The Underground Railroad
imploring help. A rope was procured, and the man relieved from
his dangerous and suffering situation. He was well cared for
immediately; a suit of dry clothes was furnished him, and he was
given his share of the contents of the boat pantry. On arriving
at Newcastle, the captain had him placed in jail, for the
purpose, as we are informed, of taking him back to Savannah.
To those who have offered contributions so liberally, we answer,
that the prospect is, that only a small amount will be
needed--enough to fee a lawyer to sue out a writ of habeas
corpus. The salt water fugitive claims to be a free man, and a
native of Philadelphia. He gives his name as Edward Davis, and
says that he formerly lived at No. 5 Steel's court, that he was
a pupil in Bird's school, on Sixth St. above Lombard, and that
he has a sister living at Mr. Diamond's, a distiller, on South
St. We are not informed why he was in Georgia, from which he
took such an extraordinary means to effect his escape. If the
above assertion be true, we apprehend little trouble in
restoring the man to his former home. The claim of the captain
to take him back to Savannah, will not be listened to for a
moment by any court. The only claim the owners of the "Keystone
State" or the captain can have on salt water Davis, is for half
passenger fare; he came half the way as a fish. A gentleman who
came from Wilmington yesterday, assures us that the case is in
good hands at Newcastle.
FULL PARTICULARS OF THE ABDUCTION, ENSLAVING AND ESCAPE OF DAVIS.
ATTEMPT TO SEDUCE HIM TO SLAVERY AGAIN.
The case of the colored man Davis, who made such a bold stroke
to regain his liberty, by periling his life on board the steamer
Keystone State, has excited very general attention. He has given
a detailed account of his abduction and sale as a slave in the
State of Maryland and Georgia, and some of his adventures up to
the time of reaching Delaware. His own story is substantially as
follows:
He left Philadelphia on the 15th of September, 1851, and went to
Harrisburg, intending to go to Hollidaysburg; took a canal boat
for Havre de Grace, where he arrived next day. There he hired on
board the schooner Thomas and Edward (oyster boat), of
Baltimore. Went from Havre de Grace to St. Michael's, for
oysters, thence to Baltimore, and thence to Havre de Grace
again.
He then hired to a Mr. Sullivan, who kept a grocery store, to do
jobs. While there, a constable, named Smith, took him before a
magistrate named Graham, who fined him fifteen or twenty dollars
for violating the law in relation to free negroes coming into
the State. This fine he was not able to pay, and Smith took him
to Bell Air prison. Sheriff Gaw wrote to Mr. Maitland in
Philadelphia, to whom he referred, and received an answer that
Mr. Maitland was dead and none of the family knew him. He
remained in that prison nearly two months. He then had a trial
in court before a Judge Grier (most unfortunate name), who
sentenced him to be sold to pay his fine and expenses, amounting
to fifty dollars.
After a few days and _without being offered at public sale_, he
was taken out of jail at two o'clock in the morning and carried
to Campbell's slave pen, in Baltimore, where he remained several
months. While there, he was employed to cook for some fifty or
sixty slaves, being told that he was working out his fine and
jail fees. After being there about six months, he was taken out
of prison, handcuffed by one Winters, who took him and two or
three others to Washington and thence to Charleston, S.C. Here
Winters left them, and they were taken by steamboat to Savannah.
While on board the boat, he learned that himself and the other
two had been sold to Mr. William Dean, of Macon, where he stayed
two days, and was taken from that place to the East Valley
Railroad.
Subsequently he was sent to work on the Possum Tail Railroad.
Here he was worked so hard, that in one month he lost his
health. The other two men taken on with him, failed before he
did. He was then sent to Macon, and thence to the cotton
plantation again.
During the time he worked on the railroad he had allowed him for
food, one peck of corn meal, four pounds of bacon, and one quart
of molasses per week. He cooked it himself at night, for the
next day's use. He worked at packing cotton for four or five
months, and in the middle of November, 1852, was sent back to
the railroad, where he was again set to wheeling.
He worked at "task work" two months, being obliged to wheel
_sixteen_ square yards per day. At the end of two months he
broke down again, and was sick. They tried one month to cure
him, but did not succeed. In July, 1853, he was taken to an
infirmary in Macon. Dr. Nottinghan and Dr. Harris, of that
institution, both stated that his was the worst case of the kind
they ever had. He remained at the infirmary two months and
partially recovered. He told the story of his wrongs to these
physicians, who tried to buy him. One of his legs was drawn up
so that he could not walk well, and they offered four hundred
dollars for him, which his master refused. The doctors wanted
him to attend their patients, (mostly slaves). While in Georgia
he was frequently asked where he came from, being found more
intelligent than the common run of slaves.
On the 12th of March he ran away from Macon and went to
Savannah. There he hid in a stable until Tuesday afternoon at
six o'clock, when he secreted himself on board the Keystone
State. At 9 o'clock the next morning the Keystone State left
with Davis secreted, as we have before stated. With his
imprisonment in Newcastle, after being pronounced free, our
readers are already familiar. We subjoin the documents on which
he was discharged from his imprisonment in Newcastle, and his
subsequent re-committal on the oath of Capt. Hardie.
