SOME ACCOUNT OF THE FAMILY I LEFT IN SLAVERY--PROPOSAL TO PURCHASE MYSELF
AND PARENTS--HOW MET BY MY OLD MASTER.
It is but natural that the reader should wish to hear a word about the
family I left behind.
There are frequently large slave families with whom God seems to deal in a
remarkable manner. I believe my family is an instance.
I have already stated that when I fled, I left a father, mother, and
eleven brothers and sisters. These were all, except my oldest brother,
owned by the man from whom I fled. It will be seen at once then how the
fear of implicating them embarrassed me in the outset. They suffered
nothing, however, but a strong suspicion, until about six months after I
had left; when the following circumstance took place:--
When I left my friend W.W. in Pennsylvania to go on north, I ventured to
write a letter back to one of my brothers, informing him how I was; and
this letter was directed to the care of a white man who was hired on the
plantation, who worked in the garden with my father, and who professed a
warm friendship to our family; but instead of acting in good faith, he
handed the letter to my master. I am sorry that truth compels me to say
that that man was an Englishman.
From that day the family were handled most strangely. The history begins
thus: they were all sold into Virginia, the adjoining state. This was done
lest I should have some plan to get them off; but God so ordered that they
fell into kinder hands. After a few years, however, their master became
much embarrassed, so that he was obliged to pass them into other hands,
at least for a term of years. By this change the family was divided, and
my parents, with the greater part of their children, were taken to New
Orleans. After remaining there several years at hard labour,--my father
being in a situation of considerable trust, they were again taken back to
Virginia; and by this means became entitled by the laws of that state to
their freedom. Before justice, however, could take its course, their old
master in Maryland, as if intent to doom them for ever to bondage,
repurchased them; and in order to defeat a similar law in Maryland, by
which they would have been entitled to liberty, he obtained from the
General Assembly of that state the following special act. This will show
not only something of his character as a slaveholder, but also his
political influence in the state. It is often urged in the behalf of
slaveholders, that the law interposes an obstacle in the way of
emancipating their slaves when they wish to do so, but here is an instance
which lays open the real philosophy of the whole case. They make the law
themselves, and when they find the laws operate more in favour of the
slaves than themselves, they can easily evade or change it. Maryland being
a slave-exporting state, you will see why they need a law to prohibit the
importation of slaves; it is a protection to that sort of trade. This law
he wished to evade.
"_An act for the Relief of ---- of ---- County. Passed January 17th,
1842._
"Whereas it is represented to this General Assembly that ---- of ----
county, brought into this state from the state of Virginia, sometime in
the month of March last, two negro slaves, to wit, ---- and ---- his
wife, who are slaves for life, and who were acquired by the said ---- by
purchase, and whereas, the said ---- is desirous of retaining said
slaves in this state. THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED, _by the General
Assembly_ of Maryland, that the said ---- be, and he is hereby
authorized to retain said negroes as slaves for life within this state,
provided that the said ---- shall within thirty days after the passage
of this act, file with the clerk of the ---- county court, a list of
said slaves so brought into this state, stating their ages, with an
affidavit thereto attached, that the same is a true and faithful list of
the slaves so removed, and that they were not brought into this state
for the purpose of sale, and that they are slaves for life. And
_provided also_, that the sum of fifteen dollars for each slave, between
the ages of twelve and forty-five years, and the sum of five dollars for
each slave above the age of forty-five years and under twelve years of
age, so brought into this state, shall be paid to the said clerk of ----
county court: to be paid over by him to the treasurer of the western
shore, for the use and benefit of the Colonization Society of this
state.
_State of Connecticut.
Office of Secretary of State_.
"I hereby certify, that the foregoing is a true copy of an act passed by
the General Assembly of Maryland, January 17th, 1842, as it appears in
the printed acts of the said Maryland, in the Library of the state.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of said
state, at Hartford, this 17th day of August, 1846.
CHARLES W. BEADLEY,
(SEAL.)
Secretary of State."
