The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Underground Railroad, by William Still This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: The Underground Railroad A Record Of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, &C., Narrating The Hardships, Hair-Breadth Escapes And Death Struggles Of The Slaves In Their Efforts For Freedom, As Related By Themselves And Others, Or Witnessed By The Author. Author: William Still Release Date: March 5, 2005 [EBook #15263] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD *** Produced by Amy Overmyer and the PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team. The UNDERGROUND RAILROAD A RECORD OF FACTS, AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE, LETTERS, &C., Narrating the Hardships, Hair-breadth Escapes and Death Struggles OF THE Slaves in their efforts of Freedom, AS RELATED BY THEMSELVES AND OTHERS, OR WITNESSED BY THE AUTHOR; TOGETHER WITH SKETCHES OF SOME OF THE LARGEST STOCKHOLDERS, AND MOST LIBERAL AIDERS AND ADVISERS, OF THE ROAD. BY WILLIAM STILL, For many years connected with the Anti-Slavery Office in Philidelphia, and Chairman, of the Acting Vigilent Committee of the Philadelphia Branch of the Underground Rail Road. Illustrated with 70 fine Engravings by Bensell, Schell and others, and Portraits from Photographs from Life. Thou shall not deliver unto his master the servant that has escaped from his master unto thee.—Deut. xxiii. 16. SOLD ONLY BY SUBSCRIPTION. PHILADELPHIA: PORTER & COATES, 822, CHESTNUT STREET. 1872. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1871, by W.M. STILL, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. W. Still PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION. * * * * * Like millions of my race, my mother and father were born slaves, but were not contented to live and die so. My father purchased himself in early manhood by hard toil. Mother saw no way for herself and children to escape the horrors of bondage but by flight. Bravely, with her four little ones, with firm faith in God and an ardent desire to be free, she forsook the prison-house, and succeeded, through the aid of my father, to reach a free State. Here life had to be begun anew. The old familiar slave names had to be changed, and others, for prudential reasons, had to be found. This was not hard work. However, hardly months had passed ere the keen scent of the slave-hunters had trailed them to where they had fancied themselves secure. In those days all power was in the hands of the oppressor, and the capture of a slave mother and her children was attended with no great difficulty other than the crushing of freedom in the breast of the victims. Without judge or jury, all were hurried back to wear the yoke again. But back this mother was resolved never to stay. She only wanted another opportunity to again strike for freedom. In a few months after being carried back, with only two of her little ones, she took her heart in her hand and her babes in her arms, and this trial was a success. Freedom was gained, although not without the sad loss of her two older children, whom she had to leave behind. Mother and father were again reunited in freedom, while two of their little boys were in slavery. What to do for them other than weep and pray, were questions unanswerable. For over forty years the mother's heart never knew what it was to be free from anxiety about her lost boys. But no tidings came in answer to her many prayers, until one of them, to the great astonishment of his relatives, turned up in Philadelphia, nearly fifty years of age, seeking his long-lost parents. Being directed to the Anti-Slavery Office for instructions as to the best plan to adopt to find out the whereabouts of his parents, fortunately he fell into the hands of his own brother, the writer, whom he had never heard of before, much less seen or known. And here began revelations connected with this marvellous coincidence, which influenced me, for years previous to Emancipation, to preserve the matter found in the pages of this humble volume. And in looking back now over these strange and eventful Providences, in the light of the wonderful changes wrought by Emancipation, I am more and more constrained to believe that the reasons, which years ago led me to aid the bondman and preserve the records of his sufferings, are to-day quite as potent in convincing me that the necessity of the times requires this testimony. And since the first advent of my book, wherever reviewed or read by leading friends of freedom, the press, or the race more deeply represented by it, the expressions of approval and encouragement have been hearty and unanimous, and the thousands of volumes which have been sold by me, on the subscription plan, with hardly any facilities for the work, makes it obvious that it would, in the hands of a competent publisher, have a wide circulation. And here I may frankly state, that but for the hope I have always cherished that this work would encourage the race in efforts for self-elevation, its publication never would have been undertaken by me. I believe no more strongly at this moment than I have believed ever since the Proclamation of Emancipation was made by Abraham Lincoln, that as a class, in this country, no small exertion will have to be put forth before the blessings of freedom and knowledge can be fairly enjoyed by this people; and until colored men manage by dint of hard acquisition to enter the ranks of skilled industry, very little substantial respect will be shown them, even with the ballot-box and musket in their hands. Well-conducted shops and stores; lands acquired and good farms managed in a manner to compete with any other; valuable books produced and published on interesting