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AILROAD

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Purchased from the income
of the bequest of
WILLIAM ROBERTSON COE
Honorary M.A. 1949, for
material in the field
of American Studies

COL. WM. M. COCKRUM.

HISTORY

of the

Underground Railroad
AS IT WAS CONDUCTED BY
THE ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE

INCLUDING
Many Thrilling Encounters Between Those Aiding
the Slaves to Escape and Those Trying
to Recapture Them

BY
COL. WILLIAM M. COCKRUM
Author of a "Pioneer History of Indiana"
OAKLAND CITY, INDIANA

PRESS OF
J. W. COCKRUM PRINTING COMPANY
Oakland City, Indiana

Entered according to an Act of Congress in
the year 1915
By WILLIAM M. COCKRUM
in the office of the Librarian of Congress,
at Washington, D. C.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This book is dedicated to the memory
of Col. James W. Cockrum (the author's
father), Dr. John W. Posey, Dr. Andrew
Lewis, Ira Caswell, and George W. Hill,
five brave, true-hearted men who gave of
their time and means unstintingly to
help liberate the lowly slave.

FOREWORD.
In writing a history of the so-called Under
ground Railroad, the author is controlled by a
desire to be just to the anti-slavery people who
were aiding the slaves to gain their freedom, and
to the pro-slavery people who were hunting for
runaway slaves to return them to their masters,
all of whom were active in this work in all the
country bordering on the Ohio river during the
early fifties. In no case has he given the right
names of persons where their actions might be
construed by their living relatives as reflecting
unfavorably on their characters.
The data for this work were secured by the
personal experiences of the author, working with
the superintendent of the Anti-Slavery League,
who had charge of this work here. Also from
data gathered from many persons who were con
nected with the work. This has never been in
print before except some articles which the author
used in his Pioneer History of Indiana, and which
properly belong in this work. For many years
the author has been waiting for some one more
competent to do this work. A few years more,
and all this data would have gone the way that

FOREWORD. V
so much' of the early history of our country haa
gone. The author has no apology to make in the
publication of this book. He thinks it right that
the young people should know how things were
carried on during the fifties by the pro-slavery
people who had control of the government. The
anti-slavery people would not have organized the
Anti-Slavery League, if the people of the South
had not caused a law to be spread on the statutes
of the United States that gave them dom
ineering privileges over the North. These unusual
privileges were taken advantage of by many men
all over this country who attempted to, and did
kidnap, thousands of free negroes and sold them
into slavery. Just think of a swaggering bully
coming up to people who were engaged with their
own affairs, and saying: "I have some fugitive
slaves that are hidden in this section and I want
you to help me catch them." If the man wanted
to beg off, this bully would say, "If you refuse, I
will have you arrested for not obeying the law and
for aiding fugitive slaves to escape." This bully
ing, overbearing behavior of the southern men,
seemed to have been catching. The local slave
catchers and kidnappers of this section tried to
ape the southerner and in many cases went much

Vi FOREWORD.
farther in their boastful, threatening way. This
was kept up until they were given an object lesson
that taught them that others could play the kid
napping game as well as they, and the Anti-
Slavery League did kidnap ten of them and gave
them a lesson that they did not forget as long as
they lived.
In submitting this work to the public the
author wishes here to acknowledge his indebted
ness to those who aided him in securing data for
its completion. The names of those giving the
most valued assistance are hereby given :
John T. Hanover, known in this work as John
Hansen, for a copy of the Organization of the
Anti-Slavery League.
Col. J. W. Cockrum for data.
John W. Barrett for data.
Dr. Logan Esarey for many favors.
Ira Caswell for data.
Dr. John W. Posey for data about the kid
napping of free negroes.
Dr. J. R. Adams for data.
Mrs. Ella C. Wheatley for valuable assist
ance. Rev. John E. Cox for assistance.
George W. Hill for data.

FOREWORD. vii
Dr. George C. Mason for valuable sugges
tions. L. 0. Emerson for the data of the two Munday
boys gaining their freedom.
Rev. Eldridge Hopkins for data.
C. C. Caswell for a fine picture of his father.
J. W. Lewis for a fine picture of his father.
Mrs. Hannah M. Womac for a picture of her
former husband, George W. Hill.
Robert Hawthorne for data.
W. D. Crow for suggestions.

South ^a^f j. J — .
OrtMjTiley V/ Louisville ¦£.*>X

Map of the Underground Railroad in Indiana.

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ANTI-
SLAVERY LEAGUE

Chapter I
In all the territory of the free states adjacent
to the borders of the slave states during the time
after the passage of the last fugitive slave law of
1850 up to the commencement of the civil war,
there was great excitement between those hav
ing pro and anti slavery views. This was eminent
ly true along the southern borders of Illinois, In
diana and Ohio. Slaves being regarded as person
al property, "things" not human beings as the old
Roman law was pleased to put it, the right of the
master to reclaim his property had always been
accepted as a reasonable consequence.
The fugitive slave law of 1793 was similar to
the agreement made in 1787, when the compact
was accepted to forever exclude slavery from the
states that would be formed out of the northwest
territory, except that the act of 1793 provided for
the reclamation of fugitives from justice as
well as from service. It was accepted by all as a
just law, permitting the owners of slaves to re
claim their property.
The -fugitive slave law that was passed in
9

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
1850 the provisions of which were drafted by
Senator Mason of Virginia who was among the
foremost of the southern "Fire-eaters" in his hat
red of the north (and he injected everything into
that measure which he felt would be galling to
the abolitionists), gave the slave holders, or those
hunting their runaway slaves, the power to organ
ize a posse at any point in the United States to aid
them in running down their negroes.
There was a great impetus given to fugitive
slave hunting in all the free states bordering on
slave states and far into New England. The
favored provisions that the south had received
by that law were taken advantage of by many
men who never had owned a slave or been in a
slave state.
Kidnapping the negroes was accomplished by
running them away from their acquaintances to
a friendly commissioner, probably a partner in
the business, and there the kidnapper secured his
right to the negro by a judicial decision of the vil
lainous commissioner who received from the Unit
ed States ten dollars for every decision he made
against the negro and but five if he made one for
the negro ; thus offering the Commissioner a bribe
of five dollars for a favorable decision in the in
terest of the kidnapper. The negro was thus
doomed and taken south and sold into slavery. The
10

ORGANIZATION ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
harsh and humiliating provisions of that law
seemed to have imbued the southern men with an
extra touch of their imaginary superiority. This
was carried so far that when the war came on,
their recruiting officers, when raising troops for
the confederate army, boastingly said — "One
southern soldier on the battle-field will be equal
to five Yankees."
Many of the provisions of the act of 1850
were without a doubt unconstitutional.
The constitution of the United States ex
pressly provides that — "in suits at common law
where the value in controversy shall exceed twen
ty dollars the right to a trial by jury shall be pre
served." The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 pro
vided for the delivery of fugitives from slavery
without allowing them the trial by jury. Section
Six of that law says that — "In no trial or hearing
under this act shall the testimony of such alleged
fugitives be admitted in evidence." The first neg
ro arrested and tried before a United States com
missioner in Indiana was a free negro man. The
Commissioner decided against him but when tak
en to the slave owner for whom he was arrested
the man was honest enough to declare he had nev
er seen the negro before. The law was further
very severe as it imposed a fine of one thousand
dollars and imprisonment on anyone harboring
11

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
or in any way aiding fugitives in escaping.
Unfortunately for justice the United States
Courts of that period were organized so favorably
to the interests of the owners of slaves that a
very small incident would be construed as aiding
and harboring. In southern Indiana at an early day, four-
fifths of the people were in sympathy with slav
ery. The greater portion of them had moved to
Indiana from slave states and had been raised to
regard the rights of the slave owner to his slave
as sacred as his rights to his horses, cattle or any
other property. It was but natural that law abid
ing people would have just such a regard for the
law that they had been taught to obey. Slavery
had existed in all the settled sections in the North
west Territory for many years before Indiana Ter
ritory was organized and at the time of the pas
sage of the fugitive slave law in 1850 there was
but little open opposition to slavery. After that
obnoxious law came in force so many brutal acts
were committed by the kidnappers that a great
change came over the people. They realized that
the law was passed so that the negroes could be
kidnapped and sold into slavery who were free
born, and this be done under the guise of obey
ing the forms of law.
The Anti-Slavery League was organized so
12

ORGANIZATION ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
that there might be some method of helping the
slaves to escape instead of the hap-hazard way in
which it was being done by the unorganized few
who were helping the. runaways.
This organization was in direct opposition to
the laws of the United States and its members ful
ly understood the severe penalties which would be
meted out to them if they were caught in the act
of violating the law. Notwithstanding this dan
ger there were hundreds of men who were will
ing to engage i_nany enterprise which would de
feat the swaggering negro hunter. The organi
zation was made and there was all the money back
of it that was needed, and it was very effective
in helping large numbers of negroes to escape
from slavery.
It was not long after the employees of that
organization were placed on duty at the different
points assigned them until so many slaves escaped
into freedom, and the route they went could not
be ascertained, that the slave owners said there
must be an under-ground rail road under the
Ohio river and on to Canada.
The Anti-Slavery League of the east had
many of the shrewdest men of the Nation in its
organization. They had a detective and spy sys
tem that was far superior to anything the slave
holders or the United States had. There were as
13

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
many as fifty educated and intelligent young and
middle-aged men on duty from some ways above
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, along down the Ohio on
both sides of it to the Mississippi River. These
men had different occupations. Some were book
agents and other sorts of agents ; some were sing
ing teachers, school teachers, writing teachers and
others map makers, carrying surveying and draw
ing outfits for that purpose; others were clock
tinkers; some were real Yankee peddlers; some
were naturalists and geologists carrying their
hammers and nets for that purpose. They be
longed to any and all sorts of occupations and pro
fessions that gave them the best opportunity to
become acquainted and mix with the people and
gain a knowledge of the traveled ways of the
country. They never engaged in political argu
ments making it a point always to acquiesce with
the sentiment of the majority of the people they
were associating with. There were ten young
men who were carried on the rolls of the anti-
slavery league who took upon themselves the role
of a spy. These spies were loud in their pro-
slavery talk and were in full fellow-ship with
those who were in favor of slavery. In this way
they learned the movements of those who aided
the slave masters in hunting their runaways and
were enabled often to put them on the wrong track
14

ORGANIZATION ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
thus helping those who were piloting the run
aways to place them beyond the chance of recap
ture. There was also a superintendent for each
of the four states, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and
Pennsylvania who had the management of the
men working in the state that he was assigned to.
The man who superintended Indiana was named
J. T. Hanover but was known to us by the name of
John Hansen. While he was doing this work he
was for two or three days every two weeks at my
father's house where he boarded off and on for
five years. He was a naturalist and one time was
near what is known as Snakey Point now on the
Evansville and Indianapolis Railroad, two and a
half miles northeast of Oakland City. Seeing a
snake of a peculiar specie he caught it with a pair
of circle nippers he had for that purpose but when
putting it into a cage was bitten through the
thick part of the right hand and remained at my
father's house for two and a half months under
the care of Dr. Samuel McCullough. He came
very near dying from the effects of that poison.
During the time he was there much of his mail ac
cumulated at Princeton. The writer was sent
there several times for it and answered many let
ters for him ; in fact, the last month and a half I
did all his correspondance ; my father and Hansen
consulted about my doing this work for him when
IS

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
he said he was willing to risk it as we would be as
deep in the mud as he was in the mire. During
the time he was lying there sick, young men came
there to see him from Princeton, Boonville, Peters
burg and many other places. These men were all
in the employ of the anti-slavery league. The
author is yet in possession of a diary kept by Han
sen during that period, also a key which was used
by Hansen in making his report. Without this
key nothing in the work could be unraveled.
fc/Hansen was working and traveling over the
first three or four tiers of counties all along the
southern borders of Indiana and pretended to be
representing an eastern real-estate firm from
which he received large packages of mail at many
of the county seats and large towns all along
southern Indiana. The young men assigned to do
this hazardous work under him were men who
could be depended upon to do it in a way that no
suspicion of their real mission would be had. They
were under a most perfect discipline, similar to
that the secret service men were under during the
war times in the sixties. There was a code used
that each man was thoroughly acquainted with.
It had their numbers and all that was said or
done about him was by number, which numbers
were referred to as numbers of land, towns, ranges
and sections and by acres when the numbers were
16

JOHN HANSEN.
Superintendent of the Anti-Slavery League.

ORGANIZATION ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
above thirty-six. The routes these men were on
were called by the names of timber, such as lin
den, oak, maple, hickory, walnut, dogwood, sassa
fras, beech and all the sorts of timber that were
native of the country in which they worked. .
There were many places that runaway ne
groes crossed the Ohio river from Kentucky into
Indiana. I shall not attempt to give a description
of any of the routes on the other border states,
for the only one who knew anything about this
work that I became acquainted with was the su
perintendent of the Indiana division. I shall name
the most used routes commencing above the
mouth of the Wabash River on the Ohio and on up
to the neighborhood of Cincinnati. The most dif
ficult problem that the slave had to solve was how
to cross the Ohio river, and to make that proposi
tion easy it was agreed that there should be sev
eral places located along that river where the
negro could be crossed in boats and skiffs belong
ing to the anti-slavery league.
At Diamond Island near West Franklin, Posey
County, many runaway slaves were helped over
the river and were taken over two routes. One
route was to cross the Wabash river at Webb's
Ferry near the southern line of Gibson County,
Indiana and then on up along the Wabash or near
it in Illinois to a friendly rendezvous where they
17

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
met friends who carried them on farther north,
to a point near Lake Michigan either in Lake,
Porter or LaPorte Counties. Here there was a
place in each county where they were secreted and
smuggled on board a lumber bark that the anti-
slavery people owned and that was manned by an
anti-slavery crew. This boat was very unpreten
tious to look at but was built for strength and
speed. Anyone not acquainted would think the
boat would not dare venture five miles from shore.
The boat cruised along the shore landing at dif
ferent points in the three counties, loading and un
loading freight as was offered them but carrying
no passengers. The negroes were kept secreted in
the holds until a number were gathered together
and then taken along the Michigan shore on up
into Canada.
The other route from Diamond Island was
to a point in Vanderburg county then known as
the Calvert neighborhood, thence north to the
various rendezvous until at one of the gathering
places near Lake Michigan. Near the city of
Evansville was another place where the runaways
crossed. This was a very popular route as there
were many free negroes in the city among whom
the refugees could be easily hidden.
This work was done at night by fishermen
who supplied fish to the market. These two men
18

ORGANIZATION ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
with the fish boat were in the employ of the anti-
slavery league. No doubt there are old people of
the city of Evansville who can yet remember two
young men who sold fish in their market during
the early fifties who were men of literary attain
ments. The refugees who crossed by this route
were placed in the hands of one of the anti-slavery
league's pilots or guides and were taken by them
along different routes to places where the negroes
had friends who carried them farther north, turn
ing them over to other friends until they arrived
at one of the points near Lake Michigan.
The third route which was controlled by these
people was a short distance above the mouth of
Little Pigeon. There was a crossing here by
skiffs and the refugees were carried to a point and
turned over to friends between Boonville and
Lynnville in Warrick county, Indiana, and thence
north to my father's big bam cellar situated on
my father's farm now in the center of Oakland
City, Indiana, remaining there one day, and then
at night they were taken to Dr. John W. Posey's
coal bank near Petersburg, Indiana. From there
they were sent north to friends in Davies and
Green county and then on to other friends and
finally up to Lake Michigan. When there were
only one or two of these fugitives they would be
kept in our cellar or Dr. Posey's coal bank until
19

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
more could come, when they would be piloted
farther north.
The fourth place for crossing the Ohio river
was at a point midway between Owensboro, Ken
tucky, and Rockport, Indiana. There used to be a
little fisherman's hut on the south bank of the
Ohio river at this point and two men who put in
much of their time fishing, lived in that shack.
They sold their catch to steam boats, flat boats
and coal fleets passing down the river and made
good money in the trade this way. The real busi
ness of the men was to carry refugees that were
brought to their shack at night, across the Ohio
river. Then one of them piloted the negroes to a
point where they were put in charge of friends
who carried them to freedom. A few miles east
of Rockport, Ind., many refugees were crossed
over the Ohio river.
The next regular crossing place was near the
mouth of Indian Creek in Harrison county. These
refugees were ferried across, then conveyed to
friends near Corydon who carried them farther
north across Washington, corner of Jackson into
Jennings, then through Decatur, Rush and Fay
ette counties, into Wayne where they had an in
numerable host of friends among the Quakers.
They were then piloted through Western Ohio
and on to Lake Erie and a rendezvous where the
20

ORGANIZATION ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
anti-slavery people owned another lumber shack
that they were put on board of; and when a suf
ficient number had been gotten together they
were carried to a point in Canada. There were
probably more negroes crossed over the Ohio
river at two or three places in front of Louisville
than any place else from the mouth of the Wabash
to Cincinnati. The reason for this was that the
three good sized cities at the Falls furnished a
good hiding place for the runaways among the
colored people. Those crossing at these places
were all conveyed to Wayne county, Indiana, and
thence on to the Lake.
Probably in Wayne county, Indiana, the fugi
tives had more friends among the large communi
ty of Quakers who lived in that district than any
where else and it was a common saying by those
losing slaves, that if they got to Wayne county
the prospect of finding them was very remote. It
is said that the old house built by Levi Coffin and
now owned by Maj. Lacey, Fountain City, Indiana,
has furnished shelter for ten thousand runaway
negroes. From the early fifties until the war came on
there were many persons who were in sympathy
with the fugitive negroes who were regarded as
strong pro-slavery in principle and this was the
21

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
main reason why so many negroes eluded those
who tried to capture them.
The soldiers from many parts of Indiana
were very much divided in their opinion on the
slavery question the first two years of the war.
When it was first talked about raising negro
soldiers, many loud and deep curses were heard
against the administration for such actions. Many
officers resigned and left the army at about that
time who were influenced in taking that step by
the emancipation proclamation and the arming of
the negro soldiers.
From the middle of 1863 until the close the
serious and business part of the war came on. The
hardest campaigns and severest battles were en
gaged in. This in a great measure cured all the
grumbling. The soldiers by this time were will
ing and ready for any and all kinds of help and
from any source to put the rebellion down. Nine
ty-nine per-cent of them returned home cured of
the prejudice they formerly had against the negro
and abolitionists. There are quite a few at this
late date when the destruction of slavery is re
garded as the greatest achievment of the nine
teenth century, who question the actions of those
who aided slaves to gain their liberty. Fortunate
ly for our state, they are few.
The most hazardous work done by the em-
22

ORGANIZATION ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
ployees of the anti-slavery league was on the south
side of the Ohio river, and in many cases far to
the south. This work was very dangerous and
none but those who were regarded as the most
careful men were sent into that section and only
those who volunteered to go. They took up many
occupations such as would bring them in contact
with the negroes. There were regular pack ped-
lers carrying a large leather pack on their back
with compartments in it that would contain cheap
jewelry, bright colored ribbons and many other
articles of wearing apparel, and a line of pocket
cutlery and ornaments as would please the slaves
and at such a price as would enable them to pur
chase. They also carried fine linen and nice dress
goods, ribbons, lace and fine handkerchiefs, which
were shown to the white people where they always
went first, asking the master of the house, if he
were there, if not, the mistress, for permission to
show his goods to the slaves, usually presenting
the lady of the house with some fine handkerchief
or lace. These young men were clean, intelligent
and cultured. They had no difficulty in getting
into the best houses always agreeing with the
family in politics. These peddlers carried their
goods over a large scope of country, and usually
every three or four weeks would go over the same
ground . In this way they became well acquainted
23

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
with the white and colored people and with the
roads, creeks and rivers in the territory they were
working. After gaining thorough knowledge they
would select an intelligent negro and approach
him on the subject of gaining his freedom (the
northern soldiers were not the first to learn that
a secret instrusted to a negro of this character
was never revealed.) Finally it was suggested
that the negro work for the peddler for pay, by
going after night to those likely to be glad of an
opportunity of escaping from bondage and talk
ing to them on that subject. It was known for
many years before the negroes were emancipated
that notwithstanding the patrol that was kept up
in the slave states, negroes would travel at night
over a large territory of country and always be
back home in the morning. They had a secret way
of communicating to each other which was not
known to their masters.
In a short time this negro, selected by the
peddler would have two or three ready to take
the chance of gaining their freedom. They per
haps lived several miles away from the neighbor
hood this negro lived in. The time and place to
meet would be agreed on ; the peddler would have
an accomplice on hand at the meeting place whom
the runaway would be placed in charge of and then
hurried to one of the crossing places on the Ohio ;
24

ORGANIZATION ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
then as far from the river as possible before the
people were up and about. The negroes would be
hidden in a dense thicket or in a barn of some
friend and fed there until night came, when they
were piloted farther north.
The next morning when it was found that
the negroes were not on hand, there would be a
great commotion and everybody, the negroes in
cluded, would be scurrying over the country to
find them; the peddler as busy as any of them
hunting for a clue. In this way nearly a day would
be spent. Then the master or someone he hired
would start out to find them. They very seldom
found any clue and if they did the negroes would
be half way across the state before the slave
hunter got started after him. The negro in the
employ of the peddler would the next time do his
work in another direction and secure two or three
more and have them meet the pilot and thus on to
liberty. After things had quieted down probably
the negro who had brought about the liberation
of ten or fifteen of his people would with his wife
and children take the same underground trip in
the same way and gain his freedom.
Some of these agents understood geology and
mineralogy and carried many kinds of instru
ments for testing the minerals in the earth claim
ing to have a mineral rod which would tell of the
25

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
presence of gold, silver, copper or lead.
One of these men went to a neighborhood in
Kentucky not far from Green river and was hunt
ing over the country, as he claimed, for a place
where the Indians in an early day procured large
quantities of lead, claiming that his grandfather
had been a prisoner among the Indians for a long
time and during that period went several times to
a lead mine with the Indians and had noted down
a description of the territory, describing some pe
culiar rock formations and noted that the lead
mine was only a few hundred feet from the rocks
described. This mineralogist went to a gentleman living
in the neighborhood and applied for board for the
time he would be working in that section telling
the gentleman his business, explaining to him
his grandfather's statement about the lead mine
and showing him a very old looking paper on which
the peculiar rock formation was minutely de
scribed. The host said that he knew where the
place was and the next morning they started out
together for the point not more than two miles
away. First, going to the owner of the land they
asked his permission to examine the rock forma
tions that the old chart so minutely described,
which permission was readily given. The owner
went along with the two men. After getting to
26

ORGANIZATION ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
the point they decided that without a doubt the
description was of that place. The mineralogist
asked permission to hunt for the lode and made
an agreement that if he found the lead mine the
owner would give him one-fourth interest in it.
He soon went to work, the owner furnishing sev
eral negroes to dig for him. They dug up a large
territory and finally decided that they would not
work any longer at it for the present. The
mineralogist said he would go back home and look
over all the papers that were his grandfather's and
see if he could not find other evidence more par
ticularly locating the lode. Within two or three
months after this as many as forty negroes left
that neighborhood. They went two and three at
a time and the surrounding neighborhood lost
several negroes who were no doubt on the same
under-ground railroad. The owners never could
find the least clue as to where they went.
The last of November 1861, the writer with
his regiment was marching on the east side of
Green river en route for Calhoun, Kentucky, where
General T. L. Crittenden was located with a divis
ion of the federal army, watching the movements
of Gen. Sidney A. Johnson, who was then at Bowl
ing Green, Kentucky, in command of the con
federate army at that place. Late one evening
after passing a large farm and coming up to a
27

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
fine country residence, a man, probably fifty years
old, was standing in his yard using the most vio
lent denunciations against the soldiers and all
Yankees in general. The Colonel commanding the
regiment left the Adjutant opposite the house
with orders as soon as the rear guard came up to
arrest the vicious man and bring him along with
them to the place where the regiment intended
camping. This was done and that night the
Colonel went to the guard's quarters to find out
what was the cause of the Kentuckians violent
language. He told the Colonel that he hated the
name of "Yankee" and that he would rather be
dead than see their hated soldiers on his planta
tion; that five or six years before that time, a
Yankee mineralogist had received his permission
to prospect for lead on his farm; that the villain
had papers describing a section of country in that
neighborhood and particularly described just such
a rock formation as was on his land. After work
ing two months he decided he could not find the
lead and went away and in less than eight weeks
there were forty three negroes who ran away
from that section of the state, eight of them were
his property being all he had except two old crip
pled ones and he had never found any cjue as to
where they went.

28

CHAPTER II

JERRY SULLIVAN'S RAID AT THE OLD DON-
GOLA BRIDGE
In 1851 Mr. Andrew Adkins came across the
Patoka river at Dongola to see my father. It
was late in the summer and the farm work was
nearly all done as we were just cutting our fence
corners. My father was not at home and Mr. Ad
kins remained until after dinner to see him. There
were three hands beside myself at work on the
farm. As Mr. Adkins was coming over that morn
ing two men from near Kirk's Mills, now called
Bovine, overtook and rode to the bridge with him.
They showed him a flaming hand bill giving a
description of seven runaway negroes and of
fering a reward of one thousand dollars for their
capture. They informed Mr. Adkins that they,
with some others, intended to watch the bridge
that night and invited him to assist them, offering
to share the reward with him if they got the ne
groes. Mr. Adkins was very anxious for fear they
would catch the negroes and while we were rest
ing after dinner he so expressed himself to the
29

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
hands. At that time we had a discharged soldier
of the regular army named Jerry Sullivan work
ing for us. In the talk Sullivan asked why it
would not be a good plan to rout the bridge watch
ers. This Mr. Adkins thought would be a good
thing to do but the fugitive slave law gave the
men the lawful right to catch them and the courts
in this country were so organized that it was dan
gerous business to try to hinder anyone from re
capturing the slaves. Those capturing them for
the reward had the same rights under the law as
the master had. Sullivan was a full fledged abo
litionist and said — "Fugitive slave law to the
winds, just give me a chance and I will clean out
that bridge watching gang in good shape." Mr.
Adkins had the will but he did not dare go into
the conspiracy as the two men who offered to di
vide the reward with him were neighbors of his,
and if it was found he was in the scrape they
would cause him to pay a heavy fine.
Sullivan was very anxious to get after them
and consulted us about going with him. Finally
it was agreed that we would all pretend to go fish
ing late that evening and put out a trot line and
stay until late in the night. Mr. Adkins agreed
that he would go home and send his younger
brother, Pinkston Adkins and Hiram Knight, a
neighbor boy, late in the evening to go with us.
30

JERRY SULLIVAN'S RAID
Before he would agree to do anything he made us
promise not to kill any one and that we must not
injure the horses of the men guarding the bridge.
After we made these promises he said he would
see Basil Simpson who lived on the bluff but a lit
tle way west of the bridge and who was thorough
ly in sympathy with the anti-slavery people, and
ask him to watch where the men put their horses.
When the two boys came over late in the evening
they were to remain near Mr. Simpson's until the
watchers had gotten to the bridge and had hidden
their horses, then they would come on to the
agreed rendezvous which was about one mile south
of the bridge. After these arrangements were
made Mr. Adkins went home thinking we would
not do anything more desperate than turning their
horses loose and driving them away so they would
not find them for some days.
Finally, my father came home and we got his
consent to go to the river fishing. Sullivan got a
number of old newspapers and rubbed wet powder
over them leaving it in lumps so that it would
flash when it was burning and make a regular
flambeau. He dried the paper in the sun and then
took a lot of fuse which, had been used in blasting
stumps. Taking a good supply of flax strings
which we made for the purpose he made six large
broches out of the newspapers. 31

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
We had plenty of horses and about sundown
we took our trot line and guns and started for the
river. When we arrived at the meeting place we
had to wait until a little after dark, when the two
boys came mounted and armed for the fun. As
Sullivan had been a soldier and was much older
than any of the rest it was unanimously agreed
that he should have full command and we would
do as he directed.
Mr. Simpson and the two Pike county boys
had located the horses in a patch of small saplings.
As I now recollect it they were less than one hun
dred yards southwest of the Dongola coal mine
shaft and there were seven of them. The two
Kirk's Mill men told Mr. Adkins there would be
six and gave their names. One of them was a
doctor who at that time lived in Lynnville in War
rick county. One was a hotel keeper who lived in
Petersburg and another was one of his boarders.
The other was a man who lived about half way
from Dongola to Winslow on the north side of the
river. It was never ascertained who the seventh
man was. After the party had assembled, Sulli
van took charge giving each a number and directed
us how to form a line and put us through a lot of
manoeuvres which were pure nonsense to us then
but which I afterward learned were good military
tactics. 32

THE OLD DONGOLA BRIDGE WHERE JERRY SULLIVAN MADE HIS RAID.

JERRY SULLIVAN'S RAID
After waiting until about two hours after
night, our commander got us in position, two and
two and heading the cavalcade gave the command
to "Forward, March." We marched on until one of
the Pike county boys told our commander that we
were near the place where the horses were
hitched. Halting us, the commander took one of
the boys and located the horses ; then coming back
he marched us up to a point where he wanted us
to leave our horses. We dismounted, leaving one
man to hold the five horses. One man mounted
was stationed between the horses and the bridge
to look out for the enemy.
Stripping the saddles off the bridge watchers'
horses and piling them at the root of a large tree,
we led them out to the road and within about two
hundreds yards of the bridge, when Sullivan un
rolled his flambeau material and wrapped one of
the broaches inside the hair of each horses tail.
He securely tied them there leaving about six
inches of fuse sticking out. As he had only six
broaches he made another for the extra horse by
cutting a strip out of a heavy saddle blanket. He
rolled it very tightly putting about two thirds of
a pound of powder into it and bound the strong
material very tightly with the flax strings. The
fuse in this case was longer than the others, as he
said he wanted it to go off near the bridge.

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
He lighted all the fuse then ordered us to
turn the horses loose and start them down the
road toward the bridge. We soon had our horses
started and running after them yelling like so
many wild Indians. The broaches commenced to
pop and fizz at a great rate and the horses were
going like the wind. In a little while the big bomb
went off and I doubt if anyone ever saw such an
other runaway scrape where there were an equal
number of horses.
They went across the bridge at top speed.
When we got near the bridge, Sullivan ordered us
to halt, make ready and fire, which we did. Jump
ing off our horses we loaded our guns. Our com
mander was calling aloud giving orders to an
imaginary battalion to rush over the bridge and
capture the villains.
About this time Tom Midcalf , who was a fear
less fellow, became very much excited, jumped on
his horse and ran over the bridge hallooing like a
Comanche Indian. We kept up a fusilade for some
time but there was no one there. The charge of
the horses with the snapping and flashing of fire
tied to their tails was enough to have scared the
devil, let alone a few cowardly scamps who were
waiting to capture a lot of poor runaway negroes
trying to get away from the bonds of slavery.
All the evidence of there having been anybody
34

JERRY SULLIVAN'S RAID
there was the horses and we found a bed made
down above the bridge where one relief of negro
hunters were no doubt lying when the horses came
charging on to them. We found two pair of boots
under the bed put there for the purpose of rais
ing their heads. We also found a bushel basket in
which they had their provisions.
Sullivan rolled up a lot of rocks in their bed
and threw it into the river. He cut their boots
into strips and threw them into the river. Then
he sent three of the boys back and got the seven
saddles, cut them all to pieces and threw them in
to the river. I don't know how fair the horses ran
but probably several miles.
It was believed that the men guarding the
bridge were on the go before the horses crossed
it and that they made good time until they got
clear away for the noise made by our crowd and
the running of the horses sounded like a host of
men. Sullivan got us into line and escorted the
Pike county boys near to their home and then we
went home, arriving after midnight. Jerry Sul
livan remained at my father's home several weeks
after these events. When he went away he said
he was going to reinlist in the army. I have often
wondered what became of him. If he was in the
war of the rebellion I am satisfied he made his
mark. 35

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
The oldest of our crowd except Sullivan was
less than sixteen years old. Just a lot of green
country boys and as I recall the scrape with such a
leader we would have run headlong into anything
regardless of danger. I afterward learned that
the thing needed was for soldiers to have a leader
who had the grit and the will and they would fol
low him in the jaws of death.
With the four young men named I have had
many adventures and hours of pleasure. They
were all brave true-hearted men, long since gone
to their eternal rest.
Years afterward Mr. Adkins told me that
some time after the middle of the night of the
raid, there was a knock at his door. On opening
it one of the Kirk's Mills men was there and said
that early in the night he had a chill and was com
pelled to go home, that he was very thirsty and
asked for a drink of water. Mr. Adkins said he
was satisfied that the reason the man stopped was
to find out if he was at home.
After the war was over and the negroes free,
my father told me that the day Mr. Adkins was
at his house waiting for his return, he was in con
sultation with Ira Caswell of Warrick county and
Dr. Posey as how best to get the seven negroes to
the north of White River without having them re
captured. 36

JERRY SULLIVAN'S RAID
The negroes at that time were safely hidden
in the thick brush and tall grass in what was then
known as the big pond, about two miles east of
Oakland City. The pond at that time of the year
was nearly dry and had a heavy growth of pond
grass all over it. The runaways were kept there
during that day and at night and were taken over
the Patoka river at Martin's ford about one mile
east of Massey's bridge and were then piloted
along Sugar Creek for some distance until they
came to where a wagon was in waiting for them in
which they were carried to Dr. Posey's coal bank
and hidden. They remained there the next day
and at night were ferried across White river in
skiffs and were turned over to another friend who
rushed them on to Canada and freedom. When
they had passed White river they were regarded
as nine-tenths free.

37

CHAPTER III

AN ATTEMPT TO CATCH RUNAWAY NE
GROES WHICH ENDED IN A DESPERATE
BATTLE WITH WILD HOGS
In 1852 Joseph Stubblefield was hunting some
cattle which had strayed away from John Hath-
away's works on the old Wabash and Erie canal
just north of the Patoka river opposite the town
of Dongola. Finding that the oxen had crossed
the river he followed on after them until he came
to what was then known as the Hazelrough, a
large body of land which had but little timber on
it but was completely covered with hazel brush
matted together with grape vines, running in
every direction all over the top of the low bushes.
At that time there were many wild hogs running
at large in all this section and that large body of
wild tangled brush was an ideal home for them
and offered them a bountiful supply of food from
September to winter when there was other mast
they could get in the timber around the edges of
that immense thicket. In tracking the cattle it
was found they had gone to the bottoms of Buck
creek which was a short distance west of the
rough, where he found them and in attempting to
38

BATTLE WITH WILD HOGS
drive them back they made a rush to get away by
going into the edge of the rough; following on
after them some distance he came to a camp with
a bed of leaves that looked as if it had been recent
ly used, as bones of animals and a piece of corn
bread were found near the bed which was com
pletely covered with grape vines and could not be
seen unless one should happen on to it as Stubble-
field had done. He did not understand what this
meant as he had seen no one. But when he got
back with the cattle he related his find to some of
the men on the works and learned that it was a
bed made by runaway negroes, and that a posse
had been there that morning enquiring for them
and had left a hand bill giving a description and
offering a reward for their capture.
It was soon noised around that their hiding
place had been found by Stubblefield and there
was a posse organized to go back with him and
capture the negroes. Mr. Hathaway learned what
was up and sent for Joe and interrogated him
about the bed and where it was. Mr. Hathaway
was a just man and believed if the poor runaways
could elude their master and gain their liberty
that it was right that they should do it and told
Stubblefield who at that time was not more than
twenty years old that he thought it wrong for him
to pilot those human hounds so that they could
39

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
capture these poor unfortunates. Joe at once took
the same view of the matter and it was arranged
between them that he would do all he could to
keep the men from finding the negroes by taking
them to a wrong place and fool them all that he
could until night would come and the negroes
would then be on the way north. It was arranged
that they would start about two o'clock. When
the time came Stubblefield, who was equal to any
emergency, pretended that he had sprained his
ankle very badly and that he would have to bathe
it for a while before he could go. In this way he
put in as much as an hour and when he had gone
some distance on the way he found that he had
left his pocket book with all His money in his
boarding shanty and must go back and get it.
By this time it was four o'clock and an hour
later when they got to the rough at the farthest
point from where he had made the find. There
was at least two hundred acres of this land which
was very brushy and as much as one hundred
acres that was a dense thicket. The party had
brought five dogs with them and the leader of the
posse was named Bev Willis, who owned a boat
that was in the river at Dongola where he sup
plied the thirsty with Patoka water and whisky
mixed. He was the owner of a very large white
40

BATTLE WITH WILD HOGS
bull dog which was a great favorite with all when
he was muzzled.
Another one of the posse was Pat McDermitt
who was one of Hathaway's bosses. He bor
rowed a large Newfoundland dog from his board
ing boss and there were three common dogs along
that were of no special value.
All told there were five men beside Stubble
field in the party all armed with some sort of a
weapon. When they got to the rough, Mr. Stub
blefield said that in there not more than thirty
feet from the post oak tree was where the bed was
made. It was so thick that it was impossible to
ride in anywhere.
McDermitt, who was a dare-devil said he
would go in and see what he could find. Taking
his big dog along, he started to creep in under the
tangle but had not gone far before he came to a
nest of young pigs. One of the little dogs fol
lowing him caught one of the pigs and it set up a
great cry. In a minute the old mother was on
hand charging the dog that was barking at her
family. The white bull dog went to the aid of his
brother and soon caught the sow by one of her
ears when she commenced to squeal and in less
than a minute hogs were heard coming from every
direction. They charged the white dog who, with
bull dog pluck held his hold on the sow's ear.
41

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Finally a large male hog cut the dog open with
one of his tusks . By this time there was an awful
uproar, dogs barking, hogs rallying and men yell
ing. McDermitt's big dog caught a pig. This
brought the battle on him and in a moment he was
surrounded with savage hogs. The continued bat
tle had brought the hogs and dogs near to the
edge of the thicket. McDermitt intending to save
his dog, ran his horse up to where he was and tried
to catch him by a collar which was around his
neck and bring him out.
A large hog hamstrung his horse which
threw McDermitt and before he could get away
was tusked to the bone in several places in both
legs. The other men fought the hogs back with
their guns and secured their wounded companion.
This ended the negro hunt. One man was cut to
pieces and ruined for life, two valuable dogs killed
and a horse so injured he had to be killed. After
this the party concluded they had not lost any
negroes and were glad to get back home.
Isaac Street who had laid out and plotted the
town of Dongola was a very quiet old Quaker and
thoroughly in sympathy with the anti-slavery
party. He and his good wife, Aunt Rachel, had
many times fed and secreted the poor negroes as
they were making their way to the North and
liberty. They had knowledge of where the ne-
42

BATTLE WITH WILD HOGS
groes were secreted in the thicket and while Stub
blefield was dilly-dallying time away before he
went to pilot the posse to the field of carnage, Mr.
Street learned of the proposed raid and with the
aid of another man who was in sympathy with the
negroes, took them from their hiding place under
a small load of straw to his barn and that night
carried them to the north of White river and de
livered them over to a friend.
Thirty years after the events just recorded,
in conversation with Mr. Stubblefield about his hog
battle, he said that his life had been sweet to him
although he had undergone many hardships and
misfortunes, but in all his life there was never
any one thing that he had always so thoroughly
enjoyed as he did seeing those roaring negro hunt
ers defeated and routed.