COPY OF FIRST ORDER OF COMMITMENT.
New Castle county, ss., State of Delaware.--To Wm. R. Lynam,
Sheriff of said county. ---- Davis (Negro) is delivered to your
custody for further examination and hearing for traveling
without a pass, and supposed to be held a Slave to some person
in the State of Georgia.
[Seal]. Witness the hand and seal of John Bradford, one of the
Justices of the Peace for the county of Newcastle, the 17th day
of March, 1854.
JOHN BRADFORD, J.P.
COPY OF DISCHARGE.
To Wm. R. Lynam, Sheriff of Newcastle county: You will discharge
---- Davis from your custody, satisfactory proof having been
made before me that he is a free man. JOHN BRADFORD, J.P.
Witnesses--Joanna Diamond, John H. Brady, Martha C. Maguire.
COPY OF ORDER OF RE-COMMITMENT.
New Castle county, ss., the State of Delaware to Wm. R. Lynam,
and to the Sheriff or keeper of the Common Jail of said county,
Whereas ---- Davis hath this day been brought before me, the
subscriber, one of the Justices of the Peace, in and for the
said county, charged upon the oath of Robert Hardie with being a
runaway slave, and also as a suspicious person, traveling
without a pass, these are therefore to command you, the said Wm.
R. Lynam, forthwith to convey and deliver into the custody of
the said Sheriff, or keeper of the said jail, the body of the
said Davis, and you the said Sheriff or receiver of the body of
the said Davis into your custody in the said jail, and him there
safely keep until he be thence delivered by due course of the
law.
Given under my hand and seal at New Castle this 21st day of
March, A.D., 1854.
JOHN BRADFORD, J.P.
On the fourth of April, the Marshal of Macon called at the jail in
Newcastle, and demanded him as a fugitive slave, but the Sheriff refused
to give him up until a fair hearing could be had according to the laws
of the State of Delaware. The Marshal has returned to Georgia, and will
probably bring the claimant on the next trip of the Keystone State. The
authorities of Delaware manifest no disposition to deliver up a man
whose freedom has been so clearly proved; but every effort will be made
to reduce him again to slavery by the man who claims him, in which, it
seems, he has the hearty co-operation of Capt. Hardie. A trial will be
had before U.S. Commissioner Guthrie, and we have every reason to
suppose it will be a fair one. The friends of right and justice should
remember that such a trial will be attended with considerable expense,
and that the imprisoned man has been too long deprived of his liberty to
have money to pay for his own defence.
* * * * *
SAMUEL GREEN ALIAS WESLEY KINNARD, AUGUST 28th, 1854.
TEN YEARS IN THE PENITENTIARY FOR HAVING A COPY OF UNCLE TOM'S CABIN.
The passenger answering to the above name, left Indian Creek, Chester
Co., Md., where he had been held to service or labor, by Dr. James Muse.
One week had elapsed from the time he set out until his arrival in
Philadelphia. Although he had never enjoyed school privileges of any
kind, yet he was not devoid of intelligence. He had profited by his
daily experience as a slave, and withal, had managed to learn to read
and write a little, despite law and usage to the contrary. Sam was about
twenty-five years of age and by trade, a blacksmith. Before running
away, his general character for sobriety, industry, and religion, had
evidently been considered good, but in coveting his freedom and running
away to obtain it, he had sunk far below the utmost limit of forgiveness
or mercy in the estimation of the slave-holders of Indian Creek.
During his intercourse with the Vigilance Committee, while rejoicing
over his triumphant flight, he gave, with no appearance of excitement,
but calmly, and in a common-sense like manner, a brief description of
his master, which was entered on the record book substantially as
follows: "Dr. James Muse is thought by the servants to be the worst man
in Maryland, inflicting whipping and all manner of cruelties upon the
servants."
While Sam gave reasons for this sweeping charge, which left no room for
doubt, on the part of the Committee, of his sincerity and good judgment,
it was not deemed necessary to make a note of more of the doctor's
character than seemed actually needed, in order to show why "Sam" had
taken passage on the Underground Rail Road. For several years, "Sam" was
hired out by the doctor at blacksmithing; in this situation, daily
wearing the yoke of unrequited labor, through the kindness of Harriet
Tubman (sometimes called "Moses"), the light of the Underground Rail
Road and Canada suddenly illuminated his mind. It was new to him, but he
was quite too intelligent and liberty-loving, not to heed the valuable
information which this sister of humanity imparted. Thenceforth he was
in love with Canada, and likewise a decided admirer of the U.R. Road.
Harriet was herself, a shrewd and fearless agent, and well understood
the entire route from that part of the country to Canada. The spring
previous, she had paid a visit to the very neighborhood in which "Sam"
lived, expressly to lead her own brothers out of "Egypt." She succeeded.
To "Sam" this was cheering and glorious news, and he made up his mind,
that before a great while, Indian Creek should have one less slave and
that Canada should have one more citizen. Faithfully did he watch an