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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..aa42af4 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62165 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62165) diff --git a/old/62165-0.txt b/old/62165-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9c48503..0000000 --- a/old/62165-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5600 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of From Dixie to Canada, by Homer Uri Johnson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: From Dixie to Canada - Romances and Realities of the Underground Railroad - -Author: Homer Uri Johnson - -Release Date: May 18, 2020 [EBook #62165] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM DIXIE TO CANADA *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: - - H. U. JOHNSON. -] - - - - - FROM - DIXIE TO CANADA - ROMANCES AND REALITIES - OF THE - UNDERGROUND RAILROAD - - - BY - H. U. JOHNSON - - AUTHOR OF “SEVENTEEN SEVENTY-SIX AND OTHER POEMS” AND “OBED IN THE GREAT - CO-PARTNERSHIP.” - - VOL. I - - FIRST THOUSAND - -[Illustration] - - ORWELL, OHIO - H. U. JOHNSON - - BUFFALO - CHARLES WELLS MOULTON - 1894 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1894, - BY H. U. JOHNSON. - - (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.) - - - PRINTED BY CHARLES WELLS MOULTON, BUFFALO, N. Y. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - _DEDICATION._ - - -_To the millions of happy grand-children of a generation fast leaving -the stage of action, and who must get their knowledge of the Rebellion -and its causes from the lips of those who saw and participated or from -the pages of history, as we, the grand-parents, got ours of the -Revolution from those long since passed away, and from the written -records of that thrilling period, this little volume of unique but -wonderful history is sincerely and most affectionately dedicated by one -of the Grandfathers._ - - - - - PREFACE. - - -The years intervening since the abolition of American slavery leave a -majority of our people ignorant of its workings, and of matters -connected with it, except as they are gleaned from the pages of history, -or from the lips of those now grown old. - -It is not the purpose of this little volume to discuss the history of -the “peculiar institution” in detail, but simply to give so much of it -as will make appreciable the cause for another one equally “peculiar,” -known for the last twenty years of its existence as the UNDERGROUND -RAILROAD,—a name for a mode of operation, and not of a corporation or -material object. - -During the years of its operation, secrecy was a cardinal, an imperative -principle of its management, as the following pages will make apparent. -On the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion, thus putting an end to -its operations, every other subject was swallowed up in the excitement -of the great struggle, and subsequently in that of Reconstruction. Thus -the Road dropped measurably out of sight, leaving but meager reports and -archives to tell the story of its working. - -The promptings of a desire to leave to posterity some realistic record -of this, one of the most wonderful and thrilling features of our -national history, no parallel to which is afforded in the annals of -time, must be the excuse for these pages. During the eighties, the -writer, who had lived amid its excitements for years, and was more or -less familiar with the writings of Coffin, Pettit, the Clarkes and -others, undertook a systematic research into the matter, the result of -which was the accumulation of a large fund of incident and information -pertaining to the Road, much of which was published in the _Home -Magazine_ between the years 1883 and 1889, inclusive. Those articles, in -part, carefully revised, are now placed before the reader in this more -permanent form, with the hope that they may receive the generous -approval of an appreciative public. - - THE AUTHOR. - -ORWELL, OHIO, MAY 20, 1894. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - INTRODUCTION 9 - - - CHAPTER I. - - JO NORTON 19 - - LAVINIA 28 - - A RUSE 36 - - THE ORIGINAL “JERRY” 48 - - A COOL WOMAN 52 - - - CHAPTER II. - - JACK WATSON 54 - - - CHAPTER III. - - UNCLE JAKE 85 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - GEORGE GREEN, OR CONSTANCY REWARDED 98 - - - CHAPTER V. - - HOW SOL. JONES WAS LEFT 124 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - EDWARD HOWARD 132 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - PLUCKY CHARLEY 152 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - STATIE LINES 164 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - GEORGE GRAY 173 - -[Illustration: - - JIM JONES IN THE BLACKSMITH SHOP. -] - - - - - INTRODUCTION. - - -The quiet of a midsummer night had settled down over the city of -Washington, when, in August, 1839, a dusky form came, with stealthy -tread, from among some buildings not far away, and cautiously approached -the eastern entrance to the Capitol. Laying his hand upon the cold steps -in the shadow of the great building, Jim Jones, a colored boy of about -seventeen, attentively listened as if in expectation of some -preconcerted signal. - -He had waited but a moment thus, when the hand of a patrol was laid -heavily upon his shoulder and the rough query, “What does this mean, you -black rascal?” fell upon his ear. - -“Dunno, Massa,” was the reply of the startled boy. - -“Don’t know, you black imp?” - -“No, Massa, dunno what fo’ I was hea.” - -“Well, you know, you young nigger, you have no business here at this -hour of the night.” - -“Yes, Massa, I knowed de night am for white folks, and I jus’ cum for to -see—” - -“Some d—d abolitionist who is trying to get you away.” - -“No, no, Massa.” - -“Well, come along and we shall see,” saying which he rudely hurried the -boy away to a place of safe keeping. - -In the early morning Jim was recognized by his master, who vainly tried -to extort from him by questioning the cause of his nocturnal ramble. -Failing in this, the boy was taken to a blacksmith shop and his thumbs -placed end to end in the jaws of a vice. - -“Now,” said the master, “tell me why you were abroad last night.” - -“I dunno,” replied Jim. - -A half turn of the screw, and a groan of pain escaped the boy; another -turn and he writhed in agony. - -“Now you black son of a b——ch, why were you at the Capitol last night?” - -“O Lor’, Massa, a white man tol’ me I should come.” - -“What did he want of you?” - -“Fo’ to go norf’.” - -“And so you were going?” - -“Y-e-s—Massa—I—was—fo’—to—go.” - -“How?” - -“On a railroad undah de groun’.” - -“Under the ground?” - -“Yes, Massa, so the gem’an said. He was jus’ comin’ to open de way, when -Massa da’ cotched me.” - -“Who was he?” - -“Dunno, Massa.” - -Another turn of the screw, and in the agony of despair the boy yelled, -“Dunno, dunno, Massa, dunno,” and swooned away. - -After resuscitation the torture was again applied, but nothing farther -was elicited, as the boy continued to aver he had never heard the name -of the man who was to lead him; and, indeed, he had met him only in the -dark. - -Though for years slaves had from time to time been stealing away from -the _kind_ attentions of their masters, and, indeed, very frequently of -late, yet never before had the latter dreamed that their “chattel” went -by subterranean transit, and the theme became one of such absorbing -interest that, when two months later five prominent slaves escaped from -the city in a single night, a Washington morning paper heralded the -matter before the world for the first time as follows:— - - “UNDERGROUND RAILROAD! - - _A Mystery Not Yet Solved._” - - “The abolition incendiaries are undermining, not only our domestic - institutions, but the very foundations of our Capitol. Our citizens - will recollect that the boy Jim, who was arrested last August, while - lurking about the Capitol, would disclose nothing until he was - subject to torture by screwing his fingers in a blacksmith’s vice, - when he acknowledged that he was to have been sent north by - railroad; was to have started near the place where he stood when - discovered by the patrol. He refused to tell who was to aid him—said - he did not know—and most likely he did not. Nothing more could be - got from him until they gave the screw another turn, when he said: - ‘_The railroad goes under ground all the way to Boston_.’ Our - citizens are losing all their best servants. Some secret Yankee - arrangement has been contrived by which they ‘stampede’ from three - to eight at a time, and no trace of them can be found until they - reach the interior of New York or the New England States. They can - not have gone by railroad, as every station is closely watched by a - secret police, yet there is no other conveyance by which a man can - reach Albany in two days. That they have done so, is now clearly - demonstrated. Colonel Hardy, a tobacco planter residing in the - District, about five miles from the city, lost five more slaves last - Sunday evening. They were pursued by an expert slave catcher, but no - trace of them was discovered. The search was abandoned this morning, - the Colonel having received a paper called the _Liberty Press_, - printed in Albany, with the following article so marked as to claim - his attention: - - “‘Arrived, this morning, by our fast train, three men and two women. - They were claimed as slaves by Colonel Hardy, of the District of - Columbia, but became dissatisfied with the Colonel’s ways of - _bucking_ Harry, making _love_ to Nancy and other similar displays - of _masterly_ affection, and left the old fellow’s premises last - Sunday evening, arriving at our station by the quickest passage on - record.’ - - “The article recites many incidents that have transpired in the - Colonel’s family, that correspond so exactly with facts that the - Colonel says: ‘Nobody but Kate could have told that story!’ Said - article closes by saying: ‘Now, Colonel H., please give yourself no - trouble about these friends of yours, for they will be safe under - the protection of the British Lion before this _meets_ your eyes.’” - -The term which had been given to poor Jim, in confidence, as the means -by which he was to make his escape from bondage, and extorted from him -by torture, having thus been given to the world from the city of -Washington, became henceforth the universal appelation for a -_corporation_ which, for more than twenty years thereafter, extended its -great trunk lines across all the northern states from Mason and Dixon’s -line and the Ohio River to the Queen’s Dominion, and its ramifications -far into the southern states. It was most efficiently officered, and had -its side tracks, connections and switches; its stations and eating -houses all thoroughly well recognized by the initiated; its station -agents and conductors, men undaunted in danger and unswerving in their -adherence to principle; its system of cypher dispatches, tokens and -nomenclature which no attaché ever revealed except to those having a -right to receive them, and its detective force characterized by a -shrewdness in expedients and a versatility of strategy which attached to -any mere money making enterprise would have put “millions in it.” It -received the support of men and women from every class, sect, and party, -though from some more than from others; its character was engraven, as -by a pen of fire, in the hearts and consciences of men, burning deeper -and deeper, until finally abrogated in that grand emancipation -proclamation of Abraham Lincoln, when it was found that its stock, -always unwatered but by tears, had yielded an incomputable percentage in -the freedom secured to over thirty-six thousand fugitives from human -bondage, and embodied in houses, lands, schools, churches and social and -domestic happiness. - -Now that the track is all pulled up; that the rolling stock has -disappeared; that most of the operators and passengers have gone down -into silence or are dwelling in forgetfulness of accumulating years, and -that only a few of the old stations remain as they were, a new -generation pertinently inquires, “What called such a road into existence -and how were its gigantic operations so successfully and yet so secretly -carried on?” - -To the first of these questions it may be replied that the history of -American slavery is older than the story of Plymouth Rock. In the year -1619 a cargo of Africans, kidnapped on the coast of the “Dark -Continent,” was sold from the deck of a Dutch man-of-war at Jamestown, -Va., to be used in the cultivation of tobacco along the river. - -At that time very little was thought about the enormity of human -slavery. The labor proved remunerative, and the institution spread over -the original colonies, with little or no question, so that at the -breaking out of the Revolution there were 500,000 bondmen, a standing -menace to the cause of freedom, and yet technically said to be “armed in -the holy cause of liberty.” - -On the adoption of the constitution in 1787, public sentiment had become -so strong against the African slave trade that provision was made for -its abolition in 1808. Persistent effort was also made, particularly by -the Quakers, for the ultimate abolition of slavery itself, but without -avail, as it was claimed by its apologists that it would ultimately die -of its own accord—a prophecy in some sense fulfilled, though in a manner -all undreamed by those who made it. - -[Illustration: - - THE TRACY WAGON SHOP. -] - -[Illustration: - - SLAVE PEN IN ATLANTA, GA. - - (PHOTOGRAPHED WHILST GEN. SHERMAN’S ARMY HELD THE CITY.) -] - -Though Anti-slavery Societies had long been in vogue, of one of which -Benjamin Franklin had been president, it was found by the census of 1800 -that the country contained 893,000 slaves. From this time forward one -after another of the Northern States abolished it, until it finally -disappeared from New York last of all, July 4th, 1827. In the meantime -it was strengthened in the South. The invention of the cotton gin and -the extensive manufacture of sugar in the Gulf States, made the rearing -of slaves in those farther north very lucrative, and slave marts were -set up in many of their cities and towns to which men, women and -children were brought and sold upon the auction block and at private -sale. - -The slaves thus purchased in Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and elsewhere -for the more southern markets were either driven across the country like -so many cattle, or, if more convenient, taken down the Ohio and -Mississippi on steam-boats or in flats, all those deemed likely to give -trouble being handcuffed together across a coffle chain, thus -constituting a “coffle.” - -On their arrival at the place of destination, they were more or less -jaded and warm, and hence unmarketable until properly fitted up. To -facilitate this, buildings or “pens” were provided where they were well -fed and given liberal rations of whiskey. Under the management of some -genial dealer, they were induced to tell stories, sing songs and make -merry. In this way they were soon recuperated and ready for the ordeals -of another sale in which they were subjected to much the same scrutiny -of body and limb that is bestowed upon a horse when the person would -ascertain its physical condition. - -To escape this degradation and the hardships of the southern -plantations, the more intelligent and hardy of the slave population -early began to flee to the free states as an asylum from cruel bondage. -As if in anticipation of this, the constitution had provided for their -return, and under its provisions many were restored to their masters, -through the cupidity of sordid northern men, for the rewards offered. - -Finding so many of their chattels escaping and the sentiment against -their return growing stronger and stronger, the southern people, with -the aid of abettors at the north, succeeded in 1850, in securing the -passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, which imposed heavy fines and even -imprisonment for in any way aiding a fugitive from slavery to escape. By -its provisions every man at the North was virtually made a slave -catcher. - -Canada now became the goal of the fugitive, and to its safe retreat -thousands escaped, and yet so successful was the business of slave -culture that in 1860 the whole number of persons held as mere chattels, -without a vested right in land, or home, or wife, or husband, or child, -or life, even, that might not be served by the will of the master, -amounted to 3,953,000 souls. The bitterness of sectional feeling -engendered by such a state of affairs, and the intense activity of nerve -and intellect called forth thereby, can never be duly appreciated except -by those who were active participants in the affairs of ten years _ante -bellum_. - -The second question, and, also, many points covered by the first, will -be best answered by following the thread of these “Romances and -Realities of the Underground Railroad,” gathered as they are from -personal observation, extensive reading, visitations along many of the -old lines, and numerous interviews and extensive correspondence with -those heroic men and women who dared their fortunes and their personal -liberty in the cause of humanity and right, still lingering among us, -as, also, with many a passenger over this truly wonderful thoroughfare. - -[Illustration: - - REFUGEES IN WASHINGTON CHURCHYARD. -] - - - - - CHAPTER I. - JO NORTON. - - - I. - -So many and varied have been the changes of half a century, and so rapid -the growth of the city in the past twenty-five years, that few of the -present inhabitants of Washington, and less of its old-time frequenters, -now ever think of the cemetery that skirted the stage road leading north -from the city. True, in those by-gone days it was a popular burial -place, even for the first families of the capital, but like many another -“silent city” it long since fell into disuse, and consequently became -for years the most desirable place near the city for an underground -railroad station, and to such use it was assiduously appropriated. - -In this solitary place, on a quiet Sabbath evening of October, 1839, -there was heard just as the last faint twilight trembled on the western -horizon a low, distinct whistle. Immediately there arose from among the -growth of bushes and from behind already reclining headstones five dusky -forms, actuated evidently by the same impulse. The whistle was repeated, -and the forms cautiously approached the point whence it proceeded, and -there gathered in presence of a stranger to them all, but with no -previous knowledge of each other’s intent, though all of them were the -property of the same man, Colonel Hardy, a tobacco planter of the -District of Columbia, as previously stated in the “Introduction” to -these “Romances and Realities.” - -The first exclamations of surprise over, their unknown companion -proceeded to give them the instructions for the night, after allaying -their superstitious fears, that they were to sink into the earth for a -time, and be under the conduct of invisible personages. Indeed, so far -from that being the case they soon found very much depended upon their -own physical exertion. No sinking down into the ground among the dead, -no sojourn among spooks and ghosts, impressions that had almost gotten -the better of their thirst for freedom, was to be theirs. On the -contrary they were to take at once to the pike and follow it until they -came to the said road, which was then to be their pathway, only turning -out to pass around villages and stations until they came to a man -standing in the track who should signal them by the simple name “Ben.” -To him they were to yield themselves implicitly. - -Seeing the little company once fairly started, the stranger returned to -the city, and as he passed the post-office deposited therein a letter -addressed, - - “_JOHN JONES, Esq._, - _Albany_, - _N. Y._” - -Leaving this missive and the fugitives to pursue their respective -journeys, we pause to inquire into the personalities of the latter. They -were named, respectively, Nancy, Kate, Robert, Harry and Jo, or more -complete, Jo Norton. - -As has been said, they were the property of one man, and when not needed -on the plantation, were hired out in the city. Harry was recognized -among his fellows as a man of spirit and ability; but the latter quality -never saved him from the frequent “buckings” engendered by the too free -play of the former. Nancy, an octaroon, was well formed, about twenty -years of age, and according to Kate, who had a spontaneous gift of -gossip, a special favorite of the “Kunnel.” - -Jo Norton was a sprightly, intelligent fellow, and had a wife named -Mary, who, with their little boy, was the property of a Mr. Judson, -residing in the city. In his boyhood Jo had been continually employed -upon the plantation, but after he was sixteen was engaged at a hotel -during the winter for several years. For a long time in this place it -was his special duty to wait upon Daniel Webster at table and otherwise. -It was whilst thus employed that he became acquainted with and won Mary, -who had the care of the great statesman’s rooms. During the summer, the -Colonel, when reasonably good natured, allowed Jo to visit his wife and -child once in two weeks, on Sunday. When too choleric to grant his -“chattel” this indulgence, a pass was readily secured from the old man’s -daughter, who was his private secretary, and with whom Jo was a great -favorite. In these visits the possibility of an escape, more especially -for the sake of their boy, was frequently discussed, though no plan was -ever perfected. - -One evening whilst returning from one of these visitations, Jo fell in -company with a gentleman whose manner so impressed him that he asked if -he were not from “de Norf.” - -“Yes, from Massachusetts,” said the stranger. - -“Wy, Massa, dat am de home ob de great Dan’l Webster.” - -“Yes; I know him very well.” - -“Yes, Massa, an’ doan dis chile knows dat great man to?” - -“How is that?” - -“Wy, Massa, doan I stan’ ’hind his chaah all dese winters wen him comes -to Congress?” - -“Ah, I see. But wouldn’t you like to go north and be free?” - -“Lor’ Massa, dat was wat Mary and I talks ’bout dis blessed day.” - -“Who is Mary?” - -“Mary am my wife, sah, and James am my little boy. Da’longs to anuder -man.” - -“A wife and child!” said the stranger half musingly. “Well my good -fellow, we will see what can be done, but we must talk no more now. Meet -me on the corner of “F” and the Avenue two weeks from to-day at noon.” - -“Yes sah,” and the two parted. - -Two weeks passed, and, as agreed, the parties met, the one readily -assuming the air of a southern gentleman and the other instinctively -falling into the role of his servant. Thus they passed on until a quiet -place was reached, when it was agreed that Jo should take a designated -place in the old cemetery three weeks from that night, but that Mary and -the child should be left in the city till a fitting way for their escape -presented itself. In the mean time the other parties had been separately -interviewed, and assigned their several hiding places, and given the -signal which would call them into the presence of a stranger. Thus it -was that they came together unawares. - - - II. - -Once upon the public highway the little party struck out briskly for the -railroad upon which they turned their faces towards Baltimore, and -following their instructions were making fine progress, when, about -midnight, as they were passing around a village the heavens became -suddenly overcast with clouds, and for an hour or more they wandered in -uncertainty. A halt being called, a lively discussion based upon five -different opinions arose, and how it might have terminated no one can -tell had not the heavens just then cleared up, enabling Harry, who was -both conductor to and astronomer for the train, to get their bearings -from “de ol’ norf.” So much time had thus been lost that daybreak was -just beginning to tinge the east when the mystical word “Ben” fell from -the lips of a man standing upon the track, whom they at once followed -for some distance into a corn-field, where he removed several bundles -from a stack of corn-fodder, and the two women entered a “dodger” -apartment, whilst the men were similarly secreted a little farther on. - -A thirty mile walk had given them a good appetite for the bountiful -breakfast provided, after partaking of which they lay down and slept -soundly, whilst “Old Ben,” a free negro who had been furnished the means -to rent and till this field and arrange it as a “way station,” kept -constant vigil and obliterated their tracks by husking corn and -carefully drawing the stocks over them. - - - III. - -Morning came in the city, and soon the absence of the servants from -their employers was reported at the plantation, where the non-appearance -of Jo had already caused the Colonel to give his daughter a special -cursing for “letting that d—d nigger, Jo, have a pass.” Hounds and -hunters were at once called into requisition, but all in vain. All about -the country was scoured and searched, but Uncle Ben’s field was so -public and he so honest, that no one thought of troubling it, or him. - -Night came, and under cover of the first hour of darkness the two women -were taken in charge by a man who led them rapidly along the railroad -track till they came to a road where a carriage received them and they -were driven rapidly into the city of Baltimore and there carefully -secreted. Scarcely had they departed when a pack of hounds came into the -field, and, after scenting around for some time, struck their track and -were off in pursuit with such a wild scream as to waken the men from -their quiet slumber. - -Meanwhile the letter addressed to Mr. Jones was speeding on its way, and -in due time on an editorial derived therefrom, the compositors in the -office of the _Liberty Press_ at Albany were busy, and on Friday Col. -Hardy received a marked copy of that paper which informed him that his -“chattels” arrived safe in Albany on Tuesday evening, and of course all -farther effort for their recovery was stopped, though the atmosphere was -for some time blue from the effects of the forcible vocabulary which -this piece of news, manufactured specially for a southern market, -eliminated from the old Colonel’s tongue. - - - IV. - -All imminent danger from direct pursuit being now over, early on -Saturday evening Ben led the boys forth and placed them in charge of a -sprightly colored boy about thirteen years of age, whom they were to -keep constantly in sight as they passed through Baltimore, and, as he -bestowed on them a little money, he said: “Now, boys, follah yer guide, -and feah no danjah, and de good Lor’ bress you and bring you safe to -freedom.” - -With nimble steps they passed over the road to the city, and there -stopped for a short time at a meeting of colored Methodists, of which -faith were Jo and Harry, and joined lustily in the “Hallelujahs” and -songs of praise. The meeting over, they fell in with the departing -congregation, and as they passed through the principal streets were -vociferous in their praise of “the pow’fu’ preachin’ ob dat ’sidin’ -eldah, and de snipshus singin’ ob de yaller gal wid de red rib’n,” -stopping occasionally to buy a few nuts or apples at some grocer’s -stand, ever keeping their little woolly headed conductor in sight, and -before the hour forbidding the presence of colored people on the -streets, were beyond the city limits, and again in company with Kate and -Nancy, who had been brought to a place of rendezvous by a gentleman who -proceeded to give the party specific instructions for the night. This -done, fleetly they sped forward as directed until well towards day-dawn, -when conductor Harry espied two flickering lights placed side by side in -an upper window, and exclaimed: “Bress de Lor’ dah am de sign of rest.” - -“Yes, bress de Lor’, O my sou’,” ejaculated the thoroughly wearied Kate, -“an if dis be de unner groun’ railroad whar ebery one furnish his cah -hisself, I’d radder ride wid ol’ Lijah in a charyot ob fiah.” - -“Hush, honey, what foah you complain? dis am gwine ober Jordan to de -lan’ ob res’.” - -“Yes, an’ Jordan am a hard road to trabel, shu——” but the sentence was -abruptly broken by the clear enunciation of “Thee will tarry here for -the Sabbath.” - -The words proceeded from beneath a broad-brimmed hat which emerged from -among some shrubbery, and the party were quickly conducted into a -spacious Quaker kitchen where a bountiful repast was in waiting for -them, after partaking of which they were consigned to safe quarters for -the day. - -From this hospitable retreat, they sallied forth on Monday evening for -another night journey, only to find in its ending a duplicate of the -preceding one; and in this way the whole distance from Baltimore to -Philadelphia was made on foot. - -Once in the Quaker city, they were quietly put on a fishing smack and -conveyed to Bordentown. At the latter place, under the management of a -shrewd Quaker, a personal friend of the railroad agent, the boys were -hid away among boxes and bales of goods in a freight car and were soon -on their way to Gotham. Meanwhile the girls were dressed for the -occasion, and at evening, closely veiled, just as the train was -starting, were escorted into a coach by a gentleman assuming the full -Southern air, and who had no hesitancy in pushing aside a watcher for -runaways stationed at the door. At New York they again rejoined the “way -freight,” and the whole party were at once sent on to Albany, where they -arrived after a journey of twenty days instead of two as supposed in -Washington. - - - LAVINIA. - -Apropos of the lamentable exhibitions of mob-violence, court-house -burning, Sabbath desecration and election frauds presented by Cincinnati -in the past few years, it may not be amiss to give a little exhibition -of the spirit there manifested by the men of a past generation and see -whence some of her present unenviable reputation comes. The city was -well known to be intensely pro-slavery and to her came many a haughty -Southron for purposes of business or pleasure, bringing with him more or -less of his chattels as attendants. Among the comers of the summer of -1843, was a man named Scanlan, visiting his brother-in-law, one Hawkins. -He brought with his family a pretty slave girl named Lavinia, some ten -years old. - -Before the party left New Orleans, the mother of the girl, a slave in -that city, had given her the following admonitory instruction:—“Now -’Vinya, yer Massa’s gwine for ter take yer Norf, an’ wen yer gets to -Sinsnate, chile, yer free, an’ he’ll sen’ some good anj’l for to hide -yer un’er him wing; an’ if you doan go wid him, but kum back to dis Souf -wid yer ol’ Massa, dis very han’ll take yer black skin right off yer -back shuah. Mebbe wen yer safe in dat free lan’, yer ol’ muder’ll fin’ -yer thar if the good Lor’ be willin’.” Then she placed around the neck -of the girl a small gold chain which was to be continually worn, that if -they ever chanced to meet in Canada, the mother might know her child. - -Once in Cincinnati, Lavinia began looking carefully for some “good -anj’l,” but instead, soon found two in the person of a colored man and -his wife living near Mr. Hawkins’. To those she carefully committed her -mother’s counsel and threat. These parties entered heartily into her -proposition to escape, and one night dressed her in a suit of boy’s -clothes and took her to the head of Spring street, near the foot of -Sycamore Hill, and gave her in charge of Samuel Reynolds, a well-known -Quaker, where she was successfully concealed for a number of days whilst -Scanlan was raging about and as far as possible instituting a vigorous -search. - -Not far from Mr. Reynolds was the home of Edward Harwood in whose family -resided John H. Coleman, a dealer in marble. The Harwoods and Colemans -were ardent Abolitionists and ready to stand by any panting fugitive to -the last. Mrs. Harwood’s house stood on a side hill with a steep grade -in front, and the narrow yard was reached by a flight of some twenty -steps, whilst the side and rear were easily accessible. - -After a time Mrs. Harwood, who had become much interested in Lavinia, -took her home, where she was carefully concealed during the day, but -allowed a little exercise in the dusk of the evening in the front yard, -which was so high above the street as to be unobservable. - -One evening when the girl was thus engaged the great house dog, Swamp, -which always accompanied her kept up such a growling and snarling, as -induced the men to think there might be foul play brewing and they went -out several times but could detect nothing. Finally one of them said, -“That child had better come in; some one may be watching for her,” upon -which Mrs. Coleman put her head out of the window and calling her by -name, bade her come in, after which all was quiet for the night. - -Dinner over the next day, the gentlemen had taken their departure down -town, the ladies were busy about their work; an invalid gentleman was -reclining in an easy chair and the girl had fallen asleep up-stairs, -when a man suddenly appeared at the top of the flight of steps and very -uncermoniously entered the front door which was open, and looking -hurriedly around roughly demanded, “Where’s my child? I want my child, -and if you don’t give her up there’ll be trouble.” - -It needed no further evidence to convince the ladies it was Scanlan, an -impression which had seized them both even before he had spoken, but -then they were not the kind to be scared by his bluster, and Mrs. -Coleman replied with spirit “You have no child here and if you were a -gentleman you would not be here yourself.” - -At this Scanlan turned upon her and whilst his fists were clinched and -his face livid with rage, exclaimed, “I tell you she is here, my slave -girl, Lavinia; I saw her last night myself; and if it had not been for -you, madam, and that devilish dog there, I should have gotten her then. -I had her nearly within my grasp when you bade her come in. I say where -is my child? Give her up.” - -“You have no child here,” coolly replied Mrs. Coleman again. - -“I say I have, and if she hears me call she will answer me.” Saying -which he went to the stairway and called “Lavinia, Lavinia.” - -The child heard the voice, recognized it, and at once quietly hid -herself within the bed. Though the call was repeated several times, no -answer came, and Mrs. Coleman inquired, “Are you satisfied now?” - -“I know my child is here, and you cursed Abolitionist have hidden her -away,” said the now almost frantic Scanlan. “You need not think you are -going to fool me. I’m going to have my child, my slave, my property. I -shall go down town and get a warrant and an officer to search your -house, and you’ll get no chance to run the girl away either, for I shall -leave a guard over you whilst I am gone,” then stepping to the door he -said, “Hawkins, come in here,” and the brother-in-law, before unseen by -the inmates of the house, entered. “Now, Mr. Hawkins, I am going for a -warrant, and I want you to see that my child does not get away till the -officer comes,” saying which Scanlan took his departure and Hawkins a -seat, though evidently very ill at ease. - -When part way down town the Southron recognized Mr. Harwood coming up -the hill in his buggy, and thinking to intimidate him said, “I am after -my slave girl who is in your house. Your women refuse to give her up. -You will find the place well guarded, and I will soon have a warrant to -search the place.” - -“I’ll make it hotter than tophet for any one guarding my house, and the -man who comes about my premises with a search warrant until I am accused -of murder or theft, does so at his peril,” was the warm reply, as Mr. -Harwood started rapidly towards his home. Arriving there he thus -addressed Mr. Hawkins: “I am told, sir, you are here to guard my house -and family. We have need of no such attention, and if you do not -immediately depart from our premises I shall pitch you headlong into the -street. Be gone you miserable tool of a most miserable whelp.” Just then -the cowed and crestfallen Hawkins made a practical application of his -knowledge of Shakespeare, and “stood not upon his going.” - -Remembering the great pro-slavery mob of 1836, when the office of James -G. Birney’s paper, _The Philanthropist_, was destroyed, and that of -1841, when but for the prompt action of Governor Corwin in aiding the -arming of the students, an attack would have been made upon Lane -Seminary as a “d—d Abolition hole,” Scanlan hastened to the “Alhambra,” -then a popular saloon, gathered about him a band of roughs and after a -treat all round proceeded to harangue them regarding his loss and also -his unavailing efforts to regain his chattel. Under the influence of his -speech and the more potent one of an open bar, the crowd readily -promised him their support, and arranged to be at the hill in the -evening time to see the fun. - -Meantime Mr. Harwood was apprising his friends of the state of affairs, -and these were beginning to gather at his house. One of them, an -employee of Mr. Coleman, as he came up the hill, found a number of flags -already set to guide the mob to the Harwood residence. These were torn -down. Before the arrival of Mr. Coleman a crowd of excited people had -assembled in the street below the house. Seeing among them an officer -notorious for his cupidity and in entire sympathy with the slave -catchers, Mr. Coleman approached him and shaking hands said, “Why how do -you do, Mr. O’Neil? I am told you have a search warrant for my house.” - -“For your house?” - -“Yes; here is where I live and I wish to know on what grounds you intend -to search my house, as I am not aware of having laid myself liable to -such a process.” - -“There must be some mistake,” said the officer. “Indeed, Mr. Coleman, I -must have been misinformed as to the merits of the case.” - -“Let me see the paper,” persisted Mr. Coleman. - -“No,” said O’Neil, “there is a blunder somewhere,” and he pushed his -way, in a discomfited manner, through the crowd and disappeared. - -As the crowd increased in the streets, the friends of Mr. Harwood -arrived, until all the Abolitionists in the city, some forty in number, -were present. Mr. Harwood stood on the front steps with Swamp, and when -anyone evinced a purpose to ascend the steps the fine display of ivory -in the dog’s mouth cooled his ardor. Mr. Coleman and Alf. Burnet, -afterwards well known in anti-slavery circles, went to a Dutch armory -and secured a quantity of arms and ammunition; the women took up the -carpet in the parlor, which soon presented the appearance of a military -bivouac, whilst papers and valuables were hurried off to other houses, -and a strong guard was placed before the door. An application was made -to the sheriff for protection, but he only replied, “If you make -yourself obnoxious to your neighbors, you must suffer the consequences.” - -Whilst Scanlan was making his inflammatory speeches down town, and -subsidizing the saloons, Lavinia was redressing in her boy’s suit and -was quietly taken out on a back street to a Mr. Emery’s, the crowd -meanwhile crying, “Bring out the lousy huzzy; where is the black b——ch?” -and other equally classic expressions. One blear-eyed ruffian exclaimed, -“If my property was in thar, I’d have it or I’d have the d—d -Abolitionist’s heart’s blood, I would.” Another one, equally valorous -called out, “Go in boys; why don’t you go in?” and a score of voices -responded, “Go in yourself. The nigger ain’t ourn. Where’s the boss? -Guess he’s afraid of shootin’ irons,” a feeling that evidently pervaded -the whole assemblage. - -Being without a leader, and having no personal interest at stake, about -dark the mob moved down the street, stoning and materially damaging the -house of Alf. Burnett’s father as they passed by. The old gentleman -gathered up a large quantity of the missiles and kept them on exhibition -for several years as samples of pro-slavery arguments. - -Scanlan vented his spleen and breathed out his threatenings through the -city papers, but being unable to get any redress, and finding he was to -be prosecuted for trespass, he hastily decamped for New Orleans. - -After a week or two, Lavinia, dressed in her masculine suit went with -some boys who were driving their cows to the hills to pasture, and was -by them placed in the care of a _conductor_, by whom she was safely -forwarded to Oberlin. Here she was found to have a fine mind, was -befittingly educated, and ultimately sent as a missionary to Africa. -After the lapse of several years she returned to this country, and -whilst visiting the friends in Cincinnati, who had so kindly befriended -her in the days of her childhood, suddenly sickened and died. - - - A RUSE. - -Serious and earnest as was the work of our railroad, it was made the -pretext for many a practical joke and arrant fraud. In the north part of -Trumbull county, Ohio, lived an ancient agent named Bartlett, having in -his employ a newly married man named DeWitt, a rollocking kind of a -fellow, and well calculated to personate a son of Ham, or a daughter as -well. DeWitt conspired with his wife and some of the female members of -the old gentleman’s family to have a little fun at Mr. Bartlett’s -expense. Some thrown off apparel of Mrs. Bartlett was procured from the -garret, and, properly blackened, he was attired in a grotesque manner. - -Just at evening a decrepid wench applied for admission at Mr. Bartlett’s -door. The women appeared very much frightened and were about shutting -the door in her face, when the old gentleman, hearing the negro dialect -came to the rescue. Soon the wanderer was comfortably seated, and to Mr. -Bartlett’s inquiry as to where she was from replied, “Oh Lor’, Massa, -I’se from ol’ Virginny an’ I’se boun’ for Canady, and Massa Sutlifft, he -tells me I mus’ cum heah, but de white missus scare at dis ol’ black -face.” - -“O well, never mind that, they are all right now.” - -“Bress de Lor’ for dat.” - -Speaking to his wife, Mr. Bartlett directed some supper be prepared -before he should send her on. - -“O no, Massa, I’se been done and eat supper dis bressed day.” - -“Well, then, we’ll arrange to send you on soon, but come and see my -grandson,” a lad lying sick in the other part of the room, saying which -he arose and took the hand of the dame and led her to the bedside, and -laying his hand across her stooped shoulders, began to speak tenderly of -the little sufferer. - -The risibilities of the counterfeit Dinah were now at their utmost -tension and she contrived to place a foot heavily upon the caudal -appendage of the great house dog lying near. There was a sudden bound of -the brute, accompanied by a most unearthly howl, and away darted the -decrepid fugitive, shrieking, “O Lor’ de houn’, de houn’.” - -It was in vain the philanthropic old agent called after her, that there -was no danger; on she sped until an opportunity offered to restore -herself to Japhetic hue and male attire. - -Mr. Bartlett long upbraided the female portion of his household for want -of humanity on that occasion, but was allowed to die in blissful -ignorance of the ruse played upon him, and DeWitt confessed that the -ultimate fun derived therefrom scarcely compensated for the annoyance of -the old gentleman and the trouble of removing the _cork_. - - - VI. - -A year has passed anxiously at Albany with Jo. Rumors reached him that -in an attempt to escape, Mary had been captured and sold into the south -forever beyond his reach. Gathering up his earnings and bidding his -companions good-by, he started rather aimlessly westward, and where he -would have brought up no one can tell, had he not one day met a -stranger, a pleasant, benevolent looking gentleman, near the village of -Versailles, N. Y. It was just at the close of that most hilarious -campaign in which the cry of “Tippecanoe and Tyler too,” with “two -dollars a day and roast beef,” mollified with liberal potations of “hard -cider,” rendered “Little Matty Van a used up man,” though the result was -not yet ascertained, for no telegraph had learned to herald its -lightning message in advance of time. If no other good came from the -campaign, it had given every class of men the free use of the tongue in -hurrahing for his favorite candidate, and foot-sore and hungry as he -was, there was something about the gentleman that said to Jo, “Now is -your opportunity,” and touching his hat in genuine politeness he called -out, “Hooraw for Ol’ Tip.” - -Good naturedly the gentleman responded, “Well, my good fellow, it is a -little late for you to be hurrahing for any candidate now that election -is over, and, though you didn’t quite strike my man, I shall find no -fault. I know what you want more than ‘hard cider.’ It is a night’s food -and lodging.” - -“Thank you Massa, I’se tired and hungry, an’ de fac’ am I doan know what -to do with myself.” - -“Well, no matter about that just now. Come along;” and Eber M. Pettit, -long known as an earnest Abolitionist in Cattaraugus and Chautauqua -counties, led the disheartened wanderer to his home, where, after -supper, he questioned him as to his history, and when he had learned his -unvarnished tale, he suggested that the man should stay with him that -winter as a man-of-all-chores, and attend the village school. - -As a result of that evening’s conference there appeared among the -children of the district school in a few days a colored man of about -twenty five years of age, learning with the youngest of them his a b c. -This was an innovation, unique in the extreme. Some of the villagers -turned up their noses at the “nigger,” but the social standing of Mr. -Pettit, and the story of Jo which was freely circulated among the -people, together with his genial disposition and kindness of manner, -soon silenced all cavil and the school quietly progressed. - -Learning that the editor of the _Liberty Press_ was in Washington, Mr. -Pettit addressed him in the following letter: - - VERSAILLES, N. Y., Dec. 1, 1840. - - _Dear General._—I have at my house a colored man named Jo Norton. - Something over a year ago he left a wife and child in the Capital, - the property of a Mr. Judson. She was to have been brought off - directly after he left, but the effort failed and he understands she - has been sold South. Will you be so kind as to inquire into the - matter and see what can be done in the case if anything? Make your - return to Jo Norton, direct. - - Yours Truly, - - E. M. PETTIT. - - Gen. W. L. Chaplain, - Washington, D. C. - -This letter was duly posted, and on the morrow an ebony face, the very -picture of expectancy, put in an appearance at the village post office -with the query, “Any letter for Jo Norton, Massa pos’ massa?” Thus it -was twice a day for a week, when his unsophisticated importunity was -rewarded by a missive bearing the address, - - _Jo Norton, Esq._, - _Versailles_, - _N. Y._ - - _Care E. M. Pettit, Esq._ - -and bearing the post-mark of the Capital. It read as follows: - - MR. NORTON, _Dear Sir_: - - The woman about whom Mr. Pettit wrote me is here. After her - husband’s escape she was detected in what was thought to be an - effort to leave and was thrown into prison, where she lost an infant - child. After three months she was visited by her master, and on a - solemn promise never to make another effort to run away she was - taken back to the family where she and the boy appear to be treated - with great kindness. Though he has been offered $800 for her, Mr. - Judson said he never sold a slave, and never will, but if her - husband can raise $350 for them by March 4th, proximo, they will be - given free papers so I can bring them North with me at that time. - - Truly, - - W. L. CHAPLAIN. - -At the reading of this letter, Jo, prompted by the fervent piety of his -nature, broke into hysterical fits of laughter, interspersed with “Bress -de Lor’, bress de Lor’.” But when the first paroxysm of joy was over he -became very despondent, for he had no $350 and no friend to whom to -appeal for it; but here, as before, Mr. Pettit came to the rescue. - -“See here, Jo,” he said, “there are nearly three months to the fourth of -March, and yours is a wonderful story. You shall go forth and tell it to -the people, and the money will come.” - -“Wy, bress de Lor’, Massa Pettit, dis chile can nebber do dat. De people -would jus’ laf at de nigger.” - -“Never mind the laugh, Jo. If you love Mary and the boy you can stand -the laughing. Now be a man. I will go with you and see you start;” and -before bed-time he had laid out the work for his ward, in whom he had -now become thoroughly interested, and had listened several times to his -rehearsal of his story of escape and tale of plantation life, and -offered such suggestions as he thought advisable, and that night Jo went -to bed “to sleep; to dream.” To dream of wife and boy in slavery, and -himself making speeches among the white people of the North for their -deliverance. - -The next morning Mr. Pettit went out into the country a few miles where -he had a number of Abolition friends and made full arrangements for Jo’s -speaking there early the next week. In the meantime the word was -thoroughly circulated whilst Jo was most effectively schooled to his new -field, and on the appointed evening the school-house was filled to -overflowing. Jo told his story in such a manner as to draw out rounds of -approbative applause from the mouths of the audience, and six dollars -from their pockets when the hat was passed round. Meetings were held -immediately in the several school districts in the vicinity with marked -success, and then Jo, highly inspired, left school and started out on a -systematic course of lectures which took him to Westfield, Mayville and -other villages of Chautauqua county as well as Cattaraugus. - -On the 25th day of January Mr. Pettit received the following from -Washington: - - “_Dear Pettit._—If Judson can have $300 by February first, he will - deliver up the woman and child of whom we have had correspondence. - - In haste, - - W. L. CHAPLAIN.” - -He hastened to Ellicottville and found that Jo had already realized -$100. A meeting was immediately called in an office in the village, at -which were present Judge Chamberlin, of Randolph, E. S. Coleman, of -Dunkirk, and several other gentlemen. The letter was read, and at the -suggestion of the Judge a note for two hundred dollars was drawn and -signed by ten of them, with the understanding that they were to share -equally in the payment of any deficit after Jo had done his best. The -money was advanced by Mr. Coleman, and one of the party drove fifty -miles to Buffalo, through a pelting storm, purchased a draft, forwarded -it to Mr. Coleman, and before the “days of grace” had expired Mary and -her child were duly registered and delivered as free people. - -Meanwhile Jo’s story had gotten into the papers of Western New York, and -he had calls from various places to lecture; indeed, he had become quite -a local lion, and so successful that early in March when word came that -Mary and the child had reached Utica, he was the possesser of $195. This -he deposited in the hands of Mr. Pettit who returned him $30 and told -him to go and make provision for his wife and child, and pay the balance -of the note when he could. Though he had walked that day from Buffalo, a -distance of nearly thirty miles, Jo immediately returned, and early the -next day, in the home of a leading Abolitionist in Utica there was a -regular “Hal’lujer; Bress de Lor’, for de Lor’ will bress his people,” -time when Jo and Mary met after their seemingly hopeless separation. - - - VII. - -Ten years and more had passed; the Ellicottville note had been long -settled; Jo had laid aside his mission as a lecturer and gone into -business in Syracuse, N. Y., where he owned a pleasant home and had a -family of intelligent children attending the public school; New York -State, like the country at large, had been convulsed over the slavery -question, and the city of his adoption had become a town of intensely -Abolition sentiment. As the outgrowth of the slavery agitation there had -come the enactment of the “Fugitive Slave Law,” as it was popularly, or -rather unpopularly called, by means of which the South thought to render -imperative the rendition of their runaway slaves. But they had counted -without their host. Though successful in cracking their whips over the -heads of Northern law-makers in the Capitol, the great mass of the -people of the free states, no matter what their political affiliations, -felt outraged at the idea of being converted into a set of legally -constituted slave-hunters. Few places more excited the ire of the -chivalry than Syracuse, and the threat was defiantly made that if -another anti-slavery convention was held in the city it should be -enlivened by the seizure of a fugitive of whom a test case could be -made. - -Not to be thus intimidated, a call for such a convention was issued and -at the appointed time commenced. Whilst the delegates were organizing in -the old Market Hall, in a cooper shop in another part of the city, all -unconscious of danger, a colored man named Jerry, who had some years -before escaped from slavery, was busy engaged at his labor, when he was -suddenly pounced upon by a marshal and his deputies from Rochester, and, -after a brave resistance, overpowered, manacled and thrown into a cart -secured for that purpose, and hurried away to the commissioner’s office, -closely guarded. The news of the arrest spread like wild-fire, and soon -the streets were thronged with excited people. A man rushed into the -convention and called out: “Mr. President a fugitive has been arrested -and they are trying to hurry him away.” Without motion, the convention -adjourned, and the delegates and attendants were added to the throng -already in the street. The uproar was equal to that, when, for the -“space of two hours,” the people cried, “Great is Diana of the -Ephesians,” but more concentrated, and the cause of coming together -better understood. - -Jerry was hurried into the commissioner’s office, the lower door to -which was heavily barred and the upper one securely bolted, so that it -was with difficulty that his council and more immediate friends obtained -admission. - -The court once opened, within there was contention, parley, quibble and -delay until twilight fell; without, the building was immediately -surrounded by fugitives who had found an asylum in and about the city, -and free colored people, among whom Jo Norton towered like Saul among -his brethren, and beyond these an immense multitude of citizens who had -stood waiting all the afternoon of that eventful day, manifesting no -disposition to retire. - -When it was announced that the court had adjourned for supper, it was -soon evident that the decisive hour had come. A heavy timber was lifted -to the shoulders of some sturdy negroes, and using the temporary space -accorded them, at the watchword “Jo” they hurled it with such force -against the door that bars and hinges gave way, and Norton, crowbar in -hand, at the head of a storming column entered the stairway hall. The -marshal was a man of nerve and disclaimed against any attempt on the -inner door, but in vain. A few vigorous blows of the crowbar forced it -open; there was the sharp report of a pistol succeeded by a quick blow -of the bar, and Jo unharmed, stood master of the situation, whilst the -right arm of the marshal hung useless at his side. The posse scattered, -the marshal saving himself by jumping from the second story window and -skulking away in the dark; Jerry, who had been very roughly treated, was -unloosed, and by daylight was well on his way to Canada, whilst the -convention resumed its deliberations the next day amid the -congratulations of many who before had looked upon its purpose with -indifference or absolute opposition. - -As for Jo, though defying slave-hunters and their hirelings as such, -having now arrayed himself by an act of violence against the government, -he took the advice of judicious friends, and soon removed to Canada, -where for years he was an esteemed citizen, and a friend and adviser of -those who came to his locality as fugitives. - - - VIII. - -As an index of Jo’s native quickness of perception, the following -excerpts, taken from Pettit’s “Sketches of the Underground Railroad,” -published some years ago by W. McKinstry & Son, are added, the only -change being that the places where the events are thought to have taken -place are given. - -Jo was a serious, devoted Christian, yet his wit and mirthfulness were -often exhibited in keen, sarcastic repartee. At Delanti the question was -asked, ‘Did you work hard when you were a slave?’ - -‘No! I didn’t work hard when I could help it.’ - -‘Did you have enough to eat?’ - -‘Yes, such as it was.’ - -‘Did you have decent clothes?’ - -‘Yes, midlin’.’ - -‘Well, you were better off than most people are here, and you were a -fool to run away.’ - -‘Well, now, the place I lef’ is there yet, I s’pose. Guess nobody’s -never got into it, and if my frien’ here wants it, he can have it fo’ -the askin’, though p’raps he better get his _member of Congress to -recommend him_.’ - -At Westfield, a fellow asked, ‘Is the speaker in favor of amalgamation?’ - -‘’Gamation! what’s dat?’ - -‘It means whites and blacks marrying together.’ - -‘O dat’s it! as fo’ such things they ’pends mostly on peples’ tas’. Fo’ -my part, I have a colored woman fo’ a wife,—that’s my choice,—an’ if my -frien’ here wants a black wife, an’ if she is pleased with him, I’m suah -I shan’t get mad about it.’ - -Soon after he commenced collecting funds to redeem his family from -bondage, he was invited to go to a school-house in Villenova. When near -the place he saw two boys chopping, and heard one of them say: ‘There’s -the nigger.’ - -Jo stopped and said: ‘I ain’t a nigger! I allus pays my debts; my massa -was a _nigger_. See here! when you chop, you be a chopper, ain’t dat -so?’ - -‘Yes,’ responded the boys. - -‘Well, when a man _nigs_, I call him a _nigger_. Now ol’ massa nigged me -out of all I earned in my life. Of course he is a nigger.’ Then Jo sang -the chorus to one of Geo. W. Clark’s Liberty songs: - - ‘They worked me all de day, - Widout one cent of pay; - So I took my flight - In de middle ob de night, - When de moon am gone away.’ - -‘Now, boys, come over to the school-house this evening and I’ll sing you -the res’ of it.’ That evening Jo had a full house and a good collection. - - - THE ORIGINAL “JERRY.” - -Having given a brief account of the “Jerry Rescue” at Syracuse, a -circumstance fraught with momentous consequences, and no inconsiderable -factor in precipitating the “Impending Crisis,” I now pass to consider -the real original “Jerry Rescue.” - -In the early summer of 1834, there came to Austinburg, Ohio, a colored -man of middle age, of whose escape to Ohio tradition, even, gives little -account, only that he was the property of a Baptist deacon who followed -him in close pursuit. Both parties upon the ground, matters became -marvellously lively in the quiet country town. - -Jerry was shifted from place to place, but the deacon would in some way -get a clue to his whereabouts, and another move would be made to thwart -the pursuer, some one being always ready to ask him what he would take -for the man; but it was always with him, “I want the nigger, not money.” - -Wearied at length with the continued baffling, and believing he had -found the retreat of his chattel, the pious deacon went to Jefferson and -secured the service of Sheriff Loomis to make an arrest. The twain came -upon him just before daybreak, but not to catch him napping. He was up -and off just in time to elude their grasp but not until they caught a -glimpse of him making across the fields in the direction of Eliphalet -Austin’s, who lived near where Grand River Institute now stands. - -Rapping at the door, Jerry was admitted by Mr. Austin, who was just in -the act of dressing himself. Reading in the excited manner of the -fugitive the state of the case, Mr. Austin pointed under the family bed -where his wife still lay. Jerry took the hint, and in a moment was -hugging the wall in the darkest corner under the bed. Mr. Austin quietly -closed the bed-room door, started a fire, and was at the well drawing a -pail of water when the pursuers came up. - -“Have you seen my nigger this morning?” queried the Deacon. - -“It is pretty early to see an object so dark as a colored man, if that -is what you are inquiring about,” was the response. - -“Well, early as it is, we have seen him, and believe he is secreted in -your house.” - -“Oh, you do, do you? Well, gentlemen, you have the fullest liberty to -search my premises and satisfy yourselves,” and, whilst the sheriff kept -watch without, Mr. Austin furnished the Southerner the most abundant -opportunity within. Candle in hand he led the way to the cellar, then to -the garret. The children’s bed-rooms and the closets of the chamber, the -parlor, spare bed-room and pantry below were all carefully examined, but -no Jerry was found, and the Deacon apologetically remarked: “I beg your -pardon, Mr. Austin, for this intrusion, and for the injustice I did you -in supposing you were harboring my slave.” - -“What,” said Mr. Austin, who was also a pious man and a licentiate -minister, “I hope you are not through looking yet.” - -“Why, I have been all over the house already.” - -“O no, you have not been in my wife’s bed-room yet,” said he rather -sarcastically. “Go in, Deacon. Wife is not up yet; you may find your -‘nigger’ with her.” - -Dropping his head in very shame, the Deacon excused himself, and going -out, with the sheriff rode off. - -As soon as they were well out of sight, Jerry was taken to the woods and -hidden in an old sugar house, where he remained for some days. Meanwhile -time and perplexity began to soften the Deacon, and he finally concluded -that three hundred and fifty dollars ($350) in hand would be worth more -than “a nigger on foot,” which was raised and paid over, the original -subscription being now in the hands of the writer. - -The money paid over and the freedom papers made out, the Deacon had no -difficulty in obtaining an interview with Jerry, a meeting very -satisfactory to the latter personage, now that he could meet “Ol’ Massa -on perfec’ ’quality as gemen.” - -There were two things connected with this case which the sturdy old -Austinburgers always regretted. The one was that as the work of purchase -was completed late Saturday afternoon, the Deacon accepted the proffered -hospitality of Mr. Austin for the Sabbath, and with him attended church -in the old historic “meeting house” at the Center, where the Rev. Henry -Cowles dispensed the gospel in the form of a red-hot anti-slavery -sermon, to which the Deacon listened with great expressed satisfaction -if not profit. During the evening service, some unprincipled persons -shaved his horse’s main and tail, which, when known, led several of the -first citizens of the town to save its reputation and show their -appreciation of the gentlemanly qualities of their visitor, by giving -him in exchange for his disfigured horse one equally good, thus sending -him back to Dixie with a high regard for their honesty, as well as -sincerity. - -The other was, Jerry, once a free man, went to Conneaut and established -himself as a barber, but unable to bear prosperity, he soon fell into -habits of drinking and dissipation, thus rendering worthless the -investment philanthropy and generosity had made in him. - -The following is the subscription referred to above, together with the -names of donors and the amount given so far as they can be deciphered: - - We whose names are hereto affixed, promise to pay to Eliphalet - Austin the sums put to our names, for the purpose of liberating from - slavery a colored man whose master is supposed to be in pursuit, and - offers to free him for three hundred and fifty dollars. - - Austinburg, July 23, 1834. - - Eliphalet & Aaron E Austin. $50. - J. Austin, $40.00. - J. S. Mills, $2.00. - A. A. Barr, $1.00. - G. W. St. John, $25.00. - Luman Whiting, $2.00. - I. Hendry, $5.00. - Amos Fisk, $5.00. - Daniel Hubbard, $1.00. - Mr. Sawtell, $2.00. - L. M. Austin, $5.00. - Dr. A. Hawley, $2.00. - Ward, $5.00. - Jefferson, $20.00. - Orestes K. Hawley, $50. - L. Bissell, $20.00. - T. H. Wells, $3.00. - Harvey Ladd, Jr., $2.00. - James Sillak, $3.00. - Benjamin Whiting, $1.00. - Giddings & Wade, $10. - Russell Clark, $2.00. - Henry Harris, $1.00. - E. Austin, Jr., $15.00. - Ros. Austin, $5.00. - W. Webb, Jr., $5.00. - Henry, $5.00. - A Friend, 50 cents. - -The $20.00 from Jefferson was a kind of _religious_ collection. - - - A COOL WOMAN. - -Apropos the deliberation of Mr. Austin, there comes an incident from -southern Ohio illustrating how cool a woman may be in case of emergency. -A slave named Zach had escaped from Virginia and was resting and -recuperating himself in the family of a benevolent man in one of the -southern counties previously to pursuing his onward course, when one -evening the house was surrounded by his owner and a number of other men, -and the right of searching the premises demanded. The husband was much -agitated and appealed to his wife to know what was to be done. - -“Why,” said she, “let them in, and search the lower part of the house -first, and leave Zack to me.” - -“But I tell you, wife, the man can’t be got off without being caught.” - -“Don’t I know that? Do as I say.” - -The husband took her advice, and whilst he was leading a searching party -through the cellar and lower rooms of the house, she placed the fugitive -carefully between the feather and straw ticks of the family bed, and by -the time the posse reached the room she was composedly in bed as though -nothing unusual was transpiring. The result was that the search proved a -bootless one, and the whole party left, believing they had been -misdirected by some one bent on deceiving them. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - JACK WATSON. - - - I. - -Fifty years ago there lived in Caldwell County, Kentucky, a well-to-do -individual named Wilson. He owned a large estate, to which were attached -numerous slaves. Such was the character of the master that bondage sat -lightly upon them. Provident and indulgent, Mr. Wilson allowed his -people to do largely as they chose. To them the words of the old -plantation song, - - “Hang up de shubel and de hoe.” - -had much of reality. - -[Illustration: - - A SLAVE HUNT. -] - -Strangers came and went among them freely; they heard much of the ways -of escape northward, of which many from plantations surrounding them -availed themselves, but the bonds of affection were so strong between -Mr. Wilson and his people that no effort was ever made on the part of -the latter to escape. But things were not always to remain thus. In -1853, Mr. Wilson sickened and died, a circumstance which brought not -only grief but consternation to his “people,” for they soon learned they -were to be divided among the heirs. Jack and Nannie, a brother and -sister who had grown up on the estate tenderly attached to each other -and to their old master, fell to the lot of a drunken and licentious man -named Watson, who took them to his farm in Davies County, not far from -the Ohio River. Here, as common field hands, they were brutally treated, -and soon began to plan means of escape. Before these were consummated -the old cook died, and Nannie, who was of attractive form and manners, -was taken from the field to fill her place. This only added to the -degradation of her condition, for she was now continually called upon to -repel the lecherous advances of her brutal master. As a punishment for -this she was at length placed in close confinement from which her -brother succeeded in freeing her. They set out at once for the river, -hoping to escape, but were soon overtaken, brought back and so cruelly -whipped by Watson, that Nannie soon died from the effects. - -The sight of his lacerated, dying sister, the only tie that bound him to -earth, continually haunted Jack, and he vowed escape, and vengeance if -it were possible. His plans were carefully laid. In perambulating the -numerous swamps in the neighborhood whose outlets led to the river, he -had discovered a hollow tree broken off some twenty feet above the -surrounding water. By climbing an adjacent sapling he discovered that -the hollow within the stub would furnish a secure and comfortable -retreat, should necessity require. By divers acts of plantation civility -he had gained the confidence of “Uncle Jake” and “Aunt Mary,” an old -couple who sympathized deeply with him, and promised him any aid in -their power, provided it was such as “Massa’ll neber know.” All Jack -asked was that in case he disappeared, they should set the third night -after his disappearance something to eat on a shelf where he could reach -it, and every fourth night thereafter until it should, for two -successive times, be untaken. He also gave them in keeping a package of -cayenne pepper to be placed with the edibles. In his visits to the river -he had noted the fastenings of the skiffs, and had provided himself with -both a file and an iron bar which would serve the double purpose as a -means of defense and for drawing a staple. These he carefully secreted -in his prospective retreat, waiting only an opportunity to occupy it. - -Such an opportunity was not long in presenting itself, for one night the -master came home late from a drunken revel, and found Jack awaiting him -as ordered. Becoming enraged at some supposed act of disobedience, he -flew at Jack with an open knife. The hour of vengeance had come. Seizing -a hoe, with a single stroke Jack felled him to the ground, a lifeless -form. A moment only he waited to view the gaping wound—to compare it -with poor Nan—then gathering up a few things that he could, he was off -with the fleetness of a deer. Passing two or three miles down the -country, he entered the outlet of the swamp, and after passing down it -for some distance, keeping so near the shore as to make his tracks -observable, he struck in, directly reversing his footsteps, and before -the dawn was safely ensconced in his selected tower. - -Morning came and with it the knowledge of Watson’s death. The cause was -easily divined—there was the bloody hoe, and Jack, who was left to wait -his coming, was gone. Blood hounds and fierce men were soon upon his -trail. His course was easily traced to the brook, and his descending -footsteps discerned, but no trace of him could be discovered beyond -that. The greater part thought he had reached the river, and escaped to -the Indiana shore by swimming, at which he was an expert, or had been -drowned in the attempt. Others believed his footsteps only a decoy and -searched all the adjacent swamps, sometimes passing very near him, but -all in vain. Flaming posters, advertising him, were sent broadcast, and -slave catchers on both sides of the river were on the alert. - -On the second day a great concourse assembled at Watson’s funeral. There -were many conjectures, and much argument, and loud swearing about the -“nigger” who had done the deed, and as a means of intimidating the -weeping—none more so than Uncle Jake and Aunt Mary—chattels gathered -around, terrible things were promised Jack should he be caught. - -The services over, the crowd dispersed, and the next morning all hands -were set to work as usual. At night when all was quiet, Aunt Mary, whose -cabin was the farthest of any from the “mansion,” placed a liberal -ration of hoe cake and bacon, together with the pepper, upon the -designated shelf, and betook herself to the side of Uncle Jake who was -already resting his weary limbs in the land of forgetfulness. Shortly -after midnight a hand was thrust cautiously through the open window, the -packages were softly lifted, a little pepper was deftly sifted in -retreating footsteps, and in a short time Jack was safe again in his -water-shut abode, and when old uncle and auntie were talking of the -“wun’ful ang’l” that had visited the house that night, Jack was quietly -enjoying a morning nap. - -Several weeks passed, the excitement about Watson had measurably died -away, two successive depositions of provisions had been left untouched -and the good old couple knew “Dat de angel was feedin’ Jack no moa’, -like de rabens fed ol’ ’Lijer.” They were sure, “Jack am safe.” - -Taking his appliances, Jack had descended the outlet some distance one -starlight night, and then striking across the country, had reached the -river just below the little village he had been accustomed to visit -before the death of his sister. The finding of a skiff and the wrenching -away of the fastening occupied but a short time and at daylight he was -safely secreted in an Indiana forest. Knowledge previously gained -enabled him soon to put himself in charge of an underground official, -but instead of making direct for Canada he shipped for the Quaker -settlement near Salem, Ohio, of which he had heard much from a fruit -tree dealer before the death of Mr. Wilson, and ultimately, in the -quaint home of Edward Bonsall found a secure asylum, and in his -nurseries desirable employment, so far from his former home that little -disturbed his mind except the frequent recurring remembrances of his -slain master with the cruelly lacerated form of his sister ever rising -in justification of the summary punishment that had been inflicted upon -him. - - - II. - -In the autumn of 1856, Jack went with Mr. Bonsall to Pittsburgh. Whilst -walking along the street, he met face to face a half-brother of his late -master. At first sight he thought it an apparition and turned and ran -rapidly away, but not until he was himself recognized. So dextrous had -been his motions that he eluded the pursuit immediately instituted and -was soon among the hills beyond the city limits. - -Hand bills minutely describing him were again widely circulated, -particularly along the belt of country bordering the Pittsburgh and Erie -canal, as it was argued he would try and make his escape by that route -to Canada, and all the appliances of an odious law were called into -requisition to secure his apprehension. - - - III. - -Rap, rap, rap, came a knuckle against the door of Thomas Douglass, of -Warren, Ohio, in the silent hours of the night. Such occurrences were -not frequent of late at the home of the honest Englishman whose love of -justice and humanity had risen above all fear of the pains and penalties -of an unrighteous law. Hastily dressing himself, he inquired, “Who -comes?” - -“Ol’ Diligence,” a name recognized at once by Mr. Douglass as the -appelation of a colored conductor from Youngstown. - -“Hall right; wat’s aboard?” - -“Subjec’, Massa Douglass, and hard pressed, too.” - -“’Ard pressed his ’e? Well, come in.” - -The door was opened, a brief explanation followed, and Jack Watson and -“Old Diligence” were consigned to a good bed for the night. In the -morning his faithful guide, who had himself escaped from bondage many -years before gave Jack some money, a supply of which he always had in -hand, and left him with the emphatic assurance, “Massa Douglass am a -true man.” But Jack was hard to be assured, and when seated at breakfast -with the master machinist’s hands, he trembled like an aspen. - -Three gentlemen, Levi Sutliff, John Hutchins and John M. Stull had been -early summoned to devise the best means for forwarding Jack safely. The -two former of these had been long experienced operators; the latter was -rather a novice at the business. A few years previously, an ambitious -young man, he had gone south as a teacher, thinking little and caring -less about the “peculiar institution.” He had been in Kentucky but a -short time when a slave auction was advertised and his Buckeye -inquisitiveness prompted him to witness it. Two or three children were -struck off and then the mother, a well formed, good-looking octaroon, -was put upon the block. - -“Now, gentlemen,” said the auctioneer, a hard-shelled Baptist preacher, -“I offer you a valuable piece of property. She’s a good cook; can make -clothes, or handle a hoe as well as a man. She’s a healthy woman, -gentlemen, an more’n that, she’s a Christian. Gentlemen, she’s a member -of my own congregation.” - -The buyers crowded around. They examined her teeth, her hands, her feet, -her limbs as though she had been a horse on sale. - -Our spectator began to feel himself getting white in the face, and swear -words were rising in his throat, and he beat a hasty retreat.—John was -under conviction. - -A few mornings after our young teacher was wakened by the sound of heavy -blows and cries of pain proceeding from another part of the hotel. That -evening when Harry, the boy appointed his special waiter, came to his -room, Mr. Stull cautiously inquired who had been punished in the -morning. - -“Dat was me Massa. De ol’ boss gib’d me a buckin.” - -“What was the trouble, Harry, and what is a bucking?” - -“Why Lor’ bress you, Massa, dis chile slep’ jus’ a minit too long, an’ -de ol’ boss cum’d wid his ‘buck,’ a board wid a short han’l and full ob -holes, an’ he bent Harry ober, like for to spank a chil’, an’ o Lor’ how -he struck.” (Then lowering his voice,) “Say, Massa Stull, can you tell -de Norf star?” - -The boy had been all care, attention and manliness. The soul of the -teacher was fully aroused.—Stull was converted. - -Waiting the coming of these gentlemen, Jack had gone into the back yard, -and when they arrived he was nowhere to be found. A prolonged search -failed to reveal his whereabouts, and when at length night fell kind -Mrs. Douglass placed an ample plate of provisions in the back kitchen -and continued it for several weeks, hoping he might return, but no -_angel_ ever spirited a particle of it away. - - - IV. - -Years ago, even before Wendell Phillips, Abbey Kelley and others of -their school began to hurl their bitter anathemas at the institution of -slavery, there lived upon a far-reaching Virginia plantation in the -valley of the James a man who had taken a truly comprehensive and -patriotic view of the institution that was blighting the reputation of -his state, as well as impoverishing her soil. He had inherited his fine -estate, encumbered by a large number of slaves, and his soul revolted at -the idea of holding them in bondage. A man of fine physique, commanding -mien and superior intellectual endowments, John Young could not brook -the idea of eating bread that savored of the sweat of another’s brow, -and the thought of living amid the withering, blighting scenes of slave -labor and slave traffic was not at all congenial to his tastes. Casting -about, he soon found a purchaser for his broad acres. Before disposing -of his plantation, however, he made a trip into western Pennsylvania, -and in Mercer county, on the rich bottoms of Indian Run, made purchase -of an extensive tract of valuable land. Returning to the Old Dominion, -he at once concluded the sale of his estate, and vowed his intention of -going North. - -His friends were amazed at the idea of his becoming a “Pennymight” -farmer, and his people were thrown into consternation, as they expected -soon to be exposed on the auction block. The sallies of one class he -easily parried; the fear of the other he quickly allayed by calling them -together and presenting them with freedom papers. There was a moment of -silence, of blank astonishment, and then arose shouts, and cries, and -hallelujahs to God, amid laughter and tears, for this wonderful -deliverance. - -When the excitement had somewhat subsided the late master revealed to -them the fact that he was going north where it was respectable for a -white man to labor, and if any of them should ever come his way they -would see him chopping his own wood and hoeing his own corn, and that -they were now free to go where they chose, only they must see they did -not lose their papers. - -“Bress de good Lor’, Massa, we’ll go wid you to dat new plantashun and -be spect’ble too, and make light work for ol’ Massa.” - -Though foreign to the purpose of Mr. Young, he yielded to the -importunity of those he had manumitted, and soon there appeared on the -Pennsylvania purchase a spacious residence, built rather in the Virginia -style, and around it were grouped numerous, cabins, occupied by the -sable colony that had followed the Caucassian proprietor. The family -equipage was brought along, and Alexander Johnson always persisted in -being Massa’s coachman and driving him in state. - -The farm improved rapidly under the guidance of intelligence, aided by -paid labor, and John Young’s house soon became known as a hospitable -home, and to none more so than to the fugitive from bondage, for he -early became an influential agent on the great thoroughfare to Canada. - -Securing the aid of a few neighbors and friends, rather as a matter of -compliment than otherwise, Mr. Young had erected, at a convenient site, -a nice country chapel, now a Methodist church in which the writer has -been privileged to speak, and here the people of the neighborhood, white -and black, met for worship. - -The Sabbath evening service in this little church had closed and the -speaker, J. W. Loguen, an eloquent man, though a former fugitive from -slavery, but at that time pastor of a Baptist church in Syracuse, N. Y., -and largely engaged in the underground transit business, sat conversing -with Mr. Young, in the home of the latter gentleman, when Uncle ’Lec, as -the old coachman was familiarly called, entered and excitedly exclaimed, -“Mass Young, him am come, him am come.” - -“Who has come, Alec?” queried the host kindly. - -“Why, Massa, dat runaway wot de han’ vill tell bout, an’ him am fearfu’ -scar’ an’ no mistake, fo’ he say de catchers am arter him shua.” - -“Bring him in, Alec,” said Mr. Young, and in a moment more there was -ushered into the room a tall, muscular colored man, bearing evident -traces of white blood and answering fully the description of Jack -Watson. His story, other than what we have already learned, was that at -Warren, being suspicious of so many white men, he had gone out of the -back yard of Mr. Douglass and a short distance along the canal and -secreted himself until night in an old ware-house, still well remembered -as bearing the inscription, “Forwarding and Commission. M. B. Taylor & -Co.” In the evening he had struck out for Indian Run, of which Old -Diligence had told him. He had traveled all the night, but not being -able to reach his destination, had lain secreted during the day, and now -hungry and fearful he appealed to Mr. Young for food and protection, -both of which were readily accorded. - -After the cravings of appetite had been satisfied, a conference was -held, and it was decided that Jack should try and make Syracuse, after -which Mr. Loguen would assure both safety and employment. Owing to the -well-known character of Mr. Young and his attachés, and unmistakable -evidences of close pursuit that had preceded Jack’s coming, it was -further determined to forward him at once to “Safe Haven.” In accordance -with this decision the family carriage, an imposing piece of “rolling -stock,” soon stood at the door with ’Lec consequentially seated upon the -box. A moment later, Jack, Mr. Loguen, and stalwart John Young emerged -from the mansion, and as they took their seats in the carriage, Mr. -Young said: “Now, Alec, look well to your lines and remember the ‘Haven’ -is to be made before daylight.” - -“Yes, Massa, dis ol’ chile keep an eye to de lines, de road, an’ anyting -’spicuous, an’ rouse up ol’ missus long afor’ de chicken’ ’gin to crow,” -saying which, he gave a gentle chirrup and the carriage went rolling -away to the northward. - - - V. - -Whoever was accustomed, a third of a century ago, to travel over the -road from Warren, O., to Meadville, Pa., will remember a wayside inn, -whose sign bore in German character the euphonious name of -“Aughfeultwangher House.” The house itself, like its name, was of German -origin, a genuine example of a Dutch farm house, bespeaking both comfort -and thrift. The occupants were of the same name as the house, the -proprietor being an honest, quiet, well-meaning man, with no special -personality. Not so his better half, however. She was a character—a -decided personality. Kind and generous, she had a temper, which when let -loose became a very tornado. She was neat and tidy as a housekeeper, and -unexcelled as a cook. A regular embodiment of piety and profanity; of -sympathy and execration; of wit, repartee and scurrilous invective, her -very off-handedness made the house immensely popular with drovers and -road-men, and it was quoted from the prairies of the west to the Quaker -City itself; and many is the man who has traveled an extra five miles to -gain the hospitable roof of the “Awfultricker House,” as it came to be -called by those who failed to accomplish the German of it. - -As an illustration of the without and the within of the place, a little -personal experience is introduced. At the end of a bleak November day, I -found myself taking the advice of a friend and making an extra exertion -with jaded beast, in order to enjoy the hospitality of the -“Aughfeultwangher.” Knowing the reputation of the hostess I greeted her -with: “Well, Auntie, can you keep a stranger to-night?” - -Looking at me with a quizzical expression and evidently pleased at the -appellation used, she replied: “Dot is von long face to keeps all in von -house.” - -“O, well, never mind, I can let a part of it stay in the barn.” - -“Vell, I guess we growds es all in dem house,” and running to the back -door, she called out, “Fater, fater, here bist einer mann, unt ein pferd -vas Shineral Shackson rote. Nehms du es dem stolle vilst Ich das abend -essen for dem manne erhalten.” - -Obedient to the summons the host came at once, and took the wearied -beast, whilst I was ushered into the little bar-room, whose well-filled -box-stove was sending out a genial warmth, and away went the sprightly -dame to prepare supper, whose savory odors soon filled the house. - -Directly the door into the great family kitchen opened, and I did not -wait for a repetition of the hearty “Coome Meister, your supper bist -ready.” Entering, I found the room seated after the German style, and -was greeted with the sight of a great, open fire-place, with its -bake-oven and pot-hole attachment. Upon the table were rich slices of -ham, eggs, bread, such as only a genuine German woman can bake, and -other things in abundance. When I was seated and the good woman had -poured out a cup of delicious coffee, she took a chair opposite, and -after eying me a moment, inquired: - -“Vell, Meister, var from you come?” - -“From Ohio, auntie.” - -“You bist von Yankee, then.” - -“No, I’m a Buckeye.” - -“Von Puckeye! vas ish dat, eh?” - -“One born in Ohio.” - -“Unt vas your fater ein Sherman?” - -“No, auntie, but my grandfather was.” - -“O your grossfater. Vell, I tot dare vas some Shermeny blud; dot lickt -hair und blau eyes zint der sign, meister.” - -“Well, auntie, ’tis not bad blood, is it.” - -“O nein. Mein Got, es ist dot best, but das Yankee is shust so goot,” to -which of course I assented, with the remark that the two together are a -little better, thus causing the old lady to laugh outright. - -After a moment’s pause, in which there seemed to be a studying of what -tactics to pursue, she said, “Vell, meister, it bist none of my pisness, -but vas you stoon in das velt?” - -Wishing to make a fine conquest, I summoned what little German I could -muster and replied, “Ich bin einer school-meister.” - -“Got in himmel! du bist einer schulmeister, O Ich vish de kinder vare to -house—” - -Just then the host came in, and there was a rapid discharge of pure -German between them, the outcome of which was a passing of a very -pleasant evening, though the English on the one side and the German on -the other were both very broken, and when the hour for retiring came I -was escorted by the old couple to what was evidently the best room in -the house. Approaching the bed the hostess laid back a fine feather -tick, revealing sheets of snowy whiteness overspreading another, and -then with a feeling of conscious pride exclaimed, “Dot, Her -Schulmeister, is mine bester bett, unt do canst schlafen on der top, in -der mittel or unter das bett, shust as you bleze. Guten abent.” - -Such was the house, such were the Aughfeultwanghers, with the addition -of being Jacksonian Democrats of the straightest sect, the least likely -people, apparently, to have any sympathy with the underground work, yet -shrewd John Young, ever fertile in expedients, had approached this -couple, and as a result of the conference there was arranged a snug -little room over and back of the oven with the way of entry by the -pot-hole. This room was never to be occupied but by one individual, and -he was to be brought by Mr. Young in person, who was also to provide for -the taking away. In view of these facts he had christened the place -“Safe Haven,” and its existence, outside of the family, was known only -to himself, Alec and one or two others of his retainers and “Mose” -Bishop, a tall, slim man, residing at Linesville, having a perfect -hatred of creeds and cant, but an enthusiastic supporter of every cause -demanding sympathy and justice, and who on account of his Jehu style of -driving, was known along the _road_ as “The Lightning Conductor.” - - - VI. - -True to his promise, before the first cock had sounded the approaching -morn on that late October night, Alec reined up at the Aughfeultwangher, -and Mr. Young, alighting, rapped at the door, and all questions being -satisfactorily answered, Jack was admitted, and the carriage rolled -rapidly down to the little village at the foot of Conneaut lake, and at -the hotel breakfast was ordered for men and beasts. - -Having washed themselves, they were waiting the progress of culinary -processes in the kitchen, meanwhile regaling themselves by reading the -hand-bill advertising Jack, which was conspicuously posted in the -bar-room, when two horsemen, one a constable from Mercer county, rode up -and also ordered breakfast and feed for their horses. - -The constable and Mr. Young readily recognized each other, and though no -word was passed it was evident to each that his business was understood -by his neighbor, hence the breakfast passed in silence, and when his -bill was settled, the carriage of the ex-Virginian took a homeward -direction. - -No sooner was it gone than the constable remarked to Boniface, “I have -been after that turnout all night. When it started there was a -_passenger_ in it, answering to that bill there.” - -“You’ve been making the old fellow a close call,” said the landlord, -“but you’ll find him a hard one to handle.” - -“Yes; but if I could catch the nigger, the $500 wouldn’t come bad. We -have been close on his track for several days. We know he was at Young’s -last night but where in the d—— he is now is the question.” - -“Dropped somewhere, likely.” - -“Yes, _dropped_. Old Alec was too much for us, and we lost the trail. -From which direction did they come?” - -“From towards Meadville.” - -“Do you know any station that he could have touched?” - -“No, unless Aughfeultwangher’s.” - -“Awfultricker’s! ha! ha! Upon my life that is a bright idea. Why the old -woman would make even Young think the day of judgment had come if he -were to bring a nigger to her home.” - -“So I would have thought once, and so I am disposed to think now, but I -have sometimes thought his bland manners have overcome her Democracy and -that somewhere about the premises there is a station; yet ’tis all guess -work with me. I give you the information; if you, gentlemen, can make -$500 out of it, you are welcome to the fee.” - -After a short consultation between the constable and the stranger, a -regular catcher who had undertaken to capture Jack, they ordered their -horses and were off towards the Aughfeultwangher. - - - VII. - -Immediately on receiving Jack into the house, the good landlady supplied -him with an ample dish of provisions and removing the dye tub and other -obstructions from the pot-hole pointed him to her bed-room for “zingle -shentelmens,” and when he had disappeared, she replaced her pots and -kettles, taking care to place the dye tub in which the yarn for family -stockings were receiving its finishing tint of blue, in the very mouth -of the hole. This done she went about her morning duties and was thus -busily engaged when the two horsemen rode up, dismounted and came in. -After paying the compliments of the morning and taking a drink, the -constable inquired, “Has Mr. Young been here this morning?” - -“Mister Yoong, vat Yoong you means?” - -“John Young.” - -“Vat, dot Shon Yoong fon town in Merzer gounty?” - -“Yes.” - -“O ya, er trive up unt vater ees team.” - -“Was there anybody with him?” - -“O ya, dot black Alec alvays goes mit him.” - -“Did you see anybody get out?” - -“Nein.” - -“And he didn’t leave anyone here?” - -“Vell, shentelmens, dot is von great kweschon. You tinks I have von of -tem niggers pout here. You shall zee. Now, shentelmens, you looks all -apout; you shall shust go in te barn and dru dis house shust as you -blese. Den you knows if Shon Young leaves von black mans here.” - -So saying the old lady led them through the barn and all parts of the -house until the kitchen was reached. Here she bade them look into the -oven, and then that they might peer into the pot-hole she began removing -the dye tub, but in so doing was careful to spill a little of the -liquid. As the fumes spread through the room the catcher exclaimed as -they reached his olfactories, “O the d—l.” - -“Yes, der toiful, shentelmens, der toiful; you comes to mine house as if -de Aughfeultwangher wo’dt keep ein runavay nigger; you go dru, you go -unter mine parn; you goes indo mine pet rooms; you climps down into mine -shamber, unt you goes up indo mine seller, and now der toiful! You peest -tswi tam deeps, unt if you no go so gwick as von leetel minit, I sets -mine tok on you unt er makes you into sausage meat fore von hour. -Pounce! here Pounce, here!” and a great house dog came rushing into the -back door as the two runaway-seekers beat a hasty retreat, each catching -a glimpse, as he passed out, of the huge animal called to act as -judgment executioner upon them. Though foiled, they were not -discouraged, but transferred their place of watching to other parts. - - - VIII. - -Reaching home, Mr. Young immediately wrote Mr. Bishop, as follows:— - - “—o— —56—10—28—81. - - Dear—— ——, - - Piratical craft square rigged, but our wind was good and we _holed_ - the duck. (— — —) ‘Mine Got, mine Got, mine Got——for XXX——’ - Greeley’s advice. Day and night; day and night; day and night. With - an eye to foxes, let ’er slide. - - Yours, - - o——o” - -On its receipt, Mr. Bishop took the necessary precautions to execute the -contents of the letter, and on the third night proceeded to carry them -out, being not unaware of the fact that he was closely watched. - - - IX. - -Two men were standing in their respective doorways in the village of -Andover, Ohio, on a November afternoon. The one was a broad-shouldered, -full-chested man, with a flowing beard, a merry twinkle in the eye, a -kind of devil-may-care negligence in his appearance, with a physique -that betokened great power and endurance. This man had long been known -technically as “Thribble X” of station “1001,” at Gustavus, Ohio, from -which place he had migrated to Andover to proclaim the principles of the -Universalist faith, and was known among his people as Elder Shipman, or -more familiarly, “Uncle Charley.” - -The other gentleman was of slimmer build, sandy complexion, thoughtful -mien, and the very manner in which he handled his pipe would guarantee -that he was of “Hinglish stock.” - -As they thus stood, a buggy came driving from the east at break-neck -speed, and dashing up to the parsonage the driver exclaimed, “Elder, can -you do anything for this duck, for they’re after us hotter’n h—ll.” - -“Don’t you know there is no such place as that, Mose?” was the calm -reply. - -“Well, well, I’ve no time to discuss theological matters now; all I know -is if there is no such place, there ought to be a new creation at once -for the sake of two fellows that must already be this side of the -Shenango.” - -“So near as that? Set him out.” - -Immediately the colored man was bidden to alight, and whilst he and the -elder struck out for the woods a short distance to the southwest, the -buggy was turned and driven rapidly toward Richmond. - -Scarcely was it out of sight, when two horsemen came galloping into -town, and riding up to our English friend, who had been an interested -spectator of the little scene just described and was wont to express his -satisfaction of English laws by quoting, - - “Slaves cannot breathe in Highland; if their lungs - Received ’er hair, that moment they are free;” - -and inquired, “Stranger, did you see a buggy drive into town from the -east a short time ago with two men in it?” - -“Hi ’ave, gentlemen.” - -“Was one of them black?” - -“’E was, gentlemen.” - -“Should you think the other was the man they call Mose Bishop?” - -“Hi should, gentlemen.” - -“Which way did he drive?” - -“To the north, gentlemen.” - -“Thank you, sir, and good day.” - -“Good day, gentlemen.” - -Clapping spurs to their horses, the riders were away with a bound, under -the inspiration of the first genuine cry of “On to Richmond.” - -Reaching the proper point, Bishop turned eastward and dashed down -through Padan-aram, much to the surprise of the denizens of that -sequestered community, whilst his pursuers swept on to the Center, and -on inquiry at the village store, were blandly informed by the -proprietor, Mr. Heath, that there had been no buggy at all in the place -that day. Had Mose and the elder heard the _refined_ language that then -made the very atmosphere about Richmond blue, they would both have been -converts to the orthodox doctrine of sulphuric cleansing. - - - X. - -Watching the departure of the others, Shipman and his charge crossed the -road to the eastward, and were soon threading the woodlands bordering -the Shenango, and about midnight sought quarters at a friend’s of the -elder, not far from Linesville. Arming themselves with heavy walking -sticks, just before evening of the next day they set out for Albion. -They had not proceeded far before they saw they were to encounter four -sinister-looking fellows. “Now, Jack,” said the elder, “You have endured -too much to be taken back. I do not wish to pay a thousand dollars fine -nor go to prison for your sake. We may have to use these canes. Do you -understand?” - -“Yes, Massa, you can trus’ dis Jack.” - -A call to halt was answered by so vigorous a charge and such effective -use of the walking sticks that two of the challengers soon lay upon the -ground and the others beat a hasty retreat. Taking advantage of -circumstances the little train switched, and under the pressure of a -full head of steam reached the “Old Tannery” station near Albion before -daylight. - -The conductor was now on strange ground, but knowing there was an agent -in the vicinity named Low, he hunted him up and received such -information as enabled them to make a little clump of hemlocks on the -bank of a ravine not far from the residence of Elijah Drury, of Girard, -the following night. - -Farmer Drury was a stalwart, standing little less than six feet in -height, always ready for any good word and work, and had been for many -years engaged in the _transportation_ business. Always wary, however, he -was not to be deceived when, in the morning, our bewhiskered conductor -presented himself and asked for something to eat. - -“O yes,” said Mr. Drury, “I can always furnish a man, though a stranger, -something with which to satisfy hunger.” - -“But I want something also for a friend.” - -“A friend! What do you mean?” - -“I mean that I have a friend down yonder in the thicket, who is both -weary and hungry.” - -“Mister, do you know what I think?” - -“I am not a prophet, sir.” - -“Well, it is my opinion that you are a horse thief.” - -“Will you come down and see the last nag I trotted off?” - -Together the two men went down to the little thicket, and there the -Elder not only exhibited the passenger, but to remove all suspicions, -showed him the scars that indicated the floggings to which the slave had -been subjected, a sight which Mr. Drury often afterwards said came very -near making him swear outright. Thus commenced a friendship between the -two men long continued and fraught with many acts attesting the generous -nature of both. - - - XI. - -When evening came, time being precious, our conductor drew the reins -over Mr. Drury’s best roadsters, and about midnight deposited his -passenger at the doorway of an old-fashioned house, with gable to the -street, wing projecting northward, and a large elm tree nearly in front, -standing on Federal Hill, in what is now South Erie, and for the first -time XXX greeted officially a most redoubtable Keystone agent, known as -the “Doctor,” in those days one of Erie’s well-known characters. He had -gained some knowledge of herbs and roots, which he learned to apply -medicinally, thus acquiring his appellation, which he wore with great -satisfaction, soon coming to look upon all mere “book doctors” in great -contempt. He was accustomed to drive about town with an old brown horse -attached to a kind of carryall vehicle; always took his whisky straight -and in full allopathic doses, though he affected to despise the practice -generally, and prided himself on being the most _reliable agent_ in Erie -county. - -Into the Doctor’s private sanctum Jack was at once admitted, and -properly cared for for a number of days, until measurably recuperated -from his weeks of incessant vigil and solicitude, when he was taken in -charge by Thomas Elliott, Esq., of Harborcreek, and conveyed to -Wesleyville, four miles east of the city. Here, inasmuch as fresh news -was obtained of his pursuers, it was thought best to secrete him anew, -and he was therefore deposited in Station “Sanctum Sanctorum”—the garret -of the Methodist Church. - -Whoever passes through the village on the “Buffalo Road,” fails not to -notice this unpretentious little brick structure standing by the -wayside. Like most churches built so long ago, it has undergone various -remodelings. The “battlements” have been taken off; doors and windows -have shifted places, but within it is little changed; the seating below -and the three-sided gallery remaining much as of old. - -From the time of its first dedication onward, it has been the scene of -many a revival, and for years it was the “horn of the altar” upon which -the panting fugitive laid his hand, and was safe, for its use as a -“station” was known only to a “selected few.” - -[Illustration: - - OLD CHURCH, WESLEYVILLE, PA. -] - -At the time we speak of, a protracted meeting had already been begun, -for the bleakness of winter had early set in. The services were -conducted by Rev. Jas. Gilfillin, a sterling old Scotchman, who had -received a large part of his training in the collieries of his native -land, and before the mast as a sailor on the high seas, assisted by Rev. -William Gheer, a young man of timidity and all gentility of manner. The -interest was most marked, and crowds came nightly to listen, to weep, to -become penitents, not only from up and down the “road,” but from Gospel -Hill, and far beyond, bringing even grand old father and mother Weed, -who had assisted at the formation of the society over thirty years -before, from away up in the “beechwoods,” and with them Nehemiah Beers, -an exhorter, particularly felicitous in the construction of unheard-of -words and expressions. - -Under such circumstances Jack was deposited, early one morning, in his -rude apartment, measurably warmed by the pipe which came up from the -great box-stove below, and cautioned that he must keep particularly -quiet during the devotional exercises below. Here he remained for -several days, listening to the praises of new-born souls and the -hosannas of the older brethren during meeting hours, and then descending -and making himself comfortable in the well-warmed room when all was -quiet and safe. Indeed, so well did he play his part as fire-tender, -that the Chambers boys, who chopped the wood, which was hauled to the -church “sled-length” by the brethren, emphatically declared, as they -wondered at the marvellous disappearance of fuel, “It takes a power of -wood to run a red-hot revival, and we shall be glad when the meeting -closes,” and it required no little effort on the part of their father, -the main source of supply, to induce them to persevere in their “labor -of love.” - -Thus matters passed until Sunday evening came, when the interest of the -meeting seemed to culminate in a Pentecostal shower. The Rev. James -Sullivan, then a young man, preached a sermon of great eloquence and -power, encouraged by many a hearty Amen from Father Weed and the older -brethren, and the responsive hallelujahs of hale old Sister Weed and the -other “Mothers in Israel.” The sermon ended, men clapped their hands in -ecstatic rapture, and struck up that grand old revival hymn, - - “Come ye sinners, poor and needy,” - -whilst the old pastor rose in his place, and earnestly exhorted sinners -to come to the “mourner’s bench” and find pardon and peace, until the -feeling of excitement burst forth in one simultaneous, “Amen, hallelujah -to God!” - -The Spirit had reached the garret, and in the fervor of excitement Jack -forgot himself, and, “Amen, hallelujah to God!” came back in responsive -echo, sufficiently loud enough to attract the attention of those in the -gallery, who looked at each other in startled amazement. - -Down on his knees went Brother Beers, and in the midst of an impassioned -prayer, exclaimed: “O! Lord-ah, come down to-night-ah, and rim-wrack and -center-shake the work of the devil-ah.” - -Influenced more by the Spirit than the phraseology of the prayer, there -went up from the worshipping throng a hearty “Amen, and Amen!” - -“Amen, and Amen!” came down from above, only to increase the -astonishment of the crowded gallery, most there believing that an angel -hovered over them. As if in perfect accord with the surroundings, Parson -Gheer struck up, - - “Behold the Savior of mankind,” - -without waiting for - - “Nailed to the rugged cross,” - -the stentorian voice of the old pastor rang out, “Yes, He comes! He -comes!” - -“Yes, He comes! He comes!” shouted the embodied seraph in the garret, in -tones sufficiently loud to catch the ear of the sexton, who immediately -mounted aloft, as he often did to adjust the stovepipe, and though the -meeting continued for an hour longer, there were no farther angelic -demonstrations, yet some in the gallery long persisted that they had -that night been permitted to listen to seraphic strains. - -Before daylight Jack was shipped by way of Col. Moorhead’s and North -East, to Conductor Nutting, at State Line, and by him to Syracuse, where -he safely arrived and remained until the breaking out of the war, when -he went south and rendered valuable service to the Union cause, in a way -that may be told in due time. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - UNCLE JAKE. - - - I. - -Years ago, before the permanent organization of the Underground -Railroad, when the escape of fugitives was largely a haphazard matter, -there lived on the sacred soil of Virginia, back a few miles from -Wheeling, a pleasant, companionable man, owning a number of slaves, -among them one known as “Uncle Jake,” the happy husband of an exemplary -wife, who had borne him several children, some of whom they had seen -grow to manhood and womanhood, while others still remained with them in -the cabin. - -Uncle Jake was an expert mason, and brought his master large wages. The -latter, in the generosity of his heart, had stipulated that a certain -per cent. of these should be credited up to Jake for the purchase of the -freedom of himself and wife. When he turned his fifty-ninth birthday the -sum agreed upon was nearly reached, and the faithful man went out to a -job in Wheeling, with the full assurance that on his sixtieth -anniversary he and his hale old wife should go forth to the enjoyment of -the blessings of free people. Thus incited, his trowel was nimbly -handled as the days flew by. - -A little improvident and immethodical in his business, the master had -contracted large obligations, which he was unable to meet; his paper -matured; his creditors swooped down upon him simultaneously, and in a -single day he was stripped of everything. His slaves, with the exception -of Uncle Jake, who was purchased at a round figure by a neighbor who had -long coveted him, were sold to a southern trader, and on Saturday -morning, chained into separate coffles, the unhappy wife and mother, -with her children, forming one by themselves, whilst the father, -indulging in pleasant day-dreams of the future, was busily plying his -craft in one part of the town, were driven through another, down to the -river, and put on board a steamer for New Orleans. - -Evening came, and the week’s work ended, Uncle Jake started with a light -heart homeward. When he reached the neighborhood sometime after -nightfall, he was apprised by a friend on the lookout for him, of the -fate of the master—of himself and loved ones. Had a thunderbolt fallen -at his feet, he could not have been more shocked. Learning, also, that -his new master, a tyrannical man, was waiting his coming, he turned -aside to give vent to his grief. Had he been sold with the family he -could have endured it, for then there might have been a chance of -occasional meeting; indeed, he and his wife might have been sold to the -same plantation; but now they were gone—separated forever. Under the -blue dome of heaven, with the myriad stars looking down upon him, he -wept—wept as only a man can weep under such circumstances—until the -reaction came, when a lion-like manhood asserted itself in the laconic -expression, “Not one more stroke in slavery.” - -Arising with the clear-cut resolution to obtain his freedom or perish in -the attempt, he proceeded stealthily to his cabin, armed himself with a -large butcher knife and a heavy walking stick, and taking one last look -at objects, though humble, still dear to him, he set out with elastic -step towards the river. About one-half the distance had been gone over, -when he perceived himself pursued. He turned aside, hoping to secrete -himself, but in vain; he had been sighted, and was summoned to -surrender. - -To the challenge, he responded: “I am yours if you can take me.” - -The two men, his new master and an attendant, dismounted and hitched -their horses, thinking the conquest of the “cowardly nigger” would be an -easy matter. But not so. The man who for nearly three-score years had -manifested only the meekness of a child, was now endowed with the spirit -and prowess of a giant. A well-aimed blow of the bludgeon laid his -master a quivering corpse at his feet, and several well-directed strokes -of the butcher knife sent the other covered with ghastly, bleeding -wounds, fainting to the roadside. - -Mounting the fleetest horse, Jake made his way rapidly to the river, and -plunging in soon found himself landed safely on the Ohio shore. Taking -to a highway soon found, he followed the lead of the north star, and -just at daybreak turned into a woodland ravine, and spent the quiet -autumnal Sabbath watching the grazing of the faithful horse upon such -herbage as he could find, and in meditating upon the wonderful -revelations and events of the past twenty-four hours. - -Night clear and beautiful, came again, and Jake pursued his onward way, -and in the early morning turned his jaded beast loose in a retired -pasture lot not far from Salem; threw the saddle and bridle into a -ravine, on the principle that “dead men tell no tales,” and prospecting -about for some time, saw emerge from a farm house a broad-brimmed hat, -which he had learned was a sure sign of food and protection. Approaching -the Quaker farmer, Uncle Jake declared himself a fugitive, and applied -for food and shelter, which were freely granted. - -Tuesday the stage coach brought into Salem a hand-bill giving a full -description of Uncle Jake, telling of the killing of the master, the -probable mortal wounding of the other, and offering a large reward for -his apprehension. - -“Thee oughtest to have struck more carefully, friend,” said the Quaker, -when he had learned thus fully the measure of his protégé’s adventure, -“but then as it was in the dark, we may pardon thee thy error, but Salem -is not a safe place for such as thee. I shall take thee to my friend, -Dr. Benjamin Stanton, who will instruct thee as to what thee is to do.” - -Accordingly, when nightfall made it safe, the Quaker took Jake to the -house of his friend, who was none other than a cousin of Lincoln’s great -War Secretary, where having exchanged his laborer’s garb for a suit of -army blue, richly trimmed with brass buttons, a style of dress much -admired by colored people in those old days of militia training, and a -high-crowned hat, he was immediately posted off to the care of one -Barnes, residing on the confines of Boardman, bearing to him the simple -admonition, “It is hot.” - -Not appreciating the full merits of the case, Barnes took him in the -early morning and started for Warren by way of Youngstown. Here he was -espied by two questionable characters, who having seen the hand-bill -advertising Jake, and knowing the antecedents of Barnes, justly surmised -that the black gentleman in blue might be none other than the individual -for whom the reward was offered, and at once planned a pursuit, but not -until the eagle eye of the driver had detected their motions. Leaving -the main road, he struck across the Liberty hills. When near Loy’s -Corners he perceived they were pursued, and bade Jake alight and make -for some place of safety, while he would try and lead the pursuers off -the trail. - -In a land of strangers and without protective weapons save his knife, -Jake could do nothing more than to run up to a little wagon shop by the -wayside, in the doorway of which stood an honest Pennsylvania Dutchman -named Samuel Goist, and exclaimed, “Lor’ Massa, save me from the slave -catcher.” - -Now, Mr. Goist was a Democrat of the straightest sect, and had long -sworn by “Sheneral Shackson;” he had never before seen a panting -fugitive and knew nothing of secretive methods, but when he saw the -venerable, though unique form before him, his generous heart was -touched, and he replied: “Hite gwick in ter hay yonder till I cums,” -pointing at the same time to a last year’s haystack, into which the -cattle had eaten deep recesses. - -It was but the work of a moment, and sable form, blue suit and plug hat -were viewless in what the winter before had often sheltered the -semi-farmer’s choicest steer from pitiless storm. - -Scarcely was this feat executed when the Youngstown parties came up and -knowing the political complexion of the honest wagon-maker inquired, -“Halloo, old dad, have you seen a buggy go by here with a white man, and -a nigger dressed in blue, in it?” - -“Ya, shentelmen, py shimmeny; dot puggy vent py das corner ond yonder -not more as den minit aco, unt er vas _trifing_ das horse, py shingo. I -dinks you not oferdakes him much pefore Vorren.” - -With an expression of rough thanks, the men struck off under a full -gallop which carried them into Warren right speedily, but in the -meantime Barnes had watched his opportunity, turned off through Niles, -and pursued his homeward journey by way of Austintown. - -Turning from his shop when his interrogators were out of sight, Mr. -Goist called his good frou and said, “Vell, Mutter, I kes I haf lite -shust a lidel.” - -“Vot, you, fater, haf lite? O mine!” - -“Vell, Mutter, you zee von plack man comes along unt asks me him for to -hite, unt I say in dem stock; unt den cums sum mans fon Youngstown unt -says he ‘Olt dat, you sees von puggy mit nigger unt vite man goes dis -vay?’ Unt I say, ‘Ya, dot puggy vas kon py like a shtreak.’” - -“O mine, fater, das vas no liegen; you shust say dot puggy vas kon.” - -“Vell, if dot mans was Sheneral Shackson, I should him tell shust der -zame.” - -That evening Uncle Jake received an ample supper from the larder of good -Mother Goist, and was then placed in a wagon under a cover of straw and -conveyed close to the house of a Mr. Stewart near the corner of Vienna, -whom rumor had pointed out to the honest Dutchman as one of “dem -aperlishioners.” Here he was bidden “goot py,” and soon found his way to -the cabin indicated, whence in due time he was forwarded to General -Andrew Bushnell, a prominent anti-slavery man south of the centre of -Hartford. - - - II. - -Even at that early day, Hartford and Vernon had established for -themselves a wide-spread reputation for expertness in the _forwarding -business_. General Bushnell, on account of his age and experience was -looked upon as the acknowledged front of affairs, but his work was ably -seconded by many others, particularly by two young men, Ralph Plumb, of -Burgh Hill, and Levi Sutliff, who still resided with his parents in the -north part of Vernon. These young men were ever on the alert for daring -enterprise, but just now discretion was considered the better part of -valor, for slow as news moved, it was not long before the chase from -Youngstown to Warren became known in Hartford, and anti-fugitive eyes -became unusually vigilant about town, and it was whispered that the blue -suit might come that way and some one might pick up a handsome reward. - -For some days Uncle Jake was carefully secreted in a hay-barn, together -with a young man who had previously reached the General’s. Plumb and -Sutliff were so carefully watched, it was thought best to commit the -carrying of the twain to other hands—but whose should they be? - -Young Plumb had a sister Mary, about twenty years of age, the affianced -of Sutliff, and the General had a daughter bearing the same name a year -or two younger, both spirited, resolute girls, and ready for any good -work. When only fourteen, Miss Bushnell, in a case of special emergency, -had hitched up the family carriage, (a one-horse wagon,) and conveyed a -fleeing family from her father’s to the Sutliff home, a distance of -eight miles, encountering a fearful thunderstorm on the way, and -returning before the first peep of morning light. - -One day when conversing on the best way of disposing of the case in -hand, Ralph said: “Leve, suppose we commit this mission to the Marys; I -believe they will put the stock safely through to the lake.” - -“Capital,” replied his companion; “have you matured a scheme?” - -“Partially.” - -“What is it?” - -“Well your father is to have a load of hay of the General. Come along -with the team and I’ll help you get it. We’ll pack Uncle Jake and the -boy into the load, take Mary on with us and bring her down to our house, -there take on sister, and when the hay is in the Sutliff barn the rest -can be easily arranged.” - -“But will the girls consent?” - -“The Bushnell has been tried, and you are the last man that ought to -raise a question about the Plumb.” - -That afternoon the team of the senior Sutliff was driven through the -center of Hartford and to the hay-barn of Andrew Bushnell, where it was -duly loaded, the two choicest _spires_ being extended longitudinally a -short distance from the top. Passing the house, Mary was taken on and a -merry trio proceeded northward only to be expanded to a jubilant -quartette on arriving at the Hill. No suspicion was aroused, for those -were days when a woman’s worth and modesty were not lessened by her -being seen in sun-bonnet and shawl upon a load of hay. - - - III. - -One, two, three, ——, ——, ——, ——, ——, ——, ——, ——, twelve, went the clock -in the old, low Sutliff mansion; a light two-horse wagon, the bed filled -with hay as if covering a “grist,” was backed out of the barn; two -strong horses were attached; warm kisses were administered to ruby lips; -and a couple of well-wrapped female forms ascended to the seat; a -delicately gloved hand laid hold of the lines, and the team sped briskly -towards the “Kinsman woods.” - - - IV. - -Deacon Andrews, in the old farm house still standing on the brink of the -little ravine south of the hamlet of Lindenville, had put up his morning -prayer for the drowning host of Pharaoh, the Greeks, the Romans and the -Jews, said “Amen” and arisen from his knees, when his wife, looking out -of the window, exclaimed: “See, husband, there’s the Sutliff team; but -who is driving? As I live, if it isn’t a couple of girls, and all the -way up from Vernon so early as this! What can they want?” - -“Going to the ‘Harbor’ with _grain_, I presume; likely the men folks are -busy.” - -“But then I didn’t know the Sutliffs have any girls.” - -“Well, wife, likely they’ve hired the team to some of the neighbors. You -start the children out after chestnuts, quick.” - -There was a lively scampering of young Andrews to the woods; a hasty -breakfasting of girls and horses; a close examination of the sacks under -the hay to see if all was right; a pleasant “good morning,” and the team -went northward and the deacon to his work, mentally exclaiming: “Great -and marvelous are the works of the Almighty—and Plumb and Sut—” but he -checked the irreverent conclusion. - - - V. - -It was high noon at Jefferson, and Ben Wade brought his fist down upon -the cover of the volume of Blackstone he had closed, as he arose to go -to dinner, and ejaculated, “Who the d—l is that, Gid?” - -The pleasant, bland countenanced gentleman to whom these words were -addressed looked up, and there in front of the little office bearing the -unpretentious sign, - - “GIDDINGS & WADE, - ATTORNEYS AT LAW.” - -were two plump, rosy-cheeked girls, each engaged in hitching a horse. - -“Zounds, Ben, you ought to know your Trumbull county friends. It hasn’t -been so long since you taught school at the Center of Hartfort that you -should have forgotten the Bushnells and the Plumbs.” - -“The h—ll! I wonder if those two lasses can be the little Mollies I used -to enjoy so much.” - -“They are the Miss Bushnell and Miss Plumb I met at Sutliff’s a few days -ago, though I do not know their names.” - -The two attorneys, as yet unknown to fame, attended, without fees, to -the consultation of the young ladies, treated them and theirs to the -best fare of him who was afterwards well known in _Railroad_ circles as -“Anno Mundi,” and then sent them forward with a kind letter of -introduction to “Doctor” Henry Harris, the most likely man to greet -them. - - - VI. - -“Can you direct us to Dr. Harris?” said a sweet voiced girl to a trim, -quick-stepping, rather fashionably dressed young gentleman on the street -in the little village of Ashtabula, as she reined up a two-horse team. - -“Hem, ’em ’em, Dr. Harris? ’em, why, that is what they call me.” - -“Are you the only Dr. Harris in town?” - -“’Em, yes, Miss. What can I do for you?” - -The letters of the Jefferson attorneys was placed in his hands. - -“’Em, hem,” he exclaimed, after reading it. “_Freight!_ we can not ship -now; shall have to stow it in our up-town ware-house;” saying which he -led the way out to a country home, now occupied as a city residence, -where the freight was deposited in a hay-mow, whilst the kind-hearted -old Scotchman, Deacon McDonald and his wife most graciously cared for -the intrepid drivers for the night. - -The young man Ned was soon sent away, but Uncle Jake lingered in the -vicinity for considerable time. The winter of 1836 he spent at the -Harbor in the family of Deacon Wm. Hubbard, rendering valuable service -in “pointing” the walls and plastering the cellar of the house now -occupied as a store and residence by Captain Starkey. He is still well -remembered by A. F. Hubbard, Esq., whose father offered him a home in -his family; but Jake finally left and nothing is known of his subsequent -course. - -Of the two young ladies so intimately connected with this history, Miss -Bushnell ultimately married a Mr. Estabrook, and was for many years one -of the most esteemed ladies of Warren, O., and now sleeps in Oakwood -Cemetery near that beautiful city. The other joined her destiny with -that of her affiance shortly after that memorable ride, and a few weeks -since I stood in the little churchyard at Burgh Hill, shrouded as it was -in a far-reaching coverlet of snow and copied the following from a small -marble headstone: - - “MARY P. SUTLIFF, - Died March 1st, 1836. - AE., 23. - _First Sec’y of the Female Anti-Slavery Society of Vernon, A. D., - 1834._” - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - GEORGE GREEN, - OR CONSTANCY REWARDED. - -[The circumstances of the following narrative were partially written up -when secured by the author.] - - -“Do you believe you can succeed, George? It is a great undertaking.” - -“If we can not succeed, Mary, we can try. This servitude is worse than -death.” - -“But our master is very good.” - -“Yes, master is good and kind, and no harm shall come to him. But no -master is as good as freedom.” - -“But then the whites have all the power on their side.” - -“The whites, Mary! Who are whiter than we—than you and I? You the slave -of your own father; I sold from my mother’s arms that my features might -not bring disgrace upon a man of position. White folks, indeed!” - -“True, George, our lot is a wretched one, but then as you love me, and -as master and mistress are so kind, would it not be better to remain -quiet, lest we, too, are separated, and all our hopes for life -blighted?” - -“We are taking a great risk, Mary, but Nat says we can not fail. I -sometimes fear that we shall and I know the consequences, and will meet -them like a man, for I know you will love me still, Mary.” - -“Yes, George, but the love of a poor helpless slave girl can not -compensate you for what you may have to endure, perhaps for life -itself.” - -“Mary, dear as you are to me, liberty for us both or death in attempting -to secure it, will be a far greater boon, coupled with your love, than -to share that love, however fervent, through a life-long servitude.” - -“But, George, don’t you remember how often you have heard master and his -guests talk about those strange people, Poles and Greeks they call them, -and how they have struggled for freedom, only mostly to make their -condition worse?” - -“Yes, Mary, and I have heard them tell how they would like to go and -help them fight for their liberty. Then I have heard master tell how his -own father fought in the war he calls the Revolution, and didn’t the -Judge say in his speech last Independence that that is the day, above -all others, which proclaims that ‘all men are created free and equal?’ -Am I not a man, and should I not be equal to any one who calls himself -master and me slave? No, Mary, the die is cast and six hundred -slaves—no, men—will strike for freedom on these plantations in less than -a week. But there is the horn, and I must go.” - -The above conversation took place in the home of a Virginia planter more -than sixty years ago. The parties were young, less than twenty; both -white, both slaves, for the peculiar institution by no means attached -itself to the sable African alone. The fettered were of every hue, from -that of ebon blackness to the purest Caucassian white. Slavery knew no -sacred ties, but only the bonds of lust. Hence this strange gradation of -color, for as the master acknowledged nothing more than a conventional -marriage, so he held out no encouragement to the slave women to be -virtuous and chaste. The girl Mary was, indeed, the daughter of Mr. -Green, her master, and George the son of a high government official, his -mother being a servant in the Washington hotel where the official -boarded. The boy looked so akin to his father that he was early sold to -a slave dealer that the scandal might be hushed. From this dealer he was -purchased by Mr. Green, who was indeed a kind-hearted man and treated -his slaves with great consideration. - -Both being house servants, and thrown much together, an earnest -attachment sprang up between them. This was by no means discouraged by -master or mistress. Though they could neither read nor write, their -natural aptness and constant association with family and guests soon -imparted to them a good degree of culture and general information. - -The cause of the conversation above referred to was the revelation to -Mary by her lover of a plot on the part of about six hundred slaves of -the county of Southampton to rise in rebellion and obtain their freedom. -From any participation in it she would gladly have dissuaded him, though -in perfect sympathy with his feelings, but the proud Anglo-Saxon blood -and spirit of George were fully enlisted in the undertaking, and when -“Nat Turner’s Insurrection” broke upon the astonished planters there was -no braver man in its ranks than George. But six hundred slaves, -imperfectly armed as they were, could make but little headway. They were -soon defeated. Those who were not captured fled to the Dismal Swamp. -Here ordered to surrender, they challenged their pursuers. A furious -struggle ensued between the owners and their human chattels, men and -women. They were hunted with bloodhounds, and many who were caught were -tortured even unto death. Not until the United States troops were called -in, was their forlorn hope, struggling for freedom, entirely vanquished. - -Among the last to surrender was George. He was tried before a civil -court and condemned to be hanged. Ten days only were to elapse before -the carrying out of the sentence. - -Being a member of a Christian church, Mary sought and obtained, through -the influence of her mistress, with whom George had been an especial -favorite, permission to visit him in the jail and administer the -consolation of religion. Seated by his side but four days before the day -of execution, she said: - -“George, you made an effort for freedom against my wish, now will you -make another, one in which I fully accord?” - -“For me there is no hope. Whilst it is hard to part from you, I am not -afraid to die.” - -“If you are hanged, we must be separated, if you escape it can be no -more.” - -“Escape! how?” - -“Well, listen. You shall exchange clothes with me. Then at my accustomed -time of leaving you shall depart, and I will remain in your place. They -will not harm me, and so nearly are we of a size, and so close the -general resemblance, that you will have no difficulty in passing the -guard. Once without the gate, you can easily escape to the woods, the -mountains, to a land of liberty. May be——” - -“Never can I consent to this. These miserable men would wreak their -vengeance on you.” - -“Never fear for me, and may be when you are safe in Canada you can -provide for my coming to you.” - -“If it were possible, but—” - -The turnkey gave the signal for departure, and Mary arose and left. - -During the next day she carefully prepared a package of provisions and -hid it in a secluded place. The day was dark and gloomy, portending a -storm. Just at evening she presented herself at the prison door and was -readily admitted. Once beside her lover, she again importuned him to -make an effort to escape. At last he consented. It was but the work of a -moment to exchange clothing, to impart the necessary instructions with -regard to the provisions, to pledge one another to eternal constancy, -when the door opened and the harsh voice of the keeper exclaimed, “Come, -Miss, it is time for you to go.” - -It was now storming furiously. Weeping and with a handkerchief applied -to his face, as was Mary’s custom when leaving, George passed out and -the door immediately closed upon the innocent inmate of the cell. - -It was now dark, so that our hero in his new dress had no fear of -detection. The provisions were sought and found, and poor George was -soon on the road to Canada. But neither he nor Mary had thought of a -change of dress for him when he should have escaped, and he walked but a -short distance before he felt that a change of his apparel would -facilitate his progress. But he dared not go among even his colored -associates, for fear of being betrayed. However, he made the best of his -way on towards Canada, hiding in the woods by day and traveling by the -guidance of the pole star at night. - -One morning George arrived on the banks of the Ohio river, and found his -journey had terminated unless he could get some one to take him across -in a secret manner, for he would not be permitted to cross in any of the -ferry boats. He concealed himself in tall grass and weeds near the river -to see if he could not secure an opportunity to cross. He had been in -his hiding place but a short time, when he observed a man in a small -boat, floating near the shore, evidently fishing. His first impulse was -to call out to the man and ask him to take him across the river to the -Ohio shore, but the fear that he was a slaveholder or one who might -possibly arrest him deterred him from it. The man after rowing and -floating about for some time, fastened the boat to the root of a tree, -and started to a farm house not far distant. This was George’s -opportunity, and he seized it. Running down the bank, he unfastened the -boat and jumped in, and with all the expertness of one accustomed to a -boat, rowed across the river and landed safely on free soil. - -Being now in a free state, he thought he might with perfect safety -travel on towards Canada. He had, however, gone but a few miles, when he -discovered two men on horseback coming behind him. He felt sure that -they could not be in pursuit of him, yet he did not wish to be seen by -them, so he turned into another road leading to a house near by. The men -followed, and were but a short distance from George, when he ran up to a -farm house, before which was standing a farmer-looking man, in a -broad-brimmed hat and straight-collared coat, whom he implored to save -him from the “slave catchers.” The farmer told him to go into the barn -near by; he entered by the front door, the farmer following and closing -the door behind George, but remaining outside, gave directions to his -hired man as to what should be done with him. The slaveholders had by -this time dismounted, and were in front of the barn demanding -admittance, and charging the farmer with secreting their slave woman, -for George was still in the dress of a woman. The Friend, for the farmer -proved to be a member of the Society of Quakers, told the slave-owners -that if they wished to search his barn, they must first get an officer -and a search warrant. While the parties were disputing, the farmer began -nailing up the front door, and the hired man served the back door the -same way. The slaveholders, finding that they could not prevail on the -Friend to allow them to get the slave, determined to go in search of an -officer. One was left to see that the slave did not escape from the -barn, while the other went off at full speed to Mt. Pleasant, the -nearest town. - -George was not the slave of either of these men, nor were they in -pursuit of him, but they had lost a woman who had been seen in that -vicinity, and when they saw poor George in the disguise of a female, and -attempting to elude pursuit, they felt sure they were close upon their -victim. However, if they had caught him, although he was not their slave -they would have taken him back and placed him in jail, and there he -would have remained until his owner arrived. - -After an absence of nearly two hours, the slave-owner returned with an -officer, and found the Friend still driving large nails into the door. -In a triumphant tone, and with a corresponding gesture, he handed the -search warrant to the Friend, and said: - -“There, sir, now I will see if he can’t get my Nigger.” - -“Well,” said the Friend, “thou hast gone to work according to law, and -thou canst now go into my barn.” - -“Lend me your hammer that I may get the door open,” said the -slaveholder. - -“Let me see the warrant again.” And after reading it over once more, he -said, “I see nothing in this paper which says I must supply thee with -tools to open my door; if thou wishest to go in thou must get a hammer -elsewhere.” - -The sheriff said: “I will go to a neighboring farm and borrow something -which will introduce us to Miss Dinah;” and he immediately went off in -search of tools. - -In a short time the officer returned, and they commenced an assault and -battery upon the barn door, which soon yielded; and in went the -slaveholder and officer, and began turning up the hay and using all -other means to find the lost property; but, to their astonishment, the -slave was not there. After all hopes of getting Dinah were gone, the -slave-owner, in a rage, said to the Friend: - -“My Nigger is not here.” - -“I did not tell thee there was anyone here.” - -“Yes, but I saw her go in, and you shut the door behind her, and if she -wa’nt in the barn what did you nail the door for?” - -“Can not I do what I please with my own barn door? Now I will tell thee. -Thou need trouble thyself no more, for the person thou art after entered -the front door and went out the back door, and is a long way from here -by this time. Thou and thy friend must be somewhat fatigued by this -time; won’t thee go in and take a little dinner with me?” - -We need not say that this cool invitation of the good Quaker was not -accepted by the slaveholders. - -George in the meantime had been taken to a Friend’s dwelling some miles -away, where, after laying aside his female attire, and being snugly -dressed up in a straight-collared coat, and pantaloons to match, he was -again put on the right road towards Canada. - -His passage through Ohio, by the way of Canfield and Warren, was -uneventful, but at Bloomfield he was detained several days on account of -the presence of some slave hunters from his own state, and who had a -description of him among others. In this town is a great marsh or swamp -of several thousand acres, at the time of our story all undrained. In -the center of this swamp, Mr. Brown, the owner, had erected a small hut, -one of the very first special stations built on the Underground -Railroad. To this secluded retreat George was taken, and there remained -until the departure of his enemies, when he was safely conveyed to -Ashtabula Harbor, whence he was given free passage, by the veteran -agent, Hubbard, of the Mystic Line in Canada. Arriving at St. -Catharines, he began to work upon the farm of Colonel Strut, and also -attended a night school, where he showed great proficiency in acquiring -the rudiments of an education. - -Once beginning to earn money, George did not forget his promise to use -all means in his power to get Mary out of slavery. He, therefore, -labored with all his might to obtain money with which to employ some one -to go back to Virginia for Mary. After nearly six month’s labor at St. -Catharines, he employed an English missionary to go and see if the girl -could be purchased, and at what price. The missionary went accordingly, -but returned with the sad intelligence that on account of Mary’s aiding -George to escape, the court had compelled Mr. Green to sell her out of -the State, and she had been sold to a Negro-trader and taken to the New -Orleans market. As all hope of getting the girl was now gone, George -resolved to quit the American continent forever. He immediately took -passage in a vessel laden with timber, bound for Liverpool, and in five -weeks from the time he was standing on a quay of the great English -seaport. With little education, he found many difficulties in the way of -getting a respectable living. However, he obtained a situation as porter -in a large house in Manchester, where he worked during the day, and took -private lessons at night. In this way he labored for three years, and -was then raised to the position of clerk. George was so white as easily -to pass for Caucassian, and being somewhat ashamed of his African -descent, he never once mentioned the fact of his having been a slave. He -soon became a partner in the firm that employed him, and was now on the -road to wealth. - -In the year 1842, just ten years after, George Green, for so he called -himself, arrived in England, he visited France, and spent some days at -Dunkirk. - -It was towards sunset, on a warm day in the month of October, that Mr. -Green, after strolling some distance from the Hotel de Leon, entered a -burial ground and wandered long alone among the silent dead, gazing upon -the many green graves and marble tombstones of those who once moved on -the theatre of busy life, and whose sounds of gayety once fell upon the -ear of man. All nature was hushed in silence, and seemed to partake of -the general melancholy which hung over the quiet resting-place of -departed mortals. After tracing the varied inscriptions which told the -characters or conditions of the departed, and viewing the mounds beneath -which the dust of mortality slumbered, he had reached a secluded spot, -near to where an aged weeping willow bowed its thick foliage to the -ground, as though anxious to hide from the scrutinizing gaze of -curiosity the grave beneath it. Mr. Green seated himself upon a marble -tomb, and began to read Roscoe’s Leo X., a copy of which he had under -his arm. It was then about twilight, and he had scarcely read half a -page, when he observed a lady dressed in black, and leading a boy some -five years old up one of the paths; and as the lady’s black veil was -over her face, he felt somewhat at liberty to eye her more closely. -While looking at her, the lady gave a scream and appeared to be in a -fainting position, when Mr. Green sprang from his seat in time to save -her from falling to the ground. At this moment an elderly gentleman was -seen approaching with a rapid step, who, from his appearance, was -evidently the lady’s father, or one intimately connected with her. He -came up, and in a confused manner asked what was the matter. Mr. Green -explained as well as he could. After taking up the smelling bottle, -which had fallen from her hand, and holding it a short time to her face, -she soon began to revive. During all this time the lady’s veil had so -covered her face that Mr. Green had not seen it. When she had so far -recovered as to be able to raise her head, she again screamed, and fell -back in the arms of the old man. It now appeared quite certain that -either the countenance of George Green, or some other object, was the -cause of these fits of fainting; and the old gentleman, thinking it was -the former, in rather a petulant tone, said, “I will thank you, sir, if -you will leave us alone.” The child whom the lady was leading had now -set up a squall; and amid the death-like appearance of the lady, the -harsh look of the old man, and the cries of the boy, Mr. Green left the -grounds and returned to his hotel. - -Whilst seated by the window, and looking out upon the crowded street, -with every now and then the strange scene in the grave-yard vividly -before him, Mr. Green thought of the book he had been reading, and -remembering that he had left it on the tomb, where he had suddenly -dropped it when called to the assistance of the lady, he immediately -determined to return in search of it. After a walk of some twenty -minutes, he was again over the spot where he had been an hour before, -and from where he had been so uncermoniously expelled by the old man. He -looked in vain for the book; it was nowhere to be found; nothing save -the bouquet which the lady had dropped, and which lay half buried in the -grass from having been trodden upon, indicated that any one had been -there that evening. Mr. Green took up the bunch of flowers, and again -returned to the hotel. - -After passing a sleepless night, and hearing the clock strike six, he -dropped into a sweet sleep, from which he did not awake until roused by -the rap of a servant, who, entering the room, handed him a note which -ran as follows:— - - “Sir: I owe an apology for the inconvenience to which you were - subjected last evening, and if you will honor us with your presence - to dinner to-day at four o’clock, I shall be most happy to give you - due satisfaction. My servant will be in waiting for you at half-past - three. - - I am, sir, your obedient servant, - - J. DEVENANT. - October 23.” - - To George Green, Esq. - -The servant who handed this note to Mr. Green informed him that the -bearer was waiting for a reply. He immediately resolved to accept the -invitation, and replied accordingly. Who this person was, and how his -name and hotel where he was stopping had been found out, was indeed a -mystery. However, he waited somewhat impatiently for the hour when he -was to see his new acquaintance, and get the mysterious meeting in the -grave-yard solved. - -The clock on the neighboring church had scarcely ceased striking three, -when the servant announced that a carriage had called for Mr. Green. In -less than half an hour he was seated in a most sumptuous barouche, drawn -by two beautiful iron grays, and rolling along over a splendid gravel -road, completely shaded by large trees which appeared to have been the -accumulated growth of centuries. The carriage soon stopped in front of a -low villa, and this too was imbedded in magnificent trees covered with -moss. Mr. Green alighted and was shown into a superb drawing-room, the -walls of which were hung with fine specimens from the hands of the great -Italian painters, and one by a German artist representing a beautiful -monkish legend connected with “The Holy Catharine,” an illustrious lady -of Alexandra. The furniture had an antique and dignified appearance. -High-backed chairs stood around the room; a venerable mirror stood on -the mantle shelf; rich curtains of crimson damask hung in folds at -either side of the large windows; and a rich Turkish carpet covered the -floor. In the center stood a table covered with books, in the midst of -which was an old-fashioned vase filled with fresh flowers, whose -fragrance was exceedingly pleasant. A faint light, together with the -quietness of the hour, gave a beauty, beyond description, to the whole -scene. - -Mr. Green had scarcely seated himself upon the sofa, when the elderly -gentleman whom he had met the previous evening made his appearance, -followed by the little boy, and introduced himself as Mr. Devenant. A -moment more, and a lady—a beautiful brunette—dressed in black, with long -curls of a chestnut color hanging down her cheeks, entered the room. Her -eyes were of a dark hazel, and her whole appearance indicated that she -was a native of a southern clime. The door at which she entered was -opposite to where the two gentlemen were seated. They immediately arose; -and Mr. Devenant was in the act of introducing her to Mr. Green, when he -observed that the latter had sunk back upon the sofa, and the last word -that he remembered to have heard was, “It is she.” After this all was -dark and dreary; how long he remained in this condition it was for -another to tell. When he awoke he found himself stretched upon the sofa -with his boots off, his neckerchief removed, shirt-collar unbuttoned, -and his head resting upon a pillow. By his side sat the old man, with -the smelling bottle in one hand, and a glass of water in the other, and -the little boy standing at the foot of the sofa. As soon as Mr. Green -had so far recovered as to be able to speak, he said: - -“Where am I, and what does this mean?” - -“Wait awhile,” replied the old man, “and I will tell you all.” - -After a lapse of some ten minutes he rose from the sofa, adjusted his -apparel, and said: - -“I am now ready to hear anything you have to say.” - -“You were born in America?” said the old man. - -“Yes,” he replied. - -“And you were acquainted with a girl named Mary?” continued the old man. - -“Yes, and I loved her as I can love none other.” - -“That lady whom you met so mysteriously last evening is Mary,” replied -Mr. Devenant. - -George Green was silent, but the fountains of mingled grief and joy -stole out from beneath his eyelashes, and glistened like pearls upon his -pale and marble-like cheeks. At this juncture the lady again entered the -room. Mr. Green sprang from the sofa, and they fell into each other’s -arms, to the surprise of the old man and little George, and to the -amusement of the servants, who had crept up one by one, and were hidden -behind the doors or loitering in the hall. When they had given vent to -their feelings, they resumed their seats, and each in turn related the -adventures through which they had passed. - -“How did you find out my name and address?” asked Mr. Green. - -“After you had left us in the grave-yard, our little George said, ‘O, -mamma, if there ain’t a book!’ and picked it up and brought it to us. -Papa opened it, and said, ‘The gentleman’s name is written in it, and -here is a card of the Hotel de Leon, where I suppose he is stopping.’ -Papa wished to leave the book, and said it was all a fancy of mine that -I had ever seen you before, but I was perfectly convinced that you were -my own George Green. Are you married?” - -“No, I am not.” - -“Then, thank God!” exclaimed Mrs. Devenant, for such her name. - -The old man, who had been silent all this time, said: - -“Now, sir, I must apologize for the trouble you were put to last -evening.” - -“And are you single now?” asked Mr. Green, addressing the lady. - -“Yes,” she replied. - -“This is indeed the Lord’s doings,” said Mr. Green, at the same time -bursting into a flood of tears. - -Although Mr. Devenant was past the age when men should think upon -matrimonial subjects, yet this scene brought vividly before his eyes the -days when he was a young man, and had a wife living, and he thought it -was time to call their attention to dinner, which was then waiting. We -need scarcely add that Mr. Green and Mrs. Devenant did very little -towards diminishing the dinner that day. - -After dinner the lovers (for such we have to call them) gave their -experience from the time that George Green left the jail, dressed in -Mary’s clothes. Up to that time Mr. Green’s was substantially as we have -related it. Mrs. Devenant’s was as follows: - -“The night after you left the prison,” she said, “I did not shut my eyes -in sleep. The next morning, about eight o’clock, Peter, the gardener, -came to the jail to see if I had been there the night before, and was -informed that I had left a little after dark. About an hour after, Mr. -Green came himself, and I need not say that he was much surprised on -finding me there, dressed in your clothes. This was the first tidings -they had of your escape.” - -“What did Mr. Green say when he found that I had fled?” - -“O,” continued Mrs. Devenant, “he said to me when no one was near, ‘I -hope George will get off, but I fear you will have to suffer in his -stead.’ I told him that if it must be so I was willing to die if you -could live.” - -At this moment George Green burst into tears, threw his arms around her -neck, and exclaimed, “I am glad I have waited so long, with the hope of -meeting you again.” - -Mrs. Devenant again resumed her story: “I was kept in jail three days, -during which time I was visited by the magistrates and two of the -judges. On the third day I was taken out, and master told me that I was -liberated upon condition that I be immediately sent out of the State. -There happened to be, just at that time, in the neighborhood, a -Negro-trader, and he purchased me and I was taken to New Orleans. On the -steamboat we were kept in a close room where slaves are usually -confined, so that I saw nothing of the passengers on board, or the towns -we passed. We arrived at New Orleans, and were all put in the slave -market for sale. I was examined by many persons, but none seemed willing -to purchase me; as all thought me too white, and said I would run away -and pass as a white woman. On the second day, while in the slave market, -and while planters and others were examining slaves and making their -purchases, I observed a tall young man with long black hair eyeing me -very closely, and then talking to the trader. I felt sure that my time -had now come, but the day closed without my being sold. I did not regret -this, for I had heard that foreigners made the worst of masters, and I -felt confident that the man who eyed me so closely was not an American. - -“The next day was the Sabbath. The bells called the people to the -different places of worship. Methodists sang, and Baptists immersed, and -Presbyterians sprinkled, and Episcopalians read their prayers, while the -ministers of the various sects preached that Christ died for all; yet -there were some twenty-five or thirty of us poor creatures confined in -the ‘Negro-Pen,’ awaiting the close of the holy Sabbath and the dawn of -another day, to be again taken into the market, there to be examined -like so many beasts of burden. I need not tell you with what anxiety we -waited for the advent of another day. On Monday we were again brought -out, and placed in rows to be inspected; and, fortunately for me, I was -sold before we had been on the stand an hour. I was purchased by a -gentleman residing in the city, for a waiting-maid for his wife, who was -just on the eve of starting for Mobile, to pay a visit to a near -relative. I was dressed to suit the situation of a maid-servant; and, -upon the whole, I thought that in my new dress I looked as much the lady -as my mistress. - -“On the passage to Mobile, who should I see, among the passengers, but -the tall, long-haired man that had eyed me so closely in the slave -market a few day before. His eyes were again on me, and he appeared -anxious to speak to me, and I as reluctant to be spoken to. The first -evening after leaving New Orleans, soon after twilight had let her -curtain down, while I was seated on the deck of the boat, near the -ladies’ cabin, looking upon the rippled waves, and the reflection of the -moon upon the sea, all at once I saw the tall young man standing by my -side. I immediately arose from my seat, and was in the act of returning -to the cabin, when he in broken accent said: - -“‘Stop a moment; I wish to have a word with you. I am your friend.’ - -“I stopped and looked him full in the face, and he said, ‘I saw you some -days since in the slave market, and I intended to have purchased you to -save you from the condition of a slave. I called on Monday, but you had -been sold and had left the market. I inquired and learned who the -purchaser was, and that you had to go to Mobile, so I resolved to follow -you. If you are willing I will try and buy you from your present owner, -and you shall be free.’ - -“Although this was said in an honest and offhand manner, I could not -believe the man was sincere in what he said. - -“‘Why should you wish to set me free?’ I asked. - -“‘I had an only sister,’ he replied, ‘who died three years ago in -France, and you are so much like her that, had I not known of her death, -I would most certainly have taken you for her.’ - -“‘However much I may resemble your sister, you are aware that I am not -her, and why take so much interest in one whom you have never seen -before?’ - -“‘The love,’ said he, ‘which I had for my sister is transferred to you.’ - -“I had all along suspected that the man was a knave, and his profession -of love confirmed me in my former belief, and I turned away and left -him. - -“The next day, while standing in the cabin and looking through the -window, the French gentleman (for such he was) came to the window, while -walking on the guards, and again commenced as on the previous evening. -He took from his pocket a bit of paper and put it into my hand, at the -same time saying: - -“‘Take this; it may some day be of service to you. Remember it is from a -friend,’ and left me instantly. - -“I unfolded the paper and found it to be a $100 bank note, on the United -States Branch Bank, at Philadelphia. My first impulse was to give it to -my mistress, but upon a second thought, I resolved to seek an -opportunity, and to return the hundred dollars to the stranger. -Therefore I looked for him, but in vain; and had almost given up the -idea of seeing him again, when he passed me on the guards of the boat -and walked towards the stern of the vessel. It being nearly dark I -approached him and offered the money to him. - -“He declined, saying at the same time, ‘I gave it you—keep it.’ - -“‘I do not want it,’ I said. - -“‘Now,’ said he, ‘you had better give your consent for me to purchase -you, and you shall go with me to France.’ - -“‘But you cannot buy me now,’ I replied, ‘for my master is in New -Orleans, and he purchased me not to sell, but to retain in his own -family.’ - -“‘Would you rather remain with your present mistress than to be free?’ - -“‘No,’ said I. - -“‘Then fly with me to-night; we shall be in Mobile in two hours from -this time, and when the passengers are going on shore, you can take my -arm, and you can escape unobserved. The trader who brought you to New -Orleans exhibited to me a certificate of your good character, and one -from the minister of the church to which you were attached in Virginia; -and upon the faith of these assurances, and the love I bear you, I -promise before high heaven that I will marry you as soon as it can be -done.’ - -“This solemn promise, coupled with what had already transpired, gave me -confidence in the man; and, rash as the act may seem, I determined in an -instant to go with him. My mistress had been put under the charge of the -captain; and as it would be past ten o’clock when the steamer would -land, she accepted an invitation of the captain to remain on board with -several other ladies till morning. - -“I dressed myself in my best clothes, and put a veil over my face, and -was ready on the landing of the boat. Surrounded by a number of -passengers, we descended the stage leading to the wharf and were soon -lost in the crowd that thronged the quay. As we went on shore we -encountered several persons announcing the names of hotels, the starting -of boats for the interior, and vessels bound for Europe. Among these was -the ship Utica, Captain Pell, bound for Havre. - -“‘Now,’ said Mr. Devenant, ‘this is our chance.’ - -“The ship was to sail at twelve o’clock that night, at high tide; and -following the men who were seeking passengers, we were immediately on -board. Devenant told the captain of the ship that I was his sister, and -for such we passed during the long voyage. At the hour of twelve the -Utica set sail, and we were soon out at sea. - -“The morning after we left Mobile, Devenant met me as I came from my -state-room and embraced me for the first time. I loved him, but it was -only that affection which we have for one who has done us a lasting -favor; it was the love of gratitude rather than that of the heart. We -were five weeks on the sea, and yet the passage did not seem long, for -Devenant was so kind. On our arrival at Havre, we were married and came -to Dunkirk, and I have resided here ever since.” - -At the close of this narrative, the clock struck ten, when the old man, -who was accustomed to retire at an early hour, rose to take leave, -saying at the same time: - -“I hope you will remain with us to-night.” - -Mr. Green would fain have excused himself, on the ground that they would -expect him and wait at the hotel, but a look from the lady told him to -accept the invitation. The old man was the father of Mrs. Devenant’s -deceased husband, as you will no doubt long since have supposed. - -A fortnight from the day on which they met in the grave-yard Mr. Green -and Mrs. Devenant were joined in holy wedlock; so that George and Mary, -who had loved each other so ardently in their younger days, were now -husband and wife. - -A celebrated writer has justly said of women: “A woman’s whole life is a -history of affections. The heart is her world; it is there her ambition -strives for empire; it is there her avarice seeks for hidden treasures. -She sends forth her sympathies on adventure; she embarks her whole soul -in the traffic of affection; and if shipwrecked, her case is hopeless, -for it is bankruptcy of the heart.” - -Mary had every reason to believe that she would never see George again; -and although she confessed that the love she bore him was never -transferred to her first husband, we can scarcely find fault with her -for marrying Mr. Devenant. But the adherence of George Green to the -resolution never to marry, unless to his Mary, is, indeed, a rare -instance of the fidelity of man in the matter of love. We can but blush -for our country’s shame, when we call to mind the fact, that while -George and Mary Green, and numbers of other fugitives from American -slavery, could receive protection from any of the governments of Europe, -they could not in safety return to their own land until countless -treasure, untold suffering and anguish, and the life blood of half a -million men, had been paid as the price of the bondman’s chain. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - HOW SOL. JONES WAS LEFT. - - - I. - -During the decade of the thirties, and for years afterward, there -resided on an affluent of the Rappahannock, in Culpepper county, -Virginia, one Solomon Jones. Mr. Jones was the inheritor of an estate -with all that term would imply fifty years ago in the “Old -Dominion”—numerous slaves, the F. F. V. idea of domination of race, and -those false conceptions of right begotten of “chattel” ownership. Though -naturally possessed of many excellent traits of character, he was harsh -and unrelenting towards those who sustained to him the relation of -property. - -On the little stream running through his domain he had erected a grist -mill for his own accommodation and the profit to be derived therefrom in -doing the work of his neighbors, and in supplying adjacent towns with -the product of his mill; for Solomon had business tact and push far -beyond his surroundings and time. - -The business of distributing his merchandise was entrusted to a mulatto -named Sam, who traveled far and near in the discharge of his duties, and -being a shrewd, intelligent fellow, was enabled to pick up much valuable -information relative to the ways of the outside world. - -The estate also possessed a blacksmith in the person of a stalwart -negro, Peter, who rejoiced in no drop of Caucassian blood. The wife of -each of these men was respectively the sister of the other, but Dinah, -the wife of Sam, for some reason history has not recorded, was a free -woman, and both families were childless. This fact was not at all -pleasing to the owner of the plantation, and became the source of much -annoyance and abuse as the master saw less and less prospect of -replenishing his coffers from the sale or labor of a second generation. - -Stung by the continued upbraidings and base advances of “Old Sol,” as -Jones ultimately came to be called, the two families began seriously to -discuss the propriety of _emigrating_ Northward. The knowledge picked up -by Sam now became available. He had heard much in his journeyings of the -methods of escape, and the courses pursued, and having unlimited control -of the teams about the mill and a general acquaintance for miles away -was, consequently, deemed the proper person to direct the escape. Acting -upon his advice the women quietly laid in such a stock of provisions as -would suffice them for several days, together with so much of clothing -as was deemed indispensable. Thus equipped, one Saturday night, in July, -1843, the men saddled two of the best horses on the plantation and with -their wives mounted behind them set out and by daylight were far away -among the mountains to the northwestward. A halt was made for the day in -a secluded ravine where some pasturage was found, and again at night -they pushed vigorously on, putting two nights of fleet travel between -them and the plantation before their flight was discovered, as the -master and family were absent and none other had thought of inquiring -into their whereabouts. - -On returning to his home on Monday, Mr. Jones learned of the absence of -Peter from the smithy, Sam from his accustomed duties and the women from -the cabins, and the conviction flashed upon him that he was minus three -valuable pieces of property, and when the disappearance of his best -horses was ascertained, his wrath knew no bounds. A plan of search was -instituted, but before it was thoroughly organized, two or three more -days had elapsed. - -Meanwhile, the fugitives were making their way rapidly towards the Ohio -river which they crossed with little difficulty a short distance below -Wheeling, and were soon threading the hill country of Southeastern Ohio. -Arriving in Harrison county after the lapse of some twenty days, they -thought they might safely betake themselves to the more public highway -and to daylight. Here was their mistake, for on the first day of this -public exhibition of confidence, when a few miles north of Cadiz, they -looked back and a short distance in the rear beheld “Ol’ Massa” and two -or three men in pursuit. They betook themselves to the adjacent woods -and all but Sam succeeded in escaping. He, poor fellow, was captured and -lodged in jail at Cadiz whilst the pursuit of the others was continued, -but in vain; for avoiding every human habitation and moving only under -cover of night they pushed forward and reached the home of a Mr. -Williams, a Quaker, residing near Massillon, where Sam’s wife learned of -his capture, and bidding good-bye to the others, retraced her footsteps -slowly to her Virginian home, expecting to find her husband. Not so -however. - - - II. - -Immediately a portion of the people of Cadiz found a slave had been -incarcerated in the jail for safe keeping, whilst the master was in -search of others, they sued out a writ of _habeas corpus_, and there -being none to appear against the prisoner or show cause why he should -not be released, he was soon set at liberty by the judge. Grown wiser by -experience, he betook himself to the cover of forests, secluded pathways -and darkness and all trace of him was soon lost. - -After a vain search for the others, Mr. Jones returned to Cadiz only to -find that the official cage had been opened and that his bird was flown. -His imprecations upon the devoted town were terrible, but no damage was -done farther than shocking moral and religious sensibilities, and when -the ebullitions of his wrath had somewhat subsided he returned home, -where in a few days he was accosted by Sam’s faithful Dinah, whom he -most impiously rebuffed when she inquired as to the whereabouts of her -husband. - - - III. - -Infused with the hope of making a fortune out of the Morus multicaulis -speculation which spread as a craze over the country during the later -years of the decade, there came to Massillon, from the east, in 1837, -Cyrus Ford, a man of progressive ideas, who soon associated himself with -the Quakers of the neighborhood in acts of underground philanthropy. His -hopes with regard to mulberry riches failed, but his fears with respect -to the ague was more than realized, as he imbibed the dense malarial -exhalations arising from the Tuscarawas to such an extent as to shake -him in his boots, and in 1841 he abandoned the valley and settled -himself on a purchase east of what was then known as “Doan’s Corners,” -now East Cleveland, a short distance from where Adelbert College stands. -For years he resided in an unpretentious house situated just in front of -the site of the present hospitable home of his son, Horace Ford, Esq., -Euclid Avenue. - -One September morning, in 1843, young Horace had been started early -after the cows, but scarcely had he left the door when, in the early -dawn, he was hailed from the roadside. Approaching the caller he found -standing at the gateway the Williams turnout from Massillon, and on the -box the old gentleman’s son Ed, a young man about his own age. - -“What’s up, Ed?” said young Ford. - -“Not much. Don’t thee see the curtains are down?” was the reply. - -“O, ah, I see.” - -“Not exactly thee don’t, for them curtains are opaque, but there are two -persons within for whom, as we believe, search is now being made in town -yonder. Massillon was thoroughly searched, and it was not until last -evening we dared to start out. Thee and thy father must now provide for -the poor beings and see them off to the Queen’s Dominion.” - -Without further ceremony Peter Jones and Mary, his wife, were bidden to -alight and in a few minutes were safely secreted on the premises of Mr. -Ford. - - - IV. - -On Seneca street, in that early day, near the present site of the -criminal court rooms stood John Bell’s barber-shop, the more euphonious -term, “tonsorial parlors,” being then all unknown. John was a sterling, -wide awake darkie, and for years one of the _principal forwarding -agents_ in the growing city. To him during the day young Ford applied -for transportation for the arrival of the morning, but was informed that -matters were entirely too hot to undertake their shipment at that time, -but that he should wait until the third evening and then bring them in -promptly at nine o’clock and he would have everything ready for their -transfer. They were taken into the city in accordance with this -arrangement and in thirty minutes were out on the blue waters of Erie -duly headed for Canada. - -Scarcely three weeks had elapsed when the Williams’ establishment again -stood at the gate of Mr. Ford, this time having brought Sam who had -succeeded after weary watchings in reaching the Quaker settlement at -Massillon. He was anxious to tarry and wait the coming of his wife, who -he thought could be duly appraised of his whereabouts by letter. To this -end he gave young Horace the name of a friend to whom he could safely -write and inform her of his escape from jail and safe arrival at the -lake. Dr. Edwin Cowles, Jarvis F. Hanks and Cornelius Coakly were called -in to advise in the matter and it was unanimously agreed that Sam should -go forward, and if his wife could be found she was to be sent to him as -soon as possible. In accordance with this decision Sam went to Canada, -but much to the surprise of Mr. Ford returned in about three weeks, -almost frantic for the recovery of his wife. A second letter was -written, advising the unknown friend of Sam’s whereabouts. - -Awaiting an answer, Sam went to work for Mr. Ford chopping upon the -sloping hillside a short distance west of the site of the Garfield -Monument. He had been engaged thus about a month when the Williams -carriage again drove up, this time bringing Dinah, whose meeting with -her husband was of a most emotional character, manifested in shouts and -praises and thanksgiving to God, and choicest blessings called down upon -the head of Horace whose second epistle had reached its destination, on -receipt of which she had immediately set out on her long journey to join -him. In a day or two the twain were forwarded to Canada. Immediately on -their departure, the junior Ford mailed the following: - - “CLEVELAND, O., Dec. —, 1843. - - _Solomon Jones, Esq._ - - Dear Sir:—I have seen your chattels, Pete, Mary and Sam, safe off - for Canada. If I can serve you any farther, I am at your command. - - Truly, ——” - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - EDWARD HOWARD. - - - I. - -“I say, Ed, if you get away with me, it will have to be done soon.” - -“Yes, Massa Coppoc; da’s ’ginnin’ to spishun you right smart.” - -“I know that, Ed, and if you are ready to strike for freedom to-night, -we will see what can be done. If not, I must be off.” - -“Well, Massa, dis chil’ am ready. Him no lan’ to sell, no truck to -’spose of, no wife an’ chil’n to ’cupy his detention, an’ he ’queaths -his ’sitiashun to any one wat wants it.” - -“Very well, Ed, as soon as all is quiet, meet me at the shed in your -Sunday best; and now be off.” - -“Suah, sartin, bof, Massa Coppoc.” - -The above conversation took place about twenty miles back from Ohio -between a young Buckeye who was ostensibly vending some kind of wares -among the F. F. V’s., but really paving the way to that startling -episode at Harper’s Ferry, in which he, a few years later, played so -conspicuous a part; and a genuine descendant of Ham, after the real -Virginian type, quaint, ungainly, and standing about six feet six, and -rejoicing in the sobriquet, Ed. Howard. - -Coppoc had been some little time in the neighborhood, and the impression -began to prevail that his presence boded no guaranty of the retention of -movable property. This his shrewd eye had perceived, and his resolve to -rescue Ed. led to the above conversation, the conclusion of a series -that had transpired between them. - - - II. - -Eleven o’clock came, and with it a _black cloud_, which completely cut -off all sight of the twinkling stars from a man who stood pensively -listening, beneath an old shed that stood back on the plantation, and -from the cloud, “a still small voice saying:” “Is you heah, Massa -Coppoc?” - -“Here, Ed., and now follow me without a word,” saying which he led the -way to a pasture field where two fleet horses were soon bridled and -saddled, and the two men rode deliberately away. Once out of the -neighborhood their speed was quickened, and long before daybreak the -horses were turned loose a short distance out from Wheeling. Entering -the city they proceeded directly to the wharf, where a boat was found -just leaving for Pittsburgh. On this they took passage, as master and -servant, for Wellsville. - -Once in the latter place, Ed. was consigned to the shipping department -of the _Road_, and young Coppoc hastened to his home, near Salem, -conscious that confusion would likely follow as a result of last night’s -ride. - - - III. - -Daylight crept slowly over the Virginian hills, and when it was -ascertained that Ed. and the two best horses were gone, there was a -commotion indeed. A rally was at once made, and dogs and men put upon -the track, and about noon the horses were found near where they had been -turned loose, but no trace of the fugitives could be obtained for some -little time, owing to the hour in which they took the boat, but at -length some one reported having seen two such persons take the night -packet up the river. Taking advantage of the first steamer up, Ed’s -master hastened to Pittsburgh, where he learned of the debarkation of -his _property_, and returned to Wellsville on the first boat. - -In the meantime there had come down from the immediate vicinity of -Salem, a Mr. Pennock, a blacksmith, the owner of a small farm. Going to -the river town several times in the year for his supplies, Mr. Pennock -had fitted a long close box, opening in the rear, to his “running gears” -and in this the bars of iron were thrust, frequently of such length as -to project several feet. - -Now it so happened that the day after Ed. was left in Wellsville, Mr. -Pennock went in for a supply of iron. When he had made his purchase and -was about to return to his hotel, the dealer, who like Mr. Pennock, was -an underground man, said, “See here. Pennock, I’ve a _soft bar_ about -six feet and a half long, I’d like to send up to Bonsall.” - -“How much does it weigh?” - -“About one sixty, I’d judge.” - -“That will make me a deal of a load, besides I don’t see how it can be -done.” - -“You can leave that to me.” - -“Where is it; I’d like to see how it looks.” - -“No, that will not do. It is in Excelsior Station and the probabilities -are there will be vigorous efforts made to recapture it, so you must -‘eyes off.’ If you undertake the carrying I will see to the rest.” - -“All right.” - -That night there was made a little readjustment of the wagon box, some -hay and a blanket were placed on top of the projecting bars and there, -extended at full length, was the form of Edward Howard, when in the -early morning Mr. Pennock was ready to depart. - -Meanwhile his master had procured from a Virginia friend, a couple of -good horses and himself as an assistant, and entered Wellsville on the -morning of Mr. Pennock’s departure. After a half day’s fruitless search -with the aid of an officer, they became satisfied that the object of -their regard had been forwarded, so they took the road north. Overtaking -the old blacksmith with his iron rattling along, they enquired, “Have -you seen any nigger along the road?” - -“What kind of a one was he?” - -“Why a black one with a woolly head, tall and slim like a d—d yankee -bean pole.” - -“Well, gentlemen, I haven’t seen no such a one, indeed I have seen none -at all.” - -“Well, have you heard of any?” - -“I’ve not heard the word nigger since I left home, two days ago, until -now.” - -“Where are you from?” - -“Salem, and like enough you’ll find him there, for they say them -Bonsalls keeps a power of runaways.” - -“Well, we’re going up to see. Good day, sir.” - -“Good day, gentleman,” and each party pursued its way. - -That night Pennock stayed at the “Old Buckeye House,” New Lisbon, the -wagon was run into the barn, and at a proper hour the “soft bar” was -taken out and placed in the hay-mow, “to prevent rust,” as the -blacksmith facetiously remarked to his friend Boniface. The next day on -arriving home, he learned his interlocutors had preceded him some hours, -and were registered at one of the taverns as cattle buyers or drovers -rather, where young Coppoc had caught a glimpse of them, and informed -his friends of their real character. - -On the morrow the pseudo dealers called on a neighboring farmer and -desired to be introduced among the best stock raisers of the vicinity. - -“Thee had better be leaving these parts, gentlemen,” said the honest -Quaker, to whom the appeal was made. “If thee knows when thee is well -off, for thy errand is understood, and thee will have the Coppocs and -the Bonsalls down on thee in an hour, and I could not assure thy lives -for a moment when they come.” - -There was no parley, but two horses were headed southward, and none too -soon, for in a short time half a dozen young men armed to the teeth, -rode up and inquired for the strangers. When informed of their departure -they started in pursuit. Then began one of the most exciting races ever -witnessed in Columbian county. The pursued had smelled mischief in the -air, and away they flew, and after them the pursuers, dashing over hill -and across valley, occasionally catching glimpses of each other, until -the whole distance to the Ohio was passed. Reaching Gardiner’s Ferry, at -East Liverpool, the Southerners put their jaded horses aboard the boat -and were soon on the sacred soil of Virginia. When Gardiner returned the -other party was in waiting, but reluctantly took his advice to remain on -the soil of their native state. - - - IV. - -All apprehension of immediate danger removed, Ed., who, by the advice of -Coppoc, assumed the name “Sam,” remained quietly at Mr. Pennock’s for -some time, in fact, made it his headquarters for the winter, working for -his board and doing odd jobs, from the proceeds of which he purchased -some clothes and a long smooth-bore rifle, of which he was passionately -fond, and with which he practiced much, often repeating, “I shall put a -hole through the man suah, who comes to claim that ’wa’d,” for the whole -region from the river to the lake had been flooded with bills minutely -describing him and offering $500 for his apprehension. - -When spring fairly opened he made up his mind to seek the Queen’s -Dominion as rapidly as possible, and accordingly packed his few effects -in a bandana, threw “’Tection,” as he called his smooth-bore, across his -shoulder, and proceeded cautiously northward. - -Arriving at Warren, he sought the home of a colored family that had been -pointed out to him as a safe retreat. Approaching the door, he heard a -number of voices, which he recognized by the melody as being of his -kind, singing with great gusto: - - “Matthew’s saint - Without putty or paint, - And Joel’s a prophet, we know it; - Whatever they say - Don’t refuse to obey, - But shut up your eyes and go it,” - -words perpetrated by one John Morley on two distinguished local -politicians of the Democratic persuasion of the period of ’56, and very -popular as part of a campaign song. - -Fully assured by the style of the singing, Sam, the only name he now -recognized, made his presence known and was cordially received by the -colored brethren present, among them the _distinguished_ tonsorial -artist, Prof. A. L. C. Day, and Benjamin F. Scott, familiarly known as -“Old Ben,” a darkey whose cupidity and avarice knew no bounds. -Recognizing in Sam, as he believed, the Edward Howard of the hand-bill, -he began planning for the reward. - -Ascertaining what was up, Dr. D. B. Woods and Postmaster Webb, two -sterling Democrats, got possession of Sam and took him to a by-road -about two miles out of town, where they enjoined him to keep away from -the more public highways and proceed about twenty miles north where he -would find a colored man named Jenkins, in whom he could rely. - -Whilst the doctor and his friend were thus humanely engaged, the colored -brethren of Warren took Old Ebony out of town and so severely flogged -him that his back presented the appearance of a genuine plantation -administration. Determined to realize something for his time and pains, -the old sinner proceeded to the northern part of the county and palmed -himself off as a genuine fugitive, and so adroitly did he play the role -as to secure twelve or fifteen dollars before the counterfeit was -detected. - -As for Sam, he took the advice of his Democratic deliverers, and in due -time found himself under the hospitable roof of “Nigger” Jenkins, as he -was more commonly called, residing in the township of Mesopotamia, and -by him was forwarded to the home of Joseph Tinan, near the centre of -Rome. - -“Uncle Joe” was a famous agent in his day. Tall and imposing in -appearance, and of more than ordinary intelligence, he commanded -universal respect, and so pronounced were his opinions on the curse of -slavery that his home had long been recognized as “Old Reliable -Station.” By him Sam was cordially received, and his _arm_ carefully -inspected. Then the old gentleman would have Sam make an exhibition of -his skill as a marksman. So well did the efforts of his temporary ward -please him, that Uncle Joe was constrained to show him the armory of the -“Black String Band,” an organization that had then but recently sprung -into existence and having for its more immediate object the protection -of John Brown, should his arrest be attempted. The distinctive badge of -this band was a small black cord, used instead of a button in fastening -the shirt collar. Hence the name. - -The sight of the glittering barrels made Sam’s eyes fairly dance with -delight, and he exclaimed, “Massa Coppoc say thay’s gwine to be wah an’ -de cullud pussons will all be free.” - -“O no, Sam, there’s going to be no war. These guns are for another -purpose.” - -Little did Uncle Joe, well as he was posted, know of the ultimate plans -of Old Osawatomie. His dusky visitor was even a little in advance of him -with regard to what was already fomenting in Dixie. - -In the northwest part of Andover, Ohio, resides an old patriarch, -Jehaziel Carpenter, familiarly known as “the Deacon,” now numbering his -over ninety summers. For over sixty years he has tenanted on the same -farm, and his home has ever been one of the broadest hospitality, and to -none more so than to the panting fugitive. Just a little way off stands -the rather tall, old-fashioned country house of his former neighbor, -Garlic, whose language never betrayed the fact that he had any official -church relation. In fact we think his name, significant as it was, had -no place on the muster roll of the church militant, and yet he was -_game_ in many a hard fight for truth and righteousness. - - - V. - -Cleveland and vicinity was flooded with circulars, advertising a man, -wife and child, who had been traced to that city, and offering a large -reward for their delivery to the reputed owner. Friend and foe were -alike on the lookout. Efforts were making by the one to secure them a -passage across the lake, whilst the other was as assiduously watching -every vessel to prevent their escape. - -Thus matters stood when the man, Martin by name, looking out of an upper -window, espied his master among the passers by on Water street. This -being communicated to those who had them in charge, it was at once -determined the family should not be shipped by lake. - -That night, when all was quiet and still, a close carriage passed out -Pittsburgh street, and before daylight Martin and his wife were in safe -quarters near Chagrin Falls. Thence they were taken the next night to -the home of Mr. Cook, in Middlefield, and as rapidly transmitted by him -to a pious old deacon’s in Gustavus. - - - VI. - -Night had settled down over village and farm house; Deacon Jehaziel’s -evening prayers had been said and he was quietly dreaming of the time - - “When you and I were young, Maggie,” - -and Garlic, just returned from Jefferson, had turned his horse into the -pasture, when up to the door of each came a vehicle. Garlic at once -recognized the horse of the old Baptist Boanerges, Tinan, from Rome, -whilst the deacon was aroused by the quieter voice of his Congregational -brother from Gustavus. What transpired from this time until the city of -Erie was reached is buried in the tombs of Garlic, a Hayward, a Gould -and a Drury. - - - VII. - -In the township of Harbor Creek, Pa., east of the city of Erie, and a -short distance out of Wesleyville, was the farm house of Frank Henry, a -man of medium size, black hair, eyes of the same hue and sparkling like -diamonds, nervous temperament, quick, wiry and the soul of honor and -generosity. For a young man he was one of the best known and most -efficient conductor-agents in Western Pennsylvania. About midsummer, -1858, he received the following note:— - - ERIE, Pa., 51, 7, 5881. - - _Dear Frank_: - - The mirage lifts Long Point into view. Oooo. Come up and see the - beautiful sight. I can’t promise a view to-morrow. - - Truly, - - JEHIEL TOWNER. - -That evening found Mr. Henry early in the presence of Mr. Towner, -inquiring diligently as to the great _natural_ phenomenon which had -brought the land of the Canucks so distinctly to view. - -“Yes, yes, it became visible last night about twelve o’clock, when -Drury’s team came in from Girard bearing three fugitives. They are down -in the ‘Retreat Himrod,’ and must be put across the lake in the shortest -and safest possible manner, for parties in town are on the lookout for -them, as all are liberally advertised. I believe you are just the man to -undertake the transportation. Will you do it?” - -“Are they to go from the ‘Retreat,’ as usual?” - -“Not as usual. So close a watch is kept for them that it is thought best -to send them off and have them shipped from some point along the beach.” - -“There’s a big risk, Towner.” - -“Yes, a chance to pay a thousand dollars and see the inside of the -‘Western’ without charge. But you know you are to have nothing to do -with runaway niggers. I will just send you some ‘passengers’ to forward. -Shall they be sent?” - -“I shrink from no humanitarian work. Let them come.” - -A few preliminaries were settled and the parties separated. The next -night Hamilton Waters, a nearly blind mulatto, long a resident of Erie, -guided by a little boy, drove into Mr. Henry’s yard and unloaded a cargo -which the receiver thus describes: - -“The old man brought me three of the strangest looking passengers you -ever saw. I can, to-day, remember how oddly they looked as they -clambered out of the wagon. There was a man they called Sam, a great -strapping fellow, something over thirty years old, I should say. He was -loose jointed, with a head like a pumpkin and a mouth like a cavern, its -vast circumference always stretched in a glorious grin; for no matter -how bad Sam might feel, the grin had so grown into his black face that -it never vanished. I remember how, a few nights after, when the poor -fellow was scared just about out of his wits, that his grin, though a -little ghastly, was as broad as ever. Sam was one of the queerest -characters I ever met. His long arms seemed like wrists, his long legs -all ankles; and when he walked his nether limbs had a flail-like flop -that made him look like a runaway windmill. The bases upon which rested -this fearfully and wonderfully made superstructure were abundantly -ample. Unlike the forlorn hope who - - ‘One stocking on one foot he had, - The other on a shoe,’ - -he on one foot wore an old shoe—at least a number twelve—and on the -other an enormously heavy boot, and his trouser-legs, by a grim -fatality, were similarly unbalanced, for while the one was tucked in the -boot-top, its fellow, from knee down, had wholly vanished. Sam wore a -weather-beaten and brimless ‘tile’ on his head, and carried an -old-fashioned, long-barrelled rifle. He set great store by his ‘ole -smooth bo’,’ though he handled it in a gingerly kind of a way that -suggested a greater fear of its kicks than confidence in its aim.” - -Sam’s companions were an intelligent-looking negro about twenty-five, -named Martin, and his wife, a pretty quadroon girl with thin lips and a -pleasant voice, for all the world like Eliza in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. She -carried a plump little picaninny on her breast, over which a shawl was -slightly drawn. She was an uncommonly attractive young woman, and I made -up my mind then and there that she shouldn’t be carried back to slavery -if I could help it. - -As there was close pursuit, station “Sanctum Sanctorum” was again called -into requisition, though as it was summer, no draft was made on the -church wood-pile. Here they were kept for several days, none knowing of -their whereabouts except two intimate friends of Mr. Henry, whose house -being under nightly espionage necessitated their assistance. - -Through Wesleyville runs a little stream, Fourmile Creek, to the lake, -and nearly parallel to it a public highway. From the mouth of this creek -it was proposed to ship the fugitives to Long Point, Canada, a distance -of some thirty-five or forty miles, but for some days the wind was -unfavorable. At length one dark and stormy night Mr. Henry received -notice that the wind was favorable and a boat in readiness. - -What was to be done? It would not do for him to take anything from his -house, that would excite suspicion; the same would be true if he went to -the houses of his friends. Bethinking himself of an honest Jacksonian -Democrat, a man with a generous heart, residing about half way down to -the lake, he decided to take a venture. Proceeding to the old church he -formed the little party in single file and marched them through the rain -to the door of this man, familiarly known as “General” Kilpatrick, a man -of giant proportions, and afterwards sheriff of Erie county. - -Rap, rap, rap, went the knuckles of the leader against the door, which -soon stood wide ajar, revealing the proprietor with a thousand -interrogation points freezing into his face that July night, as he -paused for a moment, one hand holding aloft a candle whilst the other -shaded his eyes as he peered out upon the wet and shivering crowd -gathered about his doorway, the very picture of dumfounded astonishment. -The situation was soon grasped; he hustled the party into the house, -gave the door a significant slam and in a pious air that would have -startled even Peter Cartwright, exclaimed, “Henry, what in hell does -this mean?” - -“It means, General,” replied Mr. Henry, “these are a party of fugitives -from slavery I am about sending to Canada; they are destitute, as you -can see, and closely pursued; their only crime is a desire for freedom; -that young woman and mother has been sold from her husband and child to -a dealer in the far South for the vilest of purposes, and if recaptured -will be consigned to a life of shame.” - -Meanwhile the woman’s eyes were pleading eloquently; whilst a dubious -grin overspread the entire of Sam’s ebony phiz, and the host looked -assumedly fierce and angry as he retorted, “Well, what the d—l do you -want of me?” - -“Clothing and provisions.” - -“You do, do you?” came back in tones even gruffer than before. “See here -you darkies, this is a bad job. Canada is full of runaway niggers -already. They’re a-freezin’ and a-starvin’ by thousands. Why, I was over -there t’other day, and saw six niggers dead by the roadside. More’n -forty were strung up in the trees with the crows feedin’ on their black -carcasses,” and turning to Sam, “_You_ better go back, d’ye _hear_! -They’ll make your black hide into razor strops ’nless than a week. I -paid a dollar for one made from a black nigger. They’re sending hundreds -of them across the sea every week.” - -During this harangue, Sam was shaking in his footgear and his eyes -rolled widely on the background of that inexpressible grin. His fingers -clutched convulsively his shooting-iron, and he evidently didn’t know -which to do, turn it upon his Democratic entertainer or keep his “powder -dry” for Canuck crows. The woman caught, through this assumed roughness, -the inner heart of the man, and though she shuddered at the pictures -drawn, and the possibilities of a grave in the lake, yet she preferred -that, or even to be food for the vultures of Canada, to return to an -ignominious servitude. - -Then came a strange medley: Blanket and hood—“there, the huzzy”—a basket -of provisions—“d—m me if I’ll ever help a set of runaway niggers, no -sir, it’s agin my religion”—off came his own coat and was hurled at the -astonished Sam with, “There you black imp, you’ll find ’em on the Pint -waitin’ for ye; they’ll catch ye and kill ye and skin yer carcass for a -scare-crow and take yer hide for a drum head, and play ‘God save the -Queen’ with your bones. Yes, sir, I shall see them long shanks converted -into drum-sticks the next time I go over.” - -All else being done, he thrust his hands into his pockets and drawing -thence a quantity of change bestowed it upon the woman, exclaiming, -“There, take that; it will help bury the baby, if you will go. Better go -back, you huzzy; better go back.” - -Everything ready, the party was shoved out, but as he passed over the -threshold, Sam’s tongue was loosened, and with the smile all the time -deepening, and the great tears rolling down his sable cheeks, he broke -forth: - -“Look ’e hyar, Massa, you’s good to we uns, an’ fo’ de Lo’d I tank you. -Ef enny No’then gemmen hankah fur my chances in the Souf I’zins in favor -ob de same. For de good Lo’d, I tank you, I do _suah_.” - -“Hist, you black rascal,” said the man in the doorway, “And see here, -Henry, remember you never were at my house with a lot of damned niggers -in the night. Do you understand?” - -“All right, sir. No man will ever charge you with abolitionism. If he -does, call on me. I can swear you denounce it in most unmeasured terms.” - -The rain had now ceased; the stars were out and the party trudged -rapidly down to the lake, caring little for the mud and wet. The boat -was found in waiting, and Martin and his wife had just waded out to it -when Henry and Sam, standing on the shore, had their attention attracted -by a noise, as the crushing of a fence-board, and looking to the -westward they saw a man sliding down the bank into the shadow. Old -“’tection” was immediately brought to aim, so exact that had Henry not -struck the barrel upward just as the trigger was pulled, sending the -ball whistling in the air, there could not have failed a subject for a -“first-class funeral.” The sneak took to his heels, Sam took to the -boat, and Henry stood long upon the shore peering into the darkness, -catching the rich, mellow tones of Mrs. Martin’s voice as she warbled -forth in real negro minstrelsy, interrupted by an occasional “’lujah” -from Sam as the boat receded, - - “There is a railrod undergroun’ - On which de negroes lope, - An’ when dey gets dare ticket - Dare hearts is full ob hope; - De engine nebber whistles - An’ de cars dey make no noise, - But dey carry off de darkies, - Dare wives, an’ girls, an’ boys.” - -Returning homeward, Mr. Henry traced the human sleuth-hound by his -footsteps in the mud, the nibbling of his horses where they had been -left, and the marks of his carriage wheels at Wesleyville where they -turned toward Erie, and were lost in the new made tracks of the early -morning marketers. - - - VIII. - -Time passed; the years of the war came and went; peace smiled upon the -country; John Brown and young Coppoc slept beneath sodded mounds, whilst -the soul of the former went “marching on,” and the genial, generous -Henry was keeping the lighthouse on the eastern extremity of Presque -Isle, at the entrance of Erie harbor or bay. Going over to the city one -day he received a letter bearing the Dominion post-mark. It was without -date, and with some difficulty he deciphered the following: - - _Dere Ser, Mistur Henri_: - - I’ze glad ter bee abul to rite ye. I’ze dun wel sens dat nite. I’ze - got a wife an’ chilin’. De lor sen me into de ile kentry bress him - and Sam make sum muni. I sen to yer a draf for 100 dollars gib fift - to de men in de bote an’ kepe 50 fo’ buks fo’ you one selfe tel de - kros man Sam feah no kro ’oz no razr strap, tank de lor. - - Your lubbin fren Sam, - - wo wuz EDWUD HOWUD. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - PLUCKY CHARLEY. - - - I. - -“Cha’ley, I say Cha’ley, a’ my chil’ns gone ’cept you, and Massa’s done -gone an’ sol’ you, and I’ll nebber see you ’gin in a’ dis bressed wu’l’, -nebber! nebber!” - -“Guess not, mudder; ol’ Massa promised you when he put de udders in de -coffle to keep me allus.” - -“Yes, Cha’ley, dat am so, but dis bery mornin’ I hear ’im tell dat -unspec’ble trader he’ll sen’ you to him Monday mornin’ shu’ah, an’ dat -he mus’ put yer in jail till he start de drove fur down de riber. May de -Lor’ help yer my chil’ when yer ol’ mudder’s ha’t am clean broke.” - -“De Lor’ help you, mudder; dis chil’ help hisself, so jus’ gib me my -dinnah, mudder, fo’ I mus go to de fiel’ to do Massa’s arran’ to de -boss.” - -Had the ear of the reader been present in the little back kitchen of a -fine plantation residence in Loudoun county, Virginia, in the autumn of -1855, the above conversation might have been heard between a colored -woman rather past middle life and her son, an athletic young man of -about twenty years of age, as they conversed in low tones. The woman had -long been the cook in the family and had lived to see her husband and -all her children except Charley, the youngest, sold for the southern -market, joined in the coffle like so many beasts and driven away. - -To alleviate her agony, she had been promised that Charley should ever -remain with her, and resting in this promise she had toiled unrepiningly -on, whilst the growing lad had been kept as a kind of boy-of-all chores -about the house, going occasionally, as a kind of body servant with his -master to Washington, Baltimore and Wheeling, thus being enabled, by -close observation, to pick up a little general knowledge. - -Thus things had passed until the morning of the day in question, when -she accidently overheard the sale of the boy, and with an aching heart -communicated the news to him as he came to the kitchen as usual for his -dinner. How earnestly her mother’s heart may have prayed that the Lord -would open up a way of escape for her darling boy no one can tell, -neither does it matter, for no sooner was the fact of the sale -communicated to him than the mental resolve of the youth was taken to -effect an escape. - -The frugal dinner was dispatched in silence, the mission to the field -duly executed and a prompt return thereof made, much to the satisfaction -of the master. - - - II. - -Night, sable goddess, had spread her curtain over earth, and the valleys -amid the Alleghenies were sleeping in quiet, when Charley, crawling from -his couch, so stealthily, indeed, as not to disturb the early slumbers -of his mother, crept softly to the stable, saddled his master’s best -steed, noiselessly led it to the public highway beyond the mansion, and, -turning its head toward the realm of freedom, mounted, and giving the -noble beast the rein, was soon moving with such velocity as to place -fifty miles between him and his master and mother by the time the first -gray tinge of morning began to break along the eastern hills. Hiding -deep into a wooded ravine he secured the horse for the day, and then -betook himself to sleep. At evening he unloosed the beast stripping it -of saddle and bridle, and then betook himself to the woods and by-ways, -shunning all towns and subsisting on green corn and such fruits as he -could find for a period of fifteen days, when, weary and forlorn, he -entered Wheeling just before daylight. An utter stranger, and almost -perishing with hunger, he knew not what to do, but seeing a light in the -bar-room of the City Hotel he resolved to enter, hoping to find some -attendant of his own race, to whom he could appeal for food and -assistance across the river. Instead of an attaché, the landlord was -himself already astir. Though residing on sacred soil and in many -respects a typical Virginian, mine host kept only hired servants, and -though in no wise disposed to discuss the merits of the peculiar -institution pro or con, he was often able to make wise suggestions to -the thoughtless or inconsiderate of both sections who might temporarily -be his guests. - -Once fairly within and under the scrutinizing gaze of this man, Charley -made bold to ask for bread. - -“Bread, you want, do you, you black runaway?” said the landlord rather -roughly. - -“I’ze no runa—” - -“Yes you are you black rascal. Come go with me and I’ll show you -something.” - -Instinctively following the footsteps of the landlord, Charley was led -to the stable where he recognized at once his master’s horse. Then the -man took a paper from his pocket and read a complete description of him, -and closed by saying: “You are this Charley and your master will give -$500 to any man who will return you.” - -Seeing he was caught, Charley pleaded, “O Lor,’ Massa, doan gib me up.” - -“No, I’ll not; your master is close at hand. Do you see that house -across the lot yonder?” - -“Yes, Massa, I sees.” - -“Well, you go there quick. Tell them I sent you and that they must take -care of you. Go right in at the back door. Be quick or you’ll be -caught.” - -With both heart and feet a-bound, Charley made for the designated place. -He found only a woman, sick upon her bed. Ere he had fairly made his -errand known, there was heard the sound of horses’ feet upon the street, -and looking out, Charley saw his master and another man coming at full -speed, and began to cry. - -“Get under the bed, quick, and keep perfectly still,” said the woman; a -command which was obeyed without questioning. Catching up her baby, the -woman gave it a tumble which set it to crying like mad. Just then the -master thrust his head in at the door and inquired, “Have you seen a -young nigger come in here?” - -“Hush h-u!” “Wah ka-wa!” “What did!” “Wha-ka wa wa!” “hush there—did you -say?” “Ka-wha wa wah.” - -“I say did”—“ka wha ka wha wa!” “did you see a young nigger come in -here?” - -“We wha ke wah wa!” “hush-t-h-e-re!”—“husband is”—“we wa wah!”—“at the -barn!”—“we wa ah!”—“he can tell you!”—“wa we wah ke wha!” and the door -was slammed to by the disgusted Southeron. - -Whilst the trio were hastening to the barn, Charley, in obedience to the -woman’s directions, hastily ascended a ladder in the corner of the room, -which he drew up, and placed a board in such a way as to obliterate all -appearance of an opening in the floor. - -The conference at the barn was short, and away went the riders up the -road in hot pursuit of a mythical nigger the man at the barn had seen -running in that direction not half an hour before. - -In a few minutes the husband returned to the house, milk pail in hand, -but entirely ignorant of what had transpired within. “What about the -boy, wife, those men were enquiring about? I supposed they were in -pursuit of some one, so I sent them up the road after an imaginary man,” -he said. - -“Well, I don’t know anything about your imaginary man, but I know about -the boy,” replied the wife. - -“Well, where is he?” - -“He went from under my bed up the ladder whilst the men were going for -you. Baby helped the matter mightily. Now you must carry the poor fellow -something to eat.” - -As soon as it was deemed safe, the ladder was let down, and Charley was -supplied with a hearty breakfast, and then bidden to make himself -comfortable for the day, a thing he was not slow to do, as he had slept -little since his flight began. When evening came, he was called down, -and after a bountiful supper, which was dispatched in silence, he was -taken to the road where three horses were standing. On one of these a -man was already seated; the second Charley was bidden to mount, and into -the saddle of the third his kind host vaulted. - -Moving around the town, they came to a road leading northward, Charley’s -feelings alternately ebbing and flowing between fear and hope, for, -notwithstanding the kindness of his host and hostess, he could but fear -that he was to be given up for the $500. - -Proceeding some distance up the river, the horses were hitched in some -bushes and the party descended to the river, where a boat was loosened -and Charley was bidden to enter. When all were seated, the little craft -pushed out into the stream, and soon Charley and his host stepped onto -the other shore. Going up the bank into a public highway, the man placed -in his hands some little articles of clothing and some bread, and then, -pointing with the index finger, said: “Yonder is the North Star; you are -now in a free state and may go forward; may God bless you; good-by;” and -before Charley, in his astonishment, could utter a word, he was gone. A -few moments the fugitive stood in a reverie which was broken by the -splash of the oar in the river below, and he awoke to the consciousness -that he was again alone. On the one hand was the beautiful river, whose -outline he could dimly see; on the other were far-reaching fields, with -no habitation looming up in the darkness, and above him was the star -bespangled sky, among whose myriad twinklers he looked in vain for the -one which had so recently been pointed out to him. Alas, the -defectiveness of his education! whilst others of his kind had been -diligent in securing a definite knowledge of this loadstone of the -Heavens, he had been happy in the discharge of the light duties of his -childhood home, never once thinking of flight until the fact of his sale -was broken to him by his mother, and then there was no time for -schooling. The dazed condition in which he now found himself from the -revelations of the past hour caused him to look up to the starry -firmament as into vacancy, finding nothing with which to guide himself. -At length he proceeded a short distance, but becoming bewildered he sat -down and soon fell asleep and dreamed that two men came and were putting -him in jail. His struggles and resistance wakened him, and he set out -and proceeded as best he could in the darkness. Just at daylight he -espied a piece of paper nailed to a fence. - -Approaching it he perceived it had upon it the picture of a negro -running, and in every way looked like the one the landlord had shown him -in the barn. Whilst standing thus before the picture, wrapped in thought -as to what to do next, he felt a hand laid upon his shoulder, and -turning saw a man with a very broad-brimmed hat and so peculiarly -clothed as he had never seen one before. He was about to run when the -man said: “Stop, friend, thee need not run. What have we here?” and -reading the bill, he at once remarked: “Why, friend, this means thee, -and thy master is ready to pay any man $500, who will place thee in his -hands. Come with me or somebody may enrich himself at thy expense.” - -There was something so kind and frank in the manner and words of the man -that Charley followed him to a retreat deep in the woods. Seeing that he -had bread with him, the stranger said: “Keep quiet and I will bring thee -more food to-night,” and immediately left. - -As was customary in other cases, hand-bills minutely describing Charley -had been widely distributed, and, of course, read by everybody, and it -being a free country everybody had a right to apply the information -gained as he saw fit. So it was that when Charley’s master crossed into -Ohio twelve hours after his chattel, and proceeded northward, he found -no lack of persons who had seen just such a person that very day. Even -our friend of the early morning described him minutely and had seen him -wending his way into the interior only a few hours before, bearing with -him a little bundle. As the route at this season of the year was -supposed to be towards Sandusky or Detroit, the pursuers were decoyed on -by the way of Carrollton, Allian and Ravenna towards the lake, by the -smooth stories of men who had seen him only a day or two before—but only -on paper. Wearied, however, they at length committed his capture to the -hands of the organized set of biped hounds which infested the whole -south shore from Detroit to Buffalo, and returned homeward. - -When Charley’s friend returned to him in the evening, he informed him of -the little interview he had had with his master, and that it would be -necessary for him to remain some time in his charge. He was consequently -taken to a more comfortable hiding place, and after the lapse of some -three weeks was forwarded by way of New Lisbon, Poland, and Indian Run, -to Meadville, and thence by way of Cambridge and Union to the parsonage -at Wattsburg. - - - III. - -The traveler who has been swept along on the Nickle Plate or Lake Shore -Rail Road over the Black Swamp country and onward through Cleveland, -Ashtabula and Erie, seeing little that savors of roughness, except -perchance the gulches about the Forest City, the bluffs at Euclid and -Little Mountain in the distance, would little think as he crosses the -unpretentious bridges spanning Six-Mile-Creek, east of Erie, that just a -little way back it passed through some wild and rugged country; yet such -is the fact. Down through a deep gorge come its crystal waters, whilst -high above them on its precipitate banks the hemlock has cast its somber -shadows for centuries. Into a thin, scarcely accessible portion of this -gorge came years ago John Cass, and took possession of a primitive -“carding works,” where he diligently plied his craft, rearing his sons -and daughters to habits of industry, frugality, virtue, and a love of -their little church, which is situated some two miles away on an -elevated plateau, which, from its largely Celtic population has acquired -the appelation of “Wales.” - -The little Celts of this rural community were very much surprised one -winter day to see their old pastor, Parson Rice, who resided at -Wattsburg, go dashing by the school-house with a colored man in his -sleigh. Never before had their unsophisticated eyes seen such a sight, -and what they that day beheld was the all-engrossing theme in the homes -of the Joneses, the Williamses and the Davises that night. - -As for Parson Rice, he kept right on down, down, until he reached the -carding works of his worthy parishioner, where the woolly head of -Charley was safely hidden amid fleeces of a far whiter hue. - -In this retreat he remained for some time, and was taught his letters by -the young Casses, William, Edward, Jane and the others. When, at length, -it was deemed safe to remove him, he was taken by Mrs. Cass to the -office of the _True American_ in the city. From this, after a little -delay, he was conveyed to the home of Col. Jas. Moorhead, who passed him -on to Parson Nutting, at State Line, by whom he was duly forwarded to -Knowlton Station, Westfield, New York. - -Though the temperature was below zero, it was again getting hot for -Charley, for vigilant eyes all along the line were watching for the -young nigger whose return to his master was sure to bring $500, and that -he had reached the lake shore was now a well ascertained fact, and -unusual activity was noticed among the kidnapping crew. - -It was a bitter cold day, with the snow flying and drifting, that Mr. -Knowlton’s spanking team of jet blacks, still well remembered by many a -Westfielder, came out of his yard attached to a sleigh, in the bottom of -which was a package evidently of value, as it was carefully covered with -blankets and robe. Under a tight rein the team headed eastward, and with -almost the fleetness of the wind passed Portland, Brocton, and turning -at the old Pemberton stand, in Fredonia, made Pettit Station. Here -Charley was made safe and happy for the night, and the next day was -landed safely in the Queen’s Dominion from Black Rock. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - STATIE LINES. - - - I. - -It was in the decade of the forties that an enterprising farmer, named -Barbour, of the Empire State, said to his neighbor, “Smith, I’ve a -project in my head.” - -“Nothing strange in that,” was the response; “I never knew the time when -you didn’t have one; but what is it?” - -“Well, you know I spent a few days about Washington recently, and I -believe there is money to be made in going into its vicinity and buying -up some of the worn-out farms and applying to them our agricultural -methods, and raising products specially for the city market.” - -“What can they be purchased for?” - -“Anywhere from $5.00 to $10.00 an acre, any amount of them. I tell you -there’s money in it.” - -“But it would be to ostracise one’s self. You know that there they -consider it a disgrace for a white man to labor.” - -“All right. All I propose is head work.” - -“How is that? Democrat as you are, I don’t believe you would go so far -as to invest in slaves.” - -“No, indeed. I am fully satisfied that slavery is the curse of the -South, yet it exists there, and I am bound to make some money out of it -and its fruits. You see the land has been rendered worthless by slave -labor in the hands of the masters, hence the extremely low price of it. -As a result of the deteriorated condition of their farms, the owners of -slaves are now hiring them out for wages which range much lower than -with us here in New York. Whilst loathing slavery in the abstract, I -confess I propose to use it for a while on wages, if some of my -neighbors will join me in a purchase, so we can have a little society of -our own. Will you take a hand, Smith?” - -“I’ll think of it.” - -As a result of the above conversation there were purchased in a few -weeks seven or eight worn-out farms in the immediate vicinity of -Washington, and in a short time they were occupied by as many sterling -families from Onondaga county, N. Y. Modern methods of agriculture were -applied, fertilizers were abundantly used, and though slave labor was -extensively employed the fields soon yielded luxuriantly, and everything -was at high tide with the newcomers, disturbed only by the twinges of -conscience at the employment of southern chattel. - -Among those who furnished these, was a Mr. Lines, residing just across -the Potomac, in Virginia. Of him Mr. Barbour hired a number of slaves, -among them a woman named Statie, nearly white, who was the mother of an -amiable little girl six or seven years of age, bearing a close -resemblance to the children belonging in the Lines mansion. This woman -had the privilege of hiring herself out on condition of paying her -master $10 per month and clothing herself and child. This she did -cheerfully, laying by what she could, under the hope of being able -ultimately to buy the freedom of her little girl, Lila, who was -permitted to be with her at Mr. Barbour’s where mother and child were -both very kindly and considerately treated. - -The excellent qualities of Statie as a cook having been noised about, -her services were sought for a Washington hotel where much higher wages -were paid than Mr. Barbour could afford and he advised her to go, as a -means of the sooner freeing her child, which was consequently -transferred to the home of her _owner_, where her services could now be -made of some little avail. - -At the end of a quarter Statie was permitted to visit home, where she -soon learned through a fellow slave that a dealer had been negotiating -for Lila and that at his return in a few weeks a price was to be fixed -and he was to take her. The heart of the mother was wrung with agony, -but the soul of the heroine rose triumphant and she went into the -presence of Mr. Lines with a smile upon her face and the cheery words, -“Here, Master, are your thirty dollars, and I’ve half as many laid by -for the purchase of Lila,” upon her lips. - -“Indeed, Statie, you’ve done well. It won’t be long till I’ll have to -give the little doll up if you go on at this rate.” - -“I hope not, master, for I long to see the darling with her free papers -in hand.” - -With a lying effort, the master replied, “I hope you may succeed, for I -would much sooner sell her to you than to any one else, and I shall wait -on you as long as possible.” - -Expressing her thanks for what she knew was a hypocritical promise, -Statie asked that the child might be allowed to accompany her to the -capital for a few days, a request readily granted by Mr. Lines that he -might the more easily avert any suspicion of his real purpose. - -Cutting short her visit, Statie soon started with her child for the -city, but walked several miles out of her way to lay her troubles before -Mr. and Mrs. Barbour, who were greatly shocked at the revelation. Though -depreciating anything in the line of _underground_ work, Mr. Barbour, to -whom Lila had specially endeared herself by her childish ingenuousness, -after a few moments reflection said, “Wife, you know I propose making a -journey across Pennsylvania soon to the vicinity of our old home. Will -there be any harm in my seeing that Lila gets there?” - -“No, husband; and you have my permission to see that Statie goes too. I -don’t think your politics ought to cripple your humanity, much less your -religion. _Do unto others as ye would that they should do unto you._” - -Mr. Barbour’s mind was soon made up, and Statie was dismissed with -instructions to meet him on a by-road a little way out from the old -north burial ground soon after dark on the Wednesday evening following. - -In arranging for his proposed trip, Mr. Barbour had provided himself -with a good team and a “Jersey wagon” well covered with oil cloth, -supported by bows. In this wagon he placed a high box so cut down in -front as to furnish a seat for himself, and so arranged that a person -could sit upright in the hinder part with feet projecting forward. To -the rear of this box, were attached doors, secured by a padlock whilst a -good supply of straw, clothing and provisions were placed within. When -all else was ready, the Jersey was labeled “Clocks,” and Wednesday night -Mr. Barbour drove out to the point of rendezvous where Statie and Lila -were found waiting, they were immediately placed in their extemporized -_retreat_ and the unique emancipation car moved northward across the -hills of Maryland at a rapid rate. - - - II. - -It was court time in Warsaw, N. Y., and a large number of people were -gathered about the principal hotel when a man holding the reins over a -spanking team drove up and ordered accommodations for the team and -himself. Beckoning the hostler forward he proceeded with the team. As he -passed, a bystander remarked, “A right, royal team, that.” - -“Pretty good for a peddler,” remarked another. - -“Do you call that man a peddler?” queried a third. - -“Didn’t you see ‘Clocks’ on the cover?” came back from No. 2. - -“No, indeed,” was the reply, “I was too intent in looking upon the -horses to notice anything else. Some down easter I suppose; sold out his -load over among the pennymights, and is now on his way home likely.” - -Breakfast over the traveler inquired of the landlord if he knew one Col. -C. O. Shepard, of Attica. - -“Very well,” was the reply, “he is here attending court.” - -“I shall be glad to see him. As he is a stranger to me, you will please -call him in.” - -The Colonel soon appeared when the stranger said, “This is Col. Shepard, -I believe.” - -“Shepard is my name, but I have not the honor of knowing you, sir.” - -“It is not essential that you should; to me it is politic you should -not. I wish to make a little consignment to you,” saying which he led -the way to the barn, followed by the Colonel and a number of -by-standers, where he opened a box in his vehicle from which emerged a -well-formed octaroon woman of some thirty summers and a sprightly girl, -white as any in the homes of Warsaw. At the sight of these there went up -a rousing three times three, at the conclusion of which the stranger -said, “These, gentlemen, are what among my neighbors are called chattel -and treated as such, and that with my tacit endorsement, at least. Ten -days ago if any man had told me I would assist one to escape, I should -have laughed him to scorn; but when this poor woman who had worked -faithfully in my family to earn the wherewith to buy the freedom of her -own flesh and blood, which, against honied professions to the contrary -from him who should have been the innocent one’s firmest protector, was -about to be sold into an ignominious servitude, came to me and pleaded -for the deliverance of her child and my wife quoted, ‘Do unto others as -ye would that they should do unto you,’ my sense of right and humanity -rose above all political antecedents and predilections and here I am. -Since leaving the Potomac, no human eye has looked upon these beings but -mine until this moment. My affiliations and the fact it was well known I -was coming north on business will shield me from suspicion, therefore -ask no questions. To the direct care of Colonel Shepard, of whom the -slave-owners in Dixie well know and to the protection of you all, I now -consign them, trusting that no _master’s_ hand shall ever again be laid -upon them.” - -There was again vociferous cheering, at the conclusion of which Col. -Shepard said, “We accept the charge and I ask as a special favor that -you give me the box in which you have brought them thus far on their -way, as a kind of memento,” a request that was readily acceded to, and -in a few minutes a Jersey wagon labeled “Clocks” was speeding rapidly -eastward, whilst in a day or two the box and its former occupants were -taken triumphantly to Attica, the home of Col. Shepard. - - - III. - -The time was when every person holding an office under the general -government was supposed to be in sympathy with the slave power and ready -to obey its behests, an idea somewhat erroneous. It was under such -impressions that two strangers rode up to the post-office in the village -of Attica and inquired for the postmaster. On that functionary’s -presenting himself they inquired if he knew anything of a slave woman, -nearly white, with her little girl, being in the neighborhood, as such -persons had recently escaped from the vicinity of Washington, and were -believed by them to be in the immediate vicinity. - -The postmaster invited them to alight and come inside, which being -complied with, he said, “Gentlemen, the persons you seek are within a -half mile of you, but though I might under some circumstances be willing -to assist you, my advice is, let them alone. Every man, woman and child -in the town is ready to protect them. You can not raise men enough in -this county to secure their apprehension. I see by the commotion in the -street the people are apprehensive of mischief. Such a thing as an -abduction has never been attempted here, and if you are wise you will -not attempt one now. Indeed I would not like to guarantee your limbs or -life fifteen minutes longer.” - -Beholding the commotion, the would-be kidnappers quickly mounted their -horses and rode silently out of town, no demonstration being made by the -multitude until the meddlers reached the bridge, when cheer on cheer -arose, causing them to put spurs to their horses and get quickly out of -sight, notwithstanding their threats to secure their prey, a thing they -never attempted. - -Statie died within two years after her escape; Col. Shepard long kept -the box in which she was brought off as the only “through car” he had -ever seen; Lila is still a resident of the Empire State, whilst Mr. -Barbour, having disposed of his real estate sought a clime more -congenial to his sense of justice and humanity. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - GEORGE GRAY. - - - I. - -“My deah chile, ’tis too bad.” - -“Too bad, mother! I tell you I’s agoin’ to run away. Ole Massa can’t -whip dis chile no moah. I’d rather be shot or hab the dogs tear me to -pieces.” - -“Hush, chile, hush! you’ll break your ole mudder’s heart, ’cause it’s -a’most done gone smashed afore, an’ now she knows you can neber, neber, -get across the big river an’ de great lake. I tell yer, chile, you -better stay wid ole mas’r if em do whip.” - -“Mother, my mine is made up. Massa Jones hab whipped George Gray for de -las time. I hate to leave you, mother, but then I’s agoin’. Some day de -Massa’ll sell me as he did father an’ de res’ of us down South, an’ then -you shall see George no moah, an’ I’d hab no blessed chance for ’scape, -so now I’s goin’ for freedom or I’s goin’ to die. I say ole massa can’t -whip me no moah.” - -“De will ob de Lor’ be done, chile; but how is you agoin’ to do it?” - -“I’ll tell you mother, ole Massa’ll neber s’pec’ you. He’ll neber look -for George ’bout dis shanty. So I’s agoin’ down to de river an’ cross -down in de skiff, den I goes to de swamp an’ comes carefully back an’ -crawls under your bed. When Massa misses me, you can tell him I’s runned -away, an’ he’ll start the horses an’ the men for de swamp, an’ for two -or three days they’ll hunt for George there jus’ as they did for Uncle -Pete; den Massa’ll put me in de papers as a runaway nigger, an’ then -when all is ober heah I’s comin’ out an’ goin’ at de river an’ cross de -mountins till I gits to Canidy.” - -“De bressed Lor’, an’ doan yer s’pec’ ole Massa’ll hunt dis shanty -frough an’ frough, chile?” - -“Ole Massa’ll never s’pec’ you, mother; you’s been wid him too long. He -never whipped you, an’ when he comes in de mornin’, for to inquire, you -mus’ be prayin’; prayin’ for me that I may be cotched.” - -“Bress de Lor’, he mus’ ’ov put all dis in de head of de chile as he put -his son Moses in de bullrushes down dar in de lan’ of Canin. Chile, your -black ole mudder’ll cover you wid her bed like as the ole black hen -covers her chicks when de hawk comes to steal de little ones from dar -mudder’s lub. Now, chile, jus’ you fix it all up an’ de Lor’ ob dat big -feller, Sabot, yes dat was de man, be wid you, an’ it doan matter bout -dis ole woman no moah.” - -The above conversation took place many years ago in a cabin in the negro -quarter of the plantation of Samuel Jones on the James river, in -Virginia. Mr. Jones was a thriving planter and an extensive dealer in -slaves. Though in some respects of the better class of slave-breeders, -he inherited many of the legitimate characteristics of the peculiar -institution. Towards the men slaves he was tyrannical in the extreme, -whilst eyeing the fairer and younger among the women with an eye of -lechery. - -The plantation had come to him from his father, and with it the family -of John Gray consisting of himself and wife, known for miles around as -“Prayin’ Hanner,” and several children. The father and older children, -all having a slight tinge of the Caucassian about them, Mr. Jones early -sold to southern dealers, retaining only the mother and her infant -George. - -The mother, on account of her acknowledged piety and ability to labor, -was assigned a special cabin and for years had done the family laundry -work and baking and discharged other duties of a similar character. -Resigned to her condition, she labored on year after year, ever singing -and praying and with her loyalty all unquestioned. Not so with her -growing boy, however. The white blood that was in him, though limited, -constantly rebelled against his condition, and as his years advanced, -brought on frequent conflicts between him and his master, which -invariably ended in the boy’s being severely whipped. Though feeling for -him, on such occasions, as only a mother can feel, still Hannah Gray -exhorted him to be obedient and submissive. Whenever the master -threatened to sell him south, then it was that her prayers that one of -her kin might be left to her mightily prevailed. The natural -adaptability of the youth secured for him many privileges, and he had -been with his master several times to the national capital and other -points and had picked up much general intelligence, and his mode of -expression had, to some extent, risen above the plantation vernacular. - -The conflict on this particular occasion had arisen between master and -slave because George had asked the privilege of visiting a young -quadroon of the plantation on whom Jones had fastened his lecherous -eyes. As usual the controversy ended in the young man’s being bound to a -post by some of the hands and then inhumanly flogged by his owner. Stung -to madness, when all were settled for the night, he left his quarters -and sought the cabin of his mother, and there, as we have seen, divulged -his determination to seek a land of freedom. True to his purpose, when -he had gained his mother’s consent, he went down to the river and -unloosing a skiff floated down with the current some distance and then -landing, struck boldly across to a neighboring swamp. Entering this, he -passed on a short distance until he came to a small creek which led -directly to the river. He now divested himself of his clothing which he -safely placed upon his shoulders, and following the cove soon reached -the river into which he plunged, and being an expert swimmer, was soon -on the home side again, and making his way quietly to his mother’s -cabin, where he was safely secreted beneath what he had augured an -impregnable citadel, her bed. - -[Illustration: - - HANNAH PRAYING. -] - -Morning came soon, and the hands sallied from their quarters but with -them came no George Gray. The word spread rapidly and soon reached both -the cabin of Prayin’ Hanner and the mansion that he was missing. As soon -as the proprietor could dress himself and make proper inquiries, he -hastened to the shanty of the mother whom he found at her morning -devotions, having begun them just as she saw his approach. Not wishing -to disturb her he stopped before the door and caught these words of -invocation: - -“Bressed Lor’, dey say my poah, dear chile am gone. Am he drown? may de -Lor’ raise de body up dat dis ole black form may follow in its sorrow to -de grabe. Hab he killed hisself? may de Lor’ hab mercy on his soul, for -Geog’ was a bad boy; he made mas’r heaps o’ trouble. O Lor’, if he hab -runned away, may mas’r cotch him agin—not de houn’, but mas’r an’ de -men, an’ den when mas’r Jones whip him, may de bressed Lor’ sen’ down -ole Lija, an’ ’vert his soul, dat he no moah disrember mas’r but dat he -do his will for his ole mudder’s sake, an’ for de sake ob his good -mas’r, an’ for de sake ob dat heben whar de Lor’ is. Dis, Lor’, am de -prayer of poah ole Hanner, amen.” - -The prayer ceased and the master entered, only to find, as he inferred -from it, that the intelligence of George’s departure had preceded him, -and farther that the boy had been in there the night before and acted -very strangely; that the mother had advised him to go to his quarters -and be a good boy. - -Leaving the woman to her work, he went out and gave orders for a search. -Soon it was discovered that the skiff was gone and directly after it was -found half a mile down the river with footsteps leading towards the -swamp. A pack of hounds belonging on a plantation below was sent for and -search begun in earnest, and kept up unceasingly for three days but -without success, and then the hands were called in. In the meantime -there appeared in the Lynchburg _Herald_ the following: - -[Illustration] - - $500.00 Reward. - - “RUN AWAY from the subscriber, George Gray, a negro, nearly pure, - about twenty-one years old, and weighing one-hundred and fifty - pounds. He talks pretty good English. Five hundred dollars will be - given for him alive.” SAMUEL JONES. - - Antwerp, Va., June 25, 1841. - -During these days the cabin of Prayin’ Hanner was filled with sacred -songs, earnest prayers and sympathizing visitors, not one of whom, white -or black, as he listened to, or participated in the devotions, supposed -for one moment that he who had called them all forth, that “deah chile,” -was quietly drinking them in. When the nights came, and everything was -still, then George emerged for a little time to rest and refresh -himself. - -[Illustration: - - GEORGE GRAY’S ESCAPE. -] - -Thus matters passed until the fourth night came. The sun set amid -gathering clouds. The returned hunters gathered in their quarters, some -of them to tell how earnestly they had sought to find nothin’; others to -depict their true loyalty to Mar’s Jones, and the whites in their homes -around, to swear vengeance on every nigger caught fleeing. As the storm -broke and the darkness became more intense, George came forth. A little -bundle of clothing, with three days’ rations of food, had been carefully -prepared for him. There was an embrace, tender as though the -participants had been free, a “God bless you, Mother,” a “May de Lor’ -still be wid yer as he hab bin,” uttered as earnestly as though by -cultured lips, and mother and son parted, never to see each other again. - -George Gray went forth fearlessly into the darkness. The country he knew -for miles around, and for weary hours he made his way directly up the -south bank of the James. Long after midnight the moon arose, and seeking -a fitting place, he crossed the river and just as the first gray -streakings of the dawn appeared, quietly secreted himself in a jungle of -bushes upon the mountain which here comes down close to the river. The -rain had obliterated all traces of his course; he was thought to have -gone in an opposite direction four days before. Thus far his plans had -worked admirably, and feeling safe, he partook of his rations and lay -down to a refreshing sleep. - -Night found him again in motion, and by the time morning came he had -made considerable progress. Again he rested and refreshed himself, and -quietly surveyed the prospect for the future. He knew he was a long way -from the Ohio; that much of the way was wild and mountainous, and that -wherever there were people the dangers were greatest. His little stock -of provisions would soon be gone, and then the berries and fruits of the -forest would be his almost sole dependence, only occasionally he might -go down to some bondman’s cabin. With these facts before him he faltered -not, but pressed resolutely forward, only to find as he approached the -river, after weary weeks of vigil, that his master’s advertisement had -preceded him, and that base men were watching that they might claim the -reward. This news came to him from colored men whom he occasionally -contrived to see, for the great humanitarian thoroughfare of the days -_ante bellum_ had its ramifications among the mountains of Virginia, as -well as its broader lines on freer soil, though unlike those of the -latter their officers were of somber hue. Taken in charge by one of -these, George was safely put across the river one stormy night, and in -care of a genuine “broad-brim conductor” on a main trunk line, but not -until his presence had been scented by a pack of white bloodhounds all -too anxious for the recompence of reward, and whose unholy avarice was -equalled only by the wary alertness of the disciple of George Fox. - - - II. - - “O for a thousand tongues to sing - My great Redeemer’s praise; - The glories of my God and King, - The triumphs of His grace.” - -Thus sang Azel Tracy as he stood running a wheel in his little shop in -Hartford, Ohio. The last words were uttered in a subdued tone. This -done, the air was continued in a fine specimen of genuine Yankee -whistling, intermingled with occasional snatches from “China,” or -“Coronation.” - -It was only a sample of Mr. Tracy’s _railroad_ telegraphy, for the low -attic of his shop, filled, in part, with bits of lumber and parts of -defunct wagons, was an important _station_ and it frequently became -necessary to signal the waiting passengers, of whom nearly one-hundred, -according to the family reckoning, found rest and protection within its -narrow limits, a fact one would scarcely believe as he passes it, -looking to-day almost identical with its appearance fifty years ago. - -Notwithstanding Hartford is a historic anti-slavery town, there were not -wanting those within its borders, who for “the recompense of reward,” -would willingly have divulged the presence of any fugitives in keeping -had he known their whereabouts. It was to guard against this class of -persons frequenting his shop that the old wagon-maker had adopted a -musical system of signalizing those in his care. When any danger -threatened, and silence was imperative, he would sing a snatch of some -familiar hymn or whistle its air; but when “the coast was clear,” Hail -Columbia or Yankee Doodle was the signal for “unlimbering.” - -On this occasion both the words quoted and the whistling of “Old -Hundred” were considered necessary as a double danger signal, for only -three nights before there had climbed the narrow ladder in the corner of -the shop, drawn it up and let down a board, thus completing the floor, -an individual filling to a “dot” the description given in the hand-bill -previously referred to, and which was already liberally scattered -through Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. No questions had been -asked and only necessary instructions and provisions given. Thirty-six -hours later two strangers had put in an appearance in the quiet town, -and soon avowed themselves as in quest of the subject of the reward -offered. - -They had continued to lounge about the village till this Saturday -afternoon, much of the time in uncomfortable proximity to the Tracy -wagon shop, for they claimed the object of their search had been seen -approaching it, and they were even now directly in its front in the -highway, holding a colloquy with Dudley, the junior Tracy, and at -present, 1894, the inheritor of his father’s trade and shop. “Dud,” as -he is familiarly called, was then a strapping boy in his middle teens, -bare-footed, without coat or vest, tow-headed, and to all appearances a -fine subject for an interview. - -“See here, boy,” said one of the strangers, “have you seen anything of a -young nigger about here within a day or two?” - -“What do you mean, one of them black fellers like that’n the bill tells -about yonder?” - -“Yes, he’s the chap we want to find.” - -“Wal, no, I hain’t seen no such feller, but I hearn about him two or -three days ago.” - -“How?” - -“Why I was a layin’ in the bushes up back of the church and the Gen’ral -an’ Sam Fuller cum along and the Gen’ral sez he, ‘Fuller, that boy’s got -to be got off. They’r arter him.’” - -“Who’s the General?” - -“Wal, that’s Mr. Bushnell. They say he keeps some of them black ’uns -some times.” - -“Tell us what they said.” - -“Wal, Fuller he said, ‘What’s going to be done?’ and the Gen’ral said, -‘You come up with the team after dark and take him down to the tow-path -that’s down in Pennsylvanee and tell him to keep north till he came to -some colored fokeses and they’d send him to Jehu and then he’d be all -right.’” - -“How far is it to the tow-path?” - -“O I don’t know; that’s on the canawl where they drive the hosses -hitched to the boats, an’ I never was so fur from hum.” - -There was some farther parleying, seemingly entirely satisfactory to the -strangers, then they dropped a “bit” into Dud’s hands, and under the -influence of spurs two horses struck out briskly for the land of the -Pennymights. - -“Dud, I say Dud, come here quick,” called the senior Tracy to the boy -who stood gazing after the rapidly receding forms of the horsemen, and -the junior slowly responded to the call. - -As soon as Dud was within the door the query was raised, “What did the -gentlemen want?” - -“O nothing much, only they asked me if I’d seen the nigger advertised on -the hand-bill yonder?” - -“Well, what did you tell them?” - -“O not much; I just yawned a little, telling them I heard the Gen’ral -tell Mr. Fuller that he must get the boy down to Clarksville and start -him north for Bishop, who would get him to the lake.” - -“Why, Dud, what a—” - -“Come now, dad, no accusations. Didn’t I just hear you tuning your -gospel melody as much as to say, ‘Keep still up there,’ and didn’t I -hear you tell mother last night, when you thought we children were -asleep, you didn’t know what to do? But I did, and I’ve done it and now -you needn’t try to keep this thing from me any longer. You’ve thought I -don’t know what’s up, but I guess I’ve seen the last twenty darkies -you’ve holed in the shop and Uncle Sam has taken away, and now that I’ve -got those fellows off, I think you can afford to let me take a hand -after this.” - -A look of astonishment, mingled with satisfaction, overspread the -countenance of Azel Tracy at this revelation of the fact that his son -was acquainted with so much of the method of the _road_, a thing of -which he and many another parent, for prudential reasons, tried to keep -their children in ignorance, and taking the hand of the boy he replied, -“You shall have all the hand in it you wish, my son.” - -The sun had dropped below the western horizon when the aforesaid -bare-footed boy might have been seen making his way eastward to the home -of farmer Fuller, bearing the following note: - - 48 to 1001. - - Dud has cooked the goose. The feathers are left—they are good for - Fennland, and the parson needs a text for to-morrow. The loft is - good—the cellar better. - - LEZA. - -As a result of this note, when darkness had settled down upon the earth, -when candles were extinguished alike in farm house and village home, the -old-fashioned buggy of Samuel Fuller stood before the little Hartford -shop, and Dud, the Caucassian, surrendered his seat to an African of -deepest sable, and soon the vehicle was speeding rapidly northward. - - - III. - -Night, sable goddess, had let her curtains down not only upon a day, but -upon a week of toil, for the “Cotter’s Saturday Night” had come to all -alike, and the good people of Gustavus, Ohio, had been several hours in -the Land of Nod; the dome on the old academy and the spires of the -village churches were already casting moonlight shadows eastward, and -good old Parson Fenn was dreaming of “Seventeenthly” in to-morrow’s -sermon, when there came three distinct raps upon his back door. Such -signals were in no wise unusual to him, and he immediately responded to -the call, only to find there a friend from fifteen miles away, and -beside him a dusky figure crouching and trembling as if fearful of the -moonbeams themselves. - -“There’s no time to be lost, Parson,” said he from without. “The hounds -are on the track of this game. It has only been by the most -indefatigable energy that he has been kept from their grasp from the -Ohio to near here. Even now they are abreast of us, only lured across -the Pennsylvania line.” - -“He can be gotten no farther to-night,” said the Parson musingly, “and -all we can do is to put him in hold and keep him till the day goes by. -You know the rest.” - -There was no word of reply, but a figure gliding silently into the -street, a vehicle, with muffled wheels, was headed southward and driven -rapidly away. The parson having partially dressed himself, took a jug of -water from the well, a loaf of bread and a large slice of meat from the -pantry and beckoning the silent figure to follow him, proceeded to a -building on the northwest corner of the square, on the front of which -appeared the name, “George Hezlip.” Passing to the rear, he pushed aside -a door. Both having entered, the door was closed, a light struck and the -strange figure was soon reposing in one of several hogsheads carelessly -stowed away there, whilst good Benjamin Fenn returned to his bed only to -ponder on that mysterious providence which had predestined him to this -materialistic work of salvation. - -The Sabbath came, and with it, at the appointed hour, the people to the -village church. The pastor preached with great power from the words, -“Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.” - -That sermon was long a matter of comment among the people, a balm to -some, a firebrand to others, according to the political faith they -entertained, but orthodox to us all after the lapse of many years. - -The services ended and dinner over, the Parson sat down to his -study-table and penned the following:— - - 5—9—081—1001—S——s——g. - - XXX. In Rome when the white rabbit hangs high the Prætor leads the - Vestal band by linden fields, that he may hear the tuning of the - great profaner’s voice ere the game goes to Quintus Anno Mundi. - - 49—1001—U.g.r.r. - -The note thus written, was sealed and given to a trusty lad who soon -placed it in the hands of an athletic, theological nimrod living in the -village, whose love of humanity and admiration for universal redemption -were only equalled by that of his affection for his dog, his gun and -fishing tackle. When he had read the note, he bade the messenger tell -the Parson “When the stars are out,” and proceeded at once to change his -Sunday garb for a hunting suit. - -The bell had already rung for the evening service, and the villagers and -the country folk were thronging to the church when two horsemen, on -jaded steeds, came down from the north and reigned up at the tavern -across from Hezlip’s store and requested refreshments for themselves and -horses. The animals were taken in charge by the hostler whilst the -riders proceeded to the bar-room and washed and cleaned themselves from -the effects of their dusty ride. - -Waiting supper, they had a private interview with the landlord in which -they stated that they were in pursuit of a young negro who had crossed -the Ohio river a few days before and been secreted by an old Quaker. -They had traced him as far north as Hartford. There they had been -decoyed into Pennsylvania whilst they believed that the fugitive had -been run into a line farther west. After going as far north as Espyville -they had come across to see if they could not regain the trail. - -They were informed, in return, that there were persons in the -neighborhood in the employ of the Underground Railroad, of whom the old -Parson was the chief, and that it was thought from the energy with which -he had preached that morning that there must be a passenger somewhere -about. At the least, Boniface assured the officials, for such they had -avowed themselves, that after supper he would show them one of the -company’s waiting rooms which he had accidentally discovered. - -Twilight had deepened into evening; the “Gustavus House” bell was -ringing refreshments for two, and Parson Fenn was praying fervently, -“Lord, send sure deliverance to him that fleeth from oppression, and -bring to naught the efforts of them that pursue for blood money,” just -as a square-rigged form, with elastic step, and showing great power of -endurance stepped into the rear of the Hezlip building. Shoving open the -door the man uttered a low whistle which was immediately responded to, -and a dusky form emerged from one of the hogsheads and followed the -leader without a word. Passing through the fields a short distance, they -crossed the public highway beyond the churchyard and took to the woods -on the right. With rapid strides they passed across fields and through -forests for several miles until, leaving the little hamlet of -Lindenville to the right, they descended to the Pymatuning flats where -the guide deposited his ward in one of those little “hay barns,” so -common on the Reserve forty years ago. Returning by the home of the -owner, whom he signaled at his bed-room window, he left the laconic -instruction, “Feed the yearling steer,” and pressed rapidly on to regain -his home, which he did shortly after midnight. - -Supper ended at the tavern, the host took a lantern and led his guests -across the street to the basement of the store, where the jug, emptied -of its contents, and fragments of the bread and meat were readily found, -and an accidental application of the hand to the inner surface of the -extemporized bed-room showed it still warm from the contact of human -flesh. - -The language which escaped the foiled pursuers when they found how near -they had probably been to the object of their pursuit, was far more -forcible than classic. They would have instituted a pursuit at once but -Boniface told them such a thing would be useless there, for the old -Parson, who was expounding Calvinism across the way, and a young -Universalist in the village, who were perfectly at loggerheads on -matters of theology, were so in unison on the matter of running off -fugitives that they would make it hotter than —— for any one who should -assist them, as the most of the community were on the side of the -“road.” He advised that they go to Ashtabula, where the runaway would -probably take boat for Canada, as their best plan. - -This advise they accepted, and after a night’s rest and some -observations made about the village in the morning, they departed -northward, and in due time drew up at the “American” in Jefferson where -their presence soon attracted the attention of a “road official.” - -Having breakfast, our liberal theologian sauntered through the village, -taking in the dimensions of the strangers and noting their departure -northward, then, waiting until the sun had passed the meridian, he took -his gun upon his shoulder and struck eastward as though meaning to make -the Kinsman forests. Reaching a convenient point, he changed his course, -and an hour before sunset threw down a half dozen squirrels upon the -doorstep of the man whose slumbers he had disturbed the previous night. -There was a little good-natured parleying as to who should dress the -game, then busy hands were at work, and as the sun sank behind the -western woodlands the family and hunter-guest sat down to a feast that -would have tempted the appetite of a king. - -Supper over, the guest challenged the host to take him to an appointment -he had a few miles north, which was acceded to, and whilst the latter -was getting ready the former went on the way a little to look after a -_trap_ he had set sometime before. An hour later and a vehicle with two -men in the seat and a straw-covered bundle beneath was driven rapidly -towards Jefferson. Arrived within a mile of the town, a halt was called -under cover of a little clump of trees, one of the men alighted and -stirred up the straw from which emerged a human figure. These two took a -field path to the village, whilst the driver turned a little out of the -public highway to await returns. - -Twenty minutes later there was a rap at the side door of bluff Ben -Wade’s home. - -“Who the d—l is there?” said a gruff voice from an upper window. - -“‘Thribble X’ from ‘A Thousand and One,’” was the quick response. - -“What the h—l do you want at this time of night.” - -“I have a white rabbit.” - -“Take the black k—ss to Atkins; he’ll stuff his hide.” - -A half hour more and the “white rabbit” was stowed in the capacious -garret of “Anno Mundi” and “Thribble X” was being driven at a gay pace -toward the confines of Old Trumbull. - - - IV. - -A company of persons awaiting a western bound train stood chatting with -the veteran Seely upon the platform at Girard, Pa. Among them, evidently -well up in the sixties, was a man of unusually muscular frame. His -countenance was open and pleasant, but mostly enveloped in a heavy beard -of almost snowy whiteness. Judging from the appearance of his eyes, he -was endowed with a more than average gift of language. Indeed he was the -central figure in the company. The “Toledo” rolled up and as the group -passed into the coach a colored man seated a little back took a close -survey of this individual. As they seated themselves in his rear, the -negro arose, passed to the front of the car and turning round placed his -eyes squarely upon the face of the old gentleman. Thus he stood until -Springfield was passed, until Conneaut was nearly reached. Feeling -annoyed himself, and noticing that the gaze was attracting the attention -of his fellow passengers, the gentleman arose and going forward said: - -“Stranger, let us have this out. I can tolerate this impertinence no -longer.” - -“No ’pertinence, massa, no’ ’pertinence at all,” responded the negro, “I -knowed yer the minit yer comed aboard.” - -“You know me? I never saw you before that I remember.” - -“Bery like, bery like, massa, you’s named Shipman, and doan yer remember -the ‘white rabbit’ yer crawled on the hands and knees wid through the -tater patch arter you’d got him out of the cellar whar the old Parson -had stowed him. Dis chile hab never forgot that face though it had no -whiskers then. The Lor’ bress yer, massa, doan yer ’member so long ago?” -and the overjoyed man held out his hand which was grasped in a hearty -shake by that of his whiter brother. - -Seating themselves together, the colored man told the story of his early -servitude, and how, armed with no weapon but a butcher knife for -defense, he had made that long flight across the mountains without one -sense of fear until he had crossed into Ohio and learned that men were -there watching for him to claim the reward offered for his return. - -“But how,” queried the venerable Shipman, “did you get along after I -left you?” - -“Lor’ bress you, massa, de next mornin’ that ole swearer, Massa Wade, he -comed over to dat Massa Atkins an’ he say, ‘Doan sen’ dat black k—ss to -de harb’r, kase h—ll’s a watchin’ for him.’ So dey sen me on anuder road -to Erie an’ put me on the ‘Thomas Jefferson,’ the name of that great -author of _liberty_ from ole Virginy, and soon I was safe in Canidy.” - -“And what then?” said Uncle Charley. - -“An’ den, Massa Shipman, George Gray went to work to earn money to buy -his old mother, but when he had enough he learned she was dead, so he -bought him a little home, and then the great wah comed and set all his -people free, an’ so now he’s jus’ agoin’ down inter that country to see -if Massa Jones hab eber heard from dat ‘deah chile’ who was ‘drown,’ or -‘killed hisself’ or ‘runned away.’ But here am my stoppin’ place, an’ -may the good Lor’ bress and save Massa Shipman forever, am the prayer ob -de White Rabbit.” - -There was another hearty hand-shaking, amid the cheerings of the little -throng who had been attentive listeners to the conversation, mutual -pledges to meet on the “other shore,” and the old ex-conductor from -“station 1001, U. g. r. r.,” and his sable passenger parted company -under far pleasanter circumstances than they did in the long ago on the -doorstep of Anno Mundi in the village home of Giddings and Wade. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's From Dixie to Canada, by Homer Uri Johnson - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM DIXIE TO CANADA *** - -***** This file should be named 62165-0.txt or 62165-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/1/6/62165/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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} - @media handheld {.ol_1 li {padding-left: 1em; text-indent: 0em; } } - body {font-family: serif, 'DejaVu Sans'; text-align: justify; } - table {font-size: .9em; margin-top: 1.5em; page-break-inside: avoid; clear: both; } - div.titlepage {text-align: center; page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; } - div.titlepage p {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; margin-top: 3em; } - .figcenter,.figright {font-size: .9em; page-break-inside: avoid; max-height: 100%; - max-width: 100%; } - .ph2 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; - page-break-before: always; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of From Dixie to Canada, by Homer Uri Johnson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: From Dixie to Canada - Romances and Realities of the Underground Railroad - -Author: Homer Uri Johnson - -Release Date: May 18, 2020 [EBook #62165] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM DIXIE TO CANADA *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><b>Transcriber’s Note:</b></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i002.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>H. U. JOHNSON.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='titlepage'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c001'><span class='xlarge'>FROM</span><br /> DIXIE <span class='fss'>TO</span> CANADA<br /> <span class='xlarge'><span class='sc'>Romances and Realities</span></span><br /> <span class='small'>OF THE</span><br /> <span class='large'>UNDERGROUND RAILROAD</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='small'>BY</span></div> - <div><span class='large'>H. U. JOHNSON</span></div> - <div class='c003'><span class='xsmall'>AUTHOR OF “SEVENTEEN SEVENTY-SIX AND OTHER POEMS” AND “OBED IN THE GREAT CO-PARTNERSHIP.”</span></div> - <div class='c003'>VOL. I</div> - <div class='c003'><span class='xsmall'>FIRST THOUSAND</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/ititle.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>ORWELL, OHIO</div> - <div>H. U. JOHNSON</div> - <div class='c003'>BUFFALO</div> - <div>CHARLES WELLS MOULTON</div> - <div>1894</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div><span class='sc'>Copyright</span>, 1894,</div> - <div><span class='sc'>By</span> H. U. JOHNSON.</div> - <div class='c003'>(ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)</div> - <div class='c002'><span class='sc'>Printed by Charles Wells Moulton, Buffalo, N. Y.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'><i>DEDICATION.</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'><i>To the millions of happy grand-children of a generation -fast leaving the stage of action, and who -must get their knowledge of the Rebellion and its causes -from the lips of those who saw and participated or from -the pages of history, as we, the grand-parents, got ours -of the Revolution from those long since passed away, -and from the written records of that thrilling period, -this little volume of unique but wonderful history is -sincerely and most affectionately dedicated by one of the -Grandfathers.</i></p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_v'>v</span> - <h2 class='c005'>PREFACE.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c007'>The years intervening since the abolition of -American slavery leave a majority of our people -ignorant of its workings, and of matters -connected with it, except as they are gleaned from -the pages of history, or from the lips of those now -grown old.</p> - -<p class='c008'>It is not the purpose of this little volume to discuss -the history of the “peculiar institution” in detail, -but simply to give so much of it as will make appreciable -the cause for another one equally “peculiar,” -known for the last twenty years of its existence as the -<span class='sc'>Underground Railroad</span>,—a name for a mode of -operation, and not of a corporation or material object.</p> - -<p class='c008'>During the years of its operation, secrecy was a -cardinal, an imperative principle of its management, -as the following pages will make apparent. On the -breaking out of the War of the Rebellion, thus putting -an end to its operations, every other subject was swallowed -up in the excitement of the great struggle, and -subsequently in that of Reconstruction. Thus the -Road dropped measurably out of sight, leaving but -meager reports and archives to tell the story of its -working.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The promptings of a desire to leave to posterity -some realistic record of this, one of the most wonderful -and thrilling features of our national history, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_vi'>vi</span>no parallel to which is afforded in the annals of time, -must be the excuse for these pages. During the -eighties, the writer, who had lived amid its excitements -for years, and was more or less familiar with -the writings of Coffin, Pettit, the Clarkes and others, -undertook a systematic research into the matter, the -result of which was the accumulation of a large fund -of incident and information pertaining to the Road, -much of which was published in the <cite>Home Magazine</cite> -between the years 1883 and 1889, inclusive. Those -articles, in part, carefully revised, are now placed before -the reader in this more permanent form, with -the hope that they may receive the generous approval -of an appreciative public.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>The Author.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'><span class='sc'>Orwell, Ohio, May 20, 1894.</span></p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_vii'>vii</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CONTENTS.</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> - <tr> - <th class='c009'></th> - <th class='c010'>PAGE</th> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>Introduction</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_9'>9</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'>CHAPTER I.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>Jo Norton</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_19'>19</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>Lavinia</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_28'>28</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>A Ruse</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_36'>36</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>The Original “Jerry”</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_48'>48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>A Cool Woman</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#COOL'>52</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'>CHAPTER II.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>Jack Watson</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_54'>54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'>CHAPTER III.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>Uncle Jake</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_85'>85</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'>CHAPTER IV.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>George Green, or Constancy Rewarded</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_98'>98</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'>CHAPTER V.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>How Sol. Jones was Left</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_124'>124</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'>CHAPTER VI.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>Edward Howard</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_132'>132</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'>CHAPTER VII.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>Plucky Charley</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_152'>152</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'>CHAPTER VIII.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>Statie Lines</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_164'>164</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'>CHAPTER IX.</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c009'><span class='sc'>George Gray</span></td> - <td class='c010'><a href='#Page_173'>173</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i012.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>JIM JONES IN THE BLACKSMITH SHOP.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span> - <h2 class='c005'>INTRODUCTION.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c007'>The quiet of a midsummer night had settled down -over the city of Washington, when, in August, -1839, a dusky form came, with stealthy tread, from -among some buildings not far away, and cautiously -approached the eastern entrance to the Capitol. Laying -his hand upon the cold steps in the shadow of -the great building, Jim Jones, a colored boy of -about seventeen, attentively listened as if in expectation -of some preconcerted signal.</p> - -<p class='c008'>He had waited but a moment thus, when the hand -of a patrol was laid heavily upon his shoulder and -the rough query, “What does this mean, you black -rascal?” fell upon his ear.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Dunno, Massa,” was the reply of the startled boy.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Don’t know, you black imp?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No, Massa, dunno what fo’ I was hea.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, you know, you young nigger, you have no -business here at this hour of the night.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, Massa, I knowed de night am for white -folks, and I jus’ cum for to see—”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Some d—d abolitionist who is trying to get you -away.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No, no, Massa.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, come along and we shall see,” saying which -he rudely hurried the boy away to a place of safe -keeping.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>In the early morning Jim was recognized by his -master, who vainly tried to extort from him by questioning -the cause of his nocturnal ramble. Failing -in this, the boy was taken to a blacksmith shop and -his thumbs placed end to end in the jaws of a vice.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Now,” said the master, “tell me why you were -abroad last night.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I dunno,” replied Jim.</p> - -<p class='c008'>A half turn of the screw, and a groan of pain escaped -the boy; another turn and he writhed in -agony.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Now you black son of a b——ch, why were you -at the Capitol last night?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O Lor’, Massa, a white man tol’ me I should -come.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“What did he want of you?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Fo’ to go norf’.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“And so you were going?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Y-e-s—Massa—I—was—fo’—to—go.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“How?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“On a railroad undah de groun’.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Under the ground?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, Massa, so the gem’an said. He was jus’ -comin’ to open de way, when Massa da’ cotched -me.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Who was he?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Dunno, Massa.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Another turn of the screw, and in the agony of -despair the boy yelled, “Dunno, dunno, Massa, -dunno,” and swooned away.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>After resuscitation the torture was again applied, -but nothing farther was elicited, as the boy continued -to aver he had never heard the name of the -man who was to lead him; and, indeed, he had met -him only in the dark.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Though for years slaves had from time to time -been stealing away from the <i>kind</i> attentions of their -masters, and, indeed, very frequently of late, yet -never before had the latter dreamed that their “chattel” -went by subterranean transit, and the theme became -one of such absorbing interest that, when two -months later five prominent slaves escaped from the -city in a single night, a Washington morning paper -heralded the matter before the world for the first -time as follows:—</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c012'> - <div>“UNDERGROUND RAILROAD!</div> - <div class='c003'><i>A Mystery Not Yet Solved.</i>”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“The abolition incendiaries are undermining, not only -our domestic institutions, but the very foundations of our -Capitol. Our citizens will recollect that the boy Jim, who -was arrested last August, while lurking about the Capitol, -would disclose nothing until he was subject to torture by -screwing his fingers in a blacksmith’s vice, when he acknowledged -that he was to have been sent north by railroad; was -to have started near the place where he stood when discovered -by the patrol. He refused to tell who was to aid -him—said he did not know—and most likely he did not. -Nothing more could be got from him until they gave the -screw another turn, when he said: ‘<i>The railroad goes -under ground all the way to Boston</i>.’ Our citizens are losing -all their best servants. Some secret Yankee arrangement -has been contrived by which they ‘stampede’ from three to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>eight at a time, and no trace of them can be found until they -reach the interior of New York or the New England States. -They can not have gone by railroad, as every station is closely -watched by a secret police, yet there is no other conveyance -by which a man can reach Albany in two days. That they -have done so, is now clearly demonstrated. Colonel Hardy, -a tobacco planter residing in the District, about five miles -from the city, lost five more slaves last Sunday evening. -They were pursued by an expert slave catcher, but no trace -of them was discovered. The search was abandoned this -morning, the Colonel having received a paper called the -<cite>Liberty Press</cite>, printed in Albany, with the following article -so marked as to claim his attention:</p> - -<p class='c013'>“‘Arrived, this morning, by our fast train, three men and -two women. They were claimed as slaves by Colonel -Hardy, of the District of Columbia, but became dissatisfied -with the Colonel’s ways of <i>bucking</i> Harry, making <i>love</i> -to Nancy and other similar displays of <i>masterly</i> affection, and -left the old fellow’s premises last Sunday evening, arriving -at our station by the quickest passage on record.’</p> - -<p class='c013'>“The article recites many incidents that have transpired -in the Colonel’s family, that correspond so exactly with facts -that the Colonel says: ‘Nobody but Kate could have told -that story!’ Said article closes by saying: ‘Now, Colonel -H., please give yourself no trouble about these friends of -yours, for they will be safe under the protection of the British -Lion before this <i>meets</i> your eyes.’”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The term which had been given to poor Jim, in -confidence, as the means by which he was to make -his escape from bondage, and extorted from him by -torture, having thus been given to the world from -the city of Washington, became henceforth the universal -appelation for a <i>corporation</i> which, for more -than twenty years thereafter, extended its great trunk -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>lines across all the northern states from Mason and -Dixon’s line and the Ohio River to the Queen’s -Dominion, and its ramifications far into the southern -states. It was most efficiently officered, and had its -side tracks, connections and switches; its stations -and eating houses all thoroughly well recognized by -the initiated; its station agents and conductors, men -undaunted in danger and unswerving in their adherence -to principle; its system of cypher dispatches, -tokens and nomenclature which no attaché -ever revealed except to those having a right to receive -them, and its detective force characterized by a -shrewdness in expedients and a versatility of strategy -which attached to any mere money making enterprise -would have put “millions in it.” It received -the support of men and women from every class, -sect, and party, though from some more than from -others; its character was engraven, as by a pen of -fire, in the hearts and consciences of men, burning -deeper and deeper, until finally abrogated in that -grand emancipation proclamation of Abraham Lincoln, -when it was found that its stock, always unwatered -but by tears, had yielded an incomputable -percentage in the freedom secured to over thirty-six -thousand fugitives from human bondage, and embodied -in houses, lands, schools, churches and social -and domestic happiness.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Now that the track is all pulled up; that the rolling -stock has disappeared; that most of the operators -and passengers have gone down into silence or are -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>dwelling in forgetfulness of accumulating years, and -that only a few of the old stations remain as they -were, a new generation pertinently inquires, “What -called such a road into existence and how were its -gigantic operations so successfully and yet so secretly -carried on?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>To the first of these questions it may be replied -that the history of American slavery is older than -the story of Plymouth Rock. In the year 1619 a -cargo of Africans, kidnapped on the coast of the -“Dark Continent,” was sold from the deck of a -Dutch man-of-war at Jamestown, Va., to be used in -the cultivation of tobacco along the river.</p> - -<p class='c008'>At that time very little was thought about the -enormity of human slavery. The labor proved remunerative, -and the institution spread over the original -colonies, with little or no question, so that at the -breaking out of the Revolution there were 500,000 -bondmen, a standing menace to the cause of freedom, -and yet technically said to be “armed in the holy -cause of liberty.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>On the adoption of the constitution in 1787, public -sentiment had become so strong against the African -slave trade that provision was made for its abolition -in 1808. Persistent effort was also made, particularly -by the Quakers, for the ultimate abolition -of slavery itself, but without avail, as it was claimed -by its apologists that it would ultimately die of its -own accord—a prophecy in some sense fulfilled, -though in a manner all undreamed by those who -made it.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i020a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE TRACY WAGON SHOP.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i020b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>SLAVE PEN IN ATLANTA, GA.<br /><br /><span class='small'>(PHOTOGRAPHED WHILST GEN. SHERMAN’S ARMY HELD THE CITY.)</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>Though Anti-slavery Societies had long been in -vogue, of one of which Benjamin Franklin had been -president, it was found by the census of 1800 that -the country contained 893,000 slaves. From this -time forward one after another of the Northern -States abolished it, until it finally disappeared from -New York last of all, July 4th, 1827. In the meantime -it was strengthened in the South. The invention -of the cotton gin and the extensive manufacture of -sugar in the Gulf States, made the rearing of slaves -in those farther north very lucrative, and slave marts -were set up in many of their cities and towns to -which men, women and children were brought and -sold upon the auction block and at private sale.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The slaves thus purchased in Maryland, Virginia, -Kentucky and elsewhere for the more southern markets -were either driven across the country like so many -cattle, or, if more convenient, taken down the Ohio -and Mississippi on steam-boats or in flats, all those -deemed likely to give trouble being handcuffed together -across a coffle chain, thus constituting a -“coffle.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>On their arrival at the place of destination, they -were more or less jaded and warm, and hence unmarketable -until properly fitted up. To facilitate -this, buildings or “pens” were provided where they -were well fed and given liberal rations of whiskey. -Under the management of some genial dealer, they -were induced to tell stories, sing songs and make -merry. In this way they were soon recuperated and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>ready for the ordeals of another sale in which they -were subjected to much the same scrutiny of body -and limb that is bestowed upon a horse when the -person would ascertain its physical condition.</p> - -<p class='c008'>To escape this degradation and the hardships of -the southern plantations, the more intelligent and -hardy of the slave population early began to flee to -the free states as an asylum from cruel bondage. As -if in anticipation of this, the constitution had provided -for their return, and under its provisions many -were restored to their masters, through the cupidity -of sordid northern men, for the rewards offered.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Finding so many of their chattels escaping and the -sentiment against their return growing stronger and -stronger, the southern people, with the aid of abettors -at the north, succeeded in 1850, in securing the passage -of the Fugitive Slave Law, which imposed heavy -fines and even imprisonment for in any way aiding -a fugitive from slavery to escape. By its provisions -every man at the North was virtually made a slave catcher.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Canada now became the goal of the fugitive, and -to its safe retreat thousands escaped, and yet so successful -was the business of slave culture that in 1860 -the whole number of persons held as mere chattels, -without a vested right in land, or home, or wife, or -husband, or child, or life, even, that might not be -served by the will of the master, amounted to 3,953,000 -souls. The bitterness of sectional feeling engendered -by such a state of affairs, and the intense -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>activity of nerve and intellect called forth thereby, -can never be duly appreciated except by those who -were active participants in the affairs of ten years -<i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">ante bellum</span></i>.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The second question, and, also, many points -covered by the first, will be best answered by following -the thread of these “Romances and Realities of -the Underground Railroad,” gathered as they are -from personal observation, extensive reading, visitations -along many of the old lines, and numerous -interviews and extensive correspondence with those -heroic men and women who dared their fortunes and -their personal liberty in the cause of humanity and -right, still lingering among us, as, also, with many a -passenger over this truly wonderful thoroughfare.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i026.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>REFUGEES IN WASHINGTON CHURCHYARD.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER I.<br /> <span class='large'>JO NORTON.</span></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c014'>I.</h3> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c015'>So many and varied have been the changes of -half a century, and so rapid the growth of the -city in the past twenty-five years, that few of the -present inhabitants of Washington, and less of its -old-time frequenters, now ever think of the cemetery -that skirted the stage road leading north from the -city. True, in those by-gone days it was a popular -burial place, even for the first families of the capital, -but like many another “silent city” it long since fell -into disuse, and consequently became for years the -most desirable place near the city for an underground -railroad station, and to such use it was assiduously -appropriated.</p> - -<p class='c008'>In this solitary place, on a quiet Sabbath evening -of October, 1839, there was heard just as the last faint -twilight trembled on the western horizon a low, distinct -whistle. Immediately there arose from among -the growth of bushes and from behind already reclining -headstones five dusky forms, actuated evidently -by the same impulse. The whistle was -repeated, and the forms cautiously approached the -point whence it proceeded, and there gathered in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>presence of a stranger to them all, but with no previous -knowledge of each other’s intent, though all of -them were the property of the same man, Colonel -Hardy, a tobacco planter of the District of Columbia, -as previously stated in the “Introduction” to these -“Romances and Realities.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The first exclamations of surprise over, their unknown -companion proceeded to give them the -instructions for the night, after allaying their superstitious -fears, that they were to sink into the earth -for a time, and be under the conduct of invisible -personages. Indeed, so far from that being the case -they soon found very much depended upon their -own physical exertion. No sinking down into the -ground among the dead, no sojourn among spooks -and ghosts, impressions that had almost gotten the -better of their thirst for freedom, was to be theirs. -On the contrary they were to take at once to the -pike and follow it until they came to the said road, -which was then to be their pathway, only turning -out to pass around villages and stations until they -came to a man standing in the track who should -signal them by the simple name “Ben.” To him -they were to yield themselves implicitly.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Seeing the little company once fairly started, the -stranger returned to the city, and as he passed the -post-office deposited therein a letter addressed,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“<i>JOHN JONES, Esq.</i>,</div> - <div class='line in12'><i>Albany</i>,</div> - <div class='line in16'><i>N. Y.</i>”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>Leaving this missive and the fugitives to pursue -their respective journeys, we pause to inquire into -the personalities of the latter. They were named, -respectively, Nancy, Kate, Robert, Harry and Jo, or -more complete, Jo Norton.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As has been said, they were the property of one -man, and when not needed on the plantation, were -hired out in the city. Harry was recognized among -his fellows as a man of spirit and ability; but the -latter quality never saved him from the frequent -“buckings” engendered by the too free play of the -former. Nancy, an octaroon, was well formed, about -twenty years of age, and according to Kate, who had -a spontaneous gift of gossip, a special favorite of the -“Kunnel.