The Underground Railroad
each other, and had a great shaking of hands, and have not got
done talking yet of the old times we had in Virginia.
I thank God I am enjoying vigorous health, and hope you all are
well, as it is written in the first Psalm, "Blessed is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in
the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."
I wish you may think of me often and pray for me that I may grow
a man, one of the followers of our meek and lowly Saviour. Give
my love to Mrs. Still, and family, and the Rev. Mr. Gibbs, that
was residing with you when I was there.
I must now inform you a little about Canada, at least as much of
it as I have seen and heard. I arrived in the city of Hamilton,
on the 15th February, 1860, at nine o'clock in the evening, and
the weather was dreary and cold, and the cars laid over there
until ten o'clock next day, and I went up into the city and saw
a portion of it. I then started for Toronto, arrived there same
day at 12 o'clock. There I met friends from Richmond, remained
there several days; during the time we had a very extensive snow
storm, and I took the opportunity of walking around the city
looking at the elephants, and other great sights. I liked it
very much; but upon hearing that my friend and brother Stepney
Brown was in Brantford, I became disatisfied and left for
Brantford on the 21st February, 1860. I have found it a very
pleasant, and have been told it is the prettiest place in
Canada.
It is built upon the Grand River, which is two hundred miles
long, and empties into Lake Erie. It rises to a great height
every spring, and great masses of ice come down, bringing
bridges, saw-logs, trees, and fairly sweeps everything before
it. The people who live upon the flats are in great danger of
being drowned in their houses.
I got a situation immediately at the Kerby House, by the
influence of my friend and brother, Stepney Brown, who I must
say has been very kind to me, as also have the people of
Brantford. The Kerbey House is the largest hotel in the town
about 250 rooms, and a stable at the back, with a gas-house of
its own. No more at present, but remain,
Yours very respectfully,
JOHN WILLIAM DUNGY.
P.S. Write at your earliest convenience, and oblige your friend,
J.W.D.
BRANTFORD, April 20th.
MR. STILL, DEAR SIR:--I feel myself quite lonesome this evening,
and not hearing from you lately I take this opportunity to drop
you a few lines. I have not much to say, brother Brown has left
for the falls, and expects to return next winter. The weather is
mild and warm at this time; the grass is putting up and begins
to look like spring. I thank the Lord I am enjoying good health
at this time. I hope this letter will find you and your family
well, give my compliments to them all and Mr. Gibbs and the
young lady that was at your house when I was there. Times has
been hard this winter, but they are increasing for the better. I
wrote to you a few days ago, I don't know whether you got my
letter. I asked in my letter if Mr. Williams was on the
pennsylvania, that runs from their to Richmond, Va. I should
have written to him, but I did not know his number, I also named
a friend of mine, Mr Plumer if he arrives their pleas to tell
him to come to Brantford, where I am for there are good chances
for business I think a great deal about my colored brethren in
the South but I hope to be a benefit to them one of these days.
We have quite a melancholy affair about one of our colored
brothers who made his escape from the South those who took him
up have gone back to obtain witness to convict him for murder.
These witness is to be here on Monday 23 inst but the defendence
of the law says they shant take him back unless they bring good
witness and men of truth I will write you more about it after
the trial comes of. I must say a little about myself. I want to
devote myself to study if I can for the next twelve months. I
expect to leave the Kirby House on the 5th of may. I have taken
a barber shop which is a very good situation and one hand
employed with me. I would be much oblige to you if you would
give me some advice what to do. I sent you the morning herald
yesterday which contained a accident which occurd on the G.
trunk R.W. you will see in it that we don't have much politics
here. The late destructive fire we had I thought it would have
kept brantford back this summer but it is increasing slowly I
have nothing more to say at this time. I hope the Lord may bless
you all and take care of you in this world, and after time
receive you in his everlasting kingdom through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Answer this as soon as convenient. Good bye.
Yours respectfully
J.W. DUNGY.
BRANTFORD, C.W., JANUARY 11th, 61.
MR. WM. STILL, DEAR SIR:--I take this opportunity to drop you a
few lines to let you hear from me. I am well at this time,
hoping this will find you the same.
I acknowledge my great neglectness of you with great regret that
I have not answered your letter before this, I hope you will
excuse me as I have succeeded in getting me a wife since I wrote
to you last.
My mind has been much taken up in so doing for several months
past. Give my compliments to your wife and your family, and Mr.
Gibbs, also hoping they are all well. Tell Mrs. Still to pray
for me that I may grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth
as it is in Jesus.
I often think of you all. I pray that the time may come when we
will all be men in the United States. We have read here of the
great disturbance in the South. My prayer is that this may be a
deathblow to Slavery. Do you ever have any Underground Rail Road
passengers now? Times have been very prosperous in Canada this
year.
