THE "UNDERGROUND RAILWAY."
While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a
secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies,
and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the
first opportunity, which soon presented itself. As is well known,
there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for
the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada. This was nothing
more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to
abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
It was on this account that the "Fugitive Slave Law" was passed by
Congress, on which there was the test case before the Supreme Court in
the slave, Dred Scott, said court sustaining the law. One of the
Northern societies at this time sent an agent South as a spy, and to
abduct any slave or slaves that he could entice away. This agent made
his way to Colonel R.'s plantation, over which Simon was foreman. He
cautiously made known his business to Simon, who welcomed and secretly
harbored him. This agent was joined two days after by an escaped Union
soldier from the Confederate prison at ----. This was a happy and
unexpected meeting between the spy and soldier. What they did had to
be done quickly and secretly. If they were captured the spy would be
executed and the soldier reincarcerated in prison. Simon also had
enemies on the farm who would give him away to the nearest provost
marshal if it was known that he was harboring these men. Simon
arranged for an immediate conference at night, when it was agreed upon
that they were to take Elsie and Octavia, and for two stout negro men
to go also, to alternately carry Octavia, who by this time was a year
and a half old and full grown for her age. Simon spotted two stout
negro men whom he thought he would have no trouble in getting to go
along. But the very first one he approached, named Henry, bluntly and
insolently refused. Simon told him then that if he ever divulged it he
would handle him roughly. Henry left, telling him to "go on 'bout his
biziness; that he fixin' tu git hisself in trubble." He had no trouble
in getting the next he approached, whose names were Jim and Jack.
All necessary arrangements being made, they assembled at the gin house
on the night of departure to bid Simon farewell. He parted with his
sister with many misgivings, fearing that she might lose her own and
the baby's life in this attempt to escape. He bade each man adieu, and
Elsie and Octavia an affectionate farewell. He returned home, retired,
but there was no sleep for him that night. At times he was almost
tempted to pursue the escaping party and bring them back. Without
Elsie and the child he was indeed desolate, as he had not a single
relation in all that country. Just before day he managed to fall
asleep, to be awakened almost immediately by a commotion in the negro
quarter, and on inquiring the cause was told that Jim and Jack had run
away. He then told his informant that Elsie and Octavia could not be
found, and they must have been stolen by the negro men. To allay
suspicion he had his horse saddled, blew up his dogs, and was soon
ostensibly on the negroes' tracks. He took pains however, to go in a
different direction to the one the escaping party went. After making a
spurious chase of three or four hours he returned, saying that the
negroes had escaped, at the same time making loud lamentations because
Elsie and the child had been stolen. It is unnecessary to say that his
grief was real.
Let us now follow the fugitives. They traveled only at night,
concealing themselves in the day.
The second night out they met some one with a squealing pig on his
shoulder. The Northerners, fearing detection, captured the man, who
proved to be Brutus, the runaway negro from Colonel R.'s farm. They
explained their mission to him, and asked him to go along with them,
and if he didn't they would treat him like he was going to treat that
stolen pig, which he took out of the pen up the road. Elsie being in
the party, he was only too glad to accompany them. He proved to be a
valuable acquisition, being used to the woods, detecting any noise with
the celerity of a cat. He was also of great assistance in carrying
Octavia, considering it a labor and burden of love, and would not
relinquish her, only from sheer exhaustion.
All went well with the party, until the fourth night out, when they
came to a swollen river, and not a skiff to be found. An axe had been
brought along, to use in such a contingency, with which a raft was soon
made, and the party on it, and was being rowed over by the negroes, who
were three-fourths across, when, by some unaccountable manner, Octavia
fell overboard, and would have been drowned if the moon had not been
shining, which gave light for Brutus, who had jumped in the river, to
see and catch her as she arose, when he swam to the shore with her.
It seemed that fate was against the little child, this being the second
time in her brief existence that she had narrowly escaped a watery
grave. The day after this accident they came near being detected, but,
through the strategy of Brutus, they escaped.
Two more nights brought them in hearing of the opposing armies, and to
pass the Confederate sentinels was the "tug of war." They decided,
however, to make the attempt, rather than make a circuit of
seventy-five miles to flank the Southern lines. On the night the
attempt was made it was dark, and all would have been well if Octavia
had not cried out when passing the last sentinel. At this the whole
party rushed past, the sentinel firing several times into the party,
killing Jim and Jack, and wounding Octavia seriously and Elsie
slightly. The Northerners and Brutus escaped to the Union army. Elsie
and child were carried to the Confederate headquarters and had their
wounds examined and dressed. The surgeon said Elsie was all right, but
that it would take good nursing and skillful treatment for the child to
pull through. But she did, and when able to travel they were put on a
horse in charge of a squad of soldiers, with authority to investigate
the circumstances of their escape as soon as they reached Colonel R.'s
plantation. Henry became alarmed, turned State's evidence against
Simon, who, without time to exchange words of greeting with Elsie and
the child, was hurried off and put in the county jail, and was
succeeded as foreman by Henry, who probably had this in view when he
gave Simon away. This was another crushing blow to Simon; this was
capping the climax. What, Colonel R.'s handsome and intelligent
foreman in jail? This was indeed humiliating! Simon's enemies on the
farm were now elated because of his downfall. One ancient son of Ham,
who had been lashed severely for his misconduct by Simon, soliloquized
thus: "Dey sho' is got dat yaller son of a b---- now; he tink he white,
but I'll be goldurn my black skin ef dey doan salt an' tan his yaller
hide an' make it look yallerer dan 'tis." Simon could think of no way
of getting relief. While he had been faithful to the trust which his
master had confided in him, and who might be willing to forgive him,
yet he knew his master was powerless to get him out of jail, he being
in the conspiracy in abducting his master's slaves, and of feeding and
harboring a spy. However, he wrote to his master, making full
confession, and begged forgiveness, and asked him if there was any way
possible for him to get out of prison. But before the letter reached
the front there had been a battle, and Colonel R. had been captured and
was a prisoner on Johnson's Island. The letter was returned unopened.
He considered his last ray of hope gone, if hope it was, as he was
almost certain that his master could afford no relief. He endeavored
to compose himself the best he could; he was visited frequently by
Elsie and Octavia. She upbraided herself to Simon as being the cause
of it all. He asked her not to do that, as he blamed no one but
himself. On her first visit he sent a letter to his mistress, giving
explicit instructions and information where the treasure was which his
master had confided to his keeping. Simon being in jail, she sent and
had it brought home, and found every cent as the Colonel had left it.
Elsie kept Simon supplied with papers, books, and such delicacies as
the distracted state of the country would admit of.