The Underground Railroad
slave-hunters have been his table-guests also, and whether he
bailed them or not, we don't know. What we know is, that soon
after Pearson came out from the back room, where he and Knight
and the Sheriff had been closeted, the Sheriff said that Knight
was bailed--he would not say by whom. Knight being looked after,
was not to be found. He had slipped out through a back door, and
thus cheated the crowd of the pleasure of greeting him--possibly
with that rough and ready affection which Barclay's brewers
bestowed upon Haynau. The escape was very fortunate every way.
Hughes and Knight have since been twice arrested and put under
bonds of $10,000 (making $30,000 in all), charged with a
conspiracy to kidnap and abduct William Craft, a peaceable
citizen of Massachusetts, etc. Bail was entered by Hamilton
Willis, of Willis & Co., 25 State street, and Patrick Riley,
U.S. Deputy Marshal.
The following (says the Chronotype), is a _verbatim et
literatim_ copy of the letter sent by Knight to Craft, to entice
him to the U.S. Hotel, in order to kidnap him. It shows, that
the school-master owes Knight more "service and labor" than it
is possible for Craft to:
BOSTON, Oct. 22, 1850, 11 Oclk P.M.
Wm. Craft--Sir--I have to leave so Eirley in the moring
that I cold not call according to promis, so if you want
me to carry a letter home with me, you must bring it to
the United States Hotel to morrow and leave it in box
44, or come your self to morro eavening after tea and
bring it. let me no if you come your self by sending a
note to box 44 U.S. Hotel so that I may know whether to
wate after tea or not by the Bearer. If your wife wants
to see me you cold bring her with you if you come your
self.
JOHN KNIGHT.
P.S. I shall leave for home eirley a Thursday moring.
J.K.
At a meeting of colored people, held in Belknap Street Church,
on Friday evening, the following resolutions were unanimously
adopted:
_Resolved_, That God willed us free; man willed us
slaves. We will as God wills; God's will be done.
_Resolved_, That our oft repeated determination to
resist oppression is the same now as ever, and we pledge
ourselves, at all hazards, to resist unto death any
attempt upon our liberties.
_Resolved_, That as South Carolina seizes and imprisons
colored seamen from the North, under the plea that it is
to prevent insurrection and rebellion among her colored
population, the authorities of this State, and city in
particular, be requested to lay hold of, and put in
prison, immediately, any and all fugitive slave-hunters
who may be found among us, upon the same ground, and for
similar reasons.
Spirited addresses, of a most emphatic type, were made by
Messrs. Remond, of Salem, Roberts, Nell, and Allen, of Boston,
and Davis, of Plymouth. Individuals and highly respectable
committees of gentlemen have repeatedly waited upon these
Georgia miscreants, to persuade them to make a speedy departure
from the city. After promising to do so, and repeatedly
falsifying their word, it is said that they left on Wednesday
afternoon, in the express train for New York, and thus (says the
Chronotype), they have "gone off with their ears full of fleas,
to fire the solemn word for the dissolution of the Union!"
Telegraphic intelligence is received, that President Fillmore
has announced his determination to sustain the Fugitive Slave
Bill, at all hazards. Let him try! The fugitives, as well as the
colored people generally, seem determined to carry out the
spirit of the resolutions to their fullest extent.
Ellen first received information that the slave-hunters from Georgia
were after her through Mrs. Geo. S. Hilliard, of Boston, who had been a
good friend to her from the day of her arrival from slavery. How Mrs.
Hilliard obtained the information, the impression it made on Ellen, and
where she was secreted, the following extract of a letter written by
Mrs. Hilliard, touching the memorable event, will be found deeply
interesting:
"In regard to William and Ellen Craft, it is true that we
received her at our house when the first warrant under the act
of eighteen hundred and fifty was issued.
Dr. Bowditch called upon us to say, that the warrant must be for
William and Ellen, as they were the only fugitives here known to
have come from Georgia, and the Dr. asked what we could do. I
went to the house of the Rev. F.T. Gray, on Mt. Vernon street,
where Ellen was working with Miss Dean, an upholsteress, a
friend of ours, who had told us she would teach Ellen her trade.
I proposed to Ellen to come and do some work for me, intending
not to alarm her. My manner, which I supposed to be indifferent
and calm, _betrayed_ me, and she threw herself into my arms,
sobbing and weeping. She, however, recovered her composure as
soon as we reached the street, and was _very firm_ ever after.
My husband wished her, by all means, to be brought to our house,
and to remain under his protection, saying 'I am perfectly
willing to meet the penalty, should she be found here, but will
never give her up.' The penalty, you remember, was six months'
imprisonment and a thousand dollars fine. William Craft went,
after a time, to Lewis Hayden. He was at first, as Dr. Bowditch
told us, 'barricaded in his shop on Cambridge street.' I saw him
there, and he said, 'Ellen must not be left at your house.'
