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STORY OF AL EX HUGGINS ‚ E1-SIAVE


920 Dawson Street, Wilmington, N. C.


	“I was born In New Bern on July 9, 1850. My father and mother beLonged to Mr. L. B. Huggins. My £‘ather was a carpenter and ship builder ant the first things I remember was down on Myrtle Grove Sound, where Mr. Hu~gins had a place. I was a sort of bad boy an‘ liked to roam ‘round. When I was abo ut twelve years old I ran away. It was in 1863 when the war was goin‘ on.

	“Nobody was bein‘ niean to me. No, I was‘nt bein‘ whipped. Don‘t you know aU that story ‘bout slaves bein‘ vzhipped is all. Bunk, (with scornful emphasis) . What pusson with any sense is soin‘ to take his horse or his cow an‘ beat it up. 1t11s p~ope‘ty. ~(e was prope‘ty. Val‘able prope‘ty. No,indeed, Mr. Luke give the bes‘ of attention to his colored people, an‘ Mis‘ Huggins was like a mother to my mother. Twa‘nt anythin‘ wrong about home that niade m~e run away. I‘d heard so much talk ‘bout freedom I reckon I jus‘ wanted to try I t ‚ ‘ I th o ught I ha d to g e t away f rom home to have it.

	“Well, I coaied two other boys to go with me, an‘ a grown man he got the boat an‘ we slipped off to the beach an‘ put out to sea. Yes‘m, we sho‘ was after adventure. But, we did‘n get very far oat from Shc$‘, an‘ I saw the Ian‘ get diinuter an‘ dimmer, when I got skeered, an‘ then I got seasick,