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30 - Underground Railroad, Part 1 by William Still · Underground Railroad, Part 1

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty nine of The Underground Railroad Part one. This
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  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
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  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Recording by Lee Smalley. The Underground Railroad
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  Speaker 1: Part one by William Still, Section twenty nine. Robert Brown,
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  Speaker 1: Anthony Loney, and Cornelius Scott Samuel Williams Robert Brown alias
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  Speaker 1: Thomas Jones, crossing the river on horseback in the night,
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  Speaker 1: in very desperate straits. Many new inventions were sought after
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  Speaker 1: by deep thinking and resolute slaves determined to be free
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  Speaker 1: at any cost. But it must here be admitted that,
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  Speaker 1: in looking carefully over the more perilous methods resorted to,
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  Speaker 1: Robert Brown alias Thomas Jones stands second to none with
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  Speaker 1: regard to deeds of bold daring. This hero escaped from Martinsburg, Virginia,
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  Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty six. He was a man of medium
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  Speaker 1: size mulatto, about thirty eight years of age, could read
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  Speaker 1: and write, and was naturally sharp witted. He had formerly
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  Speaker 1: been owned by Colonel John F. Frainey, whom Robert charged
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  Speaker 1: with various offenses of a serious domestic character. Furthermore, he
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  Speaker 1: also alleged that his mistress was cruel to all the slaves,
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  Speaker 1: declaring that they the slaves, could not live with her,
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  Speaker 1: that she had to hire servants, et cetera. In order
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  Speaker 1: to effect his escape, Robert was obliged to swim the
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  Speaker 1: Potomac River on horseback on Christmas night, while the cold, wind, storm,
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  Speaker 1: and darkness were indescribably dismal. This daring bondman, rather than
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  Speaker 1: submit to his oppressor any longer, periled his life. As
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  Speaker 1: above stated, where he crossed the river was about a
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  Speaker 1: half mile wide. Where could be found in history a
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  Speaker 1: more noble and daring struggle for freedom. The wife of
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  Speaker 1: his bosom and his four children, only five days before
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  Speaker 1: he fled, were sold to a trader in Richmond, Virginia,
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  Speaker 1: for no other offense than simply because she had resisted
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  Speaker 1: the lustful designs of her master, being true to her
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  Speaker 1: own companion. After this poor slave mother and her children
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  Speaker 1: were cast into prison for sale, the husband and some
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  Speaker 1: of his friends tried hard to find a purchaser in
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  Speaker 1: the neighborhood, but the malicious and brutal master refused to
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  Speaker 1: sell her, wishing to gratify his malice to the utmost,
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  Speaker 1: and to punish his victims all that lay in his power,
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  Speaker 1: he sent them to the place above named. In this
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  Speaker 1: trying hour, the severed and bleeding heart of the husband
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  Speaker 1: resolved to escape at all hazards, taking with him a
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  Speaker 1: Daguera type likeness of his wife, which he happened to
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  Speaker 1: have on hand, and a lock of hair from her
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  Speaker 1: head and from each of the children, as mementos of
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  Speaker 1: his unbounded, though sundered affection for them. After crossing the river,
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  Speaker 1: his wet clothing freezing to him, he rode all night
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  Speaker 1: a distance of about forty miles. In the morning, he
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  Speaker 1: left his faithful horse tied to a fence, quite broken down.
