See _The Laws of Indiana_.] [Footnote 26: Masters had to provide adequate food, and clothing and good lodging for the slave, but the penalty for failing to comply with this law was not clear and even if so, it happened that many masters never observed it.

There was also an effort to prevent cruelty to slaves, but it was difficult to establish the guilt of masters when the slave could not bear witness against his owner and it was not likely that the neighbor equally guilty or indifferent to the complaints of the blacks would take their petitions to court.
Under this system a large number of slaves were brought into the Territory especially after 1807.

There were 135 in 1800.

This increase came from Kentucky and Tennessee.

As those brought were largely boys and girls with a long period of service, this form of slavery was assured for some years.
The children of these blacks were often registered for thirty-five instead of thirty years of service on the ground that they were not born in Illinois.