43

CHAPTER IV

IRA CASWELL BRINGS THREE NEGROES TO
MY FATHER
Early one morning in 1852 Ira Caswell ,of
Warrick county, came to our house and had three
negro men with him. My father put them in a
heavy log building that we used for a pork house.
I was sent with a letter to see Dr. John W. Posey
at Petersburg, asking him if he could have some
friend with a conveyance to meet Mr. Caswell on
the north side of the Patoka river at Martin's ford,
at ten o'clock that night, to convey the negroes to
Dr. Posey's coal bank. I found the doctor and de
livered the letter. Dr. Posey asked me to excuse
him for a short time and went out of the office;
he soon returned and told me that Mr. John Stuck-
ey would be at Martin's ford at ten o'clock that
night, giving me a letter to my father to that ef
fect. I went to the Kinman hotel for dinner. In a
short time Willis Coleman came in for his dinner.
He was three years older than I was but we were
good friends and made arrangements to be com
pany for each other going home. Before dinner
44

IRA CASWELL BRINGS NEGROES
was ready a large man rode up to the hotel and
was met by Mr. Kinman as if they were old
friends; behind his saddle he carried a bundle of
rope and three pairs of handcuffs. When he came
into the office he unbuckled a belt that had a pair
of pistols and laid them on a small table. He had
quite a roll of hand bills that he gave to Mr. Kin-
man and passed some to Coleman and me. These
hand bills offered a reward of three hundred dol
lars for three fugitive negroes. From the de
scriptions I knew they were the same negroes that
were locked up in our pork house.
After dinner the slave hunter wanted to know
if we would like to go to Winslow and help watch
the bridge, saying that the slaves had crossed the
Ohio river about south of Boonville and they
would travel as near north as they could and that
would bring them to Winslow. We told him that
we would like to be in the frolic, but were in no
condition for such service, and that our people
would be uneasy about us.
I wanted to see Dr. Posey to tell him about
the slave hunter; I asked Willis to walk with me
up to the main part of the town. (I did not make
a confidant of Willis but he said as soon as we got
away from the hotel that he hoped the negroes
would get away). We met Dr. Posey, as I now
recall it, at the corner where Col. Oliphant's drug
45

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
store is, or was. The doctor and I stepped aside a
little way and I was telling him about the slave
hunter when some one came up behind me, and
with both hands, crushed my hat down over my
eyes and ears and I found it difficult to get my hat
off. I heard a blow and a noise as if some one had
fallen very heavily; by this time, with the aid of
Dr. Posey, we tore the hat off, and I was just in
time to see another fellow knocked flat on the
ground. Willis Coleman had knocked both of them
down; the first one had hit his head on a rock
or some other hard substance, and it looked for
a time as if he would never regain consciousness.
By this time a crowd had gathered and many
wanted to know what it was about. I did not
know either of the men until they were washed.
I then saw that they were the same two fellows
who had tried to abuse me at the Onias Smith
school house the year before. We went to the
justice's office, I think it was Esquire Boone or
Osborne, I cannot recall which. Willis Coleman
was put on trial for knocking the two fellows out ;
the squire, after hearing the testimony of Dr.
Posey and others decided that Coleman should be
fined one cent in each case with the costs; the
constable said that all costs were paid. I bought
a hat and was ready to go.
By the time we got back to the hotel it was
46

IRA CASWELL BRINGS NEGROES
getting late in the evening. The slave hunter and
Mr. Kinman were ready to start for Winslow.
When we had got south of Petersburg about three
miles we met three men riding very fast who
asked if we had seen any strangers on the road.
We told them about the slave hunter at the hotel
and that he had gone go Winslow to watch the
bridge there that night and gave them one of the
hand bills given us.
When I got home I found that Mr. Caswell had
been sick nearly all day. My father said that I
would have to take the negroes. At that time we
had three negro boys living with us and working
on the farm — they had been left there by their
guardian until they could be sent to Liberia. We
got out four horses, put one of the negro men and
one of the boys behind on each of three horses, I
rode the other and called the dogs for a coon hunt.
In this way we went to Martin's ford, crossed and
found Mr. John Stuckey waiting for us a little dis
tance away. He had a conveyance and loaded the
negroes in and before day had them safely housed
in Dr. John W. Posey's coal mine. The next night
they were taken across White river on the aque
duct at Kinderhook and turned over to a friend in
Daviess county, who sent them on farther north.
I have no doubt but Dr. Posey's coal mine fur
nished one day's rest for a thousand negroes dur-
47

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
ing the ten years after the fugitive slave law was
passed in 1850 until 1861, when the war com
menced. The two young men I have been writing
about belonged to a family that had drifted to
Petersburg, working on the Wabash and Erie
canal. They have relatives yet living in the coun
ty who are respectable people, which is the reason
I do not give their names.
One night in 1854 these boys pried open the
back door of Warner L. Scott's store, took such
articles as they wanted and left for St. Louis,
where they engaged to work for their passage as
deck hands on a Missouri river steamboat. They
went up the Missouri for many days and finally
came to a trading station where many Indians
came with furs and skins to sell. The two boys
had grown tired of the trip. It was a little more
dangerous than they had bargained for. The In
dians had many bull boats tied to the bank near
the steamboat. One night these boys stole a large
bundle of beaver skins and a bull boat and started
down the river. The next morning the men and
the bundle of skins were missing and one of the
Indian boats was gone. It belonged to six Arick-
aree Indians. They secured another boat and fol
lowed ; they were gone three days ; when they re
turned they had two fresh scalps, the boat and the
bundle of furs. 4R

IRA CASWELL.
A Member of the Executive Committee of the Anti-Slavery
League.

CHAPTER V

SLAVES ESCAPE WHILE OWNERS ARE DEEP
IN SLEEP, THE RESULT OF TOO MUCH
DRINKING
During the summer of 1852 there was a fam
ily of negroes named Eastman consisting of six
children, father and mother, eight in all. There
were three grown daughters, two small boys and
one boy about 18 years old. Their Master, John
Travell, died owning thirty slaves. This Eastman
family at the division of the estate was given to
a nephew named for his uncle who had adopted
him as one of his heirs. Young Travell's home was
in northeastern Kentucky. He went to Mississip
pi to get his negroes, (The Eastman family) and
was bringing them up the Mississippi and Ohio
rivers to Louisville, Kentucky. Young Travell
had a bad habit that was common among young
southern men of that day that of being a gambler.
He had the negroes on the lower deck and had
them all handcuffed together.
The second evening after starting, Travell
was drinking freely and was induced to engage in
a game of cards by two professional gamblers of
49

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Louisville. During the evening he lost all the
money he had, and bet one of the negro girls
against one thousand dollars. The gambler went
down to the lower deck and selected the girl
against whom he was to stake his money. Travell
lost the girl and was going to put up another one
against the one he had lost, when the Captain
of the boat, who was a friend of the Travell family
interfered and took young Travell to his room to
sober up. The gamblers waited for Travell to
sober up. By this time the boat had passed Evans
ville. At Diamond Island, below Henderson, Ky.,
two of Hansen's anti-slavery guards came on
board the boat for Cannelton, Indiana. Finding
the negro family all hand cuffed together and
learning the condition of things, they determined
to liberate them if they could. The boat took on
coal at the mine near Newburg, and was pro
ceeding up the river for Louisville and had gone
eight or ten miles when a cyclone from the south
west struck the boat and blew the smokestack
down and tore the hurricane deck off, disabling
the gearing machinery so she could not be steered..
The river was full of timber and heavy, swelling
waves. It looked as if the boat would be capsized.
She finally drifted to the Indiana side and was
made fast. Travell was still past getting about.
50

SLAVES ESCAPE WHILE OWNERS SLEEP
Night coming on the captain told Travell that
some one must be placed in charge of the negroes
so that they could be loosed from the handcuffs in
order to eat their meals. He told the captain to
send somebody to him that he could trust. The
two anti-slavery guards were the only men that
were available. The captain asked one of them if
he would take charge of the negroes and this he
agreed to do. The captain got the keys for the
handcuffs from Travell and gave them to the
guard and placed him in charge of the negroes.
Night soon came on and it was very dark. Near
ten o'clock when everything had become quiet on
the boat, the negroes were slipped ashore where
they were taken in charge by the other guard.
After going north for a little way they came to
a road running east and west and not far from the
river. Going east about one mile they came to
what is now known as the Boonville and Yankee-
town road. They left the road before getting to
Boonville and traveled west intending to come in
to the neighborhood of Ira Caswell's. The party
traveled all night and a little before daylight they
came to a large pasture or woodland fenced in.
Going into the woodland lot, they found a place to
hide in a brier thicket of three of four acres. As
soon as it was light enough to see, one of the
guards went out to the road and soon found a man
51

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
splitting wood. He made inquiry of the man if
he knew of anyone wanting to hire help on a farm.
He also asked the man if he knew Ira Caswell.
In this way he found out that their hiding place
was just about one mile north of Caswell's.
The guard went to Mr. Caswell and told him
of their hiding place ; soon a basket of provisions
was ready and taken by Mr. Caswell and the guard
to their camp. It was thought best to keep the
two guards until the negroes were farther away
from where the stranded steamboat lay. Word
was sent to George Hill and by him to my father
that the negroes would be there about 4 o'clock
the next morning. About that time the under
stood signal was heard. My father put the ne
groes in the barn cellar and they were there all
day. At that time two of my father's Mississippi
nieces were visiting him and they had a negro
maid with them. During the day that the negro
family was in the barn cellar this maid told a
hired girl that was living with us that she was told
by a negro barber at Princeton that she was free
being in a free state. I told one of the guards of
this and advised him to seek a chance to speak
with her, which he did and she said that she
would go if she had a chance. He told her that
some negro girls would be in that vicinity that
evening and if she would go to a place indicated
52

SLAVES ESCAPE WHILE OWNERS SLEEP
she could join them. This she promised to do if
she could possibly get away.
We had sent word to Dr. Posey that we would
be there about 11 o'clock that night. When it got
dark we had the wagons ready and the negro fam
ily was loaded. My counsin's maid was on hand
and took her place with the other three girls.
There were five white men, well armed, with the
wagons. When we got to Dongola we halted the
wagons about 100 yards from the bridge. I went
to see Mr. Simpson who lived near by. He said
that there were two men watching the bridge, try
ing to capture three runaway negroes that had
escaped from Kentucky. I went back to the wagon
and told George Hill and the other white men what
Mr. Simpson had told me. We held a consultation
and agreed to go ahead and cross the bridge even
if we had to fight for it. When we got near the
bridge the two men stepped out. Mr. Hill asked
them what they wanted, and they replied that
they wanted to know what we were loaded with.
Hill told them that we were loaded with hoop poles
and pumpkins and for them to step back out of
the way or they would get run over. This they
concluded to do and we had no further trouble.
When we came near Dr. Posey's Coal Bank we met
his lieutenant, John Stucky. We delivered our
53

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
charge to him and he said that they would be far
into Davies County before day.
The' next morning when my cousins found out
that their maid was gone they made a great fuss.
I got all the help on the farm and made a pretense
of hunting for the missing maid. Finally I had to
tell my dear cousins that some villianous slave
hunter had kidnapped the girl and that no doubt
by this time had crossed the Ohio river into Ken
tucky and had again sold her into slavery.

54

CHAPTER VI

HOW THREE RUNAWAY SLAVES WERE AS
SISTED TO FREEDOM BY THE UNDER
GROUND RAILWAY
On a raft of saw logs run out of Green river
in 1854 there were four men. One of them was
an overseer for the owner of the raft; the other
three were very light colored mulatto slaves, who
were brothers and very resolute, strong, young
men. The overseer fell into the river at Spotts-
ville, Ky., and was drowned. The three negroes
tied the raft to the bank and abandoned it, de-
terminedjtq make an attempt to gain their free
dom. They wandered up on the south bank of the
Ohio river until they came to a shack where two
fishermen lived, whose pretended occupation was
to fish and sell their catch to passing steamboats ;
their real occupation, however, was to ferry run
away slaves across the Ohio river. The three
runaways had lost one night and half the next
day hunting for some way to cross the river be
fore they found the fishermen's shack, and then
the fishermen were afraid to cross the river with
them in daylight, so they had to wait until night
before they got over the river.
55

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
A second raft that belonged to the same man
was only three hours behind; when they came to
the abandoned raft they tied up their raft and
waited all night to see if the missing crew would
not return. The next morning the two rafts were
lashed together and run on to Evansville, where
the alarm was given. Before the crew of the sec
ond raft left Spottsville, they found a man who
said he had seen three very light colored negroes
on~the^Ohio river bank about six miles up the
river V that he had watched them for some time
and they seemed to be looking carefully along the
bank as if hunting for some way to cross the river.
The man in charge of the rafts got on a little
steamboat that ran from Evansville to Bowling
Green, Ky., and returned to the home of the owner
of the rafts, Mr. Thomas Irwin, on upper Green
river, to report the loss. Irwin and his manager
soon had two other men ready to go with them to
hunt for the runaways. They had four of Irwin's
best horses and two bloodhounds to track the
negroes. The next thing for the fugitive slave guides
to do after taking the negroes over the river was
to deliver them to. the nearest Underground rail
road station, which was Ira Caswell's about five
miles north of Boonville, and it would require most
of the night to get there. Along about the middle
56

SLAVES ASSISTED TO FREEDOM
of the night they were on the main road and at a
place where a hurricane had passed through many
years before, blowing the large timber down, and
which had grown up with brush and grape vines,
making it impossible to ride through it, when they
heard horses coming behind them. Stepping a
little to one side they waited to see who was rid
ing so hard. Soon four horses and men came in
to view; they had gone but a little beyond where
the men lay, when some large animals, as colts or
deer, ran through the thicket, making a loud noise.
The horsemen stopped to listen ; one of them said
that he believed it was the negroes, and that it
would be best to turn the dogs loose. Soon the
dogs were on the trail of a bob cat or some other
wild animal, which they treed about one hundred
and fifty yards away, baying at it viciously. The
men wondered what it could be. One of them sug
gested that they hitch their horses and let them
rest, while they should go and see what it was;
that it might be the negroes. This suggestion
was adopted and soon they were all gone to where
the dogs were making such a dreadful noise. As
soon as these men were away the fugitives and
their guide got to the road, mounted the horses
and were soon going at a good speed; the dogs
were making so much noise it is not probable that
the slave hunters heard their horses leave. The
57

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
fugitives soon arrived at Mr. Caswell's and told
him the trick they had played on the slave hunt
ers. The anti-slavery guide went to bed, and Mr.
Caswell and the three negroes started for my
father's home, where they arrived about daylight.
Mr. Caswell told my father the negroes and the
guide had captured the horses from the men hunt
ing for them. My father was a little doubtful
about the extra horse, but the fugitives had noth
ing to fear, as they had no standing in law. It was
decided that it would be late in the day before the
slave hunters could come this far, if they should
come this way.
The men and horses were fed and rested
about one hour, when they were ready to go. I
piloted them through the woods to the Patoka
river, which we crossed near Thomas Hart's farm.
The extra horse followed its mates. We found
Mr. Hart and he mounted the extra horse ; we rode
through the woods most of the way, coming to
White river not far from Wright's ferry. The
negroes swam the river on their horses the extra
horse following. Mr. Hart and I stood on the
south bank until the negroes were away for the
north at a brisk gallop.
During the year 1895 I was Indiana's resident
commissioner on the Chickamauga National Mili
tary Park at Chattanooga, Tenn. While acting
58

SLAVES ASSISTED TO FREEDOM
in that capacity I was selected by the National
Chickamauga Park Commission to serve on a com
mittee with Gen. John B. Turchin of Illinois, of
the Union army, Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner of
Kentucky and Gen. Wm. B. Bates of Tenneesee,
of the Confederate army, to settle a disputed point
about the location of cannon ball monuments at
the places where Gen. James Deshler and Gen.
Benjamin Hardin Helms of the Confederate army
were killed September 20, 1863. (Gen. Helms was
a rebel, yet he was a brother-in-law of the great
est American, Abraham Lincoln.)
During the time I was with these gentlemen
I became well acquainted with them. Knowing
that Thomas Irwin lived, or had lived near the
home of Gen. Buckner, I asked the general about
him. He said he was well acquainted with Irwin
in his life time, thought he had been dead for sev
eral years; that Irwin never heard of the three
runaway negro men until after the war, when
they wrote him that they sold one of the horses
and rode the other three to Canada ; that the body
of the overseer was found as a "floater," near Hen
derson, with the head crushed, done, no doubt, by
the three boys. The general also said, that as for
Thomas Irwin, he deserved all he got, for there
was no doubt but the three runaway negroes were
his own children. 59

CHAPTER VII

KIDNAPPERS KIDNAPPED
The fugitive slave law of 1850 was so sweep
ing in its many provisions that every negro found
in a free state was likely to be kidnapped, taken
out of his neighborhood, and before a commission
er friendly to slavery, put on trial as a fugitive
slave, some man in a slave state being named as
his owner. The testimony of the kidnapper was
all the evidence given, as the negro was not al
lowed to give testimony any more than a cow
would be. The kidnappers became so arrogant
and boastful that it was very trying to the peo
ple who believed in justice. I well remember them
with their whips, handcuffs, and ropes tied to
their saddles, and their pistols belted around them.
They were continually riding over the country and
when they would come to a field where men were
working they would call them to the roadside and
ask if they were opposed to slavery, and if they
knew of anyone who was harboring runaway
slaves. If they knew the persons they were talk
ing to were anti-slavery they would give them
an awful grilling. Of all that I saw of these gen-
60

KIDNAPPERS KIDNAPPED
try, Smith Gavitt, at that time sheriff of Vander-
burg county, had a deputy who was the most
domineering and insulting of all of them.
One of these negro hunters at one time in
Petersburg abused Thomas Hart, a peaceable man,
calling him many abusive names. Hart did not
want to fight him, but a stranger took it up and
told the bully that he had gone too far, when the
maddened brute turned on him and asked if he
wanted to take it up ; if so he would serve him as
all negro lovers deserved to be treated. As quick
as a flash the stranger knocked the bully flat on
the pavement and gave him such a thumping that
he had to keep his bed at Jack Kinman's hotel for
ten days. The man who so thoroughly thrashed
the slave hunter was an assistant civil engineer
on the Wabash and Erie canal. The late Dr. J. R.
Adams of Petersburg, Indiana gave me the above
incident. These boasting bullies had gone so far that
it was resolved to give them a lesson in retaliation
that they would remember for awhile. A secret
meeting was held at my father's house at which
a number of anti-slavery people were present.
John Hanson, superintendent of the men working
for the anti-slavery league, was in the meeting.
After many suggestions, it was decided to hold a
pretended meeting of "The Sons of Liberty," an
61

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
organization of free negroes in large northern
cities at that time. The meeting was to be held
in a building on a farm where a family of negroes
named Booker lived, four miles south of where
Oakland City now stands. The family of Bookers
consisted of the brother and two sisters, all of
whom were nearly as white as anyone. The broth
er entered into the arrangement willingly.
The house they lived in had heavy doors and
were barred every night, and Booker had almost
an arsenal of fire arms. They lived in fear all
the time of being kidnapped. Hanson said he
would give us all the aid within his power and he
would have two or three of his spies help us. These
spies were all well known to the slave hunters, as
they were very loud publically in their claims that
slavery was right and that every negro should be
in bondage. By the intimate relation they had
with the negro hunters most of the plans of the
kidnappers were known to the anti-slavery peo
ple, and in this way they were many times thwart
ed in their attempt to capture runaway negroes.
The spies were to tell all the negro hunters known
to them that on a certain night there was to be a
meeting of "The Sons of Liberty" on the Booker
farm; that there would be ten or twelve free ne
groes besides the Bookers there and all of them
could be kidnapped and taken across the Ohio
62

KIDNAPPERS KIDNAPPED
river before daylight the next morning, and then
taken south and sold into slavery. They also
said that there would be as much as $1,000 for
each of the men engaged in the kidnapping.
At that time there was a man living about
two miles south of my father's place who had
not been long from Kentucky, and who was a
strong advocate of slavery. I often heard him say
that all negroes should be in bondage, and that a
negro had no soul and should be treated as a horse
or an ox. This old bluffer was an elder in the
church and was very loud in his prayers. I don't
think he ever failed to say, "Oh, Lord, incline the
heart of the servants to obey their masters." His
home was a resting place for the men hunting for
fugitive slaves. These negro hunters went to this
old fellow for information about the people in this
section, and he came very near causing some of
our neighbors to have serious trouble by his in
sinuations about what they had done. The spies
made arrangements for those going in the raid
on "The Sons of Liberty" meeting to gather at this
old Kentuckian's house.
Booker was very enthusiastic over the pros
pects of capturing the kidnappers. He went to
Princeton and to the Cherry Grove neighbor
hood, three miles west of Princeton and
got four stout negro men to agree to come
63

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
to his house the day before the raid was
to be made, so that they could have everything in
readiness. The building was a double log one, the
two rooms each being about sixteen feet square.
A wide plank seat extended across two sides of the
room in which the meeting was to be held. About
four feet was partitioned off one end of the room
by hanging sheets across, behind which were a
number of lighted candles. In the other room
was an open fireplace in which a coal fire was
burning. Quite a number of old rods and broken
pitchforks tines were placed in the fire to be heat
ed. Everything being in readiness, the white men
present blackened their faces and hands with wet
powder and took their places behind the cloth
screens. They did not have long to wait before we
heard them coming near the door with a rush!
One of the spies led the ten men and the other
brought up the rear and when all were in the room
the door was closed. This being a signal for the
screen to fall and the negro kidnappers found
themselves looking into the muzzles of twelve
rifles. Our leader ordered them to hold up their
hands and sent two of the Cherry Grove negroes
to disarm them. Then he had them take off their
coats and vests, and handcuffed them with the
same handcuffs that they had brought to manacle
us with. One of the negroes, who could read, told
64

THE RUNAWAY.
Picture used in hand bills and newspaper advertisements.

KIDNAPPERS KIDNAPPED
the negro hunters that they had broken into our
lodge uninvited and that they would have to be
initiated as all others who entered there had been.
The following oath was read to each and repeated
by them; "I solemly swear that I will never en
gage in any attempt to hinder a fugitive slave
from gaining his freedom and I will never attempt
to or aid others kidnapping a free negro, so help
me God." They were then taken into the other
room two by two. The spies were first. Our
leader told them so that all could hear him that
he believed that they piloted the other men to
our lodge and they deserved death. The spies
pleaded and begged the lodge men not to kill them.
There was the sound of heavy licks as if they were
being beaten to death. Finally their moaning
ceased. They were placed under a table with their
feet sticking out so as to be in plain view of the
others as they were brought into the room, two
at a time. Their left shoulders and breasts were
made bare and they were branded with a deep
burned cross on their shoulders and over their
hearts. Our leader told them that the cross was
one of the emblems of our order and that he want
ed them to always have a remembrance of their
visit to our lodge. Their coats and vests were then
burned full of holes which our leader told them
was to show that among negroes poverty was no
65

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
disgrace. There were four of these men who had
been very mean and it was desired to give them
some extra trimmings. The deputy sheriff from
Vanderburg county and his "yoke fellow," a Ken-
tuckian, were always together and had been the
most insulting and domineering of the people trap
ped. They both had very long whiskers and prided
themselves on their good looks. They were
ordered to stand up when one of the negroes
burned their beard off as short as he could with a
red hot iron ! The other two who were very active
in hunting fugitive slaves and kidnapping free
negroes, were a hotel keeper, and one of his board
ers from Petersburg. John Stuckey told our lead
er they were bad gamblers, so the balls of their
thumbs and first fingers were seared with a red
hot iron so that they could not shuffle cards for
a while. There was another big fellow from
Petersburg who worked in the stable (or had
charge of it) for the hotel man mentioned. The
old Elder and this stable boss were handcuffed to
gether. There was in the party a doctor from
Lynnville, and another who at that time lived east
of Winslow — they got the cross brand ; there were
also caught in the trap two young men who at
that time lived near Princeton. In all there were
ten men, besides the spies, who wanted to kidnap
the negroes and sell them into slavery.
66

KIDNAPPERS KIDNAPPED
The men who caught them were John Stuckey
of Petersburg, Pink Adkins and Hiram Knight, of
Logan township, Pike county; George Hill, our
leader, and Ira Caswell from south of Lynnville,
Warrick county; Wesley Simpson, W. B. Dill,
Thomas Metcalf and myself, from eastern Gibson
county; the four negroes from west of Prince
ton and Booker, at whose house the meeting was
held. The men were taken back into the room
where they were captured and the middle door
was closed. The two spies came to Ufe, got their
horses, and turned all the horses of the negro
hunters loose and drove them several miles away.
The prisoners were all turned loose and ordered to
go the way they came. The spies were sent to
southeastern Indiana, as they could be of no furth
er use in this section. It was the intention to make
the negro hunters believe the two men were killed.
The men in disguise were perfect in their makeup ;
the lights were tallow candles and made a dim
light. All the work was done by the four negroes,
under the direction of our leader, who, to all ap
pearances, was himself a big black negro. I be
lieve that the negro hunters thought all the lodge
people were negroes.
Some may think that the punishment inflicted
on these slave hunters was cruel, but they should
take into consideration the fact that these same
67

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
men had kidnapped negroes who were as free born
as they were and sold them into slavery for life.
I doubt if there was ever such another per
formance in this or any other country. The only
reason there was not great excitement about it
was that the defeated bullies were ashamed to
tell it, and we did not dare to tell it.

68

CHAPTER VIII

WORKINGS OF THE UNDERGROUND RAIL
WAY AND SOME ENGAGED IN THE
DANGEROUS WORK
An explanation as to why we were so success
ful in aiding the fugitive slaves in gaining their
freedom without being suspected:
My father's family was believed to be in favor
of slavery. He was born and raised in the south,
and two brothers owned many slaves in the state
of Mississippi. His twin sister married a man
that owned 500 slaves in the rich Yazoo cotton
country, in Mississippi, and his slaves were freed
by Lincoln's proclamation. We found it best to
do but little talking during the exciting times
sixty years ago, made no confidants who were
not known to be earnest, true men and in sympa
thy with the unfortunate slave.
The dose we gave the kidnappers (explained
in a former article) had a very quieting effect.
They were not much in evidence for quite awhile ;
even the old elder did not pray so loud and long
for the Lord to incline the heart of the servant to
obey his master. For quite a while the men
hunting for runaway slaves were mostly from
69

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Kentucky. About two hours before day in the
early fall of 1853, loud hallooing was heard in
front of our house at our front gate. My father
opened the door and three men were there on
horseback. They wanted to know if he had seen
or heard anyone passing along the road early the
evening before or during the night. He told them
that he had neither heard nor seen anyone, and
he asked them for whom they were hunting^ The
leader told him that eight negroes, five men and
three women had crossed the Ohio river near
Owensboro, Ky., two nights before. Two miles
back they had heard a noise in a thicket; had
fired several shots and thought they heard some
one scream. My father told them that if the ne
groes crossed at Owensboro that the most likely
route for them to take was by Winslow. The men
held a short consultation, when one of them blew
a loud blast on a horn, and shortly three more
men rode up. They were quite a while in consul
tation, and then one of the men, apparently the
leader, came into the yard and wanted to know if
father had any one that, he could let them have
for a guide. We had three young men working
for us. Father consulted with them, and one who
was acquainted with the route agreed to go as far
as the old McPaul place where the Princeton and
Winslow road runs into the Petersburg and Boon-
70

WORKINGS OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY
ville road, two or three miles south of Winslow.
Soon after the men had gone Geo. Hill of near
Lynnville came up to the house. He said that the
negroes were secreted in the corn field that came
up to our barn; that there were five negro men
and three women and that one of the women had
been wounded in the arm, while she was in hiding
in the thicket where the slave hunters had heard
the noise and did some shooting. That there were
four white men and himself; two of them were
Hansen's guards. Ira Caswell, who was one of
the, party, said that all were well armed and did
not fear the slave hunters if the worst should
come. We had a barn built out of peeled hickory
logs 40 feet square and was floored with thick
planks so we could use horses in tramping wheat
out on it. Under the floor we had a cellar that we
used for storing potatoes, turnips and apples. This
building stood on the ground where Dr. George C.
Mason now has his office and garage in Oakland
City. The negroes were put into this cellar. The
wounded woman was not badly hurt. It was only
a flesh wound between the wrist and elbow. The
negroes were in the cellar all the next day. I went
to see Basil Simpson who lived near Dongola
bridge to have him watch and see if any negro
hunters came to watch the bridge that night. I
71

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
also went to see Thomas Hart to have him bring
his flat bottomed boat up to the upper end of the
big bend about three-fourths of a mile below the
bridge, so if the bridge was watched we could
cross the negroes on the boat. W. B. Dill was
working for us at the time. He was sent to Peters
burg with a letter for Dr. Posey, telling him that
we would be there about 12 o'clock that night.
After sending two men each way on the roads
from our house for quite a distance to see that no
one was on the watch, two wagons were brought
out and the negroes got into them. Old wagon
sheets were put in so if we met anyone they could
cover themselves and hide under them. I drove
one of the wagons and one of Hansen's guards
drove the other. We had two men on horseback
to accompany us, one in front and one behind, so
that they could give us warning if there was any
danger. We were well armed, the two Hansen
guards had Sharp rifles, I had a squirrel rifle and
the two outriders had good guns and there was
one extra rifle in each wagon. Before we got to
Dongola, the front out-rider came back to the
wagons and said that he had heard someone talk
ing a little ways ahead. He went back up the
road and found some boys coon hunting had
crossed the highway. When we got to the bridge
we met Mr. Simpson who told us that no one was
72

WORKINGS OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY
watching the bridge, but that there was a party
a little way up the river who had a trot line out
and that they were watching it. We had an agreed
signal with Mr. Hart that if we could cross the
bridge that we would fire two shots in quick suc
cession and he could leave the boat and come
around the bend and meet us at the north edge of
the bottom. We had gone but a little ways after
leaving the bottom until we were overtaken by
Thomas Hurt and Andy Atkins, both of them were
firm friends (we were traveling on the Evansville
and Petersburg road) . They said that they would
go with us until we crossed the Winslow and
Kirk's mill road. It was thought that the slave
hunters who had gone to Winslow the night be
fore might have a patrol on that road. Every
thing went well until we came in sight of Haw
thorn's sawmill. It was lighted up and some ma
chinists were working on the machinery. We
tried to find a way around but could not so we
agreed the best way to do was to go boldly past.
They were making so much noise about the ma
chinery that they did not even hear us. When we
were within two miles of Petersburg we met John
Stuckey. He told us that three negro hunting
Kentuckians were at Jack Kinman's hotel asleep
and that the other three had gone with a guide to
Kinderhook to watch the aqueduct and that Dr.
73

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Posey would meet us north of Thomas Davidson's
residence. We met Dr. Posey and delivered the
negroes to him. I well remember what the Doctor
said to us when he had seen what a likely bunch
we had brought. He said : "Boys, you have made
a good haul, Kentucky will the $8,000 poorer, but
humanity will be three times $8,000 richer." We
drove back home, tired and sleepy, too.
Some may think it strange that we would go*
to so much trouble and risk for the poor negro.
This was our reason and I feel glad that we did
it: They are human beings, very much like you
and I perhaps, with a little bit more of childish
simplicity. They are possessed of fidelity, grati
tude, good humor and kindness, and have souls
the same as you and I, and deserve to enjoy the
great freedom of this country the same as you
and I.

74

CHAPTER IX

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
On a large farm in the big leaf tobacco region
of Northwestern Kentucky, there was a large num
ber of slaves and among that number was one
that was a trusty helper named Jeff Lewis. He
frequently acted as manager or overseer for
his master. Late in the summer of 1853, they
were storing tobacco in a large barn where it was
to be cured by fire. Jeff was in the top with other
help hanging the tobacco in the top tiers. Missing
his foothold he fell to the ground floor fully 35
feet, and was thought to be killed since he fell
on his head. He was very badly hurt and it was
several weeks before he showed any signs of com-
to his right mind. Some time before Jeff got hurt,
one of the underground railroad employes, who
was peddling all through western Kentucky, had
been on intimate terms with Jeff, and when he
was so badly off and out of his mind he often called
for this man, known as Job Turner. Finally Turn
er on his regular route come to Jeff's home which
was a small log shanty on the big tobacco farm.
Jeff knew his friend and was very glad to see him.
Before this there had been some understanding
75

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
between the two men. It was suggested by Jeff
that in order to be useful to the cause, that it
would be best for him when he was well, to ap
pear to be weak in his mind. After a few weeks
Jeff was as well as ever, but was flighty in his
mind. He went back to work on the farm but
every three or four days he would be off in his
head ; and at such times he would ride a pony that
he had cared for and claimed, all over the neigh
borhood. He was harmless, but was known far
and near as Crazy Jeff. Turner saw that there
was a great opportunity through this shrewd ne
gro to do good work for the Anti-Slavery League.
In his crazy spells Jeff would call for Turner many
times. His master asked him to see Jeff and talk
with him all that he could, so as to cheer him up,
saying that he was much the best hand on the
farm. This was the opportunity that they wanted
to form their plans. It was agreed between the
two that Jeff should see some negro that he knew
some five miles away and that he should work on
and try to influence them to gain their freedom.
To do this and meet Turner's helpers at an agreed
place, he had to have several crazy spells during
the next 20 days, so many that his master consult
ed with him about going to the insane asylum to
be cured. To this Jeff was opposed. He told his
master that the doctors would let him die just to
76

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
get to cut him up. He begged his master to let
him stay on the farm and he would work all the
time that he was not in the dark with his mind.
His master knew that he would do more work
than any two of his common helpers and be crazy
two days in the week. He told his master that
when he felt the spells coming on that he had to
get away. He would ride his horse to the woods
and hitch him to a sapling and lying down in the
leaves or the grass would roll and tumble while
the eclipse was coming on. After some hours he
would feel the eclipse going off, then he would
sleep for several hours and wake up all right. At
the time agreed on Jeff was at the place with
five likely negro men and one negro woman, the
mother of three of the fugitives. Turner's two
guards were there and took charge of the negroes
and piloted them to the Ohio river west of Owens
boro where they found another guard waiting for
them. The party landed on the north bank of the
Ohio river some time after midnight and got about
ten miles north of the river a while before day
when they came to a large farm where they had
threshed wheat the day before, and had scattered
the straw over several acres of ground besides
stacking several large stacks. This was an excel
lent place to hide. They did not have much pro
vision during the day, but all got a good supper at
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Ira Caswell's that night where one of the guards
went during the day to notify him. Mr. Caswell,
the three guards, and the six negroes got to Geo.
Hill's in the early part of the night and made a
forced march from there to my father's barn cel-
ler where they rested all the next day until dark.
Then they were loaded into two wagons and taken
to Dr. Posey's coal bank, near Petersburg, Indiana.
The night that Jeff was guiding the negroes to the
agreed place of meeting, Job Turner was staying
all night at his master's home. The next morning
Jeff was on hands to work.
The six negroes that ran away lived five or
six miles from Jeff's home. It was several days
before there was much said about the fugitives
getting away, since this was a long time before
telephones. I was told by Jeff long afterward that
the masters never got the least clue which way or
where they went, or how they got away.
Turner and Jeff laid plans for Jeff to do his
next work in a neighborhood some miles away in
another direction. Jeff had from one to two crazy
spells every week and took this opportunity to see
the men he wanted to help gain their freedom.
By the time that Turner got into that neighbor
hood again, Jeff had seven or eight that wanted to
make the attempt to gain their liberties, but they
were afraid that they would be run down and
78

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
captured by blood hounds, as a man living in that
neighborhood owned six very vicious hounds and
had captured with them several negroes that tried
to run away. The owner kept the dogs for the
money he made from capturing runaway negroes
and criminals. They were valued at $50.00 each.
The next thing to do was to get the dogs out
of the way. Jeff, in the company of one of the
negroes that were going to attempt to get away,
went to the kennel one night and found the dogs
were locked in a building twelve feet high and
about thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide, with
a roof over about one-half of it. The balance had
no roof and was a playground for the dogs. The
men aiming to run away held a meeting. It was
decided to wait until Jeff could see Turner, which
would be during the next two weeks, and plan with
him the best way to get rid of the dogs. When
Turner learned the situation, he at once saw that
the thing to do was to poison the dogs the night
that the runaways left for the north; but how to
get the poison was the question. Turner said that
he would see the superintendent of the anti-slav
ery league, Mr. Hansen, and have him get it for
him, but it would be nearly two weeks before he
could have it. The time soon came around and
Turner was on hands with an ounce of strychnine.
It was agreed that the night before they were to
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start two of the men would go possum hunting
and secure a fine fat one, dress it nicely, cut it up
and put strychnine on each piece. Early in the
evening the wives of two of the men going north
could throw it over the uncovered part of the ken
nel. There was a very old man that was the father
of one of the women that was to feed the dogs who
was to remain near the kennel and after waiting
two hours, if there was any show of life, he was to
give another dose.
Jeff with seven negroes got to the meeting
place about ten o'clock at night and found three
guards waiting for them. In a short time they
were on the march for the Ohio river which they
crossed only a short time before daylight.
The guards were aiming to get to a large
thicket about 10 miles from the river, but they
found that it would be broad day light before they
could get that far. They came to a large corn
field and decided to risk that for a hiding place.
It was a long day and they had at least ten miles
to go before they came to Ira Caswell's which was
the first station where they could get anything to
eat. It was near nine o'clock at night when they
met Mr. Caswell near his barn. He told them
that they must be careful as there were two men
from Boonville who had been seen twice that day
just north of his farm. They were enquiring for
80

DR. JOHN W. POSEY.
A Member of the Executive Committee of the Anti-Slavery
League, whose coal-bank at Petersburg was a resting
place for hundreds of run-away negroes.

