The Underground Railroad
Washington. They belonged to the class of well-cared for slaves; at
least they said that their mistress had not dealt severely with them,
and they never would have consented to pass through the severe
sufferings encountered on their journey, but for the strong desire they
had to be free. From Canada John wrote back as follows:
ST. CATHARINES, Canada.
MR. STILL, SIR:--I ar rivd on Friday evenen bot I had rite smart
troble for my mony gave out at the bridge and I had to fot et to
St. Catherin tho I went rite to worke at the willard house for 8
dolor month bargend for to stae all the wentor bot I havent eny
clouse nor money please send my tronke if et has come. Derate et
to St. Catharines to the willard house to John Dade and if et
ant come plice rite for et soon as posable deract your letter to
Rosenen Dade Washington send your deraction please tend to this
rite a way for I haf made a good start I think that I can gate a
longe en this plase. If my brother as well send him on for I haf
a plase for him ef he ant well please don't send him for this as
no plase for a sik possan. The way I got this plase I went to
see a fran of myen from Washington. Dan al well and he gave me
werke. Pleas ancer this as soon as you gat et you must excues
this bad riting for my chance wars bot small to line this mouch,
JOHN H. DADE.
If yon haf to send for my tronke to Washington send the name of
John Trowharte. Sir please rite as soon as you gat this for et
as enporten.
JOHN H. DADE.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM DELAWARE, 1858.
GEORGE LAWS AND COMRADE--TIED AND HOISTED WITH BLOCK AND TACKLE, TO BE
COWHIDED.
George represented the ordinary young slave men of Delaware. He was of
unmixed blood, medium size and of humble appearance. He was destitute of
the knowledge of spelling, to say nothing of reading. Slavery had
stamped him unmistakably for life. To be scantily fed and clothed, and
compelled to work without hire, George did not admire, but had to submit
without murmuring; indeed, he knew that his so-called master, whose name
was Denny, would not be likely to hear complaints from a slave; he
therefore dragged his chain and yielded to his daily task.
One day, while hauling dirt with a fractious horse, the animal
manifested an unwillingness to perform his duty satisfactorily. At this
procedure the master charged George with provoking the beast to do
wickedly, and in a rage he collared George and bade him accompany him
"up stairs" (of the soap house). Not daring to resist, George went along
with him. Ropes being tied around both his wrists, the block and tackle
were fastened thereto, and George soon found himself hoisted on tip-toe
with his feet almost clear of the floor.
The "kind-hearted master" then tore all the poor fellow's old shirt off
his back, and addressed him thus: "You son of a b----h, I will give you
pouting around me; stay there till I go up town for my cowhide."
George begged piteously, but in vain. The fracas caused some excitement,
and it so happened that a show was to be exhibited that day in the town,
which, as is usual in the country, brought a great many people from a
distance; so, to his surprise, when the master returned with his
cowhide, he found that a large number of curiosity-seekers had been
attracted to the soap house to see Mr. Denny perform with his cowhide on
George's back, as he was stretched up by his hands. Many had evidently
made up their minds that it would be more amusing to see the cowhiding
than the circus.
The spectators numbered about three hundred. This was a larger number
than Mr. Denny had been accustomed to perform before, consequently he
was seized with embarrassment; looking confused he left the soap house
and went to his office, to await the dispersion of the crowd.
The throng finally retired, and left George hanging in mortal agony.
Human nature here made a death-struggle; the cords which bound his
wrists were unloosed, and George was then prepared to strike for freedom
at the mouth of the cannon or point of the bayonet. How Denny regarded
the matter when he found that George had not only cheated him out of the
anticipated delight of cowhiding him, but had also cheated him out of
himself is left for the imagination to picture.
George fled from Kent; he was accompanied by a comrade whose name
inadvertently was not recorded; he, however, was described as a dark,
round, and full-faced, stout-built man, with bow legs, and bore the
appearance of having been used hard and kept down, and in ignorance, &c.
Hard usage constrained him to flee from his sore oppression.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM DELAWARE, 1858.
JOHN WEEMS, ALIAS JACK HERRING.
Although Jack was but twenty-three years of age, he had tasted the
bitter cup of Slavery pretty thoroughly under Kendall B. Herring, who
was a member of the Methodist Church, and in Jack's opinion a "mere
pretender, and a man of a very bad disposition." Jack thought that he
had worked full long enough for this Herring for nothing. When a boy
twelve years of age, his mother was sold South; from that day, until the
hour that he fled he had not heard a word from her. In making up his
mind to leave Slavery, the outrage inflicted upon his mother only tended
to increase his resolution.
In speaking of his mistress, he said that "she was a right fine woman."
Notwithstanding all his sufferings in the Kendall family, he seemed
willing to do justice to his master and mistress individually. He left
one sister free and one brother in the hands of Herring. Jack was
described as a man of dark color, stout, and well-made.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1858.
RUTH HARPER, GEORGE ROBINSON, PRISCILLA GARDENER, AND JOSHUA JOHN
ANDERSON.
