The Johnson family slaves were liberated, at the death of their owner,
by a will, the writer and executor of which had run off into the rebel
army, carrying it with him. A distant relative of Mr. Johnson, a
worthless, shiftless, ignorant fellow, moved upon the plantation, and
claimed not only the property, but the slaves. "When our troops were
about leaving Piketon, the most intelligent of the Slone family asked
of Captain H----, A. A. Q. M., the privilege of using a push-boat to
transport the family down the river. Consent was given them, and, the
next morning, the _two_ families gathered together, the old and young,
men and women and children, numbering fifty-nine souls, and started
down the river. Colonel C----, commanding the post, had them arrested,
and ordered them back. One of his own officers represented to him that
these people had an order for the boat from General Garfield, and,
becoming alarmed, he let them go upon their way. Soon, however, the
biped hounds were on their track, in hot pursuit. Two slaves, married
into these families, had escaped and followed this boat-load. Although
their villainous masters had fought in the rebel army, they were
furnished with passes to pursue their fleeing slaves, under the
protection of the United States arms. These pursuers, weary and
exhausted, stopped at a slave-trader's above Paintsville, where a
large bend in the river enabled them to gain several miles by a cross
cut, took horses, and arrived at foot of Buffalo Shoals just as the
boat-load of fifty-nine frightened souls were going over it. They at
once leveled their rifles, and ordered the boat to lie-to, supposing
their slaves were aboard. They did so, and occupied a small vacant hut
on the bank of the river, awaiting a Government boat that would be
down on the following morning. Early the next morning, (Sunday,) two
lewd fellows of the baser sort, pursuing them in a skiff, landed at
the place of rendezvous, and were about to rush into the cabin, when
the leader of the negroes stopped them, saying:

"Porter and Radcliff, _you can't enter here_; we have none of your
slaves."

But the boldest of these desperadoes, tiger-like, crouched on his
hands and knees, and got in the rear of the cabin. Then, suddenly
rushing upon the old man, said, "Damn you, I'll shoot you any way,"
and fired, the ball lodging in the abdomen. He continued to fire,
indiscriminately, into the group of women and children, hitting one
girl i