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
stray horses. These men were notorious for
their escapade in trying to capture run away ne
groes for the reward offered, and it was said that
those same two fellows had kidnapped a young
free negro and was trying to get him over the
Ohio river to take him south. Fortunately they
were defeated by two Kentucky women who had
owned the mother of the boy and had freed her
and the boy when he was two years old. The
woman made the thieves give the boy into their
keeping and took him to Evansville. About eleven
o'clock that night the seven negroes, Mr. Caswell,
and the three guards, got into Mr. Hill's corn
field that went up to his barn. Mr. Caswell went
to the house and notified Mr. Hill the condition of
things, Mr. Hill said that there were three men
hunting runaway negroes in Lynnville nearly all
that afternoon and they left town late in the even
ing. After a hurried consultation it was agreed
to make a forced march to my father's barn cel
lar. Mr. Hill had a two-horse wagon and team for
it, and there were two other horses that could be
ridden; this made transportation for all but a
little heavy in the wagon, but at the hills it could
be lightened by the occupants walking up hill. It
was just beginning to show signs of day coming
when George Hill came to my father's door and
told him that seven negroes and two guards were
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in the barn cellar and that one guard was in the
upper barn loft on guard watching what went on
in and around there. Mr. Hill went to bed and
everything went on as it usually did and after
breakfast we went on with our farm work. We
still had the three colored boys that were waiting
to get a chance to go to Liberia and that I have de
scribed in a former chapter. Everybody was on
the lookout. The guards took regular turns in
the top loft of the barn on guard duty where they
could have a good view all over our big farm (on
which now stands Oakland City, Ind.) Nothing
unusual was seen or heard. When night came on
we got out our teams and as a precaution put an
old fishing boat on the front wagon with nets and
fishing tackle of all kinds. We sent one of N the
guards to Dr. Posey during the day to notify him
of our coming; also sent word to Mr. Basal Simp
son to look out for bridge watchers at the Dongola
bridge. Just as we got started we met a young
man that Mr. Simpson had sent to notify us that
three men were at the Dongola bridge. One of
the guards acted as front out-rider and one watch
ed after the v rear of our company. We had but
little fear of any force that might attempt to in
terfere with us as we were all well armed, but we
did not want to have any trouble as it would
cause us trouble in our future operations. All
82

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
went well until we got near the bridge when our
front guard came back and said that there were
three men in the road near the bridge. Mr. Hill
went forward and we drove up. Mr. Hill asked
them what they wanted. They answered that
they were hunting their negroes that had run
away from them in Kentucky. They wanted to
know who we were and where we were going. Mr.
Hill told them that we were going on a fishing and
hunting trip. Hill asked them how many negroes
they had lost and they told him seven. Hill called
to one of the guards and said : "Jim, was that the
number seen in the woods by Joe Hensley near
Winslow bridge about three o'clock this after
noon ?" The guard said it was. Hill told the slave
hunters that if they were expecting to catch the
negroes they should get to Winslow as soon as
possible and if the negroes had crossed the bridge
they could catch them before they crossed White
river. If he was not with this hunting party he
would be glad to go with them to see the fun. He
told them further that there was a direct road to
Winslow that we crossed about two miles farther
on and if they wanted to go that way he would
ride with them to the cross roads. They said they
would go and soon had their horses. When we
got to the cross roads we found Mr. Hill. He said
that as soon as he put them on the right road they
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went at a good speed to the east. We found John
Stuckey about two miles south of Petersburg; he
told us that fugitives would have to cross White
river about one mile east of Wright's ferry; that
he had three skiffs put in the water there since dark
and that there would be two wagons on the north
bank to convey the negroes farther on. He furth
er told us that several negro hunters were at Jack
Kinman's hotel and that they had a guard at the
aqueduct at Kinderhook. He also said that it was
but a little way to the river and a bad road for
wagons so that it would be best for the negroes to
walk that distance. Hill said for fear of a slip in
our calculation he would take two of the guards
with him and go to the river and see them across
and that if we could turn our teams and go back
that he would overtake us before we were half
way home. When we got home we found that Mr.
John Hansen had come to my father's soon after
we got started with the fugitives. Mr. Hansen
had come from Evansville that day; he said that
parties from Kentucky were there trying to get
some clue of the missing negroes. They were tell
ing a fearful tale. They said that some one had
poisoned six blood hounds. The next morning
Hansen had the three guards, Mr. Hill and myself
met him in my father's library. He cautioned us
all under no circumstances to talk with any one,
84

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
not even if we knew he was in sympathy with our
work. Our liberties and fortunes were at stake,
and we could do better work to keep our own coun
sel. Mr. Hansen that morning gave me a bran new
Sharp's breech-loading rifle. I have the gun yet.
Jeff Lewis was a very bright colored mulatto
and he had a wife that was as white as he was.
She was owned by a man living near Uniontown,
Kentucky, and was a house servant. Jeff had
planned to get his wife away to Canada, but it was
found to be a difficult proposition as she roomed
in her master's home. She told Jeff that some
time not long off her master and mistress
were going to the neighborhood of Lexington, Ky.,
to attend the wedding of her mistress' sister and
she would know the date in a short time. The
house and farm would be left in the charge of an
old trusted servant and it would then be easy to
get her away. Jeffs wife was well treated and
she liked her master and mistress. Her master
was a drinking man and often came home under
the influence of liquor and it was reported that he
was in failing circumstances. She was all the time
in dread of his having to give up his property
which might result in her being sold further south,
into a life of drudgery. The excitement caused
by the seven negroes running away and the killing
of the six blood hounds was intense. The patrol
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force was tripled and every man that was not
known was stopped and made to give an account
of himself. Men were riding all over that section
of Kentucky hunting for a clue. Men were sent
in bunches of three to many places in southern
Indiana, but the only word they had that the ne
groes were ever seen after leaving home was what
George Hill made up when he found three men
guarding the Dongola bridge by telling them that
seven negroes were seen near the Winslow bridge
that day. These men when they got home told of
this circumstance and said that when they went
to Winslow they could not find anything about the
the truth of the statement. They said that they
tried to find the man that told them about the ne
groes being there, but could not find him. Mr.
Hansen got word to Turner to go slow, that his
work was well done, but he was in a dangerous sit
uation. If the Kentucians got the least clue that
implicated him they would hang him as high as
Haman. Turner was good grit as well as a very
intelligent man. When he met any of the men
who had lost their negroes, he would sympathize
with them when they would abuse the abolitionists
of the north for their misfortune. Jeff still had
crazy spells. He and Turner had many talks lay
ing plans but both of them felt that it was best
to be very careful until the time came for Jeff to
86

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
get his wife. There were three slaves that lived
about three miles from Jeff's home that he wanted
to liberate. Their owner had the patrol arrest
him one time and had him whipped for talking
back to him. For this Jeff wanted to even up.
He met one of the slaves in a short time and made
a date to meet him and the other two at an old
church the next Sunday night where the negroes
were to have a meeting. Jeff knew that Turner
would be back on his return trip on Wednesday
of the next week, after he was to meet the three
negroes at the church. He intended to go and see
his wife on Sunday before noon as he was allowed
to see her twice a month. He found that his wife's
mistress and master had been gone on their Lex
ington trip for five days and they intended to stay
fifteen or twenty days. Jeff made an arrange.
ment with his wife that she on the next Sunday
afternoon was to visit a woman friend of hers
not more than two miles from Walnut Branch
Deek Lick, that she was to stay late and when she
started home to go the main road until she came
to a small cross road running to the east. This
would take her in the right direction and Jeff
would meet her before she got far and take her to
the meeting place. Jeff had cut out a pretty big
task for himself, but he was determined to carry
it out if he had to pilot them to the Ohio river. He
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saw the three negroes Sunday night and they all
agreed to meet him the next Sunday night at the
Walnut Branch Deer Lick, a place only two miles
away and well known to them. Jeff was off in his
head Wednesday in the afternoon of that day.
Turner came to his shanty to see him, when Jeff
informed him of the big job that he had laid out
to put through the coming Sunday night. Turner
promised to have the three guards at the Deer
Lick, Sunday night. Jeff had his Master to write
his name on one of the saddle skirts, so if he was
to die in some of his crazy spells his Master would
get his horse. Jeff told the people on the planta
tion that he was going to church that night. He
got his horse and saddled him, took an extra hat
with him, and set out to meet his wife whom he
soon found. He took her up behind him and rode
to the Deer Lick where he found the three negroes
and three guards. Shortly after they left the Deer
Lick for the Ohio river. The byroad they were
on went near the bank of Green river. Jeff took
his horse and with a strong halter tied him secure
ly to a sapling and threw his best hat on the
ground near the river bank. He aimed to make
his master believe that he had drowned himself.
Jeff thought this might delay pursuit for a while.
It was near midnight when they got to the north
bank of the Ohio river. Two of the guards were
88

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
well acquainted with the country to the north
along the route they intended going. They aimed
to reach a very large thicket about 10 miles from
the river that I have described in a former chap
ter. It was yet some time until daylight when
they got to the dense thicket, which they went
into a long way from the road where they found
plenty of leaves and grass to make good beds.
Soon all were asleep except one of the guards who
kept a good lookout to see what went on around
them. Soon after getting into camp another one
of the guards went to Mr. Caswell's to notify him
so that they would have food prepared when the
fugitives got there that night as the aim was to
push on to my father's barn cellar.
Nothing happened during the day worthy of
note. When night came, everybody was rested and
ready for the march. When they got to Mr. Cas
well's they found Mr. George Hill there. He had
been notified by Mr. Caswell. As soon as supper
was eaten, they were on the go in charge of Mr.
Hill, who took them a route more to the west than
formerly coming through on a blind road that
ran over the McGregor hills east of Somerville,
Ind. They had no trouble and about 4 o'clock
they arrived at our farm and all went into the
barn cellar, except Mr. Hill and one of the guards.
My father told Mr. Hill that several strange men
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had been seen riding around the neighborhood the
last two or three days pretending to be buying
mules and horses. About noon the day that the
negroes were placed in the cellar Mr. J. J. Kirkman
then sheriff or deputy sheriff of Gibson county
came to our house and stayed for dinner. Our three
colored boys were still working on the farm. Mr.
Kirkman saw one of the boys as he put his horse
up and fed it. He asked my father about the
boys and was told that they had been left in his
charge until they could be sent to Liberia. At din
ner Mr. Hill was introduced to Mr. Kirkman as a
practical steam engineer. He asked Mr. Kirk
man if there was any chance for an engineer to
get work in Princeton. After dinner Mr. Kirk
man and my father went to the library and were
there for some time. He told my father that the
reason he was here was to warn him (they were
old friends and of the same political party). He
said that an old Kentuckian living a few miles
south of our home was in Princeton recently and
was telling that he had three negro boys who were
really slaves; that he would not let any one see
them ; that two men came after the boys and that
my father had run them off with a gun, and had
repeatedly threatened to shoot any one who dared
to try to get the boys. (This was the same old
fellow that I gave a description of in a former
90

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
chapter who was always very loud in prayer and
never failed to put in "Oh Lord, incline the hearts
of the servants to obey his master-") When Mr.
Kirkman was ready to go my father had a horse
saddled and rode with him for several miles to see
if anything unusual was going on. It was quite
dark before we commenced to get ready to go
farther north. Mr. Hill and two of the guards had
been all around our farm to see if the way was
clear. The wagons were brought out of the barn
and loaded. One of them had the old fish boat
and fishing tackle on it, as it had the last time
that we went, since we thought that we might
have to claim again being on a fishing and hunt
ing expedition. We had heard from Mr. Simpson
during the afternoon that there was no one about
the bridge and if they came later he would let us
know. Jeff and his wife were surprising happy.
She stood the march as well as any of them. The
other three negroes were in good shape but they
were awfully afraid their master would overtake
them and they believed if he did he would kill
them. Jeff told them that they had to swim a
river three hundred yards wide. One of them
could not swim and he felt sure he would be cap
tured. The man we sent to see Dr. Posey could
not find him, but he did find John Stuckey and he
told him that we would have to do the same way
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as we did with the last lot — cross the river east
of Wright's ferry; that he would be at the point
where we left the main road and pilot us to the
river; that he had found a way that we could get
to the river with wagons by going through the
corner of a field that had not been cultivated tnat
year. When we got to the river we found two
lusty strong men in skiffs to take the fugitives
over. Bidding us goodby, they went into the skiffs
and were soon on the other bank. We waited un
til they were in the wagon and under way to the
next station. Mr. Stucky told us that there were
so many men in town every day hunting for run
away negroes that it was not safe at present to
put them in Dr. Posey's coal bank. He also said
that the Kinderhook aqueduct was guarded every
night. When we got back home the chickens were
crowing for day.
Eleven years had gone by and a great change
had come over this country. Hot headed southern
ers had brought on a war hoping to dissolve the
Union. Hundreds of battles had been fought and
many thousands of good men had been killed and
hospitals all over the country were full of wound
ed men. Mr. Lincoln had freed the negroes. Late
in the fall of 1864 I was commanding the military
prison at Nashville, Tenn. A guard brought a
prisoner to the office and handed me the committ-
92

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
ment paper. I read a name, "Jeff Lewis, first
Sergeant, Co., I, 17 U. S. Colored Troops," charged
with shooting at an officer. I turned around and
looked at the prisoner, and was sure it was the
same Jeff Lewis that I knew. I receipted for him
and told him to come inside the railing and take
a seat. I turned to him and said: "Sergeant, I
want you to tell me all that you know about this
case." He said that he was walking along Union
street with another member of his company, when
he saw that there were many soldiers with their
accoutrements on lying and sitting on the side
walk. As he got opposite to them a Lieutenant
stepped in front of him. He evidently was pretty
drunk and said, "You are two pretty tony dressed
damned negroes, and stepped in front of me and
spit a mouthful of tobacco juice on the breast of
my uniform ( I looked and it was plain to be seen) .
He followed me up and kicked me twice. I pulled
my revolver and shot him in the leg. I did not
want to kill him, although he deserved it." I sent
an orderly to the prison and had the prison ser
geant come to me. He was one of my own soldiers
and I knew would do just what I said for him to
do. I told him that this prisoner and I were old
friends and I wanted him to assign him the bed
and the little room next to the one he had. I got
the name of the soldier that was with him when
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he shot the drunken Lieutenant. Lewis seemed
surprised at what I had told the prison sergeant.
He did not have the least idea who I was, but I
knew him by his name. I told him to go and have
a good night's sleep. I went to see Col. Hunter
Brooks the Provost Marshal and got a copy of the
charges preferred against Jeff Lewis. I then went
to General John F. Miller's office, the post com
mander, I there found Captain Livingston How-
land of Indianapolis, Adjutant General on Gen
eral Miller's staff. I explained the situation to
him, gave a history of Jeff's work, and got from
him the name of the officer Jeff had shot and the
command that he belonged to. I went to the
hospital and saw the doctor in charge of the hos
pital and he said the lieutenant was crazy drunk
when they brought him to the hospital, raving like
a maniac, declaring that he would kill every ne
gro soldier he could, after he got well. I wrote a
note to the captain of the company that the lieu
tenant belonged to and asked him to call at my
office. I then made out charges against the lieu
tenant charging him with conduct unbecoming an
officer and a gentleman and had three specifica
tions to the charge. First, that he was drunk in
a public street in the city of Nashville, Tenn., and
while he was on duty; second, that he abused
Sergeant Jeff Lewis by using vulgar language
94

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
about him and spitting tobacco juice on him ; third,
that he kicked the said Sergeant Lewis. During
the day the captain of the company that Lieu
tenant Jones belonged to came to see me. I
made many inquiries about the lieutenant and
found that he got drunk as often as he could get
the whiskey. I showed the captain the charges
I had and he said it all could be proved. The cap
tain suggested on account of his widowed mother
that it would be best to let him resign, and he
further said the sergeant did nothing but what
he should have done. He was as much a soldier
as the lieutenant was. The resignation (for the
good of the service) was received and forwarded
to department headquarters. The charge against
Jeff Lewis was destroyed by the order of General
John F. Miller and the sergeant ordered to re
turn to duty with his company. I sent to the
prison for Lewis and told him that he was free.
I then told him about the day he with his wife and
other fugitives spent in my father' barn cellar 11
years ago. Jeff told me that Canada was so cold,
that as soon as Mr. Lincoln's proclamation was
issued, he brought his wife and came to the city
of Evansville, Ind., that his wife was staying with
some colored people in that city (giving me the lo
cation) while he was to be in the army, but that
she was not satisfied there. I told him that Judge
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
A. L. Robinson was always a friend to the colored
people and if he wanted me to, I would have him
look after her for him. He said he would be
glad to have me do so. I wrote to Judge Robin
son and he took her into his home as a maid to
help his wife. I then asked Jeff if he would like
to be in the Freedman's Bureau at Washington;
that I felt sure through Mr. Hansen I could get
him and his wife both permanent places at good
wages. He said he would be glad to go. I wrote
to Mr. Hansen who was acquainted with Jeff's
history and found that he could give both of them
a place at good wages as soon as they could come.
I went to see General Miller, who sent for Jeff's
captain and explained to him the nice position
that Jeff could get in the Freedman's Bureau at
Washington. Gen. Miller asked the captain to dis
charge him so he could receive promotion. Soon
his discharge came and Jeff came to me and I se
cured transportation for him andj his wife to
Washington, D. C. where they arrived in due time
and were put to work by Mr. Hansen. Jeff told
me that the owners of the slaves that he helped
free never had the least clue how they went or
where they went; that his master was dead and
the master of his wife was broken up and was in
the Confederate army; that the man that owned
96

CRAZY JEFF LEWIS
the three negroes that he helped escape to even
up with him, was killed at Shiloh, on the Confed
erate side.

97

CHAPTER X

BEN SWAIN
There was a station a little east of Rock
port, Ind., where many negroes were crossed over
the Ohio river. The man having charge of this
station was a book agent and a peddler of fine
stationery and fine pen holders and pencils. He
also took subscriptions for periodicals published
both in the north and south. His name was Henry
Johnson. He traveled over an extensive ter
ritory. He had been at that station for quite a
while and was acquainted with many people of
both colors on his route. Johnson had a helper
in a middle aged negro named Ben Swain. The
two men had sent quite a number of slaves on
their northern march who got to Canada. Ben
met Johnson one night and told him that he had
quite a number who would be ready to go in the
next ten days. They selected the old Hanels to
bacco barn as the place to meet; it was situated
near a small road that ran to the river and set the
time for Thursday night a week. Johnson told
Ben that he would have guides at the barn at that
time. The next morning Ben hunted Johnson up
and told him that after he saw him last night John
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BEN SWAIN
Ray, a nearly white negro, came to see him and
wanted him to make arrangements with him to
help persuade a good number of slaves to meet
at some place not too far away, to be sent to Can
ada and freedom. Ray told Ben that this ar
rangement was put on foot by quite a number of
white men who owned slaves. The plan was that
when the negroes started on their march they
were to go by a place where the white men were
in ambush, so that they could capture and hand
cuff the negroes and make them promise that they
never would attempt to escape again. That if
they did they would be sent to the Mississippi
country and sold to men owning large cotton plan
tations. There was nothing that a Kentucky ne
gro dreaded more than the thought that he might
be sold to negro owners farther south. Ben and
Johnson consulted together and it was arranged
that Ben should agree to help on the condition
that as Ray was very unpopular with the negroes
that Ben should select those that were to go and
that the meeting place was to be at the Gray
Rock quarry at the same time agreed on between
Johnson and Ben at a former meeting only at a
time two hours later than the meeting at Hand's
tobacco barn. Ben went to see Ray and had him
to go with him early as he wanted to have every
thing in good shape. He had arranged for several
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
negroes to meet him at Hannel's tobacco barn and
they would go by there and take them over to Gray
Rock quarry. When the two men got to the tobacco
barn they found quite a lot of negroes and five
white men who were guides. They were soon put
in marching order and started. It had been ex
pected that Ray, when he found that he had been
tricked, would attempt to get away so there were
two strong negro men selected to see that he went
along. He called to Ben to know what this meant.
He was told that they were going to take him to
Canada and free him. Ray said that he did not
want to be free, that his master was going to free
him in two years and give him a horse and saddle
and that several white men had agreed to make
him up $50.00 for getting up this gathering. They
had gone but a little ways when Ray attempted
to run away. The two men caught him and tied
his hands behind him. He then commenced to
make all the noise he could, when a gag was tied
in his mouth. In this way they went until they
got to where the skiffs were to cross the river.
The two guards asked Ray if he would go along
quietly if they would untie his hands. He nodded
his willingness, but as soon as his hands were un
tied he drew a large knife and tried to kill one of
the two men that had him in charge, when the
other one hit him with a heavy club that ended
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BEN SWAIN
his career. He was thrown into the river and the
rest of the party went across the river and on to
a large cornfield, some ten miles north where they
went in to stay until night should come on. There
were 12 negro men and five guards in the party.
They were not disturbed and put in the day sleep
ing and resting. As soon as it was night they
were on the march, aiming to cross the Patoka
river before daylight between what is now Velpin
and Winslow. When they got to the river they
found that it was swollen by recent rains, and
they could not find any place to cross, so they went
into a thick brushy place as daylight was com
ing. The brush was very thick and made a good
place to hide, but there was not more than two
acres in it. The bottom on all sides except the
side next to the river was very open. This was
the only place that furnished a screen to hide
in that they could find. After they got into camp
they found that their supply of provisions was
getting low and they had no certain assurance of
getting any more before they got near the north
side of Daviess County.
The guards remembered that they had
oassed a nice looking farm house only a little way
from the edge of the river bottoms, so it was de
cided to send two of the guards there to see if
they could purchase some provisions. They found
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
the farmer and his family (who was one of the
numerous families of Corns living in that part of
Pike County, Indiana,) and had no trouble in pur
chasing all the bacon that they needed. The bread
question was the thing that they did not know
how to solve. They finally made a bargain with
the farmer's wife to bake them a good supply of
corn and flour bread. Mr. Corn inquired who
they were and what they were doing. They told
him that they were mineralogists looking over
this country to find how much mineral wealth
there was in it, in the way of coal and building
stone. They went back to their hiding place with
the provisions, all had a good dinner and soon all
were asleep, except one guard left on duty to
watch over the camp.
Everything was very quiet until about one
hour before sundown, when the guard on duty
awakened the other guards and told them that
several men on horseback were approaching the
camp, coming along a bypath that run along the
river bank. When they got within about seventy-
five yards the guard stepped out of the thicket and
ordered them to halt. They all stopped and asked
the guard what he was doing there. He told them
he was a mineralogist working over the country
and this was their camp. One of the horsemen
dismounted and said that he wanted to see what
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BEN SWAIN
this fellow was up to. He came up within about
twenty feet of the guard who ordered him to halt.
The advancing fellow said, "do you know who I
am ? I am the deputy sheriff and I have authority
to arrest all suspicious characters that I meet
and I am going to arrest you !" Jerking out an old
pepper box revolver that was used at that time
he started toward the guard, who unslung a
Sharp's rifle and pointed it at the deputy's head.
This stopped him. By this time the other four
guards were on hands with their guns ; one of them
took the pistol away from the threatening fel
low and threw it into the river; also took an old-
fashioned dirk knife from him and threw it into
the river. They then about faced the raving fel
low and told him to go back to his horse. They
soon were all gone back the way they had come.
A drift was found a little way up the river that
lacked but a few feet of crossing. Soon some old
stakes were gotten and pieced out the space so
that it made a good footbridge. As soon as it was
twilight they went over the river on the drift and
were marching away for White river, that they
aimed to reach before midnight. There was noth
ing important happened until they got near where
the town of Algiers now stands. They ran up
against a regular spelling bee ; horses and wagons
were hitched on all sides of the school house. The
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
guides and fugitives had to go quite a way around
the school house before they would venture to go
in the road again. Before midnight they got to
the river a little west of north from where Otwell,
Pike County, stands. They went along a river
road to the east for quite a distance when they
came to a regular logging camp where men had
been putting logs into rafts. The guards selected
out four large dead poplar logs and rolled them
into the river ; some grape vines were secured and
the logs tied together. They had a raft that with
the aid of a setting pole and two or three four-foot
clapboards, held up the seventeen men and land
ed them on the north bank of the river. They
were soon on their way to the next station which
was near the north line of Daviess county.
When the guards got to that station, four of them
returned to their stations on the Ohio river. One
guide who had been several times over the route
with fugitives remained to pilot them to a point
near Lake Michigan where they were taken in
charge by the men that were to land them into
Canada. The deputy sheriff and party were hunt
ing for three runaway negroes for which there
was a large reward offered. When they got back
to Petersburg and told of the adventure they had
had with the five men who had such fine guns,
they were told of an old tradition that the first
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BEN SWAIN
settlers had gotten from the Indians; that some
place up on the Patoka river there was a rich sil
ver mine, that the white people had hunted for
many times without success. It was generally be
lieved that the guards were there hunting for
the mine and did not intend that any one should
know what they were up too.
Ben Swain who lost his life trying to aid his
race was a man more than 50 years old. He was
intellegent and trustworthy. The night that the
two negroes had to kill John Ray on the bank of
the Ohio river in self defense the guard that had
charge of the men, tried to persuade Ben to go
on with them and gain his freedom. Swain said
no, that he had some friends that he wanted to
aid before he went and if he did not get away it
would not matter much as he was getting old,
and he wanted to work as long as he could help his
race.

105

CHAPTER XI

SAM LYNN
Sam Lynn was a very strong resolute man.
His father had been smuggled into Cuba with
many others by men engaged in the African slave
trade. They kidnapped their victims in the wilds
of Africa, and sold them to the Spanish planters
in Cuba and planters on other West India Islands,
and many times on the southern coast of the Unit
ed States. His mother was a full blooded Choctaw In
dian woman. These Indians before they were
colonized in the Indian territory, lived on the
southern borders of the state of Mississippi. Sam
was owned and lived with John Lynn, and took his
name from his master. They lived near the Lou
isiana line. Sam's mother and father were dead
and left four children, three boys and one girl.
Sam and his sister belonged to Mr. Lynn; the
other two brothers were owned by a Mr. Johnson
and they all lived near each other. They were
strong healthy negroes, and worked every day on
the plantations. Sam's master hired him to a
sugar planter for three or four months work on
a sugar plantation in Louisiana. One day in load-
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SAM LYNN
ing a heavy hogshead on a wagon, Sam stepped on
the overseer's foot; this enraged him and he
kicked Sam who kicked him in return. They kept
up a running fight for some minutes around the
sugar house. Finally the overseer drew a large
knife and said, no "nigger" could hit him and live,
and made a lunge at Sam who hit him over the
head with a stick of wood and killed him. Sam
knew that they would have him hung if they got
him. The overseer's horse was hitched to a fence
near the sugar house and it only took Sam a min
ute until he had the horse loose and was on his
back and away toward home which was thirty
miles away. It was late in the evening when this
happened. Sam got to his master's home before
midnight and told his master what he had done.
His master knew that the authorities would be af
ter him as soon as possible. Sam was a valuable
negro, worth at least fifteen hundred dollars. Mr.
Lynn was at a loss to know what was best to do.
He believed by Sam's statement that the overseer
brought the trouble on himself and Sam was not
to blame. He felt that he was doing the right
thing to try to save Sam. Mr. Lynn had a cousin
living in Ohio County, Kentucky that owned
slaves. It was a long ways to travel, but he re
solved to try it. He told San! to feed the tired
horse and get out his best horse and be ready to
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
travel in thirty minutes. Sam was to ride the
overseer's horse some fifty miles and then turn
him loose and he would go home to the sugar mill,
then Sam would have to walk. Word was left by
Mr. Lynn that he had gone to New Orleans. As
no one had seen Sam, they would know nothing
about his being home ; this would make them hunt
for him in the country surrounding the sugar mill.
It was a long and tiresome trip but they finally
got to the neighborhood where his cousin lived.
They told Mr. Lynn that the man that he was in
quiring about owned a very large tobacco farm
and twenty-five negroes and that he was a drink
ing man and very quarrelsome when under the in
fluence of whiskey. Mr. Lynn did not let any one
know that he was related in any way to him. His
intention had been to hire Sam to him and leave
for home, but what he had heard was so unfav
orable he did not know what was best to do. He
concluded to go and see him. He found a man
showing evidence of being a hard drinker and
very brutal in his looks. Sam was with his mas
ter. He went up to Sam and examined his arms
and said to Mr. Lynn, "This boy would make a
good field hand why do you have him for a body
servant." Mr. Lynn said that he had not thought
of selling him. Sam got a chance (while the to
bacco farmer was talking with some men who
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SAM LYNN
called to see him) to say to his master to sell him
and get all that he could for him and leave the
rest to him. When the cousin came back to Mr.
Lynn he said that he was in great need of a good
strong young man and he would give the full val
ue for Sam. Mr. Lynn asked him what he thought
would be a fair price for such a slave. His cousin
said that from twelve to fifteen hundred dollars.
Mr. Lynn told him that he could have him for fif
teen hundred dollars. This was agreed to and
Sam changed masters. Mr. Lynn had a talk with
Sam before he was sent to the negro quarters.
Sam said to his master to have no fears of his
being badly used, as he would take care of him
self. Mr. Lynn returned to his Mississippi home
and Sam went to work in the great tobacco barn.
Mr. Lynn's cousin, Marshal Ford,, had a very fine
family of educated people. Ford's drinking spells
were carried on when he was away from home.
Henry Johnson was always a welcome guest. He
was an accomplished musician and the two
daughters of the family were well educated in
music. They had many pleasant evenings togeth
er. The musical instrument that they owned was
getting old so the girls persuaded their father to
get them a new one. Mr. Johnson was commis
sioned by the father to select a good piano and
have it sent to the nearest landing on the river
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
to their home; from there it had to be hauled in
a wagon. Mr. Johnson was there when the piano
arrived and helped to set it up. It was very heavy
and required the help of several men to put it in.
Among the help was Sam Lynn. He was so tre
mendously strong that he attracted the attention
of Johnson who later talked with Ben Swain about
him. Ben was acquainted with him and said that
Sam had talked to him about wanting to gain his
freedom. Swain said that Sam was so recently
from the far south that he did not know much
about the country he now lived in but he was
ready to do anything to gain his freedom. Ben
told Johnson if he wanted to talk with Sam to
make a date and place and he would have him
there. Johnson would not be back in that sec
tion for ten days so he made a date to correspond
with the time of his return at the old vacant to
bacco barn near Mr. Ford's farm. The time soon
came around, Johnson found the two negroes there
and they talked a long time about runaway ne
groes and the danger that they were all in who
in any way aided them. Johnson asked Sam about
Mr. Ford's negroes. Sam said that they were the
most ignorant lot that he had ever seen. That
they actually did not have the least idea where
Canada was, nor whether it was a country or a
town. They had been so completely kept in dark-
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SAM LYNN
ness that he had to pretend that he too was as
ignorant as the rest of them in order to get along
with the overseer. It was understood between
the three that Swain would see Sam when he
could be of any service that he would have Sam
help him ; and when all the work that they dared
to do in that section was done they would help
Sam to gain his freedom. It was getting late and
they separated. Ben and Sam went away togeth
er and Johnson slipped away back to a little room
that he had rented from a poor widow woman.
Sam and Ben were walking along the main road,
when three men who were patrols stepped into
the road from a bunch of bushes and confronted
them. Ben started to run when one of the pa
trols shot him in the back of his head with a heavy
charge of buck shot. Sam wrenched the gun from
the patrol's hand and knocked him down with it;
one of the other two were trying to stop him when
he, with the gun barrel, laid him in the road. The
other man was trying to shoot him with an old
pepper-box revolver that would not go off. Sam
took it from him and knocked him down with it
and kicked him until he thought he was dead.
There were four men within a space of ten steps
laying in the road apparently all dead. Sam went
to Ben and was certain that he was dead. He
hurriedly left the place and went directly to his lit-
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
tie room, examined his clothes to see that there
was no blood on them. The men lay in the road
the rest of the night and until a negro who was
hunting his mules that had got out found the
men and gave the alarm. Squire Bodin who lived
near the scene of this fearful tragedy was noti
fied and he had his warrant officer or constable
summon a jury to assemble at the point where the
four bodies lay. They found two men dead, Ben
Swain and the first man hit with the gun by Sam.
The other two were so badly off that they did not
know anything. This raised great excitement in
all that section. There was not the least evidence
to be had except the ghastly sight that was before
them. The two badly wounded men were some
three or four days before they could give an in
telligent account of the dreadful encounter that
they had. One said: "There were two negroes,
one of them a medium sized man the other an
awful big man full seven feet high. The little
man as soon as they stepped into the road start
ed to run and was shot by their leader, when the
great giant wrested the gun from him and
knocked him dead with it. Then he turned on
me and hit me a terrible blow that laid me out.
The other patrol was trying to help me when the
giant knocked him down and beat him into jelly."
They stuck to their statement and it was believed
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SAM LYNN
that a tame gorilla was with Ben that night and
had done all that terrible work
Sam was working in the tobacco barn and
saw no one except the hands working with him.
Things went on this way for two weeks when one
of the hands told Sam that one of the patrols said
that the one that hurt him was a very broad
shouldered thick necked negro and was as strong
as a horse. This alarmed Sam for the descrip
tion tallied with his makeup and and he was afraid
that when the patrolmen got so they could get
about, they might conclude that the negro that
done them up was not seven feet high, and in some
way work him into it. One evening just after
dark he met Mr. Johnson going up to the big
house and told him his fears and asked him if
he could have a guide meet him some place and
take him over the Ohio river. Johnson said that
the next night he would "have two guides at the
big tobacco barn, with half the roof blown off
three miles from here, you and Ben visited there
one Sunday not long ago. Be sure and be there
by 8 o'clock at night ; there will be two other men
and their wives and three children from 10 to 14
years old to go at the same time." The morning
before he was to start to run away, the two pa
trols come to his master's house and had Sam sent
for. They both took a good look at him. One of
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
them said he believed it was the man the other
said that he did not think so. Mr. Ford, Sam's
master, was away from home and had been for
several days. The overseer was the one that was
consulted who said it would do no harm to have
Squire Bodin have his warrant man arrest Sam
and they would go over the case and it might
bring out some clue that would put them on the
track of getting the right man. Mrs. Ford had
learned from the overseer that Sam was likely to
be arrested and she told the overseer that he had
best have nothing to do with it, if he did he would
have trouble with Mr. Ford when he got home.
It had gone too far to be recalled by this time. It
was about four o'clock in the evening when one of
Sam's workmates in the barn learned that they
were aiming to arrest Sam after supper and have
a night trial in a little office of Squire Bodin. Sam
took a heavy tobacco screw pin made of hickory
and dodged around the building until he got to a
thick wood-lot when he made the best time that
he could for some distance. In crossing the main
road at the end of the wood-lot he was within
fifteen feet of a man that owned two blood hounds.
The man was returning home which was just
across the lane from Squire Bodin's house. Sam
knew that it would not be half an hour before the
dogs would be after him and he wanted to lead
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SAM LYNN
the men away from the old tobacco barn where he
was to be at 8 o'clock; it was now after five. As
the dog man rode up to his house he met the con
stable who told him that he was then going to ar
rest one of Mr. Ford's negroes. The dog man told
him what he had seen. Squire Bodin was called
and the same was told him when he ordered the
constable to deputize the man and his dogs and
try to capture the culprit. Iu a little while the
loud bay of the dogs as they run very fast on the
trail of Sam, was heard. He led them away from
the meeting place and into a thick country that
horsemen would have to go slow over. The dogs
were soon close to Sam and baying very loud. One
was several rods ahead. Sam got in a good place
where he had plenty of room and where there was
no brush. As the dog came within reach he hit
him with the deadly bludgeon that he carried and
as the second came up killed him. Then he turned
his course and went to the tobacco barn with half
the roof blown away, where he found seven ne
groes and two guides. They were soon on the go
for the river. It was after one o'clock when they
were landed on the northern shore. At the river
they received another guide, or guard, that had
several times been over the route that they were
to go. They started on the main road that led
north, aiming to get to a large corn field about
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
ten or twelve miles away; this would take them
southwest of Taylorsville, now Selvin. This large
cornfield had in one corner about two acres of
Spanish needles that was more than four feet high
and as thick as they could grow. It was near day
light when they got there. They found it a good
place to rest and sleep which they needed. They
were not disturbed until about four o'clock in the
evening when one of the guards awakened the
other guards and told them that he saw three men
that seemed to be tracking them. They got over
the fence where the fugitives did and were track
ing them up toward the weed patch. The three
guards blackened their faces as that was a stand
ing order for them to do when they were likely
to come in contact with white men, as it was aimed
to make them believe that it was the negroes do
ing the work. When they got up within about
50 yards they were halted by the guards and ask
ed what they wanted. They said that they were
looking for runaway negroes and thought that
they had found them. The guard ordered them
to come no further. They said, "what do you, a
black negro, have to do with where we want to go.
We are prepared to defend ourselves." "So are we,"
the guard replied, "and if you some any nearer you
will be hurt." Sam asked the guards to let him
go out to them and pretend to hold a parley with
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SAM LYNN
them, that he was satisfied he could clean out the
whole bunch. The guard told them that if they
wanted them to, they would send out one of their
men to talk to them. They said to send him along.
Sam got up and with his club for a walking stick
hobbled out toward where the three men were
standing. He appeared to be so lame that he could
hardly walk and seemed to lean on the walking
stick. When he got up to the men he asked what
they wanted. They told him that they had au
thority to arrest and return fugitive slaves to
their masters, and that they were satisfied that
they were run-away slaves as they found their
tracks five miles back and had followed them to
this field. Sam had been looking them over, while
the foreman was talking, and saw that they had
no arms, unless it was revolvers in their pockets.
Sam said to him, "what will you do if we don't sur
render to you ?" "Then we will capture you." "You
will find that you will have a big job on your
hands," said Sam. The leader replied: "We will
show you by taking you now," and started for
Sam, who was over his lameness in a moment
and hit the advancing slave-hunter on the side
of his head and downed him; the next was
knocked down before he could move from his
place ; the third one tried to draw a revolver, but
had his arm broken and the revolver knocked ten
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
feet away; the broken armed man commenced
to yell "murder," as loud as he could, when he
was knocked down and silenced. Sam had hit
the men terribly hard licks and they were ap
parently dead. It was getting late and in an
hour more they would be on the march, but what
would they do with the wounded men? They
would come to during the night and alarm the
country and have pursuers after them. They
found some strong cords that the slave hunters
carried to tie the fugitives when captured. It was
decided to tie their hands behind them and tie
their legs together and tie wooden gags in their
mouths. This would prevent them from getting
up and making any noise. They would have to
stay there until some one found them. Early that
morning one of the guards that was well acquaint
ed with the roads in the country went to see
George Hill and try to get him to furnish them
two wagons so that they could get over White
river as soon as possible. He found Mr. Hill and
it was understood that two wagons would be at
the crossing of the road they were on with the
Fredonia road at 7 o'clock that evening. The two
guides were on the march with the eight negroes
and about seven o'clock found Mr. Hill's two wag
ons ; all were loaded in and made a rapid march to
the north. Mr. Hill was a little alarmed when he
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SAM LYNN
found what a battle they had with the slave hunt
ers and decided that he would trust his teams to
the guards with the understanding that they were
to be returned as soon as the fugitives crossed
White river, which they aimed to do at the Har-
riman ferry a little northwest of Otwell, Ind. The
man who had charge of the ferry at night was a
friend. The fugitives and three guards got over
White river in good shape without any further
incident worthy of mention. Mr. Hill the next
day after he sent his team went up in the neigh
borhood of where the battle was fought. It was
the middle of the afternon before the tied men
were found; they had hitched their horses in a
grove two miles south of the battle field. The find
ing of these men in the condition they were in
raised a great commotion in the Spradly neigh
borhood. There were a number of people from
that section that put in the most of their
time scouting over the country hunting for
runaway negroes and were very domineering.
over people who did not believe as they did. Gilp
Allen was always with people from that neigh
borhood. It was found that none of the men
were dead but the fellow that tried to shoot Sam
had his skull cracked and was still unconscious.
They said that they did not see but two of the
negroes, the one that challenged them and the
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
limping one that beat them up so. No one wanted
to see those men killed but there was many a one
that was glad of the defeat they met with. I met
Henry Johnson some time after this at Evansville
and was introduced to him by Mr. Hanson. In talk
ing about Sam Lynn and his exploits Johnson said
that in a free for all fight that Sam was worth his
weight in wild cats. Johnson said that the men
that owned the bloodhounds found them the next
day; both were dead near each other. The old
Squire Bodin was satisfied that it was Sam who
killed the patrol and so badly wounded the other
two, and had a writ for him ; but the officers were
a little slack about hunting for Sam. Mr. Ford
had come home and went to see Mr. Bodin and
found that his overseer had urged the investiga
tion. The overseer lost his job, and Mr. Ford a
very valuable hand, and Sam gained his freedom.

