The Underground Railroad
never brought them home, but sold them right off where they could never
run away any more, or get to see their relatives again. This threat,
George said, was continually rung in the ears of the slaves, and with
the more timid it was very effective.
Jacob Blockson, after reaching Canada, true to the pledge that he made
to his bosom companion, wrote back as follows:
SAINT CATHARINES. Cannda West, Dec. 26th, 1858.
DEAR WIFE:--I now infom you I am in Canada and am well and hope
you are the same, and would wish you to be here next august, you
come to suspension bridge and from there to St. Catharines,
write and let me know. I am doing well working for a Butcher
this winter, and will get good wages in the spring I now get
$2,50 a week.
I Jacob Blockson, George Lewis, George Alligood and James
Alligood are all in St. Catharines, and met George Ross from
Lewis Wright's, Jim Blockson is in Canada West, and Jim Delany,
Plunnoth Connon. I expect you my wife Lea Ann Blockson, my son
Alexander & Lewis and Ames will all be here and Isabella also,
if you cant bring all bring Alexander surely, write when you
will come and I will meet you in Albany. Love to you all, from
your loving Husband,
JACOB BLOCKSON.
fare through $12,30 to here.
MR. STILL: SIR:--you will please Envelope this and send it to
John Sheppard Bridgeville P office in Sussex county Delaware,
seal it in black and oblige me, write to her to come to you.
SUNDRY ARRIVALS IN 1859.
SARAH ANN MILLS, Boonsborough; CAROLINE GASSWAY, Mt. Airy; LEVIN HOLDEN,
Laurel; WILLIAM JAMES CONNER, with his wife, child, and four brothers;
JAMES LAZARUS, Delaware; RICHARD WILLIAMS, Richmond, Virginia; SYDNEY
HOPKINS and HENRY WHEELER, Havre de Grace.
Sarah Mills set out for freedom long before she reached womanhood; being
about sixteen years of age. She stated that she had been very cruelly
treated, that she was owned by a man named Joseph O'Neil, "a tax
collector and a very bad man." Under said O'Neil she had been required
to chop wood, curry horses, work in the field like a man, and all one
winter she had been compelled to go barefooted. Three weeks before Sarah
fled, her mistress was called away by death; nevertheless Sarah could
not forget how badly she had been treated by her while living. According
to Sarah's testimony the mistress was no better than her husband. Sarah
came from Boonsborough, near Hagerstown, Md., leaving her mother and
other relatives in that neighborhood.
It was gratifying to know that such bond-women so early got beyond the
control of slave-holders; yet girls of her age from having had no pains
taken for their improvement, appealed loudly for more than common
sympathy and humanity, but rarely ever found it; on the contrary, their
paths were beset with great danger.
Caroline Gassway, after being held to service by Summersett Walters,
until she had reached her twenty-seventh year, was forced, by hard
treatment and the love of freedom, to make an effort for deliverance.
Her appearance at once indicated, although she was just out of the
prison-house, that she possessed more than an ordinary share of courage,
and that she had had a keen insight into the system under which she had
been oppressed. She was of a dark chestnut color, well-formed, with a
large and high forehead, indicative of intellect. She had much to say of
the ways and practices of slave-holders; of the wrongs of the system.
She dwelt especially upon her own situation as a slave, and the
character of her master; she told not only of his ill treatment of her,
but described his physical appearance as well. "He was a spare-made man,
with a red head and quick temper: he would go off in a flurry like a
flash of powder, and would behave shamefully towards the slaves when in
these fits of passion." His wife, however, Caroline confessed was of a
different temper, and was a pretty good kind of a woman. If he had been
anything like his wife in disposition, most likely Caroline would have
remained in bondage. Fortunately, Caroline was a single woman. She left
her mother.
Levin Holden, having been sold only a few weeks prior to his escape, was
so affected by the change which awaited him, that he was irresistibly
led to seek the Underground Rail Road. Previous to being sold he was
under a master by the name of Jonathan Bailey, who followed farming in
the neighborhood of Laurel, Delaware, and, as a master, was considered a
moderate man--was also well to do in the world; but the new master he
could not endure, as he had already let the secret out that Levin was to
be sent South. Levin had a perfect horror of a more Southern latitude;
he made up his mind that he would try his luck for Canada. Levin was a
man of twenty-seven years of age, smart, dark color, and of a good size
for all sorts of work.
William James Conner, his wife, child, and four brothers came next. The
brothers were hale-looking fellows, and would have commanded high prices
in any market South of Mason and Dixon's Line. It was said, that they
were the property of Kendall Major Lewis, who lived near Laurel,
Delaware. It was known, however, that he never had any deed from the
Almighty, but oppressed them without any just right so to do; they were
perfectly justifiable in leaving Kendall Major Lewis, and all his
sympathizers, to take care of themselves as best they could.
No very serious charges were made against Lewis, but on the contrary
they said, that he had been looked upon as a "moderate slave-holder;"
they also said, that "he had been a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church for fifty years, and stood high in that body." Furthermore they
stated, that he sold slaves occasionally. Eight had been sold by him
some time before this party escaped (two of them to Georgia); besides
William James had been sold and barely found opportunity to escape. Wm.