and important subjects—these are some of the fruits which the race are expected to exhibit from their newly gained privileges. If it is asked "how?" I answer, "through extraordinary determination and endeavor," such as are demonstrated in hundreds of cases in the pages of this book, in the struggles of men and women to obtain their freedom, education and property. These facts must never be lost sight of. The race must not forget the rock from whence they were hewn, nor the pit from whence, they were digged. Like other races, this newly emancipated people will need all the knowledge of their past condition which they can get. The bondage and deliverance of the children of Israel will never be allowed to sink into oblivion while the world stands. Those scenes of suffering and martyrdom millions of Christians were called upon to pass through in the days of the Inquisition are still subjects of study, and have unabated interest for all enlightened minds. The same is true of the history of this country. The struggles of the pioneer fathers are preserved, produced and re-produced, and cherished with undying interest by all Americans, and the day will not arrive while the Republic exists, when these histories will not be found in every library. While the grand little army of abolitionists was waging its untiring warfare for freedom, prior to the rebellion, no agency encouraged them like the heroism of fugitives. The pulse of the four millions of slaves and their desire for freedom, were better felt through "The Underground Railroad," than through any other channel. Frederick Douglass, Henry Bibb, Wm. Wells Brown, Rev. J.W. Logan, and others, gave unmistakable evidence that the race had no more eloquent advocates than its own self-emancipated champions. Every step they took to rid themselves of their fetters, or to gain education, or in pleading the cause of their fellow-bondmen in the lecture-room, or with their pens, met with applause on every hand, and the very argument needed was thus furnished in large measure. In those dark days previous to emancipation, such testimony was indispensable. The free colored men are as imperatively required now to furnish the same manly testimony in support of the ability of the race to surmount the remaining obstacles growing out of oppression, ignorance, and poverty. In the political struggles, the hopes of the race have been sadly disappointed. From this direction no great advantage is likely to arise very soon. Only as desert can be proved by the acquisition of knowledge and the exhibition of high moral character, in examples of economy and a disposition to encourage industrial enterprises, conducted by men of their own ranks, will it be possible to make political progress in the face of the present public sentiment. Here, therefore, in my judgment is the best possible reason for vigorously pushing the circulation of this humble volume—that it may testify for thousands and tens of thousands, as no other work can do. WILLIAM STILL, Author. September, 1878. Philadelphia, Pa. ILLUSTRATIONS. THE AUTHOR PETER STILL—"THE KIDNAPPED AND THE RANSOMED" CHARITY STILL TWICE ESCAPED FROM SLAVERY DESPERATE CONFLICT IN A BARN DEATH OF ROMULUS HALL RESURRECTION OF HENRY BOX BROWN RESCUE OF JANE JOHNSON AND HER CHILDREN PASSMORE WILLIAMSON JANE JOHNSON ESCAPING FROM PORTSMOUTH, VA TWENTY-EIGHT FUGITIVES ESCAPING FROM EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND ESCAPING FROM ALABAMA ON TOP OF A CAR THE RIVER ON HORSEBACK IN THE NIGHT A BOLD STROKE FOR FREEDOM—CONTEST WITH FIRE-ARMS ABRAM GALLOWAY THE MAYOR AND POLICE OF NORFOLK SEARCHING CAPTAIN FOUNTAIN'S SCHOONER MARIA WEEMS ESCAPING AS JO WRIGHT JOHN HENRY HILL DRY-GOODS MERCHANT SEARCHING THE CARS ESCAPE WITH A LADY, AS HER COACHMAN, WITH MASTER'S HORSE AND CARRIAGE SIX ON TWO HORSES UP A TREE SAMUEL GREEN SENTENCED TO THE PENITENTIARY FOR TEN YEARS FOR HAVING A COPY OF "UNCLE TOM'S CABIN" IN HIS HOUSE LEAR GREEN ESCAPING IN A CHEST ESCAPE OF ELEVEN PASSENGERS FROM MARYLAND IN TWO CARRIAGES THE CHRISTIANA TRAGEDY WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFT MEMBERS OF THE ACTING COMMITTEE: N.W. DEPEE JACOB C. WHITE CHARLES WISE EDWIN H. COATES KNIFING HIS VICTIM LIVING IN A HOLLOW TREE IN A CAVE A NARROW ESCAPE SUSPENDED BY THE HANDS WITH BLOCK AND TACKLE CROSSING THE BAY BREAKING HIM IN MOTHER ESCAPING WITH SEVEN CHILDREN FIGHT IN CHESAPEAKE BAY JOHN W. DUNGEE MARY MILBURN (SECRETED IN A BOX) HEAVY WEIGHTS—ARRIVAL OF A PARTY AT LEAGUE ISLAND SKETCHES AND PORTRAITS OF STATION-MASTERS, PROMINENT ANTI-SLAVERY MEN, AND SUPPORTERS OF THE U.G.R.R.: ABIGAIL GOODWIN THOMAS GARRETT DANIEL GIBBONS LUCRETIA MOTT J. MILLER M'KIM WILLIAM H. FURNESS WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON LEWIS TAPPAN ELIJAH F. PENNYPACKER WILLIAM WRIGHT DR. BARTHOLOMEW FUSSELL ROBERT PURVIS JOHN HUNN SAMUEL RHOADS WILLIAM WHIPPER SAMUEL D. BURRIS CHARLES D. CLEVELAND GRACE ANNA LEWIS MRS. FRANCES E.W. HARPER JOHN NEEDLES CONTENTS. SETH CONCKLIN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD LETTERS. From Thomas Garrett—G.A. Lewis—E.L. Stevens—Sydney Howard Gay—John Henry Hill—J. Bigelowe—Ham and Eggs—Rev. H. Wilson—Sheridan Ford—E.F. Pennypacker—J.C. Bustill—Slave secreted in Richmond—G.S. Nelson—John Thompson—Wm. Penn WILLIAM BOX PEEL JONES Came boxed up viâ Erricson line of Steamers. WESLEY HARRIS ALIAS ROBERT JACKSON, CRAVEN MATTERSON AND TWO BROTHERS. CLARISSA DAVIS Arrived in Male Attire. ANTHONY BLOW ALIAS HENRY LEVISON Secreted Ten Months—Eight days on the Steamship City of Richmond bound for Philadelphia. PERRY JOHNSON, OF ELKTON, MARYLAND. Eye knocked Out. ISAAC FORMAN, WILLIAM DAVIS AND WILLIS REDICK. Hearts full of joy for Freedom—Very anxious for Wives in Slavery. JOSEPH HENRY CAMP Sold, the day he escaped, for Fourteen Hundred Dollars—Slave Trader loses his Bargain. SHERIDAN FORD Secreted in the Woods—Escapes in a Steamer. JOSEPH KNEELAND ALIAS JOSEPH HULSON Young Master had a "Malignant Spirit". EX-PRESIDENT TYLER'S HOUSEHOLD LOSES AN ARISTOCRATIC ARTICLE. EDWARD MORGAN, HENRY JOHNSON, JAMES AND STEPHEN BUTLER. "Two Thousand Dollars Reward" offered. HENRY PREDO Daniel Hughes, Thomas Elliott, and five others betrayed into Dover Jail. 