Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom; or, the escape of William and Ellen Craft from slavery by William Craft;Ellen Craft
page 34 of 114 (29%)
page 34 of 114 (29%)
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carry out the plan."
But after I concluded to purchase the disguise, I was afraid to go to any one to ask him to sell me the articles. It is unlawful in Georgia for a white man to trade with slaves without the master's con- sent. But, notwithstanding this, many persons will sell a slave any article that he can get the money to buy. Not that they sympathize with the slave, but merely because his testimony is not admitted in court against a free white person. Therefore, with little difficulty I went to dif- ferent parts of the town, at odd times, and purchased things piece by piece, (except the trowsers which she found necessary to make,) and took them home to the house where my wife resided. She being a ladies' maid, and a favourite slave in the family, was allowed a little room to herself; and amongst other pieces of furniture which I had made in my overtime, was a chest of drawers; so when I took the articles home, she locked them up carefully in these drawers. No one about the premises knew that she had anything of the kind. So when we fancied we had everything ready the time was fixed for the flight. But we knew it would not do to start off without first getting our master's con- sent to be away for a few days. Had we left with- out this, they would soon have had us back into slavery, and probably we should never have got |
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