Still, William, Underground Rail Road:
A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, Etc.

Porter & Coales, Publishers, Philadelphia, PA, 1872
Call Number: 1400, MSA L1117

MSA L1117, Image No: 573   Enlarge and print image (50K)

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Still, William, Underground Rail Road:
A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, Etc.

Porter & Coales, Publishers, Philadelphia, PA, 1872
Call Number: 1400, MSA L1117

MSA L1117, Image No: 573   Enlarge and print image (50K)

 Jump to  
  << PREVIOUS   NEXT >>
648 THE UNDERGROUND RAIL ROAD. •She had lived a slave in Moore's family in the State of Missouri about ten years and said she was treated very well, had plenty to eat, plefcty to •wear, and a plenty of work. It was prior to her coming into the possession of Moore that Aunt Hannah hod been made to driuk the bitter waters of oppreseion. From this point, therefore, we shall present sonic of the incidents of her life, from infancy, and very nearly word for word as she related them: " Moore bought me from a man named McCaully, who owned me about a year. I fared dreadful bad under McCaully. One day in a rage he undertook to beat me with the limb of a cherry-tree; he began at me and tried in the first place to snatch my clothes oft', but he did not succeed. After that he beat the cherry-tree limb all to pieces over me. The first blow struck me on the back of my neck and knocked me down; his wife was looking on, sitting on the side of the bed crying to him to lay on. After the limb was worn out lie then went out to the yard and got a lath, and he come at me again and Ixxit me with that until he broke it all to pieces. He was not satisfied theu; he next wont to the fence and tore off a paling, and with that he took both hands, 'cursiug' me all the time as hard as he could. \V'ith an oath he would say, ' now don't you love me?' ' Oh master, I will pray for you, I would cry, then he would ' <'uss' harder than ever.' He boat me until he was tired and quit. I crept out of doors and throwed up blood ; some days I was hardly able to creep. With this beating I was laid up several weeks. Another time Mistress McCaully got very angry. One day she beat me as bad as he did. She was a woman who would get very mad in a minute. One day she began scolding and said the kitchen wasn't kept clean. I told her the kitchen was kept as clean as any kitohen in the place ; she spoke very angry, and said she didn't go by other folks but she had rules of her own. She soon ordered me to come in to her. I went in as she ordered mo; she met me with a mule-rope, and ordered me to cross my hands. I crossed my hands and she tied me to the bedstead. Here her husband said, ' my dear, now let me do the fighting.' In her mad fit she said lie shouldn't do it, and told him to stand back and keep out of the way or I will give you tho cowhide she siul to him. He then ' sot' down in a ' chenr' and looked like a man condemned to be hung ; then she whipped me with the cowhide until I sunk to the floor. lie then l)egged her to quit. Ho said to his wife she has beggwl and be^erl and you have whipped her enough. She only raged ' wus ;' she turned the butt end of the cowhide and struck me five or six blows over my head as hard as she t.-ould ; she then throwcd the cowhide down and told a little girl to untie me. The little girl was not able to do it; Mr. McCanlly then untied me himself. Both times that I was heat the blood run down from my head to ray feet. " They wouldn't give you anything to eat hardly. McCaully bore the name of coming by free colored children without buying them, and selling