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 Fifteen Hundred Dollars in North Carolina Money. GEORGE SOLOMON, DANIEL NEALL, BENJAMIN R. FLETCHER AND MARIA DORSEY. HENRY BOX BROWN Arrived by Adams Express. TRIAL OF THE EMANCIPATORS OF COL. J.H. WHEELER'S SLAVES, JANE JOHNSON AND HER TWO LITTLE BOYS. THE ARRIVALS OF A SINGLE MONTH. Sixty Passengers came in one Month—Twenty-eight in one Arrival—Great Panic and Indignation Meeting—Interesting Correspondence from Masters and Fugitives. A SLAVE GIRL'S NARRATIVE. Cordelia Loney, Slave of Mrs. Joseph Cahell, (widow of the late Hon. Joseph Cahell, of Virginia)—Cordelia's Escape from her Mistress in Philadelphia. ARRIVAL OF JACKSON, ISAAC AND EDMONDSON TURNER FROM PETERSBURG. Touching Scene on Meeting their Old Blind Father at the U.G.R.R. Depot. ROBERT BROWN ALIAS THOMAS JONES. Crossing the River on Horseback in the Night. ANTHONY LONEY ALIAS WILLIAM ARMSTEAD AND CORNELIUS SCOTT. SAMUEL WILLIAMS ALIAS JOHN WILLIAMS. BARNABY GRIGBY ALIAS JOHN BOYER, AND MARY ELIZABETH HIS WIFE, FRANK WANZER ALIAS ROBERT SCOTT, EMILY FOSTER ALIAS ANN WOOD. WILLIAM JORDAN ALIAS WILLIAM PRICE. JOSEPH GRANT AND JOHN SPEAKS. Two Passengers viâ Liverpool. WILLIAM N. TAYLOR. "One Hundred Dollars Reward". LOUISA BROWN, JACOB WATERS, AND ALFRED GOULDEN. ARRIVAL FROM BALTIMORE. Jefferson Pipkins alias David Jones, Louisa Pipkins, Elizabeth Brit, Harriet Brown, alias Jane Wooton, Gracy Murry alias Sophia Sims, Edward Williams alias Henry Johnson, Charles Lee alias Thomas Bushier. SEVERAL ARRIVALS FROM DIFFERENT PLACES. Henry Anderson, Charles and Margaret Congo, Chaskey Brown, William Henry Washington, James Alfred Frisley, Charles Henry Salter, Stephen Taylor, Charles Brown, Charles H. Hollis, Luther Dorsey. ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND. Jeremiah W. Smith and wife Julia. EIGHT ARRIVALS. James Massey, Perry Henry Trusty, George Rhoads, James Rhoads, George Washington, Sarah Elizabeth Rhoads, and Child, Mary Elizabeth Stephenson. CHARLES THOMPSON. Carrier of "The National American". BLOOD FLOWED FREELY. Abram Galloway and Richard Eden—Secreted in a Vessel Loaded with Spirits of Turpentine—Shrouds Prepared to Prevent being Smoked to Death—Abram a Soldier under Father Abraham—Senator of North Carolina. JOHN PETTIFOOT. "One Hundred Dollars Reward" Offered—McHenry and McCulloch Anxious About John. EMANUEL T. WHITE. "Would rather Fight than Eat". THE ESCAPE OF A CHILD FOURTEEN MONTHS OLD. Letter from "J.B."—Letters from E.L. Stevens ... Great Anxiety and Care. ESCAPE OF A YOUNG SLAVE MOTHER. Baby, Little Girl and Husband left Behind—Three Hundred Dollars Reward Offered. SAMUEL W. JOHNSON. Arrival from the Richmond Daily Dispatch Office—"Uncle Tom's Cabin" turned Sam's Brain—Affecting Letters. FAMILY FROM BALTIMORE. Stephen Amos alias Henry Johnson, Harriet alias Mary Jane Johnson, and their four children, Ann Rebecca, William H., Elizabeth and Mary Ellen. ELIJAH HILTON. From Richmond—"Five Hundred Dollars Reward" offered by R.J. Christian.... Grateful letter from Canada. SOLOMON BROWN. Arrived per City of Richmond—Letter from Canada containing expressions of Gratitude. WILLIAM HOGG ALIAS JOHN SMITH. Traveler from Maryland—William was much troubled about his Wife left behind—Letter from Canada. TWO FEMALE PASSENGERS FROM MARYLAND. Ann Johnson and Lavina Woolfley Sold—Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire. CAPTAIN F. AND THE MAYOR OF NORFOLK. Twenty-one Passengers secreted in Captain Fountain's Boat—Mayor and Posse of Officers on the Boat searching for U.G.R.R. Passengers. ARRIVALS FROM DIFFERENT PLACES. Matilda Mahoney—Dr. J.W. Pennington's Brother and Sons—Great Adventure to deliver a Lover. FLEEING GIRL OF FIFTEEN IN MALE ATTIRE. Ann Maria Weems alias Joe Wright—Great Triumph—Arrival on Thanksgiving Day—Interesting letters from J. Bigelow. FIVE YEARS AND ONE MONTH SECRETED. John Henry, Hezekiah and James Hill. FROM VIRGINIA, MARYLAND AND DELAWARE. Archer Barlow, alias Emet Robins—Samuel Bush alias William Oblebee—John Spencer and his son William and James Albert—Robert Fisher—NATHAN HARRIS—Hansel Waples—Rosanna Tonnell, alias Maria Hyde—Mary Ennis alias Licia Hemmit and two Children —Lydia and Louisa Caroline. SAM, ISAAC, PERRY, CHARLES AND GREEN. "One Thousand Dollars Reward". FROM RICHMOND AND NORFOLK, VA. William B. White, Susan Brooks, and Wm. Henry Atkinson. FOUR ARRIVALS. Charlotte and Harriet escape in deep Mourning—White Lady and Child with a Colored Coachman—Three likely Young Men from Baltimore—Four large and two Small Hams—U.G.R.R. Passengers Travelling with their Master's Horses and Carriage—Six Passengers on two Horses, &c. FROM VIRGINIA, MARYLAND, DELAWARE, NORTH CAROLINA, WASHINGTON, D.C. AND SOUTH CAROLINA. CHARLES GILBERT, Fleeing from Davis, a Negro Trader—Secreted under a Hotel—Up a Tree—Under a Floor—In a Thicket—On a Steamer. LIBERTY OR DEATH. Jim Bowlegs alias Bill Paul. SALT-WATER FUGITIVE. SAMUEL GREEN ALIAS WESLEY KINNARD. Ten Years in the Penitentiary for having a Copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin in his House. AN IRISH GIRL'S DEVOTION TO FREEDOM. In Love with a Slave—Gets him off to Canada—Follows him—Marriage, &c. "SAM" NIXON ALIAS DR. THOMAS BAYNE. The Escape of a Dentist on the