The Underground Railroad
of pleasure, but their story of suffering quite as suddenly caused the
most painful reflections. It was hardly possible to listen to their
tales of outrage and wrong with composure. Both came from Kent county,
Maryland, and reported that they fled from a man by the name of Massey;
a man of low stature, light-complexioned, with dark hair, dark eyes, and
very quick temper; given to hard swearing as a common practice; also,
that the said Massey had a wife, who was a very tall woman, with blue
eyes, chestnut-colored hair, and a very bad temper; that, conjointly,
Massey and his wife were in the habit of meting out cruel punishment to
their slaves, without regard to age or sex, and that they themselves,
(Anna Elizabeth and Sarah Jane), had received repeated scourgings at the
hands of their master. Anna and Sarah were respectively twenty-four and
twenty-five years of age; Anna was of a dark chestnut color, while Sarah
was two shades lighter; both had good manners, and a fair share of
intelligence, which afforded a hopeful future for them in freedom. Each
had a babe in her arms.
Sarah had been a married woman for three years; her child, a boy, was
eight months old, and was named Garrett Bell. Elizabeth's child was a
girl, nineteen months old, and named Sarah Catharine Young. Elizabeth
had never been married. They had lived with Massey five years up to the
last March prior to their escape, having been bought out of the
Baltimore slave-pen, with the understanding that they were to be free at
the expiration of five years' service under him. The five years had more
than expired, but no hope or sign of freedom appeared. On the other
hand, Massey was talking loudly of selling them again. Threats and fears
were so horrifying to them, that they could not stand it; this was what
prompted them to flee. "As often as six or seven times," said Elizabeth,
"I have been whipped by master, once with the carriage whip, and at
other times with a raw hide trace. The last flogging I received from
him, was about four weeks before last Christmas; he then tied me up to a
locust tree standing before the door, and whipped me to his
satisfaction."
Sarah had fared no better than Elizabeth, according to her testimony.
"Three times," said she, "I have been tied up; the last time was in
planting corn-time, this year. My clothing was all stripped off above my
waist, and then he whipped me till the blood ran down to my heels." Her
back was lacerated all over. She had been ploughing with two horses, and
unfortunately had lost a hook out of her plough; this, she declared was
the head and front of her offending, nothing more. Thus, after all their
suffering, utterly penniless, they reached the Committee, and were in
every respect, in a situation to call for the deepest commiseration.
They were helped and were thankful.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
JOHN WESLEY SMITH, ROBERT MURRAY, SUSAN STEWART, AND JOSEPHINE SMITH.
Daniel Hubert was fattening on John Wesley's earnings contrary to his,
John's, idea of right. For a long time John failed to see the remedy,
but as he grew older and wiser the scales fell from his eyes and he
perceived that the Underground Rail Road ran near his master's place,
Cambridge, Md., and by a very little effort and a large degree of
courage and perseverance he might manage to get out of Maryland and on
to Canada, where slave-holders had no more rights than other people.
These reflections came seriously into John's mind at about the age of
twenty-six; being about this time threatened with the auction-block he
bade slavery good-night, jumped into the Underground Rail Road car and
off he hurried for Pennsylvania. His mother, Betsy, one brother, and one
sister were left in the hands of Hubert. John Wesley could pray for them
and wish them well, but nothing more.
Robert Murray became troubled in mind about his freedom while living in
London county, Virginia, under the heel of Eliza Brooks, a widow woman,
who used him bad, according to his testimony. He had been "knocked about
a good deal." A short while before he fled, he stated that he had been
beat brutally, so much so that the idea of escape was beat into him. He
had never before felt as if he dared hope to try to get out of bondage,
but since then his mind had undergone such a sudden and powerful change,
he began to feel that nothing could hold him in Virginia; the place
became hateful to him. He looked upon a slave-holder as a kind of a
living, walking, talking "Satan, going about as a roaring lion seeking
whom he may destroy." He left his wife, with one child; her name was
Nancy Jane, and the name of the offspring was Elizabeth. As Robert had
possessed but rare privileges to visit his wife, he felt it less a trial
to leave than if it had been otherwise. William Seedam owned the wife
and child.
Susan Stewart and Josephine Smith fled together from the District of
Columbia. Running away had been for a long time a favorite idea with
Susan, as she had suffered much at the hands of different masters. The
main cause of her flight was to keep from being sold again; for she had
been recently threatened by Henry Harley, who "followed droving," and
not being rich, at any time when he might be in want of money she felt
that she might have to go. When a girl only twelve years of age, her
young mind strongly revolted against being a slave, and at that youthful
period she tried her fortune at running away. While she was never caught
by her owners, she had the misfortune to fall into the hands of another
slaveholder no better than her old master, indeed she thought that she
found it even worse under him, so far as severe floggings were
concerned. Susan was of a bright brown color, medium size, quick and
active intellectually and physically, and although she had suffered much
from Slavery, as she was not far advanced in years, she might still do
something for herself. She left no near kin that she was aware of.
