Edward, a youthful passenger about twenty-one years of age, slow of
speech, with a stammering utterance, and apparently crushed in spirits,
claimed succor and aid of the Committee. At first the Committee felt a
little puzzled to understand, how one, apparently so deficient, could
succeed in surmounting the usual difficulties consequent upon traveling,
via the Underground Rail Road; but in conversing with him, they found
him possessed of more intelligence than they had supposed; indeed, they
perceived that he could read and write a little, and that what he lacked
in aptness of speech, he supplied as a thinker, and although he was slow
he was sure. He was owned by a man named John Lewis, who also owned
about seventy head of slaves, whom he kept on farms near the mouth of
the Sassafras River, in Sussex county.
Lewis had not only held Edward in bondage, but had actually sold him,
with two of his brothers, only the Saturday before his escape, to a
Georgia trader, named Durant, who was to start south with them on the
subsequent Monday. Moved almost to desperation at their master's course
in thus selling them, the three brothers, after reflection, determined
to save themselves if possible, and without any definite knowledge of
the journey, they turned their eyes towards the North Star, and under
the cover of night they started for Pennsylvania, not knowing whether
they would ever see the goodly land of freedom. After wandering for
about two weeks, having been lost often and compelled to lie out in all
weathers, a party of pursuers suddenly came upon them. Both parties were
armed; the fugitives therefore resolved to give their enemies battle,
before surrendering. Edward felt certain that one of the pursuers
received a cut from his knife, but the extent of the injury was unknown
to him. For a time the struggle was of a very serious character; by
using his weapons skillfully, however, Edward managed to keep the
hand-cuff off of himself, but was at this point separated from his two
brothers. No further knowledge of them did he possess; nevertheless, he
trusted that they succeeded in fighting their way through to freedom.
How any were successful in making their escape under such discouraging
circumstances is a marvel.
Edward took occasion to review his master's conduct, and said that he
"could not recommend him," as he would "drink and gamble," both of
which, were enough to condemn him, in Edward's estimation, even though
he were passable in other respects. But he held him doubly guilty for
the way that he acted in selling him and his brothers.
So privately had his master transacted business with the trader, that
they were within a hair's breadth of being hand-cuffed, ere they knew
that they were sold. Probably no outrage will be remembered with
feelings of greater bitterness, than this proceeding on the part of the
master; yet, when he reflected that he was thereby prompted to strike
for freedom, Edward was disposed to rejoice at the good which had come
out of the evil.
* * * * *