P.S. Please send the thread along as a token and my wife will
understand that all is right. S.M.
Arrival No. 7. James Henson, alias David Caldwell. James fled from Cecil
Co., Md. He claimed that he was entitled to his freedom according to law
at the age of twenty-eight, but had been unjustly deprived of it. Having
waited in vain for his free papers for four years, he suspected that he
was to be dealt with in a manner similar to many others, who had been
willed free or who had bought their time, and had been shamefully
cheated out of their freedom. So in his judgment he felt that his only
hope lay in making his escape on the Underground Rail Road. He had no
faith whatever in the man who held him in bondage, Jacob Johnson, but no
other charges of ill treatment, &c., have been found against said
Johnson on the books, save those alluded to above.
James was thirty-two years of age, stout and well proportioned, with
more than average intelligence and resolution. He left a wife and child,
both free.
Arrival No. 8. Laura Lewis. Laura arrived from Louisville, Kentucky. She
had been owned by a widow woman named Lewis, but as lately as the
previous March her mistress died, leaving her slaves and other property
to be divided among her heirs. As this would necessitate a sale of the
slaves, Laura determined not to be on hand when the selling day came, so
she took time by the forelock and left. Her appearance indicated that
she had been among the more favored class of slaves. She was about
twenty-five years of age, quite stout, of mixed blood, and intelligent,
having traveled considerably with her mistress. She had been North in
this capacity. She left her mother, one brother, and one sister in
Louisville.
Arrival No. 9. Elizabeth Banks, from near Easton, Maryland. Her lot had
been that of an ordinary slave. Of her slave-life nothing of interest
was recorded. She had escaped from her owner two and a half years prior
to coming into the hands of the Committee, and had been living in
Pennsylvania pretty securely as she had supposed, but she had been
awakened to a sense of her danger by well grounded reports that she was
pursued by her claimant, and would be likely to be captured if she
tarried short of Canada. With such facts staring her in the face she was
sent to the Committee for counsel and protection, and by them she was
forwarded on in the usual way. She was about twenty-five years of age,
of a dark, and spare structure.
Arrival No. 10. Simon Hill. This fugitive had escaped from Virginia. The
usual examination was made, and needed help given him by the Committee
who felt satisfied that he was a poor brother who had been shamefully
wronged, and that he richly deserved sympathy. He was aided and directed
Canada-ward. He was a very humble-looking specimen of the peculiar
institution, about twenty-five years of age, medium size, and of a dark
hue.
Arrival No. 11. Anthony and Albert Brown (brothers), Jones Anderson and
Isaiah.
This party escaped from Tanner's Creek, Norfolk, Virginia, where they
had been owned by John and Henry Holland, oystermen. As slaves they
alleged that they had been subjected to very brutal treatment from their
profane and ill-natured owners. Not relishing this treatment, Albert and
Anthony came to the conclusion that they understood boating well enough
to escape by water. They accordingly selected one of their master's
small oyster-boats, which was pretty-well rigged with sails, and off
they started for a Northern Shore. They proceeded on a part of their
voyage merely by guess work, but landed safely, however, about
twenty-five miles north of Baltimore, though, by no means, on free soil.
They had no knowledge of the danger that they were then in, but they
were persevering, and still determined to make their way North, and
thus, at last, success attended their efforts. Their struggles and
exertions having been attended with more of the romantic and tragical
elements than had characterized the undertakings of any of the other
late passengers, the Committee felt inclined to make a fuller notice of
them on the book, yet failed to do them justice in this respect.
The elder brother was twenty-nine, the younger twenty-seven. Both were
mentally above the average run of slaves. They left wives in Norfolk,
named Alexenia and Ellen. While Anthony and Albert, in seeking their
freedom, were forced to sever their connections with their companions,
they did not forget them in Canada.
How great was their delight in freedom, and tender their regard for
their wives, and the deep interest they felt for their brethren and
friends generally, may be seen from a perusal of the following letters
from them:
HAMELTON, March 7th 1856.
MR. WM. STILL--_Sir_--I now take the opportunity of writing you
a few lins hoping to find yourself and famly well as thes lines
leves me at present, myself and brother, Anthony & Albert
brown's respects. We have spent quite agreeable winter, we ware
emploied in the new hotel, name Anglo american, wheare we
wintered and don very well, we also met with our too frends ho
came from home with us, Jonas anderson and Izeas, now we are all
safe in hamilton, I wish to cale you to youre prommos, if
convenient to write to Norfolk, Va, for me, and let my wife mary
Elen Brown, no where I am, and my brothers wife Elickzener
Brown, as we have never heard a word from them since we left,
tel them that we found our homes and situation in canady much
better than we expected, tel them not to think hard of us, we
was boun to flee from the rath to come, tel them we live in the
hopes of meting them once more this side of the grave, tel them
if we never more see them, we hope to meet them in the kingdom
of heaven in pece, tel them to remember my love to my cherch and
brethren, tel them I find there is the same prayer-hearing God
heare as there is in old Va; tel them to remember our love to
all the enquiring frends, I have written sevrel times but have
never reseived no answer, I find a gret meny of my old
accuiantens from Va, heare we are no ways lonesom, Mr. Still, I
have written to you once before, but reseve no answer. Pleas let
us hear from you by any means. Nothing more at present, but
remane youre frends,