120

CHAPTER XII

A SLAVE HUNT TO WATCH THE KIRKS MILL
BRIDGE
Some time late in the summer of 1852 a man
rode hurriedly into Princeton, Indiana, covered
with dust and his horse in a lather of sweat that
showed evidence of hard riding. Tied to the back
of his saddle were a number of large whips and
several cords, and hanging to the horn were sev
eral pairs of handcuffs. A brace of heavy revol
vers were belted around his waist outside his dusty
coat. Altogether he was a fierce-looking fellow.
Dismounting, he tied his horse to the courtyard
rack and hurrying to the south door of the old
court house put on the bulletin board a notice of
three runaway negroes, offering a reward of five
hundred dollars for their capture. After doing
this he inquired for the best tavern and had his
horse taken to the liverystable. He made inquiry
of any who lived there if there was anyone who
would be willing to help him catch the runaways.
Some time after he got to the tavern two gentle
men who were always boasting of the many times
they had engaged in such work,_called on him of
fering their services to help him catch the. run?
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aways. The slave owner inquired about their ex
perience in such business and they informed him
that they had been in many such hunts. He told
them they would do and if he got the negroes he
would divide the reward which was offered, be
tween five men ; that all he wanted was their help
in catching the rascals. He asked them who the
other three men would be. There were several
names mentioned to him of those who would be
good help in such an undertaking. They mutually
agreed on the three men when he enjoined them
to secrecy. Only those going on the raid should
know anything about what they intended to do.
After this was arranged it was agreed that the
first two men should come back to the tavern not
later than four o'clock to let him know if the three
men selected could be depended on to go. By
that time he could secure some needed rest and
they would mature a plan of action for the com
ing night.
The slave owner said that he felt certain the
runaways would pass some where near Princeton
during the early part of the night and aim to
cross the Patoka river and get as far on toward
White river as they could before daylight. He
thought it best to guard one or two bridges over
the Patoka and should they fail in capturing them
he would organize a posse and picket White river
122

A SLAVE HUNT
at every point where it was thought likely they
could cross. Pulling a small map from his pocket
and looking over it for a short time he pointed out
a route which he thought they would be most
likely to follow. He pointed to Wheeling, (Kirks-
ville) as the place he thought they would try to
cross the Patoka river and said that he would go
to that point with the five men selected and watch
that bridge.
He authorized the two men, if they could find
any reliable persons to guard the Columbia bridge
for them to do so, as it might be possible they
would go that way. Bidding the two men good
bye he asked them to be prompt and report at the
time named.
That the reader may understand the situa
tion I will state that the slave-hunting bullies had
made themselves so obnoxious to many good peo
ple in and around Princeton that this bogus slave
hunt was inaugurated to teach them a needed les
son. The pretended slave owner was none other
than an anti-slavery spy and he had five confed
erates who were well acquainted with the coun
try and the people. The ones selected to guard
the Wheeling bridge were the most offensive ones
in that business. The anti-slavery confederates
had eight heavy bombs made at Kratz & Heilman's
foundry in Evansville which would hold about
123

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
three pounds of powder, each with a screw at
tachment so that a time fuse could be put into
the powder. As soon as it was dark the five men carrying
the bombs started two hours ahead of the brave
negro catchers. The first two bombs were placed
near the side of the road in a deep hollow about
two and a half miles northeast of Princeton; the
next two were placed about three-fourths of a
mile from the Wheeling bridge and the other four
two on each side of the bridge, about sixty or
seventy yards away. A man was left at each sta
tion to fire the fuse at the proper time and the
extra man nearly a hundred yards from the bridge
down the river to command an imaginary battal
ion. These bombs were the real thing for a great
noise. At four o'clock the two men were on hand
and had the names of three men who would go
out and watch the Columbia bridge; also said
that the other men of their party would be ready
at any" time set for the start. The slave owner
said that he did not care to see the three men who
were to go to the Columbia bridge as he thought
they had but little chance of success and he au
thorized the two men to see that they went, and
for them and the other three of their party to
meet him on the north side of the cemetery at
124

A SLAVE HUNT
one hour after night and they would go to the
Wheeling bridge.
The party all assembled on time and then
took the Wheeling road to the northeast for the
bridge. There had been an agreed signal between
the pretended slave owner and his confederates
tvith bombs so he could locate their places, so when
the bridge watching party got to the deep hollow
of Indian creek, a deep loud voice some way to one
side said — "Who goes there?" The men stopped
and listened for some time but nothing more was
heard. The leader turned to his posse and said
— "Did you let it be known that we were going
on this hunt?" They all said that they had not.
He rode around and called several times but there
was no response.
They then rode ahead and after passing sev
eral miles came to where the second station was
located when from out of the woods to one side
of the road in a deep sounding voice came the
second challenge — "Who goes there?" The party
stopped and the leader said in a loud voice "Who
are you that you demand who we are ?" He wait
ed for some time but there was no more sound
heard. The leader after locating the place well
turned to his men and asked if they thought it
could be possible that the abolitionists would at
tempt to defeat their plans. They all said they
125

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
did not think they had any idea of their move
ments. The leader said it was strange indeed that
they should have been twice stopped by such an
unearthly sound.
They rode on in silence to the bridge, crossed
over it and went on watch on the north side, keep
ing the horses close at hand so they could mount
if they needed to in a moment, as the slave owner
told them the slaves would run and that there were
two desperate characters in the lot. The brave
slave owner had them watch closely. He would
walk up and down both banks of the river pre
tending to be watching everything. Finally he
came running up the bank and said — "Boys get
on your horses. I am certain there is something
going on. I heard a noise as of men slipping
through the brush !" At this time one of his con
federates called out — "Halt! dismount, let two
men hold the horses! Get into line; shoulder
arms!" At this time one of the bombs near the
horses went off. The leader called — "Get over the
bridge boys, the abolitionists will blow it down."
At this another bomb exploded near them; this
put the horses in a fearful panic and they went
across the bridge at a great gait.
Soon the bombs on the north side exploded.
The men were on the go and it was a half mile be
fore the leader could stop them. Shaming them
126

A SLAVE HUNT
for such cowardice, they stopped and listened and
hearing nothing marched on to where the last
voice was heard, as they went to the bridge, and
were listening; then the two bombs at this point
were exploded within a few feet of them. After
this there was no more halt and the man who fired
the two bombs at Indian creek said he could not
tell that they went any faster, as they were at top
speed when they got to him. The leader tried to
keep up calling to them to stop. They did not heed
him for they had seen and heard enough for one
night and ran all the way back to Princeton.
In 1865 a captain of the 143d Indiana regi
ment who for years after the war lived at and near
Francisco, Indiana, and later moved west, while
seated on the capital steps at Nashville, Tennesee,
gave me the data for the above story. He said he
was never so thoroughly frightened in his whole
life as when the big bombs commenced to go off ;
it sounded as though the infernal regions had
broken loose. Who the five men were who had
charge of the bombs he never could learn but al
ways believed that they lived in the Stormont and
Carithers neighborhood northeast of Princeton.
As he expressed it, it broke him of "sucking eggs"
and if any of the other four men ever tried to
catch a runaway negro afterward he never heard
of it. 127

CHAPTER XIII

GEORGE STURGES
Two young fishermen who were in the em
ploy of the Anti-Slavery League at Evansville,
had an arrangement with George Sturges who
lived near Spottsville, on Green River, to work for
them of nights when he could get away. Early
one night as George was going to see some negroes
that he was at work with to help them gain their
freedom, he came across five negroes who were
going to the Ohio river and aimed to cross it.
George told them that they had better follow him
and he would take them to a place where they
would be taken over and put in the hands of peo
ple who would see that they went to Canada. This
they readily agreed to. When they reached the
river opposite the City of Evansville, they could
not see any light on the water. George hid the
fugitives on the bank of the river in some brush
and weeds, then went down the river looking for
some way to cross it. He came to where two free
negroes with a skiff who had been at a negro fan
dango on the south side, and persuaded them to
set him over the river. He soon was at the fish
erman's room (where he had been many times be-
128

GEORGE STURGES
fore) and had two skiffs after the fugitives. When
they got back to the city they took the two women
and three men to a negroe's home that they had
always found willing to do all that he could to help
his race. This man was Mr. Willard Carpenter's
hostler and carriage driver. Mr. Carpenter was a
very strong antUslavery man and had told his
hostler that he would aid a run away slave
if they came to him for help. This hostler
had told the fishermen what Mr. Carpenter
had said. They had him tell Mr. Carpenter
about the five fugitives at his home who want
ed to go north, and see if he would let him
have one of his teams and wagon to take them
as far as one days journey. Mr. Carpenter said
that he could have the teams if he would do as he
dictated. This was agreed to, then Mr. Carpen
ter wrote a letter to Mr. Isaac Street telling him
that he sent the five negroes to him to hide until
he (Street) could have an opportunity to send
them farther north. Willard Carpenter and Isaac
Street had laid out the town of Dongola. Mr. Street
lived there and had a small store. He and his
good wife, Aunt Rachel, were Quakers and friends
to the poor slaves. Mr. Street had helped to hide
several bunches of runaway negroes. During the
day Mr. Carpenter had his hostler get the wagon
in shape with plenty of hay for beds. As soon as
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
it was night the negroes were loaded in and a
heavy tarpaulin was spread over the wagon. The
driver had driven Mr. Carpenter several times
over the road from Evansville to Dongola, and was
well acquainted with the route. It was an all night
drive of full thirty miles and it was coming day
when the negroes got to Mr. Street's and were
placed in the cellar that was under the store room.
At the time the negroes were getting out of the
wagon there was a man that had some fishhooks
set out at the river bank only a little ways from
Mr. Street's house who passed and saw several
people, but it was too dark to give any descrip
tion of their color or sex. This fisherman went
back to the town and related what he had seen.
About noon that day two local negro hunters that
lived near Princeton, Indiana, were in Dongola
with an advertisement of five negroes — three men
and two women that had run away from Hender
son county, Kentucky, offering a reward of sev
enty-five dollars for each of the fugitives. It was
but a little time until the report that the fisher
men gave out about seeing so many people getting
out of the wagon at Street's reached those
brave slave hunters and they made many boastful
threats of what they would do to the old Quaker
for harboring slaves and hiding them from their
masters. Some one told these brave fellows that
130

GEORGE STURGES
the men that got out of the wagon were all armed
with rifles; this put a little damper on the negro
hunters and they said that they expected that it
would be best for them to get the sheriff before
they attempted to go into Street's house, but they
would go there and make the demand, and if he
refused to give the runaways up they would go
for the sheriff. Word was sent to Thomas Hart
to come and bring a gun. Mr. Basil Simpson was
lame and had learned the shoemaker's trade, he
lived near the Dongola bridge, and was a full-
fledged abolitionist and entered into the coming
fun by taking or sending his rifle to Street's house.
They had four guns there and when the men
got within about twenty feet of the store door
where Mr. Street was standing they said that
by the authority the fugitive slave law gave
them, they demanded of him to bring forth any
fugitives from slavery that he was harboring and
deliver them up to them under the pain of be
ing arrested and put in prison. About this time
the muzzles of four black rifles were thrust out of
the two windows! At sight of the guns the two
brave men did some sprinting that has never been
equaled in this "neck of woods" before or since.
They ran to where their horses were hitched and
were on the road home in a short time. That
night Thomas Hart and Wesley Simpson piloted
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
the three negro men to Dr. Posey's coal bank.
The two women were sisters and sisters of two of
the men. One of the women was sick and un
able to go. Aunt Rachel said that she would take
care of them. The woman became so very sick
that Dr. Samuel D. McCullough was called in.
The doctor was from South Carolina and at that
time, no doubt, was pro-slavery in his sentiments.
The situation was explained to him and he was re
quested to say nothing. The doctor said that a
true physician never revealed a secret intrusted
to him. The sick woman got better and was
able to sit up. One afternoon Aunt Rachel thought
it would be good for the convalescent to take a
walk at the back of the house in her garden by
the sister aiding her. During the time the two
women were in the garden a woman from over the
river in Pike county was at Mr. Street's store
trading and saw them. After she got home she
was relating to the family what she had seen. At
that time a young man of their acquaintance was
there. He had the reputation of being in many
negro hunting expeditions. He soon excused him
self and went away. The woman of the house
was surprised at his action; she did not think
about the negro women being slaves. Robert
Hawthorn at that time had a large saw mill about
three miles north of Dongola, on the Evansville
132

GEORGE STURGES
and Petersburg road and he had among his hands
two young men who had been in many bridge
watching and negro hunting scrapes, with Jack
Kinman and others. The young man that left so
hurriedly after learning of the two negro women
being at Mr. Street's, went directly to Mr. Haw
thorn's mill to see the two young men above men
tioned. This trio made arrangements to raid Mr.
Street's home the next night. One of the men
was to see Jack Kinman and have him bring some
help as they wanted eight or ten men. They
aimed to meet on the road on the top of Slickum
Hill at eight o'clock the next evening. Mitch Quig-
gins was Mr. Hawthorn's engineer. The young
men made their plans in his presence as they ex
pected him to go with them ; but he excused him
self as he was worked down, and asked them to
get some one else. Mr. Quiggins was in sympathy
with the anti-slavery people and as soon as he got
a chance he explained everything to Mr. Haw
thorn, where the men were to meet and what they
aimed to do. At that time Wesley Simpson was
hauling sawlogs with a team of three yoke of
cattle for the mill. Mr. Hawthorn had Wesley
to put his team in the barn, and get out a horse
and saddle it to ride to his home and tell his fath
er, Basil Simpson, to meet him at the point where
the Winslow and Kirk's mill road is crossed by
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
the Evansville and Petersburg road at 7 o'clock
that evening and to stay at home the next day as
he would be needed by his father ; but say noth
ing of what he was told. Mr. Simpson was at the
appointed place and met Mr. Hawthorn who told
him of the coming raid. It was decided that
word would be sent to Thomas Hart and my fath
er that night; also to Pink Adkins and Hiram
Knight. My father sent me early the next morn
ing to Mr. Street to do some trading in his store.
I met Mr. Street, Thomas Hart and Mr. Simpson.
We resolved in our meeting that we would not
kill or cripple any one unless we had to to save our
selves, and that we would black our faces with
wet powder to make them believe we were Cherry
Grove free negroes. The same boys that were
with us in the Jerry Sullivan raid at the Dongola
bridge, Wm. B. Dill and Thomas Medcalf, were
still working for us and would go that night.
There was a man named Obadiah Naley who had
drifted to Dongola with the workers on the Wa
bash and Erie Canal. This man claimed to be a
Quaker and made his home at Mr. Street's. He
was a very handy man with tools and owned a fine
assortment of them so that he could do any kind
of work in wood. He was quite a musician and
had a very large assortment of musical instru
ments from a big brass drum to a fife and many
134

GEORGE STURGES
of them he had made. In the collection he had
seven or eight different patterns of dumb bulls.
These instruments made the most terrible noise
of any thing that I had ever heard before. Obadiah
also had a flambeau arrangement that he called a
kicking machine ; this was a very complete affair.
After being set in motion it was automatic in its
actions. There was a strong square frame and
twenty-four bent bows fastened to the bottom part
of the frame. They were bent and fastened to the
top of the frame with a string. On the end of
each of the bows, there was a ball of some kind
of twine saturated with an inflamable liquid. The
only thing to do to set this machine in motion,
was to set fire to the string that held the top end
of the first bow, this soon burned in two, but not
before it set the ball on fire. As soon as the string
was in two the bow discharged the great ball of
snapping fire thirty or forty feet in front of where
it set. The first ball set the string to the second
bow on fire and it thus continued until all the 24
were discharged. The inflamable ball seemed to
come all to pieces and made a burning ball as large
as a bushel basket. This flambeau machine was
loaded and set near the corner of the storebuilding
and firing it was to be Aunt Rachel's job. The
Wabash & Erie canal run within about 75 yards
of the store and had about four feet of water in
135

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
it ; the tow-path was on the north side of the canal
at this point and was about 40 feet from the little
store, and the same distance from the kicking
machine. Obadiah said that the two negro women
and Mr. Street could help him with the music.
The rest of the crowd, eight in number, would be
(with our faces black as coal) in the garden with
guns, for fear they might be in such number as to
attempt to capture all of us. As soon as it was
dark we were in our places. Mr. Simpson was the
oldest man in the crowd and we chose him to
take charge of the young men. Thomas Hart
asked that he be placed near the bridge so that
he could let us know when they crossed it, and
how many there were. We did not have long to
wait until we heard them crossing the bridge.
Mr. Hart rushed up to where we lay and said that
they would be there in two minutes and he thought
there were twelve in the crowd. They come up the
tow-path of the canal in true military style, two
and two ; when they got in front of the store they
halted and all faced the store house. One man
dismounted and said in a loud voice: "I will see
if Mr. Street is at home." As soon as he started
toward the house the most awful noise com
menced ! Obadiah had the dumb bulls in full blast ;
this made the horses skittish. The man on foot
halted and turned back to his horse which he
136

GEORGE STURGES
mounted. The noise was so terrible that you could
not have heard a cannon if one had been fired
there. In a minute or two the kicking machine
went into action ! The first ball of fire fell among
the horses and raised a great scuffle. The next
one hit a horse and it reared straight up and threw
its rider. The next two came close together and
the horses stampeded, some into the canal and
others down the tow-path whence they had come.
There were four of the men that had control of
their horses and were still near the store. At
the sight of these men staying, Mr. Simpson or
dered our men into line. At the sight of so many
guns these fellows left in a hurry. We had our
horses and were after them. Obadiah as soon as
he was done with his part of the music got his
gun and one of Street's horses and was soon up
with us. When we got to the bridge we saw a lot
of horsemen gathered in a bunch. Our command
er said: "boys go for them," and we went! We
ran them to Hawthorn's mill. We did not want
to catch up with them, but wanted to show these
bullies that they did not have it all their way.
The two women were in Aunt Rachel's care
for more than a month. There were three men,
two women and three children, sent to our barn
cellar by Mr. Hansen from the station at Evans
ville, with the request that they be sent to Dr.
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Posey's coal bank as soon as it was possible to
get them there without running too much risk.
We sent word to Aunt Rachel that we would be
there at a certain time, and could take the two
women if they were ready. When we got to Mr.
Simpson's we found the two women and Aunt
Rachel with them. She told them goodby with
many good wishes for a successful journey. By
midnight they were in Dr. Posey's coal bank and
by that time the next night they were at one of
the stations in northern Daviess county.
George was sent to Henderson, Ky., by his
master with a load of tobacco. On going through
the suburbs of Henderson, he passed by his moth
er's sister's little house. When his aunt saw him
she came out to the wagon ringing her hands and
crying. She told him that her children, John and
Jane, had been sold to a cotton planter in the
lower Mississippi country and that they just had
that day to be with her before they were taken
away. George did some quick thinking. John
and Jane came out to the wagon. George said to
the family, "If I help you will you swear that you
will never give me away?" They readily gave the
assurance. John and Jane were full grown peo
ple and belonged to a man different from the one
that owned their mother. They had all their lives,
since they could remember, worked in a tobacco
138

GEORGE STURGES
stemmery. George asked John, "do you remember
the big oak tree that stands at the place where
we caught the big coon that killed your little dog ?"
John said that he did. "If you and Jane will be
there at 9 o'clock tonight, I will put you over the
river and in the hands of friends who will send
you to Canada. Will you be there?" After a
hurried conversation with their mother they said
they would be there. George said that it was not
best for them to be seen talking together too
much. He told his aunt if anyone came to inquire
for John and Jane after they started to tell them
that they were visiting some friends in another
part of the town. It was late when George got
home. That he might have a good excuse to get
away he left his coat hid in a convenient place.
He told his master that he had lost his coat, and
asked him to give a patrol pass and let him go
and look for it. This his master agreed to do. It
was several miles to the appointed place of meet
ing and George wanted to get there as early as
possible so that John and Jane would not be afraid
when they got there. George did not have long
to wait. It was not more than 9 o'clock when they
set out for the Ohio river about 6 miles away.
When they got there, they found that there were
no skiffs. George had an agreed signal with the
fishermen, (who at that time of night and up
139

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
to 12 o'clock would be looking out for signals).
They usually run their lines and took off the
catch just before midnight and rebaited their
hooks. George set a turpentine ball on fire and
threw it up into the air. This was answered from
the middle of the river and in a little while the
skiff was at the bank and the two refugee's were
taken on board. George went over with them as
he wanted to see what he could do for his cousins.
George was put back over the river and it was
nearly daylight when he got to his little shanty.
He did not go to bed, but went to the barn and fed
his team as he was sure he would have to haul a
load of tobacco to Henderson that day. The hands
that were stripping tobacco soon had George's
wagon loaded. This gave him an early start for
Henderson. When he got to where his aunt lived,
she came out and he told her about John and
Jane being in safe hands. This was good news.
She said that soon after the children left the
house, the man that had bought them came for
them saying that a steam boat would be there in
one hour and that they would go on it to their
new home. She told him that they said they
were going to bid some of their friends goodby,
that they were expecting to stay all night with
her. This seemed to enrage the brute, and he
said, what was the difference whether they stayed
140

GEORGE STURGES
all night with her or not? She told him that she
was their mother. "Yes," he said, "the cow is the
mother of the calf, but that did not stop its be
ing led to the butcher's block. The cow nor the
calf have nothing to do in the case ; they both be
long to an owner, that is the same with negroes.
They have nothing to say or do in the matter.
They are property and belong to different owners.
I will probably be detained here a week or more
just to give my property a chance to say goodby
to a lover." The owner, Mr. Jerry, waited there un
til the boat had passed and said that he would be
there in the morning at 6 o'clock and he wanted
her to have the children ready to go to jail as he
would put them there for safe keeping until he had
another chance to get away for home. The mother
spent the night in dread. She was anxious about
the children and was in fear of what the man
might do to her. It was just six when she was
called to the door by a loud knock. She found two
men standing there one with two pair of hand
cuffs and the other with a coil of rope in his hands.
Mr. Jerry said for her to send the children out.
She told him they had not come back yet. This
made that slave bully so mad that he struck her
a blow with the hand cuffs showing a bad wound
on the side of her head. The other man whom
she thought was the jailer told Mr. Jerry to stop,
141

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
that the woman was the property of another man
and he had no right to hurt her without his con
sent. They went away, Mr. Jerry swearing venge
ance against her and said that if she did not tell
where the children were in hiding, "I will buy
you from your master and put in my time tortur
ing you when I get you to my home." George
asked her why she did not run away too. She
asked him how she could. He told her that it
would be easy. "Did John leave any of his clothes
there?" She said that both of the children had
bundles of clothing in the house that they aimed
to take with them south. "Now aunt you select a
suit that fits you best and black your face and
hands (she was a very bright mulatto) and put
up a small bundle of your clothes that you would
need most." And said that he would be back in
about two hours and when she saw him coming
to start down the street the way he was going,
with her small bundle under her arm and he would
pick her up and carry her away. This woman
lived alone with a very vicious dog for protection,
that she fed well just before she started, locking
him in the house. Mr. Jerry did not seem to
think that his negroes had run away, but thought
they were in hiding with some other negroes who
did not want them to go ; and he thought that by
desperate threats to the mother she would reveal
142

GEORGE STURGES
their hiding place. When George had his tobacco
unloaded he started for home and as he was near
his aunt's house he saw a black negro man come
out of her gate and start along the street the way
he was going; he drove slow until he got by all
the houses and had come to the country where
there was no house near. He then overtook his
aunt. He could hardly believe his eyes for she
did not look in any way like her, but looked like
a strong black field hand. She got into the wagon
and he said to her that he was nearly dead for
sleep and would have to be up all that night and
asked her to drive for him and let him lay down
on the quilts that he had over the tobacco and
sleep until he got to the little red church then for
her to awaken him. The roads forked there. It
was as much as two hours before they came to
the church. As the woman drove very slow and
George was sleeping so soundly she thought best
to put in all the time she could to let him sleep.
The two consulted together how best to proceed.
They concluded that it would be best for his aunt
to go with George until he got near the farm, then
to hide her in a thicket that was near his master's
fence and for her to stay there until it was dark
when he would come with one of his master's gen
tle horses that he intended to steal out, and take
her up behind him and hurry to the Ohio river
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
opposite Evansville. It was after sundown when
George got his team put away and fed, and night
before he had his supper. As soon as he thought
it safe he slipped to the barn and got out and sad
dled one of the best horses on the farm and was
soon at the thicket where his aunt was concealed,
got her on the horse behind him and went away
for the river. When he got there he found that
by the light in the skiff that they were near the
southern shore. He used the signal and was soon
answered and a skiff was heard grating on the
gravel just below where they stood. One of the
fishermen came up the bank and George told him
that this negro was his aunt in disguise and the
mother of John and Jane. The fisherman told the
mother that her children were still there and she
should go to them and that the next night they
would be sent north. George was soon on the
road for home where he arrived about midnight.
He got the horse back in the barn without a mis
hap and was soon asleep. George was up early
and had his team fed and groomed and was ready
for the trip to Henderson with a load of tobacco.
When he got near his aunt's little house, he saw
that the front door was down and the little fence
in front was all broken down. Coming to the build
ing he saw his aunt's big dog lying dead and there
was evidence of a terrible scuffle. There was a
144

Dr. ANDREW LEWIS.
A Member of the Executive Committee of the Anti-Slavery
League.

GEORGE STURGES
coat sleeve and half of the breast of a coat all
covered with blood also a large piece of a shirt,
with blood all over it. When George got to the
tobacco house he learned that Mr. Jerry and a man
he had hired to help him, had gone to his aunt's
house and found the door locked. They got a
heavy piece of timber and broke the hinges and
the door fell down. The big dog first caught
Jerry by the left breast and tore out a large piece
of flesh to the bone. The next grab he made was
for the face and tore nearly all of one cheek and
one ear off. The dog would have killed his vic
tim if some men passing had not helped him. They
killed the dog with a heavy bludgeon. This bully
had acted so domineering that there were but
few who regretted his misfortune. The negroes
around the tobacco factory were all showing an
extra amount of ivory. George felt that the dog
had avenged his aunt for the brutal lick that
Jerry had given her with the handcuffs. The
dogbitten man was very bad off and had sent to
Mississippi for his brother who was a partner in
the large cotton farm. The brother came and was
said to be more brutal and domineering than his
brother was. He went into a rigid examination
to find some clue as to what had become of the
two slaves that his brother had bought. George
had finished hauling tobacco to Henderson sev-
145

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
eral days, and was in the big barn of his master
with some twenty other hands, packing tobacco
in hogsheads and prizing it, when three or four
men rode up, got off their horses, and came into
the bam and inquired for George Sturges. He
was in a hogshead at the time putting tobacco into
it. They went up to the hogshead and told him
to get out. They caught his hands and tied them
behind his back. Two little white girls were at
the barn and saw them tie George; they ran
to the house and told Mrs. Jones, George's mis
tress what they had seen. She ran up to the barn
just as they were getting ready to start way. She
went to George and with a sharp knife cut the
cord that held his hands. The brother of the
wounded man told her that he would make her
pay a fine for what she had done. She told him
that if he did not get off the premises, she would
have her slaves tie him to a post; that if George
had done anything he should be punished for it;
but the evidence must be forthcoming before they
could take a man's liberties from him. She sent
one of the hands to the house for her father who
was at that time on a visit to his daughters. He
was a fine looking middle aged man and was a
Judge of the Federal Court for the district of
Eastern Kentucky. He asked Jerry to show his
authority for arresting the negro. He said he had
146

GEORGE STURGES
no direct evidence more than the people that are
missing were his relatives and all they intended
doing was to take him to the Henderson jail and
try by torture to make him tell what he knew
about the disappearance of the slaves his brother
had bought and also of their mother. The Judge
told them that before they had a right to do any
thing they had to have evidence of his guilt. There
was a great deal of excitement in that part of
Kentucky. George felt that he had done about
all that he could do, except to gain his own free
dom. He liked his master and mistress. They
were good to him and he did not want them to
have the loss of his value. His master had been
offered $1500 for him many times. There was
one other slave named Rube Long that was owned
by George's master that he wanted to help liber
ate. These two negroes found out that there was
to be a slave trader in the neighborhood soon, (no
class of men were so thoroughly hated by both
white and black as these slave traders; they had
done so many mean things that they had incurred
this hatred from all) . George told his master and
mistress one night that he wanted them to sell
him and Rube, and that he could get fifteen hun
dred dollars each for them. His master wanted to
know if he was tired of living on the farm. George
told him no, that he liked them so much that he
147

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
would not do them any harm, that he and Rube
had seen the slave trader and told him that they
wanted him to purchase them and take them south
and that it would take three thousand dollars to
get them, which the slave trader told them he
would give if there was no mortgage on them.
The slave trader came to see Mr. Jones and told
him he would like to purchase the two likely ne
groes and that he would give him three thousand
dollars for the two. Mr. Jones said that he hated
to sell them but he would let him have them. The
papers were drawn up and a clean bill of sale was
drawn up by Mr. Jones and the cash paid for it.
There was to be a boat at the Spottsville Land
ing the next evening at 9 o'clock to take them to
Evansville where they would be shipped on a
large boat for the far south at 12 o'clock that
night. The slave trader had made arrangements
with George and Rube to help him watch the ne
groes and help him keep them in a body when they
were unloaded at Evansville. In all there were
sixteen negroes. George and Rube went among
the slaves and told them to do as they directed
them, that it would be for their interest. When
the little boat got to Evansville the negroes were
unloaded on to a wharf boat and all huddled up in
one corner with George and Rube guarding them.
It would be two hours before the big steam-boat
148

GEORGE STURGES
would be there. The slave trader came to the ne
groes huddled in the corner of the wharf boat,
and told them to stay there and do as George and
Rube told them to, that he was going up in town
to get some supper and something to drink and
that he would bring them some whiskey when he
came back, which would be before the steamer
was due. As soon as Rube and George were sat
isfied that he was gone they told the negroes to
follow them that they intended to see that they
went to Canada and to freedom. George ran
ahead and found one of the fishermen who gave
him the names of several negro families that
had helped them often in hiding negroes. There
was an old unused coal mine in the southwest
part of the city that was dry and would hold a
hundred men ; if they could hide them in the city
until a late hour of the night, they then could take
them in squads to the coal mine. Mr. Hansen was
in the City and the fishermen conferred with him.
He advised that they be taken to the coal bank
and kept there until the next night when they
would be sent north. When the slave trader got
back to the wharf boat he was pretty full and he
was not certain where he had left the negroes. He
found P. G. O'Riley the owner of one of the wharf
boats and soon got into a row with him. O'Riley
had a policeman to take charge of him and put him
149

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
in the cooler. The next morning when he was sober
he told the Mayor, Wm. Baker, that he had 16 ne-
gros that he left in charge of two trusted negro
men and that he did not know what had become of
them. One of the wharf boat hands was there
for a witness against the slave trader for raising
a row with P. G. O'Riley. He told the mayor
that when the big New Orleans boat got to the
wharf, that two negro men marched a dozen or
more negroes on to that boat. The mayor advised
him to take the next boat and follow his slaves.
Mr. Hansen was a little solicitous about get
ting so many negroes in one bunch away to the
north without some trouble. He knew that it
would probably be ten days before the slave own
er of the sixteen men would get back to Evans
ville on the hunt for his slaves and up to that
time there would be no inquiry about them as it
was thought they had gone on the steamer that
the wharf boat clerk said he had seen them go
on. Mr. Hansen during the next morning met
with Dr. Andrew Lewis of Princeton, who was in
the city. They were well acquainted and under
stood each other. The E. & T. H. Railroad was
then building from Princeton to Vincennes, and
was some distance over White river. Mr. Hansen
hoped that he could charter a freight car
that would take him and two guards and sixteen
150

GEORGE STURGES
negroes over White river, then he could take them
to a secure station east of Vincennes. Hansen was
not acquainted with Judge Hall the president of
the railroad, so he approached Dr. Lewis and
asked him what he thought the prospects would
be to charter a stock car and have it leave Evans
ville after night. The doctor told Hansen to leave
that to him and he would meet him at an agreed
place. Dr. Lewis was well acquainted with Mr.
Hall's anti-slavery principles and had no trouble
in getting the car. Mr. Hansen was to take his
saddle horse and two guards, a horse each in the
car. They made a partition in one end of the
car so that the fugitives could not be seen by the
conductor or anyone else and made strong stalls
in the other end for their three horses. There
was to be a lot of material for the road sent up
early that night and the car with the stock was
to go with that train. This was done and Mr.
Hansen's car was put on a new switch some miles
north of Decker Station. At a late hour that night
the stock and fugitives were unloaded and hur
ried to the refuge station.
This was the last of George Sturges as far
as the author knows. He was a true man to his
race and was honorable. His master and mis
tress had been good to him and he did not intend
that they should lose his value and that of Rube's,
151

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
as both of them had resolved to go north and to
freedom, so they took their time and when they
learned that a slave trader was in that section,
they went to see him and made him believe that
they wanted to go south. They set a price on
themselves and got his promise that he would
see their master the next day and buy them. They
then went to their master and pleaded with him
to sell them. The master knew that they did not
want to go south and thought that it might be
best for him to get their value while he could, so
he sold them. Mr. Hansen said that George told
him that if the slave trader had kept with them
and given them no chance to give him the slip,
they intended to kill him and throw him into the
river.

152

CHAPTER XIV

DR. JOHN W. POSEY AND REV. ELDRIDGE
HOPKINS RELEASING KIDNAPPED
NEGROES
Along in the early part of the fifties two free
negro men who lived in northern Kentucky, not
far from Rockport, Indiana, had been working on
the Wabash and Erie canal between Washington
and Terre Haute, for some time, and had de
termined to go to their homes and had got as
far as Washington on their way there when they
fell in with a man who seemed very friendly to
them asking them where they were going. When
they told him he told them that he and a friend
of his were going in the same direction nearly to
the Ohio river in a wagon and that if they want
ed to they could go with them and it would not
cost them anything for the ride ; that they would
have provisions with them for the trip and they
could assist in preparing it but that they would
not be ready to start before three or four in the
afternoon. The offer was a very favorable one to the
two negroes and they gladly accepted it and said
they would be at an agreed point at the south
153

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
side of Washington, where the two men with the
wagon found them.
They took the Petersburg road and it was
late in the evening when they crossed the White
river at the ferry. Mr. John Stucky, who crossed
at the same time, knew one of the white men and
at once suspected what he was up to but could not
draw him into a conversation and could not get a
chance to talk to the colored men as he had hold
of his horse. He heard them tell the ferryman
that they would stay all night in a wagon yard in
Petersburg. After they were over, the wagon
traveled pretty fast. Mr. Stucky did not keep up
with it and reached Petersburg some time after it
had put up at the wagon yard. Stucky hunted up
Dr. John W. Posey, who was the father of Hon.
Frank B. Posey, and told him about the white
men and negroes that were stopping at the wagon
yard. The doctor at once understood the situa
tion and sent a spy to the wagon yard to see what
he could find out. The spy soon reported that he
found them eating supper and that a noted hotel
keeper was some distance away engaged in con
versation with one of the men.
He talked with the negroes, who said that
their homes were in Kentucky and that these
men were letting them ride in the wagon most of
the way. They had no evidence but the doctor re-
154

RELEASING KIDNAPPED NEGROES
solved to have a watch kept and have the wagon
followed up to see what developments might come.
About two hours before day the guard who had
been on watch came hurriedly to the doctor's home
and told him they were ready to start and had
their team hitched to a three seated express
wagon and that the hotel man was with them and
two other fellows whom he did not know. The
doctor had three horses saddled and sent for a
neighbor to ride one of them and one of his hired
hands rode another and the doctor the third one.
All three were armed. They sent the guard back
to watch and report but the express and men had
gone. Mr. Posey and the other men hurried on
after them on the Winslow road but did not over
take them as they had passed through Winslow
a little after sunrise and thirty minutes ahead of
the pursuing party. They followed on after them
meeting a man about two miles south of Winslow
who said he had met the express about one mile
south of where they were and that they had two
runaway negroes tied together. As there were
only three of them and four of the kidnappers
and it was supposed that men on such a business
would go well armed, they did not feel as if they
had an equal chance, but they knew that justice
was on their side so they resolved to follow on
and when they stopped they would find some one
155

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
legally qualified to try the case and liberate the
poor negroes.
About this time they met Rev. Eldridge Hop
kins who told them that he passed the express
but a short mile south of where they were and
they inquired of him if he could tell them
where there was a spring as they wanted to eat
an early dinner and feed their horses as they were
getting fatigued. Hopkins thought nothing of it
as men with runaway negroes were a common oc
curence in those days. Dr. Posey told Rev. Hop
kins, with whom he was well acquainted, the situ
ation and Hopkins, who was in favor of justice
and was good grit all the way through, offered
to pilot them around the men if they stopped to
feed so that they would be in front of them and
could go to a Justice of the Peace on the road a
few miles ahead and have papers prepared to stop
them and release the negroes.
Coming to the road at the point Hopkins in
tended, they found that the express had not
passed, but they learned that the squire they
wanted was away from home and before they
could find a legal light who could give them the
right to stop the kidnappers they got into War
rick county, where a writ was secured. When the
express came up a constable halted them and
marched them into a Justice's court. At first the
156

RELEASING KIDNAPPED NEGROES
kidnappers were disposed to threaten but by this
time a number of men had gathered around
in front of them. These fellows were completely
nonplussed by the action of Dr. Posey. The two
negroes were brought into court and told their
story. Dr. Posey retold what the colored men told
his man the night before while one of the white
men was eating supper with them. The crowd
was very much in sympathy with the two unfor
tunates. The man who claimed to own them showed a
hand bill giving a perfect description of the two
men and offering a reward of two hundred dollars
for their recapture dated at a point in Tennesee
some weeks before. This hand bill was no doubt
printed at Washington the day before, while these
negroes were waiting for their new found friends.
Things now began to look pretty bad for the poor
negroes. Hopkins was a ready talker and he vol
unteered to defend them and made a telling speech
in which he had the sympathy of all not interest
ed. The old Justice was against the negroes and
he decided that they were nearly all slaves and
those who claimed their homes in a slave state
were all slaves and whereas their owner had pro
duced a notice of them that had a perfect de
scription and dated several weeks before he would
157

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
let him (the supposed owner) go with his proper
ty. This infuriated Hopkins and he told Dr.
Posey that he would see that the men did not get
over the Ohio river with the negroes. While Mr.
Hopkins and Dr. Posey were having a consulta
tion, Mr. Hopkins discovered that he had his foot
on the hub of a wheel of the express the kidnap
pers had come in and saw that the wheels were
held on with linch pins and that he could easily
get one of them out, which he did and put it in
his pocket. It was decided that it was best for
the doctor and his two men to return home. Hop
kins said that in that crowd he could find all the
men he wanted to go with him on the raid so hav
ing chosen them they secured arms and were
soon on the go.
Starting off in an easterly direction they
soon found a road which brought them to the
Boonville road and found that the express had not
passed. They took powder and made themselves
as black as Nubians ; no one would have recognized
them. Mr. Hopkins thought that the express
might get some distance before the wheel would
come off.
They waited for a time but finally started up
the road and saw the express with one wheel off
about one mile south of where the old squire lived.
158

RELEASING KIDNAPPED NEGROES
When they got close to the express they rushed
up hurriedly and demanded to know what they
had the negroes tied for. The negroes told them
that they were kidnapped. The rescuing party
leveled their guns at the three white men and
made them hold up their hands. One of them had
gone back to look for the linchpin. The negroes
were untied and the white men searched for
guns. They found three old pepper box revolvers
of a pattern of that date and several knives. They
also found a fine rifle in the bottom of the express.
The negroes were made to tie the three men and
they all sat down out of sight until the fourth
man came back when he was also tied. They then
organized a stump court martial to try the kidnap
pers. The negroes first told their story as has been
above related. The four men were told that they,
one at a time could tell their side of the case. The
would-be owner produced the hand bills that Dr.
Posey told Mr. Hopkins were made in Washing
ton. Mr. Hopkins who was the leading spokesman
told them that this was the case and said that that
was the worst feature in it.
The court after hearing all the evidence de
cided that all four of them should die, for such
villainy was a menace to good order and the peace
of society but told them that any one of them
159

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
who would tell the whole truth should live. At this
one of the men commenced to weaken when the
leader told him to remember the oath he took
when he was hired and the penalty if he violated
that obligation. At this Hopkins took the fellow
who seemed ready to tell something away from
the rest and where they could not hear and told
him that if he would tell the whole truth that his
life would be spared. On this assurance he told
all he knew. He said that the pretended owner
lived at Washington, Indiana, and that it was in
tended to carry the negroes to Mississippi coun
try and sell them. He also said that they had
agreed to pay him and another man whom they
hired at Petersburg, one hundred dollars each to
go with them and watch the two negroes until
they were sold ; and that the team belonged to the
leader who pretended to own the negroes.
Mr. Hopkins took the man back to the party
and put the negroes guard over them. He then
re-assembled the court martial and they held an
other consultation after which he told the white
prisoners that they deserved to die for such vil
lainy but they did not want their blood on their
hands and had decided not to kill them, but they
intended to give them an object lesson they would
remember all the rest of their lives.
Hopkins took the leader and the two negroes
160

REV. ELDRIDGE HOPKINS.

RELEASING KIDNAPPED NEGROES
out in the woods some distance west of the road,
cut two good-sized hickory gads and told the ne
groes to give him twenty-five hard lashes each
which they did with a will. They untied the fel
low, who was evidently well whipped and told him
to go in a north-west direction and not to stop or
look back. Then he took the other man from
Washington and two negroes to the east side
of the road, cut two gads, gave him fifty
lashes, untied him and told him to go to the north
east and not to stop or look back under penalty
of being shot. The two men who had been hired
they gave ten lashes each and then turned them
loose toward Evansville. Mr. Hopkins and his
party held a final conference and then had the
negroes put the wheel on having given them the
linchpin. They decided to turn the team over to
the two negroes with the pepper box revolvers and
the rifle to defend themselves, deciding that they
had undergone enough torture to have all the
spoils. By this time it was an hour after dark.
The two darkies drove away and these rude but
just judges went to their homes.
Some ten days after the events above re
corded Mr. Hopkins went to Petersburg and visit
ed Dr. Posey. They sent a man to Washington
to find out what he could about the two villains
who attempted the kidnapping. He learned that
161

THE UNDERGROUND RAHROAD
they got back the day after they were so soundly
thrashed and reported they had fallen in with a
band of horse thieves who had beaten them fear
fully' and taken from them their team and every
thing else they had.
Some time after this Mr. Hopkins was work
ing for the company that built the first steam
mill in Oakland City getting out rock for the foun
dation. In tamping a charge of powder it went
off prematurely and came very near putting his
eyes out. He remained for three weeks at my
father's home perfectly blind, but otherwise in
the best of health. During that time he related
this story to my father giving all the details ex
cept the names of any but Dr. Posey. My father
and Dr. Posey were friends and he asked the
doctor about it. The doctor said that it was the
best planned expedition of the kind that he had
ever heard of and to the Rev. Eldridge Hopkins
three-fourths of the credit was due for its success
ful ending.