Josephine fled from Miss Anna Maria Warren, who had previously been
deranged from the effects of paralysis. Josephine regarded this period
of her mistress' sickness as her opportunity for planning to get away
before her mistress came to her senses.
* * * * *
SUNDRY ARRIVALS FROM MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA.
HENRY FIELDS, CHARLES RINGGOLD, WILLIAM RINGGOLD, ISAAC NEWTON AND
JOSEPH THOMAS.
["Five other cases were attended to by Dillwyn Parish and J.C.
White"--other than this no note was made of them.]
Henry Fields took the benefit of the Underground Rail Road at the age of
eighteen. He fled from the neighborhood of Port Deposit while being
"broke in" by a man named Washington Glasby, who was wicked enough to
claim him as his property, and was also about to sell him. This chattel
was of a light yellow complexion, hearty-looking and wide awake.
Charles Ringgold took offence at being whipped like a dog, and the
prospect of being sold further South; consequently in a high state of
mental dread of the peculiar institution, he concluded that freedom was
worth suffering for, and although he was as yet under twenty years of
age, he determined not to remain in Perrymanville, Maryland, to wear the
chains of Slavery for the especial benefit of his slave-holding master
(whose name was inadvertently omitted).
William Ringgold fled from Henry Wallace, of Baltimore. A part of the
time William said he "had had it pretty rough, and a part of the time
kinder smooth," but never had had matters to his satisfaction. Just
before deciding to make an adventure on the Underground Rail Road his
owner had been talking of selling him. Under the apprehension that this
threat would prove no joke, Henry began to study what he had better do
to be saved from the jaws of hungry negro traders. It was not long
before he came to the conclusion that he had best strike out upon a
venture in a Northern direction, and do the best he could to get as far
away as possible from the impending danger threatened by Mr. Wallace.
After a long and weary travel on foot by night, he found himself at
Columbia, where friends of the Underground Rail Road assisted him on to
Philadelphia. Here his necessary wants were met, and directions given
him how to reach the land of refuge, where he would be out of the way of
all slave-holders and slave-traders. Six of his brothers had been sold;
his mother was still in bondage in Baltimore.
Isaac Newton hailed from Richmond, Virginia. He professed to be only
thirty years of age, but he seemed to be much older. While he had had an
easy time in slavery, he preferred that his master should work for
himself, as he felt that it was his bounden duty to look after number
one; so he did not hesitate about leaving his situation vacant for any
one who might desire it, whether white or black, but made a successful
"took out."
Joseph Thomas was doing the work of a so-called master in Prince
George's county, Maryland. For some cause or other the alarm of the
auction-block was sounded in his ears, which at first distracted him
greatly; upon sober reflection it worked greatly to his advantage. It
set him to thinking seriously on the subject of immediate emancipation,
and what a miserable hard lot of it he should have through life if he
did not "pick up" courage and resolution to get beyond the terror of
slave-holders; so under these reflections he found his nerves gathering
strength, his fears leaving him, and he was ready to venture on the
Underground Rail Road. He came through without any serious difficulty.
He left his father and mother, Shadrach and Lucinda Thomas.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM SEAFORD, 1859.
ROBERT BELL AND TWO OTHERS.
Robert came from Seaford, where he had served under Charles Wright, a
farmer, of considerable means, and the owner of a number of slaves, over
whom he was accustomed to rule with much rigor.
Although Robert's master had a wife and five children, the love which
Robert bore them was too weak to hold him; and well adapted as the
system of Slavery might be to render him happy in the service of young
and old masters, it was insufficient for him. Robert found no rest under
Mr. Wright; no privileges, scantily clad, poor food, and a heavy yoke,
was the policy of this "superior." Robert testified, that for the last
five years, matters had been growing worse and worse; that times had
never been so bad before. Of nights, under the new regime, the slaves
were locked up and not allowed to go anywhere; flogging, selling, etc.,
were of every-day occurrence throughout the neighborhood. Finally,
Robert became sick of such treatment, and he found that the spirit of
Canada and freedom was uppermost in his heart. Slavery grew blacker and
blacker, until he resolved to "pull up stakes" upon a venture. The
motion was right, and succeeded.
Two other passengers were at the station at the same time, but they had
to be forwarded without being otherwise noticed on the book.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL FROM TAPPS' NECK, MD., 1859.
LEWIS WILSON, JOHN WATERS, ALFRED EDWARDS AND WILLIAM QUINN.
Lewis' grey hairs signified that he had been for many years plodding
under the yoke. He was about fifty years of age, well set, not tall, but
he had about him the marks of a substantial laborer. He had been brought
up on a farm under H. Lynch, whom Lewis described as "a mean man when
drunk, and very severe on his slaves." The number that he ruled over as
his property, was about twenty. Said Lewis, about two years ago, he shot
a free man, and the man died about two hours afterwards; for this