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| 496 THE UNDERGROUND &ALL HO AD. be went and got his gun. and broke the breech of that over my head. He then seized up the fire-tonga and struck me over the head ever so often. The nezt thing he took was the parlor shovel and he beat on me with that till he broke the handle ; then he took the blade and stove it at my head with all his might. I told him that I was bound to come out of that room. He run up to the door and drawed hU knife and told me if I ventured to the door he would stab me. J never made it any better or •worse, but aimed straight for the door ; but before I reached it he stabbed me, drawing the knife (a common pocket knife) as hard as he could rip across iny stomach ; right away he began stabbing me about iny head,'' (marks tferc plainly to be seen). After a desperate struggle, Theophilus succeeded in getting out of the building. " I started," said he, " at once for Georgetown, carrying a part of my entrails in my hands for the wbole journey, sixteen miles. I went to my young masters, and they took me to an old colored woman, called Jndah Smith, and for five days and nights I -was under treatment of Dr. Henry Moore, Dr. Charles Henry Richards, and Dr. William Nowall; all these attended me. I was not expected to live for a long time, but the Doctors cured me at last" ANDREW reported that he fled from Dr. David Houston. " I left because of my master's meanness to me; he was a very mean man to his servants," said Andrew, " and I got so tired of him I couldn't stand him any longer." Andrew was about twenty-six years of age, ordinary size; color, brown, alid was entitled to his freedom, but knew not how to secure it by law, so resorted to the Underground Rail Road method. HANDY, another of this party, said that he left because the man who claimed to be his master "was so hard." The man by whom he had been wronged was known where he came from by the name of Shepherd Bur-tou, and was in the farming business. " He was a churchman," said Handy, " but he never allowed me to go to church a half dozen times in my life." ROBERT belonged to Mrs. Mary Hiokman, at least she had him in her possession and reaped the benefit of his hire and enjoyed the leisure and ease thereof while he toiled. For some time prior to his leaving, this had been a tliorn in his side, hard to bear; so when an opening presented itself by which he thought he could better his condition, he was ready to try the experiment. He, however, felt that, while she would not have him to look to for support, she would not be without sympathy, as she was a member of the Episcopal Chnrch; besides she was an old-looking woman and might not need his help a great while longer. |