for any privileges, she
had managed to learn to read a little, which knowledge she valued highly
and meant to improve in Canada.

Roberta professed to be a Christian, and was a member of the Bethel
Methodist Church. Her servitude, until within four years of her escape,
had been passed in Virginia, under Mrs. McCoy's father, when to
accommodate the daughter she was transferred to Baltimore. Of her
parentage or relatives no note was made on the book. It was sad to see
such persons destitute and homeless, compelled to seek refuge among
strangers, not daring to ask the slightest favor, sympathy or prayer to
aid her, Christian as she was, from any Christian of Baltimore, wearing
a fair skin.

* * * * *

ARRIVAL FROM HIGHTSTOWN, 1858.

ROBERT THOMPSON (A PREACHER).

Slavery exempted from the yoke no man with a colored skin no matter what
his faith, talent, genius, or worth might be. The person of Christ in a
black skin would scarcely have caused it to relinquish its tyrannical
grasp; neither God nor man was regarded by men who dealt in the bodies
and souls of their fellow-men. Robert stated to the Committee that he
fled from "John R. Laten, a very harsh kind of a farmer, who drank right
smart," that on the morning he "took out," while innocent of having
committed any crime, suddenly in a desperate fit of passion, his master
took him "by the collar," at the same time calling loudly to "John" for
"ropes." This alarming assault on the part of his master made the
preacher feel as though his Satanic majesty had possession of him. In
such a crisis he evidently felt that preaching would do no good; he was,
however, constrained to make an effort. To use his own words, he said:
"I gave a sudden jerk and started off on a trot, leaving my master
calling, 'stop! stop!' but I kept on running, and was soon out of
sight."

The more he thought over the brutal conduct of his master the more
decided he became never to serve him more, and straightway he resolved
to try to reach Canada. Being in the prime of his life (thirty-nine
years of age) and having the essential qualifications for traveling over
the Underground Rail Road, he was just the man to endure the trials
consequent upon such an undertaking.

Said Robert: "I always thought slavery hard, a very dissipated life to
live. I always thought we colored people ought to work for ourselves and
wives and children like other people." The Commi