162

CHAPTER XV

JOHN BUND AY WAS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE
ANTI-SLAVERY LEAGUE
After Jeff Lewis went to Canada, Job Turn
er was at a loss to know how he could be of any
service to the Anti-Slavery League. Jeff had told
Turner of a wide awake negro that lived near Cal
houn, Ky., named John Bunday, who he felt sure
would be true and competent to do the work.
Turner as well as others had found out that slaves
could do much better work and were safer than for
white men to do it. Every slave wanted his free
dom and when any one approached him on that
subject, he knew he was a friend and was working
for his good and if he was so situated by family or
otherwise that he could not go, he would keep
the secret safe. Turner went on with his ped-
ling and was showing his goods to some negro
woman near Calhoun, Ky., one day he heard one
negro woman say to another that John Bunday
would likely be sold to a man in Mississippi, as
his master owed a man there one thousand dol
lars. Turner asked the woman who John Bunday
was and where he was. She pointed out a man
daubing a shanty near by and said that he was
163

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
John Bunday and that he was the smartest man
on the farm. Turner went to the place where the
man was working and pretended to show him
some goods and said to him, "John I would like to
talk with you if we can get a chance to get togeth
er secretly." John asked him where he was to stay
that night. Turner told him at a hotel in Calhoun,
John told him at 9 o'clock he would pass the hotel
for his home, and if Turner was on the sidewalk
he would talk to him if there was no patrols
around. At 9 o'clock John come walking slowly
along the sidewalk and when he got up to where
Turner was he stopped. Turned said to him : "Jeff
Lewis said that you was a good fellow and would
do to trust and I would like to see you for an hour
or so where there is no danger of any one know
ing it." John replied: "The house you saw me
daubing is less than a quarter of a mile from here.
I will be there in twenty minutes. I feel that it
will be safe for you to come and see he there. If
I find that it is not safe, I will be sitting in the
door and the house lit up." Turner went to the
house along a little path as directed by John and
found the house dark and safe. Turner was a
little shy. John told him to feel free and safe
that he knew of Jeff's work, and he would do the
same kind of work and was ready to commence
at once. The only thing he asked as recompense
164

JOHN BUNDAY'S WORK
was that when he had done all that it was safe for
him to do that he might have a chance to get away
and take his sister with him. This was agreed to
and John said that he would do his first work be
tween Calhoun and Owensboro. Turner told John
that he would be on his return trip in ten days
and would come to his house that night and if he
had any travelers ready they would make arrange
ments for their northern march. John had been
hired out by his master in a section about half
way between Owensboro and Calhoun, and was
well acquainted with a negro preacher in that
section that had great influence with the colored
people. John dodged the patrols one night and
went .to see the preacher and found him willing
and anxious to help in the work. He told John
that the whole neighborhood would go. They talk
ed the matter over and agreed on ten men that
would try to get through. The preacher was to
see them and have them ready when he gave them
the word. John was to see the preacher the
night after Turner should see him. Turner came
to John's house at the time he said he would and
found out the wholesale drive that John and the
preacher were likely to have ready to go to Cana
da. It was agreed that there must be great cau
tion used as such a loss as ten laborers out of one
neighborhood would create a stir, and extra
165

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
efforts would be made to capture the fugitives.
They agreed on a meeting place about six miles
from Owensboro where the guards and guides
would be on the next Tuesday night. The
preacher had John to exact a promise from Turn
er that before winter set in, he, his wife and
a fifteen year old daughter should have a chance
to win their freedom by the underground route.
Tuesday night came aruond and five guards and
guides and ten negroes were on hand. The preach
er held a short prayer meeting, then shook hands
with all of them bidding them all to look to God
for the success of their undertaking. John and
the preacher returned to their respective homes,
the negroes and guards went to a place east of
Owensboro where two anti-slavery guards had a
fishing shack. They found two skiffs and although
they had to make two trips with the skiffs they
were soon on the north bank of the Ohio river.
They immediately started to march to the im
mense thicket about 10 miles north of the river
that has been a resting place for so many run
away negroes. They went into the thicket quite
a way ; it was a wild tangled mass of grape vines
hazlenut bushes and briers. The large timber
had all been blown down in a hurricane. It was
some time before day when they got into the
thicket though they could have gone several miles
166

JOHN BUNDAY'S WORK
further if there had been a suitable place to hide.
One of the guards that was acquainted with the
route went to see Mr. Caswell to make arrange
ments for the feeding of the fifteen people early
that evening, so that they could get to our barn
cellar before day the next morning. As soon as
the shades of night came on they were on the go.
The night was very dark which was fortunate for
them, for with many people on a road on a bright
night they would be seen by some one. When they
got near Mr. Caswell's farm, they met him with
two large baskets of food. It was thought best
not to go near the house. Mr. Hill was there and
enjoined the most perfect quiet on all, as a false
move might endanger their prospective liberties.
After supper was over they were on the march
along a small road that Mr. Hill was acquainted
with. Everything went well and it was an hour
before day when the fugitives got into our big
barn cellar. Mr. Hill made himself known and
my father told him that great caution was nec
essary, that the loss of so many negroes from one
neighborhood would raise a great commotion and
many men would be sent in all directions to hunt
for them. Mr. John Hanson was staying at our
house that night and was surprised when he found
out that ten negro men were in our cellar. The
five guards were in our barn-loft where our wheat
167

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
and hay was stored, resting. One of them was
all the time on guard looking out to see what went
on around our farm. Breakfast for the fugitives
was sent to the barn. Mr. Hill ate in our house.
My father, Mr. Hansen and Mr. Hill held a con
sultation to find what was best to do. One false
step would ruin all our calculations and endanger
our liberties. For two days before that we had been tramp
ing out wheat with horses on the barn floor over
the cellar and had piled the wheat in the chaff in
the center of the floor ready for the fanning mill.
The last floor full that we had tramped out with
horses had not been moved from the floor and
made a perfect screen for the cellar door. Every
thing went on as usual until just before noon six
men rode up to our house and called for my father
who came out to the men and found that he was
acquainted with one of them. (I now think it was
Mr. Williams. In the winter of 1861 just before
the battle of Ft. Donaldson, I was with my regi
ment at Calhoun, Ky. and during that time my
father visited me and we went to see this Mr.
Williams, who then was selling goods. I bought
a pair of boots from him). My father and Mr.
Williams had been friends during the flat-boating
period and both had run many boats to the lower
Mississippi country loaded with provisions. He
168

JOHN BUNDAY'S WORK
greeted my father very cordially and told him
that he was with quite a number of men looking
to see if they could find any clue to what had be
come of ten likely negro men that had disap
peared from the country between Calhoun and
Owensboro last Tuesday night. My father invit
ed Mr. Williams to get off his horse and come into
the house. He declined, faying there were too
many of them for a social visit; that they had
plenty of provisions for themselves in their saddle
bags, but they would like to get a good feed for
their tired horses. At that time what is now the
campus on which the Oakland City College build
ings stand was a feed lot that we used to fatten
our cattle in every fall and there were boxes on
posts for thirty or forty head to eat out of. In a
short time several more men rode up, Mr. Williams
explained to my father that when they all got in
there would be twenty-five horses to feed. I took
the two largest of the colored boys that were stay
ing with us and went to the crib and filled up three
sacks of corn, enough to give the horses a full
feed. My father walked down to the feed lot with
his old flat-boat friend. As we were delivering
the corn, one rough looking fellow stopped the
two colored boys and commenced to ask them
many questions. My father and Mr. Williams
approached when father explained how he came to
169

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
have the boys. Mr. Williams went to the bully
and told him what father had told him. This did
rot seem to pacify him and he said he believed
that they were slaves being wrongfully detained
from their owners. Mr. Williams rebuked the
bully, telling him that he was trying to insult his
friend and told him that if he was to make any
attempt to do anything with the boys, he would
never get out of that lane alive, pointing to the
lane that ran by our house. Others of the slave
hunters went to the bully, who no doubt was full
of whiskey, and tried to quiet him. As soon as
their horses were done eating they were ready to
go. Mr. Williams told my father that they had
at least one hundred men hunting for the negroes
or for some clue as to how or where they went.
He further said that during the last three
months a large number of slaves had left their
masters, and not the least clue as to where or
how they went away had been found. It seems
as if they had blown away. He said that he did
not own any slaves at that time, but was with
his neighbors and customers trying to help them.
Mr. Williams asked my father if he would let
them have some one to guide them; they wanted
to get on the road that runs from Boonville to
Petersburg. Father went into Mr. Hansen's room
and he said that he would go as far as Winslow
170

JOHN BUNDAY'S WORK
with them, as he wanted to go into that neigh
borhood. He had his horse brought and was ready
to go. He was introduced to Mr. Williams as a
real estate agent, for a distant company. When
they were out of sight there was a feeling of
relief to all. Mr. Hill had the military part of
our crowd in good shape; fortunately it was not
needed. Everything was quiet until late in the
evening one of Mr. Hansen's spies rode up to our
house and inquired for him. We told him that
he had gone away at noon, but he would be back
at six o'clock that evening. It was then 5:30.
We told him that he had better get off his horse
and wait until Mr. Hansen came. He saw one of
the guards that he knew, and then was soon at
ease. None of our people had ever seen him be
fore. Mr. Hansen was soon seen coming. The
information that the spy brought was that late
in the night a wagon would be here from the Cal
vert neighborhood with three negro men, two ne
gro women and three children. They had crossed
the river at Evansville, and were carried to a
thicket in one of the Calvert corn fields. They
were afraid to try to go north to the next station
on that route, as it was reported that there were
many men in Princeton hunting runaway negroes,
and it was thought best to bring them into this
neighborhood and have Mr. Hansen make arrange-
171

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
ments for their trip north. One of the guards
was to notify Mr. Hansen when the wagon with
the negroes arrived, which he did sometime after
midnight. The wagon was unloaded and at once
started back It was driven by one of the anti-
slavery guards. The negroes were put in the cel
lar where proper arrangements had been made
for them early in the evening. The next morning
Mr. Hill, Mr. Hansen and my father consulted to
gether what was best to do. It was decided that
there was so much excitement in all sections near
there that it was thought best to lay still until it
had calmed down a little. It was a big proposition
to cook for and feed so many people. But pro
visions were plenty and cheap and one of the ne
gro women was taken from the barn to our kitchen
to help the women there. It had been determined
that the ngroes should go north in two or three
days and that they would cross the Patoka river
some miles west of the Dongola bridge, crossing
on a flat bottomed boat that belonged to Thomas
Hart. It was thought that the negro hunters
would be going home on Sunday and that night
the negroes would start, the two women and the
children would stay in the cellar until they could
be got away later when a better opportunity was
found to send them without such a long march on
foot. It was feared that the children could not
172

JOHN BUNDAY'S WORK
stand such hardships. Mr. Hansen established
all the stations at points he thought most suit
able. The station that he was aiming to take the
negroes to was where he had to import a man
and wife to take a lease on a small piece of land
at or very near where the town of Dugger is now
located. Sunday night the thirteen negro men
and five guards and Mr. Hansen started north un
der the guidance of Thomas Hart, who was to go
with them until they crossed White river, which
they did on a barge that had been left to be filled
with corn; it was borrowed by Dr. Posey from a
friend. They crossed the river a little east of
Beunavista. After they were over White river,
Mr. Hansen sent the five guards to their station,
and aimed to find a place in eastern Knox county
that he knew of, to stay the next day. He in
tended to go with the men for three or four days
until he could get them out of danger of being re
captured. It was four days before Mr. Hansen
returned. He said he had placed the thirteen
travelers in the hands of friends who would see
them safe on the anti-slavery boat on Lake Michi
gan. He had come by the way of Petersburg to
see Dr. Posey and learned that he had two men
and their wives and two children in his coal bank
They had been carried over the Ohio river near
the mouth of the Little Pigeon where the anti-
173

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
slavery people had a station and kept skiffs con
venient. Mr. Hansen had made arrangements with
Dr. Posey to hold his people in the coal bank until
the people in our cellar could get to him which he
thought would be that night. When night came
on we had the wagon with the fish boat on it.
With two of our hands that had been with me on
many such trips and with our guns we were soon
on the road for Dr. Posey's coal bank. When we got
near Petersburg we met Mr. John Stuckey who
was on the lookout for us. We soon had the ne
groes in safe quarters and were on the road for
home. John Bunday had seen Turner and it was
thought best to do his next work nearer the Ohio
river, as the slaves were being watched so closely
it was difficult to get away early in the evening,
and it was so far to the river that it was close
work to get over it before daylight. John was
passing near the shanty of a negro woman who
often helped the white folks of his master. She
called to him and said : "John, if you will give me
your promise that you will not tell anyone I will
tell you something that you ought to know." The
promise was readily given when she said: "Yes
terday I was helping your mistress clean house
when a strange man rode up and called for your
master. They went into the room adjoining the
174

JOHN BUNDAY'S WORK
one we were in. The sliding doors between the
rooms had been taken down to clean. The two men
were in there for a good while and I heard your
master say, 'If you will give me John's work for
sixty days I will do it,' saying that he had a cellar
that he wanted walled with stone. (John was a
stone mason). The man said to your master that
he was afraid to do it as he might run away as
there had been so many runaways from northwest
Kentucky recently. Your master said that John
was as staid as a work-horse and never had such a
thing in his head as running away. The man
finally agreed that you might stay with your
master thirty days. A long paper was drawn up
and signed by your master and given to the man
when he in turn gave your master a small paper,
I heard the strange man say that it was a little
over due, but he would not claim any interest.
After they were gone your mistress said that she
hated to see John go away as he was such an
agreeable good fellow."
John had heard the rumor that his master
owed a man in Mississippi one thousand dollars
and he felt sure that he had been sold to that man
or his agent to pay that debt. His master put
him to hauling stone from a quarry, a few miles
away, to wall the cellar. He was very anxious to
see Turner, who would not be due there on his re-
175

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
turn trip until the following Tuesday night; this
was Friday. He went on hauling rock. At the
quarry John saw a boy who was hauling rock to
the farm, adjoining the one the negro preacher
(before mentioned) lived on, and sent word for
him to come to a colored meeting house near Cal
houn where a prayer meeting was to be held. John
was there and the negro preacher came. After
the meeting John had a chance to talk to him and
told him of the great calamnity that was about to
befall him; and further told him that he was
ready now to redeem his promise to help liberate
him and family as he and Turner agreed to do?
that he was determined before the thirty days
were up to take his sister and try to gain their lib
erty. The preacher was willing to make the effort
to go to Canada, and said that he would manage in
some way to be at John's shanty the next Tuesday
night to meet with him and Turner. John had seen
his sister that Sunday evening ; she was owned by
a man that lived several miles nearer the Ohio riv
er than he. He explained to his sister the trouble
he was in and he told ber that- late Tuesday night
after he had the meeting with Turner he would
be there to see her and tell her where and when
they would go ; and would come to her shanty door
and for her to keep awake till he came. This
sister had a lot of good clothes; she wanted him
176

JOBE TURNER
Who worked south of the Ohio river for the Anti-Slavery
League.

JOHN BUNDAY'S WORK
to tell her what to do with them ; he said for her
to wear as many of her best dresses as she could
get on and leave the rest. Turner arrived on
Tuesday evening and was at John's shanty. The
preacher was there, also. It was decided that they
should meet Thursday evening at a cross-roads
where there was a small log negro church, about
six miles south of the Ohio river and a little south
east of Owensboro, Ky. Turner said that he
would have guides there to pilot them to a place
where they could cross the river and to take charge
of them. The negro preacher wanted permission
to take several of his congregation with him and
especially one young man who was a prospective
son-in-law. Permission was given to him to let
one man and his wife into the secret besides the
young man and to have them with him at the
meeting place. John's master had always been
severe with him, but his mistress was his friend
and he would do anything he could for her. John
sought a chance to talk with her and asked her if
his master had sold him to a man in Mississippi.
She said to him that it must not be known that she
had told him, but his master had got in debt to a
man in that state for one thousand dollars and
he was pressed to sell him or the farm to pay it;
that in the trade it was agreed that his master
could have him to work for thirty days or until
177

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
the cellar was completed. John told her that he
would kill himself before he would go to Missis
sippi. She tried to persuade him not to think of
doing such a thing, that he was young and had the
promise of a long life before him. John was ap
parently very gloomy and started to leave ; he told
her that he was very thankful for the many acts
of kindness she had done him, but that he could
not go to Mississippe. His mistress was in real
trouble and said, "John you must not think of
destroying your life. If I will tell you what is best
for you to do, will you swear before God that you
will never reveal it to a human?" John said he
would. She told him that the man who paid the
thousand for him was wealthy and would not miss
the loss, why not do as many have done in this
part of Kentucky recently, run away. "I will give
you a pass that the patrol will let you pass on any
where, and give you some money, say twenty-
five dollars." John told her he would try it. She
gave him the pass and the money and told hina
she wished him God-speed in his undertaking.
Thursday night five guards were in hiding
near the little church some time before any others
made their appearance. The negro preacher, two
men and three women came and were put in a
concealed place. Soon after this John Bunday and
his sister came, making four negro men and four
178

JOHN BUNDAY'S WORK
negro women and five guards. The guards were
armed with short breech-loading Sharp's rifles
that could be carried in such a manner that they
were concealed by their coats. They were soon on
the march along a by-way known to the guides.
Soon after midnight they were at the river, which
they crossed in skiffs and then went on to the
great thicket so many times described and went
into it for quite a distance until they found a good
place to sleep. As soon as night came they re
sumed the march for Mr. Caswell's where they
found a steaming supper that they made good use
of. Mr. George Hill was there and as soon as they
had finished eating he took charge. The two
guards that belonged to the Owensboro station
went back, the other three guards and the eight
negroes were soon on the march and just a lit
tle while before day they came to our large corn
field that came up to our barn and were soon in
the barn cellar where they found good soft beds
of straw. Mr. Hansen had learned of John Bunday from
Job Turner, and had expressed a wish to see him
when he was making the attempt to get to Canada.
Mr. Hansen's time to be at my father's house was
over due and we hoped he would come during the
day. It was late in the afternoon and we were
planning how best to get the fugitives to the next
179

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
station. There were many men riding all over
this part of the country hunting the runaway
slaves for the large rewards offered for them.
There was hardly a bridge of any size that was
not watched by two or three men almost every
night except Saturday and Sunday ; we found out
they usually went to their homes and not many
of them returned before Monday. While we were
eating supper Mr. Hansen rode up, he had come
from the eastern part of his work and had been
riding all day. When told that John Bunday was
with the fugitives he went to the cellar to see
him. Turner had told Hansen that Bunday said
that as soon as he landed his sister safe in Canada
he would come back and hide in some of the bor
der towns, most likely Evansville, as he knew
the country south of that city, and from there
could carry on the work as he had been. Hansen
made arrangements with him to write as soon as
he was ready to come, and he would send him
money for transportation via Chicago to Evans
ville. Mr. Basil Simpson went to Petersburg that
day and saw Dr. Posey and informed him that the
negroes were coming ; and after he returned home
he would meet us one mile south of the Dongola
bridge. By this time it was dark and we had
two wagons on the road. We met Mr. Simpson
and he told us that Mr. John Stucky would meet us
180

JOHN BUNDAY'S WORK
at the place where we turned off the Petersburg
road for the river; that there was so much negro
hunting it was best to take no chances. He also
said that the Dongola bridge was not watched.
Nothing unusual happened on the road, and about
11 o'clock we were at the river where we found
that Dr. Posey had perfected all arrangements for
crossing. There were conveyances on the north
bank and the negroes were soon on the way to the
next station.
Mr. Hansen went with us to the river, as he
wanted to talk with Bunday and the negro preach
er. As Turner had told him, these two men were
the most valuable help since Jeff Lewis went away
and he thought it would be hard work to replace
them. In talking it over John told of a man that
he knew who lived near Diamond Island Station
that he thought would soon be a good man to
help the traveling men on the route. This travel
ing man, named Lem Fisher, was an old-fashioned
clock tinker. He had an additional trade, that of
tinner, and carried his heating bucket and char
coal and also soldering irons with him. This man
went over a large scope of country and worked on
clocks, watches and tinware in all sorts of homes.

181

CHAPTER XVI.

THOMAS JEFFERYS
In 1853 there was a slave-trader from the
lower cotton country who came to the section of
country northeast of Lexington to purchase as
many as thirty slaves. He went to that part of
Kentucky where the people enjoyed good health
and long life because he wanted good strong
healthy men that would make good field hands. He
also wanted to purchase as many as twenty-five
or thirty double teams of mules. This trader had
a man with him to help take care of the mules and
watch over the negroes on their way home. The
trader was paying fancy prices and secured quite
a number of slaves in that section of Kentucky.
He had bought two fine, likely, very light mulat-
toes from a woman whose husband was tem
porarily away from home. It was said by the peo
ple of the neighborhood that these two fine look
ing mulattoes were the children of the absent
husband, hence the wife desired to turn them into
cash and rid herself of their presence. This wom
an had sold the mother of the two men some
time before this when her husband was away
from home; and when he came home there was
182

THOMAS JEFFERYS FREES NEGROES
a terrible scene and they come near separating.
f hey were both wealthy in their own right. The
wife was much better off than the husband. The
trader got his slaves and twenty mules together
and started overland to Louisville.
Everything went well until they got within
a few miles of Louisville when the husband of
the woman that sold the two negroes overtook
the caravan. He went up to the slave-trader and
told him that he wanted the two boys. The trader
told him that he had paid good prices for them
and he would not give them up. This enraged the
other and he got off his horse and stopped the two
boys and told them to step out of the road in
order that the others could pass. The trader came
up and got off his horse and told Mr. Jeff erys (that
was the name of the man that owned the two
bright colored negroes) that he would not let him
have them under any circumstances. Mr. Jefferys
told him to make out a bill of sale at the exact
price he paid his wife and he would pay him the
money. The trader said that no man could rob
him in that way in broad daylight, that he had a
bargain of one thousand dollars in the two boys
and nothing less than that would get them. Jef
ferys told him to study five minutes what he would
do — accept his proposal or not. The trader said,
he would settle it then and made a lunge at Jef-
183

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
ferys, who knocked him down and kicked him un
til he was more dead than alive. The man that
the trader had helping him tried to interfere when
one of the boys gave him a thrashing. It looked as
if there would be a regular stampede of mules
and negroes. Mr. Jefferys told the men leading
the mules and the other men whom the trader
had bought to stop and stay all together, that the
trader would be all right in a short time. They
obeyed Mr. Jefferys, as nearly all of them were
well acquainted with him. It was a good while be
fore the trader recovered sufficiently to ride his
horse. Jefferys told him he could take the money
he paid for the two boys or he would get noth
ing, as his wife had no legal right to sell them;
that they were not her property. The trader final
ly said that he felt that he had been robbed and
abused, but he would take the money he had paid.
They were not more than two miles from the
suburbs of Louisville. Mr. Jefferys told the two
boys to walk fast in order to get away from the
trader's men and they went to Louisville. The
first thing Mr. Jefferys did was to hunt some one
who was authorized, and had free papers made out
for the boys. He left his horse in a livery barn
and took passage on a steamer to Cincinnati with
the two boys. When he arrived there he found
a business friend of his who was opposed to slav-
184

THOMAS JEFFERYS FREES NEGROES
ery and related the whole affair including his re
lationship to the boys, and asked him to send the
boys to Richmond, Indiana, where they would find
legions of friends, as it was dangerous to have
them near the border where hundreds of free ne
groes were being kidnapped and sold into slavery.
He called the two boys to come and in the presence
of his friend he gave each of them $500 in
gold and saw them started for Richmond. Mr.
Jefferys, through his Cincinnati friend, kept in
touch with the boys as long as he lived. They
were capable men and did well.
When the slave-trader reached Louisville he
made arrangements with a slow sternwheel steam
boat to carry his slaves and mules to Memphis.
There were a number of anti-slavery guards and
guides in the three cities surrounding the falls of
the Ohio. While they were loading the mules and
slaves on the boat, Mr. Beel, the slave trader, was
not well and unable to give any help, owing to his
combat with Mr. Jefferys and wanted to hire help
about the work. A young man who appeared to
be very strong and resolute called to see Mr. Beel
and wanted to hire to help him until he got to
Evansville, Ind., saying that he would work for
small wages. Mr. Beel hired him to help his other
man in caring for the negroes and mules saying
that he was not well and would be glad to be re-
185

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
lieved of the care for a few days. Before the boat
left Louisville the guard got permission to go up
town on some business. He went to the telegraph
office and sent a cipher dispatch to Mr. Hansen to
have two men get on the boat either at Cannelton
or Rockport. Mr. Beel was no better the next
morning. The boat was a very slow one but was
constantly pounding on. The mate said it would
be about the middle of the next night before they
would get to Cannelton. There were twenty-three
negroes in all and there was a bad feeling between
the negroes. It seemed that there was a feudal
feeling among them. Those from one neighbor
hood would not have anything to do with those
from another neighborhood. One likely middle-
aged man seemed to be much the shrewdest of
any of them and the guard talked to him about
making an attempt to gain his freedom. He said he
would do anything to be a free man, but how could
he do anything? He did not know where to go.
He was informed that there were men who would
guide them to freedom ; that all he would have to
do was to follow the guide, and he would take them
to a country where they would be free as long as
they lived. This greatly interested the negro.
The guard told him that he could talk with about
nine or ten other negroes and find if they would
want to try to gain their freedom. He was cau-
186

THOMAS JEFFERYS FREES NEGROES
tioned to be very careful about the way he
talked to them, and it must be a perfect secret.
During the day he came to the guard several
times and said that he had found eight men who
would go with him in making the attempt. The
others would not have anything to do with him
or the eight who would make the attempt. The
guard had him to see that his eight men slept in a
forward part of the boat so that they could easily
get off when the time came. It was nearly 10
o'clock when the boat arrived at Cannelton. Two
other guards got aboard there. It would be after
midnight when they reached Rockport. The two
new men found that the men they wanted to see
were on the lower deck and in charge of the ne
groes, the owner was in the cabin and the other
hired man was asleep. Getting a chance, the
guard had the negro who had persuaded the eight
men to attempt to gain their freedom to talk
with the other two guards and it was arranged
that when they should arrive at Rockport, where
there was a lot of freight to unload and two
hundred barrels of flour to load, the nine negroes
would help the deck hands and slip away one at
a time. The two guards would be near and they
soon would all get together.
When the boat arrived at Rockport the ne
groes were very busy helping the few deck hands
187

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
and when the boat backed out into the river pre
paring to start the nine negroes were with the
two guards slipping away. They went west of
Rockport, and just before daylight found a large
cornfield into which they went and remained there
all day. One of the guards went to Ira Caswell's
to notify him to have some provisions prepared,
that they could get before day the next morning,
as they would be there for it. Mr. Caswell had
two days before thrashed wheat and there was a
large straw stack, the straw had been stacked
on a heavy scaffold to make a shelter for his stock
during the winter. During the day before the ne
groes were to be there, Mr. Caswell put a large
amount of loose straw into the end of the entry
made by stacking the straw on the scaffold and
made a most perfect place to hide the negroes.
Just about 4 o'clock the next morning the negroes
were there with the guards and were all very
hungry. As soon as they had eaten they were
taken to the straw stack where they had good soft
beds of straw. As soon as it was night, they be
gan their march for our big cellar, where they ar
rived a short time before daylight.
Sometime after leaving Rockport a coal barge
was taken in tow and fastened along the side of
the boat near the scuttle hole where the coal could
be thrown into the hold of the boat near the boil-
188

THOMAS JEFFERYS FREES NEGROES
ers. The deck hands and the coal company's
men were a good while shoveling that coal into
the steamboat. They had run seven or eight
miles and were in sight of Evansville at the first
signs of dawn. The guard awakened the other
hired man and went up to Mr. Beel's stateroom
where he found him very sick. Beel paid the guard
his wages and when the latter came down the
hired man was just getting onto the lower deck.
The other fourteen negroes were scattered over
the deck and it appeared that all were there. When
the boat touched the warf, the guard went ashore
and was soon mixed with the crowd. The boat
had but little freight to unload or load and was
soon on her way down the river. It is not known
how far they went before the nine negroes were
missed. It was learned afterwards that it was be
lieved that the negroes were on the coal barge
when it was cast loose from the steamer. It was
further learned that the slave dealer was delirious
for many days before he got to Memphis, and did
not know anything. The man that he had hired
was a dummy and not capable of such a charge.
The fugitives were in our cellar all that day
and there were two other negroes in it that had
been there for several days waiting for more to
come when we would send them north. Mr. Hill
stayed with us to help take the eleven negroes
189

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
to White river. Word had been sent to Dr. Posey
and he advised us to take the fugitives to White
river a little east of Wright's ferry where he
would have skiffs for crossing and guides on the
north side to take them to the next station. When
it became dark we got out two wagons and put
five negroes in one and six in the other, with the
two guards. Mr. Hill and myself made fifteen
people in the party. Everything went well until
we got about one-half mile beyond Hawthorn's
saw mill when three men stepped out into the
road about fifty feet in front of our foremost
wagon and ordered us to halt. The two guards
and Mr. Hill were off the wagon with their guns
in a minute and asked them what they wanted.
They said that they had legal authority to ex
amine every wagon that travelled that road and
they wanted to know what we were loaded with.
"You are highway robbers," said Mr. Hill, "and
if you don't leave the road open we will blow you
through," and he started toward them. They
made a hasty get-away and we did not see or hear
any more of them. When we arrived at the river
we found Mr. Stucky, and in a little while we had
the negroes over the river and in the hands of
three strong stalwart men who said they would
have them in a safe retreat before morning.
Soon after we got back home one of the fish-
190

THOMAS JEFFERYS FREES NEGROES
ermen from between Rockport and Owensboro
came up to the house and knocked at the door.
Father told me to put on my clothes and go out
and see that the negroes were put into the cellar.
There were three negroes. This guard had been
at our place many times. He and his partner
had crossed the negroes over and he had piloted
them all the way, coming by Mr. Caswell's where
they were fed and some provisions given them.
When the guard got to Mr. Hill's he found that
the latter gentleman was at our house, so he came
on. The negroes were strong lusty fellows. We
decided to keep them there until more came. This
guard said that there would be a number of men
and women cross the river at their station in two
or three days. We did not think it necessary to
keep guard over the three men. My father told
them that no one had any business in the cellar
but him and me ; and if any one else came in there
to keep hid and if the intruder came onto them to
give him a scare. At that time we had working
for us a Tennessean who was most bitter pro-slav
ery in his views. This man was working on a
little farm away from the home place and board
ed with the family living on that place. We had
no idea of his coming to the home farm, but one
night while the three men were in the cellar this
man came to our house and, as it was late, he de-
191

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
cided to sleep in the barn. Inuring the night he
heard someone talking and thought it was in the
cellar. He got up and opened the cellar door and
went down into it and called out several times:
"You thieves get out of here." He finally got up
to where the men were standing and one of them
gave him a shove that sent him to the floor. Not
satisfied with this he got up and went after them
again when one of the negroes knocked him down
and the three dragged him to the cellar door and
put him out. During this scuffle he was pretty
badly hurt. He limped up to the house and called
my father and told him that there were thieves in
the barn cellar and they had used him roughly.
Father got a light and found that the man had
been roughly used and was skinned up pretty bad
ly about his face. Father had him wash himself
and put turpentine on the bruises and had him
go to bed. We were a little nonplussed to know
how we could keep this fellow from seeing the ne
groes the next morning. We had a strong pork
house standing in our yard. Father went with
me and a trusted hand and had the negroes go
with us to the pork house, where he locked them
in. At that time we had a butting sheep that
had been a terror to everybody on the farm. He
had become so bad that we had him in a close pen
near the big barn. We decided to put that sheep
192

GEORGE W. HILL.
A Member of the Executive Committee of the Anti-Slavery
League.

THOMAS JEFFERYS FREES NEGROES
into the cellar and when the wounded fellow got
up the next morning have him go to the cellar
and see if he could find anything of the robbers
that gave him such a thumping. We had a time
putting that savage sheep in the cellar, but finally
got him in and shut the door on him. Early the
next morning the injured man was up and looked
like he had been in a battle royal. He told father
that he was going to the cellar and see if he could
find his hat, which he lost the night before. The
two young men working for us and I went with
him, opened the cellar door and he went in. As
soon as he was in the cellar we heard him yell to
let him out, the sheep had butted him down. As
soon as we opened the door he came out in a hur
ry, the sheep butting him every step he made up
the ladder! My father was out there by this
time and when the butted fellow got so that he
could talk, he said, "I will kill that ram." Father
told him that was what gave him such a thump
ing last night. The two hands were ready with
a white lie and said that the ram got out of his
pen the evening before and they put him in the
cellar.

193

CHAPTER XVII

JOHN DOLE
One of the anti-slavery guards in the Illi
nois Division, with his residence at Cairo, Illinois,
had a desperate battle with a lot of seasoned
toughs at Cairo, 111. This man's name was John
Dole. He was from the state of Maine and had
been working in a logging camp for many years
until he was hired to come west and work for
the Anti-Slavery League. Dole was a man of
great physical power.
There was a negro barber who had a shop
near the house where Dole roomed, and they be
came well acquainted. Dole made many inquiries
about the slave owners in the southwestern part
of Kentucky from the barber, who had been raised
in that part of Kentucky. This barber was bought
and paid for by an Englishman of means, travel
ing through that region. This Englishman took
George Vest to Cairo, bought a small room and
fitted it up in style and furnished it for a barber
shop, then made Vest a deed to the lot and also
gave him his free papers. One Saturday even
ing Dole was in the shop being shaved. There
was a fellow, who was evidently drinking, in an-
194

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
other chair, who kept up a running conversation
of slang with three other cronies of his in the
shop. Finally he turned to Dole and asked: "Art:
you an Englishman?" Dole replied that he was
not. The fellow then said that he thought he
might be another fool Englishman who would
want to buy a slave's freedom, as the negro-lov
ing one did, that bought this barber and set him
up in business. Dole said nothing. In a little
while one of the toughs said: "I never saw an
Englishman, a Scotchman or an Irishman, that
was not a mean, dishonest man." This angered
Dole who said: "I am an Irishman and as honest
as any man." One of them said : "You are a negro-
loving liar." As quick as a flash Dole knocked
that one down and kicked the other two out of
the shop into the street! The fellow in the chair
was a coward and begged Dole not to hit him.
The superintendent of the Illinois Division
knew that Dole could not do the kind of work he
needed and sent him up the river to Evansville
with a letter to Hansen in which he explained to
Hansen that Dole had trouble with the tough
element in Cairo and he knew that if he kept him
there he would kill some of them. He said to
Hansen : "If you have any need for some one to do
some real fighting call on Dole, he has the ability
and the will to do a good job." Dole secured a
195

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
room near the mouth of Pigeon creek, near which
there were a number of saw mills. Being a log
ging man he was often about the mills watching
them work. In this way he became acquainted
with a Kentuckian named Davis, who owned a
large body of timber land near Green river. In
the many conversations that Davis had with Dole
he learned that he had charge of a logging camp
in the state of Maine for several years. Want
ing a man that was competent to take charge of
a logging camp, he hired Dole to go up Green
river near South Carrollton where a logging
camp was to be made. Dole saw Mr. Hansen who
was willing for him to go, as that would be a
good place to have some anti-slavery work done,
but he advised Dole to be very careful and keep
out of trouble. Davis and Dole selected a suit
able place for the camp in a dense woods. A
large number of slaves were hired to help about
the work. This was in the early part of Septem
ber, the most leisure time for men who raise to
bacco, as there was nothing doing in that line ex
cept to watch the firing of tobacco in barns. It
was too early to commence the stripping. Han
sen got Job Turner and Dole together and had an
understanding with them. It was agreed that
Turner would try to secure a trusty negro that
would work among his race to aid them in se-
196

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
curing their freedom. Turner found it a difficult
proposition to get the right kind of a man.
Strict rules had been adopted among the slave
owners and the patrols were much more rigid in
their examination of all strangers and idle negroes
without passes.
Mr. Davis had an order for several hundred
thousand feet of logs that he would have to get
out on a body of land that he owned not far from
Spottsville. It was agreed that he would stay
at the old camp near South Carrollton and send
Dole to get out the special order. They were soon
moved and the timber was being piled on the
river bank very rapidly. Dole was very busy. He
had a number of teams hired, nearly all of them
being driven by slaves of men on farms in the
country around where he was working. Late in
the afternoon of one day a young negro woman
came hurridly to the camp and inquired for Pete
who was driving one of the teams. She was
greatly excited. Dole told her that Pete would
be there in a little while. She went into the shanty
and seemed not to want anyone of the drivers
to see her. It was not long before Pete came.
As soon as he had unloaded his wagon Dole told
him to tie his horses to a post and go into the
shanty where someone wanted to see him. He had
been in the cook shanty but a very short time
197

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
when he came out and told Dole that he would
not take the team home ; that his master had sold
his wife away from him and his two little girls;
that he intended to go and see his master and if
he did not undo that sale he would kill him and
then run for the north. Dole tried to calm the
justly mad man and told him that there was a
better way of doing than he had planned. Pete
asked him how there would be a better way. Dole
asked him how old the children were and learned
that they were ten and twelve years old. Dole
asked when his wife would have to leave him.
Pete's wife said that she went into the mistress'
room and found her crying, and she said: "Jane,
you are sold to a slave-dealer and have only two
more days to stay here." Dole told the man and
his wife he believed that he could save them from
this separation, but was afraid they would tell it
to some one. Pete said : "Before God I swear that
if you save my family for me, I would die for
you." Dole asked Pete if the children could walk
ten miles and he replied that they could, fifty if
need be. His wife said she could walk any dis
tance. Dole asked Pete if he and his family could
meet him at the forks of the Henderson and
Evansville road at an hour after night to come to
the road west of the shanty so that no patrols
would be in the way. When Dole got to the forks
198

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
of the road he found the family there and they
made a hurried march to the river bank opposite
Evansville. Turner had taught Dole the signal
and gave him some turpentine balls, Dole lit one
of them and threw it up ; this was answered from
the middle of the river and soon a skiff was at the
water's edge. It conveyed all of them to the
city. The negroes were put in hiding for a while
and were then taken to the north and to Canada
and freedom.It was almost daylight when Dole got back
to his shanty. Pete in his excitement had left his
wagon in the yard. Many teams came and went
to work, but not Pete. In an hour or so the over
seer of Pete's master's farm (the owner was away
from home) came to the camp on the hunt of
Pete and saw that Pete had left his wagon, but
had taken the team home. The overseer went
back and soon another negro with the team
hitched to the wagon come and went to work.
Along about noon the yelp of bloodhounds was
heard coming on the trail of the negro family.
The evening before the family attempted to
escape it was agreed that after they left the
camp, Pete should put a quantity of capsicum on
the ground along the trail they were following.
This powdered red pepper had been given Pete by
Dole who had shown him how to use it. The ne-
199

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
gro family did not come to the shanty but went
several hundred feet back of it to the road that
they wanted to travel. When the dogs got to
where this pepper had been scattered on the
ground they stopped and commenced to rub their
noses on the ground and snort and sneeze in great
fashion and would not take the trail any further.
There were at least a dozen men and boys with
the dogs. The owner of the dogs procured water
and washed the dog's noses, but it did no good.
When he tried to persuade the dogs to take the
trail they would lie down at the side of the road
and howl. The dog-man was furious and cursed
the people of the north long and loud. The most
of the men in the hunt had teams hauling logs.
They gave up the attempt to trail the negroes and
went up to the log yard to see Dole, who was busy
scaling logs as they came in. The overseer asked
him if he was the cause of Pete leaving his wagon.
Dole told him that he was not and that he did not
know when Pete went home and was surprised this
morning to see the wagon in the yard. The dog-
man went up to where the two men were talking
and said to the overseer: "You need not put any
confidence in anything that fellow tells you. He
is from the north where they are all lying, thiev
ing abolitionists." This was more than Dole
would stand and he made a grab at the fellow's
200

