The following memorandum is made, which, if not too late, may afford
some light to "Elizabeth Brown and Thomas Johnson," if they have not
already gone the way of the "lost cause"--
_June_ 4, 1857.--Edward is a hardy and firm-looking young man of
twenty-four years of age, chestnut color, medium size, and
"likely,"--would doubtless bring $1,400 in the market. He had been held
as the property of the widow, "Betsy Brown," who resided near Mill Green
P.O., in Harford county, Md. "She was a very bad woman; would go to
church every Sunday, come home and go to fighting amongst the colored
people; was never satisfied; she treated my mother very hard, (said
Ed.); would beat her with a walking-stick, &c. She was an old woman and
belonged to the Catholic Church. Over her slaves she kept an overseer,
who was a very wicked man; very bad on colored people; his name was
'Bill Eddy;' Elizabeth Brown owned twelve head."
Henry is of a brown skin, a good-looking young man, only nineteen years
of age, whose prepossessing appearance would insure a high price for him
in the market--perhaps $1,700. With Edward, he testifies to the meanness
of Mrs. Betsy Brown, as well as to his own longing desire for freedom.
Being a fellow-servant with Edward, Henry was a party to the plan of
escape. In slavery he left his mother and three sisters, owned by the
"old woman" from whom he escaped.
James is about twenty-one years of age, full black, and medium size. As
he had been worked hard on poor fare, he concluded to leave, in company
with his brother and two cousins, leaving his parents in slavery, owned
by the "Widow Pyle," who was also the owner of himself. "She was upwards
of eighty, very passionate and ill-natured, although a member of the
Presbyterian Church." James may be worth $1,400.
Stephen is a brother of James', and is about the same size, though a
year older. His experience differed in no material respect from his
brother's; was owned by the same woman, whom he "hated for her bad
treatment" of him. Would bring $1,400, perhaps.
In substance, and to a considerable extent in the exact words, these
facts are given as they came from the lips of the passengers, who,
though having been kept in ignorance and bondage, seemed to have their
eyes fully open to the wrongs that had been heaped upon them, and were
singularly determined to reach free soil at all hazards. The Committee
willingly attended to their financial and other wants, and cheered them
on with encouraging advice.
They were indebted to "The Baltimore Sun" for the advertisement
information. And here it may be further added, that the "Sun" was quite
famous for this kind of U.G.R.R. literature, and on that account alone
the Committee subscribed for it daily, and never failed to scan closely
certain columns, illustrated with a black man running away with a bundle
on his back. Many of these popular illustrations and advertisements were
preserved, many others were sent away to friends at a distance, who took
a special interest in the U.G.R.R. matters. Friends and stockholders in
England used to take a great interest in seeing how the fine arts, in
these particulars, were encouraged in the South ("the land of
chivalry").
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