out. The Ashbies did not have any children of their own, but they had boy$ and ~îr1s of his own sister and they were much like him, they had maids or private waiter for the young men ~f th~,r wanted them.

	‘fi have heard it said by people in authority, Tom Ashbie owiied 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 sundov~n, 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 th,e finger ‚ by the overs eers ‚ we had four overs eers on the farm all hired white mon.

	HI have seen men beaten ~antil they dropped in their tracks or knock-‘

od over by clubs, women stripped dov~i to their wai~t and cowhided.

	“I have heard it said that Tom Ashbie‘s father went to one of the babins 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 r~n 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 ~shbie 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 ~. stone buildir~ on the farm, it is there today. I saw it this swnmer while visiting in Virginia. The old jaili~ 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 sl ayes ~o id on the farm, but I have seen them taken away, and brought there~. Several times I have seen slaves chained takeii away