Robert was born in Martinsburg, Va., and was owned by Philip Pendleton.  From a boy he had always been hired out.  At the first of this year he commenced services with Mrs. Carroll, proprietress of the United States Hotel at Harper’s Ferry.  Of Mrs. Carroll he speaks in very grateful terms, saying that she was kind to him and all the servants, and promised them their freedom at her death.  She excused herself for not giving them their freedom on the ground that her husband died insolvent, leaving her the responsibility of settling his debts.

But while Mrs. Carroll was very kind to her servants, her manager was equally as cruel.  About a month before Wesley left, the overseer, for some trifling cause, attempted to flog him, but was resisted, and himself flogged.  This resistance of the slave was regarded by the overseer as an unpardonable offence; consequently he communicated the intelligence to his owner, which had the desired effect on his mind as appeared from his answer to the overseer, which was nothing less than instructions that if he should again attempt to correct Wesley and he should repel the wholesome treatment, the overseer was to put him in prison and sell him.  Whether he offended again or not, the following Christmas he was to be sold without fail.

Wesley’s mistress was kind enough to apprise him of the intention of his owner and the overseer, and told him that if he could help himself he had better do so.  So from that time Wesley began to contemplate how he should escape the doom which had been planned for him.

“A friend,” says he, “by the name of C. Matterson, told me that he was going off.  Then I told him of my master’s writing to Mrs. Carroll concerning selling, etc., and that I was going off too.  We then concluded to go together.  There were two others—­brothers of Matterson—­who were told of our plan to escape, and readily joined with us in the undertaking.  So one Saturday night, at twelve o’clock, we set out for the North.  After traveling upwards of two days and over sixty miles, we found ourselves unexpectedly in Terrytown, Md.  There we were informed by a friendly colored man of the danger we were in and of the bad character of the place towards colored people, especially those who were escaping to freedom; and he advised us to hide as quickly as we could.  We at once went to the woods and hid.  Soon after we had secreted ourselves a man came near by and commenced splitting wood, or rails, which alarmed us.  We then moved to another hiding-place in a thicket near a farmer’s barn, where we were soon startled again by a dog approaching and barking at us.  The attention of the owner of the dog was drawn to his barking and to where we were.  The owner of the dog was a farmer.  He asked us where we were going.  We replied to Gettysburg—­to visit some relatives, etc.  He told us that we were running off.  He then offered friendly advice, talked like a Quaker, and urged us to go with him to his barn for protection.  After much persuasion, we consented to go with him.