U.G.R.R. &c. SUNDRY ARRIVALS. From Loudoun County, Va., Norfolk, Baltimore, Md., Petersburg, Va., &c. HEAVY REWARD. "Two Thousand Six Hundred Dollars Reward" Offered. SLAVE-TRADER HALL IS FOILED. Robert McCoy alias William Donar, and Elizabeth Sanders, arrived per steamer. THE PROTECTION OF SLAVE PROPERTY IN VIRGINIA. A Bill providing additional Protection for the Slave Property of Citizens of this Commonwealth. ESCAPING IN A CHEST. "One Hundred and Fifty Dollars Reward"—Lear Green. ISAAC WILLIAMS, HENRY BANKS AND KIT NICKLESS. ARRIVAL OF FIVE PROM THE EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND. Cyrus Mitchell alias John Steel, Joshua Handy alias Hambleton Hamby, Charles Button alias William Robinson, Ephraim Hudson alias John Spry, Francis Molock alias Thomas Jackson. SUNDRY ARRIVALS ABOUT AUGUST 1ST, 1855. Francis Hilliard and Others. DEEP FURROWS ON THE BACK. Thomas Madden. PETER MATHEWS ALIAS SAMUEL SPARROWS. "I might as well be in the Penitentiary as in Slavery." "MOSES" ARRIVES WITH SIX PASSENGERS. ESCAPED FROM "A WORTHLESS SOT." John Atkinson. WILLIAM BUTCHER ALIAS Wm. T. MTCHELL. "He was abuseful". "WHITE ENOUGH TO PASS". ESCAPING WITH MASTER'S CARRIAGES AND HORSES. Harriet Shephard, and her five Children with five other Passengers. EIGHT AND A HALF MONTHS SECRETED. Washington Somlor alias James Moore. ARTHUR FOWLER ALIAS BENJAMIN JOHNSON. SUNDRY ARRIVALS. About the 1st of June, 1855—Emory Roberts and others. SUNDRY ARRIVALS ABOUT JANUARY 1ST, 1855. Verenea Mercer and others. SLAVE-HOLDER IN MARYLAND WITH THREE COLORED WIVES. James Griffin alias Thomas Brown. CAPTAIN F. ARRIVES WITH NINE PASSENGERS. Names of Passengers. OWEN AND OTHO TAYLOR'S FLIGHT WITH HORSES, &c. HEAVY REWARD. Three Hundred Dollars Reward—"Tom" gone. CAPT. F. ARRIVES WITH FOURTEEN "PRIME ARTICLES" ON BOARD. SUNDRY ARRIVALS, LATTER PART OF DECEMBER, 1855, AND BEGINNING OF JANUARY, 1856. Joseph Cornish and others. PART OF THE ARRIVALS IN DECEMBER, 1855. Thomas J. Gooseberry and others. THE FUGITIVE SLAVE BILL OF 1850. "An Act Respecting Fugitives from Justice, and Persons Escaping from the Services of their Masters." THE SLAVE HUNTING TRAGEDY IN LANCASTER COUNTY, IN SEPTEMBER, 1851. "Treason at Christiana". WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFT. Female Slave in Male Attire, fleeing as a Planter, with her Husband as her Body Servant. ARRIVALS FROM RICHMOND. Lewis Cobb and Nancy Brister. PASSENGERS FROM NORTH CAROLINA, [By SCHOONER.] Major Latham, William Wilson, Henry Goram, Wiley Madison, and Andrew Shepherd. THOMAS CLINTON, SAUNEY PRY AND BENJAMIN DUCKET. Passed over the U.G.R.R. in the Fall of 1856. ARRIVALS IN APRIL, 1856. Charles Hall and others. FIVE FROM GEORGETOWN CROSS-ROADS. Mother and Child from Norfolk, Va., &c. PASSENGERS FROM MARYLAND. William Henry MOODY, BELINDA BIVANS, &c. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND. ARRIVAL FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., &c., 1857. George Carroll, Randolph Branson, John Clagart and William Royan. ARRIVAL FROM UNIONVILLE, 1857. Israel Todd and Bazil Aldridge. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1857. Ordee Lee and Richard J. Booce. ARRIVAL FROM CAMBRIDGE, 1857. Silas Long and Solomon Light—"The Mother of Twelve Children"—Old Jane Davis. BENJAMIN ROSS AND HIS WIFE HARRIET Fled from Caroline County, Eastern Shore of Maryland, June, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM DELAWARE, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM ALEXANDRIA, IN 1857. ARRIVAL FROM UNIONVILLE, 1857. FROM NEW ORLEANS, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND. ARRIVAL FROM GEORGETOWN CROSS ROADS AND ALEXANDRIA. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND. ARRIVAL FROM NORFOLK, VA. ARRIVAL FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. FOUR ABLE BODIED "ARTICLES" IN ONE ARRIVAL, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM ARLINGTON, MD., 1857. FIVE PASSENGERS, 1847. ARRIVAL FROM HOWARD COUNTY, MD., 1857. ARRIVAL FROM PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD. ARRIVAL FROM RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM NORTH CAROLINA, 1857. ALFRED HOLLON, GEORGE AND CHARLES N. RODGERS. ARRIVAL FROM KENT COUNTY, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM BALTIMORE COUNTY, 1857. MARY COOPER AND MOSES ARMSTEAD, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM NEAR WASHINGTON, D.C. HON. L. McLANE'S PROPERTY, SOON AFTER HIS DEATH, TRAVELS VIA THE UNDERGROUND RAIL ROAD— WILLIAM KNIGHT, ESQ. LOSES A SUPERIOR "ARTICLE." ARRIVAL FROM HARFORD COUNTY, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM NORFOLK, VA., 1857. ARRIVAL FROM HOOPERVILLE, MD., 1857. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1857. ARRIVAL FROM QUEEN ANNE COUNTY, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM BALTIMORE. ARRIVED FROM DUNWOODY COUNTY, 1858. ARRIVED FROM ALEXANDRIA, VA., 1857. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM PETERSBURG, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND. ARRIVAL OF A PARTY OF SIX, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM BALTIMORE, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM HIGHTSTOWN, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM BELLAIR. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM NORFOLK, VA., 1858. ARRIVAL FROM NEAR BALTIMORE, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM WASHINGTON, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM THE OLD DOMINION. ARRIVAL FROM DELAWARE, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM DELAWARE, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM NORTH CAROLINA AND DELAWARE. