The Underground Railroad
DEAR COUSIN, SAMUEL RHOADS:--I have a letter this day from an
agent of the Underground Rail Road, near Dover, in this state,
saying I must be on the look out for six brothers and two
sisters, they were decoyed and betrayed, he says by a colored
man named Thomas Otwell, who pretended to be their friend, and
sent a _white scamp_ ahead to wait for them at Dover till they
arrived; they were arrested and put in Jail there, with Tom's
assistance, and some officers. On third day morning about four
o'clock, they broke jail; six of them are secreted in the
neighborhood, and the writer has not known what became of the
other two. The six were to start last night for this place. I
hear that their owners have persons stationed at several places
on the road watching. I fear they will be taken. If they could
lay quiet for ten days or two weeks, they might then get up
safe. I shall have two men sent this evening some four or five
miles below to keep them away from this town, and send them (if
found to Chester County). Thee may show this to Still and McKim,
and oblige thy cousin,
THOMAS GARRETT.
Further light about this exciting contest, may be gathered from a
colored conductor on the Road, in Delaware, who wrote as follows to a
member of the Vigilance Committee at Philadelphia.
CAMDEN, DEL., March 23d, 1857.
DEAR SIR;--I tak my pen in hand to write to you, to inform you
what we have had to go throw for the last two weaks. Thir wir
six men and two woman was betraid on the tenth of this month,
thea had them in prison but thea got out was conveyed by a black
man, he told them he wood bring them to my hows, as he wos told,
he had ben ther Befor, he has com with Harrett, a woman that
stops at my hous when she pases tow and throw yau. You don't no
me I supos, the Rev. Thomas H. Kennard dos, or Peter Lowis. He
Road Camden Circuit, this man led them in dover prisin and left
them with a whit man; but tha tour out the winders and jump out,
so cum back to camden. We put them throug, we hav to carry them
19 mils and cum back the sam night wich maks 38 mils. It is tou
much for our littel horses. We must do the bes we can, ther is
much Bisness dun on this Road. We hay to go throw dover and
smerny, the two wors places this sid of mary land lin. If you
have herd or sean them ples let me no. I will Com to Phila be
for long and then I will call and se you. There is much to do
her. Ples to wright, I Remain your frend,
WILLIAM BRINKLY.
Remember me to Thom. Kennard.
The balance of these brave fugitives, although not named in this
connection, succeeded in getting off safely. But how the betrayer,
sheriff and hunters got out of their dilemma, the Committee was never
fully posted.
The Committee found great pleasure in assisting these passengers, for
they had the true grit. Such were always doubly welcome.
* * * * *
MARY EPPS, ALIAS EMMA BROWN--JOSEPH AND ROBERT ROBINSON.
A SLAVE MOTHER LOSES HER SPEECH AT THE SALE OF HER CHILD--BOB ESCAPES
FROM HIS MASTER, A TRADER, WITH $1500 IN NORTH CAROLINA MONEY.
Mary fled from Petersburg and the Robinsons from Richmond. A fugitive
slave law-breaking captain by the name of B., who owned a schooner, and
would bring any kind of freight that would pay the most, was the
conductor in this instance. Quite a number of passengers at different
times availed themselves of his accommodations and thus succeeded in
reaching Canada.
His risk was very great. On this account he claimed, as did certain
others, that it was no more than fair to charge for his services--indeed
he did not profess to bring persons for nothing, except in rare
instances. In this matter the Committee did not feel disposed to
interfere directly in any way, further than to suggest that whatever
understanding was agreed upon by the parties themselves should be
faithfully adhered to.
Many slaves in cities could raise, "by hook or by crook," fifty or one
hundred dollars to pay for a passage, providing they could find one who
was willing to risk aiding them. Thus, while the Vigilance Committee of
Philadelphia especially neither charged nor accepted anything for their
services, it was not to be expected that any of the Southern agents
could afford to do likewise.
The husband of Mary had for a long time wanted his own freedom, but did
not feel that he could go without his wife; in fact, he resolved to get
her off first, then to try and escape himself, if possible. The first
essential step towards success, he considered, was to save his money and
make it an object to the captain to help him. So when he had managed to
lay by one hundred dollars, he willingly offered this sum to Captain B.,
if he would engage to deliver his wife into the hands of the Vigilance
Committee of Philadelphia. The captain agreed to the terms and fulfilled
his engagement to the letter. About the 1st of March, 1855, Mary was
presented to the Vigilance Committee. She was of agreeable manners,
about forty-five years of age, dark complexion, round built, and
intelligent. She had been the mother of fifteen children, four of whom
had been sold away from her; one was still held in slavery in
Petersburg; the others were all dead.
At the sale of one of her children she was so affected with grief that
she was thrown into violent convulsions, which caused the loss of her
speech for one entire month. But this little episode was not a matter to
excite sympathy in the breasts of the highly refined and tender-hearted
Christian mothers of Petersburg. In the mercy of Providence, however,
her reason and strength returned.