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Jo Norton was a sprightly, intelligent fellow, and -had a wife named Mary, who, with their little boy, -was the property of a Mr. Judson, residing in the -city. In his boyhood Jo had been continually employed -upon the plantation, but after he was sixteen -was engaged at a hotel during the winter for several -years. For a long time in this place it was his -special duty to wait upon Daniel Webster at table -and otherwise. It was whilst thus employed that -he became acquainted with and won Mary, who had -the care of the great statesman’s rooms. During the -summer, the Colonel, when reasonably good natured, -allowed Jo to visit his wife and child once in two -weeks, on Sunday. When too choleric to grant his -“chattel” this indulgence, a pass was readily secured -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>from the old man’s daughter, who was his private -secretary, and with whom Jo was a great favorite. -In these visits the possibility of an escape, more -especially for the sake of their boy, was frequently -discussed, though no plan was ever perfected.</p> - -<p class='c008'>One evening whilst returning from one of these -visitations, Jo fell in company with a gentleman -whose manner so impressed him that he asked if he -were not from “de Norf.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, from Massachusetts,” said the stranger.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Wy, Massa, dat am de home ob de great Dan’l -Webster.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes; I know him very well.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, Massa, an’ doan dis chile knows dat great -man to?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“How is that?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Wy, Massa, doan I stan’ ’hind his chaah all dese -winters wen him comes to Congress?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Ah, I see. But wouldn’t you like to go north -and be free?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Lor’ Massa, dat was wat Mary and I talks ’bout -dis blessed day.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Who is Mary?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Mary am my wife, sah, and James am my little -boy. Da’longs to anuder man.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“A wife and child!” said the stranger half musingly. -“Well my good fellow, we will see what can -be done, but we must talk no more now. Meet me -on the corner of “F” and the Avenue two weeks -from to-day at noon.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>“Yes sah,” and the two parted.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Two weeks passed, and, as agreed, the parties met, -the one readily assuming the air of a southern gentleman -and the other instinctively falling into the -role of his servant. Thus they passed on until a -quiet place was reached, when it was agreed that Jo -should take a designated place in the old cemetery -three weeks from that night, but that Mary and the -child should be left in the city till a fitting way for -their escape presented itself. In the mean time the -other parties had been separately interviewed, and -assigned their several hiding places, and given the -signal which would call them into the presence of a -stranger. Thus it was that they came together unawares.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>II.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Once upon the public highway the little party -struck out briskly for the railroad upon which they -turned their faces towards Baltimore, and following -their instructions were making fine progress, when, -about midnight, as they were passing around a village -the heavens became suddenly overcast with -clouds, and for an hour or more they wandered in -uncertainty. A halt being called, a lively discussion -based upon five different opinions arose, and how it -might have terminated no one can tell had not the -heavens just then cleared up, enabling Harry, who -was both conductor to and astronomer for the train, -to get their bearings from “de ol’ norf.” So much -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>time had thus been lost that daybreak was just beginning -to tinge the east when the mystical word -“Ben” fell from the lips of a man standing upon -the track, whom they at once followed for some distance -into a corn-field, where he removed several -bundles from a stack of corn-fodder, and the two -women entered a “dodger” apartment, whilst the -men were similarly secreted a little farther on.</p> - -<p class='c008'>A thirty mile walk had given them a good appetite -for the bountiful breakfast provided, after partaking -of which they lay down and slept soundly, -whilst “Old Ben,” a free negro who had been furnished -the means to rent and till this field and arrange -it as a “way station,” kept constant vigil and -obliterated their tracks by husking corn and carefully -drawing the stocks over them.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>III.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Morning came in the city, and soon the absence of -the servants from their employers was reported at -the plantation, where the non-appearance of Jo had -already caused the Colonel to give his daughter a -special cursing for “letting that d—d nigger, Jo, have -a pass.” Hounds and hunters were at once called -into requisition, but all in vain. All about the -country was scoured and searched, but Uncle Ben’s -field was so public and he so honest, that no one -thought of troubling it, or him.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Night came, and under cover of the first hour of -darkness the two women were taken in charge by a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>man who led them rapidly along the railroad track -till they came to a road where a carriage received -them and they were driven rapidly into the city of -Baltimore and there carefully secreted. Scarcely -had they departed when a pack of hounds came into -the field, and, after scenting around for some time, -struck their track and were off in pursuit with such -a wild scream as to waken the men from their quiet -slumber.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Meanwhile the letter addressed to Mr. Jones was -speeding on its way, and in due time on an editorial -derived therefrom, the compositors in the office of -the <cite>Liberty Press</cite> at Albany were busy, and on Friday -Col. Hardy received a marked copy of that paper -which informed him that his “chattels” arrived safe -in Albany on Tuesday evening, and of course all -farther effort for their recovery was stopped, though -the atmosphere was for some time blue from the effects -of the forcible vocabulary which this piece of -news, manufactured specially for a southern market, -eliminated from the old Colonel’s tongue.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>IV.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>All imminent danger from direct pursuit being now -over, early on Saturday evening Ben led the boys -forth and placed them in charge of a sprightly colored -boy about thirteen years of age, whom they were to -keep constantly in sight as they passed through -Baltimore, and, as he bestowed on them a little -money, he said: “Now, boys, follah yer guide, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>feah no danjah, and de good Lor’ bress you and -bring you safe to freedom.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>With nimble steps they passed over the road to the -city, and there stopped for a short time at a meeting -of colored Methodists, of which faith were Jo and -Harry, and joined lustily in the “Hallelujahs” and -songs of praise. The meeting over, they fell in with -the departing congregation, and as they passed -through the principal streets were vociferous in their -praise of “the pow’fu’ preachin’ ob dat ’sidin’ eldah, -and de snipshus singin’ ob de yaller gal wid de red -rib’n,” stopping occasionally to buy a few nuts or -apples at some grocer’s stand, ever keeping their -little woolly headed conductor in sight, and before -the hour forbidding the presence of colored people -on the streets, were beyond the city limits, and again -in company with Kate and Nancy, who had been -brought to a place of rendezvous by a gentleman -who proceeded to give the party specific instructions -for the night. This done, fleetly they sped forward -as directed until well towards day-dawn, when conductor -Harry espied two flickering lights placed side -by side in an upper window, and exclaimed: “Bress -de Lor’ dah am de sign of rest.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, bress de Lor’, O my sou’,” ejaculated the -thoroughly wearied Kate, “an if dis be de unner -groun’ railroad whar ebery one furnish his cah hisself, -I’d radder ride wid ol’ Lijah in a charyot ob fiah.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Hush, honey, what foah you complain? dis am -gwine ober Jordan to de lan’ ob res’.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>“Yes, an’ Jordan am a hard road to trabel, -shu——” but the sentence was abruptly broken by -the clear enunciation of “Thee will tarry here for the -Sabbath.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The words proceeded from beneath a broad-brimmed hat which emerged from among some -shrubbery, and the party were quickly conducted -into a spacious Quaker kitchen where a bountiful repast -was in waiting for them, after partaking of -which they were consigned to safe quarters for the -day.</p> - -<p class='c008'>From this hospitable retreat, they sallied forth on -Monday evening for another night journey, only to -find in its ending a duplicate of the preceding one; -and in this way the whole distance from Baltimore -to Philadelphia was made on foot.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Once in the Quaker city, they were quietly put on -a fishing smack and conveyed to Bordentown. At -the latter place, under the management of a shrewd -Quaker, a personal friend of the railroad agent, the -boys were hid away among boxes and bales of goods -in a freight car and were soon on their way to -Gotham. Meanwhile the girls were dressed for the -occasion, and at evening, closely veiled, just as the -train was starting, were escorted into a coach by a -gentleman assuming the full Southern air, and who -had no hesitancy in pushing aside a watcher for runaways -stationed at the door. At New York they -again rejoined the “way freight,” and the whole -party were at once sent on to Albany, where they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>arrived after a journey of twenty days instead of two -as supposed in Washington.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>LAVINIA.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Apropos of the lamentable exhibitions of mob-violence, -court-house burning, Sabbath desecration -and election frauds presented by Cincinnati in the -past few years, it may not be amiss to give a little -exhibition of the spirit there manifested by the men -of a past generation and see whence some of her present -unenviable reputation comes. The city was well -known to be intensely pro-slavery and to her came -many a haughty Southron for purposes of business -or pleasure, bringing with him more or less of his -chattels as attendants. Among the comers of the -summer of 1843, was a man named Scanlan, visiting -his brother-in-law, one Hawkins. He brought with -his family a pretty slave girl named Lavinia, some -ten years old.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Before the party left New Orleans, the mother of -the girl, a slave in that city, had given her the following -admonitory instruction:—“Now ’Vinya, yer -Massa’s gwine for ter take yer Norf, an’ wen yer gets -to Sinsnate, chile, yer free, an’ he’ll sen’ some good -anj’l for to hide yer un’er him wing; an’ if you doan -go wid him, but kum back to dis Souf wid yer ol’ -Massa, dis very han’ll take yer black skin right off -yer back shuah. Mebbe wen yer safe in dat free lan’, -yer ol’ muder’ll fin’ yer thar if the good Lor’ be -willin’.” Then she placed around the neck of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>girl a small gold chain which was to be continually -worn, that if they ever chanced to meet in Canada, -the mother might know her child.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Once in Cincinnati, Lavinia began looking carefully -for some “good anj’l,” but instead, soon found -two in the person of a colored man and his wife living -near Mr. Hawkins’. To those she carefully committed -her mother’s counsel and threat. These -parties entered heartily into her proposition to escape, -and one night dressed her in a suit of boy’s -clothes and took her to the head of Spring street, -near the foot of Sycamore Hill, and gave her in -charge of Samuel Reynolds, a well-known Quaker, -where she was successfully concealed for a number -of days whilst Scanlan was raging about and as far -as possible instituting a vigorous search.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Not far from Mr. Reynolds was the home of Edward -Harwood in whose family resided John H. -Coleman, a dealer in marble. The Harwoods and -Colemans were ardent Abolitionists and ready to -stand by any panting fugitive to the last. Mrs. -Harwood’s house stood on a side hill with a steep -grade in front, and the narrow yard was reached by -a flight of some twenty steps, whilst the side and -rear were easily accessible.</p> - -<p class='c008'>After a time Mrs. Harwood, who had become -much interested in Lavinia, took her home, where -she was carefully concealed during the day, but allowed -a little exercise in the dusk of the evening in -the front yard, which was so high above the street as -to be unobservable.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>One evening when the girl was thus engaged the -great house dog, Swamp, which always accompanied -her kept up such a growling and snarling, as induced -the men to think there might be foul play brewing -and they went out several times but could detect -nothing. Finally one of them said, “That child had -better come in; some one may be watching for her,” -upon which Mrs. Coleman put her head out of the -window and calling her by name, bade her come in, -after which all was quiet for the night.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Dinner over the next day, the gentlemen had -taken their departure down town, the ladies were -busy about their work; an invalid gentleman was -reclining in an easy chair and the girl had fallen -asleep up-stairs, when a man suddenly appeared at -the top of the flight of steps and very uncermoniously -entered the front door which was open, and -looking hurriedly around roughly demanded, -“Where’s my child? I want my child, and if you -don’t give her up there’ll be trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>It needed no further evidence to convince the -ladies it was Scanlan, an impression which had -seized them both even before he had spoken, but -then they were not the kind to be scared by his -bluster, and Mrs. Coleman replied with spirit “You -have no child here and if you were a gentleman you -would not be here yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>At this Scanlan turned upon her and whilst his -fists were clinched and his face livid with rage, exclaimed, -“I tell you she is here, my slave girl, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>Lavinia; I saw her last night myself; and if it had -not been for you, madam, and that devilish dog there, -I should have gotten her then. I had her nearly -within my grasp when you bade her come in. I say -where is my child? Give her up.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“You have no child here,” coolly replied Mrs. -Coleman again.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I say I have, and if she hears me call she will -answer me.” Saying which he went to the stairway -and called “Lavinia, Lavinia.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The child heard the voice, recognized it, and at -once quietly hid herself within the bed. Though -the call was repeated several times, no answer came, -and Mrs. Coleman inquired, “Are you satisfied -now?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I know my child is here, and you cursed Abolitionist -have hidden her away,” said the now almost -frantic Scanlan. “You need not think you are going -to fool me. I’m going to have my child, my -slave, my property. I shall go down town and get -a warrant and an officer to search your house, and -you’ll get no chance to run the girl away either, for -I shall leave a guard over you whilst I am gone,” -then stepping to the door he said, “Hawkins, come -in here,” and the brother-in-law, before unseen by -the inmates of the house, entered. “Now, Mr. -Hawkins, I am going for a warrant, and I want you -to see that my child does not get away till the officer -comes,” saying which Scanlan took his departure -and Hawkins a seat, though evidently very ill at ease.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>When part way down town the Southron recognized -Mr. Harwood coming up the hill in his buggy, -and thinking to intimidate him said, “I am after -my slave girl who is in your house. Your women -refuse to give her up. You will find the place well -guarded, and I will soon have a warrant to search -the place.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I’ll make it hotter than tophet for any one guarding -my house, and the man who comes about my -premises with a search warrant until I am accused -of murder or theft, does so at his peril,” was the -warm reply, as Mr. Harwood started rapidly towards -his home. Arriving there he thus addressed Mr. -Hawkins: “I am told, sir, you are here to guard -my house and family. We have need of no such -attention, and if you do not immediately depart -from our premises I shall pitch you headlong into -the street. Be gone you miserable tool of a most -miserable whelp.” Just then the cowed and crestfallen -Hawkins made a practical application of his -knowledge of Shakespeare, and “stood not upon his -going.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Remembering the great pro-slavery mob of 1836, -when the office of James G. Birney’s paper, <cite>The -Philanthropist</cite>, was destroyed, and that of 1841, when -but for the prompt action of Governor Corwin in -aiding the arming of the students, an attack would -have been made upon Lane Seminary as a “d—d -Abolition hole,” Scanlan hastened to the “Alhambra,” -then a popular saloon, gathered about him a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>band of roughs and after a treat all round proceeded -to harangue them regarding his loss and also his unavailing -efforts to regain his chattel. Under the influence -of his speech and the more potent one of an -open bar, the crowd readily promised him their support, -and arranged to be at the hill in the evening -time to see the fun.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Meantime Mr. Harwood was apprising his friends -of the state of affairs, and these were beginning to -gather at his house. One of them, an employee of -Mr. Coleman, as he came up the hill, found a -number of flags already set to guide the mob to the -Harwood residence. These were torn down. Before -the arrival of Mr. Coleman a crowd of excited people -had assembled in the street below the house. Seeing -among them an officer notorious for his cupidity and -in entire sympathy with the slave catchers, Mr. Coleman -approached him and shaking hands said, “Why -how do you do, Mr. O’Neil? I am told you have a -search warrant for my house.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“For your house?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes; here is where I live and I wish to know -on what grounds you intend to search my house, as -I am not aware of having laid myself liable to such -a process.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“There must be some mistake,” said the officer. -“Indeed, Mr. Coleman, I must have been misinformed -as to the merits of the case.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Let me see the paper,” persisted Mr. Coleman.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No,” said O’Neil, “there is a blunder somewhere,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>and he pushed his way, in a discomfited manner, -through the crowd and disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As the crowd increased in the streets, the friends -of Mr. Harwood arrived, until all the Abolitionists -in the city, some forty in number, were present. Mr. -Harwood stood on the front steps with Swamp, and -when anyone evinced a purpose to ascend the steps -the fine display of ivory in the dog’s mouth cooled -his ardor. Mr. Coleman and Alf. Burnet, afterwards -well known in anti-slavery circles, went to a Dutch -armory and secured a quantity of arms and ammunition; -the women took up the carpet in the parlor, -which soon presented the appearance of a military -bivouac, whilst papers and valuables were hurried -off to other houses, and a strong guard was placed -before the door. An application was made to the -sheriff for protection, but he only replied, “If you -make yourself obnoxious to your neighbors, you -must suffer the consequences.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Whilst Scanlan was making his inflammatory -speeches down town, and subsidizing the saloons, Lavinia -was redressing in her boy’s suit and was quietly -taken out on a back street to a Mr. Emery’s, the -crowd meanwhile crying, “Bring out the lousy -huzzy; where is the black b——ch?” and other -equally classic expressions. One blear-eyed ruffian -exclaimed, “If my property was in thar, I’d have it -or I’d have the d—d Abolitionist’s heart’s blood, I -would.” Another one, equally valorous called out, -“Go in boys; why don’t you go in?” and a score of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>voices responded, “Go in yourself. The nigger ain’t -ourn. Where’s the boss? Guess he’s afraid of -shootin’ irons,” a feeling that evidently pervaded the -whole assemblage.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Being without a leader, and having no personal -interest at stake, about dark the mob moved down -the street, stoning and materially damaging the -house of Alf. Burnett’s father as they passed by. -The old gentleman gathered up a large quantity of -the missiles and kept them on exhibition for several -years as samples of pro-slavery arguments.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Scanlan vented his spleen and breathed out his -threatenings through the city papers, but being unable -to get any redress, and finding he was to be -prosecuted for trespass, he hastily decamped for -New Orleans.</p> - -<p class='c008'>After a week or two, Lavinia, dressed in her masculine -suit went with some boys who were driving -their cows to the hills to pasture, and was by them -placed in the care of a <i>conductor</i>, by whom she was -safely forwarded to Oberlin. Here she was found to -have a fine mind, was befittingly educated, and ultimately -sent as a missionary to Africa. After the -lapse of several years she returned to this country, -and whilst visiting the friends in Cincinnati, who -had so kindly befriended her in the days of her -childhood, suddenly sickened and died.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span> - <h3 class='c016'>A RUSE.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>Serious and earnest as was the work of our railroad, -it was made the pretext for many a practical -joke and arrant fraud. In the north part of Trumbull -county, Ohio, lived an ancient agent named -Bartlett, having in his employ a newly married man -named DeWitt, a rollocking kind of a fellow, and -well calculated to personate a son of Ham, or a -daughter as well. DeWitt conspired with his wife -and some of the female members of the old gentleman’s -family to have a little fun at Mr. Bartlett’s expense. -Some thrown off apparel of Mrs. Bartlett -was procured from the garret, and, properly blackened, -he was attired in a grotesque manner.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Just at evening a decrepid wench applied for admission -at Mr. Bartlett’s door. The women appeared -very much frightened and were about shutting the -door in her face, when the old gentleman, hearing -the negro dialect came to the rescue. Soon the -wanderer was comfortably seated, and to Mr. Bartlett’s -inquiry as to where she was from replied, “Oh Lor’, -Massa, I’se from ol’ Virginny an’ I’se boun’ for -Canady, and Massa Sutlifft, he tells me I mus’ cum -heah, but de white missus scare at dis ol’ black face.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O well, never mind that, they are all right now.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Bress de Lor’ for dat.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Speaking to his wife, Mr. Bartlett directed some -supper be prepared before he should send her on.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O no, Massa, I’se been done and eat supper dis -bressed day.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>“Well, then, we’ll arrange to send you on soon, -but come and see my grandson,” a lad lying sick in -the other part of the room, saying which he arose -and took the hand of the dame and led her to the bedside, -and laying his hand across her stooped shoulders, -began to speak tenderly of the little sufferer.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The risibilities of the counterfeit Dinah were now -at their utmost tension and she contrived to place a -foot heavily upon the caudal appendage of the great -house dog lying near. There was a sudden bound of -the brute, accompanied by a most unearthly howl, -and away darted the decrepid fugitive, shrieking, “O -Lor’ de houn’, de houn’.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>It was in vain the philanthropic old agent called -after her, that there was no danger; on she sped until -an opportunity offered to restore herself to Japhetic -hue and male attire.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Mr. Bartlett long upbraided the female portion of -his household for want of humanity on that occasion, -but was allowed to die in blissful ignorance of -the ruse played upon him, and DeWitt confessed -that the ultimate fun derived therefrom scarcely -compensated for the annoyance of the old gentleman -and the trouble of removing the <i>cork</i>.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VI.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>A year has passed anxiously at Albany with Jo. -Rumors reached him that in an attempt to escape, -Mary had been captured and sold into the south -forever beyond his reach. Gathering up his earnings -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>and bidding his companions good-by, he started -rather aimlessly westward, and where he would -have brought up no one can tell, had he not one day -met a stranger, a pleasant, benevolent looking gentleman, -near the village of Versailles, N. Y. It was -just at the close of that most hilarious campaign in -which the cry of “Tippecanoe and Tyler too,” with -“two dollars a day and roast beef,” mollified with -liberal potations of “hard cider,” rendered “Little -Matty Van a used up man,” though the result was -not yet ascertained, for no telegraph had learned to -herald its lightning message in advance of time. If -no other good came from the campaign, it had given -every class of men the free use of the tongue in -hurrahing for his favorite candidate, and foot-sore -and hungry as he was, there was something about -the gentleman that said to Jo, “Now is your opportunity,” -and touching his hat in genuine politeness -he called out, “Hooraw for Ol’ Tip.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Good naturedly the gentleman responded, “Well, -my good fellow, it is a little late for you to be hurrahing -for any candidate now that election is over, -and, though you didn’t quite strike my man, I shall -find no fault. I know what you want more than -‘hard cider.’ It is a night’s food and lodging.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Thank you Massa, I’se tired and hungry, an’ de -fac’ am I doan know what to do with myself.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, no matter about that just now. Come -along;” and Eber M. Pettit, long known as an -earnest Abolitionist in Cattaraugus and Chautauqua -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>counties, led the disheartened wanderer to his home, -where, after supper, he questioned him as to his -history, and when he had learned his unvarnished -tale, he suggested that the man should stay with him -that winter as a man-of-all-chores, and attend the -village school.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As a result of that evening’s conference there appeared -among the children of the district school in a -few days a colored man of about twenty five years -of age, learning with the youngest of them his a b c. -This was an innovation, unique in the extreme. -Some of the villagers turned up their noses at the -“nigger,” but the social standing of Mr. Pettit, and -the story of Jo which was freely circulated among -the people, together with his genial disposition and -kindness of manner, soon silenced all cavil and the -school quietly progressed.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Learning that the editor of the <cite>Liberty Press</cite> was -in Washington, Mr. Pettit addressed him in the following -letter:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Versailles</span>, N. Y., Dec. 1, 1840.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'><i>Dear General.</i>—I have at my house a colored man named -Jo Norton. Something over a year ago he left a wife and -child in the Capital, the property of a Mr. Judson. She was -to have been brought off directly after he left, but the effort -failed and he understands she has been sold South. Will -you be so kind as to inquire into the matter and see what -can be done in the case if anything? Make your return to -Jo Norton, direct.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c012'> - <div>Yours Truly,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='c018'>E. M. <span class='sc'>Pettit</span>.</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Gen. W. L. Chaplain,</div> - <div class='line in6'>Washington, D. C.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>This letter was duly posted, and on the morrow an -ebony face, the very picture of expectancy, put in an -appearance at the village post office with the query, -“Any letter for Jo Norton, Massa pos’ massa?” -Thus it was twice a day for a week, when his unsophisticated -importunity was rewarded by a missive -bearing the address,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><i>Jo Norton, Esq.</i>,</div> - <div class='line in8'><i>Versailles</i>,</div> - <div class='line in16'><i>N. Y.</i></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><i>Care E. M. Pettit, Esq.</i></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>and bearing the post-mark of the Capital. It read -as follows:</p> - -<p class='c013'><span class='sc'>Mr. Norton</span>, <i>Dear Sir</i>:</p> - -<p class='c013'>The woman about whom Mr. Pettit wrote me is here. -After her husband’s escape she was detected in what was -thought to be an effort to leave and was thrown into prison, -where she lost an infant child. After three months she was -visited by her master, and on a solemn promise never to -make another effort to run away she was taken back to the -family where she and the boy appear to be treated with great -kindness. Though he has been offered $800 for her, Mr. -Judson said he never sold a slave, and never will, but if her -husband can raise $350 for them by March 4th, proximo, -they will be given free papers so I can bring them North -with me at that time.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c012'> - <div>Truly,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='c018'>W. L. <span class='sc'>Chaplain</span>.</div> - -<p class='c008'>At the reading of this letter, Jo, prompted by the -fervent piety of his nature, broke into hysterical fits -of laughter, interspersed with “Bress de Lor’, bress -de Lor’.” But when the first paroxysm of joy was -over he became very despondent, for he had no $350 -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>and no friend to whom to appeal for it; but here, as -before, Mr. Pettit came to the rescue.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“See here, Jo,” he said, “there are nearly three -months to the fourth of March, and yours is a wonderful -story. You shall go forth and tell it to the -people, and the money will come.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Wy, bress de Lor’, Massa Pettit, dis chile can -nebber do dat. De people would jus’ laf at de -nigger.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Never mind the laugh, Jo. If you love Mary -and the boy you can stand the laughing. Now be a -man. I will go with you and see you start;” and -before bed-time he had laid out the work for his -ward, in whom he had now become thoroughly interested, -and had listened several times to his rehearsal -of his story of escape and tale of plantation life, and -offered such suggestions as he thought advisable, and -that night Jo went to bed “to sleep; to dream.” To -dream of wife and boy in slavery, and himself making -speeches among the white people of the North -for their deliverance.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The next morning Mr. Pettit went out into the -country a few miles where he had a number of -Abolition friends and made full arrangements for -Jo’s speaking there early the next week. In the -meantime the word was thoroughly circulated whilst -Jo was most effectively schooled to his new field, and -on the appointed evening the school-house was filled -to overflowing. Jo told his story in such a manner -as to draw out rounds of approbative applause -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>from the mouths of the audience, and six dollars -from their pockets when the hat was passed round. -Meetings were held immediately in the several school -districts in the vicinity with marked success, and -then Jo, highly inspired, left school and started out -on a systematic course of lectures which took him -to Westfield, Mayville and other villages of Chautauqua -county as well as Cattaraugus.</p> - -<p class='c008'>On the 25th day of January Mr. Pettit received -the following from Washington:</p> - -<p class='c013'>“<i>Dear Pettit.</i>—If Judson can have $300 by February first, -he will deliver up the woman and child of whom we have -had correspondence.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c012'> - <div>In haste,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='c018'><span class='sc'>W. L. Chaplain</span>.”</div> - -<p class='c008'>He hastened to Ellicottville and found that Jo had -already realized $100. A meeting was immediately -called in an office in the village, at which were present -Judge Chamberlin, of Randolph, E. S. Coleman, -of Dunkirk, and several other gentlemen. The letter -was read, and at the suggestion of the Judge a note -for two hundred dollars was drawn and signed by -ten of them, with the understanding that they were -to share equally in the payment of any deficit after -Jo had done his best. The money was advanced -by Mr. Coleman, and one of the party drove fifty -miles to Buffalo, through a pelting storm, purchased -a draft, forwarded it to Mr. Coleman, and before the -“days of grace” had expired Mary and her child -were duly registered and delivered as free people.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>Meanwhile Jo’s story had gotten into the papers -of Western New York, and he had calls from various -places to lecture; indeed, he had become quite a -local lion, and so successful that early in March -when word came that Mary and the child had -reached Utica, he was the possesser of $195. This -he deposited in the hands of Mr. Pettit who returned -him $30 and told him to go and make provision for -his wife and child, and pay the balance of the note -when he could. Though he had walked that day -from Buffalo, a distance of nearly thirty miles, Jo -immediately returned, and early the next day, in -the home of a leading Abolitionist in Utica there -was a regular “Hal’lujer; Bress de Lor’, for de Lor’ -will bress his people,” time when Jo and Mary met -after their seemingly hopeless separation.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VII.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Ten years and more had passed; the Ellicottville -note had been long settled; Jo had laid aside his -mission as a lecturer and gone into business in Syracuse, -N. Y., where he owned a pleasant home and -had a family of intelligent children attending the -public school; New York State, like the country at -large, had been convulsed over the slavery question, -and the city of his adoption had become a town of -intensely Abolition sentiment. As the outgrowth of -the slavery agitation there had come the enactment -of the “Fugitive Slave Law,” as it was popularly, or -rather unpopularly called, by means of which the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>South thought to render imperative the rendition of -their runaway slaves. But they had counted without -their host. Though successful in cracking their -whips over the heads of Northern law-makers in the -Capitol, the great mass of the people of the free -states, no matter what their political affiliations, felt -outraged at the idea of being converted into a set of -legally constituted slave-hunters. Few places more -excited the ire of the chivalry than Syracuse, and the -threat was defiantly made that if another anti-slavery -convention was held in the city it should be enlivened -by the seizure of a fugitive of whom a test -case could be made.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Not to be thus intimidated, a call for such a convention -was issued and at the appointed time commenced. -Whilst the delegates were organizing in the -old Market Hall, in a cooper shop in another part of -the city, all unconscious of danger, a colored man -named Jerry, who had some years before escaped -from slavery, was busy engaged at his labor, when -he was suddenly pounced upon by a marshal and -his deputies from Rochester, and, after a brave resistance, -overpowered, manacled and thrown into a -cart secured for that purpose, and hurried away to -the commissioner’s office, closely guarded. The news -of the arrest spread like wild-fire, and soon the streets -were thronged with excited people. A man rushed -into the convention and called out: “Mr. President -a fugitive has been arrested and they are trying to -hurry him away.” Without motion, the convention -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>adjourned, and the delegates and attendants were -added to the throng already in the street. The uproar -was equal to that, when, for the “space of two -hours,” the people cried, “Great is Diana of the -Ephesians,” but more concentrated, and the cause of -coming together better understood.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Jerry was hurried into the commissioner’s office, -the lower door to which was heavily barred and the -upper one securely bolted, so that it was with difficulty -that his council and more immediate friends -obtained admission.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The court once opened, within there was contention, -parley, quibble and delay until twilight fell; -without, the building was immediately surrounded -by fugitives who had found an asylum in and about -the city, and free colored people, among whom Jo -Norton towered like Saul among his brethren, and -beyond these an immense multitude of citizens who -had stood waiting all the afternoon of that eventful -day, manifesting no disposition to retire.</p> - -<p class='c008'>When it was announced that the court had adjourned -for supper, it was soon evident that the -decisive hour had come. A heavy timber was lifted -to the shoulders of some sturdy negroes, and using -the temporary space accorded them, at the watchword -“Jo” they hurled it with such force against -the door that bars and hinges gave way, and Norton, -crowbar in hand, at the head of a storming column -entered the stairway hall. The marshal was a man -of nerve and disclaimed against any attempt on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>inner door, but in vain. A few vigorous blows of -the crowbar forced it open; there was the sharp report -of a pistol succeeded by a quick blow of the -bar, and Jo unharmed, stood master of the situation, -whilst the right arm of the marshal hung useless at -his side. The posse scattered, the marshal saving -himself by jumping from the second story window -and skulking away in the dark; Jerry, who had -been very roughly treated, was unloosed, and by -daylight was well on his way to Canada, whilst the -convention resumed its deliberations the next day -amid the congratulations of many who before had -looked upon its purpose with indifference or absolute -opposition.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As for Jo, though defying slave-hunters and their -hirelings as such, having now arrayed himself by an -act of violence against the government, he took -the advice of judicious friends, and soon removed to -Canada, where for years he was an esteemed citizen, -and a friend and adviser of those who came to his -locality as fugitives.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VIII.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>As an index of Jo’s native quickness of perception, -the following excerpts, taken from Pettit’s “Sketches -of the Underground Railroad,” published some years -ago by W. McKinstry & Son, are added, the only -change being that the places where the events are -thought to have taken place are given.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Jo was a serious, devoted Christian, yet his wit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>and mirthfulness were often exhibited in keen, sarcastic -repartee. At Delanti the question was asked, -‘Did you work hard when you were a slave?’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘No! I didn’t work hard when I could help it.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘Did you have enough to eat?’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘Yes, such as it was.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘Did you have decent clothes?’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘Yes, midlin’.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘Well, you were better off than most people are -here, and you were a fool to run away.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘Well, now, the place I lef’ is there yet, I s’pose. -Guess nobody’s never got into it, and if my frien’ -here wants it, he can have it fo’ the askin’, though -p’raps he better get his <i>member of Congress to recommend -him</i>.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>At Westfield, a fellow asked, ‘Is the speaker in -favor of amalgamation?’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘’Gamation! what’s dat?’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘It means whites and blacks marrying together.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘O dat’s it! as fo’ such things they ’pends mostly -on peples’ tas’. Fo’ my part, I have a colored -woman fo’ a wife,—that’s my choice,—an’ if my -frien’ here wants a black wife, an’ if she is pleased -with him, I’m suah I shan’t get mad about it.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>Soon after he commenced collecting funds to redeem -his family from bondage, he was invited to go -to a school-house in Villenova. When near the -place he saw two boys chopping, and heard one of -them say: ‘There’s the nigger.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>Jo stopped and said: ‘I ain’t a nigger! I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>allus pays my debts; my massa was a <i>nigger</i>. See -here! when you chop, you be a chopper, ain’t dat -so?’</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘Yes,’ responded the boys.</p> - -<p class='c008'>‘Well, when a man <i>nigs</i>, I call him a <i>nigger</i>. -Now ol’ massa nigged me out of all I earned in my -life. Of course he is a nigger.’ Then Jo sang the -chorus to one of Geo. W. Clark’s Liberty songs:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘They worked me all de day,</div> - <div class='line'>Widout one cent of pay;</div> - <div class='line'>So I took my flight</div> - <div class='line'>In de middle ob de night,</div> - <div class='line'>When de moon am gone away.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>‘Now, boys, come over to the school-house this -evening and I’ll sing you the res’ of it.’ That evening -Jo had a full house and a good collection.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>THE ORIGINAL “JERRY.”</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Having given a brief account of the “Jerry Rescue” -at Syracuse, a circumstance fraught with momentous -consequences, and no inconsiderable factor -in precipitating the “Impending Crisis,” I now pass -to consider the real original “Jerry Rescue.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>In the early summer of 1834, there came to -Austinburg, Ohio, a colored man of middle age, of -whose escape to Ohio tradition, even, gives little account, -only that he was the property of a Baptist -deacon who followed him in close pursuit. Both -parties upon the ground, matters became marvellously -lively in the quiet country town.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>Jerry was shifted from place to place, but the -deacon would in some way get a clue to his whereabouts, -and another move would be made to thwart -the pursuer, some one being always ready to ask -him what he would take for the man; but it was -always with him, “I want the nigger, not money.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Wearied at length with the continued baffling, and -believing he had found the retreat of his chattel, the -pious deacon went to Jefferson and secured the service -of Sheriff Loomis to make an arrest. The twain -came upon him just before daybreak, but not to -catch him napping. He was up and off just in time -to elude their grasp but not until they caught a -glimpse of him making across the fields in the direction -of Eliphalet Austin’s, who lived near where -Grand River Institute now stands.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Rapping at the door, Jerry was admitted by Mr. -Austin, who was just in the act of dressing himself. -Reading in the excited manner of the fugitive the -state of the case, Mr. Austin pointed under the -family bed where his wife still lay. Jerry took the -hint, and in a moment was hugging the wall in the -darkest corner under the bed. Mr. Austin quietly -closed the bed-room door, started a fire, and was at -the well drawing a pail of water when the pursuers -came up.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Have you seen my nigger this morning?” -queried the Deacon.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“It is pretty early to see an object so dark as a -colored man, if that is what you are inquiring about,” -was the response.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>“Well, early as it is, we have seen him, and believe -he is secreted in your house.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Oh, you do, do you? Well, gentlemen, you -have the fullest liberty to search my premises and -satisfy yourselves,” and, whilst the sheriff kept watch -without, Mr. Austin furnished the Southerner the -most abundant opportunity within. Candle in -hand he led the way to the cellar, then to the garret. -The children’s bed-rooms and the closets of the -chamber, the parlor, spare bed-room and pantry below -were all carefully examined, but no Jerry was -found, and the Deacon apologetically remarked: -“I beg your pardon, Mr. Austin, for this intrusion, -and for the injustice I did you in supposing you -were harboring my slave.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“What,” said Mr. Austin, who was also a pious -man and a licentiate minister, “I hope you are not -through looking yet.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Why, I have been all over the house already.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O no, you have not been in my wife’s bed-room -yet,” said he rather sarcastically. “Go in, Deacon. -Wife is not up yet; you may find your ‘nigger’ -with her.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Dropping his head in very shame, the Deacon excused -himself, and going out, with the sheriff rode -off.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As soon as they were well out of sight, Jerry was -taken to the woods and hidden in an old sugar -house, where he remained for some days. Meanwhile -time and perplexity began to soften the Deacon, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>and he finally concluded that three hundred and -fifty dollars ($350) in hand would be worth more -than “a nigger on foot,” which was raised and paid -over, the original subscription being now in the -hands of the writer.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The money paid over and the freedom papers -made out, the Deacon had no difficulty in obtaining -an interview with Jerry, a meeting very satisfactory -to the latter personage, now that he could meet “Ol’ -Massa on perfec’ ’quality as gemen.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>There were two things connected with this case -which the sturdy old Austinburgers always regretted. -The one was that as the work of purchase was completed -late Saturday afternoon, the Deacon accepted -the proffered hospitality of Mr. Austin for the Sabbath, -and with him attended church in the old historic -“meeting house” at the Center, where the Rev. -Henry Cowles dispensed the gospel in the form of a -red-hot anti-slavery sermon, to which the Deacon -listened with great expressed satisfaction if not profit. -During the evening service, some unprincipled persons -shaved his horse’s main and tail, which, when -known, led several of the first citizens of the town to -save its reputation and show their appreciation of -the gentlemanly qualities of their visitor, by giving -him in exchange for his disfigured horse one equally -good, thus sending him back to Dixie with a high -regard for their honesty, as well as sincerity.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The other was, Jerry, once a free man, went to -Conneaut and established himself as a barber, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>unable to bear prosperity, he soon fell into habits of -drinking and dissipation, thus rendering worthless -the investment philanthropy and generosity had -made in him.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The following is the subscription referred to above, -together with the names of donors and the amount -given so far as they can be deciphered:</p> - -<p class='c013'>We whose names are hereto affixed, promise to pay to Eliphalet -Austin the sums put to our names, for the purpose of -liberating from slavery a colored man whose master is supposed -to be in pursuit, and offers to free him for three hundred -and fifty dollars.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Austinburg, July 23, 1834.</p> - -<ul class='index c012'> - <li class='c021'>Eliphalet & Aaron E Austin. $50.</li> - <li class='c021'>J. Austin, $40.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>J. S. Mills, $2.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>A. A. Barr, $1.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>G. W. St. John, $25.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Luman Whiting, $2.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>I. Hendry, $5.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Amos Fisk, $5.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Daniel Hubbard, $1.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Mr. Sawtell, $2.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>L. M. Austin, $5.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Dr. A. Hawley, $2.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Ward, $5.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Jefferson, $20.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Orestes K. Hawley, $50.</li> - <li class='c021'>L. Bissell, $20.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>T. H. Wells, $3.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Harvey Ladd, Jr., $2.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>James Sillak, $3.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Benjamin Whiting, $1.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Giddings & Wade, $10.</li> - <li class='c021'>Russell Clark, $2.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Henry Harris, $1.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>E. Austin, Jr., $15.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Ros. Austin, $5.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>W. Webb, Jr., $5.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>Henry, $5.00.</li> - <li class='c021'>A Friend, 50 cents.</li> -</ul> - -<p class='c008'>The $20.00 from Jefferson was a kind of <i>religious</i> -collection.</p> - -<h3 id='COOL' class='c016'>A COOL WOMAN.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Apropos the deliberation of Mr. Austin, there -comes an incident from southern Ohio illustrating -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>how cool a woman may be in case of emergency. A -slave named Zach had escaped from Virginia and -was resting and recuperating himself in the family -of a benevolent man in one of the southern counties -previously to pursuing his onward course, when one -evening the house was surrounded by his owner and -a number of other men, and the right of searching -the premises demanded. The husband was much -agitated and appealed to his wife to know what was -to be done.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Why,” said she, “let them in, and search the -lower part of the house first, and leave Zack to me.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“But I tell you, wife, the man can’t be got off -without being caught.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Don’t I know that? Do as I say.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The husband took her advice, and whilst he was -leading a searching party through the cellar and -lower rooms of the house, she placed the fugitive -carefully between the feather and straw ticks of the -family bed, and by the time the posse reached the -room she was composedly in bed as though nothing -unusual was transpiring. The result was that the -search proved a bootless one, and the whole party -left, believing they had been misdirected by some -one bent on deceiving them.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER II.<br /> <span class='large'>JACK WATSON.</span></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c014'>I.</h3> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c015'>Fifty years ago there lived in Caldwell County, -Kentucky, a well-to-do individual named Wilson. -He owned a large estate, to which were attached -numerous slaves. Such was the character of the -master that bondage sat lightly upon them. Provident -and indulgent, Mr. Wilson allowed his people -to do largely as they chose. To them the words of -the old plantation song,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Hang up de shubel and de hoe.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>had much of reality.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i063.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>A SLAVE HUNT.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>Strangers came and went among them freely; -they heard much of the ways of escape northward, -of which many from plantations surrounding them -availed themselves, but the bonds of affection were -so strong between Mr. Wilson and his people that no -effort was ever made on the part of the latter to escape. -But things were not always to remain thus. -In 1853, Mr. Wilson sickened and died, a circumstance -which brought not only grief but consternation -to his “people,” for they soon learned they were -to be divided among the heirs. Jack and Nannie, a -brother and sister who had grown up on the estate -tenderly attached to each other and to their old -master, fell to the lot of a drunken and licentious -man named Watson, who took them to his farm in -Davies County, not far from the Ohio River. Here, -as common field hands, they were brutally treated, -and soon began to plan means of escape. Before -these were consummated the old cook died, and -Nannie, who was of attractive form and manners, -was taken from the field to fill her place. This only -added to the degradation of her condition, for she -was now continually called upon to repel the lecherous -advances of her brutal master. As a punishment -for this she was at length placed in close confinement -from which her brother succeeded in freeing -her. They set out at once for the river, hoping to -escape, but were soon overtaken, brought back and -so cruelly whipped by Watson, that Nannie soon -died from the effects.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The sight of his lacerated, dying sister, the only -tie that bound him to earth, continually haunted -Jack, and he vowed escape, and vengeance if it were -possible. His plans were carefully laid. In perambulating -the numerous swamps in the neighborhood -whose outlets led to the river, he had discovered -a hollow tree broken off some twenty feet above the -surrounding water. By climbing an adjacent sapling -he discovered that the hollow within the stub -would furnish a secure and comfortable retreat, -should necessity require. By divers acts of plantation -civility he had gained the confidence of “Uncle -Jake” and “Aunt Mary,” an old couple who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>sympathized deeply with him, and promised him any -aid in their power, provided it was such as “Massa’ll -neber know.” All Jack asked was that in case he -disappeared, they should set the third night after his -disappearance something to eat on a shelf where he -could reach it, and every fourth night thereafter until -it should, for two successive times, be untaken. He -also gave them in keeping a package of cayenne -pepper to be placed with the edibles. In his visits -to the river he had noted the fastenings of the skiffs, -and had provided himself with both a file and an -iron bar which would serve the double purpose as a -means of defense and for drawing a staple. These -he carefully secreted in his prospective retreat, waiting -only an opportunity to occupy it.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Such an opportunity was not long in presenting -itself, for one night the master came home late from -a drunken revel, and found Jack awaiting him as -ordered. Becoming enraged at some supposed act of -disobedience, he flew at Jack with an open knife. -The hour of vengeance had come. Seizing a hoe, -with a single stroke Jack felled him to the ground, a -lifeless form. A moment only he waited to view -the gaping wound—to compare it with poor Nan—then -gathering up a few things that he could, he was -off with the fleetness of a deer. Passing two or -three miles down the country, he entered the outlet -of the swamp, and after passing down it for some -distance, keeping so near the shore as to make his -tracks observable, he struck in, directly reversing his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>footsteps, and before the dawn was safely ensconced -in his selected tower.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Morning came and with it the knowledge of Watson’s -death. The cause was easily divined—there -was the bloody hoe, and Jack, who was left to wait -his coming, was gone. Blood hounds and fierce -men were soon upon his trail. His course was -easily traced to the brook, and his descending footsteps -discerned, but no trace of him could be discovered -beyond that. The greater part thought he -had reached the river, and escaped to the Indiana -shore by swimming, at which he was an expert, or -had been drowned in the attempt. Others believed -his footsteps only a decoy and searched all the adjacent -swamps, sometimes passing very near him, but -all in vain. Flaming posters, advertising him, were -sent broadcast, and slave catchers on both sides of -the river were on the alert.</p> - -<p class='c008'>On the second day a great concourse assembled at -Watson’s funeral. There were many conjectures, -and much argument, and loud swearing about the -“nigger” who had done the deed, and as a means of -intimidating the weeping—none more so than Uncle -Jake and Aunt Mary—chattels gathered around, -terrible things were promised Jack should he be -caught.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The services over, the crowd dispersed, and the -next morning all hands were set to work as usual. -At night when all was quiet, Aunt Mary, whose cabin -was the farthest of any from the “mansion,” placed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>a liberal ration of hoe cake and bacon, together with -the pepper, upon the designated shelf, and betook -herself to the side of Uncle Jake who was already -resting his weary limbs in the land of forgetfulness. -Shortly after midnight a hand was thrust cautiously -through the open window, the packages were softly -lifted, a little pepper was deftly sifted in retreating -footsteps, and in a short time Jack was safe again in -his water-shut abode, and when old uncle and auntie -were talking of the “wun’ful ang’l” that had visited -the house that night, Jack was quietly enjoying a -morning nap.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Several weeks passed, the excitement about Watson -had measurably died away, two successive depositions -of provisions had been left untouched and -the good old couple knew “Dat de angel was feedin’ -Jack no moa’, like de rabens fed ol’ ’Lijer.” They -were sure, “Jack am safe.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Taking his appliances, Jack had descended the -outlet some distance one starlight night, and then -striking across the country, had reached the river -just below the little village he had been accustomed -to visit before the death of his sister. The finding -of a skiff and the wrenching away of the fastening -occupied but a short time and at daylight he was -safely secreted in an Indiana forest. Knowledge -previously gained enabled him soon to put himself -in charge of an underground official, but instead of -making direct for Canada he shipped for the Quaker -settlement near Salem, Ohio, of which he had heard -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>much from a fruit tree dealer before the death of -Mr. Wilson, and ultimately, in the quaint home of -Edward Bonsall found a secure asylum, and in his -nurseries desirable employment, so far from his -former home that little disturbed his mind except -the frequent recurring remembrances of his slain -master with the cruelly lacerated form of his sister -ever rising in justification of the summary punishment -that had been inflicted upon him.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>II.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>In the autumn of 1856, Jack went with Mr. Bonsall -to Pittsburgh. Whilst walking along the street, -he met face to face a half-brother of his late master. -At first sight he thought it an apparition and turned -and ran rapidly away, but not until he was himself -recognized. So dextrous had been his motions that -he eluded the pursuit immediately instituted and -was soon among the hills beyond the city limits.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Hand bills minutely describing him were again -widely circulated, particularly along the belt of -country bordering the Pittsburgh and Erie canal, as it -was argued he would try and make his escape by that -route to Canada, and all the appliances of an odious -law were called into requisition to secure his apprehension.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>III.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Rap, rap, rap, came a knuckle against the door -of Thomas Douglass, of Warren, Ohio, in the silent -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>hours of the night. Such occurrences were not frequent -of late at the home of the honest Englishman -whose love of justice and humanity had risen above -all fear of the pains and penalties of an unrighteous -law. Hastily dressing himself, he inquired, “Who -comes?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Ol’ Diligence,” a name recognized at once by Mr. -Douglass as the appelation of a colored conductor -from Youngstown.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Hall right; wat’s aboard?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Subjec’, Massa Douglass, and hard pressed, too.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“’Ard pressed his ’e? Well, come in.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The door was opened, a brief explanation followed, -and Jack Watson and “Old Diligence” were consigned -to a good bed for the night. In the morning -his faithful guide, who had himself escaped from -bondage many years before gave Jack some money, -a supply of which he always had in hand, and left -him with the emphatic assurance, “Massa Douglass -am a true man.” But Jack was hard to be assured, -and when seated at breakfast with the master machinist’s -hands, he trembled like an aspen.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Three gentlemen, Levi Sutliff, John Hutchins and -John M. Stull had been early summoned to devise -the best means for forwarding Jack safely. The two -former of these had been long experienced operators; -the latter was rather a novice at the business. A few -years previously, an ambitious young man, he had -gone south as a teacher, thinking little and caring -less about the “peculiar institution.” He had been -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>in Kentucky but a short time when a slave auction -was advertised and his Buckeye inquisitiveness -prompted him to witness it. Two or three children -were struck off and then the mother, a well formed, -good-looking octaroon, was put upon the block.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Now, gentlemen,” said the auctioneer, a hard-shelled -Baptist preacher, “I offer you a valuable -piece of property. She’s a good cook; can make -clothes, or handle a hoe as well as a man. She’s a -healthy woman, gentlemen, an more’n that, she’s a -Christian. Gentlemen, she’s a member of my own -congregation.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The buyers crowded around. They examined -her teeth, her hands, her feet, her limbs as though -she had been a horse on sale.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Our spectator began to feel himself getting white -in the face, and swear words were rising in his -throat, and he beat a hasty retreat.—John was under -conviction.</p> - -<p class='c008'>A few mornings after our young teacher was -wakened by the sound of heavy blows and cries of -pain proceeding from another part of the hotel. -That evening when Harry, the boy appointed his -special waiter, came to his room, Mr. Stull cautiously -inquired who had been punished in the morning.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Dat was me Massa. De ol’ boss gib’d me a -buckin.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“What was the trouble, Harry, and what is a -bucking?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Why Lor’ bress you, Massa, dis chile slep’ jus’ a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>minit too long, an’ de ol’ boss cum’d wid his ‘buck,’ -a board wid a short han’l and full ob holes, an’ he -bent Harry ober, like for to spank a chil’, an’ o Lor’ -how he struck.” (Then lowering his voice,) “Say, -Massa Stull, can you tell de Norf star?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The boy had been all care, attention and manliness. -The soul of the teacher was fully aroused.—Stull -was converted.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Waiting the coming of these gentlemen, Jack had -gone into the back yard, and when they arrived he -was nowhere to be found. A prolonged search failed -to reveal his whereabouts, and when at length night -fell kind Mrs. Douglass placed an ample plate of -provisions in the back kitchen and continued it for -several weeks, hoping he might return, but no <i>angel</i> -ever spirited a particle of it away.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>IV.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Years ago, even before Wendell Phillips, Abbey -Kelley and others of their school began to hurl their -bitter anathemas at the institution of slavery, there -lived upon a far-reaching Virginia plantation in the -valley of the James a man who had taken a truly -comprehensive and patriotic view of the institution -that was blighting the reputation of his state, as well -as impoverishing her soil. He had inherited his -fine estate, encumbered by a large number of slaves, -and his soul revolted at the idea of holding them in -bondage. A man of fine physique, commanding -mien and superior intellectual endowments, John -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>Young could not brook the idea of eating bread that -savored of the sweat of another’s brow, and the -thought of living amid the withering, blighting -scenes of slave labor and slave traffic was not at all -congenial to his tastes. Casting about, he soon found -a purchaser for his broad acres. Before disposing of -his plantation, however, he made a trip into western -Pennsylvania, and in Mercer county, on the rich -bottoms of Indian Run, made purchase of an extensive -tract of valuable land. Returning to the Old -Dominion, he at once concluded the sale of his estate, -and vowed his intention of going North.