One day, when several Negroes had just recovered from an unusual amount of chastisement, the little Negro, John Rudd, was playing in the front yard of the Moore’s house when he heard a soft voice calling him.  He knew the voice belonged to Shell Moore, one of his best friends at the Moore estate.  Shell had been among those severely beaten and little John had been grieving over his misfortunes.  “Shell had been in the habbit of whittling out whistles for me and pettin’ of me,” said the now aged negro.  “I went to see what he wanted wif me and he said ’Goodby Johnnie, you’ll never see Shellie alive after today.’” Shell made his way toward the cornfield but the little Negro boy, watching him go, did not realize what situation confronted him.  That night the master announced that Shell had run away again and the slaves were started searching fields and woods but Shell’s body was found three days later by Rhoder McQuirk, dangling from a rafter of Moore’s corn crib where the unhappy Negro had hanged himself with a leather halter.

Shell was a splendid worker and was well worth a thousand dollars.  If he had been fairly treated he would have been happy and glad to repay kindness by toil.  “Mars Henry would have been better to all of us, only Mistress Jane was always rilin’ him up,” declared John Rudd as he sat in his rocking chair under a shade tree.

“Jane Moore, was the daughter of Old Thomas Rakin, one of the meanest men, where slaves were concerned, and she had learnt the slave drivin’ business from her daddy.”

Uncle John related a story concerning his mother as follows:  “Mama had been workin’ in the cornfield all day ’till time to cook supper.  She was jes’ standin’ in the smoke house that was built back of the big kitchen when Mistress walks in.  She had a long whip hid under her apron and began whippin Mama across the shoulders, ‘thout tellin’ her why.  Mama wheeled around from whar she was slicin’ ham and started runnin’ after old Missus Jane.  Ole Missus run so fas’ Mama couldn’t catch up wif her so she throwed the butcher knife and stuck it in the wall up to the hilt.”  “I was scared.  I was fraid when Marse Henry come in I believed he would have Mama whipped to death.”

“Whar Jane?” said Mars Henry.  “She up stairs with the door locked,” said Mama.  Then she tole old Mars Henry the truth about how mistress Jane whip her and show him the marks of the whip.  She showed him the butcher knife stickin’ in the wall.  “Get yer clothes together,” said Marse Henry.

John then had to be parted from his mother.  Henry Rudd [TR:  ‘Moore’ written above in brackets.] believed that the Negroes were going to be set free.  War had been declared and his desire was to send Liza far into the southern states where the price of a good negro was higher than in Kentucky.  When he reached Louisville he was offered a good price for her service and hired her out to cook at a hotel.  John grieved over the loss of his mother but afterwards learned she had been well treated at Louisville.  John Rudd continued to work for Henry Moore until the Civil War ended.  Then Henry Snyder came to the Moore home and demanded his brothers to be given into his charge.