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except those that have been born since that time.
In 1843, I think on the 2d day of March, Mr. Turnip-
seed came to my father's house for the purpose of laying
a price on these negroes, and after the negroes were
fetched up into the yard, and before he, Turnipseed,
commenced pricing them - My father being
present, I asked him what was the intention of
that, and he answered me by saying that the
notes he held against my father were due, and
that the money that was due was taxable, and he told
me that he was going to lay certain prices upon the
negroes, and take forms of bills of sale of the negroes, and
by doing that he could evade the law in paying taxes
on the notes that were drawing interest. He said
that I need not give myself any uneasiness about
it, and then commenced laying prices on the
negroes. He said he would lay the prices on the
negroes so as to make the debt cover the negroes.
He priced them all himself, and I do not recollect
that I had any futher conversation with him at that
time. I then took the negroes, and went on to my father's
field. The negroes remained on my father's plantation
till about the fourth of March 1844. At that time Mr.
Turnipseed the deft. came to my father's house and
told my father that he wanted a delivery of the said
negroes, and that he wanted my father to take them
to Mr. Addision Ellis's house, and give defendant
a form of delivery of the negroes. I asked him what
was the intention of that, and he stated that it was
generally known that the valuation that he had
laid on said negroes was drawing interest, and
that if he had the form of a delivery, he could evade
the law in paying taxes on the prices that he had laid