The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-12-13
FRIDAY, DECEMBER -, 1895.
THE STORY OF MY LIFE"
As Related by J. W.henson in the Methodist
Church Last Monday Evening. A Large
Attendance and an Interesting
Discourse.

masters name was Rogers My par
ents were sold from me, and sent to
Georgia when l was about three years
old. l would have been sold, but
belonged to Mr.. Rogers nephew, who
lived in New York, and so he had no
right to sell me. My childhood and
boyhood was very hard. Had no
mother to go to. AS for clothing,
had scarcely any. No shoes, and on
ly single skirt to cover us. Would
90 for the cattle, and stand in their
bed to warm my feet. There my
childhood was spent.
There were overseers, whose bust
ness 1t was to see to it that we worked,
and they attended to their business.
They would drive us with a whip like
you would drive COW. We would
work all day, come in and get a bite
OF herring, salt meat and corn bread.
If we were industrious, and wanted to
make few pennies, we would work
nights plating mats and send them to
the market. At Christmas the men
would get pair of shoes, pantaloons
and jacket. The shoes were sup
posed to last all year. When they
were worn out we went barefooted.
To wear more than one coat was a
sufhclent cause for a fogging. l
came near receiving whipping for
wearing two coats. Our shirts were
made from coarse material, something
like you use for drying your hands.
After | grew up, | was taken by
my master as coachman, and given
pair OF boots which l was obliged
to take off when the drive was over.
l was big boy when l received my
ilrst pair OF pants. Up to this time |
mad worn dresses, something like you
call hu5-a-de-hub, (meaning Mother
Hubbard). Before this, /, like all the
other children, went around in little
skirt. lived this way until became
a young man, when it pleased the
Lord to awaken me to a sense of nv
danger AT the time, we were play
ing on the lawn in front of the house.
where they kept us SO as to be handy
when they wanted us, which was very
often. My mistress was a very con-
trary woman. As contrary as a mule.
AS an example of her manners, I
might say, that the men who cut the
Ice were in the habit of coming to the
room and warming by the fire place.
She had 1t all walled up, excepting a
space large enough to put in the kettle
and there she would stand when thew
came in wet and cold. She was a
great card player, and there were few
men IN the whole country that could
beat her. If she did not have enough
money, she would sell slave. We
had news paper in Baltimore called
the sun. The poor people would
watch 1t for advertisements of runa
way slaves. 1t contained a picture
OF HIM making for the North. The
question is often asked, how did they
get away' Some said they had an
underground railway, which ended in
canada. The slave had few friends
IN the North. The Quakers would
always befriend them. A slave once
ran away, and got up in Bucks county
with his master in pursuit. He ran
INTO the house, and the woman asked
nm the trouble, and he told her thew
were after him. She wore large hoops,
the fashion In those days, and con-
cealed him under her skirts. The pur-
suers came in and made a thorough
search OF the house, but never thought
TO look under the ladys skirt. ran
away 1t was a great undertaking
ana very dangerous, as all along the
way there were parties watching for
run-aways But the Lord promised
ne would not forsake me. / travelled
all night, and during the day l would
lay down in the woods. | kept on
this way until l got to Harrisburg.
from there | went to Sunbury, where
l was employed by Mr.. Greenough, a
lawyer, as coachman. Some said to
me, ''are you going to live with Mrs.
Greenough1 Wellyou can't live there.
She is too contrary. She was master
and mistress" l knew what was the
matter with the old woman. She
was quick tempered and wanted her
own way, and / left her have it, |
did what she told me to do, and l
never had better place in my life.
lived with her three years, and came
to Danville where l remained fifteen
years. lived with all kinds of peo
pie, and never had man say anything