Mother was sold to Captain Plasio.  My sister to Benj.  Board, and myself to Capt.  Ephraim Frisbee.  The man who bought my mother was a Spaniard.  After she had been there a short time he tried to have my mother let my brother stop at his saloon, a very dissipated place, to wait upon his miserable crew, but my mother objected.  In spite of her objections he took him down to try him, but some Union soldiers called at the saloon, and noticing that he was very small, they questioned him, and my brother, child like, divulged the whole matter.  The Captain, fearful of being betrayed and losing his property, let him continue with my mother.  The Captain paid eight hundred dollars for my mother and brother.  We were all sold for extravagant prices.  My sister, aged sixteen, was sold for eight hundred and fifty dollars; I was sold for nine hundred dollars.  This was in 1863.  My mother was cook and fared very well.  My sister was sold to a single gentleman, whose intended took charge of her until they were married, after which they took her to her home.  She was her waiter, and fared as well as could be expected.  I fared worse than either of the family.  I was not allowed enough to eat, exposed to the cold, and not allowed through the cold winter to thoroughly warm myself once a month.  The house was very large, and I could gain no access to the fire.  I was kept constantly at work of the heaviest kind,—­compelled to move heavy trunks and boxes,—­many times to wash till ten and twelve o’clock at night.  There were three deaths in the family while I remained there, and the entire burden was put upon me.  I often felt to exclaim as the Children of Israel did:  “O Lord, my burden is greater than I can bear.”  I was then seventeen years of age.  My health has been impaired from that time to the present.  I have a severe pain in my side by the slightest over exertion.  In the Winter I suffer intensely with cold, and cannot get warm unless in a room heated to eighty degrees.  I am infirm and burdened with the influence of slavery, whose impress will ever remain on my mind and body.  For six months I tried to make my escape.  I used to rise at four o’clock in the morning to find some one to assist me, and at last I succeeded.  I was allowed two hours once in two weeks to go and return three miles.  I could contrive no other way than to improve one of these opportunities, in which I was finally successful.  I became acquainted with some persons who assisted slaves to escape by the underground railroad.  They were colored people.  I was to pretend going to church, and the man who was to assist and introduce me to the proper parties was to linger on the street opposite the house, and I was to follow at a short distance.  On Sunday evening I begged leave to attend church, which was reluctantly granted if I completed all my work, which was no easy task.  It appeared as if my mistress used every possible exertion to delay me from church, and I concluded that her old cloven-footed companion