THE ESCAPE
"No refuge is found on our unhallowed ground,
For the wretched in Slavery's manacles bound;
While our star-spangled banner in vain boasts to wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
WE left Mary, the daughter of Clotel, in the capacity of a servant
in her own father's house, where she had been taken by her
mistress for the ostensible purpose of plunging her husband into
the depths of humiliation. At first the young girl was treated
with great severity; but after finding that Horatio Green had
lost all feeling for his child, Mrs. Green's own heart became
touched for the offspring of her husband, and she became its
friend. Mary had grown still more beautiful, and, like most of
her sex in that country, was fast coming to maturity.
The arrest of Clotel, while trying to rescue her daughter, did not
reach the ears of the latter till her mother had been removed
from Richmond to Washington. The mother had passed from time to
eternity before the daughter knew that she had been in the
neighbourhood. Horatio Green was not in Richmond at the time of
Clotel's arrest; had he been there, it is not probable but he
would have made an effort to save her. She was not his slave, and
therefore was beyond his power, even had he been there and
inclined to aid her. The revolt amongst the slaves had been
brought to an end, and most of the insurgents either put to death
or sent out of the state. One, however, remained in
prison. He was the slave of Horatio Green, and had been a servant
in his master's dwelling. He, too, could boast that his father
was an American statesman. His name was George. His mother had
been employed as a servant in one of the principal hotels in
Washington, where members of Congress usually put up. After
George's birth his mother was sold to a slave trader, and he to an
agent of Mr. Green, the father of Horatio. George was as white as
most white persons. No one would suppose that any African blood
coursed through his veins. His hair was straight, soft, fine, and
light; his eyes blue, nose prominent, lips thin, his head well
formed, forehead high and prominent; and he was often taken for a
free white person by those who did know him. This made his
condition still more intolerable; for one so white seldom ever
receives fair treatment at the hands of his fellow slaves; and the
whites usually regard such slaves as persons who, if not often
flogged, and otherwise ill treated, to remind them of their
condition, would soon "forget" that they were slaves, and "think
themselves as good as white folks." George's opportunities were
far greater than most slaves. Being in his master's house, and
waiting on educated white people, he had become very familiar
with the English language. He had heard his master and visitors
speak of the down-trodden and oppressed Poles; he heard them talk
of going to Greece to fight for Grecian liberty, and against the
oppressors of that ill-fated people. George, fired with the love
of freedom, and zeal for the cause of his enslaved countrymen,
joined the insurgents, and with them had been defeated and
captured. He was the only one remaining of these unfortunate
people, and he would have been put to death with them but for a
circumstance that occurred some weeks before the
outbreak. The court house had, by accident, taken fire, and was
fast consuming. The engines could not be made to work, and all
hope of saving the building seemed at an end. In one of the upper
chambers there was a small box containing some valuable deeds
belonging to the city; a ladder was placed against the house,
leading from the street to the window of the room in which the
box stood. The wind blew strong, and swept the flames in that
direction. Broad sheets of fire were blown again and again over
that part of the building, and then the wind would lift the pall
of smoke, which showed that the work of destruction was not yet
accomplished. While the doomed building was thus exposed, and
before the destroying element had made its final visit, as it did
soon after, George was standing by, and hearing that much
depended on the contents of the box, and seeing no one disposed
to venture through the fiery element to save the treasure,
mounted the ladder and made his way to the window, entered the
room, and was soon seen descending with the much valued box. Three
cheers rent the air as the young slave fell from the ladder when
near the ground; the white men took him up in their arms, to see
if he had sustained any injury. His hair was burnt, eyebrows
closely singed, and his clothes smelt strongly of smoke; but the
heroic young slave was unhurt. The city authorities, at their
next meeting, passed a vote of thanks to George's master for the
lasting benefit that the slave had rendered the public, and
commanded the poor boy to the special favour of his owner. When
George was on trial for participating in the revolt, this
"meritorious act," as they were pleased to term it, was brought
up in his favour. His trial was put off from session to session,
till he had been in prison more than a year. At last, however, he
was convicted of high treason, and sentenced to be
hanged within ten days of that time. The judge asked the slave if
he had anything to say why sentence of death should not be passed
on him. George stood for a moment in silence, and then said, "As
I cannot speak as I should wish, I will say nothing." "You may
say what you please," said the judge. "You had a good master,"
continued he, "and still you were dissatisfied; you left your
master and joined the Negroes who were burning our houses and
killing our wives." "As you have given me permission to speak,"
remarked George, "I will tell you why I joined the revolted
Negroes. I have heard my master read in the Declaration of
Independence 'that all men are created free and equal,' and this
caused me to inquire of myself why I was a slave. I also heard him
talking with some of his visitors about the war with England, and
he said, all wars and fightings for freedom were just and right.