</p> - -<p class='c008'>His friends were amazed at the idea of his becoming -a “Pennymight” farmer, and his people were thrown -into consternation, as they expected soon to be exposed -on the auction block. The sallies of one class -he easily parried; the fear of the other he quickly -allayed by calling them together and presenting them -with freedom papers. There was a moment of -silence, of blank astonishment, and then arose shouts, -and cries, and hallelujahs to God, amid laughter and -tears, for this wonderful deliverance.</p> - -<p class='c008'>When the excitement had somewhat subsided the -late master revealed to them the fact that he was going -north where it was respectable for a white man -to labor, and if any of them should ever come his -way they would see him chopping his own wood and -hoeing his own corn, and that they were now free to -go where they chose, only they must see they did -not lose their papers.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>“Bress de good Lor’, Massa, we’ll go wid you to -dat new plantashun and be spect’ble too, and make -light work for ol’ Massa.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Though foreign to the purpose of Mr. Young, he -yielded to the importunity of those he had manumitted, -and soon there appeared on the Pennsylvania -purchase a spacious residence, built rather in -the Virginia style, and around it were grouped numerous, -cabins, occupied by the sable colony that had -followed the Caucassian proprietor. The family -equipage was brought along, and Alexander Johnson -always persisted in being Massa’s coachman and -driving him in state.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The farm improved rapidly under the guidance of -intelligence, aided by paid labor, and John Young’s -house soon became known as a hospitable home, and -to none more so than to the fugitive from bondage, -for he early became an influential agent on the great -thoroughfare to Canada.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Securing the aid of a few neighbors and friends, -rather as a matter of compliment than otherwise, -Mr. Young had erected, at a convenient site, a nice -country chapel, now a Methodist church in which the -writer has been privileged to speak, and here the people -of the neighborhood, white and black, met for worship.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The Sabbath evening service in this little church -had closed and the speaker, J. W. Loguen, an eloquent -man, though a former fugitive from slavery, -but at that time pastor of a Baptist church in Syracuse, -N. Y., and largely engaged in the underground -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>transit business, sat conversing with Mr. Young, in -the home of the latter gentleman, when Uncle ’Lec, -as the old coachman was familiarly called, entered -and excitedly exclaimed, “Mass Young, him am -come, him am come.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Who has come, Alec?” queried the host kindly.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Why, Massa, dat runaway wot de han’ vill tell -bout, an’ him am fearfu’ scar’ an’ no mistake, fo’ he -say de catchers am arter him shua.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Bring him in, Alec,” said Mr. Young, and in a -moment more there was ushered into the room a -tall, muscular colored man, bearing evident traces of -white blood and answering fully the description of -Jack Watson. His story, other than what we have -already learned, was that at Warren, being suspicious -of so many white men, he had gone out of the back -yard of Mr. Douglass and a short distance along the -canal and secreted himself until night in an old -ware-house, still well remembered as bearing the inscription, -“Forwarding and Commission. M. B. -Taylor & Co.” In the evening he had struck out for -Indian Run, of which Old Diligence had told him. -He had traveled all the night, but not being able to -reach his destination, had lain secreted during the -day, and now hungry and fearful he appealed to Mr. -Young for food and protection, both of which were -readily accorded.</p> - -<p class='c008'>After the cravings of appetite had been satisfied, a -conference was held, and it was decided that Jack -should try and make Syracuse, after which Mr. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>Loguen would assure both safety and employment. -Owing to the well-known character of Mr. Young -and his attachés, and unmistakable evidences of -close pursuit that had preceded Jack’s coming, it -was further determined to forward him at once to -“Safe Haven.” In accordance with this decision the -family carriage, an imposing piece of “rolling stock,” -soon stood at the door with ’Lec consequentially -seated upon the box. A moment later, Jack, Mr. -Loguen, and stalwart John Young emerged from the -mansion, and as they took their seats in the carriage, -Mr. Young said: “Now, Alec, look well to your -lines and remember the ‘Haven’ is to be made before -daylight.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, Massa, dis ol’ chile keep an eye to de lines, -de road, an’ anyting ’spicuous, an’ rouse up ol’ -missus long afor’ de chicken’ ’gin to crow,” saying -which, he gave a gentle chirrup and the carriage -went rolling away to the northward.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>V.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Whoever was accustomed, a third of a century -ago, to travel over the road from Warren, O., to -Meadville, Pa., will remember a wayside inn, whose -sign bore in German character the euphonious name -of “Aughfeultwangher House.” The house itself, -like its name, was of German origin, a genuine example -of a Dutch farm house, bespeaking both comfort -and thrift. The occupants were of the same -name as the house, the proprietor being an honest, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>quiet, well-meaning man, with no special personality. -Not so his better half, however. She was a character—a -decided personality. Kind and generous, she -had a temper, which when let loose became a very -tornado. She was neat and tidy as a housekeeper, -and unexcelled as a cook. A regular embodiment -of piety and profanity; of sympathy and execration; -of wit, repartee and scurrilous invective, her very -off-handedness made the house immensely popular -with drovers and road-men, and it was quoted from -the prairies of the west to the Quaker City itself; -and many is the man who has traveled an extra five -miles to gain the hospitable roof of the “Awfultricker -House,” as it came to be called by those who -failed to accomplish the German of it.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As an illustration of the without and the within -of the place, a little personal experience is introduced. -At the end of a bleak November day, I -found myself taking the advice of a friend and making -an extra exertion with jaded beast, in order to -enjoy the hospitality of the “Aughfeultwangher.” -Knowing the reputation of the hostess I greeted her -with: “Well, Auntie, can you keep a stranger to-night?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Looking at me with a quizzical expression and -evidently pleased at the appellation used, she replied: -“Dot is von long face to keeps all in von -house.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O, well, never mind, I can let a part of it stay in -the barn.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>“Vell, I guess we growds es all in dem house,” -and running to the back door, she called out, “Fater, -fater, here bist einer mann, unt ein pferd vas Shineral -Shackson rote. Nehms du es dem stolle vilst Ich -das abend essen for dem manne erhalten.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Obedient to the summons the host came at once, -and took the wearied beast, whilst I was ushered -into the little bar-room, whose well-filled box-stove -was sending out a genial warmth, and away went -the sprightly dame to prepare supper, whose savory -odors soon filled the house.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Directly the door into the great family kitchen -opened, and I did not wait for a repetition of the -hearty “Coome Meister, your supper bist ready.” -Entering, I found the room seated after the German -style, and was greeted with the sight of a great, open -fire-place, with its bake-oven and pot-hole attachment. -Upon the table were rich slices of ham, eggs, -bread, such as only a genuine German woman can -bake, and other things in abundance. When I was -seated and the good woman had poured out a cup of -delicious coffee, she took a chair opposite, and after -eying me a moment, inquired:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Vell, Meister, var from you come?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“From Ohio, auntie.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“You bist von Yankee, then.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No, I’m a Buckeye.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Von Puckeye! vas ish dat, eh?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“One born in Ohio.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Unt vas your fater ein Sherman?”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>“No, auntie, but my grandfather was.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O your grossfater. Vell, I tot dare vas some -Shermeny blud; dot lickt hair und blau eyes zint -der sign, meister.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, auntie, ’tis not bad blood, is it.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O nein. Mein Got, es ist dot best, but das -Yankee is shust so goot,” to which of course I -assented, with the remark that the two together are -a little better, thus causing the old lady to laugh -outright.</p> - -<p class='c008'>After a moment’s pause, in which there seemed to -be a studying of what tactics to pursue, she said, -“Vell, meister, it bist none of my pisness, but vas -you stoon in das velt?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Wishing to make a fine conquest, I summoned -what little German I could muster and replied, -“Ich bin einer school-meister.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Got in himmel! du bist einer schulmeister, O -Ich vish de kinder vare to house—”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Just then the host came in, and there was a rapid -discharge of pure German between them, the outcome -of which was a passing of a very pleasant evening, -though the English on the one side and the German -on the other were both very broken, and when the -hour for retiring came I was escorted by the old -couple to what was evidently the best room in the -house. Approaching the bed the hostess laid back a -fine feather tick, revealing sheets of snowy whiteness -overspreading another, and then with a feeling of -conscious pride exclaimed, “Dot, Her Schulmeister, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>is mine bester bett, unt do canst schlafen on der top, -in der mittel or unter das bett, shust as you bleze. -Guten abent.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Such was the house, such were the Aughfeultwanghers, -with the addition of being Jacksonian -Democrats of the straightest sect, the least likely -people, apparently, to have any sympathy with the -underground work, yet shrewd John Young, ever -fertile in expedients, had approached this couple, and -as a result of the conference there was arranged a -snug little room over and back of the oven with the -way of entry by the pot-hole. This room was never -to be occupied but by one individual, and he was to -be brought by Mr. Young in person, who was also to -provide for the taking away. In view of these facts -he had christened the place “Safe Haven,” and its -existence, outside of the family, was known only to -himself, Alec and one or two others of his retainers -and “Mose” Bishop, a tall, slim man, residing at -Linesville, having a perfect hatred of creeds and -cant, but an enthusiastic supporter of every cause -demanding sympathy and justice, and who on account -of his Jehu style of driving, was known along -the <i>road</i> as “The Lightning Conductor.”</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VI.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>True to his promise, before the first cock had -sounded the approaching morn on that late October -night, Alec reined up at the Aughfeultwangher, and -Mr. Young, alighting, rapped at the door, and all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>questions being satisfactorily answered, Jack was -admitted, and the carriage rolled rapidly down to -the little village at the foot of Conneaut lake, and at -the hotel breakfast was ordered for men and beasts.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Having washed themselves, they were waiting the -progress of culinary processes in the kitchen, meanwhile -regaling themselves by reading the hand-bill -advertising Jack, which was conspicuously posted in -the bar-room, when two horsemen, one a constable -from Mercer county, rode up and also ordered breakfast -and feed for their horses.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The constable and Mr. Young readily recognized -each other, and though no word was passed it was evident -to each that his business was understood by his -neighbor, hence the breakfast passed in silence, and -when his bill was settled, the carriage of the ex-Virginian -took a homeward direction.</p> - -<p class='c008'>No sooner was it gone than the constable remarked -to Boniface, “I have been after that turnout all night. -When it started there was a <i>passenger</i> in it, answering -to that bill there.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“You’ve been making the old fellow a close call,” -said the landlord, “but you’ll find him a hard one -to handle.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes; but if I could catch the nigger, the $500 -wouldn’t come bad. We have been close on his -track for several days. We know he was at Young’s -last night but where in the d—— he is now is the -question.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Dropped somewhere, likely.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>“Yes, <i>dropped</i>. Old Alec was too much for us, -and we lost the trail. From which direction did -they come?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“From towards Meadville.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Do you know any station that he could have -touched?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No, unless Aughfeultwangher’s.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Awfultricker’s! ha! ha! Upon my life that is a -bright idea. Why the old woman would make even -Young think the day of judgment had come if he -were to bring a nigger to her home.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“So I would have thought once, and so I am disposed -to think now, but I have sometimes thought -his bland manners have overcome her Democracy -and that somewhere about the premises there is a -station; yet ’tis all guess work with me. I give you -the information; if you, gentlemen, can make $500 -out of it, you are welcome to the fee.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>After a short consultation between the constable -and the stranger, a regular catcher who had undertaken -to capture Jack, they ordered their horses and -were off towards the Aughfeultwangher.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VII.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Immediately on receiving Jack into the house, the -good landlady supplied him with an ample dish of -provisions and removing the dye tub and other obstructions -from the pot-hole pointed him to her bed-room -for “zingle shentelmens,” and when he had -disappeared, she replaced her pots and kettles, taking -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>care to place the dye tub in which the yarn for -family stockings were receiving its finishing tint of -blue, in the very mouth of the hole. This done she -went about her morning duties and was thus busily -engaged when the two horsemen rode up, dismounted -and came in. After paying the compliments of the -morning and taking a drink, the constable inquired, -“Has Mr. Young been here this morning?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Mister Yoong, vat Yoong you means?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“John Young.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Vat, dot Shon Yoong fon town in Merzer -gounty?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O ya, er trive up unt vater ees team.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Was there anybody with him?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O ya, dot black Alec alvays goes mit him.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Did you see anybody get out?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Nein.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“And he didn’t leave anyone here?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Vell, shentelmens, dot is von great kweschon. -You tinks I have von of tem niggers pout here. -You shall zee. Now, shentelmens, you looks all -apout; you shall shust go in te barn and dru dis -house shust as you blese. Den you knows if Shon -Young leaves von black mans here.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>So saying the old lady led them through the barn -and all parts of the house until the kitchen was -reached. Here she bade them look into the oven, -and then that they might peer into the pot-hole she -began removing the dye tub, but in so doing was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>careful to spill a little of the liquid. As the fumes -spread through the room the catcher exclaimed as -they reached his olfactories, “O the d—l.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, der toiful, shentelmens, der toiful; you comes -to mine house as if de Aughfeultwangher wo’dt keep -ein runavay nigger; you go dru, you go unter mine -parn; you goes indo mine pet rooms; you climps -down into mine shamber, unt you goes up indo -mine seller, and now der toiful! You peest tswi tam -deeps, unt if you no go so gwick as von leetel minit, -I sets mine tok on you unt er makes you into sausage -meat fore von hour. Pounce! here Pounce, -here!” and a great house dog came rushing into the -back door as the two runaway-seekers beat a hasty -retreat, each catching a glimpse, as he passed out, of -the huge animal called to act as judgment executioner -upon them. Though foiled, they were not -discouraged, but transferred their place of watching -to other parts.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VIII.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Reaching home, Mr. Young immediately wrote -Mr. Bishop, as follows:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“—o— —56—10—28—81.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Dear—— ——,</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Piratical craft square rigged, but our wind was good and -we <i>holed</i> the duck. (— — —) ‘Mine Got, mine Got, mine -Got——for XXX——’ Greeley’s advice. Day and night; -day and night; day and night. With an eye to foxes, let ’er -slide.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c012'> - <div>Yours,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='c018'>o——o”</div> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>On its receipt, Mr. Bishop took the necessary precautions -to execute the contents of the letter, and on the -third night proceeded to carry them out, being not -unaware of the fact that he was closely watched.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>IX.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Two men were standing in their respective doorways -in the village of Andover, Ohio, on a November -afternoon. The one was a broad-shouldered, -full-chested man, with a flowing beard, a merry -twinkle in the eye, a kind of devil-may-care negligence -in his appearance, with a physique that betokened -great power and endurance. This man had long -been known technically as “Thribble X” of station -“1001,” at Gustavus, Ohio, from which place he had -migrated to Andover to proclaim the principles of -the Universalist faith, and was known among his -people as Elder Shipman, or more familiarly, “Uncle -Charley.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The other gentleman was of slimmer build, sandy -complexion, thoughtful mien, and the very manner -in which he handled his pipe would guarantee that -he was of “Hinglish stock.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>As they thus stood, a buggy came driving from -the east at break-neck speed, and dashing up to the -parsonage the driver exclaimed, “Elder, can you do -anything for this duck, for they’re after us hotter’n -h—ll.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Don’t you know there is no such place as that, -Mose?” was the calm reply.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>“Well, well, I’ve no time to discuss theological -matters now; all I know is if there is no such place, -there ought to be a new creation at once for the sake -of two fellows that must already be this side of the -Shenango.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“So near as that? Set him out.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Immediately the colored man was bidden to -alight, and whilst he and the elder struck out for the -woods a short distance to the southwest, the buggy -was turned and driven rapidly toward Richmond.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Scarcely was it out of sight, when two horsemen -came galloping into town, and riding up to our English -friend, who had been an interested spectator of -the little scene just described and was wont to express -his satisfaction of English laws by quoting,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Slaves cannot breathe in Highland; if their lungs</div> - <div class='line'>Received ’er hair, that moment they are free;”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>and inquired, “Stranger, did you see a buggy drive -into town from the east a short time ago with two -men in it?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Hi ’ave, gentlemen.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Was one of them black?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“’E was, gentlemen.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Should you think the other was the man they -call Mose Bishop?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Hi should, gentlemen.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Which way did he drive?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“To the north, gentlemen.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Thank you, sir, and good day.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Good day, gentlemen.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>Clapping spurs to their horses, the riders were -away with a bound, under the inspiration of the -first genuine cry of “On to Richmond.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Reaching the proper point, Bishop turned eastward -and dashed down through Padan-aram, much -to the surprise of the denizens of that sequestered -community, whilst his pursuers swept on to the -Center, and on inquiry at the village store, were -blandly informed by the proprietor, Mr. Heath, that -there had been no buggy at all in the place that day. -Had Mose and the elder heard the <i>refined</i> language -that then made the very atmosphere about Richmond -blue, they would both have been converts to -the orthodox doctrine of sulphuric cleansing.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>X.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Watching the departure of the others, Shipman -and his charge crossed the road to the eastward, and -were soon threading the woodlands bordering the -Shenango, and about midnight sought quarters at a -friend’s of the elder, not far from Linesville. Arming -themselves with heavy walking sticks, just before -evening of the next day they set out for Albion. -They had not proceeded far before they saw they -were to encounter four sinister-looking fellows. -“Now, Jack,” said the elder, “You have endured too -much to be taken back. I do not wish to pay a -thousand dollars fine nor go to prison for your sake. -We may have to use these canes. Do you understand?”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>“Yes, Massa, you can trus’ dis Jack.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>A call to halt was answered by so vigorous a -charge and such effective use of the walking sticks -that two of the challengers soon lay upon the ground -and the others beat a hasty retreat. Taking advantage -of circumstances the little train switched, and -under the pressure of a full head of steam reached -the “Old Tannery” station near Albion before daylight.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The conductor was now on strange ground, but -knowing there was an agent in the vicinity named -Low, he hunted him up and received such information -as enabled them to make a little clump of hemlocks -on the bank of a ravine not far from the -residence of Elijah Drury, of Girard, the following -night.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Farmer Drury was a stalwart, standing little less -than six feet in height, always ready for any good -word and work, and had been for many years engaged -in the <i>transportation</i> business. Always wary, -however, he was not to be deceived when, in the -morning, our bewhiskered conductor presented himself -and asked for something to eat.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O yes,” said Mr. Drury, “I can always furnish a -man, though a stranger, something with which to -satisfy hunger.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“But I want something also for a friend.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“A friend! What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I mean that I have a friend down yonder in the -thicket, who is both weary and hungry.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>“Mister, do you know what I think?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I am not a prophet, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, it is my opinion that you are a horse -thief.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Will you come down and see the last nag I -trotted off?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Together the two men went down to the little -thicket, and there the Elder not only exhibited the -passenger, but to remove all suspicions, showed him -the scars that indicated the floggings to which the -slave had been subjected, a sight which Mr. Drury -often afterwards said came very near making him -swear outright. Thus commenced a friendship between -the two men long continued and fraught with -many acts attesting the generous nature of both.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>XI.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>When evening came, time being precious, our conductor -drew the reins over Mr. Drury’s best roadsters, -and about midnight deposited his passenger at -the doorway of an old-fashioned house, with gable -to the street, wing projecting northward, and a large -elm tree nearly in front, standing on Federal Hill, -in what is now South Erie, and for the first time -XXX greeted officially a most redoubtable Keystone -agent, known as the “Doctor,” in those days one of -Erie’s well-known characters. He had gained some -knowledge of herbs and roots, which he learned to -apply medicinally, thus acquiring his appellation, -which he wore with great satisfaction, soon coming -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>to look upon all mere “book doctors” in great contempt. -He was accustomed to drive about town -with an old brown horse attached to a kind of carryall -vehicle; always took his whisky straight and in -full allopathic doses, though he affected to despise -the practice generally, and prided himself on being -the most <i>reliable agent</i> in Erie county.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Into the Doctor’s private sanctum Jack was at once -admitted, and properly cared for for a number of -days, until measurably recuperated from his weeks -of incessant vigil and solicitude, when he was taken -in charge by Thomas Elliott, Esq., of Harborcreek, -and conveyed to Wesleyville, four miles east of the -city. Here, inasmuch as fresh news was obtained of -his pursuers, it was thought best to secrete him anew, -and he was therefore deposited in Station “Sanctum -Sanctorum”—the garret of the Methodist Church.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Whoever passes through the village on the “Buffalo -Road,” fails not to notice this unpretentious -little brick structure standing by the wayside. Like -most churches built so long ago, it has undergone -various remodelings. The “battlements” have been -taken off; doors and windows have shifted places, -but within it is little changed; the seating below and -the three-sided gallery remaining much as of old.</p> - -<p class='c008'>From the time of its first dedication onward, it has -been the scene of many a revival, and for years it -was the “horn of the altar” upon which the panting -fugitive laid his hand, and was safe, for its use as a -“station” was known only to a “selected few.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i092.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>OLD CHURCH, WESLEYVILLE, PA.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>At the time we speak of, a protracted meeting had -already been begun, for the bleakness of winter had -early set in. The services were conducted by Rev. -Jas. Gilfillin, a sterling old Scotchman, who had received -a large part of his training in the collieries of -his native land, and before the mast as a sailor on -the high seas, assisted by Rev. William Gheer, a -young man of timidity and all gentility of manner. -The interest was most marked, and crowds came -nightly to listen, to weep, to become penitents, not -only from up and down the “road,” but from Gospel -Hill, and far beyond, bringing even grand old father -and mother Weed, who had assisted at the -formation of the society over thirty years before, -from away up in the “beechwoods,” and with them -Nehemiah Beers, an exhorter, particularly felicitous -in the construction of unheard-of words and expressions.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Under such circumstances Jack was deposited, -early one morning, in his rude apartment, measurably -warmed by the pipe which came up from the -great box-stove below, and cautioned that he must -keep particularly quiet during the devotional exercises -below. Here he remained for several days, -listening to the praises of new-born souls and the -hosannas of the older brethren during meeting hours, -and then descending and making himself comfortable -in the well-warmed room when all was quiet -and safe. Indeed, so well did he play his part as -fire-tender, that the Chambers boys, who chopped -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>the wood, which was hauled to the church “sled-length” -by the brethren, emphatically declared, as -they wondered at the marvellous disappearance of -fuel, “It takes a power of wood to run a red-hot revival, -and we shall be glad when the meeting -closes,” and it required no little effort on the part of -their father, the main source of supply, to induce -them to persevere in their “labor of love.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Thus matters passed until Sunday evening came, -when the interest of the meeting seemed to culminate -in a Pentecostal shower. The Rev. James Sullivan, -then a young man, preached a sermon of great -eloquence and power, encouraged by many a hearty -Amen from Father Weed and the older brethren, -and the responsive hallelujahs of hale old Sister -Weed and the other “Mothers in Israel.” The sermon -ended, men clapped their hands in ecstatic -rapture, and struck up that grand old revival hymn,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Come ye sinners, poor and needy,”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>whilst the old pastor rose in his place, and earnestly -exhorted sinners to come to the “mourner’s bench” -and find pardon and peace, until the feeling of excitement -burst forth in one simultaneous, “Amen, -hallelujah to God!”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The Spirit had reached the garret, and in the fervor -of excitement Jack forgot himself, and, “Amen, -hallelujah to God!” came back in responsive echo, -sufficiently loud enough to attract the attention of -those in the gallery, who looked at each other in -startled amazement.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>Down on his knees went Brother Beers, and in the -midst of an impassioned prayer, exclaimed: “O! -Lord-ah, come down to-night-ah, and rim-wrack and -center-shake the work of the devil-ah.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Influenced more by the Spirit than the phraseology -of the prayer, there went up from the worshipping -throng a hearty “Amen, and Amen!”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Amen, and Amen!” came down from above, -only to increase the astonishment of the crowded -gallery, most there believing that an angel hovered -over them. As if in perfect accord with the surroundings, -Parson Gheer struck up,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Behold the Savior of mankind,”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>without waiting for</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Nailed to the rugged cross,”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>the stentorian voice of the old pastor rang out, “Yes, -He comes! He comes!”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, He comes! He comes!” shouted the embodied -seraph in the garret, in tones sufficiently -loud to catch the ear of the sexton, who immediately -mounted aloft, as he often did to adjust the stovepipe, -and though the meeting continued for an hour -longer, there were no farther angelic demonstrations, -yet some in the gallery long persisted that they had -that night been permitted to listen to seraphic -strains.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Before daylight Jack was shipped by way of Col. -Moorhead’s and North East, to Conductor Nutting, -at State Line, and by him to Syracuse, where he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>safely arrived and remained until the breaking out -of the war, when he went south and rendered valuable -service to the Union cause, in a way that may -be told in due time.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER III.<br /> <span class='large'>UNCLE JAKE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c014'>I.</h3> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c015'>Years ago, before the permanent organization of -the Underground Railroad, when the escape -of fugitives was largely a haphazard matter, there -lived on the sacred soil of Virginia, back a few miles -from Wheeling, a pleasant, companionable man, -owning a number of slaves, among them one known -as “Uncle Jake,” the happy husband of an exemplary -wife, who had borne him several children, -some of whom they had seen grow to manhood and -womanhood, while others still remained with them -in the cabin.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Uncle Jake was an expert mason, and brought his -master large wages. The latter, in the generosity of -his heart, had stipulated that a certain per cent. of -these should be credited up to Jake for the purchase -of the freedom of himself and wife. When he turned -his fifty-ninth birthday the sum agreed upon was -nearly reached, and the faithful man went out to a -job in Wheeling, with the full assurance that on his -sixtieth anniversary he and his hale old wife should -go forth to the enjoyment of the blessings of free -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>people. Thus incited, his trowel was nimbly handled -as the days flew by.</p> - -<p class='c008'>A little improvident and immethodical in his business, -the master had contracted large obligations, -which he was unable to meet; his paper matured; -his creditors swooped down upon him simultaneously, -and in a single day he was stripped of everything. -His slaves, with the exception of Uncle Jake, -who was purchased at a round figure by a neighbor -who had long coveted him, were sold to a southern -trader, and on Saturday morning, chained into separate -coffles, the unhappy wife and mother, with her -children, forming one by themselves, whilst the -father, indulging in pleasant day-dreams of the future, -was busily plying his craft in one part of the -town, were driven through another, down to the -river, and put on board a steamer for New Orleans.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Evening came, and the week’s work ended, Uncle -Jake started with a light heart homeward. When -he reached the neighborhood sometime after nightfall, -he was apprised by a friend on the lookout for -him, of the fate of the master—of himself and loved -ones. Had a thunderbolt fallen at his feet, he could -not have been more shocked. Learning, also, that -his new master, a tyrannical man, was waiting his -coming, he turned aside to give vent to his grief. -Had he been sold with the family he could have endured -it, for then there might have been a chance of -occasional meeting; indeed, he and his wife might -have been sold to the same plantation; but now they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>were gone—separated forever. Under the blue dome -of heaven, with the myriad stars looking down upon -him, he wept—wept as only a man can weep under -such circumstances—until the reaction came, when a -lion-like manhood asserted itself in the laconic expression, -“Not one more stroke in slavery.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Arising with the clear-cut resolution to obtain his -freedom or perish in the attempt, he proceeded -stealthily to his cabin, armed himself with a large -butcher knife and a heavy walking stick, and taking -one last look at objects, though humble, still dear to -him, he set out with elastic step towards the river. -About one-half the distance had been gone over, -when he perceived himself pursued. He turned -aside, hoping to secrete himself, but in vain; he had -been sighted, and was summoned to surrender.</p> - -<p class='c008'>To the challenge, he responded: “I am yours if -you can take me.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The two men, his new master and an attendant, -dismounted and hitched their horses, thinking the -conquest of the “cowardly nigger” would be an -easy matter. But not so. The man who for nearly -three-score years had manifested only the meekness -of a child, was now endowed with the spirit and -prowess of a giant. A well-aimed blow of the -bludgeon laid his master a quivering corpse at his -feet, and several well-directed strokes of the butcher -knife sent the other covered with ghastly, bleeding -wounds, fainting to the roadside.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Mounting the fleetest horse, Jake made his way -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>rapidly to the river, and plunging in soon found -himself landed safely on the Ohio shore. Taking to -a highway soon found, he followed the lead of the -north star, and just at daybreak turned into a woodland -ravine, and spent the quiet autumnal Sabbath -watching the grazing of the faithful horse upon such -herbage as he could find, and in meditating upon -the wonderful revelations and events of the past -twenty-four hours.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Night clear and beautiful, came again, and Jake -pursued his onward way, and in the early morning -turned his jaded beast loose in a retired pasture lot -not far from Salem; threw the saddle and bridle -into a ravine, on the principle that “dead men tell -no tales,” and prospecting about for some time, saw -emerge from a farm house a broad-brimmed hat, -which he had learned was a sure sign of food and -protection. Approaching the Quaker farmer, Uncle -Jake declared himself a fugitive, and applied for -food and shelter, which were freely granted.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Tuesday the stage coach brought into Salem a -hand-bill giving a full description of Uncle Jake, telling -of the killing of the master, the probable mortal -wounding of the other, and offering a large reward -for his apprehension.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Thee oughtest to have struck more carefully, -friend,” said the Quaker, when he had learned thus -fully the measure of his protégé’s adventure, “but -then as it was in the dark, we may pardon thee thy -error, but Salem is not a safe place for such as thee. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>I shall take thee to my friend, Dr. Benjamin Stanton, -who will instruct thee as to what thee is to do.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Accordingly, when nightfall made it safe, the -Quaker took Jake to the house of his friend, who -was none other than a cousin of Lincoln’s great War -Secretary, where having exchanged his laborer’s -garb for a suit of army blue, richly trimmed with -brass buttons, a style of dress much admired by -colored people in those old days of militia training, -and a high-crowned hat, he was immediately posted -off to the care of one Barnes, residing on the confines -of Boardman, bearing to him the simple admonition, -“It is hot.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Not appreciating the full merits of the case, Barnes -took him in the early morning and started for Warren -by way of Youngstown. Here he was espied by -two questionable characters, who having seen the -hand-bill advertising Jake, and knowing the antecedents -of Barnes, justly surmised that the black -gentleman in blue might be none other than the individual -for whom the reward was offered, and at -once planned a pursuit, but not until the eagle eye -of the driver had detected their motions. Leaving -the main road, he struck across the Liberty hills. -When near Loy’s Corners he perceived they were -pursued, and bade Jake alight and make for some -place of safety, while he would try and lead the pursuers -off the trail.</p> - -<p class='c008'>In a land of strangers and without protective -weapons save his knife, Jake could do nothing more -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>than to run up to a little wagon shop by the wayside, -in the doorway of which stood an honest -Pennsylvania Dutchman named Samuel Goist, and -exclaimed, “Lor’ Massa, save me from the slave -catcher.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Now, Mr. Goist was a Democrat of the straightest -sect, and had long sworn by “Sheneral Shackson;” -he had never before seen a panting fugitive and -knew nothing of secretive methods, but when he saw -the venerable, though unique form before him, his -generous heart was touched, and he replied: “Hite -gwick in ter hay yonder till I cums,” pointing at the -same time to a last year’s haystack, into which the -cattle had eaten deep recesses.</p> - -<p class='c008'>It was but the work of a moment, and sable form, -blue suit and plug hat were viewless in what the -winter before had often sheltered the semi-farmer’s -choicest steer from pitiless storm.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Scarcely was this feat executed when the Youngstown -parties came up and knowing the political complexion -of the honest wagon-maker inquired, “Halloo, -old dad, have you seen a buggy go by here with -a white man, and a nigger dressed in blue, in it?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Ya, shentelmen, py shimmeny; dot puggy vent -py das corner ond yonder not more as den minit aco, -unt er vas <i>trifing</i> das horse, py shingo. I dinks you -not oferdakes him much pefore Vorren.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>With an expression of rough thanks, the men -struck off under a full gallop which carried them -into Warren right speedily, but in the meantime -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>Barnes had watched his opportunity, turned off -through Niles, and pursued his homeward journey -by way of Austintown.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Turning from his shop when his interrogators were -out of sight, Mr. Goist called his good frou and said, -“Vell, Mutter, I kes I haf lite shust a lidel.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Vot, you, fater, haf lite? O mine!”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Vell, Mutter, you zee von plack man comes along -unt asks me him for to hite, unt I say in dem stock; -unt den cums sum mans fon Youngstown unt says -he ‘Olt dat, you sees von puggy mit nigger unt vite -man goes dis vay?’ Unt I say, ‘Ya, dot puggy vas -kon py like a shtreak.’”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O mine, fater, das vas no liegen; you shust say -dot puggy vas kon.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Vell, if dot mans was Sheneral Shackson, I -should him tell shust der zame.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>That evening Uncle Jake received an ample supper -from the larder of good Mother Goist, and was -then placed in a wagon under a cover of straw and -conveyed close to the house of a Mr. Stewart near -the corner of Vienna, whom rumor had pointed out -to the honest Dutchman as one of “dem aperlishioners.” -Here he was bidden “goot py,” and soon -found his way to the cabin indicated, whence in due -time he was forwarded to General Andrew Bushnell, -a prominent anti-slavery man south of the centre of -Hartford.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>II.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Even at that early day, Hartford and Vernon had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>established for themselves a wide-spread reputation -for expertness in the <i>forwarding business</i>. General -Bushnell, on account of his age and experience was -looked upon as the acknowledged front of affairs, -but his work was ably seconded by many others, -particularly by two young men, Ralph Plumb, of -Burgh Hill, and Levi Sutliff, who still resided with -his parents in the north part of Vernon. These -young men were ever on the alert for daring enterprise, -but just now discretion was considered the -better part of valor, for slow as news moved, it was -not long before the chase from Youngstown to Warren -became known in Hartford, and anti-fugitive eyes -became unusually vigilant about town, and it was -whispered that the blue suit might come that way -and some one might pick up a handsome reward.</p> - -<p class='c008'>For some days Uncle Jake was carefully secreted -in a hay-barn, together with a young man who had -previously reached the General’s. Plumb and Sutliff -were so carefully watched, it was thought best to -commit the carrying of the twain to other hands—but -whose should they be?</p> - -<p class='c008'>Young Plumb had a sister Mary, about twenty -years of age, the affianced of Sutliff, and the General -had a daughter bearing the same name a year or two -younger, both spirited, resolute girls, and ready for -any good work. When only fourteen, Miss Bushnell, -in a case of special emergency, had hitched up -the family carriage, (a one-horse wagon,) and conveyed -a fleeing family from her father’s to the Sutliff -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>home, a distance of eight miles, encountering a -fearful thunderstorm on the way, and returning before -the first peep of morning light.</p> - -<p class='c008'>One day when conversing on the best way of disposing -of the case in hand, Ralph said: “Leve, -suppose we commit this mission to the Marys; I -believe they will put the stock safely through to the -lake.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Capital,” replied his companion; “have you matured -a scheme?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Partially.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“What is it?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well your father is to have a load of hay of the -General. Come along with the team and I’ll help -you get it. We’ll pack Uncle Jake and the boy into -the load, take Mary on with us and bring her down -to our house, there take on sister, and when the hay -is in the Sutliff barn the rest can be easily arranged.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“But will the girls consent?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“The Bushnell has been tried, and you are the -last man that ought to raise a question about the -Plumb.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>That afternoon the team of the senior Sutliff was -driven through the center of Hartford and to the -hay-barn of Andrew Bushnell, where it was duly -loaded, the two choicest <i>spires</i> being extended longitudinally -a short distance from the top. Passing -the house, Mary was taken on and a merry trio proceeded -northward only to be expanded to a jubilant -quartette on arriving at the Hill. No suspicion was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>aroused, for those were days when a woman’s worth -and modesty were not lessened by her being seen in -sun-bonnet and shawl upon a load of hay.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>III.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>One, two, three, ——, ——, ——, ——, ——, ——, -——, ——, twelve, went the clock in the old, low -Sutliff mansion; a light two-horse wagon, the bed -filled with hay as if covering a “grist,” was backed -out of the barn; two strong horses were attached; -warm kisses were administered to ruby lips; and a -couple of well-wrapped female forms ascended to the -seat; a delicately gloved hand laid hold of the lines, -and the team sped briskly towards the “Kinsman -woods.”</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>IV.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Deacon Andrews, in the old farm house still standing -on the brink of the little ravine south of the -hamlet of Lindenville, had put up his morning -prayer for the drowning host of Pharaoh, the Greeks, -the Romans and the Jews, said “Amen” and arisen -from his knees, when his wife, looking out of the -window, exclaimed: “See, husband, there’s the -Sutliff team; but who is driving? As I live, if it -isn’t a couple of girls, and all the way up from Vernon -so early as this! What can they want?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Going to the ‘Harbor’ with <i>grain</i>, I presume; -likely the men folks are busy.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“But then I didn’t know the Sutliffs have any -girls.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>“Well, wife, likely they’ve hired the team to some -of the neighbors. You start the children out after -chestnuts, quick.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>There was a lively scampering of young Andrews -to the woods; a hasty breakfasting of girls and -horses; a close examination of the sacks under the -hay to see if all was right; a pleasant “good morning,” -and the team went northward and the deacon -to his work, mentally exclaiming: “Great and -marvelous are the works of the Almighty—and Plumb -and Sut—” but he checked the irreverent conclusion.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>V.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>It was high noon at Jefferson, and Ben Wade -brought his fist down upon the cover of the volume -of Blackstone he had closed, as he arose to go to -dinner, and ejaculated, “Who the d—l is that, Gid?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The pleasant, bland countenanced gentleman to -whom these words were addressed looked up, and -there in front of the little office bearing the unpretentious -sign,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“GIDDINGS & WADE,</div> - <div class='line'>ATTORNEYS AT LAW.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>were two plump, rosy-cheeked girls, each engaged in -hitching a horse.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Zounds, Ben, you ought to know your Trumbull -county friends. It hasn’t been so long since you -taught school at the Center of Hartfort that you -should have forgotten the Bushnells and the Plumbs.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“The h—ll! I wonder if those two lasses can be -the little Mollies I used to enjoy so much.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>“They are the Miss Bushnell and Miss Plumb I -met at Sutliff’s a few days ago, though I do not -know their names.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The two attorneys, as yet unknown to fame, attended, -without fees, to the consultation of the young -ladies, treated them and theirs to the best fare of him -who was afterwards well known in <i>Railroad</i> circles -as “Anno Mundi,” and then sent them forward with -a kind letter of introduction to “Doctor” Henry -Harris, the most likely man to greet them.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VI.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>“Can you direct us to Dr. Harris?” said a sweet -voiced girl to a trim, quick-stepping, rather fashionably -dressed young gentleman on the street in the -little village of Ashtabula, as she reined up a two-horse -team.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Hem, ’em ’em, Dr. Harris? ’em, why, that is -what they call me.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Are you the only Dr. Harris in town?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“’Em, yes, Miss. What can I do for you?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The letters of the Jefferson attorneys was placed -in his hands.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“’Em, hem,” he exclaimed, after reading it. -“<i>Freight!</i> we can not ship now; shall have to stow -it in our up-town ware-house;” saying which he led -the way out to a country home, now occupied as a -city residence, where the freight was deposited in a -hay-mow, whilst the kind-hearted old Scotchman, -Deacon McDonald and his wife most graciously -cared for the intrepid drivers for the night.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>The young man Ned was soon sent away, but -Uncle Jake lingered in the vicinity for considerable -time. The winter of 1836 he spent at the Harbor in -the family of Deacon Wm. Hubbard, rendering valuable -service in “pointing” the walls and plastering -the cellar of the house now occupied as a store and -residence by Captain Starkey. He is still well remembered -by A. F. Hubbard, Esq., whose father -offered him a home in his family; but Jake finally -left and nothing is known of his subsequent course.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Of the two young ladies so intimately connected -with this history, Miss Bushnell ultimately married -a Mr. Estabrook, and was for many years one of the -most esteemed ladies of Warren, O., and now sleeps -in Oakwood Cemetery near that beautiful city. The -other joined her destiny with that of her affiance -shortly after that memorable ride, and a few weeks -since I stood in the little churchyard at Burgh Hill, -shrouded as it was in a far-reaching coverlet of snow -and copied the following from a small marble headstone:</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>“MARY P. SUTLIFF,</div> - <div>Died March 1st, 1836.</div> - <div>AE., 23.</div> - <div><i>First Sec’y of the Female Anti-Slavery Society of Vernon, A. D., 1834.</i>”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IV.<br /> <span class='large'>GEORGE GREEN,<br /> OR CONSTANCY REWARDED.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>[The circumstances of the following narrative were partially -written up when secured by the author.]</p> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c007'>“Do you believe you can succeed, George? It is -a great undertaking.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“If we can not succeed, Mary, we can try. This -servitude is worse than death.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“But our master is very good.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, master is good and kind, and no harm shall -come to him. But no master is as good as freedom.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“But then the whites have all the power on their -side.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“The whites, Mary! Who are whiter than we—than -you and I? You the slave of your own father; -I sold from my mother’s arms that my features -might not bring disgrace upon a man of position. -White folks, indeed!”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“True, George, our lot is a wretched one, but then -as you love me, and as master and mistress are so -kind, would it not be better to remain quiet, lest we, -too, are separated, and all our hopes for life -blighted?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“We are taking a great risk, Mary, but Nat says -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>we can not fail. I sometimes fear that we shall and -I know the consequences, and will meet them like a -man, for I know you will love me still, Mary.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, George, but the love of a poor helpless slave -girl can not compensate you for what you may have -to endure, perhaps for life itself.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Mary, dear as you are to me, liberty for us both -or death in attempting to secure it, will be a far -greater boon, coupled with your love, than to share -that love, however fervent, through a life-long servitude.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“But, George, don’t you remember how often you -have heard master and his guests talk about those -strange people, Poles and Greeks they call them, and -how they have struggled for freedom, only mostly to -make their condition worse?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, Mary, and I have heard them tell how they -would like to go and help them fight for their liberty. -Then I have heard master tell how his own father -fought in the war he calls the Revolution, and didn’t -the Judge say in his speech last Independence that -that is the day, above all others, which proclaims -that ‘all men are created free and equal?’ Am I -not a man, and should I not be equal to any one -who calls himself master and me slave? No, Mary, -the die is cast and six hundred slaves—no, men—will -strike for freedom on these plantations in less -than a week. But there is the horn, and I must go.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The above conversation took place in the home of -a Virginia planter more than sixty years ago. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>parties were young, less than twenty; both white, -both slaves, for the peculiar institution by no means -attached itself to the sable African alone. The fettered -were of every hue, from that of ebon blackness -to the purest Caucassian white. Slavery knew no -sacred ties, but only the bonds of lust. Hence this -strange gradation of color, for as the master acknowledged -nothing more than a conventional marriage, -so he held out no encouragement to the slave women -to be virtuous and chaste. The girl Mary was, indeed, -the daughter of Mr. Green, her master, and -George the son of a high government official, his -mother being a servant in the Washington hotel -where the official boarded. The boy looked so akin -to his father that he was early sold to a slave dealer -that the scandal might be hushed. From this dealer -he was purchased by Mr. Green, who was indeed a -kind-hearted man and treated his slaves with great -consideration.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Both being house servants, and thrown much together, -an earnest attachment sprang up between -them. This was by no means discouraged by master -or mistress. Though they could neither read nor -write, their natural aptness and constant association -with family and guests soon imparted to them a -good degree of culture and general information.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The cause of the conversation above referred to -was the revelation to Mary by her lover of a plot on -the part of about six hundred slaves of the county -of Southampton to rise in rebellion and obtain their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>freedom. From any participation in it she would -gladly have dissuaded him, though in perfect sympathy -with his feelings, but the proud Anglo-Saxon -blood and spirit of George were fully enlisted in the -undertaking, and when “Nat Turner’s Insurrection” -broke upon the astonished planters there was no -braver man in its ranks than George. But six hundred -slaves, imperfectly armed as they were, could -make but little headway. They were soon defeated. -Those who were not captured fled to the Dismal -Swamp. Here ordered to surrender, they challenged -their pursuers. A furious struggle ensued between -the owners and their human chattels, men and -women. They were hunted with bloodhounds, and -many who were caught were tortured even unto -death. Not until the United States troops were -called in, was their forlorn hope, struggling for freedom, -entirely vanquished.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Among the last to surrender was George. He was -tried before a civil court and condemned to be -hanged. Ten days only were to elapse before the -carrying out of the sentence.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Being a member of a Christian church, Mary -sought and obtained, through the influence of her -mistress, with whom George had been an especial -favorite, permission to visit him in the jail and administer -the consolation of religion. Seated by his -side but four days before the day of execution, she -said:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“George, you made an effort for freedom against -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>my wish, now will you make another, one in which -I fully accord?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“For me there is no hope. Whilst it is hard to -part from you, I am not afraid to die.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“If you are hanged, we must be separated, if you -escape it can be no more.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Escape! how?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, listen. You shall exchange clothes with -me. Then at my accustomed time of leaving you -shall depart, and I will remain in your place. They -will not harm me, and so nearly are we of a size, and -so close the general resemblance, that you will have -no difficulty in passing the guard. Once without -the gate, you can easily escape to the woods, the -mountains, to a land of liberty. May be——”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Never can I consent to this. These miserable -men would wreak their vengeance on you.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Never fear for me, and may be when you are -safe in Canada you can provide for my coming to -you.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“If it were possible, but—”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The turnkey gave the signal for departure, and -Mary arose and left.</p> - -<p class='c008'>During the next day she carefully prepared a -package of provisions and hid it in a secluded place. -The day was dark and gloomy, portending a storm. -Just at evening she presented herself at the prison -door and was readily admitted. Once beside her -lover, she again importuned him to make an effort -to escape. At last he consented. It was but the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>work of a moment to exchange clothing, to impart -the necessary instructions with regard to the provisions, -to pledge one another to eternal constancy, -when the door opened and the harsh voice of the -keeper exclaimed, “Come, Miss, it is time for you to -go.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>It was now storming furiously. Weeping and -with a handkerchief applied to his face, as was -Mary’s custom when leaving, George passed out and -the door immediately closed upon the innocent inmate -of the cell.</p> - -<p class='c008'>It was now dark, so that our hero in his new -dress had no fear of detection. The provisions were -sought and found, and poor George was soon on the -road to Canada. But neither he nor Mary had -thought of a change of dress for him when he should -have escaped, and he walked but a short distance -before he felt that a change of his apparel would -facilitate his progress. But he dared not go among -even his colored associates, for fear of being betrayed. -However, he made the best of his way on -towards Canada, hiding in the woods by day and -traveling by the guidance of the pole star at night.</p> - -<p class='c008'>One morning George arrived on the banks of the -Ohio river, and found his journey had terminated -unless he could get some one to take him across in a -secret manner, for he would not be permitted to -cross in any of the ferry boats. He concealed himself -in tall grass and weeds near the river to see if -he could not secure an opportunity to cross. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>had been in his hiding place but a short time, when -he observed a man in a small boat, floating near the -shore, evidently fishing. His first impulse was to -call out to the man and ask him to take him across -the river to the Ohio shore, but the fear that he was -a slaveholder or one who might possibly arrest him -deterred him from it. The man after rowing and -floating about for some time, fastened the boat to the -root of a tree, and started to a farm house not far -distant. This was George’s opportunity, and he -seized it. Running down the bank, he unfastened -the boat and jumped in, and with all the expertness -of one accustomed to a boat, rowed across the river -and landed safely on free soil.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Being now in a free state, he thought he might -with perfect safety travel on towards Canada. He -had, however, gone but a few miles, when he discovered -two men on horseback coming behind him. -He felt sure that they could not be in pursuit of him, -yet he did not wish to be seen by them, so he turned -into another road leading to a house near by. The -men followed, and were but a short distance from -George, when he ran up to a farm house, before -which was standing a farmer-looking man, in a -broad-brimmed hat and straight-collared coat, whom -he implored to save him from the “slave catchers.” -The farmer told him to go into the barn near by; he -entered by the front door, the farmer following and -closing the door behind George, but remaining outside, -gave directions to his hired man as to what -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>should be done with him. The slaveholders had -by this time dismounted, and were in front of the -barn demanding admittance, and charging the farmer -with secreting their slave woman, for George was -still in the dress of a woman. The Friend, for the -farmer proved to be a member of the Society of -Quakers, told the slave-owners that if they wished to -search his barn, they must first get an officer and a -search warrant. While the parties were disputing, -the farmer began nailing up the front door, and the -hired man served the back door the same way. -The slaveholders, finding that they could not prevail -on the Friend to allow them to get the slave, determined -to go in search of an officer. One was left to -see that the slave did not escape from the barn, while -the other went off at full speed to Mt. Pleasant, the -nearest town.</p> - -<p class='c008'>George was not the slave of either of these men, -nor were they in pursuit of him, but they had lost a -woman who had been seen in that vicinity, and -when they saw poor George in the disguise of a female, -and attempting to elude pursuit, they felt sure -they were close upon their victim. However, if they -had caught him, although he was not their slave -they would have taken him back and placed him in -jail, and there he would have remained until his -owner arrived.</p> - -<p class='c008'>After an absence of nearly two hours, the slave-owner -returned with an officer, and found the Friend -still driving large nails into the door. In a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>triumphant tone, and with a corresponding gesture, -he handed the search warrant to the Friend, and said:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“There, sir, now I will see if he can’t get my -Nigger.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well,” said the Friend, “thou hast gone to work -according to law, and thou canst now go into my -barn.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Lend me your hammer that I may get the door -open,” said the slaveholder.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Let me see the warrant again.” And after reading -it over once more, he said, “I see nothing in -this paper which says I must supply thee with tools -to open my door; if thou wishest to go in thou must -get a hammer elsewhere.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The sheriff said: “I will go to a neighboring -farm and borrow something which will introduce us -to Miss Dinah;” and he immediately went off in -search of tools.</p> - -<p class='c008'>In a short time the officer returned, and they commenced -an assault and battery upon the barn door, -which soon yielded; and in went the slaveholder -and officer, and began turning up the hay and using -all other means to find the lost property; but, to -their astonishment, the slave was not there. After -all hopes of getting Dinah were gone, the slave-owner, -in a rage, said to the Friend:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“My Nigger is not here.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I did not tell thee there was anyone here.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, but I saw her go in, and you shut the door -behind her, and if she wa’nt in the barn what did -you nail the door for?”