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
leg, jerked him off his horse and gave him
such a thumping that he was badly bruised up.
Dole said to those around him: "Gentlemen,
I am here working for one of your citizens and
not bothering anyone ; but I will not take such in
tended insults as that coward gave me." The
men he was talking to knew that he had done
nothing to the dog-man but what he deserved, and
they did not blame him. The work went on as
usual, Mr. Davis came down to see the work and
was much surprised to find that more than half
the work was done in three months, which he
thought would take at least a year. Dole told him
about his trouble with the owner of the dogs.
Davis told him that he had done the right thing;
that if he had not resented the insult they would
have become so domineering that he could not
have stayed there; that the object lesson he gave
that fellow was satisfactory evidence to all that
he would resent an insult.
Job Turner in one of his rounds went to see
Dole and told him that the family he started on
the road to liberty had gone on the road to Cana
da and that an old trusted negro man who lived
about three miles east of Henderson, Ky., was in
the employ of the Anti-Slavery League and that
he was worthy of confidence ; that he had worked
with the two fishermen at Evansville and had de-
201

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
livered many runaway negroes to them who were
afterward sent to Canada, also that Uncle Simon
was too old to do much work and was permitted to
do pretty much as he wished. Turner said that
he would have this old negro call on Dole and for
him to be on the lookout for him; that his hair
was as white as cotton and was in a great white
roll around his neck when he wore his hat. The
work went on and the contract would be finished
in one month more. Dole was not satisfied with
the work he had done for the Anti-Slavery League.
He had learned from one of the hands that one of
the most faithful workers in the camp, with his
wife and 16 year old daughter, were to be sold
soon to satisfy a mortgage given by their master
to a rich tobacco merchant at Henderson. The
man was in great trouble for fear he and his
family would be separated. Dole was anxious to
help this family. One day he saw a very old ne
gro with one of his teamsters unloading logs in
the yard. Dole went out to the men and said : "Is
this Uncle Simon?" "Yes, I am the man," the old
fellow said. "Come into my room and rest," said
Dole, "that work is too hard for you." The old
man went in and remained for a long time. Dole
made an arrangement with him to go to Hender
son the next day and find out all about that sale
which was to take place there. It was two days
202

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
before the old man returned and informed Dole
that the sale did not take place, but the tobacco
merchant had bought the family at a private sale
and was to send them south in two weeks. Uncle
Simon said that he had a little talk with the team
ster and he was very uneasy about what would
become of them. Uncle Simon said that he would
have the teamster call on Dole the next day and
then he could make such arrangements as he
thought best for the family, and that he would
be there again the next day after that when they
could talk further about the family. The teamster
was true to his promise and called on Dole and told
him of his fears of being separated from his fam
ily. Dole asked him if he would make an attempt
to gain his freedom if he had a chance. He said
he would, but he did not know how to go about it,
or where to go. Dole told him if he would have
his family with him the following night at the
cross roads near the little church on the Hender
son road, he would find some one there to guide
him to the Ohio river and across it and finally to
Canada and freedom. The teamster was there the
next morning and hauled logs all day. Uncle
Simon came, true to his promise. Early in the day
Dole told him the arrangement and asked him if
he could be away at night without creating sus
picion. Uncle Simon said that he was always
203

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
expected to do up the chores at night and he
could not get to the meeting place in time, but he
could go to Evansville at once and have the young
fishermen send two or three guides and guards
who would guide the negro family to Evansville
where skiffs would be waiting to take them over
the river. This was thought to be the best way.
Uncle Simon went on his trip which was a big one
for so old a man. When it was dark Dole went
to the meeting place to see that everything went
off right. When he got to the little church on
the Henderson road he found the family hid in
some bushes, and in a little while three men came
to the church and stopped. Dole knew that they
were the guides. The family was put in their
charge and they were in a little while on the march
for the Ohio river. Dole went back to his shanty.
The guides had no trouble and by ten o'clock were
at the river, which they crossed, and were put in
the care of Willard Carpenter's coachman who
finally took them to the cellar under Mr. Carpen
ter's barn. The next morning when it was found
that the family had run away, there was great ex
citement among the people in that neighborhood.
The tobacco merchant who had bought the fam
ily had cancelled the mortgage and was at his
rope's end. He organized a large company of men
to hunt for the runaways. The evening that Dole
204

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
was at the little church to see them off, he took a
half pound of capsicum and put it in the tracks
where he found the family in the thicket, so if
they should use blood hounds, they could not track
them to the Ohio river as the Anti-Slavery League
did not want the slave hunter to get any clue as
to where they went. The hunt was kept up for
quite a while but finally it died down and Mr.
Carpenter sent the family to Mr. Street's who al
ready had two in his cellar. We had four in my
father's barn cellar; this made nine that we de
livered to Dr. Posey's coal bank.
The work on the large contract was nearly
completed when Mr. Davis came down and wanted
Dole to get out another contract of two hundred
and fifty thousand feet of timber. Dole told him
that if he would give him a vacation of twenty
days he would do it. This was agreed to and
Mr. Davis told Dole that he could take the vaca
tion as soon as he wanted to, and that he would
shut down the work at South Carrolton for that
time and take charge of this work himself. Dole
went to Evansville to see Mr. Hanson and get
his consent to his further working in the logging
camp. He found Hanson and told him that he
had done so little for the anti-slavery cause, that
he felt ashamed of himself; he wanted to do all
he could and that if there was any place con-
205

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
sidered dangerous he would like to have it, as he
wanted to do that kind of work. Mr. Hanson, ad
vised him to accept the Davis offer and, through
Uncle Simon, he could do some more work for the
anti-slavery cause.
Job Turner went over the roads near the
logging camp once every twenty days. Dole re
turned to his camp and relieved Mr. Davis. Only
a few days were needed to finish the old contract.
Then work commenced in earnest on the new con
tract. Uncle Simon came to the camp one day and
informed Dole that Job Turner wanted to see him,
"tomorrow night at 8 o'clock at the church on the
Henderson road."
Dole met Turner at the appointed place. The
two men conferred as to what could be done to
aid the poor slaves, whom they knew, to gain their
freedom. Turner said that on the route over
which he went there were four young men, ap
parently white, yet they were slaves and owned
by their own father! The people in that neigh
borhood did not hesitate to say that these fine
boys were the children of John Day. There were
two older children, sisters of these boys and
daughters of this man Day. They were fine look
ing women. When they were grown-up this brut
ish father took them to New Orleans and sold them
for a fancy price to some sporting toughs. The
206

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
boys had told Turner that they felt humiliated
and would be glad to go where no one would know
their history. Day owned a large farm and many
fine teams. The corn crop in the year 1854 was
almost a failure and the long drouth cut the to
bacco crop very short. Day had no work for his
teams so he was glad to hire them out. Turner
suggested to Dole that if he could use extra teams
he could probably hire them from Day and it was
likely that two or three of the boys would be with
the teams. Dole said he would write Mr. Davis
and tell him about the Day teams being for hire,
and that he would be glad to get the teams for
two months. Turner's concluding advice was, "if
you get the teams, and the boys with them, notify
Uncle Simon, who is a cousin to their mother, and
you two can fall upon some plan to help the boys
gain their freedom."
In a few days four of Day's teams came to
Dole's camp to haul logs. Three of the white-
skinned boys, a black slave and an overseer com
posed the party. The overseer came to remain
a few days and see that they were properly fixed-
up for the two months stay. They built a shed
to shelter the teams, and pole shanty for the
slaves to sleep in. The overseer boarded with a
farmer nearby, during his stay. The new teams
were working and logs were coming in very fast.
207

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Each week Day sent provisions for his hands and
feed for the horses. The elder of the four brothers
who remained at home, occasionly drove the team
bringing the supplies. One evening when Uncle
Simon was there, he rode part of the way to his
home in the Day wagon as it returned. The driver
was the elder brother, whose name was Jackson
Dean, who took his name from his mother. Jack
son told Uncle Simon that it was hard for him to
get away from home as he was depended on to do
the work about the barn, to milk the cows and have
wood in the house for all the fires. Uncle Simon
told him there might be a way made that would
be easy for him and if there should be, would he
go? Jackson said that he would do anything in
order to get away to freedom. Day's teams had
been hauling logs nearly two months, and would
be there only one more week. Uncle Simon had
been with the boys in the woods several times and
found them anxious to gain their freedom, but did
not want to leave the elder brother, if he would
go they would all go. Jackson came the next
Saturday with the last load of camp supplies;
they would go home the next Saturday. Uncle
Simon visited the logging camp several times dur
ing the last week of their stay. Turner came on
Thursday evening and consulted with Dole. They
did not want the boys to escape from the camp
208

JOHN DOLE.
An employee of the Anti-Slavery League.

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
but planned that they should run away from home
after they returned there. Turner would see
Jackson Dean and arrange for him and the other
boys to go on the next Thursday night to a place
known as the beaver slide, well known to the
boys, where they would find guides to take them
over the Ohio river, and on north to freedom. It
was about 8 o'clock when the boys reached the
appointed place. Here they found three guides
and were soon on the road to the trusty fisher
men's shack, east of Owensboro. By 2 o'clock they
were across the river. As day was showing in
the east they came to the big hurricane thicket.
Here they remained in hiding until night, resting.
One of the guards went on to Mr. Caswell's to have
provisions prepared for supper and word was sent
to Mr. Hill to be ready to conduct the fugitives to
our barn cellar. When daylight came the guides
could hardly believe their eyes — they saw four
nice looking white men escaping from slavery!
As the party of guides and fugitives started for
Mr. Caswell's it began a misting rain, making very
hard walking. And the night was so very dark
that it was difficult to keep the road. When they
reached Caswell's supper was ready and was
served. Mr. Hill was waiting and as soon as sup
per was over, their journey was continued, ar
riving at our barn cellar about daybreak. Mr.
209

THE UNDERGROUND RATLROAD
Hill told my father that the boys were as white
as the average white man, without a mark that
showed negro blood. When breakfast for the
fugitives was ready, I went with my father and
Mr. Hill to see them. They were nice looking and
intelligent young white men. I yet remember
what my father said when he saw the boys : "This
shows the damning curse of slavery, a man using
his own slave woman as concubines and rais
ing children that are of his own blood, and yet
are his slaves !"
My father and Mr. Hill thought it would be
perfectly safe for the boys to travel during the
day time in any direction that they wanted to
go. Jackson Dean was spokesman for the boys
and said they feared their old master, Day; they
knew he was a very determined man and would
do anything in his power to capture them; and
anyone from the section where they came from
would know them. Jackson further said they did
not want to be a burden to their rescuers butthey
would be glad to have the protection of the anti-
slavery people for several days yet and by that
time they would be so far north that there would
be but little danger of being captured. My father
held quite an amount of the emergency fund be
longing to the Anti-Slavery League. He and Han
son controlled the fund, using it on this route up
210

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
as far as Petersburg, Indiana. Every escaping
slave who went over this route was supplied out
of this fund, so that when they reached Canada
they would not be entirely destitute. During the
day that the boys were in our cellar, father gave
each of them a pocket-book, a purse and twenty-
five dollars. When night came two of the guards,
Mr. Hill and I, with the four white boys, took the
road for Dr. Posey's coal bank. We reached there
without anything occurring worthy of mention.
When we told Mr. Stucky that he would find in
the morning in the coal bank, four good looking
white men he replied : "Have you got all the blacks
and are now bringing in the white people?"
It was several days before Dole heard any
thing about the running away of the boys. One
day one of his log haulers told him that his wife,
who lived in the neighborhood of Mr. Day, learned
that when Day found that the boys had run away
he said if they could get along without him he
could get along without them.
One evening Dole was in the timber looking
for some trees that he wanted the sawyers to cut.
After he had started for the logging camp one of
the sawyers followed him, pretending that he
wanted a file of a special pattern for his saw. This
man advised Dole to be careful how he went into
the timber, the blood-hound man who he had given
211

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
such a thumping, had been seen several times dur
ing the past week wandering around through the
timber. He was accompanied by another man — a
stranger — and both men carried guns.
Late that evening Turner came by the camp
on the way to the city of Evansville. Dole told
him what he had heard. Turner advised him to
not leave the camp and to keep a good lookout for
danger; that when he reached the city that he
would have two men sent to him. These he could
use in helping discover and capture the vicious
fellows. The sawyer who got the file, came the
next morning and told Dole that on the day before
just after they had left the timber, the two men
with guns hurried up to where his mate was rest
ing and waiting for his return. They asked the
sawyer if Dole had been there, saying they want
ed to see him. "My mate told them,' said the
sawyer, "that you had gone with me to see some
trees that you wanted cut; the two men went in
that direction, pointing in the opposite direction
from which we went.
Dole told the sawyer that there would prob
ably be two strange men in the woods by the after
noon of that day and for him and his mate to
pay no attention to them. Dole asked the sawyer
to go and bring back to camp his mate, which was
done. Dole told the men that he wanted them to
212

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
do but little work for a day or two, and keep him
ported on the movements of the two men who evi
dently were hunting him, giving each of them five
dollars. At noon two men came to the camp with
a letter for Dole. These were the sleuths, sent by
Turner. The letter was from Mr. Hanson, who
advised him to not unnecessarily expose himself to
danger. The two men sent to him were good ones
and suggested that after they had run the dog-
man away, he could use them to guide any travel
ers to a safe harbor. He said the two detectives
could remain with Dole for a while.
The men were on the watch for three days
without seeing anyone and had almost concluded
the two suspicious characters had left that lo
cality. The detectives and the two sawyers hid
in a small thicket where, unseen from without,
they had a good view of all around them for quite
a distance. One of the sawyers watching saw the
two men with guns at "trail arms", slipping up
toward the logging camp. One of the sawyers
hurried to the camp to put Dole on guard. The
other three followed the two suspicious men.
They had gone about two hundred yards, v/hen
one of the guards saw the two men peering over
a large log in the direction of the camp. The three
men slipped up behind the men, making the least
possible noise. The dog-man and his partner were
213

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
so intent on watching the camp (which was not
more than one hundred yards away) that the
guards approached within fifty feet of them and
ordered them to hold up their hands. They made
some show of resistance but were told to sur
render or be killed. The two guards kept them
covered with their rifles, while the third man took
away their arms and then tied their hands be
hind them.
"Who are you" they indignantly demanded,
"and what right have you to capture us?"
The guards told them that they were strang
ers in that part of the country, on a hunting ex
cursion; that they saw the prisoners slipping up
on the men in the camp, as if they aimed to com
mit murder, and so interfered. The prisoners
were asked what they meant by slipping up to the
camp? They were told if they could give a reas
onable explanation of their actions, they would be
released. The blood hound owner said that a
man in that camp had abused him without cause
and he wanted revenge. He said he did not want
to kill the man but intended to cripple him by
breaking an arm or leg. The guards told him if
he had stated facts, that settlement of the affair
was between him and the man he intended to
cripple ; that they would bring them together and
they could adjust their grievances. The prisoners
214

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
strongly objected to being turned over to Dole, as
he would kill both of them. The guards insisted
that they would not be doing right to turn them
loose, when they had confessed that they were
there to shoot Dole. The prisoners begged to be
released, promising to never come back to that
section again. One of the guards went to get some
paper on which to write a parole. On reaching the
camp he related the situation to Dole who was
perfectly satisfied. The guard returned with the
paper and wrote the parole as follows :
"This is to certify that we, the undersigned,
do agree and hereby obligate ourselves to keep this
parole under the penalty of being returned to the
grand jury of Henderson County, Ky., for attempt
ing to kill John Dole, the Superintendent of the
Davis logging camp, at Spottsville, Ky. We agree
that we will not go within five miles of said camp
during the next twelve months, or have any one
representing us, go within five miles of that camp.
Done at Spottsville, Ky., October 13th, 1854.
Signed James Thorp and
Henry Scales.
One day while Dole was scaling the logs of
one of the haulers, he saw that he had a bad bruise
on the side of his face and asked what caused it.
The man answered that his master had come home
last night under the influence of liquor and com-
215

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
ing to his shanty while he, with his wife and four
children were eating supper, and abused all of
them, using the most filthy language at his com
mand. Finally he told them he would sell the wife
and two oldest children to a slave buyer who would
be in that section within ten days. The teamster
said he pleaded with his master to not break up
his home, when he picked up a chair and struck
the slave on the side of his head and face.
Dole was furiously angry and asked the ne
gro why he did not take his family and run away ?
The man replied that he did not know where to
go. Dole asked if he would take his family and
go if he was sure that he would gain his freedom.
"Yes, indeed" was the earnest reply, "I would
walk on my knees to help those who helped me
save my family."
Dole told him to have his family at a desig
nated place, well-known to both of them, on the
next Saturday night at 8 o'clock and that he
would be put in charge of guides who would take
them across the Ohio river and to Canada and
freedom. Dole told him that he could miss the
patrols by going across farms nearly all the
journey. The two guides left with Dole were at
the place agreed upon with a good supply of cap
sicum which was sprinkled around where the ne
groes had walked. They were soon on their way
216

JOHN DOLE'S ANTI-SLAVERY WORK
to the Ohio river which they crossed in the fisher
men's skiffs and were in a short time hurried on
north and to Canada.
Dole soon finished his contract with Davis and
was sent by Hanson to New Albany. He had good
grit and did whatever he attempted to do, well.
I have no data of his work after he left Evansville,
but I feel certain that he made good wherever he
was sent.

217

CHAPTER XVIII

BEECHER'S VIEW OF THE FUGITIVE SLAVE
LAW
(From Readings in Indiana History, Page 382)
August 4, 1854. About nine years ago there
came to Indianapolis, Indiana, a colored man
named John Freeman. He brought with him some
few hundred dollars, a part of which he invested
in real estate. He was a painter, white washer
and a man of all work. He married a young woman
who was a servant in our family. His deport
ment won for him general respect and confidence.
He rapidly increased his property and is now worth
about six thousand dollars, which for this com
munity is a very handsome property. No man's
word was better than Freeman's. He was honest,
punctual and reliable. He became an active mem
ber of the colored Baptist church and conscient
iously discharged his duties as a church member.
He has a family of three children.
On the 23rd of June a man named Pleasant
Ellington, formerly from Kentucky, now of Mis
souri, who is, as we understand a Methodist
preacher (an imposter), appeared in Indianapolis
and found miscreants base enough to assist him
218

BEECHER ON FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW
in arresting, Freeman, upon the claim that he was
a slave. Freeman claims that he is a freeman and
shows many papers recognizing that fact. The
Judge has granted nine weeks for Freeman to pro
cure further evidence of his freedom. There are
some facts that have come to our knowledge which
it will be edifying to know. When Freeman's
arrest was known the whole community was
moved. One hundred men of all parties, and of
first standing in the place, such as Judge Black
ford, Judge Wick, N. B. Palmer, Calvin Fletcher,
Esq'r. and many others such, signed a bond for
bail in the sum of $1600. The amount in gold was
brought in court to be deposited for the preacher
Ellington, in case Freeman proved to be a slave,
did not appear, or for his freedom in any event.
Rev. Mr. Ellington refused to agree to any price
should he get possession of him, but determined
to take him to Missouri.
Under a pretense that he feared a rescue,
the marshal was about to remove Freeman to
Madison jail, on the Ohio river, but has consented
to leave him in the jail in Indianapolis, on condi
tion that Freeman pay three dollars per day for
a guard to watch over himself.
We have some good but dull men in New York
who have denied that Christian men and families
were subject to separation and sale, under the
219

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
system of slavery. It is said to represent such
scenes as Uncle Tom's separation from his family
and his wife is a slander. Yet here is a preacher
of the gospel making a pilgrimage of half a thous
and miles to find and arrest a member of a Chris
tian church, in a free state, and drag him into
slavery ; he finds him settled down in a home which
his own industry has secured, with a wife and
three children, a useful and greatly respected
citizen. One would think that a man with a
particle of humanity, even if Freeman were his
slave, upon seeing such a state of facts would re
fuse to break up and desolate a family and
blight the prospects of a man and fellow Chris
tian. But so deeply has this fellow drunk
of the spirit of patriotism that he determines to
make mischief. Bonds and securities were offered
him the most ample, in case Freeman should prove
his slave. He refused everything. He demanded
the "man," and declared that he would remove him
to a slave state and to slavery.
A man that can read such a state of facts and
not feel his heart rising with indignation against
this scoundrel clergyman, ought to regard him
self as having sinned away his day of grace, and
as sealed over to reprobation.
And yet, is this man any worse than the
laws ? Has he done anything illegal ? This Amer-
220

BEECHER ON FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW
ican people have laws within which men may vio
late every sentiment of humanity, smother every
breath of Christianity, outrage the feeling of a
whole community, crush an innocent and help
less family, reduce a citizen of universal respect
and proved integrity, to the level of a brute, carry
him to the shambles, sell him forever away from
his church, his children, his wife. All this may be
done without violating the laws of the land — nay,
by the laws and under the direction of a magis
trate. And so deadening has been the influence of
slavery upon the public mind that religious teach
ers and religious editors will not find a word to
say against this utter abomination, and many
pious words will they utter in favor of this execra
ble traffic. Meanwhile, that same God who permits the
existence of tarantulas, scorpions, and other such
creatures as this Rev. Mr. Ellington. It may serve
a good purpose, in this easy, timid, shuffling age,
to exhibit beneath the sun, how utter a villian a
man may be and yet keep within the pale of the
law, within the permission of the church, and with
in the requirements of the Christian ministry. To
crush the human heart, to eat a living household,
to take a family into one's hands and crush it like
a cluster of grapes, this is respectable, legal, and
221 •

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Christian, in the estimation of cotton patriots,
and patriotic Christians, who regard law as great
er than justice, the Union is more important than
public virtue and practical Christianity. Such
laws as that which will permit these scenes will
destroy the conscience and humanity of the com
munity; or else be itself destroyed by them. A
people who have learned to see such sights un
moved are not far from the level of the Romans,
whose amusements were in blood and the death
of beasts and gladiators.
As long as smooth prophets ease down the
public conscience; and obsequious editors count
themselves worthy to bind up the scandals of sav
age laws, whose every step perpetrates as many
crimes as man can commit against man — so long
we need not wonder that there are such monsters
as this Ellington ruffled out as a minister of the
gospel, to the shame of every honest man that
wears the same cloth ; and preaches the same gos
pel like a volcano through whose base flames the
fire of perdition.
It will not forever be thus. There is an unper-
verted heart. There is a Judge above corruption.
There are laws neither framed in deceit nor red-
mouthed with blood of the innocent. We turn to
that Great Heart, guardian of the supreme and
universal law, (beneath which the miserable, pid-
222

BEECHER ON FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW
dling enactments of paltry politicians and mousing
merchants are as grass, withered leaves beneath
the cedars of Lebanon) , has not the shame of our
nakedness appeared long enough ? How long shall
this land stand before the world like a drunken
woman loosely exhibiting her hideous charms,
which none can behold without shame and dis
gust.

223

CHAPTER XIX

JOHN AND PETE MUNDAY
In the dark days of slavery there lived in
Webster County, Kentucky, a man named Wil
liam Munday, who owned several slaves, among
these were two boys, John and Pete, who longed
to be free. They talked much about freedom when
they were alone, and listened eagerly to every tale
of run-aways escaping from their masters and
making their way to Canada. They made inquir
ies about the particulars whenever they thought
it prudent to do so. They had settled the question
in their own minds, and with each other, that as
soon as a good opportunity offered itself they
would run away. There was a noted Cumberland
preacher who lived just across the line in Hender
son county, who owned slaves. This preacher often
came to Gibson county, Indiana to preach; and
he usually brought along his slave servant. The
slaves of Munday and those belonging to the
preacher were related; and as both masters were
lenient with their slaves, they often visited each
other. During these visits the slave of the preach
er told John and Pete of his wonderful trips to In
diana ; of the great Ohio river ; the city of Evans-
224

COL. JAMES W. COCKRUM.

A Member of the Executive Committee of the Anti-Slavery
League.

JOHN AND PETE MUNDAY
ville and of the many other wonderful things he
had seen in his travels. They learned from him
the direction to the land of freedom and of the
roads that led there. All this information greatly
excited the Munday boys and they determined to
make an attempt to gain their freedom, and at once
began making preparations for their journey. But
it was quite awhile before an opportunity came.
However, one did come and it happened in this
way: It was a very bad crop year and Munday had
failed in his crops. To help over the winter he
hired John and Pete to a tobacco packing house in
Henderson. They went to work in the latter part
of August, 1854. For the boys this was the first
step toward liberty. They entered the factory as
carrier boys, helping carry the tobacco to the men
who packed it in hogsheads. Their lives here were
as pleasant, as they always had been with their
master. While working here they became ac
quainted with an old gray-headed negro, who was
known far and near in that part of Kentucky by
the name of Simon. This old negro soon gained
the confidence of John and Pete and they told him
of their great desire to be free. Now Uncle Simon
was an agent of the Underground Railroad. He
told them if they would trust him, that he would
put them on the road that led to freedom. Uncle
225

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Simon was a slave himself, but as he was so old,
he said, freedom would do him but little good, but
if he was younger he would go to Canada, himself.
Uncle Simon had become acquainted with some
Underground Railroad people in Evansville and
had made arrangements to send them as many
slaves as he could, and these people agreed to help
all who reached there, to escape.
John and Pete were willing to make the at
tempt to escape. After they had worked about
two weeks in the factory Uncle Simon told them
to meet him at a certain place on the river bank,
about one o'clock at night, and all would be ready
for the start. The boys kept the appointment
and found Uncle Simon awaiting them. Getting
into a skiff Uncle Simon "rowed to the Indiana side.
Here, by previous arangement, a man met them
and took the two boys in a skiff to Evansville,
where they were put in a cellar. They were kept
here for nearly a Week, until the search for them
was over. Their guardian visited them every
night and left food to last them twenty-four hours.
One night he told them it was time to be going,
and guided them through the city and put them
on the tow path of the Wabash and Erie canal
and instructed them to follow the path to the end,
which was in the state of Ohio. He assured them
that friends along the way would be on the look-
226

JOHN AND PETE MUNDAY
out for them, who would give them further in
structions. A haversack of provisions and five
dollars in silver was given to each of the boys.
They were instructed to travel only at night and
never pass anyone. If they should see or hear any
one they must step aside and keep in hiding until
the person or persons were gone. If it became nec
essary to enter a town to purchase provisions, they
must go around it and approach it from the north.
Bidding their friends good-bye they started on
their 459 mile jaunt to freedom. That night they
reached the vicinity of Millersburg, Warrick Co.,
where they hid in the woods, remaining all next
day. When darkness came they were again on
their journey. Next morning they hid themselves
near Port Gibson, Gibson County. They knew not
how far they had traveled, or what direction they
were going, but knew that by sticking to the tow
path they could not go wrong. But their supply
of provisions was running low, but they got some
thing eatable from a cornfield but had to eat it
raw, as they feared to make a fire. They decided
that the next night they would stop at some town
and purchase needed supplies. When they reached
Port Gibson, the lights in the stores and houses
were burning bright, so they deeided to not stop
there and pressed on. They passed Francisco
about the middle of the night and went a short
227

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
distance beyond and went into hiding in the woods.
Next day about ten o'clock they walked back to
town and entered a store. Here they inquired the
prioes of a brier scythe, a grubbing hoe and a pair
of hames. They told the merchant that they had
taken a job of clearing a piece of land a few miles
north of that place and were to board themselves.
They bought a side of bacon, a bag of corn meal,
a tin bucket, a frying pan and two tin cups, and
started north on the tow path. Going a little
ways they hid in the woods until night and then
resumed their tramp northward. About three
miles west of Dongola they came to a great bottom
covered with a heavy growth of timber. Here they
kindled a fire and cooked their supper of fried
bacon and corn cakes. They traveled in this man
ner for many days and nights. The further they
advanced northward the bolder they became, un
til they began to travel during the day, but always
avoiding persons or towns. After about three
weeks, they one day came upon a negro man fish
ing in the canal. They stopped and talked with
him. At last he asked if they were not from
Evansville, Indiana. They answered that they
were and that they were run-a-ways. He said
that he suspected as much and that; he had "been
fishing for them for several days." This negro
man, like Uncle Simon, was an agent of the Un-
228

JOHN AND PETE MUNDAY
derground Railroad. He had his freedom papers
and so did not fear arrest. Run-a-way slaves
would not be afraid to talk to him as they would
a white man, so he was used by the anti-slavery
people to head off the escaping slaves and befriend
them. He told the boys that men from Evansville
were waiting for them in town just ahead of them
and that they must follow the tow path no longer.
The fisherman rolled up his lines and followed by
the boys, started off through the eountry. For
many days they followed their guide, at last reach
ing Toledo, Ohio, where friends were on the look
out for them. As the slave hunters from Evans
ville had confederates af this city watching for
run-aways, they were hid in a secure place for
several days. When it was safe to move them they
were put in the hold of a large steamer and in a
day o» two were landed in Canada, where they
were free.
The war soon came on and after the great
struggle ended, they returned to the United States
eager to get back to their old home, hoping to meet
once more their old mother. They learned that
she and another son had moved to Indiana. They
continued their search and found her alive and
well. It was a re-united family never again to be
separated by slavery, or to be hounded and tor
mented by slave drivers or slave hunters, for
slavery no longer cursed our fair land. (229)

CHAPTER XX.

REV. HIRAM HUNTER RELEASING KID
NAPPED NEGROES
In the fall and winter of 1863 I had the mis
fortune to be an inmate of Libby prison hospital
with a wound made by a Minney ball, through my
hip. There were at that time about one thousand
Federal officers, from the rank of brigader gen
eral down to second lieutenant, in that prison.
Among the number as a patient in the hospital
was Col. W. McMackin of the 21st Illinois, the reg
iment with which General Grant entered the ser
vice. The Colonel, as well as myself, had been
captured at the battle of Chicamaugua, Georgia.
As I now recall it he was a Cumberland minister
and a Christian gentleman at all times doing all
he could to console the poor unfortunates in that
hospital, many of them very severely wounded
and a number died while he was there. I am glad
to be privileged to bear testimony that the Colonel
was ever ready at any time, night or day, to aid
those wounded and sick in their temporal wants
and to give them the words of consolation which
are in the precious promises of our Saviour. He
appeared to have never been strong and the ex-
230

REV. HIRAM HUNTER
posure from that terrible campaign from Mur-
freesborough, Tenn., to Chickamaukua, Ga., in
the rain nearly every day had been so severe that
he was apparently suffering from that dreadful
disease, consumption. During the long and weary
months that he worked so faithfully for the hap
less and helpless ones in that house of death he
never complained of his own suffering. He was
ever doing good and organized a Bible class for
the convalescents. In this way I became very well
acquainted with him. He learned where I lived
and that the town of Princeton was near my home.
In talking together he related to me this strange
story which took place some twenty-five years be
fore. He said that he had gone to Princeton, In
diana, to meet Hiram Hunter and had been there
for some time doing school work in the old brick
Seminary which stood on the hill, under Hunter,
or some other persons whom Hunter had assigned
to give his lessons in theology. During the time
he was there he went out with the ministers of the
different churches in the country surrounding
Princeton and heard the old ministers preach. At
one time he attended a camp meeting several miles
southwest of Princeton. There were many preach
ers and thousands of persons in attendance. While
attending one of these meetings there was a
231

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD ^
lengthy service at night and while the meeting
was in progress there was some rain and a flurry
of wind. After the meeting, Rev. Hiram Hunter,
who was in attendance, was invited by a gentle
man who lived near to go home with him to spend
the night. The Colonel, through Hunter, was al
so invited. They were all on horseback and Mr.
Knowlton had his wife on the same horse with him.
They had gone some distance from the church
when they found the road completely blocked by
the top of a tree which had fallen into it They
all dismounted and crept around through the thick
brush as best they could to get around the tree
top. On coming to the road on the other side, they
found a covered wagon which was stopped by the
blockade. On coming up to it a man was seen
standing in the road. Mr. Hunter was in front
and asked the man how he came there with a
covered wagon at that time of night. The man
answered him by saying it was none of his busi
ness. Mr. Hunter was a determined man and it
did not take much of this sort of thing to raise his
anger. He said: "I spoke to you as a gentleman
and your answer shows that you are an ill-bred
cur. I am now satisfied that there is something
wrong about you and before we go any farther we
will investigate." At this point another man ap
peared, and going around the tree came up and
232

REV. HIRAM HUNTER
demanded to know what the trouble was. Mr.
Hunter told him there was no trouble but they
thought there was something wrong and intend
ed to know what it was. At this, the man with
the ax, said that the first man who attempted to
lay hands on the wagon would lose his life. As
quick as thought one of the two stalwart sons of
Mr. Knowlton, who were with the camp-meeting
party, caught the ax and wrenched it out of the
hands of the threatening fellow. The other man
attempted to aid his partner when the senior Mr.
Knowlton laid him on his back in the road. The
two boys tied the man they had and their father
and Mr. Hunter drew the arms of the man who
was knocked down behind his back and McMac-
kin tied them hard and fast with his handkerchief.
The night was cloudy but there was a moon and
it was not very dark but the timber was so very
thick on each side of the narrow road that they
could not see to any advantage. Matches, at that
time, were not in general use. Mr. Knowlton told
one of his sons to take his mother home and bring
back some material to make a torch. The young
man was soon back with the steel, flint and punk
and in a little time they had a flaming torch. In
the wagon they found a negro man and woman
with their hands tied and they tied to a cross-
piece under the bottom of the wagon and a rope
233

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
was tied in each of their mouths. They were soon
liberated, but it was some time before they could
stand or talk. They said they lived in Illinois, a
few miles west of Vincennes, Indiana, and they
had been tied ever since the latter part of the night
before and had been gagged most of the time.
They further said that they crossed the Wabash
at Mt. Carmel on the ferry; that they were free
negroes, and that these two men had come to their
cabin the night before after they had gone to bed,
pretending to be lost and asked the privilege of
feeding their teams near their house, saying they
would sleep in their wagon, and if the negro wom
an would get them a good supper they would give
her a silver dollar, and she did so.
Sometime after midnight they knocked at
the door, saying that they were cold in the wagon
and asked permission to lie on the floor. The door
was opened and they caught and tied and put them
into the wagon. This occurred almost twenty-four
hours before they were liberated.
The wagon was turned and the two kidnappers
were made to walk behind it, guarded by Messrs.
Hunter and Knowlton. One of the boys drove the
team and they were soon home. After getting in
to the house they held an informal examination.
The two negroes told the same story that they
did at the wagon. The man knocked down was
234

REV. HIRAM HUNTER
the first interrogated. He was very insolent and
said that he would make it dear business to those
stopping him and meddling with his property;
the two negroes were his and he had a description
of them which he showed. He said that they had
run away from southern Kentucky about two
years before. The other kidnapper would not say
anything. The stories of the negroes were be
lieved, and it was decided to hold the men until
morning and take all of them to Princeton, Indi
ana where legal proceedings would be brought.
The first cabin of the family was standing in
the yard. A pallet was made down on the floor
and the kidnappers were put on it. There were
no windows and but one door, which was fastened
on the outside with a rope. The two boys volun
teered to occupy a room not more than ten feet
away and guard the door. In some manner the
outlaws untied each other and got out at a low
wide chimney and made a break for the stable to
get the horses, but the boys with their guns foiled
them in this and they made a rush for the woods
which was near by and escaped.
That was the last these people ever heard of
them. The next morning it was decided that Mr.
Knowlton and a neighbor would take the negroes
back to their home. The two men were well
235

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
mounted and armed with long rifles, as everybody
was in those days.
When they arrived in the neighborhood in
which the negroes lived they found the wagon and
team had been stolen about three miles north of
their cabin, and that the negroes had lived in that
neighborhood more than twenty years.

236

CHAPTER XXI

THE KIDNAPPING OF REUBE AT PRINCE
TON, INDIANA.
In 1817 William Barrett moved to this state
from Tennessee and settled in what is now south
western Columbia township, Gibson county, Indi
ana. He had formerly lived in the state of South
Carolina and moved from there to Tennessee in
1804. Some years after they reached Indiana a ne
gro man named Reube who had formerly been a
slave of Mr. Jacob Sanders (but had been freed
for having saved his master's life) came on from
South Carolina with a relinquishment paper for
Mrs. Barrett to sign for her part of her father's
estate. Reube remained for nearly a year ; the
winter weather was too cold for him and he de
termined to go back before another winter set in.
John W. Barrett, a son of William, at that time a
large, gawky boy about eighteen years old and six
feet eight inches tall, went with Reube on many
fishing and hunting adventures. When the time
came for Reube to start back John took him over
to Princeton and led back home, the horse which
he had ridden. Reube intended to go from there
237

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
to Evansville with the first passing team that
went that way.
The act which gave Reube his freedom was a
heroic one. There was a maniac in that section of
South Carolina who at times became very des
perate and was kept in confinement in a place the
authorities had for that purpose. He was very
sly and cunning, and stepping up back of Mr.
Sanders pinioned his hands behind him and threw
him on the ground, and with a large knife at
tempted to cut his throat. Reube, being in the
garden nearby, saw his master's peril and run
ning up behind the maniac struck him about the
ear with the hoe and felled him to the ground. Mr.
Sanders said: "Reube, from this day on you are
a free man and I will at once make out your free
papers." He told him to stay on the place if he
wanted to for as long a time* as suited him and he
would pay him for all the work he did. The papers
were made out, and in giving him his freedom a
full history of the reason was given and they were
recorded. To make it certain that no one would
disturb Reube, Mr. Sanders had a record of a full
history of the case engraved on a gold plate, also
had a gold chain attached to the gold plate that
went around his neck so that it was easy at any
time if the patrols stopped him to show the cer
tificate on the plate. Mr. Barrett's family heard
238

KIDNAPPING OF REUBE
nothing of Reube for two or three years. Finally
Mr. Sanders wrote to his niece, Mrs. Barrett, ask
ing her why Reube did not come back.
In 1832 Col. J. W. Cockrum bought the steam
boat "Nile" and intended to run her up the Yazoo
river and other small rivers to bring the cotton
out and carry it to New Orleans. John W. Bar
rett, a brother-in-law, was made clerk of the boat
and had charge of the freight. At one landing on
the Yazoo river there was a large quantity of cot
ton to be loaded, and the planters were still deliver
ing from their farms. Young Barrett was on the
deck tallying as the mate and deck hands were
putting the cargo aboard when a colored man came
near him and said: "Mr. Barrett don't you know
me ? I am Reube who hunted with you in Indiana.
Don't let on you know me." Barrett did know
him and was greatly surprised at thus meeting
him. Finally he got a chance and told Reube to
roll a bale of cotton behind the cabin stairs. Reube
told him that his master was on the bank and it
was not safe for them to be seen talking together.
The planter whom Reube called his master had a
large amount of cotton and was watching the
count of the bales and his slaves were helping to
load it in order that they might finish before night.
During the loading Barrett had several chances
to say a word to Reube. There was a wood yard
239

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
a few miles below, where the boat would stop to
take on wood. Reube said he would be down there
when the boat came, which would be after night.
When the boat rounded to Reube was ready to
load wood as soon as it was measured. Barrett
watched his chances and took Reube down in the
hold and secreted him there and looked after him.
They gjot to New Orleans, unloaded the cotton and
took on a lot of government freight for one of the
military outposts on the upper Arkansas river.
Reube was still in hiding, no one but the clerk be
ing aware of his presence on board.
While they were unloading t^ie government
freight Barrett went to the commander of the
fort and told the history of Reube and all about
his being kidnapped and being sold into slavery
to a Mississippi planter on the Yazoo river. As
fortune would have it the commander was a New
England man and felt indignant at the outrage
ous treatment the poor negro had received and as
sured Barrett that he would keep him in his em
ploy at good wages until he had an opportunity to
send him back to South Carolina, which he did.
About a year afterward the Barrett family re
ceived a letter from Mr. Sanders telling of Reube's
arrival home.
Mr. John W. Barrett told me in 1854, the last
time he was in Indiana, that after he left Reube
240

KIDNAPPING OF REUBE
at Princeton he had no opportunity to get away
to Evansville until about the middle of the next
day. He was making inquiry of some people if
they knew of any team which was going to Evans
ville. Reube was very fond of showing his gold
certificate of freedom; finally two men told him
they were going to Evansville that evening but
they could not get away before the middle of the
afternoon and made an agreement that he could
go with them if he would cook for them on the
road and after they got there. Reube readily
agreed to this, since they told him that they had
some thought of going on to Tennessee.
They finally started and after staying a day
or so at Evansville (which then was only a small
place) they started on the Tennessee trip. They
made it convenient to go through west Tennessee
and on to Memphis. They told Reube, to whom
they had been very kind, that in a day or so they
would go to North Carolina and in doing so would
pass near his home if he wanted to go with them,
but the next place they went to was the Yazoo
river. There they took Reube's gold plate and
papers from him and sold him to the planter with
whom Barrett found him.

