The Underground Railroad
some of their children had escaped in days past, and these they hoped to
find. Not many of those thus advanced in years ever succeeded in getting
to Canada.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1857.
WILLIAM JACKSON.
William was about fifty years of age, of usual size, of good address,
and intelligent. He was born the property of a slaveholder, by the name
of Daniel Minne, residing in Alexandria in Virginia. His master was
about eighty-four years of age, and was regarded as kind, though he had
sold some of his slaves and was in favor of slavery. He had two sons,
Robert and Albert, "both dissipated, would layabout the tippling
taverns, and keep low company, so much so that they were not calculated
to do any business for their father." William had to be a kind of a
right hand man to his master. The sons seeing that the "property" was
trusted instead of themselves, very naturally hated it, so the young men
resolved that at the death of their father, William should be sent as
far south as possible. Knowing that the old man could not stand it much
longer, William saw that it was his policy to get away as fast as he
could. He was the husband of a free wife, who had come on in advance of
him.
For thirty years William had been foreman on his old master's
plantation, and but for the apprehension caused by the ill-will of his
prospective young masters, he would doubtless have remained in servitude
at least until the death of the old man. But when William reflected, and
saw what he had been deprived of all his life by being held in bondage,
and when he began to breathe free air, with the prospect of ending his
days on free land, he rejoiced that his eyes had been opened to see his
danger, and that he had been moved to make a start for liberty.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM DELAWARE, 1857.
JOHN WRIGHT AND WIFE, ELIZABETH ANN, AND CHARLES CONNOR.
This party arrived from Sussex county. John was about thirty years of
age, ordinary size, full black and clear-headed. In physical appearance
he would have readily passed for a superior laborer. The keenness of his
eyes and quickness of his perception, however, would doubtless have
rendered him an object of suspicion in some parts of the South. The
truth was that the love of liberty was clearly indicated in his
expressive countenance. William S. Phillips, a farmer, had been
"sucking" John's blood, and keeping him poor and ignorant for the last
eight years at least; before that, Phillips' father had defrauded him of
his hire.
Under the father and son John had found plenty of hard work and bad
usage, severe and repeated floggings not excepted. Old master and
mistress and young master and mistress, including the entire family,
belonged to what was known as the "Farmer church," at Portsville.
Outwardly they were good Christians. "Occasionally," John said, "the old
man would have family prayers," and to use John's own words, "in company
he would try to moralize, but out of company was as great a rowdy as
ever was." In further describing his old master, he said that he was a
large man, with a red face and blunt nose, and was very quick and fiery
in his temper; would drink and swear--and even his wife, with all hands,
would have to run when he was "raised."
Of his young master he said: "He was quite a long-bodied, thin-faced
man, weighing over one hundred and fifty pounds. In temper just like his
father, though he did not drink--that is all the good quality that I can
recommend in him." John said also that his master, on one occasion, in a
most terribly angry mood, threatened that he would "wade up to his knees
in his (John's) blood." It so happened that John's blood was up pretty
high just at that time; he gave his master to understand that he would
rather go South (be sold) than submit to the scourging which was
imminent. John's pluck probably had the effect of allaying the master's
fire; at any rate the storm subsided after awhile, and until the day
that he took the Underground Rail Road car the servant managed to put up
with his master. As John's wife was on the eve of being sold he was
prompted to leave some time sooner than he otherwise would have done.
THE WIFE'S STATEMENT
She was thirty-two years of age, of good physical proportions, and a
promising-looking person, above the ordinary class of slaves belonging
to Delaware. She was owned by Jane Cooper, who lived near Laurel, in
Sussex county. She had been more accustomed to field labor than
house-work; ploughing, fencing, driving team, grubbing, cutting wood,
etc., were well understood by her. During "feeding times" she had to
assist in the house. In this respect, she had harder times than the men.
Her mistress was also in the habit of hiring Elizabeth out by the day to
wash. On these occasions she was required to rise early enough to milk
the cows, get breakfast, and feed the hogs before sunrise, so that she
might be at her day's washing in good time.
It is plainly to be seen, that Elizabeth had not met with the "ease" and
kindness which many claimed for the slave. Elizabeth was sensible of the
wrongs inflicted by her Delaware mistress, and painted her in very vivid
colors. Her mistress was a widow, "quite old," but "very frisky," and
"wore a wig to hide her gray hairs." At the death of her husband, the
slaves believed, from what they had heard their master say, that they
would be freed, each at the age of thirty. But no will was found, which
caused Elizabeth, as well as the rest of the slaves, to distrust the
mistress more than ever, as they suspected that she knew something of
its disappearance.
Her mistress belonged to the Presbyterian Church, but would have "family
prayers only when the minister would stop;" Elizabeth thought that she
took greater pains to please the minister than her Maker. Elizabeth had
no faith in such religion.