Ruthie's course in seeking her freedom left John McPherson a woman less
to work for him, and to whip, sell, or degrade at his pleasure. It is
due to candor, however, to say that she admitted that she had not been
used very roughly by Mr. McPherson. Ruth was rather a nice-looking young
woman, tall, and polite in her manners. She came from Frederick,
Maryland.
George Robinson stated that he came from a place about one and a half
miles from the Chesapeake Bay, one mile from Old town, and five miles
from Elkton, and was owned by Samuel Smith, a farmer, who was "pretty
cross and an ill man." George's excuse for withdrawing his valuable
services from Mr. Smith at the time that he did, was attributable to the
fact, that he entertained fears that they were about to sell him. Having
cautiousness largely developed he determined to reach Canada and keep
out of danger. George was only twenty-one, passable-looking in
appearance, and of a brown color, and when speaking, stammered
considerably.
Priscilla Gardener fled from the widow Hilliard. Her master departed to
his long home not a great while before she left. Priscilla was a young
woman of about thirty years of age, ordinary size, and of a ginger-bread
color; modest in demeanor. She first commenced her bondage in Richmond,
under the late Benjamin Hilliard, of whom she said that he was "a very
bad man, who could never be pleased by a servant," and was constantly
addicted to fighting not only with others, but also with herself. So
cruelly had Priscilla been treated, that when he died she did not
hesitate to say that she was glad. Soon after this event, sick of
Slavery and unwilling to serve the widow any longer, she determined to
escape, and succeeded.
Joshua John Anderson fled from a farmer who was said to be a poor man,
by the name of Skelton Price, residing in Baltimore county, near a
little village called Alexandria, on the Harford county turn-pike road.
Price, not able to own a farm and slaves too, rented one, and was trying
to "get up in the world." Price had a wife and family, but in the way of
treatment, Joshua did not say anything very hard against him. As his
excuse for leaving them, he said, coolly, that he had made up his mind
that he could get along better in freedom than he could in Slavery, and
that no man had a right to his labor without paying him for it. He left
his mother and also three brothers and two sisters owned by Price.
Joshua was about twenty-two years of age, of a coarse make, and a dark
hue; he had evidently held but little intercourse with any class, save
such as he found in the corn-field and barn-yard.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM NORTH CAROLINA AND DELAWARE.
"DICK BEESLY",MURRAY YOUNG AND CHARLES ANDREW BOLDEN.
Physically, Dick was hardly up to the ordinary stature of slaves, but
mentally he had the advantage of the masses; he was too sharp to be kept
in Slavery. His hue was perfect, no sign of white about him, if that
were any advantage.
From Dick's story, it appeared that he had seen hard times in North
Carolina, under a man he designated by the name of Richard Smallwood. He
was a farmer, living near Wheldon. One of the faults that he found with
Smallwood was, that he was a "tough, drinking man"--he also charged him
with holding "two hundred and sixty slaves in bonds," the most of whom
he came in possession of through his wife. "She," Dick thought "was
pretty fair." He said that no slave had any reason to look for any other
than hard times under his master, according to what he had seen and
known since he had been in the "institution," and he fancied that his
chances for observation had been equally as good as the great majority
of slaves. Young as he was, Dick had been sold three times already, and
didn't know how much oftener he might have to submit to the same fate if
he remained; so, in order to avoid further trouble, he applied his
entire skill to the grand idea of making his way to Canada.
Manfully did he wrestle with difficulty after difficulty, until he
finally happily triumphed and reached Philadelphia in a good
condition--that is, he was not sick, but he was without
money--home--education or friends, except as he found them among
strangers. He was hopeful, nevertheless.
Murray Young was also of the unmixed-blood class, and only twenty-one
years of age. The spirit of liberty in him was pretty largely developed.
He entertained naught against Dr. Lober, of Newcastle, but rather
against the Doctor's wife. He said that he could get along pretty well
with the Doctor, but, he could not get along with Mrs. Lober. But the
very idea of Slavery was enough for him. He did not mean to work for any
body for nothing.
Andrew Bolden was still younger than Charles Murray, being only eighteen
years of age, but he was very well grown, and on the auction-block he
would, doubtless, have brought a large price. He fled from Newark. His
story contained nothing of marked importance.
ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND.
JOHN JANNEY, TALBOT JOHNSON, SAM GROSS, PETER GROSS, JAMES HENRY
JACKSON, AND SAM SMITH.
$1.000 REWARD.--Ran away from the subscriber, August 14th, two
negro men, viz:
BILL HUTTON,
aged 48 or 50 years, dark brown, round face, 5 feet 7 or 8
inches high, rather stout, has a waddling walk, and small bald
spot on the top of his head.
TALBOT JOHNSON,
aged about 35, is black, spare, and lean-visaged, about 5 feet
10 inches high, has lost some of his front teeth, leans forward
as he walks.
If taken in a slave State I will give $200 each for their
recovery. For their recovery from a free State I will give
one-half their value.
B.D. BOND,
Port Republic, Md.