St. Leonards, Calvert county, Md.
Refer to N.E. BERRY, No. 63 Pratt street, Baltimore.
So far as Messrs. Bond, Ireland, and Griffiss may be concerned (if they
are still living), they may not care to have the reward kept in view, or
to hear anything about the "ungrateful" fellows. It may be different,
however, with other parties concerned. This company, some of whom bore
names agreeing with those in the above advertisement, are found
described in the record book as follows:
Sept. 10th, 1858. John Janney is a fine specimen of the peculiar
institution; color brown, well-formed, self-possessed and
intelligent. He says that he fled from master Joseph Griffiss of
Culbert county, Maryland; that he has been used to "tight work,"
"allowed no chances," and but "half fed." His reason for leaving
was partly "hard treatment," and partly because he could "get
along better in freedom than in slavery." He found fault with
his master for not permitting him to "learn to read," etc. He
referred to his master as a man of "fifty years of age, with a
wife and three children." John said that "she was a large,
portly woman, with an evil disposition, always wanted to be
quarreling and fighting, and was stingy." He said, however, that
his "master's children, Ann Rebecca, Dorcas, and Joe were not
allowed to meddle with the slaves on the farm." Thirty head of
slaves belonged on the place.
Peter Gross says that he too was owned by Joseph Griffiss. Peter
is, he thinks, thirty-nine years of age,--tall, of a dark
chestnut color, and in intellect mediocre. He left his wife and
five children behind. He could not bring them with him,
therefore he did not tell them that he was about to leave. He
was much dissatisfied with Slavery and felt that he had been
badly dealt with, and that he could do better for himself in
Canada.
Talbot Johnson, is thirty-five years of age, quite dark, and
substantially built. He says that he has been treated very
badly, and that Duke Bond was the name of the "tyrant" who held
him. He pictured his master as "a lean-faced man--not stout--of
thirty-eight or thirty-nine years of age, a member of the
Episcopal Church." "He had a wife and two children; his last
wife was right pleasant--he was a farmer, and was rich, had sold
slaves, and was severe when he flogged." Talbot had been
promised a terrible beating on the return of his master from the
Springs, whither he had gone to recruit his health, "as he was
poorly." This was the sole cause of Talbot's flight.
Sam Gross is about forty, a man of apparent vigor physically,
and wide awake mentally. He confesses that he fled from George
Island, near Port Republic, Md. He thought that times with him
had been bad enough all his life, and he would try to get away
where he could do better. In referring to his master and
mistress, he says that "they are both Episcopalians, hard to
please, and had as bad dispositions as could be,--would try to
knock the slaves in the head sometimes." This spirit Sam
condemned in strong terms, and averred that it was on account of
such treatment that he was moved to seek out the Underground
Rail Road. Sam left his wife, Mary Ann, and four children, all
under bonds. His children, he said, were treated horribly. They
were owned by Joseph Griffiss spoken of above.
James Henry Jackson is seventeen years of age; he testifies that
he fled from Frederica, Delaware, where he had been owned by
Joseph Brown. Jim does not make any serious complaint against
his master, except that he had him in the market for sale. To
avert this fate, Jim was moved to flee. His mother, Ann Jackson,
lived nine miles from Milford, and was owned by Jim Loflin, and
lived on his place. Of the going of her son she had no
knowledge.
These narratives have been copied from the book as they were hastily
recorded at the time. During their sojourn at the station, the subjoined
letter came to hand from Thomas Garrett, which may have caused anxiety
and haste:
WILMINGTON, 9th mo. 6th, 1858.
ESTEEMED FRIENDS, J.M. McKIM AND WM. STILL:--I have a mixture of
good and bad news for you. Good in having passed five of God's
poor safely to Jersey, and Chester county, last week; and this
day sent on four more, that have caused me much anxiety. They
were within twenty miles of here on sixth day last, and by
agreement I had a man out all seventh day night watching for
them, to pilot them safely, as 1,000 dollars reward was offered
for four of the five; and I went several miles yesterday in the
country to try to learn what had become of them, but could not
hear of them. A man of tried integrity just called to say that
they arrived at his house last night, about midnight, and I
employed him to pilot them to a place of safety in Pennsylvania,
to-night, after which I trust they will be out of reach of their
pursuers. Now for the bad news. That old scoundrel, who applied
to me some three weeks since, pretending that he wished me to
assist him in getting his seven slaves into a free state, to
avoid the sheriff, and which I agreed to do, if he would bring
them here; but positively refused to send for them. Ten days
since I received another letter from him, saying that the
sheriff had been there, and taken away two of the children,
which he wished me to raise money to purchase and set free, and
then closed by saying that his other slaves, a man, his wife,
and three children had left the same evening and he had no doubt
I would find them at a colored man's house, he named, here, and
wished me to ascertain at once and let him know. I at once was
convinced he wished to know so as to have them arrested and
taken back. I found the man had arrived; but the woman and
children had given out, and he left them with a colored family
in Cecil. I wrote him word the family had not got here, but said
nothing of the man being here. On seventh day evening I saw a
colored woman from the neighborhood; she told me that the owner
and sheriff were out hunting five days for them before they
found them, and says there is not a greater hypocrite in that
part of the world. I wrote him a letter yesterday letting him
know just what I thought of him.
Your Friend,