Both Elizabeth and her husband were members of the Methodist Church.
Neither had ever been permitted to learn to read or write, but they were
naturally very smart. John left his mother and one sister in bondage.
One of his brothers fled to Canada fifteen years before their escape.
His name was Abraham.
Charles Connor, the third person in the party, was twenty-seven years of
age--fast color, and a tough-looking "article," who would have brought
twelve hundred dollars or more in the hands of a Baltimore trader. The
man from whom Charles fled was known by the name of John Chipman, and
was described as "a fleshy man, with rank beard and quick temper, very
hard--commonly kept full of liquor, though he would not get so drunk
that he could not go about." For a long time Charles had been the main
dependence on his master's place, as he only owned two other slaves.
Charles particularly remarked, that no weather was too bad for them to
be kept at work in the field. Charles was a fair specimen of the
"corn-field hand," but thought that he could take care of himself in
Canada.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM ALEXANDRIA, 1857.
OSCAR D. BALL, AND MONTGOMERY GRAHAM.
FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS REWARD.--Ran away from the owner in
Alexandria, Va., on the night of the 13th inst., two young negro
men, from twenty to twenty-five years of age. MONTGOMERY is a
very bright mulatto, about five feet, six inches in height, of
polite manners, and smiles much when speaking or spoken to.
OSCAR is of a tawny complexion, about six feet high, sluggish in
his appearance and movements, and of awkward manners. One
hundred dollars each will be paid for the delivery of the above
slaves if taken in a slave state, or two hundred dollars each if
taken in a free state. One or more slaves belonging to other
owners, it is supposed, went in their company.
Address: JOHN T. GORDON,
Alexandria, Va.
Although the name of John T. Gordon appears signed to the above
advertisement, he was not the owner of Montgomery and Oscar. According
to their own testimony they belonged to a maiden lady, by the name of
Miss Elizabeth Gordon, who probably thought that the business of
advertising for runaway negroes was rather beneath her.
While both these passengers manifested great satisfaction in leaving
their mistress they did not give her a bad name. On the contrary they
gave her just such a character as the lady might have been pleased with
in the main. They described her thus: "Mistress was a spare woman,
tolerably tall, and very kind, except when sick, she would not pay much
attention then. She was a member of the Southern Methodist Church, and
was strict in her religion."
Having a good degree of faith in his mistress, Oscar made bold one day
to ask her how much she would take for him. She agreed to take eight
hundred dollars. Oscar wishing to drive a pretty close bargain offered
her seven hundred dollars, hoping that she would view the matter in a
religious light, and would come down one hundred dollars. After
reflection instead of making a reduction, she raised the amount to one
thousand dollars, which Oscar concluded was too much for himself. It was
not, however, as much as he was worth according to his mistress'
estimate, for she declared that she had often been offered fifteen
hundred dollars for him. Miss Gordon raised Oscar from a child and had
treated him as a pet. When he was a little "shaver" seven or eight years
of age, she made it a practice to have him sleep with her, showing that
she had no prejudice.
Being rather of a rare type of slave-holders she is entitled to special
credit. Montgomery the companion of Oscar could scarcely be
distinguished from the white folks. In speaking of his mistress,
however, he did not express himself in terms quite so complimentary as
Oscar. With regard to giving "passes," he considered her narrow, to say
the least. But he was in such perfectly good humor with everybody, owing
to the fact that he had succeeded in getting his neck out of the yoke,
that he evidently had no desire to say hard things about her.
Judging from his story he had been for a long time desiring his freedom
and looking diligently for the Underground Rail Road, but he had had
many things to contend with when looking the matter of escape in the
face. Arriving in Philadelphia, and finding himself breathing free air,
receiving aid and encouragement in a manner that he had never known
before, he was one of the happiest of creatures.
Oscar left his wife and one child, one brother and two sisters.
Montgomery left one sister, but no other near kin.
Instead of going to Canada, Oscar and his comrade pitched their tents in
Oswego, N.Y., where they changed their names, and instead of returning
themselves to their kind mistress they were wicked enough to be plotting
as to how some of their friends might get off on the Underground Rail
Road, as may be seen from the appended letters from Oscar, who was
thought to be sluggish, etc.
OSWEGO, Oct 25th, 1857.
DEAR SIR:--I take this opportunity of writing you these few
lines to inform you that I am well and hope these few lines will
find you the same (and your family you must excuse me for not
writing to you before. I would have written to you before this
but I put away the card you gave me and could not find it until
a few days sins). I did not go to Canada for I got work in
Oswego, but times are very dull here at present. I have been out
of employ about five weeks I would like to go to Australia. Do
you know of any gentleman that is going there or any other
place, except south that wants a servant to go there with him to
wait on him or do any other work, I have a brother that wants to