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND. ARRIVAL FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM HONEY BROOK TOWNSHIP, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM ALEXANDRIA, VA., 1858. ARRIVAL FROM THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT. CROSSING THE BAY IN A SKIFF. ARRIVAL FROM KENT COUNTY, MD., 1858. ARRIVAL FROM WASHINGTON, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM CECIL COUNTY, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM GEORGETOWN, D.C., 1858. ARRIVAL FROM SUSSEX COUNTY, 1858. SUNDRY ARRIVALS IN 1859. ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND, 1859. ARRIVAL FROM DELAWARE, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND, 1859. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1859. SUNDRY ARRIVALS, 1859. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1859. ARRIVAL FROM DELAWARE, 1859. ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1859. SUNDRY ARRIVALS FROM MARYLAND, 1859. ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND, 1859. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. SUNDRY ARRIVALS FROM MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA. ARRIVAL FROM SEAFORD, 1859. ARRIVAL FROM TAPS' NECK, MD., 1859. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1859. SUNDRY ARRIVALS FROM VIRGINIA, MARYLAND AND DELAWARE. ARRIVAL FROM DIFFERENT POINTS. SUNDRY ARRIVALS FROM MARYLAND, 1860. ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1860. ARRIVAL FROM BALTIMORE, 1860. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND. ARRIVAL FROM FREDERICKSBURG, 1860. SUNDRY ARRIVALS FROM MARYLAND, 1860. CROSSING THE BAY IN A BATTEAU. ARRIVAL FROM DORCHESTER COUNTY, 1860. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND, 1860. TWELVE MONTHS IN THE WOODS, 1860. ARRIVAL FROM MARYLAND. A SLAVE CATCHER CAUGHT IN HIS OWN TRAP. TO WHOM IT MIGHT CONCERN. ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND, 1858. ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND, 1859. ARRIVAL FROM RICHMOND. "AUNT HANNAH MOORE." KIDNAPPING OF RACHEL AND ELIZABETH PARKER—MURDER OF JOSEPH C. MILLER, IN 1851 AND 1852. ARRIVAL FROM VIRGINIA, 1854. ARRIVAL FROM NORFOLK. ARRIVAL OF FIFTEEN FROM NORFOLK, VIRGINIA. THE CASE OF EUPHEMIA WILLIAMS. HELPERS AND SYMPATHIZERS AT HOME AND ABROAD—INTERESTING LETTERS. PAMPHLET AND LETTERS. LETTERS TO THE WRITER. WOMAN ESCAPING IN A BOX, 1857. ORGANIZATION OF THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. PORTRAITS AND SKETCHES. ESTHER MOORE. ABIGAIL GOODWIN. THOMAS GARRETT. DANIEL GIBBONS. LUCRETIA MOTT. JAMES MILLER McKIM. WILLIAM H. FURNESS, D.D. WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON. LEWIS TAPPAN. ELIJAH F. PENNYPACKER. WILLIAM WRIGHT. DR. BARTHOLOMEW FUSSELL. THOMAS SHIPLEY. ROBERT PURVIS. JOHN HUNN. SAMUEL RHOADS. GEORGE CORSON. CHARLES D. CLEVELAND. WILLIAM WHIPPER. ISAAC T. HOPPER. SAMUEL D. BURRIS. MARIANN, GRACE ANNA, AND ELIZABETH R. LEWIS. CUNNINGHAM'S RACHE. FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER. THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD * * * * * SETH CONCKLIN. In the long list of names who have suffered and died in the cause of freedom, not one, perhaps, could be found whose efforts to redeem a poor family of slaves were more Christlike than Seth Concklin's, whose noble and daring spirit has been so long completely shrouded in mystery. Except John Brown, it is a question, whether his rival could be found with respect to boldness, disinterestedness and willingness to be sacrificed for the deliverance of the oppressed. By chance one day he came across a copy of the Pennsylvania Freeman, containing the story of Peter Still, "the Kidnapped and the Ransomed,"— how he had been torn away from his mother, when a little boy six years old; how, for forty years and more, he had been compelled to serve under the yoke, totally destitute as to any knowledge of his parents' whereabouts; how the intense love of liberty and desire to get back to his mother had unceasingly absorbed his mind through all these years of bondage; how, amid the most appalling discouragements, prompted alone by his undying determination to be free and be reunited with those from whom he had been sold away, he contrived to buy himself; how, by extreme economy, from doing over-work, he saved up five hundred dollars, the amount of money required for his ransom, which, with his freedom, he, from necessity, placed unreservedly in the confidential keeping of a Jew, named Joseph Friedman, whom he had known for a long time and could venture to trust,—how he had further toiled to save up money to defray his expenses on an expedition in search of his mother and kindred; how, when this end was accomplished, with an earnest purpose he took his carpet-bag in his hand, and his heart throbbing for his old home and people, he turned his mind very privately towards Philadelphia, where he hoped, by having notices read in the colored churches to the effect that "forty-one or forty-two years before two little boysA were kidnapped and carried South"—that the memory of some of the older members might recall the circumstances, and in this way he would be aided in his ardent efforts to become restored to them. A: Sons of Levin and Sidney—the last names of his parents he was too young to remember. And, furthermore, Seth Concklin had read how, on arriving in Philadelphia, after traveling sixteen hundred miles, that almost the first man whom Peter Still sought advice from was his own unknown brother (whom he had never seen or heard of), who made the discovery that he was the long- lost boy, whose history and fate had been enveloped in sadness so long, and for whom his mother had shed so many tears and offered so many prayers, during the long years of their separation; and, finally, how this self-ransomed