four or five miles, when I came to a farm house. Before reaching it,
however, I met two men on horseback, on their way to the village. They
passed on without specially noticing me, and I kept on my way until
reaching the farmhouse. I was so hungry, I went in and asked for food.
While I was eating, the men whom I had met rode up. They had been to the
village, and, learning that a runaway slave was wanted, and remembering
meeting me, they returned in hot haste, in hope of finding me and
securing the reward. They hallooed to the people in the house, an old
woman and her daughter, whom they seemed to know, saying: "There is a
runaway nigger out, who stole off a boat this evening." The old lady
said, "Come," becoming frightened at once. When they came in they began
to question me. I trembled all over but answered them. They said: "You
are the fellow we want, who ran off the boat." I was too scared to deny
it; so I owned I was on the boat, and stole off. They did not tarry
long, but, taking me with them, they went, about a mile and a half, to
their house. They planned and talked all the way, and one said: "We are
good for $75.00 for him any way." The next morning they took me into the
village. They soon found out that the engineer, by order of the captain,
had stayed over to search for me. A lawsuit followed, and I was taken
before the magistrate before the engineer could get possession of me.
There was a legal course that had to be gone through with. A lawyer, Fox
by name, furnished the $75.00 for the men who had caught me. That part
of the case being settled, Fox and the engineer started for Evansville,
Ind., that same night. Upon arriving there, Fox received from the
captain of the boat the money he had advanced to the men who caught me;
and we went on, arriving at Louisville, Ky., the next day. I was then
taken again before a magistrate, by the captain, when the following
statement was read by that official:

"Captain Montgomery brought forth a boy, and said he is the property of