Thus, the whole family after being twice fairly entitled to their
liberty, even by the laws of two slave states, had the mortification of
finding themselves again, not only recorded as slaves for life, but also a
premium paid upon them, professedly to aid in establishing others of their
fellow-beings in a free republic on the coast of Africa; but the hand of
God seems to have been heavy upon the man who could plan such a stratagem
to wrong his fellows.
The immense fortune he possessed when I left him, (bating one thousand
dollars I brought with me in my own body,) and which he seems to have
retained till that time, began to fly, and in a few years he was
insolvent, so that he was unable to hold the family, and was compelled to
think of selling them again. About this time I heard of their state by an
underground railroad passenger, who came from that neighbourhood, and
resolved to make an effort to obtain the freedom of my parents, and to
relieve myself from liability. For this purpose, after arranging for the
means to purchase, I employed counsel to make a definite offer for my
parents and myself. To his proposal, the following evasive and offensive
answer was returned.
_January 12th_, 1846. J. H----, Esq.
"Sir,--Your letter is before me. The ungrateful servant in whose behalf
you write, merits no clemency from me. He was guilty of theft when he
departed, for which I hope he has made due amends. I have heard he was a
respectable man, and calculated to do some good to his fellow-beings.
Servants are selling from five hundred and fifty to seven hundred
dollars. I will take five hundred and fifty dollars, and liberate him.
If my proposition is acceded to, and the money lodged in Baltimore, I
will execute the necessary instrument, and deliver it in Baltimore, to
be given up on payment being made.
"Yours, &c,
"----."
"Jim was a first-rate mechanic, (blacksmith) and was worth to me one
thousand dollars."
Here he not only refuses to account for my parents, by including them in
his return and proposition, but he at the same time attempts to intimidate
me by mooting the charge of theft.
I confess I was not only surprised, but mortified, at this result. The
hope of being once more united to parents whom I had not seen for sixteen
years, and whom I still loved dearly, had so excited my mind, that I
disarranged my business relations, disposed of a valuable library of four
hundred volumes, and by additional aid obtained among the liberal people
of Jamaica, I was prepared to give the extravagant sum of five hundred
dollars each for myself, and my father and mother. This I was willing to
do, not because I approve of the principle involved as a general rule. But
supposing that, as my former master was now an old man not far from his
grave, (about which I was not mistaken) and as he knew, by his own
shewing, that I was able to do some good, he would be inclined, whatever
might have been our former relations and misunderstandings, to meet my
reasonable desire to see my parents, and to part this world in
reconciliation with each other, as well as with God. I should have
rejoiced had his temper permitted him to accede to any offer. But I
thought it too bad, a free man of Jesus Christ, living on "free soil," to
give a man five hundred dollars for the privilege of being let alone, and
to be branded as a thief into the bargain, and that too after I had served
him twenty prime years, without the benefit of being taught so much as the
alphabet.
I wrote him with my own hand, sometime after this, stating that no
proposition would be acceded to by me, which did not include my parents;
and likewise fix the sum for myself more reasonable, and also retract the
offensive charge; to this he maintained a dignified silence. The means I
had acquired by the contributions of kind friends to redeem myself, I laid
by, in case the worst should come; and that designed for the purchase of
my parents, I used in another kind of operation, as the result of which,
my father and two brothers are now in Canada. My mother was sold a second
time, south, but she was eventually found. Several of my sisters married
free men, who purchased their liberty; and three brothers are owned, by
what may be called conscience slaveholders, who hold slaves only for a
term of years. My old master has since died; my mother and he are now in
the other world together, she is at rest from him. Sometime after his
death, I received information from a gentleman, intimate with his heirs,
(who are principally females) that the reduced state of the family,
afforded not only a good opportunity to obtain a release upon reasonable
terms, but also to render the children of my oppressor some pecuniary aid;
and much as I had suffered, I must confess this latter was the stronger
motive with me, for acceding to their offer made by him.
I have many other deeply interesting particulars touching our family
history, but I have detailed as many as prudence will permit, on account
of those members who are yet south of Mason and Dixon's line.
I have faith in the hand that has dealt with us so strangely, that all our
remaining members will in time be brought together; and then the case may
merit a reviewed and enlarged edition of this tract, when other important
matter will be inserted.