James, Major Lewis, Dennis Betts, Peter, and Lazarus, with the wife and
child of the former, not only found themselves stripped from day to day
of their hard earnings, but fearful forebodings of the auction-block
were ever uppermost in their minds. While they spoke of Lewis as
"moderate," etc., they all said that he allowed no privileges to his
slaves.
Richard Williams gave a full account of himself, but only a meagre
report was recorded. He said that he came from Richmond, and left
because he was on the point of being sold by John A. Smith, who owned
him. He gave Smith credit for being a tolerable fair kind of a
slave-holder, but added, that "his wife was a notoriously hard woman;"
she had made a very deep impression on Richard's mind by her treatment
of him. In finding himself on free ground, however, with cheering
prospects ahead, he did not stop to brood over the ills that he had
suffered, but rejoiced heartily. He left his wife, Julia, who was free.
Sydney Hopkins and Henry Wheeler. These young men made their way out of
Slavery together. While Sydney lives he will forever regard Jacob Hoag,
of Havre-de-Grace, as the person who cheated him out of himself, and
prevented him from becoming enlightened and educated.
Henry, his companion, was also from Havre De Grace. He had had trouble
with a man by the name of Amos Barnes, or in other words Barnes claimed
to own him, just as he owned a horse or a mule, and daily controlled him
in about the same manner that he would manage the animals above alluded
to. Henry could find no justification for such treatment. He suffered
greatly under the said Barnes, and finally his eyes were open to see
that there was an Underground Rail Road for the benefit of all such
slavery-sick souls as himself. So he got a ticket as soon as possible,
and came through without accident, leaving Amos Barnes to do the best he
could for a living. This candidate for Canada was twenty-one years of
age, and a likely-looking boy.
Joseph Henry Hill. The spirit of freedom in this passenger was truly the
"one idea" notion. At the age of twenty-eight his purpose to free
himself by escaping on the Underground Rail Road was successfully
carried into effect, although not without difficulty. Joseph was a fair
specimen of a man physically and mentally, could read and write, and
thereby keep the run of matters of interest on the Slavery question.
James Thomas, Jr., a tobacco merchant, in Richmond, had Joe down in his
ledger as a marketable piece of property, or a handy machine to save
labor, and make money. To Joe's great joy he heard the sound of the
Underground Rail Road bell in Richmond,--had a satisfactory interview
with the conductor,--received a favorable response, and was soon a
traveler on his way to Canada. He left his mother, a free woman, and two
sisters in chains. He had been sold twice, but he never meant to be sold
again.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND, 1859.
CORNELIUS HENRY JOHNSON. FACE CANADA-WARD FOR YEARS.
Quite an agreeable interview took place between Cornelius and the
Committee. He gave his experience of Slavery pretty fully, and the
Committee enlightened him as to the workings of the Underground Rail
Road, the value of freedom, and the safety of Canada as a refuge.
Cornelius was a single man, thirty-six years of age, full black, medium
size, and intelligent. He stated that he had had his face set toward
Canada for a long while. Three times he had made an effort to get out of
the prison-house. "Within the last four or five years, times have gone
pretty hard with me. My mistress, Mrs. Mary F. Price, had lately put me
in charge of her brother, Samuel M. Bailey, a tobacco merchant of
Richmond. Both believed in nothing as they did in Slavery; they would
sooner see a black man dead than free. They were about second class in
society. He and his sister own well on to one hundred head, though
within the last few years he has been thinning off the number by sale. I
was allowed one dollar a week for my board; one dollar is the usual
allowance for slaves in my situation. On Christmas week he allowed me no
board money, but made me a present of seventy-five cents; my mistress
added twenty-five cents, which was the extent of their liberality. I was
well cared for. When the slaves got sick he doctored them himself, he
was too stingy to employ a physician. If they did not get well as soon
as he thought they should, he would order them to their work, and if
they did not go he would beat them. My cousin was badly beat last year
in the presence of his wife, and he was right sick. Mr. Bailey was a
member of St. James' church, on Fifth street, and my mistress was a
communicant of the First Baptist church on Broad Street. She let on to
be very good."
"I am one of a family of sixteen; my mother and eleven sisters and
brothers are now living; some have been sold to Alabama, and some to
Tennessee, the rest are held in Richmond. My mother is now old, but is
still in the service of Bailey. He promised to take care of her in her
old age, and not compel her to labor, so she is only required to cook
and wash for a dozen slaves. This they consider a great favor to the old
'grandmother.' It was only a year ago he cursed her and threatened her
with a flogging. I left for nothing else but because I was dissatisfied
with Slavery. The threats of my master caused me to reflect on the North
and South. I had an idea that I was not to die in Slavery. I believed
that God would assist me if I would try. I then made up my mind to put
my case in the hands of God, and start for the Underground Rail Road. I
bade good-bye to the old tobacco factory on Seventh street, and the
First African Baptist church on Broad street (where he belonged), where