"I have heard it said by people in authority, Tom Ashbie owned 9000
acres of farm land besides of wood land. He was a large slave owner
having more than 100 slaves on his farm. They were awakened by blowing
of the horn before sunrise by the overseer, started work at sunrise and
worked all day to sundown, with not time to go to the cabin for dinner,
you carried your dinner with you. The slaves were driven at top speed
and whipped at the snap of the finger, by the overseers, we had four
overseers on the farm all hired white men.

"I have seen men beaten until they dropped in their tracks or knocked
over by clubs, women stripped down to their waist and cowhided.

"I have heard it said that Tom Ashbie's father went to one of the cabins
late at night, the slaves were having a secret prayer meeting. He heard
one slave ask God to change the heart of his master and deliver him from
slavery so that he may enjoy freedom. Before the next day the man
disappeared, no one ever seeing him again; but after that down in the
swamp at certain times of the moon, you could hear the man who prayed in
the cabin praying. When old man Ashbie died, just before he died he told
the white Baptist minister, that he had killed Zeek for praying and that
he was going to hell.

"There was a stone building on the farm, it is there today. I saw it
this summer while visiting in Virginia. The old jail, it is now used as
a garage. Downstairs there were two rooms, one where some of the
whipping was done, and the other used by the overseer. Upstairs was used
for women and girls. The iron bars have coroded, but you can see where
they were. I have never seen slaves sold on the farm, but I have seen
them taken away, and brought there. Several times I have seen slaves
chained taken away and chained when they came.