She had formerly belonged to the late Littleton Reeves, whom she
represented as having been "kind" to her, much more so than her mistress
(Mrs. Reeves). Said Mary, "She being of a jealous disposition, caused me
to be hired out with a hard family, where I was much abused, frequently
flogged, and stinted for food," etc.
But the sweets of freedom in the care of the Vigilance Committee now
delighted her mind, and the hope that her husband would soon follow her
to Canada, inspired her with expectations that she would one day "sit
under her own vine and fig tree where none dared to molest or make her
afraid."
The Committee rendered her the usual assistance, and in due time,
forwarded her on to Queen Victoria's free land in Canada. On her arrival
she wrote back as follows--
TORONTO, March 14th, 1855.
DEAR MR. STILL:--I take this opportunity of addressing you with
these few lines to inform you that I arrived here to-day, and
hope that this may find yourself and Mrs. Still well, as this
leaves me at the present. I will also say to you, that I had no
difficulty in getting along. the two young men that was with me
left me at Suspension Bridge. they went another way.
I cannot say much about the place as I have ben here but a short
time but so far as I have seen I like very well. you will give
my Respect to your lady, & Mr & Mrs Brown. If you have not
written to Petersburg you will please to write as soon as can I
have nothing More to Write at present but yours Respectfully
EMMA BROWN (old name MARY EPPS).
Now, Joseph and Robert (Mary's associate passengers from Richmond) must
here be noticed. Joseph was of a dark orange color, medium size, very
active and intelligent, and doubtless, well understood the art of
behaving himself. He was well acquainted with the auction block--having
been sold three times, and had had the misfortune to fall into the hands
of a cruel master each time. Under these circumstances he had had but
few privileges. Sundays and week days alike he was kept pretty severely
bent down to duty. He had been beaten and knocked around shamefully. He
had a wife, and spoke of her in most endearing language, although, on
leaving, he did not feel at liberty to apprise her of his movements,
"fearing that it would not be safe so to do." His four little children,
to whom he appeared warmly attached, he left as he did his wife--in
Slavery. He declared that he "stuck to them as long as he could." George
E. Sadler, the keeper of an oyster house, held the deed for "Joe," and a
most heartless wretch he was in Joe's estimation. The truth was, Joe
could not stand the burdens and abuses which Sadler was inclined to heap
upon him. So he concluded to join his brother and go off on the U.G.R.R.
Robert, his younger brother, was owned by Robert Slater, Esq., a regular
negro trader. Eight years this slave's duties had been at the slave
prison, and among other daily offices he had to attend to, was to lock
up the prison, prepare the slaves for sale, etc. Robert was a very
intelligent young man, and from long and daily experience with the
customs and usages of the slave prison, he was as familiar with the
business as a Pennsylvania farmer with his barn-yard stock. His account
of things was too harrowing for detail here, except in the briefest
manner, and that only with reference to a few particulars. In order to
prepare slaves for the market, it was usual to have them greased and
rubbed to make them look bright and shining. And he went on further to
state, that "females as well as males were not uncommonly stripped
naked, lashed flat to a bench, and then held by two men, sometimes four,
while the brutal trader would strap them with a broad leather strap."
The strap being preferred to the cow-hide, as it would not break the
skin, and damage the sale. "One hundred lashes would only be a common
flogging." The separation of families was thought nothing of. "Often I
have been flogged for refusing to flog others." While not yet
twenty-three years of age, Robert expressed himself as having become so
daily sick of the brutality and suffering he could not help witnessing,
that he felt he could not possibly stand it any longer, let the cost be
what it might. In this state of mind he met with Captain B. Only one
obstacle stood in his way--material aid. It occurred to Robert that he
had frequent access to the money drawer, and often it contained the
proceeds of fresh sales of flesh and blood; and he reasoned that if some
of that would help him and his brother to freedom, there could be no
harm in helping himself the first opportunity.
The captain was all ready, and provided he could get three passengers at
$100 each he would set sail without much other freight. Of course he was
too shrewd to get out papers for Philadelphia. That would betray him at
once. Washington or Baltimore, or even Wilmington, Del., were names
which stood fair in the eyes of Virginia. Consequently, being able to
pack the fugitives away in a very private hole of his boat, and being
only bound for a Southern port, the captain was willing to risk his
share of the danger. "Very well," said Robert, "to-day I will please my
master so well, that I will catch him at an unguarded moment, and will
ask him for a pass to go to a ball to-night (slave-holders love to see
their slaves fiddling and dancing of nights), and as I shall be leaving
in a hurry, I will take a grab from the day's sale, and when Slater
hears of me again, I will be in Canada." So after having attended to all
his disagreeable duties, he made his "grab," and got a hand full. He did
not know, however, how it would hold out. That evening, instead of
participating with the gay dancers, he was just one degree lower down
than the regular bottom of Captain B's. deck, with several hundred
dollars in his pocket, after paying the worthy captain one hundred each
for himself and his brother, besides making the captain an additional