and restored captive, notwithstanding his great success, was destined to suffer the keenest pangs of sorrow for his wife and children, whom he had left in Alabama bondage. Seth Concklin was naturally too singularly sympathetic and humane not to feel now for Peter, and especially for his wife and children left in bonds as bound with them. Hence, as Seth was a man who seemed wholly insensible to fear, and to know no other law of humanity and right, than whenever the claims of the suffering and the wronged appealed to him, to respond unreservedly, whether those thus injured were amongst his nearest kin or the greatest strangers,—it mattered not to what race or clime they might belong,—he, in the spirit of the good Samaritan, owning all such as his neighbors, volunteered his services, without pay or reward, to go and rescue the wife and three children of Peter Still. The magnitude of this offer can hardly be appreciated. It was literally laying his life on the altar of freedom for the despised and oppressed whom he had never seen, whose kins-folk even he was not acquainted with. At this juncture even Peter was not prepared to accept this proposal. He wanted to secure the freedom of his wife and children as earnestly as he had ever desired to see his mother, yet he could not, at first, hearken to the idea of having them rescued in the way suggested by Concklin, fearing a failure. To J.M. McKim and the writer, the bold scheme for the deliverance of Peter's family was alone confided. It was never submitted to the Vigilance Committee, for the reason, that it was not considered a matter belonging thereto. On first reflection, the very idea of such an undertaking seemed perfectly appalling. Frankly was he told of the great dangers and difficulties to be encountered through hundreds of miles of slave territory. Seth was told of those who, in attempting to aid slaves to escape had fallen victims to the relentless Slave Power, and had either lost their lives, or been incarcerated for long years in penitentiaries, where no friendly aid could be afforded them; in short, he was plainly told, that without a very great chance, the undertaking would cost him his life. The occasion of this interview and conversation, the seriousness of Concklin and the utter failure in presenting the various obstacles to his plan, to create the slightest apparent misgiving in his mind, or to produce the slightest sense of fear or hesitancy, can never be effaced from the memory of the writer. The plan was, however, allowed to rest for a time. In the meanwhile, Peter's mind was continually vacillating between Alabama, with his wife and children, and his new-found relatives in the North. Said a brother, "If you cannot get your family, what will you do? Will you come North and live with your relatives?" "I would as soon go out of the world, as not to go back and do all I can for them," was the prompt reply of Peter. The problem of buying them was seriously considered, but here obstacles quite formidable lay in the way. Alabama laws utterly denied the right of a slave to buy himself, much less his wife and children. The right of slave masters to free their slaves, either by sale or emancipation, was positively prohibited by law. With these reflections weighing upon his mind, having stayed away from his wife as long as he could content himself to do, he took his carpet-bag in his hand, and turned his face toward Alabama, to embrace his family in the prison-house of bondage. His approach home could only be made stealthily, not daring to breathe to a living soul, save his own family, his nominal Jew master, and one other friend—a slave—where he had been, the prize he had found, or anything in relation to his travels. To his wife and children his return was unspeakably joyous. The situation of his family concerned him with tenfold more weight than ever before, As the time drew near to make the offer to his wife's master to purchase her with his children, his heart failed him through fear of awakening the ire of slaveholders against him, as he knew that the law and public sentiment were alike deadly opposed to the spirit of freedom in the slave. Indeed, as innocent as a step in this direction might appear, in those days a man would have stood about as good a chance for his life in entering a lair of hungry hyenas, as a slave or free colored man would, in talking about freedom. He concluded, therefore, to say nothing about buying. The plan proposed by Seth Concklin was told to Vina, his wife; also what he had heard from his brother about the Underground Rail Road,—how, that many who could not get their freedom in any other way, by being aided a little, were daily escaping to Canada. Although the wife and children had never tasted the pleasures of freedom for a single hour in their lives, they hated slavery heartily, and being about to be far separated from husband and father, they were ready to assent to any proposition that looked like deliverance. So Peter proposed to Vina, that she should give him certain small articles, consisting of a cape, etc., which he would carry with him as memorials, and, in case Concklin or any one else should ever come for her from him, as an unmistakable sign that all was right, he would send back, by whoever was to befriend them, the cape, so that she and the children might not doubt but have faith in the man, when he gave her the sign, (cape). Again Peter returned to Philadelphia, and was now willing to accept the offer of Concklin. Ere long, the opportunity of an interview was had, and Peter gave Seth a very full description of the country and of his family, and made known to him, that he had very carefully gone over with his wife and children the matter of their freedom. This