241

CHAPTER XXII

A BLUFF THAT FAILED TO WORK
About the year 1851 an old negro man named
Stephenson, came to see the author's father, who
was largely interested in farming, to have him
keep his boys, one fourteen, one twelve and the
other ten years old, for him until he could make
arrangements to start for Liberia. This my
father agreed to do. It was spring time and the
boys helped with the work, and thus continued
all through that season. The old man had no
chance to get away and work was well under way
for the second season. Old man Stephenson had
come to this country from South Carolina with
Dr. Samuel McCullough, about the middle of the
forties. He was a free man but married a slave
and bought her freedom. They had lived in the
same neighborhood for several years until his
wife died. One evening, just as the work was over
for the day, and the colored boys were doing up the
work around the barn, two men rode up to the
front of the house and called to the author's
father, who was sitting on the porch, saying they
wanted to see him. They told him they had a
description of three colored boys who were born in
242

A BLUFF THAT FAILED
South Carolina who were slaves and called to see
him about it as they had learned he had three
colored boys working for him.
These two fellows no doubt had a confederate
in the neighborhood who had given them a perfect
description of the boys. They talked together, my
father not having the least idea who they were
and evidently they did not know him or they
would have been the last fellows to come there
on such a mission. He excused himself to go into
the house for something. They waited for him
to return, which he did with his bear gun, "Old
Vicksburg," in his hands.
They commenced to plead with him not to
have any trouble. He told them that there was
not the slightest danger of any trouble but "he
wanted them to see what sort of a machine he
guarded the boys with and said to them : "Do you
see that little house?" pointing to a room in our
yard "The three boys sleep there and if they are
disturbed I will kill fifteen such worthless vaga
bonds as you are before you get them, fugitive
law or any other law. And I want to say before
I get mad that you had better go for you may get
into danger." He cocked the big gun and said: "I
feel it coming on — go, and go quick."
They took him at his word and they went in
a hurry. He waited until they had gone about
243

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
seventy-five yards away when he turned loose at
them, intending to shoot just above their heads.
At the crack of that monster gun they laid down
on their horses' necks and made as good time as
did the best mounted F. F. V. when Sheridan's
cavalry was after them.
The boys remained with us for nearly three
years before they got away to Liberia and that
was the last we ever heard of the men hunting for
them. The next year my father made the race for
the legislature. One of these fellows who was a
hotel keeper at Petersburg, Indiana, went into Gib
son County to work against him. He told the peo
ple that father was a blood-thirsty man and that
he did not regard the life of a man more than he
would the life of a bear. It was evident he had
struck the wrong crowd. They demanded that
he tell them of one instance where he had shown
such a disposition. He told them that two friends
of his had gone to father's house to see about some
runaway negroes and that he threatened their
lives and as they went away shot at them. This
disgruntled fellow was laughed out of the town
ship for his meddling.

244

CHAPTER XXIII

JOSEPH MONTGOMERY LIBERATING TWO
KIDNAPPED NEGROES.
Judge Isaac Montgomery owned a farm near
Princeton at the time he lived on his farm in east
ern Gibson county, and he cultivated both farms.
At one time Harvey and Joseph, and a hand
working for them named McDeeman had two loads
of produce, venison, hams, hides and bear bacon
which they were taking to Robert Stockwell at
Princeton. Joseph at that time lived on what was
afterward the Richey farm about one half mile
west of his father. He was a very large man and
was known far and near as one of the strongest
men who ever lived in that section.
As they were getting within about two miles
of Princeton and after climbing a hill they stopped
to let their ox teams rest and heard a loud noise
as of men in a wrangle. Joseph Montgomery and
McDeeman left Harvey with the teams and taking
their guns went to find out what the noise was
about. When they got to the parties making the
noise they found two negroes handcuffed together
and a white man was beating one of the negroes
with a heavy stick. 245

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Montgomery, who was as fearless as strong,
with McDeeman rushed up to the place where the
trouble was and asked the man with the club what
in "hades" he meant by beating the man with
such a bludgeon. There were two white men and
one of them became very insulting, telling Mont
gomery they were beating their own property and
it was none of his business. One of the negroes
cried out "Oh, that is Mr. Montgomery ! Don't you
know me ? I am Pete who kept your camp at the
bear's den."
Montgomery did know him. The bully had
the club drawn back to hit Pete when Montgomery
leaped like a panther and hit the fellow at the butt
of the ear and completely knocked him out. At
this the other kidnapper started to draw a large
knife when McDeeman who was a full-fledged
Irishman, raised his gun and said: "On your
worthless life don't move your hand. If you so
much as bat your eye I will shoot it out of your
head." They took the key away from them, freed
the negroes, put the handcuffs on the kidnappers,
gave the two negroes the clubs and marched the
two men up to the wagons and on into Princeton.
Montgomery tried to have the kidnappers put in
jail until court convened. The old justice before
whom they brought the proceedings was thorough
ly in sympathy with slavery and he virtually there
246

JOSEPH MONTGOMERY RELEASES NEGROES.
made the same decision that Chief Justice Tanny
did thirty years afterwards. It was as follows:
"There is no evidence that the two men kid
napped the negroes except the statement made by
the negroes. The evidence of a negro has no
force in court which could affect a white man."
They were set at liberty. They were so much
elated over being freed from the charge that they
proceeded to fill up with whiskey and hunted up
Montgomery and started a quarrel with him but
he gave both of them at the same time such a
thrashing that they were glad to get away.

247

CHAPTER XXIV

KIDNAPPING ONE OF MAJOR ROBB'S HANDS
AT HIS MILLS NEAR HAZLETON,
INDIANA.
In 1822 a negro named Steve Hardin, who had
worked with Major Robb about his mill for some
time, was kidnapped by a Kentuckian named J.
Teal who was visiting south of Vincennes, and
carried to New Orleans and sold into slavery. Two
years afterward a man named Pea who lived west
of Petersburg, Indiana, went down the river and
at new Orleans met Steve Hardin with whom he
was well acquainted. Pea went with the negro to
a lawyers office and told him the negro's history
and that he was born in Indiana Territory after
1787. Suit was brought and the negro was given
his liberty, the judge holding that those who were
born in the Northwest Territory after the ordin
ance of 1787 were free.
In 1897 John Warrick, Sr. brought from Ken
tucky to Indiana Territory a negress. When the
state constitution was adopted Warrick sold this
woman to a Kentucky friend who kidnapped her
near Owensville, Indiana, and took her to his
Kentucky home. Parties from the section where
248

KIDNAPPING OF MAJOR ROBB'S HAND
she was kidnapped instituted proceedings in a
Kentucky court for her freedom. The court held
that it could not recognize the theory which held
one to be a slave and free at the same time and
further held that the negress was free by being
taken into Indiana Territory for a residence after
the ordinance of 1787.

249

CHAPTER XXV

AN ATTEMPT TO KIDNAP A BARBER AT
PETERSBURG, INDIANA.
Dr. J. R. Adams of Petersburg tells this story
of a barber who came to Petersburg and opened a
barber shop. One of the human vultures who
were ever ready to kidnap the poor negroes sent
off and had a correct description of the barber
made and sent back to him. He and another con
federate at Washington, Indiana, who brought a
stranger with him who claimed to own the barber
and who said he was his negro. He had posters
which gave a perfect description of the barber,
and in which a reward of two hundred dollars was
offered for his re-capture, claiming that he had
run away from Tennessee some three years before.
These villians were preparing to start for the
south with the unfortunate barber when Dr.
Adams brought proceedings to liberate him. The
doctor through an attorney delayed proceedings
until he could send a runner to Vincennes and get
Robert LaPlant who ewore that the negro was
born in a small house in his father's yard in Vin
cennes, that the mother and father were in the
employ of his parents at that time and continued
250

KIDNAPPING A BARBER
to work for his father until the barber was nearly
grown. Dr. Adams swore he had known him as a
free negro for ten years. On this strong evidence
the young barber was liberated, on account of the
prejudice of the time, all the white villains who
tried to do this great wrong were allowed to go
free.

251

CHAPTER XXVI

TWO FREE NEGROES KIDNAPPED WEST OF
PRINCETON, INDIANA.
In 1822 two negro men came to what is now
Princeton hunting for work. They were hired by
General Wm. Embree to work on a farm that he
owned two or three miles west of Princeton. They
were good hands and worked on the same farm
for two years, living in a small log cabin on the
farm doing their own culinary work. One of the
men could read and write and often borrowed
books to read from people in Princeton. When the
work season was over they put in most of their
time before corn would be ready to gather in hunt
ing for game, which was very abundant.
The summer's work for the second year was
over and the men had gone hunting. One morning
late in the summer some one found tacked on the
cabin door a short note saying they had gone to
the Ohio river to cut cord wood until the corn
would do to gather and this was the last time they
were ever seen on the farm.
Some years later General Embree was in the
city of New Orleans and found these two men
working on the levee, rolling freight. They told
252

KIDNAPPING NEAR PRINCETON
him that the two men whom they had seen sev
eral times in Princeton came to their cabin early
in the evening and handcuffed them and by day
light the next morning they were at the Ohio river
which they crossed on a raft into Kentucky, go
ing down to Henderson. After waiting a few days
a boat came and they were carried to New Orleans
where they were sold into slavery.
Mr. Embree went to a lawyer and told his
story and had proceedings brought to liberate the
two negroes. The investigation developed that
they were sold into slavery to James Lockwell by
two men named Absalom Tower and Thomas
Slaven and they had been for more than three
years the property of Lockwell. As no complaint
had been made during that time the judge re
fused to release them.

253

CHAPTER XXVII

JOB TURNER
After John Bundy went to Canada, Turner
had no one that he could fully rely on to help him.
Uncle Simon was good help and reliable, but he
was so old that he could not do much at any great
distance from home. He was depended on by his
master to do the chores around the house and
barn. This work kept him busy every day until
late in the evening. Turner kept up his regular
peddling trips. In this way he became acquaint
ed with two negro families. The men were well
acquainted with the country south for quite a dis
tance. They had hinted to Turner several times
that they would like to go north. Finally they
told him that many slaves had run away and
gained their liberties; what hindered them from
gaining their freedom, and asked him to aid them.
They lived too far south to reach the Ohio river
in one night but declared they could go as far as
an old vacant lime stone quarry, where there were
many old lime kilns standing. They felt sure they
could hide there for one day and when night would
come they could go on to the place agreed upon,
where the guides would be awaiting them. This
254

JOB TURNER'S WORK
would be about seven miles from Owensboro, Ky.,
and by the middle of the night they would reach
the fishermen's shack east of Owensboro. Turner
assured them that the guides would be at the
place agreed upon on a Sunday night. Their master
was away from home and would not return for
several days. The overseer had been thrown from
a vicious horse and had one of his arms broken.
In the two families were eight persons, the two
men and their wives and four children from ten
to fourteen years of age. Saturday night came
and they had provisions for two days prepared.
As soon as it was dark they were on their way to
the abandoned limestone quarry. On the second
night they reached the place where the three
guides awaited them. They crossed the river and
reached a point about ten miles north where they
hid in a large corn field and rested all day. One
of the guides went on to Mr. Caswell's to inform
them that early that evening eleven people would
reach his place for supper. When he reached
there he found three men there who were hunt
ing three run-away slaves (who were hidden in
our barn cellar). The men seemed to want to
hang around Mr. Caswell's premises. Mr. Cas
well told them he had no knowledge of the three
slaves that they were hunting. The guide told Mr.
Caswell that he was hunting work and wanted to
255

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
know if he needed a hand, or if not if he knew of
anyone that did. Mr. Caswell told him that his
farm work was mostly done and that he didn't
know of anyone wanting help. The three slave
hunters were not from Kentucky, but lived in the
surrounding country, one at Boonville, one at
Pleasantville and one at Lynnville. They were
suspicious of Mr. Caswell as it was well-known
that he did not believe slavery was right. Finally
the guide said that he would go to the neighbor
hood west of there, as he knew that there were
some large farmers living in that neighborhood.
The slave hunters left soon after the guide de
parted. They went a little way on the road to
Lynnville then went around a field coming into a
neighborhood road that led toward the west. They
did not go far when they caught up with the guide,
who aimed to return to Mr. Caswell's as soon as
he thought the slave hunters would be gone. They
rode up to him and asked his name which he said
was Stephens. They asked where he lived and he
answered wherever he wore his hat. They ordered
him to stop and he obeyed. They then told him
that the believed he was an abolitionist and that
he was watching men hunting run-away negroes,
and that they intended to search him and learn
what he was up to. Stephens stepped to the side
of the road and unslung a Sharp's rifle and pointed
256

ROBERT P. HAWTHORNE.
A Worker for the Anti-Slavery League.

JOB TURNER'S WORK
it at the nearest man's head and told him to get
on his horse, and if they made any further attempt
to molest him he would kill all three of them. He
then ordered them to return the way they came
and that he would follow them and if they did
not get out of this section of country, he would
give them a lesson they would long remember.
That the reader may understand how the
Sharp's rifle was carried, so that it would not be
seen, I will explain. There was a leather strap
that had a snap at each end. This strap went
around the left side of the neck and the two ends
came together under the right arm where they
were snapped to a staple on the gun stock. This
brought the butt of the gun under the right arm
and it hung down two feet and eleven inches, (I
measured the gun Mr. Hansen gave me, this morn
ing.) The gun was hid by the coat. When it was
wanted for use, the left hand loosened the snaps
and the weapon was in hand ready for use.
The guide waited about an hour and returned
to Mr. Caswell whom he found near his barn. He
related his experience with the negro hunters and
Mr. Caswell was glad that the bullies were de
feated. But he was uneasy for fear that they
might have seen the guide return to his house.
After eating his breakfast Stephens rested until
dark. Mr. Caswell was uneasy and sent one of
257

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
his boys to see Mr. Hill, with a note explaining the
situation. Hill sent back word that he would go
to Lynnville and be at Caswell's by dark. Nothing
further happened during the day. As soon as it
was dark the guide went back to meet the other
two guards and the refugees. Mr. Hill arrived
at Mr. Caswell's a short time after dark and re
lated a wonderful story. He said the slave hunt
ers reached Lynnville and told that they had been
held up by a highwayman; that they wanted to
be friendly with him, asking him his name and
where his home was, when he drew a breech-load
ing gun and ordered them to get on their horses
and be going. He threatened to follow them and
kill them if they did not get out of that section of
the country. Guards had been placed on two of
the roads to give warning if the desperado should
come to town. The three slave hunters left town
about two o'clock for Pleasantville.
It was an hour after dark when the guards and
fugitives reached Mr. Caswell's barn, where sup
per was served in abundance, in the dark. When
supper was finished Mr. Hill took charge of them,
going by way of his home for a team and wagon.
About an hour before daybreak the fugitives were
safely hid in our barn cellar, where three men had
been hiding for several days.
Mr. Hansen came to our home from Evans-
258

JOB TURNER'S WORK
ville that day. When told of the experiences of
Stephens with the three slave hunters, he said
Stephens would fight, but he didn't want him t«
hunt up scraps. Stephens found out what all
who were in this anti-slavery movement learned,
that these bullying slave hunters when cornered
were a lot of cowards, and were only dangerous,
and that with their tongues, when three or four
of them should meet with some quiet inoffensive
man whom they thought was anti-slavery in senti
ment. Men engaged in such a despicable calling
as kidnapping free negroes and selling them inte
slavery, or running down a poor fugitive slave,
trying to gain his freedom, could be nothing but a
coward. No honorable, brave man would do it.
Slavery was sanctioned by law, yet it was the
crowning shame that befouled our statutes.
A message was sent to Dr. Posey that we
would be at his place that night, or at the river,
whichever he thought best. During that day Mr.
Hansen was at our house. Dr. Posey wrote my
father by the returning messenger that only a lit
tle while before the messenger reached him, Mr.
Robert Hawthorn was in his office and told him
that there were eight or ten tough men who had
drifted to this part of Indiana, by following up
the Wabash and Erie canal. Three of them were
working at his mill, three or four staying around
259

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
canal locks at Hosmer and the rest of them about
Petersburg, putting in their time at Jack Kin-
man's gambling house. He advised that great
caution be exercised or the anti-slavery people
might get into trouble.
These toughs claimed that several of their
men were badly treated by a lot of armed men who
were in a wagon. Their men were doing nothing,
they claimed, only stopped the wagon just for fun
and told the people in the wagon that they had a
right to examine every wagon that passed over
that road. To their surprise four or five men,
armed, jumped out of the wagon and chased their
men into the woods. They claim for that bad
treatment they intend to have revenge. They
assert that they have seen the same wagon pass
many times before and the next time it passes
they intend to capture it. He said that if we sent
the negroes that night it would be well to have a
strong guard with them. That the young fellow
working for Mr. Hawthorn and their mates, might
try to capture them. The doctor said that he
thought that it would be safe to send the fugitives
to his coal bank. John Stucky would be on the
lookout for them.
My father gave Dr. Posey's letter to Mr. Han
sen, who after reading it, said that he thought it
would be best to send the negroes forward under
260

JOB TURNER'S WORK
a strong guard. He thought that the threaten
ing fellows that Dr. Posey told about would
have no knowledge of our coming,, and
that all these bravado fellows needed was
a good lesson, one that would teach them
that when they fool with fire they are
liable to get burned. Hansen further said that
one of his spys was at Boonville and he intended
to send him on to Lawrenceburg, but he would
delay it for awhile and order him to Mr. Haw
thorn's sawmill, and have him get acquainted with
the men referred to in Dr. Posey's letter. He
closed by saying: "This spy is a boat maker from
the state of Massachusetts. I am needing some
boats for the young fishermen at Evansville. This
spy can come into this section and become ac
quainted with the anti-slavery people, who are
working to help the slaves gain their freedom. He
will then go to Mr. Hawthorn's and select some
lumber and make three skiffs. At Mr. Hawthorn's
he will be in favor of slavery. In this way he
will get into the confidence of the men working at
the mill, and of their confederates. Through this
spy it will be easy to find out if the men who are
making these threats are really vicious, or a lot
of smart Alecks, who are only dangerous in their
own imaginations. The anti-slavery people do not
want to cause anyone trouble that do not deserve
261

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
it, but if they get in the way and attempt to block
our work, they may expect to be paid in their own
coin." We got everything ready to take the negroes
to Dr. Posey's coal bank. It was decided that we
would make the trip on foot. Two of the guards,
Mr. Hill, myself and two young men working on
the farm for my father, were to go. In this way
we could go around places where we were likely
to be seen on the main road. By the time it was
dark we were on the way, going on by-roads when
we could. Everything went well until we crossed
Dongola bridge. Soon after we got out of the
Patoka bottoms, the road ran through a thick
woods. It was a very dark night. The guard in
front said he heard several horses coming and the
voices of men talking. We got o.ut of the road a
little way and soon the horsemen went by. From
their talk we thought they were going to picket
the Dongola bridge.
When we were about two miles from Peters
burg we came near a large field that was lit up
with many lanterns and many burning chunk
piles. There was a large drove of cattle in the
field. I never saw such a sight before or since.
There would be ten or twelve of them at the same
time running, pitching and bellowing. Some would
fall down and roll on the ground. Mr. Hill told
262

JOB TURNER'S WORK
us that the cattle had been fed in a field where
hogs had been feeding on corn that had been cut
up when the stalks were green. The hogs. would
partly chew the stalk and leave it. The cattle
would eat the splintered stalks, and it was these
hard glazed pieces that had lacerated their in
testines, and they were raving with the pain and
would die.
We reached Petersburg and met John Stucky,
who was looking for us. We went to the coal
bank and Stuckey hid the negroes safely. He said
on the next night they would forward the refu
gees to northern Davies county.
We returned home with nothing happening
worthy of mention. The cattle were still show
ing signs of distress but we saw no one around
the fires. We crossed the Patoka river on the
canal aqueduct as we felt pretty sure that the
bridge was being watched. When we got a little
south of Dongola Tom Midcalf and one of the
guards asked Mr. Hill to let them -go back and find
the horses of the bridge watchers and turn them
loose. Mr. Hill agreed to the proposition provided
they would not hurt the horses, only to turn them
loose and unbuckle their girths so that they would
lose their saddles. The others of the party would
rest and wait half an hour for their return. They
soon got back and said that they had done as Mr.
263

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Hill told them to do, but Midcalf told me confi
dentially before we reached home that the horses
would have to carry a brush with them when fly
time should come.

264

CHAPTER XVIII

JOHN DAVENPORT
Mr. Hansen sent one of his spies from Boon
ville, Indiana, and he was with the anti-slavery
people here and Dongola, for three days, when he
went to Mr. Hawthorn with a letter of introduc
tion from my father. John Davenport was his
name. Mr. Hawthorn found him a place to board.
Selecting some good lumber Davenport went to
work making skiffs. He soon got acquainted with
the men working for Mr. Hawthorn. Three of
these he found to be intensely proslavery, being
very loud in declaring what they would do, if they
got a chance, to capture run-away negroes. And
they declared that if opportunity offered they
would kidnap any negro and sell him into slavery.
It was their declared belief that all negroes should
be slaves and that free negroes should not be
permitted to live among white people.
Davenport was a good fellow with these men,
and they had a number of friends whom they
wanted Davenport to meet, so they arranged for
a meeting to be held at a vacant house, a few
nights ahead. At the appointed time they were
all there and all the strangers were introduced to
265

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Davenport. It was suggested that it would be a
good thing to hold a meeting each week and call
it a Literary Club. The by-laws provided that the
membership should be restricted to not more than
twelve in number and that all the meetings should
be secret. (For fear that they might get some
members in the club that were anti-slavery in
principle, Davenport had Hawthorn examine the
list of names, which he found to be pro-slavery.
Everyone of them had been on hunts, trying to
capture run-away slaves).
Davenport had a nest of three skiffs, the first,
a very large one, the second a medium sized one
and the third smaller, so they all fit in a nest, re
quiring the room of only one skiff. A team and
wagon transported the skiffs to Evansville. Daven
port went with the boats. On his return he at
tended the meeting of the club and told the mem
bers that he had seen a camp of woodchoppers, of
twelve or fifteen men, all free negro men. They
told him that they would have their present con
tract done in six or eight days, and that he had
asked them if they would like to have a contract
to chop one thousand cords of wood at sixty-five
cents a cord. They said that they would be glad
to have the contract and would be ready to com
mence work in one week's time. He said that he
did not close the contract, as he did not feel like
S66

JOHN DAVENPORT'S WORK.
making such a large deal without the consent of
all the members. A motion was made by one of
the members and adopted, authorizing Davenport
to go and see the woodchoppers and close up the
contract with them, and have them move up to a
large double log building that stood near the canal
about two and a half miles east of where the
aqueduct crossed the Patoka river.
A committee of three was appointed to have
the old log boarding house fixed up for the new
comers. Davenport asked if all the members were
present and being assured that they were, he ad
dressed them as follows : "Gentlemen, you have se
lected me to make an arrangement with fifteen
free negro woodchoppers to place themselves in
our power so that we can kidnap them and sell
them into slavery. This is in direct opposition to
the laws of the United States. If we should be
caught we would have trouble to save our liberties.
Aside from this we are planning to deprive fifteen
men, who are free born, of their liberties for life.
It will be well that you think this matter over care
fully, then if you want to go ahead I am with you."
After free discussion for a while they re
solved unamimously that Davenport should go
and hire the woodchoppers.
At the next meeting of the club Davenport
reported that he had closed the contract with the
267

THE UNDERGROUND RAJXROAD
woodchoppers and that they would be at the old
log boarding house Friday evening of that same
week and he added, "They have three good teams
and wagons that we can use in taking the negroes
south." There was a controversy about what they
would do with the negroes when captured.
It was finally settled that they would sell them to
a negro trader who lived near Owensboro, Ky.
Davenport said this man bought all negroes of
fered him, but only paid two-thirds of the value of
kidnapped negroes. This was decided to be the
best thing that they could do. The club con
cluded that it would send Davenport to see the
slave trader and make final arrangements with
him. There would be plenty of time for this be
fore the woodchoppers would arrive.
The next meeting of the club was on Thurs
day night. Davenport was there and reported
that he had seen the slave merchant and he had
agreed to receive the negroes on the north side
of the Ohio river, as he had a strongly built flat
boat there that he could load them in and keep
them until he had acquired a sufficient number,
then he would take them to the cotton country.
But he would not agree to pay more than eight
hundred dollars for any kidnapped negro.
While Davenport was pretending to be away
268

JOHN DAVENPORT'S WORK.
on business for his club, he was with others, mak
ing arrangements to complete the trap that was
being set to catch the men who were so ready to
kidnap free negroes and sell them into slavery.
Isham Booker, a mulatto, was sent to the Cherry
Grove, west of Princeton, Indiana, and secured
the help of the four negroes who had helped kid
nap the kidnappers, described in a former chapter.
Mr. Hansen sent two of his guards who had come
to my father's with four fugitives. George Hill
was selected as leader, in charge of the men. Wes
ley Simpson, Hiram Knight, Thomas Hart,
Obadiah Naley, myself and five negro men, with
the two guards, composed the party representing
the supposed party of woodchoppers.
The woodchoppers' wagons arrived at the va
cant boarding house a little after dark. The horses
were hitched to the wagon beds and fed. The
woodchoppers had prepared a luncheon before
starting, sufficient to meet their needs for the day.
After satisfying their hunger they entered the
house and snuffed out the candle lights.
It was understood with Davenport that he
would lead his club in at the south door and line
them up against the south wall. The woodchop
pers would be lying on the north side of the room
asleep, as they would be very tired from so long a
journey. Soon the club men were heard approach-
269

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
ing the house. Quietly, they slipped into the room.
It was very dark and Davenport lighted a candle
when, to their surprise, there stood before them
all around the room armed men! Some of these
hard Sharps rifles presented at the club men and
others had axes drawn ready to strike them down.
Other candles were lighted. Mr. Hill ordered the
would-be kidnappers to hold up their hands and
then ordered two of the negroes to disarm them.
He then demanded of them to explain their con
duct. Davenport replied that they were a literary
club and held their meetings in that room. Mr.
Hill asked Davenport why he had hired the wood-
choppers when he had no timber to cut into wood ?
The answers were unsatisfactory. The spokes-
asserted that it was a scheme to get the wood-
choppers in his power so that he and his con
federates could kidnap them and sell them into
slavery. Each man was asked, individually, what
he came there for but not one, excepting Daven
port, would utter a word. There was no doubt but
all the clubmen (excepting Davenport) believed
their captors were negro woodchoppers, for all
were blacked up and thoroughly disguised.
The leader, Mr. Hill, made a little speech that
must have added to their alarm: "When we got
here we didn't dream that a trap was set to catch
us, until an old gray-headed man came out of this
270

JOHN DAVENPORT'S WORK.
house and told us to be on our guard, that some
young men aimed to capture us and sell us into
slavery. We are fully convinced by your actions
that he told us the truth. If justice was meted
out to you, we would kill everyone of you."
At this point Davenport defied them to do
their worst, that he did not fear a thousand ne
groes, that they all should be slaves. He became
so boisterous that our leader ordered him taken
out of the house and if he made any attempt to
escape to kill him. He was still defiant and started
to run when we could hear heavy blows as if he
was being beaten to death. Soon one of the men
who had charge of Davenport returned and told
our leader that they had killed their prisoner and
asked what should be done with the body. He was
told to throw it into the canal, (which was full
of water and only a short distance away). Our
leader then told the remaining members of the
club, that men who would volunteer willingly to
kidnap men who were freebom, and plan to tear
them away from their wives and children, to sell
them into slavery for life, deserved death. But
they would not kill the remainder of them, only
put a mark on each of them that would stay with
them as long as they lived. Two strong men held
each victim and another with a sharp knife cut
the lobe off of the left ear. By the time each of
271

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
the eleven men had received his mark they were a
bloody looking sight. They were led outside the
house and told to go. Our band harnessed horses
to the wagons and we were soon on our way to our
homes. We had not gone far when Davenport
joined us.
In the fall of 1864 I was in command of the
Post Military Prison at Nashville, Tennessee. One
day one of the prison guards was badly hurt try
ing to arrest a deserter, and was sent to the hos
pital. Next morning I went to the hospital to see
the injured guard. While passing through the hos
pital yard I saw a man sawing wood with a buck
saw. Looking closely I recognized him at Robert
Hawthorn of Petersburg, Indiana. I asked him
what this meant. He told me the following story :
"Thomas Hart and I were on our way to join the
42nd Indiana regiment and owing to some minor
ailments we were sent to this hospital for treat
ment. Because I didn't understand the art of mak
ing up beds, a little red headed rooster they call
a hospital steward, put me on double duty." I
asked him if he and Hart were well enough to leave
the hospital and he answered that they were. I
then told him to go to his ward and get his bag
gage and have Hart get his and both come down
to the office. I went into the office and found Dr.
Thurston, a regular army surgeon, and told him
272

JOHN DAVENPORT.
A spy for the Anti-Slavery League.

JOHN DAVENPORT'S WORK.
about the hospital army steward having Hawthorn
on double duty and asked that I be allowed to re
ceipt for the two soldiers, that I had good rooms
and bedding for them near my office where I could
keep them until I had an opportunity to send them
to the regiment. The doctor granted my request
and when the two soldiers came I introduced them
to the doctor, who asked Hawthorn why the hos
pital steward had put him on double duty. Haw
thorn repeated the story he had told to me. The
doctor at once sent for the hospital steward. As
soon as I saw him I was sure that I had seen him
before. His hair was parted so that a long lock
completely covered his left ear. The doctor heard
his statement of his reasons for punishing Haw
thorn, and then told him he had done a mean thing.
That hereafter when any punishment was to be in
flicted, that he must report the matter to the
Doctor, who would decide what punishment should
be inflicted. After Hawthorn and Hart were gone
I told Dr. Thurston that I was sure I knew the hos
pital steward and believed that he knew Hawthorn
and for that reason was punishing him. I then
told the doctor what I had learned about the kid
nappers visit to the old boarding house and how
it terminated. The doctor said he had several calls
at other hospitals to make that morning and that
in the afternoon he would inspect the post military
273

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
prison and would have the hospital steward with
him, and would manage some way to examine his
left ear. In the afternoon Dr. Thurston came to my
office and told me that the hospital steward showed
him his left ear and told him the following story :
"There was a literary club that used an old aban
doned house to hold their meetings in. There were
twelve or fifteen free negro men who had a con
tract to do some work in that section, that took
possession of our club room to live in while doing
the work. One evening we went to hold a club
meeting and found all these negroes there. They
became greatly excited and said we had come there
to kidnap them. They surrounded us and penned
us in the room and pretended to hold a trial over
us. Our leader became defiant and said many in
sulting things to them, for which they took him
out and killed him. Then they decided that we
should be marked by having the lobe of the left
ear cut off, which was done."
I asked the doctor to have the hospital stew
ard come to the office as I wanted to talk to him in
his presence. I told them that at the time of the
planned raid on the woodchoppers that an old man
living as a hermit in the old boarding house had
put the woodchoppers wise when they came there.
That the hermit pretended to go away but as soon
274

JOHN DAVENPORT'S WORK.
as the lights were extinguished he slipped back
and through a hole made in the chinking between
the logs of the house, saw everything that trans
pired within after the candles were lighted until
the club men were released. I told the steward
that what was said here would not be repeated
and asked him where the club men went on the
night after they were released, and how it was
that they disappeared so completely that no one
in that section knew anything about them after
that night. I remarked that Mr. Hawthorn had
told me several years ago that he had three young
men working for him at his mill. They worked
till six o'clock one evening, leaving the mill
for their boarding house and he never saw or
heard of them afterward. The things they left at
their boarding house were never called for.
The steward said that as soon as they were
released they went to the old house where the
club held their meetings and one of their number
went after Dr. B. F. Adams, who lived near. The
doctor soon came with lint and bandages, also
remedies to stop the bleeding of the wounds, and
soon fixed them up in good shape. "We had a time
getting the blood off our clothes," said the stew
ard, "the doctor assured us that he would not say
a word about his night's work. We paid him
twenty-two dollars for treating the eleven men.
275

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
We had the doctor go to find out if any boats were
due that night on the canal. He soon returned
and told us that a passenger boat would go north
at 2 o'clock a. m. and that a freight boat, then in
the locks would go south some time in the after
part of the night. Eight of the men went on the
boat going north and three of us went on the boat
south to Evansville. After I separated from the
two men that went to Evansville with me, I have
never seen or heard of any of the eleven men. Mr.
Hawthorn and you are the only persons from that
part of the country that I have seen since that
awful night."

276

CHAPTER XXIX

INTERESTING LETTERS.
The thirteen letters that follow were secured
from prominent politicians and military men sev
eral years ago, to be used in a work that the
Author contemplated publishing. They fit so apt
ly into this work that they are submitted to the
readers of this volume.

Senator Cullom of Illinois
Oakland City, Indiana,
January 17, 1886.
Hon. Shelby M. Cullom,
Washington, D. C.
My Dear Senator:
I feel that you will pardon me for writing you
on this subject. I feel that I have known you all
my life as we have lived but a little over a hundred
miles apart for so many years. I am collecting
letters from many parts of the United States from
prominent men of different political faiths. I feel
free to ask you in your own way to answer the
two questions that you will find below on this
sheet. Question : Which added the most to the over-
277

THE UNDERGROUND RAHROAD
throw of slavery Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850? Very respectfully yours,
W. M. Cockrum.

The United States Senate,
Washington, D. C,
March 12, 1886.
Hon. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Indiana.
My Dear Mr. Cockrum :
Your letter with the two questions you asked
me has lain on my desk for some time. I have
been very busy. I hardly feel competent to give
you a comprehensive answer to either of the ques
tions. There is but little doubt that they were
strong factors in bringing about the destruction
of slavery. I well remember the first time I saw
Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin." I was in
southern Illinois not far from Cairo. A lawyer
with whom I had business handed me a copy of
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" and said that this book will
divide the South from the North. This Lawyer
was a hot-headed pro-slavery man as many others
were in that section at that time. I laughed
at him and asked him how such a book could have
such wonderful power as he seemed to think it had.
278

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
He said if the charges against the South for the
way the slaves were treated were true, it would
damn any people upholding such conduct and if
they were not true (and he believed they were
false) it would raise such a feeling of indignation
and hatred in the South, that they would pull apart
and finally divide the country. This lawyer when
the war came on went back to his native state,
Tennessee, and assisted in raising a regiment and
went into the army for the South and was killed
at the battle of Stone River.
The fugitive slave law of 1850 was without a
doubt unconstitutional. Many of its provisions
were aimed to offend the abolitionists. If it had
done no more harm than that, it would not have
been so bad, but there were many clauses in that
law that were so favorable to the South that free
booters both north and south took advantage of
it and kidnapped free negroes and sold them into
slavery in the South. In the state of Illinois
bordering on the Ohio river nearly all the free
negroes were kidnapped and sold into slavery in
the lower cotton country of the South.
Very truly yours,
Shelby M. Cullum.

279

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Senator Voorhees
Oakland City, Indiana,
October 20, 1874.
Honorable D. W. Voorhees,
Terre Haute, Indiana.
Dear Senator:
I feel that you will not consider me rude in
writing you as I have. I am gathering letters
from prominent men of different political opinions
in many sections of the United States. I feel free
to write you. I have a very vivid recollection of
getting a thorough wetting listening to your fine
oratory at Princeton, Ind., a few years ago. I want
to ask you in your own way to answer the two
questions below on this sheet.
Question : Which added the most to the over
throw of slavery — Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850 ? Very truly yours,
W. M. Cockrum.

Terre Haute, Indiana, May 23, 1875.
Col. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Ind.
My Dear Mr. Cockrum:
Your letter with the questions have been re-
280

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
ceived. The effect that the two questions pro
duced in this country was wonderful. Mrs. Stowe
had not the least idea what a dreadful row her
book would cause. It was received in the South
as a gauntlet thrown down by the abolitionists
and raised a tremendous excitement in every part
of the South that did not cool down until after
the war was over. Senator Mason's fugitive slave
law of 1850 was not intended to be used by mean
thieving men to kidnap free negroes and sell
them into slavery. There is but little doubt that
the southern members put everything into that
unfortunate law to hurt the abolitionists that they
could. The two questions that you have asked, no
doubt were some of the leading causes for the
overthrow of slavery. Very truly,
D. W. Voorhees.

Senator Morton, of Indiana
Oakland City, Indiana, Jan. 22, 1875.
Senator Oliver P. Morton,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Senator:
I am gathering letters from many prominant
men of this country both North and South — men
281

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
who are of different political faith. Knowing the
distinguished abilities that you have shown in the
State and National affairs, I would like to have
you write as you feel about the two questions be
low on this sheet. I have the honor of having four
of your commissions sent me during the four years
of war. The question: Which added the most to
the overthrow of slavery — Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive slave
law of 1850? Very respectfully yours,
W. M. Cockrum.

Washington, D. C,
Feb. 15, 1875.
Col. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Ind.
My Dear Colonel:
Your father and I are real friends. He was
a true old time whig in politics. I first met him
when he was in the Legislature of 1852. From
that acquaintance we have been life long friends.
I remember five or six years ago that you were
with your Father at Petersburg attending one of
my political meetings. I have recently sent him
282

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
several public documents. Please convey to him
miy best wishes for his health and happiness. In
answering the two questions I will have to be
governed by the effect that they produced on the
people of the North and South. Mrs. Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" was the first bodily blow that
the slave owners got. It was a novel of the very
best type, yet it was a mighty true one and could
not be successfully answered. The truths it told
about the way the slaves were treated was very
damaging to the slave owners and made them
furiously mad. They never attempted to answer
the charges, but they took their revenge by abus
ing the people of the North. Their newspapers
made most hideous caricatures about the Anti-
Slavery people of the North showing negro equali
ty as they expressed it by picturing a big black
negro with a white wife. In my opinion "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" had much to do with causing the
South to attempt secession. Senator Mason's
fugitive slave law was a very unfair law, and no
doubt it was unconstitutional, if it had been test
ed. It added hundreds of thousands of indifferent
people to the Anti-Slavery ranks and no doubt
was a real factor in the destruction of slavery.
Very truly yours,
Oliver P. Morton.

283

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Senator Roger Q. Mills, of Texas.
Oakland City, Indiana,
October 25, 1895.
Senator Roger Q. Mills,
Corsicana, Texas.
My Dear Senator:
There ought to be a good feeling of comrade
ship between us. I was on the great battlefield
of Chickamauga where you did such clean cut
fighting with your brigade after General Deshler
was killed. By your same brigade I received a
wound through my hip that has made me lame for
life, and from that field I was carried to Libby
Prison. I am not to be understood as complain
ing, but as that Great Park at Chickamauga is
made to honor American Heroism, confederate and
federal alike, I felt that I could claim you as a
comrade. I want to ask you at your leisure to
answer me as you feel, two questions that are be
low stated on this paper. Very truly yours,
W. M. Cockrum.
Question : Which added the most to the over
throw of slavery Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850 ?