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  Speaker 1: He then commenced his dreary journey on foot, cold and
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  Speaker 1: hungry in a strange place where it was quite unsafe
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  Speaker 1: to make known his condition and wants. Thus, for a
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  Speaker 1: day or two, without food or shelter, he traveled until
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  Speaker 1: his feet were literally worn out, And in this condition
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  Speaker 1: he arrived at Harrisburg, where he found friends. Passing over
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  Speaker 1: many of the interesting incidents on the road, suffice it
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  Speaker 1: to say he arrived safely in this city on New
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  Speaker 1: Year's night, eighteen fifty seven, about two hours before daybreak,
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  Speaker 1: the telegraph having announced his coming from Harrisburg, having been
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  Speaker 1: a week on the way. The night he arrived was
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  Speaker 1: very cold. Besides, the underground train that morning was about
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  Speaker 1: three hours behind time in waiting for it, entirely out
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  Speaker 1: in the cold. A member of the vigilance committee thought
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  Speaker 1: he was frosted, but when he came to listen to
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  Speaker 1: the story of the fugitive sufferings, his mind changed. Scarcely
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  Speaker 1: had Robert entered the house of one of the committee,
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  Speaker 1: where he was kindly received when he took from his
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  Speaker 1: pocket his wife's likeness, speaking very touchingly while gazing upon
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  Speaker 1: it and showing it. Subsequently, in speaking of his family,
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  Speaker 1: he showed the locks of hair referred to which he
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  Speaker 1: had carefully rolled up in paper. Separately unrolling them, he said,
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  Speaker 1: this is my wife's, this is from my oldest daughter
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  Speaker 1: eleven years old, and this is from my next oldest,
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  Speaker 1: and this from the next, and this from my infant,
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  Speaker 1: only eight weeks old. These mementoes he cherished with the
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  Speaker 1: utmost care as the last remains of his affectionate family.
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  Speaker 1: At the sight of these locks of hair so tenderly preserved,
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  Speaker 1: the members of the committee could fully appreciate the resolution
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  Speaker 1: of the fugitive in plunging into the Potomac on the
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  Speaker 1: back of a dumb beast in order to flee from
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  Speaker 1: a place and people who had made such barbarous havoc
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  Speaker 1: in his household. His wife, as represented by the likeness,
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  Speaker 1: was of fair complexion, prepossessing and good looking, perhaps not
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  Speaker 1: over thirty three years of age. Anthony Loney alias William Armstead.
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  Speaker 1: Anthony had been serving under the yoke of Warring Talvert
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  Speaker 1: of Richmond, Virginia. Anthony was of a rich black complexion,
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  Speaker 1: medium size, about twenty five years of age. He was
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  Speaker 1: intelligent and a member of the Baptist Church. His master
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  Speaker 1: was a member of the Presbyterian Church and held family
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  Speaker 1: prayers with the servants. But Anthony believed seriously that his
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  Speaker 1: master was no more than a whitened sepulcher, one who
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  Speaker 1: was fond of saying Lord Lord, but did not do
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  Speaker 1: what the Lord bade him. Consequently, Anthony felt that before
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  Speaker 1: the Great Judge, his master's many prayers would not benefit
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  Speaker 1: him as long as he continued to hold his fellow
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  Speaker 1: men in bondage. He left a father, Samuel Lowney, and mother, Rebecca,
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  Speaker 1: also one sister and four brothers. His old father had
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  Speaker 1: bought himself and was free. Likewise, his mother, being very old,
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  Speaker 1: had been allowed to go free. Anthony escaped in May
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  Speaker 1: eighteen fifty seven. Cornelius Scott Cornelius took passage per the
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  Speaker 1: underground railroad in March eighteen fifty seven from the neighborhood
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  Speaker 1: of Salvington, Stafford County, Virginia. He stated that he had
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  Speaker 1: been claimed by Henry L. Brooke, whom he declared to
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  Speaker 1: be a hard drinker and a hard swearer. Cornelius had
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  Speaker 1: been very much bleached by the patriarchal institution, and he
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  Speaker 1: was shrewd enough to take advantage of this circumstance. In
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  Speaker 1: regions of country where men were less critical and less
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  Speaker 1: experienced than Southerners as to how the bleaching process was
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  Speaker 1: brought about, Cornelius Scott would have had no difficulty whatever
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  Speaker 1: in passing for a white man of the most improved
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  Speaker 1: Anglo Saxon type. Although a young man only twenty three
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  Speaker 1: years of age and quite stout, his fair complexion was
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  Speaker 1: decidedly against him. He concluded that for this very reason
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  Speaker 1: he would not have been valued at more than five
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  Speaker 1: hundred dollars in the market. He left his mother, Anne Stubbs,
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  Speaker 1: and half brother Isaiah, and traveled as a white man.
