The Underground Railroad
receive his sentence. There and then he avowed his entire sympathy with
the slave, and declared that in the future, as in the past, by the help
of God, he would never withhold a helping hand from the down-trodden in
the hour of distress. That this pledge was faithfully kept by Hunn,
there can be no question, as he continued steadfast at his post until
the last fetter was broken by the great proclamation of Abraham Lincoln.
He was not without friends, however, for even near by, dwelt a few
well-tried Abolitionists. Ezekiel Jenkins, Mifflin Warner, and one or
two others, whole-souled workers in the same cause with Hunn; he was
therefore not forgotten in the hour of his extremity.
Wishing to produce a sketch worthy of this veteran, we addressed him on
the subject, but failed to obtain all the desired material. His reasons,
however, for withholding the information which we desired were
furnished, and, in connection therewith, a few anecdotes touching
Underground Rail Road matters coming under his immediate notice, which
we here take great pleasure in transcribing.
BEAUFORT, S.C. 11th mo. 7th, 1871.
WM. STILL, DEAR FRIEND:--In thy first letter thee asked for my
photograph as well as for an opinion of the book about to be
edited by thyself. I returned a favorable answer and sent
likeness, as requested. I incidentally mentioned that, probably
some of my papers might be of service to thee. The papers
alluded to had no reference to myself; but consisted of
anecdotes and short histories of some of the fugitives from the
hell of American Slavery, who gave me a call, as engineer of the
Underground Rail Road in the State of Delaware, and received the
benefit of my advice and assistance.
I was twenty-seven years-old when I engaged in the Underground
Rail Road business, and I continued therein diligently until the
breaking up of that business by the Great Rebellion. I then came
to South Carolina to witness the uprising of a nation of slaves
into the dignity and privileges of mankind.
Nothing can possibly have the same interest to me. Therefore, I
propose to remain where this great problem is in the process of
solution; and to give my best efforts to its successful
accomplishment. In this matter the course that I have pursued
thus far through life has given me solid satisfaction. I ask no
other reward for any efforts made by me in the cause, than to
feel that I have been of use to my fellow-men.
No other course would have brought peace to my mind; then why
should any credit be awarded to me; or how can I count any
circumstance that may have occurred to me, in the light of a
sacrifice? If a man pursues the only course that will bring
peace to his own mind, is he deserving of any credit therefor?
Is not the reward worth striving for at any cost? Indeed it is,
as I well know.
Would it be well for me, entertaining such sentiments, to sit
down and write an account of my sacrifices? I think not.
Therefore please hold me excused. I am anxious to see thy book,
and will forward the price of one as soon as I can ascertain
what it is.
Please accept my thanks for thy kind remembrance of me. I am now
fifty-three years old, but I well remember thy face in the
Anti-slavery Office in Fifth street, when I called on business
of the Underground Rail Road. Our mutual friend, S.D. Burris,
was the cause of much uneasiness to us in those times. It
required much trouble, as well as expense to save him from the
slave-traders. I stood by him on the auction-block; and when I
stepped down, they thought they had him sure. Indeed he thought
so himself for a little while. But we outwitted them at last, to
their great chagrin. Those were stirring times, and the people
of Dover, Delaware, will long remember the time when S.D. Burris
was sold at public sale for aiding slaves to escape from their
masters, and was bought by the Pennsylvania Anti-slavery
Society. I remain very truly thy friend,
JOHN HUNN.
* * * * *
THE CASE OF MOLLY, A SLAVE, BELONGING TO R---- B----, OF SMYRNA,
DELAWARE.
BY JOHN HUNN, ENGINEER OF THE UNDERGROUND RAIL ROAD.
Molly escaped from her master's farm, in Cecil county, Maryland, and
found a place of refuge in the house of my cousin, John Alston, near
Middletown, Delaware. The man-hunters, headed by a constable with a
search warrant, took her thence and lodged her in New Castle Jail. This
fact was duly published in the county papers, and her master went after
his chattel, and having paid the expenses of her capture took immediate
possession thereof.
She was hand-cuffed, and, her feet being tied together, she was placed
in the wagon. Before she left the jail, the wife of the sheriff gave her
a piece of bread and butter, which her master kicked out of her hand,
and swore that bread and butter was too good for her. After this act her
master took a drink of brandy and drove off.
He stopped at a tavern about four miles from New Castle and took another
drink of brandy. He then proceeded to Odessa, then called Cantwell's
Bridge, and got his dinner and more brandy, for the day was a cold one.