'Why? William,' said I, 'do you think we would give her up?'
'Never,' said he, 'but Mr. Hilliard is not only our friend, but
he is a U.S. Commissioner, and should Ellen be found in his
house, he must resign his office, as well as incur the penalty
of the law, and I will not subject a friend to such a punishment
for the sake of our safety.' Was not this noble, when you think
how small was the penalty that any one could receive for aiding
slaves to escape, compared to the fate which threatened them in
case they were captured? William C. made the same objection to
having his wife taken to Mr. Ellis Gray Loring's, he also being
a friend and a Commissioner."
This deed of humanity and Christian charity is worthy to be commemorated
and classed with the act of the good Samaritan, as the same spirit is
shown in both cases. Often was Mrs. Hilliard's house an asylum for
fugitive slaves.
After the hunters had left the city in dismay, and the storm of
excitement had partially subsided, the friends of William and Ellen
concluded that they had better seek a country where they would not be in
daily fear of slave-catchers, backed by the Government of the United
States. They were, therefore, advised to go to Great Britain. Outfits
were liberally provided for them, passages procured, and they took their
departure for a habitation in a foreign land.
Much might be told concerning the warm reception they met with from the
friends of humanity on every hand, during a stay in England of nearly a
score of years, but we feel obliged to make the following extract
suffice:
EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM WM. FARMER, ESQ., OF LONDON, TO WM. LLOYD
GARRISON, JUNE 26, 1851--"FUGITIVE SLAVES AT THE GREAT EXHIBITION."
Fortunately, we have, at the present moment, in the British
Metropolis, some specimens of what were once American "chattels
personal," in the persons of William and Ellen Craft, and
William W. Brown, and their friends resolved that they should be
exhibited under the world's huge glass case, in order that the
world might form its opinion of the alleged mental inferiority
of the African race, and their fitness or unfitness for freedom.
A small party of anti-slavery friends was accordingly formed to
accompany the fugitives through the Exhibition. Mr. and Mrs.
Estlin, of Bristol, and a lady friend, Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Webb, of Dublin, and a son and daughter, Mr. McDonnell, (a most
influential member of the Executive Committee of the National
Reform Association--one of our unostentatious, but highly
efficient workers for reform in this country, and whose public
and private acts, if you were acquainted with, you would feel
the same esteem and affection for him as is felt towards him by
Mr. Thompson, myself and many others)--these ladies and
gentlemen, together with myself, met at Mr. Thompson's house,
and, in company with Mrs. Thompson, and Miss Amelia Thompson,
the Crafts and Brown, proceeded from thence to the Exhibition.
Saturday was selected, as a day upon which the largest number of
the aristocracy and wealthy classes attend the Crystal Palace,
and the company was, on this occasion, the most distinguished
that had been gathered together within its walls since its
opening day. Some fifteen thousand, mostly of the upper classes,
were there congregated, including the Queen, Prince Albert, and
the royal children, the anti-slavery Duchess of Sutherland, (by
whom the fugitives were evidently favorably regarded), the Duke
of Wellington, the Bishops of Winchester and St. Asaph, a large
number of peers, peeresses, members of Parliament, merchants and
bankers, and distinguished men from almost all parts of the
world, surpassing, in variety of tongue, character and costume,
the description of the population of Jerusalem on the day of
Pentecost--a season of which it is hoped the Great Exhibition
will prove a type, in the copious outpouring of the holy spirit
of brotherly union, and the consequent diffusion, throughout the
world, of the anti-slavery gospel of good will to all men.
In addition to the American exhibitors, it so happened that the
American visitors were particularly numerous, among whom the
experienced eyes of Brown and the Crafts enabled them to detect
slave-holders by dozens. Mr. McDonnell escorted Mrs. Craft, and
Mrs. Thompson; Miss Thompson, at her own request, took the arm
of Wm. Wells Brown, whose companion she elected to be for the
day; Wm. Craft walked with Miss Amelia Thompson and myself. This
arrangement was purposely made in order that there might be no
appearance of patronizing the fugitives, but that it might be
shown that we regarded them as our equals, and honored them for
their heroic escape from Slavery. Quite contrary to the feeling
of ordinary visitors, the American department was our chief
attraction. Upon arriving at Powers' Greek Slave, our glorious
anti-slavery friend, Punch's 'Virginia Slave' was produced. I
hope you have seen this production of our great humorous
moralist. It is an admirably-drawn figure of a female slave in
chains, with the inscription beneath, 'The Virginia Slave, a
companion for Powers' Greek Slave.' The comparison of the two
soon drew a small crowd, including several Americans, around and
near us. Although they refrained from any audible expression of
feeling, the object of the comparison was evidently understood
and keenly felt. It would not have been prudent in us to have
challenged, in words, an anti-slavery discussion in the World's
Convention; but everything that we could with propriety do was
done to induce them to break silence upon the subject. We had no
intention, verbally, of taking the initiative in such a