interview interested Concklin most deeply. If his own wife and children had been in bondage, scarcely could he have manifested greater sympathy for them. For the hazardous work before him he was at once prepared to make a start. True he had two sisters in Philadelphia for whom he had always cherished the warmest affection, but he conferred not with them on this momentous mission. For full well did he know that it was not in human nature for them to acquiesce in this perilous undertaking, though one of these sisters, Mrs. Supplee, was a most faithful abolitionist. Having once laid his hand to the plough he was not the man to look back,—not even to bid his sisters good-bye, but he actually left them as though he expected to be home to his dinner as usual. What had become of him during those many weeks of his perilous labors in Alabama to rescue this family was to none a greater mystery than to his sisters. On leaving home he simply took two or three small articles in the way of apparel with one hundred dollars to defray his expenses for a time; this sum he considered ample to start with. Of course he had very safely concealed about him Vina's cape and one or two other articles which he was to use for his identification in meeting her and the children on the plantation. His first thought was, on reaching his destination, after becoming acquainted with the family, being familiar with Southern manners, to have them all prepared at a given hour for the starting of the steamboat for Cincinnati, and to join him at the wharf, when he would boldly assume the part of a slaveholder, and the family naturally that of slaves, and in this way he hoped to reach Cincinnati direct, before their owner had fairly discovered their escape. But alas for Southern irregularity, two or three days' delay after being advertised to start, was no uncommon circumstance with steamers; hence this plan was abandoned. What this heroic man endured from severe struggles and unyielding exertions, in traveling thousands of miles on water and on foot, hungry and fatigued, rowing his living freight for seven days and seven nights in a skiff, is hardly to be paralleled in the annals of the Underground Rail Road. The following interesting letters penned by the hand of Concklin convey minutely his last struggles and characteristically represent the singleness of heart which impelled him to sacrifice his life for the slave— EASTPORT, MISS., FEB. 3, 1851. To Wm. Still:—Our friends in Cincinnati have failed finding anybody to assist me on my return. Searching the country opposite Paducah, I find that the whole country fifty miles round is inhabited only by Christian wolves. It is customary, when a strange negro is seen, for any white man to seize the negro and convey such negro through and out of the State of Illinois to Paducah, Ky., and lodge such stranger in Paducah jail, and there claim such reward as may be offered by the master. There is no regularity by the steamboats on the Tennessee River. I was four days getting to Florence from Paducah. Sometimes they are four days starting, from the time appointed, which alone puts to rest the plan for returning by steamboat. The distance from the mouth of the river to Florence, is from between three hundred and five to three hundred and forty-five miles by the river; by land, two hundred and fifty, or more. I arrived at the shoe shop on the plantation, one o'clock, Tuesday, 28th. William and two boys were making shoes. I immediately gave the first signal, anxiously waiting thirty minutes for an opportunity to give the second and main signal, during which time I was very sociable. It was rainy and muddy—my pants were rolled up to the knees. I was in the character of a man seeking employment in this country. End of thirty minutes gave the second signal. William appeared unmoved; soon sent out the boys; instantly sociable; Peter and Levin at the Island; one of the young masters with them; not safe to undertake to see them till Saturday night, when they would be at home; appointed a place to see Vina, in an open field, that night; they to bring me something to eat; our interview only four minutes; I left; appeared by night; dark and cloudy; at ten o'clock appeared William; exchanged signals; led me a few rods to where stood Vina; gave her the signal sent by Peter; our interview ten minutes; she did not call me "master," nor did she say "sir," by which I knew she had confidence in me. Our situation being dangerous, we decided that I meet Peter and Levin on the bank of the river early dawn of day, Sunday, to establish the laws. During our interview, William prostrated on his knees, and face to the ground; arms sprawling; head cocked back, watching for wolves, by which position a man can see better in the dark. No house to go to safely, traveled round till morning, eating hoe cake which William had given me for supper; next day going around to get employment. I thought of William, who is a Christian preacher, and of the Christian preachers in Pennsylvania. One watching for wolves by night, to rescue Vina and her three children from Christian licentiousness; the other standing erect in open day, seeking the praise of men. During the four days waiting for the important Sunday morning, I thoroughly surveyed the rocks and shoals of the river from Florence seven miles up, where will be my place of departure. General notice was taken of me as being a stranger, lurking around. Fortunately there are several small grist mills within ten miles around. No taverns here, as in the North; any planter's house entertains travelers occasionally. One night I stayed at a medical gentleman's, who is not a large planter; another night at an ex-magistrate's house in South Florence—a Virginian by