If so, in what am I wrong? The grievances of which your fathers
complained, and which caused the Revolutionary War, were trifling
in comparison with the wrongs and sufferings of those who were
engaged in the late revolt. Your fathers were never slaves, ours
are; your fathers were never bought and sold like cattle, never
shut out from the light of knowledge and religion, never
subjected to the lash of brutal task-masters. For the crime of
having a dark skin, my people suffer the pangs of hunger, the
infliction of stripes, and the ignominy of brutal servitude. We
are kept in heathenish darkness by laws expressly enacted to make
our instruction a criminal offence. What right has one man to the
bones, sinews, blood, and nerves of another? Did not one God make
us all? You say your fathers fought for freedom; so did we. You
tell me that I am to be put to death for violating the
laws of the land. Did not the American revolutionists violate the
laws when they struck for liberty? They were revolters, but their
success made them patriots--We were revolters, and our failure
makes us rebels. Had we succeeded, we would have been patriots
too. Success makes all the difference. You make merry on the 4th
of July; the thunder of cannon and ringing of bells announce it
as the birthday of American independence. Yet while these cannons
are roaring and bells ringing, one-sixth of the people of this
land are in chains and slavery. You boast that this is the 'Land
of the Free'; but a traditionary freedom will not save you. It
will not do to praise your fathers and build their sepulchres.
Worse for you that you have such an inheritance, if you spend it
foolishly and are unable to appreciate its worth. Sad if the
genius of a true humanity, beholding you with tearful eyes from
the mount of vision, shall fold his wings in sorrowing pity, and
repeat the strain, 'O land of Washington, how often would I have
gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood
under her wings, and ye would not; behold your house is left unto
you desolate.' This is all I have to say; I have done." Nearly
every one present was melted to tears; even the judge seemed
taken by surprise at the intelligence of the young slave. But
George was a slave, and an example must be made of him, and
therefore he was sentenced. Being employed in the same house with
Mary, the daughter of Clotel, George had become attached to her,
and the young lovers fondly looked forward to the time when they
should be husband and wife.
After George had been sentenced to death, Mary was still more
attentive to him, and begged and obtained leave of her mistress
to visit him in his cell. The poor girl paid a daily
visit to him to whom she had pledged her heart and hand. At one of
these meetings, and only four days from the time fixed for the
execution, while Mary was seated in George's cell, it occurred to
her that she might yet save him from a felon's doom. She revealed
to him the secret that was then occupying her thoughts, viz.
that George should exchange clothes with her, and thus attempt his
escape in disguise. But he would not for a single moment listen
to the proposition. Not that he feared detection; but he would
not consent to place an innocent and affectionate girl in a
position where she might have to suffer for him. Mary pleaded,
but in vain. George was inflexible. The poor girl left her lover
with a heavy heart, regretting that her scheme had proved
unsuccessful.
Towards the close of the next day, Mary again appeared at the
prison door for admission, and was soon by the side of him whom
she so ardently loved. While there the clouds which had overhung
the city for some hours broke, and the rain fell in torrents amid
the most terrific thunder and lightning. In the most persuasive
manner possible, Mary again importuned George to avail himself of
her assistance to escape from an ignominious death. After assuring
him that she, not being the person condemned, would not receive
any injury, he at last consented, and they began to exchange
apparel. As George was of small stature, and both were white,
there was no difficulty in his passing out without detection; and
as she usually left the cell weeping, with handkerchief in hand,
and sometimes at her face, he had only to adopt this mode and his
escape was safe. They had kissed each other, and Mary had told
George where he would find a small parcel of provisions which she
had placed in a secluded spot, when the prison-keeper
opened the door and said, "Come, girl, it is time for you to go."
George again embraced Mary, and passed out of the jail. It was
already dark, and the street lamps were lighted, so that our hero
in his new dress had no dread of detection. The provisions were
sought out and found, and poor George was soon on the road
towards Canada. But neither of them had once thought of a change
of dress for George when he should have escaped, and he had
walked but a short distance before he felt that a change of his
apparel would facilitate his progress. But he dared not go amongst
even his coloured associates for fear of being betrayed. However,
he made the best of his way on towards Canada, hiding in the
woods during the day, and travelling by the guidance of the North
Star at night.
With the poet he could truly say,
"Star of the North! while blazing day
Pours round me its full tide of light,
And hides thy pale but faithful ray,
I, too, lie hid, and long for night."