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>“Can not I do what I please with my own barn -door? Now I will tell thee. Thou need trouble -thyself no more, for the person thou art after entered -the front door and went out the back door, and is a -long way from here by this time. Thou and thy -friend must be somewhat fatigued by this time; -won’t thee go in and take a little dinner with me?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>We need not say that this cool invitation of the -good Quaker was not accepted by the slaveholders.</p> - -<p class='c008'>George in the meantime had been taken to a -Friend’s dwelling some miles away, where, after laying -aside his female attire, and being snugly dressed -up in a straight-collared coat, and pantaloons to -match, he was again put on the right road towards -Canada.</p> - -<p class='c008'>His passage through Ohio, by the way of Canfield -and Warren, was uneventful, but at Bloomfield he -was detained several days on account of the presence -of some slave hunters from his own state, and who -had a description of him among others. In this -town is a great marsh or swamp of several thousand -acres, at the time of our story all undrained. In the -center of this swamp, Mr. Brown, the owner, had -erected a small hut, one of the very first special stations -built on the Underground Railroad. To this -secluded retreat George was taken, and there remained -until the departure of his enemies, when he -was safely conveyed to Ashtabula Harbor, whence -he was given free passage, by the veteran agent, -Hubbard, of the Mystic Line in Canada. Arriving -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>at St. Catharines, he began to work upon the farm of -Colonel Strut, and also attended a night school, -where he showed great proficiency in acquiring the -rudiments of an education.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Once beginning to earn money, George did not -forget his promise to use all means in his power to -get Mary out of slavery. He, therefore, labored with -all his might to obtain money with which to employ -some one to go back to Virginia for Mary. After -nearly six month’s labor at St. Catharines, he employed -an English missionary to go and see if the -girl could be purchased, and at what price. The -missionary went accordingly, but returned with the -sad intelligence that on account of Mary’s aiding -George to escape, the court had compelled Mr. Green -to sell her out of the State, and she had been sold to -a Negro-trader and taken to the New Orleans market. -As all hope of getting the girl was now gone, George -resolved to quit the American continent forever. He -immediately took passage in a vessel laden with -timber, bound for Liverpool, and in five weeks from -the time he was standing on a quay of the great -English seaport. With little education, he found -many difficulties in the way of getting a respectable -living. However, he obtained a situation -as porter in a large house in Manchester, where he -worked during the day, and took private lessons at -night. In this way he labored for three years, and -was then raised to the position of clerk. George was -so white as easily to pass for Caucassian, and being -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>somewhat ashamed of his African descent, he never -once mentioned the fact of his having been a slave. -He soon became a partner in the firm that employed -him, and was now on the road to wealth.</p> - -<p class='c008'>In the year 1842, just ten years after, George -Green, for so he called himself, arrived in England, -he visited France, and spent some days at Dunkirk.</p> - -<p class='c008'>It was towards sunset, on a warm day in the -month of October, that Mr. Green, after strolling -some distance from the Hotel de Leon, entered a -burial ground and wandered long alone among the -silent dead, gazing upon the many green graves and -marble tombstones of those who once moved on the -theatre of busy life, and whose sounds of gayety -once fell upon the ear of man. All nature was -hushed in silence, and seemed to partake of the general -melancholy which hung over the quiet resting-place -of departed mortals. After tracing the varied -inscriptions which told the characters or conditions -of the departed, and viewing the mounds beneath -which the dust of mortality slumbered, he had -reached a secluded spot, near to where an aged weeping -willow bowed its thick foliage to the ground, as -though anxious to hide from the scrutinizing gaze of -curiosity the grave beneath it. Mr. Green seated -himself upon a marble tomb, and began to read -Roscoe’s Leo X., a copy of which he had under his -arm. It was then about twilight, and he had scarcely -read half a page, when he observed a lady dressed in -black, and leading a boy some five years old up one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>of the paths; and as the lady’s black veil was over her -face, he felt somewhat at liberty to eye her more -closely. While looking at her, the lady gave a -scream and appeared to be in a fainting position, -when Mr. Green sprang from his seat in time to save -her from falling to the ground. At this moment an -elderly gentleman was seen approaching with a rapid -step, who, from his appearance, was evidently the -lady’s father, or one intimately connected with her. -He came up, and in a confused manner asked what -was the matter. Mr. Green explained as well as he -could. After taking up the smelling bottle, which -had fallen from her hand, and holding it a short -time to her face, she soon began to revive. During -all this time the lady’s veil had so covered her face -that Mr. Green had not seen it. When she had so -far recovered as to be able to raise her head, she -again screamed, and fell back in the arms of the old -man. It now appeared quite certain that either the -countenance of George Green, or some other object, -was the cause of these fits of fainting; and the old -gentleman, thinking it was the former, in rather a -petulant tone, said, “I will thank you, sir, if you -will leave us alone.” The child whom the lady was -leading had now set up a squall; and amid the -death-like appearance of the lady, the harsh look of -the old man, and the cries of the boy, Mr. Green left -the grounds and returned to his hotel.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Whilst seated by the window, and looking out -upon the crowded street, with every now and then -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>the strange scene in the grave-yard vividly before -him, Mr. Green thought of the book he had been -reading, and remembering that he had left it on the -tomb, where he had suddenly dropped it when -called to the assistance of the lady, he immediately -determined to return in search of it. After a walk of -some twenty minutes, he was again over the spot -where he had been an hour before, and from where -he had been so uncermoniously expelled by the old -man. He looked in vain for the book; it was nowhere -to be found; nothing save the bouquet which -the lady had dropped, and which lay half buried in -the grass from having been trodden upon, indicated -that any one had been there that evening. Mr. -Green took up the bunch of flowers, and again returned -to the hotel.</p> - -<p class='c008'>After passing a sleepless night, and hearing the -clock strike six, he dropped into a sweet sleep, from -which he did not awake until roused by the rap of a -servant, who, entering the room, handed him a note -which ran as follows:—</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Sir: I owe an apology for the inconvenience to which -you were subjected last evening, and if you will honor us -with your presence to dinner to-day at four o’clock, I shall -be most happy to give you due satisfaction. My servant -will be in waiting for you at half-past three.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c012'> - <div>I am, sir, your obedient servant,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>J. Devenant.</span></div> - <div class='line in2'>October 23.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>To George Green, Esq.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The servant who handed this note to Mr. Green -informed him that the bearer was waiting for a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>reply. He immediately resolved to accept the invitation, -and replied accordingly. Who this person was, -and how his name and hotel where he was stopping -had been found out, was indeed a mystery. However, -he waited somewhat impatiently for the hour -when he was to see his new acquaintance, and get -the mysterious meeting in the grave-yard solved.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The clock on the neighboring church had scarcely -ceased striking three, when the servant announced -that a carriage had called for Mr. Green. In less -than half an hour he was seated in a most sumptuous -barouche, drawn by two beautiful iron grays, -and rolling along over a splendid gravel road, completely -shaded by large trees which appeared to have -been the accumulated growth of centuries. The -carriage soon stopped in front of a low villa, and this -too was imbedded in magnificent trees covered with -moss. Mr. Green alighted and was shown into a -superb drawing-room, the walls of which were hung -with fine specimens from the hands of the great -Italian painters, and one by a German artist representing -a beautiful monkish legend connected with -“The Holy Catharine,” an illustrious lady of Alexandra. -The furniture had an antique and dignified -appearance. High-backed chairs stood around the -room; a venerable mirror stood on the mantle shelf; -rich curtains of crimson damask hung in folds at -either side of the large windows; and a rich Turkish -carpet covered the floor. In the center stood a table -covered with books, in the midst of which was an -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>old-fashioned vase filled with fresh flowers, whose -fragrance was exceedingly pleasant. A faint light, -together with the quietness of the hour, gave a -beauty, beyond description, to the whole scene.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Mr. Green had scarcely seated himself upon the -sofa, when the elderly gentleman whom he had met -the previous evening made his appearance, followed -by the little boy, and introduced himself as Mr. -Devenant. A moment more, and a lady—a beautiful -brunette—dressed in black, with long curls of a -chestnut color hanging down her cheeks, entered the -room. Her eyes were of a dark hazel, and her whole -appearance indicated that she was a native of a -southern clime. The door at which she entered was -opposite to where the two gentlemen were seated. -They immediately arose; and Mr. Devenant was in -the act of introducing her to Mr. Green, when he observed -that the latter had sunk back upon the sofa, -and the last word that he remembered to have heard -was, “It is she.” After this all was dark and dreary; -how long he remained in this condition it was for -another to tell. When he awoke he found himself -stretched upon the sofa with his boots off, his neckerchief -removed, shirt-collar unbuttoned, and his head -resting upon a pillow. By his side sat the old man, -with the smelling bottle in one hand, and a glass of -water in the other, and the little boy standing at the -foot of the sofa. As soon as Mr. Green had so far -recovered as to be able to speak, he said:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Where am I, and what does this mean?”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>“Wait awhile,” replied the old man, “and I will -tell you all.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>After a lapse of some ten minutes he rose from the -sofa, adjusted his apparel, and said:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I am now ready to hear anything you have to -say.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“You were born in America?” said the old man.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes,” he replied.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“And you were acquainted with a girl named -Mary?” continued the old man.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, and I loved her as I can love none other.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“That lady whom you met so mysteriously last -evening is Mary,” replied Mr. Devenant.</p> - -<p class='c008'>George Green was silent, but the fountains of mingled -grief and joy stole out from beneath his eyelashes, -and glistened like pearls upon his pale and -marble-like cheeks. At this juncture the lady again -entered the room. Mr. Green sprang from the sofa, -and they fell into each other’s arms, to the surprise -of the old man and little George, and to the amusement -of the servants, who had crept up one by one, -and were hidden behind the doors or loitering in -the hall. When they had given vent to their feelings, -they resumed their seats, and each in turn related -the adventures through which they had -passed.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“How did you find out my name and address?” -asked Mr. Green.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“After you had left us in the grave-yard, our little -George said, ‘O, mamma, if there ain’t a book!’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>and picked it up and brought it to us. Papa opened -it, and said, ‘The gentleman’s name is written in it, -and here is a card of the Hotel de Leon, where I suppose -he is stopping.’ Papa wished to leave the book, -and said it was all a fancy of mine that I had ever -seen you before, but I was perfectly convinced that -you were my own George Green. Are you married?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No, I am not.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Then, thank God!” exclaimed Mrs. Devenant, -for such her name.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The old man, who had been silent all this time, -said:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Now, sir, I must apologize for the trouble you -were put to last evening.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“And are you single now?” asked Mr. Green, -addressing the lady.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes,” she replied.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“This is indeed the Lord’s doings,” said Mr. Green, -at the same time bursting into a flood of tears.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Although Mr. Devenant was past the age when -men should think upon matrimonial subjects, yet -this scene brought vividly before his eyes the days -when he was a young man, and had a wife living, -and he thought it was time to call their attention to -dinner, which was then waiting. We need scarcely -add that Mr. Green and Mrs. Devenant did very little -towards diminishing the dinner that day.</p> - -<p class='c008'>After dinner the lovers (for such we have to call -them) gave their experience from the time that -George Green left the jail, dressed in Mary’s clothes. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>Up to that time Mr. Green’s was substantially as we -have related it. Mrs. Devenant’s was as follows:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“The night after you left the prison,” she said, -“I did not shut my eyes in sleep. The next morning, -about eight o’clock, Peter, the gardener, came to -the jail to see if I had been there the night before, -and was informed that I had left a little after dark. -About an hour after, Mr. Green came himself, and I -need not say that he was much surprised on finding -me there, dressed in your clothes. This was the -first tidings they had of your escape.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“What did Mr. Green say when he found that I -had fled?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O,” continued Mrs. Devenant, “he said to me -when no one was near, ‘I hope George will get off, -but I fear you will have to suffer in his stead.’ I -told him that if it must be so I was willing to die if -you could live.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>At this moment George Green burst into tears, -threw his arms around her neck, and exclaimed, “I -am glad I have waited so long, with the hope of -meeting you again.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Mrs. Devenant again resumed her story: “I was -kept in jail three days, during which time I was visited -by the magistrates and two of the judges. On -the third day I was taken out, and master told me -that I was liberated upon condition that I be immediately -sent out of the State. There happened to be, -just at that time, in the neighborhood, a Negro-trader, -and he purchased me and I was taken to New -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>Orleans. On the steamboat we were kept in a close -room where slaves are usually confined, so that I -saw nothing of the passengers on board, or the towns -we passed. We arrived at New Orleans, and were -all put in the slave market for sale. I was examined -by many persons, but none seemed willing to purchase -me; as all thought me too white, and said I -would run away and pass as a white woman. On -the second day, while in the slave market, and while -planters and others were examining slaves and making -their purchases, I observed a tall young man -with long black hair eyeing me very closely, and -then talking to the trader. I felt sure that my time -had now come, but the day closed without my being -sold. I did not regret this, for I had heard that -foreigners made the worst of masters, and I felt confident -that the man who eyed me so closely was not -an American.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“The next day was the Sabbath. The bells called -the people to the different places of worship. Methodists -sang, and Baptists immersed, and Presbyterians -sprinkled, and Episcopalians read their prayers, -while the ministers of the various sects preached -that Christ died for all; yet there were some twenty-five -or thirty of us poor creatures confined in the -‘Negro-Pen,’ awaiting the close of the holy Sabbath -and the dawn of another day, to be again taken into -the market, there to be examined like so many -beasts of burden. I need not tell you with what -anxiety we waited for the advent of another day. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>On Monday we were again brought out, and placed -in rows to be inspected; and, fortunately for me, I -was sold before we had been on the stand an hour. -I was purchased by a gentleman residing in the city, -for a waiting-maid for his wife, who was just on the -eve of starting for Mobile, to pay a visit to a near -relative. I was dressed to suit the situation of a -maid-servant; and, upon the whole, I thought that -in my new dress I looked as much the lady as my -mistress.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“On the passage to Mobile, who should I see, -among the passengers, but the tall, long-haired man -that had eyed me so closely in the slave market a -few day before. His eyes were again on me, and he -appeared anxious to speak to me, and I as reluctant -to be spoken to. The first evening after leaving -New Orleans, soon after twilight had let her curtain -down, while I was seated on the deck of the boat, -near the ladies’ cabin, looking upon the rippled -waves, and the reflection of the moon upon the sea, -all at once I saw the tall young man standing by my -side. I immediately arose from my seat, and was in -the act of returning to the cabin, when he in broken -accent said:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘Stop a moment; I wish to have a word with -you. I am your friend.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I stopped and looked him full in the face, and -he said, ‘I saw you some days since in the slave -market, and I intended to have purchased you to -save you from the condition of a slave. I called on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>Monday, but you had been sold and had left the -market. I inquired and learned who the purchaser -was, and that you had to go to Mobile, so I resolved -to follow you. If you are willing I will try and buy -you from your present owner, and you shall be free.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Although this was said in an honest and offhand -manner, I could not believe the man was sincere -in what he said.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘Why should you wish to set me free?’ I asked.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘I had an only sister,’ he replied, ‘who died -three years ago in France, and you are so much like -her that, had I not known of her death, I would -most certainly have taken you for her.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘However much I may resemble your sister, you -are aware that I am not her, and why take so much -interest in one whom you have never seen before?’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘The love,’ said he, ‘which I had for my sister is -transferred to you.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I had all along suspected that the man was a -knave, and his profession of love confirmed me in -my former belief, and I turned away and left him.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“The next day, while standing in the cabin and -looking through the window, the French gentleman -(for such he was) came to the window, while walking -on the guards, and again commenced as on the -previous evening. He took from his pocket a bit of -paper and put it into my hand, at the same time -saying:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘Take this; it may some day be of service to -you. Remember it is from a friend,’ and left me -instantly.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>“I unfolded the paper and found it to be a $100 -bank note, on the United States Branch Bank, at -Philadelphia. My first impulse was to give it to my -mistress, but upon a second thought, I resolved to -seek an opportunity, and to return the hundred dollars -to the stranger. Therefore I looked for him, but -in vain; and had almost given up the idea of seeing -him again, when he passed me on the guards of the -boat and walked towards the stern of the vessel. It -being nearly dark I approached him and offered the -money to him.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“He declined, saying at the same time, ‘I gave it -you—keep it.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘I do not want it,’ I said.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘Now,’ said he, ‘you had better give your consent -for me to purchase you, and you shall go with -me to France.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘But you cannot buy me now,’ I replied, ‘for -my master is in New Orleans, and he purchased me -not to sell, but to retain in his own family.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘Would you rather remain with your present -mistress than to be free?’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘No,’ said I.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘Then fly with me to-night; we shall be in Mobile -in two hours from this time, and when the passengers -are going on shore, you can take my arm, -and you can escape unobserved. The trader who -brought you to New Orleans exhibited to me a certificate -of your good character, and one from the -minister of the church to which you were attached -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>in Virginia; and upon the faith of these assurances, -and the love I bear you, I promise before high -heaven that I will marry you as soon as it can be -done.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“This solemn promise, coupled with what had -already transpired, gave me confidence in the man; -and, rash as the act may seem, I determined in an -instant to go with him. My mistress had been put -under the charge of the captain; and as it would be -past ten o’clock when the steamer would land, she -accepted an invitation of the captain to remain on -board with several other ladies till morning.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I dressed myself in my best clothes, and put a -veil over my face, and was ready on the landing of -the boat. Surrounded by a number of passengers, -we descended the stage leading to the wharf and -were soon lost in the crowd that thronged the quay. -As we went on shore we encountered several persons -announcing the names of hotels, the starting of boats -for the interior, and vessels bound for Europe. -Among these was the ship Utica, Captain Pell, bound -for Havre.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘Now,’ said Mr. Devenant, ‘this is our chance.’</p> - -<p class='c008'>“The ship was to sail at twelve o’clock that night, -at high tide; and following the men who were seeking -passengers, we were immediately on board. Devenant -told the captain of the ship that I was his -sister, and for such we passed during the long voyage. -At the hour of twelve the Utica set sail, and -we were soon out at sea.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>“The morning after we left Mobile, Devenant met -me as I came from my state-room and embraced me -for the first time. I loved him, but it was only that -affection which we have for one who has done us a -lasting favor; it was the love of gratitude rather than -that of the heart. We were five weeks on the sea, -and yet the passage did not seem long, for Devenant -was so kind. On our arrival at Havre, we were married -and came to Dunkirk, and I have resided here -ever since.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>At the close of this narrative, the clock struck ten, -when the old man, who was accustomed to retire at -an early hour, rose to take leave, saying at the same -time:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I hope you will remain with us to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Mr. Green would fain have excused himself, on -the ground that they would expect him and wait at -the hotel, but a look from the lady told him to accept -the invitation. The old man was the father of -Mrs. Devenant’s deceased husband, as you will no -doubt long since have supposed.</p> - -<p class='c008'>A fortnight from the day on which they met in the -grave-yard Mr. Green and Mrs. Devenant were joined -in holy wedlock; so that George and Mary, who -had loved each other so ardently in their younger -days, were now husband and wife.</p> - -<p class='c008'>A celebrated writer has justly said of women: -“A woman’s whole life is a history of affections. -The heart is her world; it is there her ambition -strives for empire; it is there her avarice seeks for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>hidden treasures. She sends forth her sympathies -on adventure; she embarks her whole soul in the -traffic of affection; and if shipwrecked, her case is -hopeless, for it is bankruptcy of the heart.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Mary had every reason to believe that she would -never see George again; and although she confessed -that the love she bore him was never transferred to -her first husband, we can scarcely find fault with her -for marrying Mr. Devenant. But the adherence of -George Green to the resolution never to marry, unless -to his Mary, is, indeed, a rare instance of the -fidelity of man in the matter of love. We can but -blush for our country’s shame, when we call to mind -the fact, that while George and Mary Green, and -numbers of other fugitives from American slavery, -could receive protection from any of the governments -of Europe, they could not in safety return to their -own land until countless treasure, untold suffering -and anguish, and the life blood of half a million -men, had been paid as the price of the bondman’s -chain.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER V.<br /> <span class='large'>HOW SOL. JONES WAS LEFT.</span></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c014'>I.</h3> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c015'>During the decade of the thirties, and for -years afterward, there resided on an affluent -of the Rappahannock, in Culpepper county, Virginia, -one Solomon Jones. Mr. Jones was the inheritor -of an estate with all that term would imply -fifty years ago in the “Old Dominion”—numerous -slaves, the F. F. V. idea of domination of race, and -those false conceptions of right begotten of “chattel” -ownership. Though naturally possessed of many -excellent traits of character, he was harsh and unrelenting -towards those who sustained to him the relation -of property.</p> - -<p class='c008'>On the little stream running through his domain -he had erected a grist mill for his own accommodation -and the profit to be derived therefrom in doing -the work of his neighbors, and in supplying adjacent -towns with the product of his mill; for Solomon -had business tact and push far beyond his -surroundings and time.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The business of distributing his merchandise was -entrusted to a mulatto named Sam, who traveled far -and near in the discharge of his duties, and being a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>shrewd, intelligent fellow, was enabled to pick up -much valuable information relative to the ways of -the outside world.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The estate also possessed a blacksmith in the person -of a stalwart negro, Peter, who rejoiced in no -drop of Caucassian blood. The wife of each of these -men was respectively the sister of the other, but -Dinah, the wife of Sam, for some reason history has -not recorded, was a free woman, and both families -were childless. This fact was not at all pleasing to -the owner of the plantation, and became the source -of much annoyance and abuse as the master saw less -and less prospect of replenishing his coffers from the -sale or labor of a second generation.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Stung by the continued upbraidings and base advances -of “Old Sol,” as Jones ultimately came to be -called, the two families began seriously to discuss -the propriety of <i>emigrating</i> Northward. The knowledge -picked up by Sam now became available. He -had heard much in his journeyings of the methods -of escape, and the courses pursued, and having unlimited -control of the teams about the mill and a -general acquaintance for miles away was, consequently, -deemed the proper person to direct the escape. -Acting upon his advice the women quietly -laid in such a stock of provisions as would suffice -them for several days, together with so much of -clothing as was deemed indispensable. Thus equipped, -one Saturday night, in July, 1843, the men -saddled two of the best horses on the plantation and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>with their wives mounted behind them set out and -by daylight were far away among the mountains to -the northwestward. A halt was made for the day in -a secluded ravine where some pasturage was found, -and again at night they pushed vigorously on, putting -two nights of fleet travel between them and the -plantation before their flight was discovered, as the -master and family were absent and none other had -thought of inquiring into their whereabouts.</p> - -<p class='c008'>On returning to his home on Monday, Mr. Jones -learned of the absence of Peter from the smithy, Sam -from his accustomed duties and the women from the -cabins, and the conviction flashed upon him that he -was minus three valuable pieces of property, and -when the disappearance of his best horses was ascertained, -his wrath knew no bounds. A plan of search -was instituted, but before it was thoroughly organized, -two or three more days had elapsed.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Meanwhile, the fugitives were making their way -rapidly towards the Ohio river which they crossed -with little difficulty a short distance below Wheeling, -and were soon threading the hill country of Southeastern -Ohio. Arriving in Harrison county after the -lapse of some twenty days, they thought they might -safely betake themselves to the more public highway -and to daylight. Here was their mistake, for on -the first day of this public exhibition of confidence, -when a few miles north of Cadiz, they looked back -and a short distance in the rear beheld “Ol’ Massa” -and two or three men in pursuit. They betook -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>themselves to the adjacent woods and all but Sam -succeeded in escaping. He, poor fellow, was captured -and lodged in jail at Cadiz whilst the pursuit -of the others was continued, but in vain; for avoiding -every human habitation and moving only under -cover of night they pushed forward and reached the -home of a Mr. Williams, a Quaker, residing near -Massillon, where Sam’s wife learned of his capture, -and bidding good-bye to the others, retraced her -footsteps slowly to her Virginian home, expecting -to find her husband. Not so however.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>II.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Immediately a portion of the people of Cadiz -found a slave had been incarcerated in the jail for -safe keeping, whilst the master was in search of -others, they sued out a writ of <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">habeas corpus</span></i>, and there -being none to appear against the prisoner or show -cause why he should not be released, he was soon set -at liberty by the judge. Grown wiser by experience, -he betook himself to the cover of forests, secluded -pathways and darkness and all trace of him was -soon lost.</p> - -<p class='c008'>After a vain search for the others, Mr. Jones returned -to Cadiz only to find that the official cage had -been opened and that his bird was flown. His imprecations -upon the devoted town were terrible, but -no damage was done farther than shocking moral -and religious sensibilities, and when the ebullitions -of his wrath had somewhat subsided he returned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>home, where in a few days he was accosted by Sam’s -faithful Dinah, whom he most impiously rebuffed -when she inquired as to the whereabouts of her husband.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>III.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Infused with the hope of making a fortune out of -the Morus multicaulis speculation which spread as -a craze over the country during the later years of the -decade, there came to Massillon, from the east, in -1837, Cyrus Ford, a man of progressive ideas, who -soon associated himself with the Quakers of the -neighborhood in acts of underground philanthropy. -His hopes with regard to mulberry riches failed, but -his fears with respect to the ague was more than realized, -as he imbibed the dense malarial exhalations -arising from the Tuscarawas to such an extent as to -shake him in his boots, and in 1841 he abandoned the -valley and settled himself on a purchase east of what -was then known as “Doan’s Corners,” now East -Cleveland, a short distance from where Adelbert College -stands. For years he resided in an unpretentious -house situated just in front of the site of the -present hospitable home of his son, Horace Ford, -Esq., Euclid Avenue.</p> - -<p class='c008'>One September morning, in 1843, young Horace -had been started early after the cows, but scarcely -had he left the door when, in the early dawn, he -was hailed from the roadside. Approaching the -caller he found standing at the gateway the Williams -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>turnout from Massillon, and on the box the old -gentleman’s son Ed, a young man about his own -age.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“What’s up, Ed?” said young Ford.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Not much. Don’t thee see the curtains are -down?” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O, ah, I see.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Not exactly thee don’t, for them curtains are -opaque, but there are two persons within for whom, -as we believe, search is now being made in town -yonder. Massillon was thoroughly searched, and it -was not until last evening we dared to start out. -Thee and thy father must now provide for the poor -beings and see them off to the Queen’s Dominion.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Without further ceremony Peter Jones and Mary, -his wife, were bidden to alight and in a few minutes -were safely secreted on the premises of Mr. Ford.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>IV.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>On Seneca street, in that early day, near the present -site of the criminal court rooms stood John Bell’s -barber-shop, the more euphonious term, “tonsorial -parlors,” being then all unknown. John was a sterling, -wide awake darkie, and for years one of the -<i>principal forwarding agents</i> in the growing city. To -him during the day young Ford applied for transportation -for the arrival of the morning, but was -informed that matters were entirely too hot to undertake -their shipment at that time, but that he should -wait until the third evening and then bring them in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>promptly at nine o’clock and he would have everything -ready for their transfer. They were taken into -the city in accordance with this arrangement and in -thirty minutes were out on the blue waters of Erie -duly headed for Canada.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Scarcely three weeks had elapsed when the Williams’ -establishment again stood at the gate of Mr. -Ford, this time having brought Sam who had succeeded -after weary watchings in reaching the Quaker -settlement at Massillon. He was anxious to tarry -and wait the coming of his wife, who he thought -could be duly appraised of his whereabouts by letter. -To this end he gave young Horace the name of a -friend to whom he could safely write and inform her -of his escape from jail and safe arrival at the lake. -Dr. Edwin Cowles, Jarvis F. Hanks and Cornelius -Coakly were called in to advise in the matter and it -was unanimously agreed that Sam should go forward, -and if his wife could be found she was to be -sent to him as soon as possible. In accordance with -this decision Sam went to Canada, but much to the -surprise of Mr. Ford returned in about three weeks, -almost frantic for the recovery of his wife. A second -letter was written, advising the unknown friend of -Sam’s whereabouts.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Awaiting an answer, Sam went to work for Mr. -Ford chopping upon the sloping hillside a short distance -west of the site of the Garfield Monument. -He had been engaged thus about a month when the -Williams carriage again drove up, this time bringing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>Dinah, whose meeting with her husband was of a -most emotional character, manifested in shouts and -praises and thanksgiving to God, and choicest blessings -called down upon the head of Horace whose -second epistle had reached its destination, on receipt of -which she had immediately set out on her long -journey to join him. In a day or two the twain -were forwarded to Canada. Immediately on their -departure, the junior Ford mailed the following:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>“Cleveland, O.</span>, Dec. —, 1843.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><i>Solomon Jones, Esq.</i></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Dear Sir:—I have seen your chattels, Pete, Mary and Sam, -safe off for Canada. If I can serve you any farther, I am at -your command.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Truly, ——”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VI.<br /> <span class='large'>EDWARD HOWARD.</span></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c014'>I.</h3> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c015'>“I say, Ed, if you get away with me, it will have -to be done soon.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, Massa Coppoc; da’s ’ginnin’ to spishun you -right smart.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I know that, Ed, and if you are ready to strike -for freedom to-night, we will see what can be done. -If not, I must be off.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, Massa, dis chil’ am ready. Him no lan’ -to sell, no truck to ’spose of, no wife an’ chil’n to -’cupy his detention, an’ he ’queaths his ’sitiashun to -any one wat wants it.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Very well, Ed, as soon as all is quiet, meet me at -the shed in your Sunday best; and now be off.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Suah, sartin, bof, Massa Coppoc.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The above conversation took place about twenty -miles back from Ohio between a young Buckeye who -was ostensibly vending some kind of wares among -the F. F. V’s., but really paving the way to that -startling episode at Harper’s Ferry, in which he, a -few years later, played so conspicuous a part; and a -genuine descendant of Ham, after the real Virginian -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>type, quaint, ungainly, and standing about six feet -six, and rejoicing in the sobriquet, Ed. Howard.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Coppoc had been some little time in the neighborhood, -and the impression began to prevail that his -presence boded no guaranty of the retention of movable -property. This his shrewd eye had perceived, -and his resolve to rescue Ed. led to the above conversation, -the conclusion of a series that had transpired -between them.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>II.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Eleven o’clock came, and with it a <i>black cloud</i>, -which completely cut off all sight of the twinkling -stars from a man who stood pensively listening, beneath -an old shed that stood back on the plantation, -and from the cloud, “a still small voice saying:” “Is -you heah, Massa Coppoc?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Here, Ed., and now follow me without a word,” -saying which he led the way to a pasture field where -two fleet horses were soon bridled and saddled, and -the two men rode deliberately away. Once out of the -neighborhood their speed was quickened, and long -before daybreak the horses were turned loose a short -distance out from Wheeling. Entering the city they -proceeded directly to the wharf, where a boat was -found just leaving for Pittsburgh. On this they took -passage, as master and servant, for Wellsville.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Once in the latter place, Ed. was consigned to the -shipping department of the <i>Road</i>, and young Coppoc -hastened to his home, near Salem, conscious that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>confusion would likely follow as a result of last -night’s ride.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>III.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Daylight crept slowly over the Virginian hills, and -when it was ascertained that Ed. and the two best -horses were gone, there was a commotion indeed. -A rally was at once made, and dogs and men put -upon the track, and about noon the horses were -found near where they had been turned loose, but -no trace of the fugitives could be obtained for some -little time, owing to the hour in which they took the -boat, but at length some one reported having seen -two such persons take the night packet up the river. -Taking advantage of the first steamer up, Ed’s master -hastened to Pittsburgh, where he learned of the -debarkation of his <i>property</i>, and returned to Wellsville -on the first boat.</p> - -<p class='c008'>In the meantime there had come down from the -immediate vicinity of Salem, a Mr. Pennock, a blacksmith, -the owner of a small farm. Going to the -river town several times in the year for his supplies, -Mr. Pennock had fitted a long close box, opening in the -rear, to his “running gears” and in this the bars of -iron were thrust, frequently of such length as to project -several feet.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Now it so happened that the day after Ed. was -left in Wellsville, Mr. Pennock went in for a supply -of iron. When he had made his purchase and was -about to return to his hotel, the dealer, who like Mr. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>Pennock, was an underground man, said, “See here. -Pennock, I’ve a <i>soft bar</i> about six feet and a half -long, I’d like to send up to Bonsall.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“How much does it weigh?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“About one sixty, I’d judge.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“That will make me a deal of a load, besides I -don’t see how it can be done.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“You can leave that to me.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Where is it; I’d like to see how it looks.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No, that will not do. It is in Excelsior Station -and the probabilities are there will be vigorous efforts -made to recapture it, so you must ‘eyes off.’ If you -undertake the carrying I will see to the rest.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“All right.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>That night there was made a little readjustment of -the wagon box, some hay and a blanket were placed -on top of the projecting bars and there, extended at -full length, was the form of Edward Howard, when -in the early morning Mr. Pennock was ready to depart.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Meanwhile his master had procured from a Virginia -friend, a couple of good horses and himself as -an assistant, and entered Wellsville on the morning -of Mr. Pennock’s departure. After a half day’s fruitless -search with the aid of an officer, they became -satisfied that the object of their regard had been forwarded, -so they took the road north. Overtaking -the old blacksmith with his iron rattling along, they -enquired, “Have you seen any nigger along the -road?”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>“What kind of a one was he?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Why a black one with a woolly head, tall and -slim like a d—d yankee bean pole.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, gentlemen, I haven’t seen no such a one, -indeed I have seen none at all.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, have you heard of any?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I’ve not heard the word nigger since I left home, -two days ago, until now.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Where are you from?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Salem, and like enough you’ll find him there, -for they say them Bonsalls keeps a power of runaways.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, we’re going up to see. Good day, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Good day, gentleman,” and each party pursued -its way.</p> - -<p class='c008'>That night Pennock stayed at the “Old Buckeye -House,” New Lisbon, the wagon was run into the -barn, and at a proper hour the “soft bar” was taken -out and placed in the hay-mow, “to prevent rust,” as -the blacksmith facetiously remarked to his friend -Boniface. The next day on arriving home, he -learned his interlocutors had preceded him some -hours, and were registered at one of the taverns as -cattle buyers or drovers rather, where young Coppoc -had caught a glimpse of them, and informed his -friends of their real character.</p> - -<p class='c008'>On the morrow the pseudo dealers called on a -neighboring farmer and desired to be introduced -among the best stock raisers of the vicinity.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Thee had better be leaving these parts, gentlemen,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>said the honest Quaker, to whom the appeal -was made. “If thee knows when thee is well off, -for thy errand is understood, and thee will have the -Coppocs and the Bonsalls down on thee in an hour, -and I could not assure thy lives for a moment when -they come.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>There was no parley, but two horses were headed -southward, and none too soon, for in a short time -half a dozen young men armed to the teeth, rode up -and inquired for the strangers. When informed of -their departure they started in pursuit. Then began -one of the most exciting races ever witnessed in -Columbian county. The pursued had smelled mischief -in the air, and away they flew, and after them -the pursuers, dashing over hill and across valley, -occasionally catching glimpses of each other, until -the whole distance to the Ohio was passed. Reaching -Gardiner’s Ferry, at East Liverpool, the Southerners -put their jaded horses aboard the boat and -were soon on the sacred soil of Virginia. When -Gardiner returned the other party was in waiting, but -reluctantly took his advice to remain on the soil of -their native state.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>IV.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>All apprehension of immediate danger removed, -Ed., who, by the advice of Coppoc, assumed the -name “Sam,” remained quietly at Mr. Pennock’s for -some time, in fact, made it his headquarters for the -winter, working for his board and doing odd jobs, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>from the proceeds of which he purchased some -clothes and a long smooth-bore rifle, of which he -was passionately fond, and with which he practiced -much, often repeating, “I shall put a hole through -the man suah, who comes to claim that ’wa’d,” for -the whole region from the river to the lake had been -flooded with bills minutely describing him and -offering $500 for his apprehension.</p> - -<p class='c008'>When spring fairly opened he made up his mind -to seek the Queen’s Dominion as rapidly as possible, -and accordingly packed his few effects in a bandana, -threw “’Tection,” as he called his smooth-bore, -across his shoulder, and proceeded cautiously northward.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Arriving at Warren, he sought the home of a -colored family that had been pointed out to him as -a safe retreat. Approaching the door, he heard a -number of voices, which he recognized by the melody -as being of his kind, singing with great gusto:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in4'>“Matthew’s saint</div> - <div class='line in4'>Without putty or paint,</div> - <div class='line'>And Joel’s a prophet, we know it;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Whatever they say</div> - <div class='line in4'>Don’t refuse to obey,</div> - <div class='line'>But shut up your eyes and go it,”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>words perpetrated by one John Morley on two distinguished -local politicians of the Democratic persuasion -of the period of ’56, and very popular as -part of a campaign song.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Fully assured by the style of the singing, Sam, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>only name he now recognized, made his presence -known and was cordially received by the colored -brethren present, among them the <i>distinguished</i> -tonsorial artist, Prof. A. L. C. Day, and Benjamin F. -Scott, familiarly known as “Old Ben,” a darkey -whose cupidity and avarice knew no bounds. Recognizing -in Sam, as he believed, the Edward Howard -of the hand-bill, he began planning for the reward.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Ascertaining what was up, Dr. D. B. Woods and -Postmaster Webb, two sterling Democrats, got possession -of Sam and took him to a by-road about two -miles out of town, where they enjoined him to keep -away from the more public highways and proceed -about twenty miles north where he would find a -colored man named Jenkins, in whom he could rely.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Whilst the doctor and his friend were thus -humanely engaged, the colored brethren of Warren -took Old Ebony out of town and so severely flogged -him that his back presented the appearance of a -genuine plantation administration. Determined to -realize something for his time and pains, the old sinner -proceeded to the northern part of the county -and palmed himself off as a genuine fugitive, and so -adroitly did he play the role as to secure twelve or -fifteen dollars before the counterfeit was detected.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As for Sam, he took the advice of his Democratic -deliverers, and in due time found himself under the -hospitable roof of “Nigger” Jenkins, as he was more -commonly called, residing in the township of Mesopotamia, -and by him was forwarded to the home of -Joseph Tinan, near the centre of Rome.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>“Uncle Joe” was a famous agent in his day. -Tall and imposing in appearance, and of more than -ordinary intelligence, he commanded universal respect, -and so pronounced were his opinions on the -curse of slavery that his home had long been recognized -as “Old Reliable Station.” By him Sam was -cordially received, and his <i>arm</i> carefully inspected. -Then the old gentleman would have Sam make an -exhibition of his skill as a marksman. So well did -the efforts of his temporary ward please him, that -Uncle Joe was constrained to show him the armory -of the “Black String Band,” an organization that -had then but recently sprung into existence and having -for its more immediate object the protection of -John Brown, should his arrest be attempted. The -distinctive badge of this band was a small black cord, -used instead of a button in fastening the shirt collar. -Hence the name.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The sight of the glittering barrels made Sam’s -eyes fairly dance with delight, and he exclaimed, -“Massa Coppoc say thay’s gwine to be wah an’ de -cullud pussons will all be free.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O no, Sam, there’s going to be no war. These -guns are for another purpose.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Little did Uncle Joe, well as he was posted, know -of the ultimate plans of Old Osawatomie. His -dusky visitor was even a little in advance of him -with regard to what was already fomenting in Dixie.</p> - -<p class='c008'>In the northwest part of Andover, Ohio, resides an -old patriarch, Jehaziel Carpenter, familiarly known -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>as “the Deacon,” now numbering his over ninety -summers. For over sixty years he has tenanted on -the same farm, and his home has ever been one of -the broadest hospitality, and to none more so than -to the panting fugitive. Just a little way off stands -the rather tall, old-fashioned country house of his -former neighbor, Garlic, whose language never betrayed -the fact that he had any official church relation. -In fact we think his name, significant as it -was, had no place on the muster roll of the church -militant, and yet he was <i>game</i> in many a hard fight -for truth and righteousness.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>V.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Cleveland and vicinity was flooded with circulars, -advertising a man, wife and child, who had been -traced to that city, and offering a large reward for -their delivery to the reputed owner. Friend and foe -were alike on the lookout. Efforts were making by -the one to secure them a passage across the lake, -whilst the other was as assiduously watching every -vessel to prevent their escape.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Thus matters stood when the man, Martin by -name, looking out of an upper window, espied his -master among the passers by on Water street. This -being communicated to those who had them in -charge, it was at once determined the family should -not be shipped by lake.</p> - -<p class='c008'>That night, when all was quiet and still, a close carriage -passed out Pittsburgh street, and before daylight -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>Martin and his wife were in safe quarters near -Chagrin Falls. Thence they were taken the next -night to the home of Mr. Cook, in Middlefield, and -as rapidly transmitted by him to a pious old deacon’s -in Gustavus.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VI.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Night had settled down over village and farm -house; Deacon Jehaziel’s evening prayers had been -said and he was quietly dreaming of the time</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“When you and I were young, Maggie,”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>and Garlic, just returned from Jefferson, had turned -his horse into the pasture, when up to the door of -each came a vehicle. Garlic at once recognized the -horse of the old Baptist Boanerges, Tinan, from -Rome, whilst the deacon was aroused by the quieter -voice of his Congregational brother from Gustavus. -What transpired from this time until the city of Erie -was reached is buried in the tombs of Garlic, a Hayward, -a Gould and a Drury.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VII.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>In the township of Harbor Creek, Pa., east of the -city of Erie, and a short distance out of Wesleyville, -was the farm house of Frank Henry, a man of -medium size, black hair, eyes of the same hue and -sparkling like diamonds, nervous temperament, -quick, wiry and the soul of honor and generosity. -For a young man he was one of the best known and -most efficient conductor-agents in Western Pennsylvania. -About midsummer, 1858, he received the -following note:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span><span class='sc'>Erie</span>, Pa., 51, 7, 5881.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><i>Dear Frank</i>:</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>The mirage lifts Long Point into view. Oooo. Come up -and see the beautiful sight. I can’t promise a view to-morrow.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c012'> - <div>Truly,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='c018'><span class='sc'>Jehiel Towner</span>.</div> - -<p class='c008'>That evening found Mr. Henry early in the presence -of Mr. Towner, inquiring diligently as to the -great <i>natural</i> phenomenon which had brought the -land of the Canucks so distinctly to view.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, yes, it became visible last night about -twelve o’clock, when Drury’s team came in from -Girard bearing three fugitives. They are down in the -‘Retreat Himrod,’ and must be put across the lake -in the shortest and safest possible manner, for parties -in town are on the lookout for them, as all are -liberally advertised. I believe you are just the man -to undertake the transportation. Will you do it?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Are they to go from the ‘Retreat,’ as usual?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Not as usual. So close a watch is kept for them -that it is thought best to send them off and have -them shipped from some point along the beach.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“There’s a big risk, Towner.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, a chance to pay a thousand dollars and see -the inside of the ‘Western’ without charge. But -you know you are to have nothing to do with runaway -niggers. I will just send you some ‘passengers’ -to forward. Shall they be sent?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I shrink from no humanitarian work. Let them -come.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>A few preliminaries were settled and the parties -separated. The next night Hamilton Waters, a -nearly blind mulatto, long a resident of Erie, guided -by a little boy, drove into Mr. Henry’s yard and unloaded -a cargo which the receiver thus describes:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“The old man brought me three of the strangest -looking passengers you ever saw. I can, to-day, -remember how oddly they looked as they clambered -out of the wagon. There was a man they called Sam, -a great strapping fellow, something over thirty years -old, I should say. He was loose jointed, with a -head like a pumpkin and a mouth like a cavern, its -vast circumference always stretched in a glorious -grin; for no matter how bad Sam might feel, the -grin had so grown into his black face that it never -vanished. I remember how, a few nights after, when -the poor fellow was scared just about out of his wits, -that his grin, though a little ghastly, was as broad as -ever. Sam was one of the queerest characters I ever -met. His long arms seemed like wrists, his long -legs all ankles; and when he walked his nether limbs -had a flail-like flop that made him look like a runaway -windmill. The bases upon which rested this -fearfully and wonderfully made superstructure were -abundantly ample. Unlike the forlorn hope who</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘One stocking on one foot he had,</div> - <div class='line'>The other on a shoe,’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'>he on one foot wore an old shoe—at least a number -twelve—and on the other an enormously heavy boot, -and his trouser-legs, by a grim fatality, were similarly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>unbalanced, for while the one was tucked in the -boot-top, its fellow, from knee down, had wholly -vanished. Sam wore a weather-beaten and brimless -‘tile’ on his head, and carried an old-fashioned, -long-barrelled rifle. He set great store by his ‘ole -smooth bo’,’ though he handled it in a gingerly kind -of a way that suggested a greater fear of its kicks -than confidence in its aim.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Sam’s companions were an intelligent-looking -negro about twenty-five, named Martin, and his -wife, a pretty quadroon girl with thin lips and a -pleasant voice, for all the world like Eliza in Uncle -Tom’s Cabin. She carried a plump little picaninny -on her breast, over which a shawl was slightly -drawn. She was an uncommonly attractive young -woman, and I made up my mind then and there -that she shouldn’t be carried back to slavery if I -could help it.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As there was close pursuit, station “Sanctum -Sanctorum” was again called into requisition, though -as it was summer, no draft was made on the church -wood-pile. Here they were kept for several days, -none knowing of their whereabouts except two intimate -friends of Mr. Henry, whose house being under -nightly espionage necessitated their assistance.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Through Wesleyville runs a little stream, Fourmile -Creek, to the lake, and nearly parallel to it a -public highway. From the mouth of this creek it -was proposed to ship the fugitives to Long Point, -Canada, a distance of some thirty-five or forty miles, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>but for some days the wind was unfavorable. At -length one dark and stormy night Mr. Henry received -notice that the wind was favorable and a boat -in readiness.</p> - -<p class='c008'>What was to be done? It would not do for him -to take anything from his house, that would excite -suspicion; the same would be true if he went to the -houses of his friends. Bethinking himself of an -honest Jacksonian Democrat, a man with a generous -heart, residing about half way down to the lake, he -decided to take a venture. Proceeding to the old -church he formed the little party in single file and -marched them through the rain to the door of this -man, familiarly known as “General” Kilpatrick, a -man of giant proportions, and afterwards sheriff of -Erie county.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Rap, rap, rap, went the knuckles of the leader -against the door, which soon stood wide ajar, revealing -the proprietor with a thousand interrogation -points freezing into his face that July night, as he -paused for a moment, one hand holding aloft a candle -whilst the other shaded his eyes as he peered out -upon the wet and shivering crowd gathered about -his doorway, the very picture of dumfounded astonishment. -The situation was soon grasped; he -hustled the party into the house, gave the door a -significant slam and in a pious air that would have -startled even Peter Cartwright, exclaimed, “Henry, -what in hell does this mean?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“It means, General,” replied Mr. Henry, “these -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>are a party of fugitives from slavery I am about -sending to Canada; they are destitute, as you can -see, and closely pursued; their only crime is a desire -for freedom; that young woman and mother has -been sold from her husband and child to a dealer in -the far South for the vilest of purposes, and if recaptured -will be consigned to a life of shame.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Meanwhile the woman’s eyes were pleading eloquently; -whilst a dubious grin overspread the entire -of Sam’s ebony phiz, and the host looked assumedly -fierce and angry as he retorted, “Well, what the d—l -do you want of me?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Clothing and provisions.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“You do, do you?” came back in tones even -gruffer than before. “See here you darkies, this is a -bad job. Canada is full of runaway niggers already. -They’re a-freezin’ and a-starvin’ by thousands. Why, -I was over there t’other day, and saw six niggers -dead by the roadside. More’n forty were strung up -in the trees with the crows feedin’ on their black -carcasses,” and turning to Sam, “<i>You</i> better go back, -d’ye <i>hear</i>! They’ll make your black hide into razor -strops ’nless than a week. I paid a dollar for one -made from a black nigger. They’re sending hundreds -of them across the sea every week.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>During this harangue, Sam was shaking in his -footgear and his eyes rolled widely on the background -of that inexpressible grin. His fingers -clutched convulsively his shooting-iron, and he evidently -didn’t know which to do, turn it upon his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>Democratic entertainer or keep his “powder dry” -for Canuck crows. The woman caught, through -this assumed roughness, the inner heart of the man, -and though she shuddered at the pictures drawn, -and the possibilities of a grave in the lake, yet she -preferred that, or even to be food for the vultures of -Canada, to return to an ignominious servitude.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Then came a strange medley: Blanket and hood—“there, -the huzzy”—a basket of provisions—“d—m -me if I’ll ever help a set of runaway niggers, -no sir, it’s agin my religion”—off came his own coat -and was hurled at the astonished Sam with, “There -you black imp, you’ll find ’em on the Pint waitin’ -for ye; they’ll catch ye and kill ye and skin yer carcass -for a scare-crow and take yer hide for a drum -head, and play ‘God save the Queen’ with your -bones. Yes, sir, I shall see them long shanks converted -into drum-sticks the next time I go over.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>All else being done, he thrust his hands into his -pockets and drawing thence a quantity of change bestowed -it upon the woman, exclaiming, “There, take -that; it will help bury the baby, if you will go. -Better go back, you huzzy; better go back.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Everything ready, the party was shoved out, but -as he passed over the threshold, Sam’s tongue was -loosened, and with the smile all the time deepening, -and the great tears rolling down his sable cheeks, he -broke forth:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Look ’e hyar, Massa, you’s good to we uns, an’ -fo’ de Lo’d I tank you. Ef enny No’then gemmen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>hankah fur my chances in the Souf I’zins in favor -ob de same. For de good Lo’d, I tank you, I do -<i>suah</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Hist, you black rascal,” said the man in the -doorway, “And see here, Henry, remember you -never were at my house with a lot of damned niggers -in the night. Do you understand?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“All right, sir. No man will ever charge you -with abolitionism. If he does, call on me. I can -swear you denounce it in most unmeasured terms.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The rain had now ceased; the stars were out and -the party trudged rapidly down to the lake, caring -little for the mud and wet. The boat was found in -waiting, and Martin and his wife had just waded out -to it when Henry and Sam, standing on the shore, -had their attention attracted by a noise, as the crushing -of a fence-board, and looking to the westward -they saw a man sliding down the bank into the -shadow. Old “’tection” was immediately brought -to aim, so exact that had Henry not struck the barrel -upward just as the trigger was pulled, sending the -ball whistling in the air, there could not have failed -a subject for a “first-class funeral.” The sneak took -to his heels, Sam took to the boat, and Henry stood -long upon the shore peering into the darkness, -catching the rich, mellow tones of Mrs. Martin’s voice -as she warbled forth in real negro minstrelsy, interrupted -by an occasional “’lujah” from Sam as the -boat receded,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>“There is a railrod undergroun’</div> - <div class='line in2'>On which de negroes lope,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ when dey gets dare ticket</div> - <div class='line in2'>Dare hearts is full ob hope;</div> - <div class='line'>De engine nebber whistles</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ de cars dey make no noise,</div> - <div class='line'>But dey carry off de darkies,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Dare wives, an’ girls, an’ boys.