The Underground Railroad
are perfectly flooded with such vagrants. It would be a great
relief if some measures could be resorted to to keep them under
legal restraint. An answer addressed to No. 73 South 4th Street,
above Walnut, will reach me, and oblige, Yours, &c.
WM. J. CANBY.
Weeks passed, but no answer came from the Major. All hope was abandoned
of obtaining a more satisfactory clue to the history of Tucker White.
About three months, however, after Mr. Williamson had written, the
appended note came as an answer:
MR. CANBY:
Major Roney received a letter from you relative to his boy,
Tucker White, and has sent me here to inquire of you his
whereabouts now. If you know anything concerning him and will
give me such information so I can get him, you will be rewarded
for your trouble. You will please address,
No. 147 American Hotel.
The Major would have sent on sooner but he has been sick, and
the letter laid in Office several days.
Mr. Canby was at the time ill, and no attention was paid to the
communication. After a day's delay the following note came to hand, but,
as in the former instance, no answer was returned.
MR. CANBY:
You will confer a great favor on me by writing me whether you
were really the author of a letter to Major Isaac Roney, of
Dinwiddie Court House, Va., relative to his boy Tucker White,
and if you were the author, please let me know when you last saw
him, and where. I called at your office yesterday to see you,
but your cousin (I think he said he was) told me you had the
cholera, and if you felt well enough you were going to the
country to-morrow. I hope you will excuse my writing to you
to-day, on that account. I would not know where to direct a
letter if I were to wait until to-morrow. If you know anything
concerning him and will let me know it, so that I can find and
arrest him, you will very much oblige
Yours, &c.,
I.M. TUCKER.
No. 147 American Hotel.
Please write me an answer to-day, so I may know how to proceed
to-morrow. If I find him I will be very happy to see you before
I leave in behalf of Major Roney, in whose business I am now
engaged. I.M.T.
Some one, however, who had a hand in the first letter, referred the
Major to Passmore Williamson, Seventh and Arch Streets. To Mr.
Williamson's surprise the individual who had addressed Mr. C. appeared
at his office with the identical letter in his hand that had been
addressed him by Mr. W. (with W.J.C.'s signature.) On addressing Mr. W.
he held out the letter and inquired: "Are you the author of this letter,
sir?" Mr. W. looked at it and remarked that it appeared to have been
written by a man named Canby. "My name is Williamson, but if you will
walk in and take a seat I will attend to you in a few moments."
Accordingly, after occupying a little time in adjusting some papers, he
signified to the stranger that he was ready to answer any of his
questions. Said Mr. W., "I say frankly that I am the author of that
letter." He then paused for a reply. The stranger then said, "I have
come from Virginia in behalf of Major Roney, in search of his boy,
Tucker White; the Major was very anxious to recover him, and he would
gladly reward Mr. W. or anybody else who would aid him in the matter."
He then asked Mr. W. if he knew anything of his whereabouts. Mr. W.
replied: "I do not at present; for a long time I have heard nothing of
him. I must tell you that I am very sorry that Major Roney gave himself
the trouble to send all the way to Philadelphia to re-capture his 'boy
Tucker White,' and with regard to giving information or assistance, I
know of but one or two men in this city who would be mean enough to
stoop to do such dirty work. Geo. F. Alberti, a notorious kidnapper, and
E.D. Ingraham, equally as notorious as a counsel of slave-hunters whom
everybody here despises, might have served you in this matter. I know no
others to recommend; if anybody can find the 'boy,' they can. But should
they find him they will be obliged to take legal steps in arresting him
before they can proceed. In such a case, instead of assisting Major
Roney, I should feel bound to assist Tucker White by throwing every
obstacle that I possibly could in the way of his being carried back to
Virginia; and to close the matter I wish it to be understood that I do
not desire to hold any further correspondence with Major Roney, of
Dinwiddie, Virginia, about his 'boy,' Tucker White."
ARRIVAL FROM NORFOLK.
MARY MILLBURN, _alias_ LOUISA F. JONES, ESCAPED IN MALE ATTIRE.
Neither in personal appearance, manners, nor language, were any traces
of the Peculiar Institution visible in Mary Millburn. On the contrary,
she represented a young lady, with a passable education, and very
refined in her deportment. She had eaten the white bread of Slavery,
under the Misses Chapman, and they had been singularly kind to her,
taking special pains with her in regard to the company she should keep,
a point important to young girls, so liable to exposure as were the
unprotected young females of the South. She being naturally of a happy
disposition, obliging, competent, there was but little room for any jars
in the household, so far as Mary was concerned. Notwithstanding all
this, she was not satisfied; Slavery in its most dreaded aspect, was all
around her, continually causing the heart to bleed and eyes to weep of
both young and old. The auction-block and slave-pen were daily in view.
Young girls as promising as herself, she well knew, had to be exposed,
examined, and sold to the vilest slave-holders living.
With her knowledge of the practical wickedness of the system, how could
she be satisfied? It was impossible! She determined to escape. She could
be accommodated, but with no favored mode of travel. No flowery beds of
ease could be provided in her case, any more than in the case of others.
