ng the South he was hired in the family of Ex-Governor
Gregory. Of the Governor and his wife he spoke very highly,--said that
they were kind to him and would readily favor him whenever he solicited
them to do so. He stated that after making his arrangements to start, in
order that he might be away several days before being missed, he told
Mrs. Gregory that he would be glad to spend a week with his mother, (she
lived some distance in the country). As he was not feeling very well she
kindly acceded to his request, and told him to ask the Governor for a
pass and some money. The Governor was busy writing, but he at once
granted the prayer, wrote him a pass, gave John five dollars, adding
that he was sorry that he had no more in his pocket, &c. John bowed and
thanked the Governor, and soon got ready for his visit; but his route
lay in a far different direction than that contemplated by the Governor
and his lady. He was aiming for the Underground Rail Road. As has
already been intimated, he was not owned by the Governor, but by the
Ferrell heirs--five children who had moved from Virginia to Alabama
years back. "Every Ferrell that lives is down on slaves; they are very
severe," said John. Yet he had not suffered as many others had who
belonged to them, as he had been a dining-room servant. At one time they
had owned large numbers of slaves, but latterly they had been selling
them off. Contrary to John's wishes his Alabama owners had notified him
as well as the Governor, that in a short while he was to be taken to
Alabama. This induced John to act with great promptness in leaving at
the time that he did.

After passing several years in Canada as has been already noticed, he
returned to Richmond and paid a visit to his old home.

He found that the governor and his wife had both departed, but two of
the daughters (young ladies), still lived. They were both glad to see
him; the younger especially; she told him that she was glad that he
escaped, and that she "prayed for him." The elder remarked that she had
always thought that he was too "good a Christian to run away." Another
thing which she referred to, apparently with much feeling, was this: On
his way to Canada, he wrote to the governor, from Rochester, "that he
need put himself to no trouble in hunting him up, as he had made up his
mind to visit Canada." She thought that John was rather "naughty," to
write thus to her "papa," nevertheless, she was disposed to forgive him,
aft