He had his horse fed, but gave no food to his human chattel, who
remained in the wagon cold and hungry. After sufficient rest for himself
and horse he started again. He was now twelve miles from home, on a good
road, his horse was gentle, and he himself in a genial mood at the
recovery of his bond-woman. He yielded to the influence of the liquor he
had imbibed and fell into a sound sleep. Molly now determined to make
another effort for her freedom. She accordingly worked herself gradually
over the tail board of the wagon, and fell heavily upon the frozen
ground. The horse and wagon passed on, and she rolled into the bushes,
and waited for deliverance from her bonds. This came from a colored man
who was passing that way. As he was neither a priest nor a Levite, he
took the rope from her feet and guided her to a cabin near at hand,
where she was kindly received. Her deliverer could not take the
hand-cuffs off, but promised to bring a person, during the evening, who
could perform that operation. He fulfilled his promise, and brought her
that night to my house, which was in sight of the one whence she had
been taken to New Castle Jail.
I had no fear for her safety, as I believed that her master would not
think of looking for her so near to the place where she had been
arrested. Molly remained with us nearly a month; but, seeing fugitives
coming and going continually, she finally concluded to go further North.
I wrote to my friend, Thomas Garrett, desiring him to get a good home
for Molly. This he succeeded in doing, and a friend from Chester county,
Pennsylvania, came to my house and took Molly with him. She remained in
his family more than six months.
In the mean time the Fugitive Slave Law was passed by Congress, and
several fugitives were arrested in Philadelphia and sent back to their
masters. Molly, hearing of these doings, became uneasy, and finally
determined to go to Canada. She arrived safely in the Queen's Dominions,
and felt at last that she had escaped from the hell of American Slavery.
Molly described her master as an indulgent one when sober, but when he
was on a "spree" he seemed to take great delight in tormenting her. He
would have her beaten unmercifully without cause, and then have her
stripes washed in salt water, then he would have her dragged through the
horse pond until she was nearly dead. This last operation seemed to
afford him much pleasure. When he became sober he would express regret
at having treated her so cruelly. I frequently saw this master of
Molly's, and was always treated respectfully by him. He would have his
"sprees" after Molly left him.
* * * * *
AN ACCOUNT OF THE ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY OF SAMUEL HAWKINS AND FAMILY, OF
QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND, ON THE UNDERGROUND RAIL ROAD, IN THE
STATE OF DELAWARE.
BY JOHN HUNN.
On the morning of the 27th of 12th month (December), 1845, as I was
washing my hands at the yard pump of my residence, near Middletown, New
Castle county, Delaware, I looked down the lane, and saw a covered wagon
slowly approaching my house. The sun had just risen, and was shining
brightly (after a stormy night) on the snow which covered the ground to
the depth of six inches. My house was situated three quarters of a mile
from the road leading from Middletown to Odessa, (then called Cantwell's
Bridge.) On a closer inspection I noticed several men walking beside the
wagon. This seemed rather an early hour for visitors, and I could not
account for the circumstance. When they reached the yard fence I met
them, and a colored man handed me a letter addressed to Daniel Corbit,
John Alston or John Hunn; I asked the man if he had presented the letter
to either of the others to whom it was addressed; he said, no, that he
had not been able to see either of them. The letter was from my cousin,
Ezekiel Jenkins, of Camden, Delaware, and stated that the travelers were
fugitive slaves, under the direction of Samuel D. Burris (who handed me
the note). The party consisted of a man and his wife, with their six
children, and four fine-looking colored men, without counting the pilot,
S.D. Burris, who was a free man, from Kent county, Delaware.
This was the first time that I ever saw Burris, and also the first time
that I had ever been called upon to assist fugitives from the hell of
American Slavery. The wanderers were gladly welcomed, and made as
comfortable as possible until breakfast was ready for them. One man, in
trying to pull his boots off, found they were frozen to his feet; he
went to the pump and filled them with water, thus he was able to get
them off in a few minutes.
This increase of thirteen in the family was a little embarrassing, but
after breakfast they all retired to the barn to sleep on the hay, except
the woman and four children, who remained in the house. They were all
very weary, as they had traveled from Camden (twenty-seven miles),
through a snowstorm; the woman and four children in the wagon with the
driver, the others walking all the way. Most of them were badly
frost-bitten, before they arrived at my house. In Camden, they were
sheltered in the houses of their colored friends. Although this was my
first acquaintance with S.D. Burris, it was not my last, as he
afterwards piloted them himself, or was instrumental in directing
hundreds of fugitives to me for shelter.
About two o'clock of the day on which these fugitives arrived at my
house, a neighbor drove up with his daughter in a sleigh, apparently on
a friendly visit. I noticed his restlessness and frequent looking out of
the window fronting the road; but did not suppose, that he had come "to
spy out the land."
The wagon and the persons walking with it, had been observed from his
house, and he had reported the fact in Middletown. Accordingly, in half
an hour, another sleigh came up, containing a constable of Middletown,
William Hardcastle, of Queen Ann's county, Maryland, and William
Chesnut, of the same neighborhood. I met them at the gate, and the
constable handed me an advertisement, wherein one thousand dollars
reward was offered for the recovery of three runaway slaves, therein
described.
The constable asked me if they were in my house? I said they were not!
He then asked me if he might search the house? I declined to allow him
this privilege, unless he had a warrant for that purpose. While we stood
thus conversing, the husband of the woman with the six children, came