The Portland daily press., 1865-04-15
.trnctad-oue a. a time. for thew and not ven-

structed-one at time, for they did not ven
ture to 60 together to this secret school.
In this way he learned to read and wlise
Had they betrayed the Jew bis punisnnen'
for teaching slaves to read would nave oeen
severe. In process of time 10 Deca'ie Aho"n
that be could read and write, and consequent
" his master became uneasy and said he would
col, h;,,, u,s master often accused him OF
,,os;ro and intention of running away, but ne
:, os.on denied it, and he told us that he did
,h;nk much of escaping from bondage at that
time. for his task was easy and gave him
,ood deal of time to earn money for himself
,yhich he did, he did not then know that he
could do any better than remain there. But
his master could not be satisfied, and finally
nut him upon the auction block, and he was
bid off at some hundreds of dollars.
His new master carried him to Tenne-
see for farm laborer, but he refused to
work on the farm, and told his new master he
Lad always lived in the city and he would not
work in the field, do to him what he pleased.
His master became tired OF him, ana sou
him to slave trader for the same amount ne
gave for him, He was taken to Kentucky py
th;s slava sneculator where he remained some
eight months before he was again sold. Whlle
with his third master, he Jared well, and lived
an easy, idle life.
At last he was sold to another slave dealer
for thirteen hundred dollars, and taken down
the Mississippi river to New Orleans, with
some dozen more slaves, where he was again
placed on the auction block and sold for a
price we have now forgotten; but profit was
made on the sale. He and his master and
few more human chattels went on board
steamboat bound up the river to his new mas
ter's plantation. The boat touched at Match
ez in the night, AMI our young man Walked on
and was left, Just as he intended to be. He
walked up through the town and slept that
night under fence.
While in New Orleans he had prepared him
self with some printed blank bills OF saie' land
thought he would try the power OF the learn
inc he had received from. the Jew. He filed
out one of these blanks in negro hut at
Natchez and made himself free man, SO lar
as pen and ink would go. Armed Win tnis
document, he took passage in another steam
boat and landed at Memphis, and, what may
be considered the more remarkable, he was
not asked to pay his passage during the trip.
1t was taken for granted that his master was
on board, and all had been made right; SO he
stepped off at Memphis, and had no occasion
to use his bogus bill Of sale.
After much trouble he found his way TO
Cincinnati, and there had an interview with
colored person who was the Treasurer OF the
underground railroad" In course OF time he
made his way to Montreal, where he engaged
in tobacco mandatory, and felt that the
hellhounds of slavery could not follow him to
that Canadian city. Before he reached Cana
da he never felt SAFE How grateful to his
ears was the news of the fall Of Richmond
His mother and sister are now in that city,
he supposes, as he has heard nothing from
them for a long time. He says he should have
gloried in marching into Richmond with the
colored troops, and seen the old flag raised
upon the rebel capitol.