One morning, George arrived on the banks of the Ohio river, and
found his journey had terminated, unless he could get some one to
take him across the river in a secret manner, for he would not be
permitted to cross in any of the ferry boats, it being a penalty
for crossing a slave, besides the value of the slave. He
concealed himself in the tall grass and weeds near the river, to
see if he could embrace an opportunity to cross. He had been in
his hiding place but a short time, when he observed a man in a
small boat, floating near the shore, evidently fishing. His first
impulse was to call out to the man and ask him to take him over
to the Ohio side, but the fear that the man was a slaveholder, or
one who might possibly arrest him, deterred him from it. The
man after rowing and floating about for some time
fastened the boat to the root of a tree, and started to a
neighbouring farmhouse.
This was George's moment, and he seized it. Running down the bank,
he unfastened the boat, jumped in, and with all the expertness of
one accustomed to a boat, rowed across the river and landed on
the Ohio side.
Being now in a Free State, he thought he might with perfect safety
travel on towards Canada. He had, however, gone but a very few
miles when he discovered two men on horseback coming behind him.
He felt sure that they could not be in pursuit of him, yet he did
not wish to be seen by them, so he turned into another road
leading to a house near by. The men followed, and were but a
short distance from George, when he ran up to a farmhouse, before
which was standing a farmer-looking man, in a broad-brimmed hat
and straight-collared coat, whom he implored to save him from the
"slave-catchers." The farmer told him to go into the barn near
by; he entered by the front door, the farmer following, and
closing the door behind George, but remaining outside, and gave
directions to his hired man as to what should be done with
George. The slaveholders by this time had dismounted, and were
in front of the barn demanding admittance, and charging the
farmer with secreting their slave woman, for George was still in
the dress of a woman. The Friend, for the farmer proved to be a
member of the Society of Friends, told the slave-owners that if
they wished to search his barn, they must first get an officer
and a search warrant. While the parties were disputing, the farmer
began nailing up the front door, and the hired man served the
back door in the same way. The slaveholders, finding that they
could not prevail on the Friend to allow them to get the slave,
determined to go in search of an officer. One was left
to see that the slave did not escape from the barn, while the
other went off at full speed to Mount Pleasant, the nearest town.
George was not the slave of either of these men, nor were they in
pursuit of him, but they had lost a woman who had been seen in
that vicinity, and when they saw poor George in the disguise of a
female, and attempting to elude pursuit, they felt sure they were
close upon their victim. However, if they had caught him,
although he was not their slave, they would have taken him back
and placed him in jail, and there he would have remained until his
owner arrived.
After an absence of nearly two hours, the slave-owner returned
with an officer and found the Friend still driving large nails
into the door. In a triumphant tone and with a corresponding
gesture, he handed the search-warrant to the Friend, and said,
"There, sir, now I will see if I can't get my nigger." "Well,"
said the Friend, "thou hast gone to work according to law, and
thou canst now go into my barn." "Lend me your hammer that I may
get the door open," said the slaveholder. "Let me see the warrant
again." And after reading it over once more, he said, "I see
nothing in this paper which says I must supply thee with tools to
open my door; if thou wishest to go in, thou must get a hammer
elsewhere." The sheriff said, "I will go to a neighbouring farm
and borrow something which will introduce us to Miss Dinah;" and
he immediately went in search of tools. In a short time the
officer returned, and they commenced an assault and battery upon
the barn door, which soon yielded; and in went the slaveholder
and officer, and began turning up the hay and using all other
means to find the lost property; but, to their astonishment, the
slave was not there. After all hope of getting Dinah was gone,
the slave-owner in a rage said to the Friend, "My nigger
is not here." "I did not tell thee there was any one here." "Yes,
but I saw her go in, and you shut the door behind her, and if she
was not in the barn, what did you nail the door for?" "Can't I do
what I please with my own barn door? Now I will tell thee; thou
need trouble thyself no more, for the person thou art after
entered the front door and went out at the back door, and is a
long way from here by this time. Thou and thy friend must be
somewhat fatigued by this time; won't thou go in and take a little
dinner with me?" We need not say that this cool invitation of the
good Quaker was not accepted by the slaveholders. George in the
meantime had been taken to a friend's dwelling some miles away,
where, after laying aside his female attire, and being snugly
dressed up in a straight collared coat, and pantaloons to match,
was again put on the right road towards Canada.
The fugitive now travelled by day, and laid by during night. After
a fatiguing and dreary journey of two weeks, the fugitive arrived
in Canada, and took up his abode in the little town of St.
Catherine's, and obtained work on the farm of Colonel Street. Here
he attended a night-school, and laboured for his employer during
the day. The climate was cold, and wages small, yet he was in a
land where he was free, and this the young slave prized more than
all the gold that could be given to him. Besides doing his best
to obtain education for himself, he imparted what he could to
those of his fellow-fugitives about him, of whom there were many.