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Returning homeward, Mr. Henry traced the human -sleuth-hound by his footsteps in the mud, the -nibbling of his horses where they had been left, and -the marks of his carriage wheels at Wesleyville -where they turned toward Erie, and were lost in the -new made tracks of the early morning marketers.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>VIII.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Time passed; the years of the war came and went; -peace smiled upon the country; John Brown and -young Coppoc slept beneath sodded mounds, whilst -the soul of the former went “marching on,” and the -genial, generous Henry was keeping the lighthouse -on the eastern extremity of Presque Isle, at the entrance -of Erie harbor or bay. Going over to the city -one day he received a letter bearing the Dominion -post-mark. It was without date, and with some -difficulty he deciphered the following:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><i>Dere Ser, Mistur Henri</i>:</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>I’ze glad ter bee abul to rite ye. I’ze dun wel sens dat -nite. I’ze got a wife an’ chilin’. De lor sen me into de ile -kentry bress him and Sam make sum muni. I sen to yer a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>draf for 100 dollars gib fift to de men in de bote an’ kepe 50 -fo’ buks fo’ you one selfe tel de kros man Sam feah no kro -’oz no razr strap, tank de lor.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c012'> - <div>Your lubbin fren Sam,</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='c018'>wo wuz <span class='sc'>Edwud Howud</span>.</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VII.<br /> <span class='large'>PLUCKY CHARLEY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c014'>I.</h3> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c015'>“Cha’ley, I say Cha’ley, a’ my chil’ns gone -’cept you, and Massa’s done gone an’ sol’ -you, and I’ll nebber see you ’gin in a’ dis bressed -wu’l’, nebber! nebber!”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Guess not, mudder; ol’ Massa promised you -when he put de udders in de coffle to keep me -allus.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, Cha’ley, dat am so, but dis bery mornin’ I -hear ’im tell dat unspec’ble trader he’ll sen’ you to -him Monday mornin’ shu’ah, an’ dat he mus’ put -yer in jail till he start de drove fur down de riber. -May de Lor’ help yer my chil’ when yer ol’ mudder’s -ha’t am clean broke.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“De Lor’ help you, mudder; dis chil’ help hisself, -so jus’ gib me my dinnah, mudder, fo’ I mus go to -de fiel’ to do Massa’s arran’ to de boss.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Had the ear of the reader been present in the little -back kitchen of a fine plantation residence in Loudoun -county, Virginia, in the autumn of 1855, the above -conversation might have been heard between a -colored woman rather past middle life and her son, -an athletic young man of about twenty years of age, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>as they conversed in low tones. The woman had -long been the cook in the family and had lived to -see her husband and all her children except Charley, -the youngest, sold for the southern market, joined in -the coffle like so many beasts and driven away.</p> - -<p class='c008'>To alleviate her agony, she had been promised that -Charley should ever remain with her, and resting in -this promise she had toiled unrepiningly on, whilst -the growing lad had been kept as a kind of boy-of-all -chores about the house, going occasionally, as a -kind of body servant with his master to Washington, -Baltimore and Wheeling, thus being enabled, by -close observation, to pick up a little general knowledge.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Thus things had passed until the morning of the -day in question, when she accidently overheard the -sale of the boy, and with an aching heart communicated -the news to him as he came to the kitchen as -usual for his dinner. How earnestly her mother’s -heart may have prayed that the Lord would open up -a way of escape for her darling boy no one can tell, -neither does it matter, for no sooner was the fact of -the sale communicated to him than the mental resolve -of the youth was taken to effect an escape.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The frugal dinner was dispatched in silence, the -mission to the field duly executed and a prompt return -thereof made, much to the satisfaction of the -master.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span> - <h3 class='c016'>II.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c017'>Night, sable goddess, had spread her curtain over -earth, and the valleys amid the Alleghenies were -sleeping in quiet, when Charley, crawling from his -couch, so stealthily, indeed, as not to disturb the -early slumbers of his mother, crept softly to the -stable, saddled his master’s best steed, noiselessly led -it to the public highway beyond the mansion, and, -turning its head toward the realm of freedom, -mounted, and giving the noble beast the rein, was -soon moving with such velocity as to place fifty miles -between him and his master and mother by the time -the first gray tinge of morning began to break along -the eastern hills. Hiding deep into a wooded ravine -he secured the horse for the day, and then betook -himself to sleep. At evening he unloosed the beast -stripping it of saddle and bridle, and then betook -himself to the woods and by-ways, shunning all -towns and subsisting on green corn and such fruits -as he could find for a period of fifteen days, when, -weary and forlorn, he entered Wheeling just before -daylight. An utter stranger, and almost perishing -with hunger, he knew not what to do, but seeing a -light in the bar-room of the City Hotel he resolved -to enter, hoping to find some attendant of his own -race, to whom he could appeal for food and assistance -across the river. Instead of an attaché, the -landlord was himself already astir. Though residing -on sacred soil and in many respects a typical -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>Virginian, mine host kept only hired servants, and -though in no wise disposed to discuss the merits of -the peculiar institution pro or con, he was often able -to make wise suggestions to the thoughtless or inconsiderate -of both sections who might temporarily be -his guests.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Once fairly within and under the scrutinizing -gaze of this man, Charley made bold to ask for bread.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Bread, you want, do you, you black runaway?” -said the landlord rather roughly.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I’ze no runa—”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes you are you black rascal. Come go with -me and I’ll show you something.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Instinctively following the footsteps of the landlord, -Charley was led to the stable where he recognized -at once his master’s horse. Then the man -took a paper from his pocket and read a complete -description of him, and closed by saying: “You are -this Charley and your master will give $500 to any -man who will return you.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Seeing he was caught, Charley pleaded, “O Lor,’ -Massa, doan gib me up.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No, I’ll not; your master is close at hand. Do -you see that house across the lot yonder?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, Massa, I sees.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, you go there quick. Tell them I sent you -and that they must take care of you. Go right in -at the back door. Be quick or you’ll be caught.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>With both heart and feet a-bound, Charley made -for the designated place. He found only a woman, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>sick upon her bed. Ere he had fairly made his -errand known, there was heard the sound of horses’ -feet upon the street, and looking out, Charley saw his -master and another man coming at full speed, and -began to cry.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Get under the bed, quick, and keep perfectly -still,” said the woman; a command which was -obeyed without questioning. Catching up her baby, -the woman gave it a tumble which set it to crying -like mad. Just then the master thrust his head in -at the door and inquired, “Have you seen a young -nigger come in here?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Hush h-u!” “Wah ka-wa!” “What did!” -“Wha-ka wa wa!” “hush there—did you say?” -“Ka-wha wa wah.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I say did”—“ka wha ka wha wa!” “did you -see a young nigger come in here?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“We wha ke wah wa!” “hush-t-h-e-re!”—“husband -is”—“we wa wah!”—“at the barn!”—“we -wa ah!”—“he can tell you!”—“wa we wah ke -wha!” and the door was slammed to by the disgusted -Southeron.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Whilst the trio were hastening to the barn, -Charley, in obedience to the woman’s directions, -hastily ascended a ladder in the corner of the room, -which he drew up, and placed a board in such a -way as to obliterate all appearance of an opening in -the floor.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The conference at the barn was short, and away -went the riders up the road in hot pursuit of a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>mythical nigger the man at the barn had seen running -in that direction not half an hour before.</p> - -<p class='c008'>In a few minutes the husband returned to the -house, milk pail in hand, but entirely ignorant of -what had transpired within. “What about the boy, -wife, those men were enquiring about? I supposed -they were in pursuit of some one, so I sent them up -the road after an imaginary man,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, I don’t know anything about your imaginary -man, but I know about the boy,” replied the -wife.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, where is he?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“He went from under my bed up the ladder -whilst the men were going for you. Baby helped -the matter mightily. Now you must carry the poor -fellow something to eat.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>As soon as it was deemed safe, the ladder was let -down, and Charley was supplied with a hearty -breakfast, and then bidden to make himself comfortable -for the day, a thing he was not slow to do, -as he had slept little since his flight began. When -evening came, he was called down, and after a -bountiful supper, which was dispatched in silence, -he was taken to the road where three horses were -standing. On one of these a man was already -seated; the second Charley was bidden to mount, -and into the saddle of the third his kind host -vaulted.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Moving around the town, they came to a road -leading northward, Charley’s feelings alternately -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>ebbing and flowing between fear and hope, for, notwithstanding -the kindness of his host and hostess, -he could but fear that he was to be given up for the -$500.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Proceeding some distance up the river, the horses -were hitched in some bushes and the party descended -to the river, where a boat was loosened and -Charley was bidden to enter. When all were seated, -the little craft pushed out into the stream, and soon -Charley and his host stepped onto the other shore. -Going up the bank into a public highway, the man -placed in his hands some little articles of clothing -and some bread, and then, pointing with the index -finger, said: “Yonder is the North Star; you are -now in a free state and may go forward; may God -bless you; good-by;” and before Charley, in his -astonishment, could utter a word, he was gone. A -few moments the fugitive stood in a reverie which -was broken by the splash of the oar in the river below, -and he awoke to the consciousness that he was -again alone. On the one hand was the beautiful -river, whose outline he could dimly see; on the -other were far-reaching fields, with no habitation -looming up in the darkness, and above him was the -star bespangled sky, among whose myriad twinklers -he looked in vain for the one which had so recently -been pointed out to him. Alas, the defectiveness of -his education! whilst others of his kind had been -diligent in securing a definite knowledge of this -loadstone of the Heavens, he had been happy in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>discharge of the light duties of his childhood home, -never once thinking of flight until the fact of his sale -was broken to him by his mother, and then there -was no time for schooling. The dazed condition in -which he now found himself from the revelations of -the past hour caused him to look up to the starry -firmament as into vacancy, finding nothing with -which to guide himself. At length he proceeded a -short distance, but becoming bewildered he sat down -and soon fell asleep and dreamed that two men -came and were putting him in jail. His struggles -and resistance wakened him, and he set out and -proceeded as best he could in the darkness. Just at -daylight he espied a piece of paper nailed to a fence.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Approaching it he perceived it had upon it the -picture of a negro running, and in every way looked -like the one the landlord had shown him in the -barn. Whilst standing thus before the picture, -wrapped in thought as to what to do next, he felt a -hand laid upon his shoulder, and turning saw a man -with a very broad-brimmed hat and so peculiarly -clothed as he had never seen one before. He was -about to run when the man said: “Stop, friend, -thee need not run. What have we here?” and -reading the bill, he at once remarked: “Why, -friend, this means thee, and thy master is ready to -pay any man $500, who will place thee in his hands. -Come with me or somebody may enrich himself at -thy expense.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>There was something so kind and frank in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>manner and words of the man that Charley followed -him to a retreat deep in the woods. Seeing that he -had bread with him, the stranger said: “Keep -quiet and I will bring thee more food to-night,” and -immediately left.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As was customary in other cases, hand-bills minutely -describing Charley had been widely distributed, -and, of course, read by everybody, and it being a -free country everybody had a right to apply the information -gained as he saw fit. So it was that when -Charley’s master crossed into Ohio twelve hours after -his chattel, and proceeded northward, he found no -lack of persons who had seen just such a person that -very day. Even our friend of the early morning described -him minutely and had seen him wending -his way into the interior only a few hours before, -bearing with him a little bundle. As the route at -this season of the year was supposed to be towards -Sandusky or Detroit, the pursuers were decoyed on -by the way of Carrollton, Allian and Ravenna -towards the lake, by the smooth stories of men who -had seen him only a day or two before—but only on -paper. Wearied, however, they at length committed -his capture to the hands of the organized set of biped -hounds which infested the whole south shore from -Detroit to Buffalo, and returned homeward.</p> - -<p class='c008'>When Charley’s friend returned to him in the -evening, he informed him of the little interview he -had had with his master, and that it would be necessary -for him to remain some time in his charge. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>He was consequently taken to a more comfortable -hiding place, and after the lapse of some three weeks -was forwarded by way of New Lisbon, Poland, and -Indian Run, to Meadville, and thence by way of -Cambridge and Union to the parsonage at Wattsburg.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>III.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>The traveler who has been swept along on the Nickle -Plate or Lake Shore Rail Road over the Black Swamp -country and onward through Cleveland, Ashtabula -and Erie, seeing little that savors of roughness, except -perchance the gulches about the Forest City, the -bluffs at Euclid and Little Mountain in the distance, -would little think as he crosses the unpretentious -bridges spanning Six-Mile-Creek, east of Erie, that -just a little way back it passed through some wild -and rugged country; yet such is the fact. Down -through a deep gorge come its crystal waters, whilst -high above them on its precipitate banks the hemlock -has cast its somber shadows for centuries. Into -a thin, scarcely accessible portion of this gorge came -years ago John Cass, and took possession of a primitive -“carding works,” where he diligently plied his -craft, rearing his sons and daughters to habits of industry, -frugality, virtue, and a love of their little -church, which is situated some two miles away on an -elevated plateau, which, from its largely Celtic population -has acquired the appelation of “Wales.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The little Celts of this rural community were very -much surprised one winter day to see their old pastor, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>Parson Rice, who resided at Wattsburg, go dashing -by the school-house with a colored man in his -sleigh. Never before had their unsophisticated eyes -seen such a sight, and what they that day beheld -was the all-engrossing theme in the homes of the -Joneses, the Williamses and the Davises that night.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As for Parson Rice, he kept right on down, down, -until he reached the carding works of his worthy -parishioner, where the woolly head of Charley was -safely hidden amid fleeces of a far whiter hue.</p> - -<p class='c008'>In this retreat he remained for some time, and -was taught his letters by the young Casses, William, -Edward, Jane and the others. When, at length, it -was deemed safe to remove him, he was taken by -Mrs. Cass to the office of the <cite>True American</cite> in the -city. From this, after a little delay, he was conveyed -to the home of Col. Jas. Moorhead, who passed -him on to Parson Nutting, at State Line, by whom -he was duly forwarded to Knowlton Station, Westfield, -New York.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Though the temperature was below zero, it was -again getting hot for Charley, for vigilant eyes all -along the line were watching for the young nigger -whose return to his master was sure to bring $500, -and that he had reached the lake shore was now a -well ascertained fact, and unusual activity was -noticed among the kidnapping crew.</p> - -<p class='c008'>It was a bitter cold day, with the snow flying and -drifting, that Mr. Knowlton’s spanking team of jet -blacks, still well remembered by many a Westfielder, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>came out of his yard attached to a sleigh, in the bottom -of which was a package evidently of value, as it -was carefully covered with blankets and robe. -Under a tight rein the team headed eastward, and -with almost the fleetness of the wind passed Portland, -Brocton, and turning at the old Pemberton -stand, in Fredonia, made Pettit Station. Here -Charley was made safe and happy for the night, and -the next day was landed safely in the Queen’s -Dominion from Black Rock.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VIII.<br /> <span class='large'>STATIE LINES.</span></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c014'>I.</h3> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c015'>It was in the decade of the forties that an enterprising -farmer, named Barbour, of the Empire -State, said to his neighbor, “Smith, I’ve a project in -my head.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Nothing strange in that,” was the response; “I -never knew the time when you didn’t have one; but -what is it?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, you know I spent a few days about Washington -recently, and I believe there is money to be -made in going into its vicinity and buying up some -of the worn-out farms and applying to them our -agricultural methods, and raising products specially -for the city market.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“What can they be purchased for?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Anywhere from $5.00 to $10.00 an acre, any -amount of them. I tell you there’s money in it.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“But it would be to ostracise one’s self. You -know that there they consider it a disgrace for a -white man to labor.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“All right. All I propose is head work.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“How is that? Democrat as you are, I don’t -believe you would go so far as to invest in slaves.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>“No, indeed. I am fully satisfied that slavery is -the curse of the South, yet it exists there, and I am -bound to make some money out of it and its fruits. -You see the land has been rendered worthless by -slave labor in the hands of the masters, hence the -extremely low price of it. As a result of the deteriorated -condition of their farms, the owners of slaves -are now hiring them out for wages which range -much lower than with us here in New York. Whilst -loathing slavery in the abstract, I confess I propose -to use it for a while on wages, if some of my neighbors -will join me in a purchase, so we can have a -little society of our own. Will you take a hand, -Smith?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I’ll think of it.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>As a result of the above conversation there were -purchased in a few weeks seven or eight worn-out -farms in the immediate vicinity of Washington, and -in a short time they were occupied by as many sterling -families from Onondaga county, N. Y. Modern -methods of agriculture were applied, fertilizers were -abundantly used, and though slave labor was extensively -employed the fields soon yielded luxuriantly, -and everything was at high tide with the newcomers, -disturbed only by the twinges of conscience -at the employment of southern chattel.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Among those who furnished these, was a Mr. -Lines, residing just across the Potomac, in Virginia. -Of him Mr. Barbour hired a number of slaves, among -them a woman named Statie, nearly white, who was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>the mother of an amiable little girl six or seven years -of age, bearing a close resemblance to the children -belonging in the Lines mansion. This woman had -the privilege of hiring herself out on condition of -paying her master $10 per month and clothing herself -and child. This she did cheerfully, laying by -what she could, under the hope of being able ultimately -to buy the freedom of her little girl, Lila, who -was permitted to be with her at Mr. Barbour’s where -mother and child were both very kindly and considerately -treated.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The excellent qualities of Statie as a cook having -been noised about, her services were sought for a -Washington hotel where much higher wages were -paid than Mr. Barbour could afford and he advised -her to go, as a means of the sooner freeing her child, -which was consequently transferred to the home of -her <i>owner</i>, where her services could now be made of -some little avail.</p> - -<p class='c008'>At the end of a quarter Statie was permitted to -visit home, where she soon learned through a fellow -slave that a dealer had been negotiating for Lila and -that at his return in a few weeks a price was to be -fixed and he was to take her. The heart of the -mother was wrung with agony, but the soul of the -heroine rose triumphant and she went into the presence -of Mr. Lines with a smile upon her face and the -cheery words, “Here, Master, are your thirty dollars, -and I’ve half as many laid by for the purchase of -Lila,” upon her lips.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>“Indeed, Statie, you’ve done well. It won’t be -long till I’ll have to give the little doll up if you go -on at this rate.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I hope not, master, for I long to see the darling -with her free papers in hand.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>With a lying effort, the master replied, “I hope -you may succeed, for I would much sooner sell her -to you than to any one else, and I shall wait on you -as long as possible.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Expressing her thanks for what she knew was a -hypocritical promise, Statie asked that the child -might be allowed to accompany her to the capital for -a few days, a request readily granted by Mr. Lines -that he might the more easily avert any suspicion of -his real purpose.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Cutting short her visit, Statie soon started with her -child for the city, but walked several miles out of -her way to lay her troubles before Mr. and Mrs. Barbour, -who were greatly shocked at the revelation. -Though depreciating anything in the line of <i>underground</i> -work, Mr. Barbour, to whom Lila had specially -endeared herself by her childish ingenuousness, -after a few moments reflection said, “Wife, you know -I propose making a journey across Pennsylvania -soon to the vicinity of our old home. Will there be -any harm in my seeing that Lila gets there?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No, husband; and you have my permission to -see that Statie goes too. I don’t think your politics -ought to cripple your humanity, much less your religion. -<i>Do unto others as ye would that they should do -unto you.</i>”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>Mr. Barbour’s mind was soon made up, and Statie -was dismissed with instructions to meet him on a -by-road a little way out from the old north burial -ground soon after dark on the Wednesday evening -following.</p> - -<p class='c008'>In arranging for his proposed trip, Mr. Barbour -had provided himself with a good team and a “Jersey -wagon” well covered with oil cloth, supported -by bows. In this wagon he placed a high box so -cut down in front as to furnish a seat for himself, -and so arranged that a person could sit upright in -the hinder part with feet projecting forward. To the -rear of this box, were attached doors, secured by a -padlock whilst a good supply of straw, clothing and -provisions were placed within. When all else was -ready, the Jersey was labeled “Clocks,” and Wednesday -night Mr. Barbour drove out to the point of -rendezvous where Statie and Lila were found waiting, -they were immediately placed in their extemporized -<i>retreat</i> and the unique emancipation car moved -northward across the hills of Maryland at a rapid rate.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>II.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>It was court time in Warsaw, N. Y., and a large -number of people were gathered about the principal -hotel when a man holding the reins over a spanking -team drove up and ordered accommodations for the -team and himself. Beckoning the hostler forward -he proceeded with the team. As he passed, a bystander -remarked, “A right, royal team, that.”</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>“Pretty good for a peddler,” remarked another.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Do you call that man a peddler?” queried a -third.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Didn’t you see ‘Clocks’ on the cover?” came -back from No. 2.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No, indeed,” was the reply, “I was too intent in -looking upon the horses to notice anything else. -Some down easter I suppose; sold out his load over -among the pennymights, and is now on his way -home likely.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Breakfast over the traveler inquired of the landlord -if he knew one Col. C. O. Shepard, of Attica.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Very well,” was the reply, “he is here attending -court.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I shall be glad to see him. As he is a stranger -to me, you will please call him in.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The Colonel soon appeared when the stranger said, -“This is Col. Shepard, I believe.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Shepard is my name, but I have not the honor -of knowing you, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“It is not essential that you should; to me it is -politic you should not. I wish to make a little consignment -to you,” saying which he led the way to -the barn, followed by the Colonel and a number of -by-standers, where he opened a box in his vehicle -from which emerged a well-formed octaroon woman -of some thirty summers and a sprightly girl, white -as any in the homes of Warsaw. At the sight of -these there went up a rousing three times three, at -the conclusion of which the stranger said, “These, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>gentlemen, are what among my neighbors are called -chattel and treated as such, and that with my tacit -endorsement, at least. Ten days ago if any man had -told me I would assist one to escape, I should have -laughed him to scorn; but when this poor woman -who had worked faithfully in my family to earn the -wherewith to buy the freedom of her own flesh and -blood, which, against honied professions to the contrary -from him who should have been the innocent -one’s firmest protector, was about to be sold into an -ignominious servitude, came to me and pleaded for -the deliverance of her child and my wife quoted, -‘Do unto others as ye would that they should do -unto you,’ my sense of right and humanity rose -above all political antecedents and predilections and -here I am. Since leaving the Potomac, no human -eye has looked upon these beings but mine until this -moment. My affiliations and the fact it was well -known I was coming north on business will shield -me from suspicion, therefore ask no questions. To -the direct care of Colonel Shepard, of whom the slave-owners -in Dixie well know and to the protection of -you all, I now consign them, trusting that no <i>master’s</i> -hand shall ever again be laid upon them.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>There was again vociferous cheering, at the conclusion -of which Col. Shepard said, “We accept the -charge and I ask as a special favor that you give me -the box in which you have brought them thus far on -their way, as a kind of memento,” a request that was -readily acceded to, and in a few minutes a Jersey -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>wagon labeled “Clocks” was speeding rapidly eastward, -whilst in a day or two the box and its former -occupants were taken triumphantly to Attica, the -home of Col. Shepard.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>III.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>The time was when every person holding an office -under the general government was supposed to be in -sympathy with the slave power and ready to obey -its behests, an idea somewhat erroneous. It was -under such impressions that two strangers rode up -to the post-office in the village of Attica and inquired -for the postmaster. On that functionary’s presenting -himself they inquired if he knew anything of a slave -woman, nearly white, with her little girl, being in -the neighborhood, as such persons had recently escaped -from the vicinity of Washington, and were believed -by them to be in the immediate vicinity.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The postmaster invited them to alight and come -inside, which being complied with, he said, “Gentlemen, -the persons you seek are within a half mile -of you, but though I might under some circumstances -be willing to assist you, my advice is, let -them alone. Every man, woman and child in the -town is ready to protect them. You can not raise -men enough in this county to secure their apprehension. -I see by the commotion in the street the people -are apprehensive of mischief. Such a thing as -an abduction has never been attempted here, and if -you are wise you will not attempt one now. Indeed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>I would not like to guarantee your limbs or life fifteen -minutes longer.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Beholding the commotion, the would-be kidnappers -quickly mounted their horses and rode silently -out of town, no demonstration being made by the -multitude until the meddlers reached the bridge, when -cheer on cheer arose, causing them to put spurs to -their horses and get quickly out of sight, notwithstanding -their threats to secure their prey, a thing -they never attempted.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Statie died within two years after her escape; Col. -Shepard long kept the box in which she was brought -off as the only “through car” he had ever seen; -Lila is still a resident of the Empire State, whilst Mr. -Barbour, having disposed of his real estate sought a -clime more congenial to his sense of justice and humanity.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IX.<br /> <span class='large'>GEORGE GRAY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c014'>I.</h3> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c015'>“My deah chile, ’tis too bad.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Too bad, mother! I tell you I’s agoin’ to -run away. Ole Massa can’t whip dis chile no moah. -I’d rather be shot or hab the dogs tear me to pieces.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Hush, chile, hush! you’ll break your ole mudder’s -heart, ’cause it’s a’most done gone smashed -afore, an’ now she knows you can neber, neber, get -across the big river an’ de great lake. I tell yer, -chile, you better stay wid ole mas’r if em do whip.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Mother, my mine is made up. Massa Jones -hab whipped George Gray for de las time. I hate -to leave you, mother, but then I’s agoin’. Some day -de Massa’ll sell me as he did father an’ de res’ of us -down South, an’ then you shall see George no moah, -an’ I’d hab no blessed chance for ’scape, so now I’s -goin’ for freedom or I’s goin’ to die. I say ole massa -can’t whip me no moah.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“De will ob de Lor’ be done, chile; but how is -you agoin’ to do it?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I’ll tell you mother, ole Massa’ll neber s’pec’ you. -He’ll neber look for George ’bout dis shanty. So I’s -agoin’ down to de river an’ cross down in de skiff, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>den I goes to de swamp an’ comes carefully back -an’ crawls under your bed. When Massa misses me, -you can tell him I’s runned away, an’ he’ll start the -horses an’ the men for de swamp, an’ for two or -three days they’ll hunt for George there jus’ as they -did for Uncle Pete; den Massa’ll put me in de papers -as a runaway nigger, an’ then when all is ober -heah I’s comin’ out an’ goin’ at de river an’ cross -de mountins till I gits to Canidy.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“De bressed Lor’, an’ doan yer s’pec’ ole Massa’ll -hunt dis shanty frough an’ frough, chile?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Ole Massa’ll never s’pec’ you, mother; you’s been -wid him too long. He never whipped you, an’ when -he comes in de mornin’, for to inquire, you mus’ be -prayin’; prayin’ for me that I may be cotched.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Bress de Lor’, he mus’ ’ov put all dis in de head -of de chile as he put his son Moses in de bullrushes -down dar in de lan’ of Canin. Chile, your black ole -mudder’ll cover you wid her bed like as the ole black -hen covers her chicks when de hawk comes to steal -de little ones from dar mudder’s lub. Now, chile, -jus’ you fix it all up an’ de Lor’ ob dat big feller, -Sabot, yes dat was de man, be wid you, an’ it doan -matter bout dis ole woman no moah.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The above conversation took place many years ago -in a cabin in the negro quarter of the plantation of -Samuel Jones on the James river, in Virginia. Mr. -Jones was a thriving planter and an extensive dealer -in slaves. Though in some respects of the better -class of slave-breeders, he inherited many of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>legitimate characteristics of the peculiar institution. -Towards the men slaves he was tyrannical in the extreme, -whilst eyeing the fairer and younger among -the women with an eye of lechery.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The plantation had come to him from his father, -and with it the family of John Gray consisting of -himself and wife, known for miles around as “Prayin’ -Hanner,” and several children. The father and -older children, all having a slight tinge of the Caucassian -about them, Mr. Jones early sold to southern -dealers, retaining only the mother and her infant -George.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The mother, on account of her acknowledged piety -and ability to labor, was assigned a special cabin and -for years had done the family laundry work and -baking and discharged other duties of a similar character. -Resigned to her condition, she labored on -year after year, ever singing and praying and with -her loyalty all unquestioned. Not so with her growing -boy, however. The white blood that was in him, -though limited, constantly rebelled against his condition, -and as his years advanced, brought on frequent -conflicts between him and his master, which -invariably ended in the boy’s being severely whipped. -Though feeling for him, on such occasions, as only a -mother can feel, still Hannah Gray exhorted him to -be obedient and submissive. Whenever the master -threatened to sell him south, then it was that her -prayers that one of her kin might be left to her -mightily prevailed. The natural adaptability of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>youth secured for him many privileges, and he had -been with his master several times to the national -capital and other points and had picked up much -general intelligence, and his mode of expression had, -to some extent, risen above the plantation vernacular.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The conflict on this particular occasion had arisen -between master and slave because George had asked -the privilege of visiting a young quadroon of the -plantation on whom Jones had fastened his lecherous -eyes. As usual the controversy ended in the -young man’s being bound to a post by some of the -hands and then inhumanly flogged by his owner. -Stung to madness, when all were settled for the -night, he left his quarters and sought the cabin of his -mother, and there, as we have seen, divulged his determination -to seek a land of freedom. True to his -purpose, when he had gained his mother’s consent, -he went down to the river and unloosing a skiff -floated down with the current some distance and -then landing, struck boldly across to a neighboring -swamp. Entering this, he passed on a short distance -until he came to a small creek which led directly to -the river. He now divested himself of his clothing -which he safely placed upon his shoulders, and following -the cove soon reached the river into which he -plunged, and being an expert swimmer, was soon on -the home side again, and making his way quietly to -his mother’s cabin, where he was safely secreted beneath -what he had augured an impregnable citadel, -her bed.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i190.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>HANNAH PRAYING.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>Morning came soon, and the hands sallied from -their quarters but with them came no George Gray. -The word spread rapidly and soon reached both the -cabin of Prayin’ Hanner and the mansion that he -was missing. As soon as the proprietor could dress -himself and make proper inquiries, he hastened to -the shanty of the mother whom he found at her -morning devotions, having begun them just as she -saw his approach. Not wishing to disturb her he -stopped before the door and caught these words of -invocation:</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Bressed Lor’, dey say my poah, dear chile am -gone. Am he drown? may de Lor’ raise de body -up dat dis ole black form may follow in its sorrow to -de grabe. Hab he killed hisself? may de Lor’ hab -mercy on his soul, for Geog’ was a bad boy; he made -mas’r heaps o’ trouble. O Lor’, if he hab runned -away, may mas’r cotch him agin—not de houn’, but -mas’r an’ de men, an’ den when mas’r Jones whip -him, may de bressed Lor’ sen’ down ole Lija, an’ -’vert his soul, dat he no moah disrember mas’r but -dat he do his will for his ole mudder’s sake, an’ for -de sake ob his good mas’r, an’ for de sake ob dat -heben whar de Lor’ is. Dis, Lor’, am de prayer of -poah ole Hanner, amen.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The prayer ceased and the master entered, only to -find, as he inferred from it, that the intelligence of -George’s departure had preceded him, and farther -that the boy had been in there the night before and -acted very strangely; that the mother had advised -him to go to his quarters and be a good boy.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>Leaving the woman to her work, he went out and -gave orders for a search. Soon it was discovered -that the skiff was gone and directly after it was found -half a mile down the river with footsteps leading -towards the swamp. A pack of hounds belonging -on a plantation below was sent for and search begun -in earnest, and kept up unceasingly for three days -but without success, and then the hands were called -in. In the meantime there appeared in the Lynchburg -<cite>Herald</cite> the following:</p> - -<div class='figright id004'> -<img src='images/i192.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c012'> - <div>$500.00 Reward.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“<span class='sc'>Run Away</span> from the subscriber, -George Gray, a negro, nearly pure, about -twenty-one years old, and weighing one-hundred -and fifty pounds. He talks pretty -good English. Five hundred dollars will -be given for him alive.” <span class='sc'>Samuel Jones.</span></p> - -<div class='lg-container-l c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Antwerp, Va., June 25, 1841.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>During these days the cabin of Prayin’ Hanner -was filled with sacred songs, earnest prayers and -sympathizing visitors, not one of whom, white or -black, as he listened to, or participated in the devotions, -supposed for one moment that he who had -called them all forth, that “deah chile,” was quietly -drinking them in. When the nights came, and -everything was still, then George emerged for a little -time to rest and refresh himself.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i194.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>GEORGE GRAY’S ESCAPE.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>Thus matters passed until the fourth night came. -The sun set amid gathering clouds. The returned -hunters gathered in their quarters, some of them to -tell how earnestly they had sought to find nothin’; -others to depict their true loyalty to Mar’s Jones, -and the whites in their homes around, to swear vengeance -on every nigger caught fleeing. As the storm -broke and the darkness became more intense, George -came forth. A little bundle of clothing, with three -days’ rations of food, had been carefully prepared -for him. There was an embrace, tender as though -the participants had been free, a “God bless you, -Mother,” a “May de Lor’ still be wid yer as he hab -bin,” uttered as earnestly as though by cultured lips, -and mother and son parted, never to see each other -again.</p> - -<p class='c008'>George Gray went forth fearlessly into the darkness. -The country he knew for miles around, and -for weary hours he made his way directly up the -south bank of the James. Long after midnight the -moon arose, and seeking a fitting place, he crossed -the river and just as the first gray streakings of the -dawn appeared, quietly secreted himself in a jungle -of bushes upon the mountain which here comes -down close to the river. The rain had obliterated all -traces of his course; he was thought to have gone in -an opposite direction four days before. Thus far -his plans had worked admirably, and feeling safe, -he partook of his rations and lay down to a refreshing -sleep.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Night found him again in motion, and by the time -morning came he had made considerable progress. -Again he rested and refreshed himself, and quietly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>surveyed the prospect for the future. He knew he -was a long way from the Ohio; that much of the -way was wild and mountainous, and that wherever -there were people the dangers were greatest. His little -stock of provisions would soon be gone, and then -the berries and fruits of the forest would be his -almost sole dependence, only occasionally he might -go down to some bondman’s cabin. With these -facts before him he faltered not, but pressed resolutely -forward, only to find as he approached the -river, after weary weeks of vigil, that his master’s advertisement -had preceded him, and that base men -were watching that they might claim the reward. -This news came to him from colored men whom he -occasionally contrived to see, for the great humanitarian -thoroughfare of the days <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">ante bellum</span></i> had its -ramifications among the mountains of Virginia, as -well as its broader lines on freer soil, though unlike -those of the latter their officers were of somber hue. -Taken in charge by one of these, George was safely put -across the river one stormy night, and in care of a -genuine “broad-brim conductor” on a main trunk -line, but not until his presence had been scented by -a pack of white bloodhounds all too anxious for the -recompence of reward, and whose unholy avarice -was equalled only by the wary alertness of the disciple -of George Fox.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span> - <h3 class='c016'>II.</h3> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c020'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“O for a thousand tongues to sing</div> - <div class='line in2'>My great Redeemer’s praise;</div> - <div class='line'>The glories of my God and King,</div> - <div class='line in2'>The triumphs of His grace.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>Thus sang Azel Tracy as he stood running a wheel -in his little shop in Hartford, Ohio. The last words -were uttered in a subdued tone. This done, the air -was continued in a fine specimen of genuine Yankee -whistling, intermingled with occasional snatches -from “China,” or “Coronation.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>It was only a sample of Mr. Tracy’s <i>railroad</i> telegraphy, -for the low attic of his shop, filled, in part, -with bits of lumber and parts of defunct wagons, was -an important <i>station</i> and it frequently became necessary -to signal the waiting passengers, of whom nearly -one-hundred, according to the family reckoning, -found rest and protection within its narrow limits, a -fact one would scarcely believe as he passes it, looking -to-day almost identical with its appearance fifty -years ago.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Notwithstanding Hartford is a historic anti-slavery -town, there were not wanting those within its borders, -who for “the recompense of reward,” would willingly -have divulged the presence of any fugitives in keeping -had he known their whereabouts. It was to -guard against this class of persons frequenting his -shop that the old wagon-maker had adopted a -musical system of signalizing those in his care. -When any danger threatened, and silence was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>imperative, he would sing a snatch of some familiar -hymn or whistle its air; but when “the coast was -clear,” Hail Columbia or Yankee Doodle was the signal -for “unlimbering.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>On this occasion both the words quoted and the -whistling of “Old Hundred” were considered necessary -as a double danger signal, for only three nights -before there had climbed the narrow ladder in the -corner of the shop, drawn it up and let down a board, -thus completing the floor, an individual filling to a -“dot” the description given in the hand-bill previously -referred to, and which was already liberally -scattered through Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. -No questions had been asked and only -necessary instructions and provisions given. Thirty-six -hours later two strangers had put in an appearance -in the quiet town, and soon avowed themselves -as in quest of the subject of the reward offered.</p> - -<p class='c008'>They had continued to lounge about the village -till this Saturday afternoon, much of the time in uncomfortable -proximity to the Tracy wagon shop, for -they claimed the object of their search had been seen -approaching it, and they were even now directly in -its front in the highway, holding a colloquy with -Dudley, the junior Tracy, and at present, 1894, the -inheritor of his father’s trade and shop. “Dud,” as -he is familiarly called, was then a strapping boy in -his middle teens, bare-footed, without coat or vest, -tow-headed, and to all appearances a fine subject for -an interview.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>“See here, boy,” said one of the strangers, “have -you seen anything of a young nigger about here -within a day or two?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“What do you mean, one of them black fellers -like that’n the bill tells about yonder?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Yes, he’s the chap we want to find.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Wal, no, I hain’t seen no such feller, but I hearn -about him two or three days ago.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“How?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Why I was a layin’ in the bushes up back of the -church and the Gen’ral an’ Sam Fuller cum along -and the Gen’ral sez he, ‘Fuller, that boy’s got to be -got off. They’r arter him.’”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Who’s the General?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Wal, that’s Mr. Bushnell. They say he keeps -some of them black ’uns some times.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Tell us what they said.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Wal, Fuller he said, ‘What’s going to be done?’ -and the Gen’ral said, ‘You come up with the team -after dark and take him down to the tow-path that’s -down in Pennsylvanee and tell him to keep north -till he came to some colored fokeses and they’d send -him to Jehu and then he’d be all right.’”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“How far is it to the tow-path?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O I don’t know; that’s on the canawl where they -drive the hosses hitched to the boats, an’ I never -was so fur from hum.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>There was some farther parleying, seemingly entirely -satisfactory to the strangers, then they dropped -a “bit” into Dud’s hands, and under the influence -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>of spurs two horses struck out briskly for the land of -the Pennymights.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Dud, I say Dud, come here quick,” called the -senior Tracy to the boy who stood gazing after the -rapidly receding forms of the horsemen, and the -junior slowly responded to the call.</p> - -<p class='c008'>As soon as Dud was within the door the query was -raised, “What did the gentlemen want?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O nothing much, only they asked me if I’d seen -the nigger advertised on the hand-bill yonder?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Well, what did you tell them?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“O not much; I just yawned a little, telling them -I heard the Gen’ral tell Mr. Fuller that he must get -the boy down to Clarksville and start him north for -Bishop, who would get him to the lake.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Why, Dud, what a—”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Come now, dad, no accusations. Didn’t I just -hear you tuning your gospel melody as much as to -say, ‘Keep still up there,’ and didn’t I hear you tell -mother last night, when you thought we children -were asleep, you didn’t know what to do? But I did, -and I’ve done it and now you needn’t try to keep this -thing from me any longer. You’ve thought I don’t -know what’s up, but I guess I’ve seen the last twenty -darkies you’ve holed in the shop and Uncle Sam has -taken away, and now that I’ve got those fellows off, -I think you can afford to let me take a hand after -this.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>A look of astonishment, mingled with satisfaction, -overspread the countenance of Azel Tracy at this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>revelation of the fact that his son was acquainted -with so much of the method of the <i>road</i>, a thing of -which he and many another parent, for prudential -reasons, tried to keep their children in ignorance, and -taking the hand of the boy he replied, “You shall -have all the hand in it you wish, my son.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>The sun had dropped below the western horizon -when the aforesaid bare-footed boy might have been -seen making his way eastward to the home of farmer -Fuller, bearing the following note:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>48 to 1001.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Dud has cooked the goose. The feathers are left—they are -good for Fennland, and the parson needs a text for to-morrow. -The loft is good—the cellar better.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Leza.</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>As a result of this note, when darkness had settled -down upon the earth, when candles were extinguished -alike in farm house and village home, the -old-fashioned buggy of Samuel Fuller stood before -the little Hartford shop, and Dud, the Caucassian, -surrendered his seat to an African of deepest sable, -and soon the vehicle was speeding rapidly northward.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>III.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>Night, sable goddess, had let her curtains down -not only upon a day, but upon a week of toil, for the -“Cotter’s Saturday Night” had come to all alike, and -the good people of Gustavus, Ohio, had been several -hours in the Land of Nod; the dome on the old -academy and the spires of the village churches were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>already casting moonlight shadows eastward, and -good old Parson Fenn was dreaming of “Seventeenthly” -in to-morrow’s sermon, when there came -three distinct raps upon his back door. Such signals -were in no wise unusual to him, and he immediately -responded to the call, only to find there a friend -from fifteen miles away, and beside him a dusky -figure crouching and trembling as if fearful of the -moonbeams themselves.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“There’s no time to be lost, Parson,” said he from -without. “The hounds are on the track of this -game. It has only been by the most indefatigable -energy that he has been kept from their grasp from -the Ohio to near here. Even now they are abreast -of us, only lured across the Pennsylvania line.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“He can be gotten no farther to-night,” said the -Parson musingly, “and all we can do is to put him -in hold and keep him till the day goes by. You -know the rest.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>There was no word of reply, but a figure gliding -silently into the street, a vehicle, with muffled wheels, -was headed southward and driven rapidly away. -The parson having partially dressed himself, took a -jug of water from the well, a loaf of bread and a -large slice of meat from the pantry and beckoning -the silent figure to follow him, proceeded to a building -on the northwest corner of the square, on the -front of which appeared the name, “George Hezlip.” -Passing to the rear, he pushed aside a door. Both -having entered, the door was closed, a light struck -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>and the strange figure was soon reposing in one of -several hogsheads carelessly stowed away there, -whilst good Benjamin Fenn returned to his bed only -to ponder on that mysterious providence which had -predestined him to this materialistic work of salvation.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The Sabbath came, and with it, at the appointed -hour, the people to the village church. The pastor -preached with great power from the words, “Proclaim -liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants -thereof.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>That sermon was long a matter of comment among -the people, a balm to some, a firebrand to others, according -to the political faith they entertained, but -orthodox to us all after the lapse of many years.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The services ended and dinner over, the Parson sat -down to his study-table and penned the following:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>5—9—081—1001—S——s——g.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>XXX. In Rome when the white rabbit hangs high the -Prætor leads the Vestal band by linden fields, that he may -hear the tuning of the great profaner’s voice ere the game -goes to Quintus Anno Mundi.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>49—1001—U.g.r.r.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The note thus written, was sealed and given to a -trusty lad who soon placed it in the hands of an athletic, -theological nimrod living in the village, whose -love of humanity and admiration for universal redemption -were only equalled by that of his affection -for his dog, his gun and fishing tackle. When he -had read the note, he bade the messenger tell the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>Parson “When the stars are out,” and proceeded at -once to change his Sunday garb for a hunting suit.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The bell had already rung for the evening service, -and the villagers and the country folk were thronging -to the church when two horsemen, on jaded -steeds, came down from the north and reigned up at -the tavern across from Hezlip’s store and requested -refreshments for themselves and horses. The animals -were taken in charge by the hostler whilst the -riders proceeded to the bar-room and washed and -cleaned themselves from the effects of their dusty -ride.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Waiting supper, they had a private interview with -the landlord in which they stated that they were in -pursuit of a young negro who had crossed the Ohio -river a few days before and been secreted by an old -Quaker. They had traced him as far north as Hartford. -There they had been decoyed into Pennsylvania -whilst they believed that the fugitive had been -run into a line farther west. After going as far north -as Espyville they had come across to see if they could -not regain the trail.</p> - -<p class='c008'>They were informed, in return, that there were -persons in the neighborhood in the employ of the -Underground Railroad, of whom the old Parson was -the chief, and that it was thought from the energy -with which he had preached that morning that there -must be a passenger somewhere about. At the least, -Boniface assured the officials, for such they had -avowed themselves, that after supper he would show -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>them one of the company’s waiting rooms which he -had accidentally discovered.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Twilight had deepened into evening; the “Gustavus -House” bell was ringing refreshments for two, -and Parson Fenn was praying fervently, “Lord, send -sure deliverance to him that fleeth from oppression, -and bring to naught the efforts of them that pursue -for blood money,” just as a square-rigged form, with -elastic step, and showing great power of endurance -stepped into the rear of the Hezlip building. Shoving -open the door the man uttered a low whistle -which was immediately responded to, and a dusky -form emerged from one of the hogsheads and followed -the leader without a word. Passing through -the fields a short distance, they crossed the public -highway beyond the churchyard and took to the -woods on the right. With rapid strides they passed -across fields and through forests for several miles until, -leaving the little hamlet of Lindenville to the -right, they descended to the Pymatuning flats where -the guide deposited his ward in one of those little -“hay barns,” so common on the Reserve forty years -ago. Returning by the home of the owner, whom -he signaled at his bed-room window, he left the laconic -instruction, “Feed the yearling steer,” and -pressed rapidly on to regain his home, which he did -shortly after midnight.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Supper ended at the tavern, the host took a lantern -and led his guests across the street to the basement -of the store, where the jug, emptied of its contents, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>and fragments of the bread and meat were readily -found, and an accidental application of the hand to -the inner surface of the extemporized bed-room -showed it still warm from the contact of human -flesh.</p> - -<p class='c008'>The language which escaped the foiled pursuers -when they found how near they had probably been -to the object of their pursuit, was far more forcible -than classic. They would have instituted a pursuit -at once but Boniface told them such a thing would -be useless there, for the old Parson, who was expounding -Calvinism across the way, and a young -Universalist in the village, who were perfectly at -loggerheads on matters of theology, were so in unison -on the matter of running off fugitives that they would -make it hotter than —— for any one who should -assist them, as the most of the community were on -the side of the “road.” He advised that they go to -Ashtabula, where the runaway would probably take -boat for Canada, as their best plan.</p> - -<p class='c008'>This advise they accepted, and after a night’s rest -and some observations made about the village in the -morning, they departed northward, and in due time -drew up at the “American” in Jefferson where their -presence soon attracted the attention of a “road -official.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>Having breakfast, our liberal theologian sauntered -through the village, taking in the dimensions of the -strangers and noting their departure northward, then, -waiting until the sun had passed the meridian, he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>took his gun upon his shoulder and struck eastward -as though meaning to make the Kinsman forests. -Reaching a convenient point, he changed his course, -and an hour before sunset threw down a half dozen -squirrels upon the doorstep of the man whose slumbers -he had disturbed the previous night. There -was a little good-natured parleying as to who should -dress the game, then busy hands were at work, and -as the sun sank behind the western woodlands the -family and hunter-guest sat down to a feast that -would have tempted the appetite of a king.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Supper over, the guest challenged the host to take -him to an appointment he had a few miles north, -which was acceded to, and whilst the latter was getting -ready the former went on the way a little to -look after a <i>trap</i> he had set sometime before. An -hour later and a vehicle with two men in the seat -and a straw-covered bundle beneath was driven -rapidly towards Jefferson. Arrived within a mile of -the town, a halt was called under cover of a little -clump of trees, one of the men alighted and stirred -up the straw from which emerged a human figure. -These two took a field path to the village, whilst the -driver turned a little out of the public highway to -await returns.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Twenty minutes later there was a rap at the side -door of bluff Ben Wade’s home.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Who the d—l is there?” said a gruff voice from -an upper window.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“‘Thribble X’ from ‘A Thousand and One,’” was -the quick response.</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>“What the h—l do you want at this time of -night.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“I have a white rabbit.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Take the black k—ss to Atkins; he’ll stuff his -hide.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>A half hour more and the “white rabbit” was -stowed in the capacious garret of “Anno Mundi” -and “Thribble X” was being driven at a gay pace -toward the confines of Old Trumbull.</p> - -<h3 class='c016'>IV.</h3> - -<p class='c017'>A company of persons awaiting a western bound -train stood chatting with the veteran Seely upon the -platform at Girard, Pa. Among them, evidently well -up in the sixties, was a man of unusually muscular -frame. His countenance was open and pleasant, but -mostly enveloped in a heavy beard of almost snowy -whiteness. Judging from the appearance of his eyes, -he was endowed with a more than average gift of -language. Indeed he was the central figure in the -company. The “Toledo” rolled up and as the -group passed into the coach a colored man seated a -little back took a close survey of this individual. As -they seated themselves in his rear, the negro arose, -passed to the front of the car and turning round -placed his eyes squarely upon the face of the old -gentleman. Thus he stood until Springfield was -passed, until Conneaut was nearly reached. Feeling -annoyed himself, and noticing that the gaze was attracting -the attention of his fellow passengers, the -gentleman arose and going forward said:</p> - -<p class='c008'><span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>“Stranger, let us have this out. I can tolerate this -impertinence no longer.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“No ’pertinence, massa, no’ ’pertinence at all,” responded -the negro, “I knowed yer the minit yer -comed aboard.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“You know me? I never saw you before that I -remember.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Bery like, bery like, massa, you’s named Shipman, -and doan yer remember the ‘white rabbit’ yer -crawled on the hands and knees wid through the -tater patch arter you’d got him out of the cellar whar -the old Parson had stowed him. Dis chile hab never -forgot that face though it had no whiskers then. The -Lor’ bress yer, massa, doan yer ’member so long -ago?” and the overjoyed man held out his hand -which was grasped in a hearty shake by that of his -whiter brother.</p> - -<p class='c008'>Seating themselves together, the colored man told -the story of his early servitude, and how, armed with -no weapon but a butcher knife for defense, he had -made that long flight across the mountains without -one sense of fear until he had crossed into Ohio and -learned that men were there watching for him to -claim the reward offered for his return.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“But how,” queried the venerable Shipman, “did -you get along after I left you?”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“Lor’ bress you, massa, de next mornin’ that ole -swearer, Massa Wade, he comed over to dat Massa -Atkins an’ he say, ‘Doan sen’ dat black k—ss to de -harb’r, kase h—ll’s a watchin’ for him.’ So dey sen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>me on anuder road to Erie an’ put me on the -‘Thomas Jefferson,’ the name of that great author of -<i>liberty</i> from ole Virginy, and soon I was safe in -Canidy.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>“And what then?” said Uncle Charley.</p> - -<p class='c008'>“An’ den, Massa Shipman, George Gray went to -work to earn money to buy his old mother, but when -he had enough he learned she was dead, so he bought -him a little home, and then the great wah comed -and set all his people free, an’ so now he’s jus’ agoin’ -down inter that country to see if Massa Jones hab -eber heard from dat ‘deah chile’ who was ‘drown,’ -or ‘killed hisself’ or ‘runned away.’ But here am -my stoppin’ place, an’ may the good Lor’ bress and -save Massa Shipman forever, am the prayer ob de -White Rabbit.”</p> - -<p class='c008'>There was another hearty hand-shaking, amid the -cheerings of the little throng who had been attentive -listeners to the conversation, mutual pledges to meet -on the “other shore,” and the old ex-conductor from -“station 1001, U. g. r. r.,” and his sable passenger -parted company under far pleasanter circumstances -than they did in the long ago on the doorstep of -Anno Mundi in the village home of Giddings and -Wade.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - - <ol class='ol_1 c002'> - <li>Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - - </li> - <li>Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's From Dixie to Canada, by Homer Uri Johnson - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM DIXIE TO CANADA *** - -***** This file should be named 62165-h.htm or 62165-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/1/6/62165/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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