nce, Abram gave the following information concerning his
knowledge of affairs on the farm under his master--

"Master and mistress very frequently visited the Protestant Church, but
were not members. Mistress was very bad. About three weeks before I
left, the overseer, in a violent fit of bad temper, shot and badly
wounded a young slave man by the name of Henry Waters, but no sooner
than he got well enough he escaped, and had not been heard of up to the
time Abram left. About three years before this happened, an overseer of
my master was found shot dead on the road. At once some of the slaves
were suspected, and were all taken to the Court House, at Serentown, St.
Mary's county; but all came off clear. After this occurrence a new
overseer, by the name of John Decket, was employed. Although his
predecessor had been dead three years, Decket, nevertheless, concluded
that it was not 'too late' to flog the secret out of some of the slaves.
Accordingly, he selected a young slave man for his victim, and flogged
him so cruelly that he could scarcely walk or stand, and to keep from
being actually killed, the boy told an untruth, and confessed that he
and his Uncle Henry killed Webster, the overseer; whereupon the poor
fellow was sent to jail to be tried for his life."

But Abram did not wait to hear the verdict. He reached the Committee
safely in this city, in advance of his companion, and was furnished with
a free ticket and other needed assistance, and was sent on his way
rejoicing. After reaching his destination, he wrote back to know how his
friend and companion (George) was getting along; but in less than three
weeks after he had passed, the following brief story reveals the sad
fate of poor _Romulus Hall_, who had journeyed with him till exhausted
from hunger and badly frost-bitten.

A few days after his younger companion had passed on North, Romulus was
brought by a pitying stranger to the Vigilance Committee, in a most
shocking condition. The frost had made sad havoc with his feet and legs,
so much so that all sense of feeling had departed therefrom.

[Illustration: DEATH OF ROMULUS HALL.]

How he ever reached this city is a marvel. On his arrival medical
attention and other necessary comforts were provided by the Committee,
who hoped with himself, that he would be restored with the loss of his
toes alone. For one week he seemed to be improving; at the expiration of
this time, however, his symptoms changed, indicatin