Mary took the Underground Rail Road enterprise into consideration. The
opportunity of a passage on a steamer was before her to accept or
refuse. The spirit of freedom dictated that she should accept the offer
and leave by the first boat. Admonished that she could reach the boat
and also travel more safely in male attire she at once said, "Any way so
I succeed." It is not to be supposed for a moment, that the effort could
be made without encountering a great "fight of affliction." When the
hour arrived for the boat to start, Mary was nicely secreted in a box
(place), where she was not discovered when the officers made their usual
search. On arriving in Philadelphia, she mingled her rejoicings with the
Committee in testifying to the great advantage of the Underground Rail
Road, and to the carefulness of its agents in guarding against
accidents. After remaining a short time in Philadelphia, she made choice
of Boston as her future residence, and with a letter of introduction to
William Lloyd Garrison, she proceeded thitherward. How she was received,
and what she thought of the place and people, may be gleaned from this
letter (written by herself.)
BOSTON, May 15th, 1858.
DEAR FRIEND:--I have selected this oppotunity to write you a few
lines, hopeing thay may find you and yours enjoying helth and
happiness. I arrived hear on Thirsday last, and had a lettor of
intoduction giving to me by one of the gentlemen at the
Antoslavery office in New York, to Mr. Garrison in Boston, I
found him and his lady both to bee very clever. I stopped with
them the first day of my arrivel hear, since that Time I have
been living with Mrs. Hilliard I have met with so menny of my
acquaintances hear, that I all most immagion my self to bee in
the old country. I have not been to Canaday yet, as you
expected. I had the pleasure of seeing the lettor that you wrote
to them on the subject. I suffered much on the road with head
ake but since that time I have no reason to complain, please do
not for git to send the degarritips in the Shaimpain basket with
Dr. Lundys, Mr. Lesley said he will send them by express, tell
Julia kelly, that through mistake, I took one of her pocket
handkerchift, that was laying on the table, but I shall keep it
in remembranc of the onner. I must bring my lettor to a close as
I have nothing more to say, and believe me to be your faithfull
friend.
LOUISA P. JONES.
P.S. Remember me to each, and every member of your familly and
all Enquiring Friends.
Being of an industrious turn she found a situation immediately, and from
that day to the present, she has sustained an excellent character in
every respect, and as a fashionable dressmaker does a good business.
* * * * *
ARRIVAL OF FIFTEEN FROM NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.
PER SCHOONER--TWICE SEARCHED--LANDED AT LEAGUE ISLAND.
ISAAC FORMAN, HENRY WILLIAMS, WILLIAM SEYMOUR, HARRIET TAYLOR, MARY
BIRD, MRS. LEWEY, SARAH SAUNDERS, SOPHIA GRAY, HENRY GRAY, MARY GRAY,
WINFIELD SCOTT, and three children.
About the 4th of July, 1856, a message reached the Secretary that a
schooner containing fifteen Underground Rail Road passengers, from
Norfolk, Virginia, would be landed near League Island, directly at the
foot of Broad street, that evening at a late hour, and a request
accompanied the message, to the effect that the Committee would be on
hand to receive them. Accordingly the Secretary procured three
carriages, with trustworthy drivers, and between ten and eleven o'clock
at night arrived on the banks of the Schuylkill, where all was quiet as
a "country grave-yard." The moon was shining and soon the mast of a
schooner was discovered. No sign of any other vessel was then in sight.
On approaching the bank, in the direction of the discovered mast, the
schooner was also discovered. The hearts of those on board were swelling
with unutterable joy; yet even at that dead hour of night, far away from
all appearance of foes, no one felt at liberty to give vent to his
feelings other than in a whisper. The name of the captain and schooner
being at once recognized, the first impulse was to jump down on the
deck. Upon second view it was seen that the descent was too great to
admit of such a feat. In a moment we concluded that we could pull them
up the embankment from the deck by taking hold of their hands as they
stood on tip toe.
One after another was pulled up, and warmly greeted, until it came the
turn of a large object, weighing about two hundred and sixty pounds,
full large enough to make two ordinary women. The captain, who had
experienced much inconvenience with her on the voyage, owing to the
space she required chuckled over the fact that the Committee would have
their hands full for once. Poor Mrs. Walker, however, stretched out her
large arms, we seized her hands vigorously; the captain laughing
heartily as did the other passengers at the tug now being made. We
pulled with a will, but Mrs. Walker remained on the deck. A one horse
power was needed. The pullers took breath, and again took hold, this
time calling upon the captain to lay-to a helping hand; the captain
prepared to do so, and as she was being raised, he having a good
foot-hold, placed himself in a position for pushing to the full extent
of his powers, and thus she was safely landed. All being placed in the
carriages, they were driven to the station and comfortably provided for.
On the voyage they had encountered more than the usual dangers. Indeed
troubles began with them before they had set sail from Norfolk. The
first indication of danger manifested itself as they stood on the bank
of the river awaiting the arrival of a small boat which had been engaged