▁friends ▁and ▁helped ▁each ▁other . ▁S uffer ing ▁on ▁the ▁farm ▁from ▁a ▁cruel ▁over se er , ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 5 ▁at ▁age ▁ 1 3 , ▁Allen ▁planned ▁to ▁escape ▁to ▁Canada . ▁He ▁spent ▁two ▁weeks ▁hiding ▁at ▁a ▁neighbor ing ▁farm ▁before ▁returning ▁to ▁the ▁Smith s ▁for ▁pun ishment . ▁Later ▁he ▁ran ▁away ▁again . ▁The ▁Smith s ▁and ▁Star bird s ▁agreed ▁to ▁sell ▁him ▁on ▁the ▁au ction ▁block ▁in ▁Hend erson . ▁ ▁All ens worth ▁was ▁sold ▁again ▁in ▁M emph is , ▁Tennessee ▁and ▁sh ipped ▁to ▁New ▁Orleans . ▁There ▁he ▁was ▁bought ▁by ▁Fred ▁Sc ru gg s , ▁who ▁taught ▁him ▁to ▁work ▁as ▁an ▁exercise ▁boy ▁and ▁j ockey ▁in ▁Jefferson , ▁Louisiana . ▁Un like ▁others , ▁his ▁new ▁master ▁was ▁pleased ▁to ▁learn ▁that ▁the ▁boy ▁could ▁read ; ▁he ▁assigned ▁him ▁to ▁race ▁his ▁best ▁horse . ▁ ▁Civil ▁War ▁and ▁freedom ▁In ▁early ▁ 1 8 6 1 ▁the ▁Civil ▁War ▁lo omed , ▁but ▁horse ▁racing ▁continued . ▁Sc ru gg s ▁took ▁Allen ▁and ▁his ▁horses ▁up river ▁for ▁the ▁fall ▁meet ▁in ▁Louis ville . ▁All ens worth ▁hoped ▁to ▁see ▁his ▁mother ▁Ph yll is ▁again , ▁as ▁he ▁had ▁learned ▁that ▁her ▁last ▁master , ▁a ▁Rev . ▁Bay l iss , ▁had ▁fre ed ▁her ▁after ▁she ▁c ared ▁for ▁his ▁dying ▁wife . ▁He ▁found ▁that ▁she ▁had ▁recently ▁gone ▁to ▁New ▁Orleans ▁with