get up in the night aud
raise up my bed so as to keep from
9 ting wet But always when We
stepped out of the door we Went from
knee deep to waist deep in the wafer,
| did not let my wife 20 out much,and
she got so fat she could hardly walk
] used to catch fish, take them out TO
the colored families living on farms,
aud swap them for meal and such
things. | worked with men who
were getting shingles in the swamp,
and they used to get things for me in
pay for work. | had two guns while
there, and could always get meat
enough. ! always Lad plenty TO eat.
My curiosity being partially graft
fled, it was necessary to finish the re-
quired inquiries, SO | asked the names
of his children; but he gave 50 many
names that ! knew so young woman
as his swamp wife was not the moth
er Of them all, and asked some
questions TO that effect.
20, | have two wives, said he
You see ] left that woman, pointing
70 q sick woman sitting near, and her
children up the country, and IS ney-
cr intended 10 % back 70 my master,
! never expected to see her again, so
| took this woman. But after | went
"a Suffolk she heard was there and
came TO me with seven children. She
was my wife and ! could MOI turn her
off; SO ! have done the best | could
10 lake care Of them. Ii has been
pretty hard scratching bHt | haYe
got along 20 Car. worked al Suffolk
til | got lame, and want to 60 to work
again as soon a. get well.
! afierwari learned other particu
lars from ,Iis slave and his wife, and
a fellow servant. He said. Master
lived fifteen miles from Suffolk, and
twenty one miles from the swamp
Il was the 7ih Of May. | think, that ]
ran away. though il aas nearly two
months before that | went to the
swamp, bat bad no been there three
days ahen ! first saw my wife. 1 id
not live III tie time 10 one part Of the
swamp; but had several different
camps. During eighteen months Of
tie time | only saw two white men
Il waseeFcn or eigli miles OFT 70 suf-
folk, and eight ile otLer way on 70
u hero families lived | had broken