The commercial trade and traffic on the railways has been very
dull for these few months back. Business on the Buffalo and Lake
Huron railway has been so dull that a great number of the hands
have been discharged on account of the panic in the South.
Canada yet cries, Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!
I must now say a little about my friend and brother Stepney
Brown, he lived about six months at the Niagara Falls and is now
going to school here in Brantford, he sends his best respects to
you all. He and I often sit together at night after the labor of
the day is over talking about our absent friends wishing we
could see them once more.
Mr. Brown and myself have been wishing for one or two of your
slavery standards and would be much obliged to you if you would
send some of the latest.
Please let me hear from you as soon as possible. I must now
bring my letter to a close and remain your affectionate friend,
J.W. DUNGY.
P.S. May the Lord be with you. J.W. DUNGY.
Address your letter to John W. Dungy, Brantford, C.W.
"AUNT HANNAH MOORE."
In 1854 in company with her so-called Mistress (Mary Moore) Aunt Hannah
arrived in Philadelphia, from Missouri, being _en route_ to California,
where she with her mistress was to join her master, who had gone there
years before to seek his fortune. The mistress having relatives in this
city tarried here a short time, not doubting that she had sufficient
control over Aunt Hannah to keep her from contact with either
abolitionists or those of her own color, and that she would have no
difficulty in taking her with her to her journey's end. If such were her
calculations she was greatly mistaken. For although Aunt Hannah was
destitute of book-learning she was nevertheless a woman of thought and
natural ability, and while she wisely kept her counsel from her mistress
she took care to make her wants known to an abolitionist. She had passed
many years under the yoke, under different owners, and now seeing a ray
of hope she availed herself of the opportunity to secure her freedom.
She had occasion to go to a store in the neighborhood where she was
stopping, and to her unspeakable joy she found the proprietor an
abolitionist and a friend who inquired into her condition and proffered
her assistance. The store-keeper quickly made known her condition at the
Anti-slavery Office, and in double-quick time J.M. McKim and Charles
Wise as abolitionists and members of the Vigilance Committee repaired to
the stopping-place of the mistress and her slave to demand in the name
of humanity and the laws of Pennsylvania that Aunt Hannah should be no
longer held in fetters but that she should be immediately proclaimed
free. In the eyes of the mistress this procedure was so extraordinary
that she became very much excited and for a moment threatened them with
the "broomstick," but her raving had no effect on Messrs. McKim and
Wise, who did not rest contented until Aunt Hannah was safely in their
hands. She had lived a slave in Moore's family in the State of Missouri
about ten years and said she was treated very well, had plenty to eat,
plenty to wear, and a plenty of work. It was prior to her coming into
the possession of Moore that Aunt Hannah had been made to drink the
bitter waters of oppression. From this point, therefore, we shall
present some of the incidents of her life, from infancy, and very nearly
word for word as she related them:
"Moore bought me from a man named McCaully, who owned me about a year. I
fared dreadful bad under McCaully. One day in a rage he undertook to
beat me with the limb of a cherry-tree; he began at me and tried in the
first place to snatch my clothes off, but he did not succeed. After that
he beat the cherry-tree limb all to pieces over me. The first blow
struck me on the back of my neck and knocked me down; his wife was
looking on, sitting on the side of the bed crying to him to lay on.
After the limb was worn out he then went out to the yard and got a lath,
and he come at me again and beat me with that until he broke it all to
pieces. He was not satisfied then; he next went to the fence and tore
off a paling, and with that he took both hands, 'cursing' me all the
time as hard as he could. With an oath he would say, 'now don't you love
me?' 'Oh master, I will pray for you, I would cry, then he would 'cuss'
harder than ever.' He beat me until he was tired and quit. I crept out
of doors and throwed up blood; some days I was hardly able to creep.
With this beating I was laid up several weeks. Another time Mistress
McCaully got very angry. One day she beat me as bad as he did. She was a
woman who would get very mad in a minute. One day she began scolding and
said the kitchen wasn't kept clean. I told her the kitchen was kept as
clean as any kitchen in the place; she spoke very angry, and said she
didn't go by other folks but she had rules of her own. She soon ordered
me to come in to her. I went in as she ordered me; she met me with a
mule-rope, and ordered me to cross my hands. I crossed my hands and she
tied me to the bedstead. Here her husband said, 'my dear, now let me do
the fighting.' In her mad fit she said he shouldn't do it, and told him
to stand back and keep out of the way or I will give you the cowhide she
said to him. He then 'sot' down in a 'cheer' and looked like a man
condemned to be hung; then she whipped me with the cowhide until I sunk
to the floor. He then begged her to quit. He said to his wife she has
begged and begged and you have whipped her enough. She only raged 'wus;'