birth—one of the late census takers; told me that many more persons cannot read and write than is reported; one fact, amongst many others, that many persons who do not know the letters of the alphabet, have learned to write their own names; such are generally reported readers and writers. It being customary for a stranger not to leave the house early in the morning where he has lodged, I was under the necessity of staying out all night Saturday, to be able to meet Peter and Levin, which was accomplished in due time. When we approached, I gave my signal first; immediately they gave theirs. I talked freely. Levin's voice, at first, evidently trembled. No wonder, for my presence universally attracted attention by the lords of the land. Our interview was less than one hour; the laws were written. I to go to Cincinnati to get a rowing boat and provisions; a first class clipper boat to go with speed. To depart from the place where the laws were written, on Saturday night of the first of March. I to meet one of them at the same place Thursday night, previous to the fourth Saturday from the night previous to the Sunday when the laws were written. We to go down the Tennessee river to some place up the Ohio, not yet decided on, in our row boat. Peter and Levin are good oarsmen. So am I. Telegraph station at Tuscumbia, twelve miles from the plantation, also at Paducah. Came from Florence to here Sunday night by steamboat. Eastport is in Mississippi. Waiting here for a steamboat to go down; paying one dollar a day for board. Like other taverns here, the wretchedness is indescribable; no pen, ink, paper or newspaper to be had; only one room for everybody, except the gambling rooms. It is difficult for me to write. Vina intends to get a pass for Catharine and herself for the first Sunday in March. The bank of the river where I met Peter and Levin is two miles from the plantation. I have avoided saying I am from Philadelphia. Also avoided talking about negroes. I never talked so much about milling before. I consider most of the trouble over, till I arrive in a free State with my crew, the first week in March; then will I have to be wiser than Christian serpents, and more cautious than doves. I do not consider it safe to keep this letter in my possession, yet I dare not put it in the post-office here; there is so little business in these post-offices that notice might be taken. I am evidently watched; everybody knows me to be a miller. I may write again when I get to Cincinnati, if I should have time. The ex-magistrate, with whom I stayed in South Florence, held three hours' talk with me, exclusive of our morning talk. Is a man of good general information; he was exceedingly inquisitive. "I am from Cincinnati, formerly from the State of New York." I had no opportunity to get anything to eat from seven o'clock Tuesday morning till six o'clock Wednesday evening, except the hoe cake, and no sleep. Florence is the head of navigation for small steamboats. Seven miles, all the way up to my place of departure, is swift water, and rocky. Eight hundred miles to Cincinnati. I found all things here as Peter told me, except the distance of the river. South Florence contains twenty white families, three warehouses of considerable business, a post-office, but no school. McKiernon is here waiting for a steamboat to go to New Orleans, so we are in company. PRINCETON, GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA, FEB. 18, 1851. To Wm. Still:—The plan is to go to Canada, on the Wabash, opposite Detroit. There are four routes to Canada. One through Illinois, commencing above and below Alton; one through to North Indiana, and the Cincinnati route, being the largest route in the United States. I intended to have gone through Pennsylvania, but the risk going up the Ohio river has caused me to go to Canada. Steamboat traveling is universally condemned, though many go in boats, consequently many get lost. Going in a skiff is new, and is approved of in my case. After I arrive at the mouth of the Tennessee river, I will go up the Ohio seventy-five miles, to the mouth of the Wabash, then up the Wabash, forty-four miles to New Harmony, where I shall go ashore by night, and go thirteen miles east, to Charles Grier, a farmer, (colored man), who will entertain us, and next night convey us sixteen miles to David Stormon, near Princeton, who will take the command, and I be released. David Stormon estimates the expenses from his house to Canada, at forty dollars, without which, no sure protection will be given. They might be instructed concerning the course, and beg their way through without money. If you wish to do what should be done, you will send me fifty dollars, in a letter, to Princeton, Gibson county, Inda., so as to arrive there by the 8th of March. Eight days should be estimated for a letter to arrive from Philadelphia. The money to be State Bank of Ohio, or State Bank, or Northern Bank of Kentucky, or any other Eastern bank. Send no notes larger than twenty dollars. Levi Coffin had no money for me. I paid twenty dollars for the skiff. No money to get back to Philadelphia. It was not understood that I would have to be at any expense seeking aid. One half of my time has been used in trying to find persons to assist, when I may arrive on the Ohio river, in which I have failed, except Stormon. Having no letter of introduction to Stormon from any source, on which I could fully rely, I traveled two hundred miles around, to find out his stability. I have found many Abolitionists, nearly all who have made propositions, which themselves would not comply with, and nobody else would. Already I have traveled over three thousand miles. Two thousand and four hundred by steamboat, two hundred by railroad, one hundred