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  Speaker 1: Samuel Williams alias John Williams. This candidate for Canada had
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  Speaker 1: the good fortune to escape the clutches of his mistress,
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  Speaker 1: Missus Elvina Duncan's, widow of the late Reverend James Duncans,
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  Speaker 1: who lived near Cumberland, Maryland. He had very serious complaints
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  Speaker 1: to allege against his mistress, who was a member of
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  Speaker 1: the Presbyterian Church. To use his own language, the servants
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  Speaker 1: in the house were treated worse than dogs. John was
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  Speaker 1: thirty two years of age, dark chestnut color, well made
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  Speaker 1: prepossessing an appearance, and he fled to keep from being
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  Speaker 1: sold with the underground railroad. He was highly delighted, nor
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  Speaker 1: was he less pleased with the thought that he had
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  Speaker 1: caused his mistress, who was one of the worst women
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  Speaker 1: who ever lived, to lose twelve hundred dollars by him.
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  Speaker 1: He escaped in March eighteen fifty seven. He did not
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  Speaker 1: admit that he loved slavery any the better for the
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  Speaker 1: reason that his master was a preacher, or that his
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  Speaker 1: mistress was the wife of a preacher. Although a common
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  Speaker 1: farm hand, Samuel had common sense, and for a long
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  Speaker 1: time previous had been watching closely the conduct of his mistress,
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  Speaker 1: and at the same time had been laying his plans
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  Speaker 1: for escape on the underground railroad. The first chance one
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  Speaker 1: hundred dollars reward. My negro man Richard has been missing
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  Speaker 1: since Sunday night, March twenty second. I will give one
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  Speaker 1: hundred dollars to any one who will secure him or
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  Speaker 1: deliver him to me. Richard is thirty years old, but
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  Speaker 1: looks older. Very short legs, dark but rather bright color,
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  Speaker 1: broad cheekbones, a respectful and serious manner. Generally looks away
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  Speaker 1: when spoken to, small mustache and beard, but he may
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  Speaker 1: have them off. He is a remarkably intelligent man and
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  Speaker 1: can turn his hand to anything. He took with him
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  Speaker 1: a bag made of Brussels carpet with my name written
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  Speaker 1: in large rough letters on the bottom, and a good
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  Speaker 1: stock of coarse and fine clothes, among them a navy
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  Speaker 1: cap and a low crowned hat. He has been seen
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  Speaker 1: about New Kent, c h and on the pump Monkey River,
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  Speaker 1: and is no doubt trying to get off in some
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  Speaker 1: vessel bound north April eighteenth, eighteen fifty seven j. W.
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  Speaker 1: Randolph Richmond, Virginia. Even at this late date, it may
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  Speaker 1: perhaps afford mister r a degree of satisfaction to know
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  Speaker 1: what became of Richard. But if this should not be
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  Speaker 1: the case, Richard's children or mother or father, if they
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  Speaker 1: are living, may possibly see these pages and thereby be
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  Speaker 1: made glad of learning of Richard's wisdom as a traveler
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  Speaker 1: in the terrible days of slave hunting. Consequently, here is
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  Speaker 1: what was recorded of him April third, eighteen fifty seven,
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  Speaker 1: at the Underground Railroad station, just before a free ticket
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  Speaker 1: was tendered him for Canada. Richard is thirty three years
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  Speaker 1: of age, small of stature, dark color, smart and resolute.
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  Speaker 1: He was owned by Captain Tucker of the United States Navy,
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  Speaker 1: from whom he fled. He was tired of serving and
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  Speaker 1: wanted to marry. Was the cause of his escape. He
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  Speaker 1: had no complaint of bad treatment to make against his owner. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: he said that he had been used well all his life. Nevertheless,
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  Speaker 1: Richard felt that this underground railroad was the greatest road
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  Speaker 1: he ever saw. When the war broke out, Richard girded
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  Speaker 1: on his knapsack and went to help Uncle Sam, Humble Richmond,
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  Speaker 1: and break the Yoke end of Section twenty nine. Recording
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  Speaker 1: by Lee Smalley,