284

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
Senate Chamber Washington, D. C.
Dec. 20, 1895.
Colonel W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Indiana.
My Dear Col. Cockrum :
Your letter of Oct., 25, 1895, is at hand con
taining your request for comradeship, also the two
questions that you want me to answer. I believe
in the brotherhood of man and think that any dif
ferences we may have had in the sixties should
all be lost sight of, and as a great United Nation
should go forward hand in hand to the great
destiny that belongs to this great country.
I am sorry that my brigade wounded you,
but I am real glad that you survived that wound
and that you are so well as to be able to be a com
missioner, on that same battlefield where the
heroism of the American Soldier is being so fully
carried out. I feel that everything should be done
to set aside all difference that may have been and
let us be a united people. The time may come
when it will be necessary for us all to pull to
gether as one man in defence of our homes. No
doubt you and I will be out of it before that time
comes. The Question : Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's
Cabin" was a very readable book and would have
been considered only a spicy novel had not so many
hot heads took exception to it and raised such a
285

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
furore over the country. ' I don't know how much
it influenced the war party to bring on the war.
The part of Texas that was much interested in
slavery was but a small portion; and outside of
the portion bordering on the State of Louisana,
slavery never was profitable.
Senator Mason was governed by the leading
hot heads in Congress when he got the fugitive
slave law of 1850 put on the statute book. That
law no doubt was very galling to the North and
turned hundreds of thousands of men who were
indifferent about slavery to become open enemies
of the South. Colonel, I hope sometime to meet
you and we will talk the stirring times of the six
ties over. Very kindly yours,
Roger Q. Mills.

General A. P. Stewart
Oakland City, Indiana, July 12, 1895.
General A. P. Stewart,
Park Hotel,
Chickamauga, Georgia.
Dear General Stewart:
The questions I am asking you about are on
the same lines that we have talked about on sev
eral occasions when I was at the Park Hotel. I
286

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
feel that you will not think me rude by asking
you in your own way to answer the two questions
that you will find lower down on this same sheet.
I have submitted these questions to a large num
ber of leading citizens of our country. Politicians,
Theologians and many who held high positions in
the Federal and Confederate Armies. I am Gen
eral, Your obedient servant,
W. M. Cockrum.
Question : Which added the most to the over
throw of slavery Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850 ?

Park Hotel, Chickamauga, Georgia,
October, 7, 1895.
Col. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Indiana.
My Dear Colonel:
I do remember many conversations that
we had on various causes for the war. I don't
think that I am competent to give an answer on
the two questions that would be received as sat
isfactory by the reading public.
I read Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
287

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
soon after it came out. I thought it was a very
readable book. The many charges of the earlier
workings of slavery were not borne out by my
knowledge of slavery in the sections of the south
where I was the best acquainted, but that was not
in the cotton and sugar districts. It may have
been different there.
The fugitive slave law of 1850 was a needed
law for the owners of slaves, to keep those who
were opposed to slavery from running the slaves
away. The penalty attached to that law was all
the hope the slave holders had of ever recaptur
ing their fugitive slaves.
There were many designing men who took
advantage and kidnapped free negroes and sold
them into slavery. I saw in a newspaper some
time ago a statement that there were five north
ern men engaged in the kidnapping business to
where there was one from the south.
What part each one of the questions bore to
the destruction of slavery would be hard to esti
mate, but without a doubt they both added their
full share in bringing about the overthrow of
slavery. Sincerely yours,
A. P. Stewart.
(General Stewart commanded a confederate
division in the army of the Tennessee for two
288

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
years and in the Atlanta campaign. Bishop
Polk's head was shot off by a cannon ball and
General Stewart was put in command of that
corps and had charge of it until the close of the
war. — Author.)

General Wm. Brimage Bates, of Tennessee
Oakland City, Indiana,
Sept. 12, 1896.
General Wm. B. Bates,
Nashville, Tenn.
My Dear General:
You no doubt remember that I served on a
committee with you and General Buckner and
General Turchin about the monument of General
James Deshler, who was killed at Chickamauga.
You may think I am presumptuous to ask you
such questions as I have below at this late period
after the great war. General, I believe that you
belong to the broad minded ranks of statesmen
and will feel free to say what you think.
The questions are, which added most to the
overthrow of slavery in the United States, Mrs.
Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," or
Senator Mason's fugitive slave law of 1850?
Very respectfully yours,
W. M. Cockrum.
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Nashville, Tennessee,
November 16, 1896.
Col. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Ind.
Dear Colonel:
I have your letter and have noted the ques
tions you ask. My opinion of Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" is that it was a well written novel
and was very readable. Had it not been that so
many newspapers in the North referring to the
book, made so many unfavorable comments
against the South and in so many ways made such
damaging statements declaring that they were
true, the book would not have been received in the
South with such bitter criticisms from the south
ern press. The fugitive slave law of 1850 was the out
growth of many denunciations of slavery by the
abolitionists of the North. There were many pro
visions in that law that were not needed and no
doubt put there to goad the Anti-Slavery people
of the North. The two questions had the same
effect. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" made the North many
bitter enemies in the South. The fugitive slave
law of 1850 made the South many bitter enemies
in the North. Very truly,
Wm. B. Bates.
390

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
(To show something of the nerve of General
Bates, I will relate an instance told me by General
A. P. Stewart, who commanded the Division that
General Bates' brigade belonged to. The first day
of the Battle of Chickamauga, there was given to
General Bates 500 men to fill out his brigade. They
had no arms. General S. B. Buckner, who com
manded the corps, was with General Stewart mak
ing an inspection of his command. Coming to
Bates who had his bridgade in line and riding
along the front, Buckner saw a large number of
men without guns. Turning to General Bates he
said: "General where are you going to get arms
for these men ?" Bates faced General Buckner and
saluting him said: "I am going to capture them!"
And he did.)

Senator B. F. Wade, of Ohio.
Oakland City, Indiana,
January 10, 1876.
Hon. B. F. Wade,
Washington, D. C.
My Dear Mr. Wade:
I don't mean to be impertinent but if you will
answer as you believe the two questions, I shall
be grateful. Question : Which added the most to the over
throw of slavery Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850? Respectfully yours,
W. M. Cockrum.
291

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Ashtabula, Ohio,
July 19, 1876.
Mr. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Ind.
Mr. Dear Sir :
The Questions you ask is one question with
two heads. Mrs. Stowe was inspired by her love
of liberty in writing "Uncle Tom's Cabin." She
only intended to write a few numbers for the Na
tional Era, an Anti-Slavery paper published then
at Washington, D. C. These articles took like
wild fire and there was such a demand for more
that she wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Nothing
before had ever stirred the South to such a de
gree of hatred for the abolitionists as that book;
and it was one of the main things in bringing
about the Great War, that destroyed the great
monster slavery.
The obnoxious fugitive slave law that was
passed by Congress in 1850, to aid the South in
re-capturing their runaway slaves and make the
Anti-Slavery people help them. This law turned
hundreds of thousands of people in the North
against slavery who cared but little about it until
they saw that the slave owners had made a law
so that they could kidnap a free negro, carry him
before a commissioner and have him adjudged to
be their property. The negro had nothing to say
292

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
in the matter and was sent South and put into
slavery. This unlawful business added much to
bringing on the war and the overthrow of slavery.
My old partner, Hon. Joshua R. Gidding, said
when he first saw Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's
Cabin," that it was a hundred pound bomb in
spired by God and fired at the damnable curse of
slavery and the explosion would be heard around
the entire world. Very truly,
B. F. Wade.
(Mr. Wade was elected to the United States
Senate in 1851 where his long years of service
won for him a never-ending reputation. He was
in the advance in the Anti-Slavery movements
while his indomnitable pluck, hard hitting
speeches, without a particle of polish, rendered
him a most conspicuously effective champion.
During the time of the Nebraska debate, Mr. Bad
ger, a member from North Carolina, described
himelf as wishing to emigrate to the new territory
and to carry his old colored mamma with him. The
slave woman who had nursed him in infancy, and
childhood and whom he had loved as a real mother
and he could not take her. ' The enemies of this
most benevolent measure forbade him. "We are
unwilling you should take the old lady there" in-
terupted Wade. "We are afraid you will sell her
when you get her there." This was received with
a roar of laughter, and silenced Mr. Badger.)
293

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Senator Brownlow, of Tennessee.
Oakland City, Indiana, May 14, 1875.
Senator Wm. G. Brownlow,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Senator Brownlow:
I don't mean to be impertinent in writing to
you. I have read of you since I was a small boy.
I saw you many times at Nashville during the
war. Will you, at your leisure, answer the two
questions below stated on this paper?
Question : Which added the most to the over
throw of slavery Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850 ? Respectfully yours,
W. M. Cockrum.

Washington, D. C,
June 11, 1875.
Mr. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Indiana.
My Dear Mr. Cockrum:
Your letter with the questions you have re
quested me to answer have been received. I think
that Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" made the
294

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
southern fire eaters madder than anything that
was done to them before. You know that it was
said in the Bible days that those the Lord wished
to destroy he first made mad. The slave holding
elements were very careful to have destroyed
every copy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," that they
could hear of. I got a chance and sent to Cincin
nati for a copy, which I got in due time. I kept
it hid and every time I had an opportunity I read
it. The book was interesting to a high degree. It
told about one-half the truth. Mrs. Stowe had
not a chance to see the worst part of slavery —
that could only be seen in the black district of
Louisiana, or in some parts of South Carolina
where the negroes were treated much worse than
the dumb brutes were. Ten or a dozen living in
a small shanty and sometimes in sand dunes that
look like haycocks in a meadow without a particle
of ventilation. Senator Mason, when he got the fugitive slave
law of 1850 put on the statute book, felt that he
had given the abolitionists a dig that would make
them mighty sick ; but it was like a man that was
preparing a rope to hang others and was himself
hanged on it. Many things were the cause of the
overthrow of slavery. I am of the opinion that the
two questions had much to do with its downfall.
I don't know what use you want to make of
295

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my scribbles, but do anything you want to with
it. I am, Yours truly,
W. G. Brownlow.

Senator Matthew Stanley Quay, of Pennsylvania.
Oakland City, Indiana,
July 22, 1896.
Hon. Matthew Stanley Quay,
Washington, D. C.
My Dear Senator Quay:
You may think that I am presumptuous in
asking two such questions as these below on this
page. I feel free to come to you in this way. I have
worked in the same political harness with you so
many years that I feel that I know you. At your
leisure I want you to answer the two questions as
you think best. The questions are : Which added
the most to the overthrow of slavery in the United
States — Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive slave
law of 1850? Very respectfully yours,
W. M. Cockrum.
296

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
Hon. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Indiana.
My Dear Mr. Cockrum:
The action of the ingredients in the two ques
tions were the same. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" angered
the South as nothing before ever had. In one of
the black parishes of Louisiana, the negroes were
given a holiday. A number of "Uncle Tom's
Cabins" had been secured and a dummy of Mrs.
Stowe was made. They were all gathered in a
public square and the negroes were made to burn
the dummy and the books. These self-estimated
superior Southerners were so determined in their
madness that, like the mad adder, bit themselves
and were more determined to dissolve the Union
than ever before. The fugitive slave law of 1850
had the effect to make the northern people more
intense in their opposition to slavery. Whilst it
in some cases aided the southern slave owner in
capturing his runaway slaves, it added hundreds
of thousands of indifferent northern people to the
anti-slavery cause. Many of them did everything
they could to help the fugitive slaves gain their
liberties. The two questions were directly op
posite each other, yet they worked together in
bringing on the great war that freed the slaves.
Yours truly,
Matthew S. Quay.
297

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Honorable David Turpie, Unied States Senator
from Indiana.
Oakland City, Indiana,
Sept. 26, 1892.
Hon. David Turpie,
Logansport, Ind.
My Dear Senator:
As one of your constituents I have the honor
to ask that you, at your leisure, give me your
opinion on the two questions below. I feel that
you will not consider me impertinent by thus writ
ing you; knowing of your scholarly attainments,
I feel that you will be glad to add your part in
building up the history of our great country.
There are so many important subjects that have
been almost left blank.
Question : Which added the most to the over
throw of slavery — Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850 ? Yours truly,
W. M. Cockrum.

Washington, D. C,
December 16, 1892.
Mr. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Ind.
Dear Sir:
I have your letter and note the request you
298

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
have made. Believing that your actions are gov
erned by the interest that you have in education
and not by curiosity, I have concluded to answer
your questions with as few words as I can to make
myself understood.
Mrs. Stowe builded better than she knew for
it was her "Uncle Tom's Cabin" that fired the
South to such a heat that it never cooled and the
secession of many states was attempted. Senator
Mason felt that the South had borne the nagging
of the abolitionists so long that he would give
them something to fuss about, and the fugitive
slave law of 1850 was passed and became the law
of the land. This was a bomb fired by the South
that acted as a boomerang and did the South much
more harm than it did the North. I think that the
two questions had much to do with bringing on
the war and thereby the overthrow of slavery.
Truly yours, David Turpie.

General Buckner.
Park Hotel, Chickamauga, Georgia,
Sept. 23, 1895.
General S. B. Buckner,
Reed House, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Dear General Buckner:
We are so far removed from the ruinous ef-
299

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
fects of the war, and our country has made such
rapid strides toward the great position that we
will fill in the world's history that it seems al
most as if the millenium year had commenced to
dawn. When the thunder of war was roaring on
the great Chickamauga battlefield, little did we
think that in less than forty years this great coun
try would be united and the contending armies
on that bloody field would be working hand in
hand, building great monuments, honoring the
American soldiers of the North and the South
alike. General Buckner, I am a writer of history and
would feel greatly complimented if you would in
your own way answer the two questions below
stated on this sheet.
Question : Which added the most to the over
throw of slavery — Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850 ?
Very respectfully yours,
W. M. Cockrum.

Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sept. 25, 1895.
Col. W. M. Cockrum,
Park Hotel, Chickamauga, Georgia.
My Dear Sir:
I remember you as a commissioner on the
300

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
Park from Indiana. I also remember that you and
General Turchin, of Illinois, were selected to serve
with General Bates and myself in a wrangle about
a position on the Chickamauga Park.
The two questions that you ask me to answer
are of such a character that I am at a loss for in
formation that would enable me to answer them
intelligently. I am of the opinion that Mrs.
Stowe's book was received by the South as a
challenge from the North, and caused many bit
ter things to be said and done that would not have
happened if that book had never been written.
The fugitive slave law of 1850 was made so
that men who owned runaway slaves could re
capture them. It was no doubt a just law, if it
had not been taken advantage of by bad thieving
men who kidnapped free negroes and sold them in
to slavery. I saw a statement in some publication
that three-fourths of the kidnapping was done by
Northern men. I am truly yours,
S. B. Buckner.

General James Longstreet.
Oakland City, Indiana, Oct. 15, 1895.
General James Longstreet,
My Dear General:
At the dedication of the Great Military Park
301

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
on the Chickamauga Battlefield, I had the honor
of escorting you and General Palmer, of Illinois,
to the Indiana Headquarters and of introducing
you to Governor Matthews, of Indiana. At that
dedication was the only time I ever saw you. Dur
ing the war I had no special anxiety to meet you.
General, I am collecting letters from prominent
men in all parts of the United States. Below on
this page you will find two questions that I would
be pleased to have you answer in your own way.
From no one would I appreciate a letter more than
from the gallant commander of the fighting first
corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. I am
Very truly yours,
W. M. Cockrum.
Question : Which added the most to the over
throw of slavery — Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850?

Gainesville, Georgia,
November 8, 1875.
Col. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Indiana.
My Dear Mr. Cockrum:
I have your letter. I do recollect you; you
took General Palmer and me in what you said was
an "Indiana Carryall" to visit your Governor and
302

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
returned us to the hotel. As to the questions I
am at a loss to know how to answer them. I was
for four years at West Point, and as soon as I was
through there I was ordered to Mexico and when
that war was over I was put on duty in the West
and was many years on out-post duty. Then the
civil war came on. I had no chance to know much
about the civil affairs of the country, either north
or south. My Father had a few slaves that were
not very profitable. One he gave to me when I
was about home, named Daniel. This old slave
was very faithful, but I was most of the time in
the territory of the West, that was not in favor
of slavery, so I could not have Daniel with me.
When I went into the Confederate service, I called
for Daniel. He, by this time, was old and had the
rheumatism, but he was a great help to me. After
the war Daniel, of course was free. I was so poor
that I could not do anything for him. Finally, I got
into business, and when I had some money I con
cluded to hunt Daniel up and found that he, with
several of my father's family slaves were all left
at Macon, Mississippi. I went to see them. Daniel
was still doing little jobs and got money out of it
to keep him from want. By this time Daniel had
got to be an exhorter in a negro church. He was
mighty glad to see me, but was more interested
in my spiritual welfare than anything else. In
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one of his calls he said, "Massa Jim, do you belong
to any church?" "Oh yes," I said, "I try to be a
good Christian." He laughed loud and long, and
said, "Something must have scared you awful
bad to change you so from what you were when
I had to care for you." As to the questions you
asked me I have this to say that I never saw a
copy of Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and I
did not know of such a fugitive slave law as the
one you ask about, until after the war. No doubt
you will think me a dummy in fact.
With a soldier's handshake at a distance, I
bid you goodby, James Longstreet.

Hon. William D. Kelley.
Oakland City, Indiana,
February 17, 1888.
Hon. William D. Kelley,
Washington, D. C.
My Dear Mr. Kelley:
I am collecting letters from prominent men
in all parts of our country. Knowing the busy
life that you lead working for the welfare of this
country, I hesitate to bother you with this. If
you can have time I would be pleased if you would
in your own way answer the two questions below
on this sheet. 304

THIRTEEN INTERESTING LETTERS
Question : Which added the most to the over
throw of slavery — Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Senator Mason's fugitive
slave law of 1850 ?
Very respectfully yours,
W. M. Cockrum.

Washington, D. C,
November 20, 1888.
Mr. W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Indiana.
My Dear Sir:
Your letter of some months ago has been neg
lected owing to so much accumulated business.
Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe "wrote better than
she knew," her "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was the most
damaging blow that slavery ever got up to that
time. It showed the curse of human bondage in
an unanswerable way that maddened the South as
they never had been before. In one place in
Southern Mississippi they made a dummy effigy
of Mrs. Stowe, and had their negroes hang it
where there were several speeches made. Among
them was one from a young lawyer who in part
said that thus should perish all enemies of the
South. The fugitive slave law of 1850, was the most
one-sided spite legislation that has ever been
305

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
passed by any legislature in this country. It was
very damaging in its operation in many places
where slavery had a friendly U. S. commissioner.
In the City of Philadelphia two free negroes,
a man and a woman, were arrested and taken be
fore a U. S. Commissioner who after reading the
evidence of the kidnapper and his partner (the
negroes were not allowed to give any evidence)
decided that they were his property. They were
smuggled on to a boat and run out of the Dela
ware river and carried to Maryland and then to
Virginia where they were sold for one thousand
dollars each to a Virginia tobacco planter.
Very truly,
William D. Kelley.

306

CHAPTER XXX

KIDNAPPING THE GOTHARD BOYS.
These boys were born at the Diamond Is
land in Posey County in about 1820. About the
year 1824, Gothard moved his family to a little
log cabin a half mile southwest of what is now
known as Calvert's chapel, Vanderburg, County.
About the year 1825, three men whose names are
not known except the leader, named Lynn, stole
the boys and took them back to Diamond Island
where they were secreted and afterward taken
away to Missouri, which created a great commo
tion in the neighborhood. A party was organized
to search for the boys, but they were not success
ful. The party was headed by Uncle Paddy Cal
vert. With him were Bob Calvert, Joseph Car
ter and John Armstrong and two or three others.
While they were searching for the boys at
Diamond Island the company had a skir
mish with the kidnappers with clubs, knives and
guns. In the midst of the battle, which was a
desperate one from start to finish, Paddy Calvert
came near losing Ms life. The kidnappers got
between him and the rest of his party and hemmed
him behind a set of hewed logs for a house. In at-
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tempting to escape he ran his horse over the logs
lengthwise. The horse caught his foot between
the logs and fell. At that the kidnappers rushed
to his relief. His horse got its foot loose or Cal
vert would have been killed. The rescuing party
found there were too many kidnappers for them
to contend with so they fell back and returned to
their homes. It afterward developed that the
boys were hidden in a well near by at the time
this battle took place. They were then taken into
Missouri and sold into slavery. A few months
after that "Grandfather Armstrong" as he was
known, and John Armstrong sold out their pos
sessions and moved to what was then called the
Red River Country, located in southwestern Ark
ansas. "Uncle Pady Calvert" and his son Robert
went with a four horse team to help them move.
On their way home they stopped over night in the
neighborhood where the little boys were sold and
in talking with the gentleman with whom they
stayed all night, they learned that two little mu
latto boys were brought there and sold to his
neighbors. The next morning Mr. Calvert and
his son went to see the gentleman who had bought
the boys and asked him to call the boys up one at
a time and if they did not know him or his son
or both of them, they would not claim them as
stolen boys. Ike was called up, but failed to rec-
308

KIDNAPPING THE GOTHARD BOYS
ognize either man. Then Jack was called and he
did not know Mr. Calvert but knew his son at once
and said— "That's Marsa Bob Calvert." Then the
boys both seemed to recollect the two men and
recalled their names. The man who had bought
them readily gave them up to Mr. Calvert as they
were stolen property. He took them home, raised
them to manhood sent them to school and gave
them an education the same as he did his own
children. An agreement was made between Cal
vert and the Missouri man that the boys were
never to go into bondage again. When they were
twenty-one years old he gave each of them a good
horse, a saddle and bridle, and one hundred dol
lars apiece and started them out into the world.

309

CHAPTER XXXI

THOSE LIVING IN THE NORTHWEST TER
RITORY THAT OWNED SLAVES ATTEMPT
ED TO HOLD THEM BY MAKING EMANCIPA
TION AND INDENTURE PAPERS.
Below is given a few specimens of the way
the poor, unsuspecting negroes were fooled, being
made to believe they were signing their emanci
pation papers, when in fact, they were signing an
indenture that gave the control of their labor for
a long period of years to their so-called masters
who, in many cases, pretended to be liberating
them. Since writing this article it has been
thought best to withold the names of those mak
ing these pretended emancipation papers and use
fictitious ones, for the reason that many of the
descendants are still living and are among the best
people of the State who would scorn any such
dishonest action.
"On the 27th day of July 1813 I, Joseph Bar
ton, have this day set free my slave, Thomas Turn
er, and I hereby make and acknowledge the eman
cipation paper for his complete freedom. The
said Thomas Turner for the privilege of being
known as a free man, has agreed to indenture his
310

ATTEMPT TO HOLD SLAVES
services to me for a period of thirty years from
this date.
(Seal) Joseph Barton
"I, Thomas Turner, do hereby accept the
emancipation papers for which I sincerely thank
my former master and do cheerfully agree to in
denture myself to the said Joseph Barton as per
the above agreement.
July 27, 1813. Thomas Turner.
X My own mark.
On the 30th day of August this generous
hearted Joseph Barton sold this negro to a per
son for five hundred and thirty-five dollars who
smuggled him across the Ohio river where he was
sold into slavery in the south.
"I, George Endicutt, have decided to emanci
pate my slave, Job Boyce and I hereby certify that
I this day give him his freedom and it affords me
the greatest pleasure to bear witness that he has
always been an obedient, faithful and honest ser
vant. By an agreement of the said Job Boyce he
agrees to indenture himself to me for twenty-three
years or until he is sixty years old.
(Seal) August 20, 1813. George Endicutt.
I, Job Boyce, of my own free will do hereby
accept my freedom papers from my former
master George Endicutt and have agreed to in
denture myself to him for the time specified in the
agreement, August 20, 1813. Job Boyce
X My own mark
(Seal) Witness James Boswell."
311

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
"September 26, 1813, I, Noah Freeman, of
Indiana Territory, on this date, do hereby emanci
pate my slave, Mary Ann, to enjoy all the rights
of freedom that a negro and an uneducated woman
can. It affords me great satisfaction to testify
that she has been a most faithful and obedient
servant. This paper and her freedom to be in
force and effect after the 26th day of September,
1833. Until that time she has indentured her
service to me and my family. Noah Freeman.
I, Mary Ann, the former slave of my master,
Noah Freeman, accept my emancipation papers
and do agree to faithfully work for my former
master and mistress until the 20th day of Sep
tember, one thousand, eight hundred and thirty-
three. Mary Ann.
X My Mark.
(Seal) Witness, Jason Brown."
"This is to certify that I, James Hartwell, of
my own free will and accord do this day emanci
pate and give freedom to a negro slave, named
Charles Hope, brought by me from North Carolina.
In making these papers I want to bear testimony
to the painstaking and careful way he has done
his work and that he is a quiet and most obedient
servant and has always been very easily managed.
For these good qualities it affords me great pleas
ure to be able to give him his rightly earned free
dom. For some necessary expenses that has to
be incurred before he can leave the home he has
so long lived at and for the love he has for me and
my family, he hereby agrees to indenture his ser
vices to me for twenty-nine years from the 18th
of October 1809, which is the date of this agree
ment. (Seal) James Hartwell.
312

ATTEMPT TO HOLD SLAVES
I, Charles Hope, do hereby acknowledge my
master for the kindness he has shown in setting
me free and I cheerfully accept the conditions in
my freedom papers and agree to serve the time
specified, or until death. Charles Hope.
X His mark."
Note the meanness of this hypocrite who
made the great show of giving this negro pretend
ed freedom with such a good certificate of charac
ter, which would make the negro more saleable
when he had an opportunity to sell him and on
the fifteenth day of the next November he did
sell him to a neighbor for four head of horses,
ten head of cattle and one hundred acres of mili
tary donation land and a promissory note for three
hundred dollars. The next year this negro went
with his master down the Wabash river on a pre
tended trip to the saline country of Illinois, but
was carried farther south and sold into slavery
for life. In 1805 the Kukendal family, by their agent
Samuel Vannorsdell, had two negroes arrested and
were attempting to carry them out of the Terri
tory when Governor Harrison issued a proclama
tion forbidding their removal, as Vannorsdell did
not have the consent of the negroes to remove
them. This brought on a spirited law-suit, Gover
nor Harrison and others becoming bondsmen for
313

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
the negroes. The case went over to the next term
of court. At that term the two negroes were pro
duced in court but in the meantime Governor Har
rison had indentured one of them for a period of
eleven years.
In 1854 the author was visiting a family in
an old settled portion of Southern Indiana. Dur
ing that visit it became known to a young lady of
that family that he was gathering data of inci
dents concerning the early settlers and of any
thing that would be of interest about "Ye Olden
Tymes." This young lady informed him that they
had the emancipation and indenture papers of
"Old Tom" who was their slave and friend, which
papers she thought would be of real worth to one
gathering such data. She said she would show
the papers and he might copy them provided he
would not use their names. This was readily
agreed to.
"May 26, 1815. To all whom it may concern.
This is to certify that this day I have set free
and by these presents do give emancipation papers
to my faithful servant Thomas Agnew and from
this date he shall be known as a freeman. Given
under my hand and seal. Thomas Trueman.
(Seal) Witness, Joseph Forth.
"This is to certify that I have this day re
ceived my emancipation papers from my former
master. As I don't know any other home but the
one I have always lived at, I do hereby indenture
314

ATTEMPT TO HOLD SLAVES
myself to my master, John Trueman for thirty
years from this date, he agreeing to feed and
clothe me during that time. Thomas Agnew
May 26, 1815. X His mark."
After the papers were copied this intelligent
young lady related this interesting story of Tom's
life— "Just before the state of Indiana was ad
mitted into the Union my father moved here from
a slave state and brought with him, Tom, whom
he had owned from his infancy. He had no
thought that there would be any trouble about it
as Tom was a fixture in the family. A friend one
day told my father that parties were preparing
to bring habeas corpus proceedings and emanci
pate Tom. The only thing my father couid
do was to emancipate him and have him indenture
his time after he was a freeman. This was done
as above shown and Tom went on faithfully with
his work as before — this was nearly twenty years
before I was born.
"The good old faithful slave worked on the
farm with my father for nearly twenty-seven
years after the indenture was made, when my
father sickened and died. Tom then kept on work
ing with my brother the same as before.
"On settling up the estate, it was found that
315

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
my father was more in debt than had been sup
posed and there would be but little left.
"A cousin of my father who lived in a slave
state where he had moved from, held a mortgage
on our farm. This cousin was a 'Shylock' and de
manded the last cent which would take everything,
farm and all at a forced sale. He however made
this proposition to my mother ; that if Tom would
go home with him and work for him as long as he
lived, he would release the mortgage. This, my
mother would not consent to as Tom had less than
two years of his indenture term to put in and he
was so faithful to the family that she would not
listen to such a transaction.
"Tom had learned the condition of things as
nothing was kept from him and he had planned
with this cousin to give his life service for the
family's comfort. He would not consent to any
thing but that he must go to save the farm and
the family from want. The agreement was made,
the mortgage was cancelled and Tom went to the
home of his new master, now a slave in fact.
"Some time after this an uncle of my mother
died and left her several thousand dollars. This
made us independent and my mother's first
thoughts were of Tom. She went to hunt for him
and found him faithfully working away. She
went to his master, told him that she wanted to
316

ATTEMPT TO HOLD SLAVES
take Tom back with her and that she was prepared
to pay him in full for his mortgage, interest and
trouble. This he refused saying that Tom was
priceless and that no money could buy him. She
tried in every way to have him agree to let Tom
go with her but he was obdurate. Tom told her
not to mind him, that there would be but a few
years more for him to serve as age was creeping
on and he would soon be in another country where
no trouble could come.
"My mother was a nervy woman and she de
termined to liberate Tom if it could be done. She
was advised to go to Evansville and see a lawyer
by the name of Conrad Baker. My mother ex
plained to Mr. Baker Tom's situation and a state
ment of the evidence that could be obtained. She
also gave him the emancipation and indenture
papers. Mr. Baker informed her that there was
no doubt about Tom being legally freed and that if
he could be got into a free state there would
be no further need of legal proceedings. It was
found that this could not be done so proceedings
were brought in the County where Tom was held
in slavery, to liberate him. The facts with affidav
its to back them up were filed with the case. The
Court, after hearing all the evidence, decided that
since Tom had been given emancipation papers
which made him free and since he had indentured
317

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
himself for thirty years and had put in over time
on that agreement, he was now free.
Tom came back to Indiana with my mother
and lived with our family during the rest of his
life and when he died we gave him a royal funeral,
feeling that we had lost our best friend and one
of nature's noblemen."
After Colonel Baker was elected Governor of
Indiana, the author wrote him about this case
and sent him a copy of the emancipation and in
denture papers with a pretty full history of the
case. His reply is here given in full :
Executive Office,
Indianapolis, Ind.,
Sept. 20, 1870.
Colonel W. M. Cockrum,
Oakland City, Indiana.
I am in receipt of your letter together with
the enclosure of the 15th inst. It affords me great
pleasure to say that no case in my whole practice
as a lawyer was so gratifying to me as the libera
tion from bondage of that true-hearted old Nubian,
Tom Agnew.
I well recollect the lady, Mrs. Trueman, who
was my client in the case. She was so well pleased
with the good deed that she had been instrumental
in bringing about that she wanted to pay me three
or four times my rightful fee. Very truly,
Conrad Baker.

318

CHAPTER XXXII

A LETTER FROM JOHN T. HANOVER
Freedman's Bureau, Washington, March, 9, 1865.
Mr. Cockrum at Nashville, Tenn.
My dear Mr. Cockrum:
I certainly do recollect you and was so glad
to receive your letter. You have not forgotten the
real-estate firm. Your letter was forwarded to
me and as you will see my name is changed since
you knew me. I recall the incidents at your
father's home with pleasure. I was so fearfully
sick from the poison of the pesky snake that I
thought I should not get over it. Your father and
mother were so very kind to me. When you write
home I want you to remember me to them and say
how I do thank them for their kindness and to
Dr. McCullough. How patiently he worked with
my hand. I shall always love him. If he is living
remember me to him.
I read your army experience with interest and
I am so glad you survived the terrible wound and
the vile prison.
Most of the young men who were with me in
Indiana are in the army. This rotten Confederacy
319

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
is on its last legs. Soon the old flag of the Union
will wave over all of our America, the slaves free
and our country will soon gather strength and
then make rapid bounds to its destined greatness.
I have none of my papers or note book with me
but I am willing that you should have one of the
diaries or more if you will have copies made and
return them to me. I can't say for certain how
many fugitive slaves passed through the hands of
the men on duty in my district on the Ohio river,
but for the seven years more than an average of
four thousand each year. The work you did for
me was all right and I assure you that I had the
utmost confidence in your father. He was a great
help to me as he was personally acquainted with
all the country that I had charge of. It was risky
business. I remember some men who were of
help to me and always seemed to do what they did
so carefully. I recall the two Mr. Ritchies who
lived near your father; Dr. Lewis of Princeton;
Mr. Caswell and George Hill of Lynnville. (Mrs.
Caswell could bake such good salt rising bread).
Dr. Posey was a true man. There will be no more
need of filling his coalbank with runaway negroes.
If I succeed well, I intend to come once more and
go over the routes of my old work. I should like
so much to see all the people that I used to know
in that country. If you should go to Philadel-
320

LETTER FROM JOHN HANOVER
phia, go to the old Post — I may be there soon. I
will always be glad to see you and talk over these
matters again. Yours as ever,
J. T. Hanover.

331

CONTENTS. PAGE
CHAPTER I — Organization of the Anti-Slavery
League  8-28
CHAPTER II— Jerry Sullivan's Raid at the old Don
gola Bridge  29-37
CHAPTER III — An Attempt to Catch Runaway Ne
groes, Which ended in a Desperate Battle With
Wild Hogs  38-43
CHAPTER IV — Ira Caswell Brings Three Negroes
to Col. Cockrum's Barn Cellar  44-48
CHAPTER V — Slaves Escape While Owners Are in
Deep Sleep as a Result of too Much Drinking. - 49-54
CHAPTER VI — How Three Runaway Slaves Were
Assisted to Freedom by the Underground Rail
road  55-59
CHAPTER VII— Kidnappers Kidnapped  60-68
CHAPTER VIII— Workings of the Underground Rail
road and Some People Engaged in the Danger
ous Work  69-74
CHAPTER IX— Crazy Jeff Lewis  75-97
CHAPTER X— Ben Swain  98-105
CHAPTER XI— Sam Lynn  106-120
CHAPTER XII— Slave Hunt to Watch Kirk's Mill
Bridge  121-127
CHAPTER XIII— George Sturgis  128-152
CHAPTER XIV— Dr. John W. Posey and Rev. El
dridge Hopkins Release Kidnapped Negroes__153-162
CHAPTER XV — John Bundy, an Employe of the An
ti-Slavery League  163-181
CHAPTER XVI— Thomas Jeffries  182-193
CHAPTER XVII— John Dole  194-217
CHAPTER XVIII— Beecher's View of the Fugitive
Slave Law...   218-223

322

CONTENTS. PAGE
CHAPTER XIX— John and Pete Munday  224-229
CHAPTER XX — Rev. Hiram Hunter Releases Kid
napped Negroes  ,  230-236
CHAPTER XXI— The Kidnapping of Rube at
Princeton, Ind  237-241
CHAPTER XXII— A Bluff That Failed to Work— 242-244
CHAPTER XXIII — Joseph Montgomery Releases
Kidnapped Negroes  245-247
CHAPTER XXIV— Kidnapping of Steve Hardin— _248-249
CHAPTER XXV — An Attempt to Kidnap a Barber
at Petersburg, Ind  250-251
CHAPTER XXVI— Two Negroes Kidnapped West
of Princeton, Ind  251-253
CHAPTER XXVII— Job Turner  254-264
CHAPTER XXVIII— John Davenport  265-276
CHAPTER XXIX— Interesting Letters  277-306
CHAPTER XXX— Kidnapping the Gothard Boys— 307-309
CHAPTER XXXI — Emancipation and Indenture
Papers  310-318
CHAPTER XXXII— A Letter From John T. Hanov
er, alias John Hansen  319-321

323

INDEX. PAGE
Adams, Dr. J. R  -   250
Adkins, Andrew  ,  29
Adkins, Pink     67
Allen, Gilp    119
A Bluff That Failed to Work   242
Attempted Kidnapping of Barber at Petersburg  250
Baker, Governor Conrad  318
Barrett, John W  239
Blackford, Judge  219
Beecher, Henry Ward  218
Beal, Mr   185
Baker, William  150
Buckner, Gen. Simon B    59-299
Bates, Gen. William B  289-59
Booker, Isham  67-269
Brooks, Hunter  94
Bodin, Esquire  112
Bundy, John  163-175-178
Brownlow, Senator  ._ 294
Cullom, Senator  277
Carpenter, Willard  129
Coffin, Levi  21
Crittenden, Gen. T. L  27
Caswell, Ira  44-58-67-81-89-258
Coleman, Willis  44
Turchin, Gen. John B  59
Cockrum, Col. J. W  69-167-239
Corn, Mr  102
Calvert Neighborhood  171
Col. J. W. Cockrum's Barn Cellar, Slave Refuge  191

324

INDEX. PAGE
Cockrum, Col. W. M  269
Erwin, Thomas  56
Ellington, Rev. Mr    29
Emancipation and Indenture Papers  310
Eastman Family  49
Ford, Mr..—    110
Fletcher, Calvin  219
Hall, Judge  l£l
Hathaway, John  39
Hansen, John  52-167-173-265-259
Hill, Geo. W   52-67-89-208-269
Hart, Thomas  58
Helms, Gen. Benjamin Hardin  69
Howland, Capt. Livingston  94
Harriman's Ferry  119
Hawthorne, Robert  133-259-273
Hopkins, Rev. Eldridge  158
Hunter, Rev. Hiram, Releases Kidnapped Negroes— 230
Hanover, John T. (alias John Hansen)  319
Jeffries, Thomas  182
Johnson, Gen. Sidney A  27
Jones, Lieutenant  96
Johnson, Henry  98-109
John and Jane  139
Jerry, Mr  141-145
Jones, Mrs  I*6
Jones, Mr  148
Kelley, Hon. Wm. D  304
Kinman, Jack  61
Knight, Hiram    67-269
Kirkman, Joseph J  90
Kratz and Heilman  123
325

INDEX. PAGE
Kidnapping Rube at Princeton, Ind  239
Kidnapping of Steve Hardin  — _ 248
Kidnapping of Two Free Negroes West of Princeton 252
Kidnapping of Gothard Boys  307
Longstreet, Gen  301
Lacey, Major  21
Lincoln, Abraham  59-92
Lewis, Crazy Jeff  75
Lynn, Sam  106
Lynn, Mr  106
Long, Rube  147
Lewis, Dr. Andrew  160
Morton, Senator  281
Medcalf, Tom  34-67-263
McDermitt, Mr  41
Mason, Dr. Geo. C  71
Miller, Gen. John F  94
McCullough, Dr. Samuel D  132
Mundy, John and Pete  224
Montgomery, Joseph, Liberates two Kidnapped
Negroes  245
Mills, Senator  284
Naley, Obadiah  134-264
Negro Preacher  ,  166
O'Reiley, P. G  149
Posey, Dr. John W  19-44-74-153-181-259
Palmer, N. B  29
Quiggins, Mitch  133
Quay, Senator  I  196
Robinson, Judge A. L  95
Ray, John  99
Stuart, Gen. A. P  286

326

INDEX. PAGE
Slave Trader  144
Simpson, Wesley  133-219
Stormont and Carothers Neighborhood  127
Slave Hunt at Kirk's Mill Bridge  121
Spradley Neighborhood  119
Sullivan, Jerry, Raid  29
Simpson, Basil  32*82
Stubblefield, Joseph  38-180
Street, Isaac  42
Stuckey, John  67-92-129-263
Swain, Ben  98-105
Sheriff, Deputy  103
Sturgis, George  .  128-138
Travell, John  49
Turner, Job  79-164-196-206-254
Taylorsville, now Selvin  116
Tennesseean Come to Grief  191
Thorp, James and Henry Scales  215
Thurston, Dr  274
Turpie, Senator  298
Uncle Simon  203
Vest, George  194
Vorhees, Senator  280
Willis, Bev  40
Wright's Ferry  50
Williams, Mr  169-170
Wick, Judge  219
Wade, Senator  291

327

INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Col. W. M. Cockrum  Frontispiece
Map of the Underground Railroad  8
John Hansen  17
Old Dongola Bridge  32
Ira Caswell   48
Runaway Negro  64
Dr. John W. Posey  80
Dr. Andrew Lewis  145
Rev. Eldridge Hopkins  *  .  160
Jobe Turner  176
George W. Hill  192
John Dole  208
Col. J. W. Cockrum  240
Robert P. Hawthorne  257
John Davenport  273

328

YALE UNIVERSITY

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