36. Case of Statevs.Hoppess. (Watson case.)
1845. Action before the Supreme Court of Ohio on the circuit to secure the liberation of a recaptured slave:2 Western Law Journal, 279; Schuckers,Life and Public Services of S. P. Chase, 74-77; Warden,Private Life and Public Services of S. P. Chase, 309.
37. Case of Vaughanvs.Williams.
1845. Prosecution before the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Indiana for rescuing fugitive slaves:3 Western Law Journal, 65;8 Law Reporter, 375;28 Federal Cases, 1115; 3 McLean'sReports, 530.
38. Parish case. (Jane Garrison case.)
1845-1849. Prosecution of F. D. Parish for aiding fugitives at Sandusky, Ohio:Firelands Pioneer, July, 1888; Warden,Private Life and Public Services of S. P. Chase, 310; A. E. Lee,History of Columbus, Ohio, I, 598.
39. Toledo (Ohio) rescue case.
1847, February. Rescue of a fugitive from custody while his captor was being tried on a charge of assault and battery before a justice of the peace: Conversation with James M. Ashley, Toledo, Ohio, July, 1895, and with Mavor Brigham, Toledo, Ohio, Aug. 4, 1895.
40. Crosswhite rescue case. (Case of Giltnervs.Gorham.)
1847. Prosecution for obstructing arrest of fugitives at Marshall, Michigan: Pamphlet proposing a "Defensive League of Freedom," by E. G. Loring, and others, pp. 5, 6; 4 McLean'sReports, 402.
41. Kauffman case.
1848. Prosecution of Daniel Kauffman, of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, for aiding fugitives: E. G. Loring and others, Pamphlet proposing a "Defensive League of Freedom," pp. 5, 6.
42. Garrett case.
1848. Prosecution of Thomas Garrett, of Wilmington, Delaware, for aiding fugitive slaves: Still,Underground Railroad Records, 623-641; Smedley,Underground Railroad, 237-245; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 60; Wyman,New England Magazine, March, 1896.
43. Case of Drayton and Sayres. (Case of the schoonerPearl.)
1848, April 18. Prosecution for attempting abduction of slaves from Washington, D.C.:Personal Memoir of Daniel Drayton; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 104; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 42.
44. Ohio and Kentucky controversy.
1848. Controversy on account of extradition of fifteen persons, charged with aiding fugitives, demanded by Kentucky:Liberator, July 14, 1848.
45. Craft escape.
1848. Escape of William and Ellen Craft:Liberator, Nov. 1, 1850; Still,Underground Railroad, 368; Clarke,Anti-Slavery Days, 83; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 325;New England Magazine, January, 1890; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 59.
46. Case of Richard Dillingham.
1848, December. Prosecution for attempting to abduct slaves from Nashville, Tennessee: Benedict,Memoir of Richard Dillingham; Stowe,Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin, 58, 59;Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, 713-718; Howe,Historical Collections of Ohio, II, 590.
47. Clarksburgh (Indiana) case. (Case of Rayvs.Donnell and Hamilton.)
1849, May. Prosecution for aiding fugitive slave: 4 McLean'sReports, 504.
48. Case of Norrisvs.Newton and others.
1849, September. Fugitives captured in Cass County, Michigan, discharged on trial at South Bend, Indiana, prosecution of those who interfered following: 5 McLean'sReports, 92.
49. First case under the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. (Hamlet "kidnapping" case.)
1850, September 26. Rendition of James Hamlet, a free negro, living in New York City:Fugitive Slave Bill, its History and Unconstitutionality, with an Account of the Seizure of James Hamlet, 3; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 304; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 43, 44.
50. Chaplin case.
1850. Prosecution of William L. Chaplin for attempting to abduct slaves of Robert Toombs and Alexander H. Stephens from Washington, D.C.: Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 80-82;Case of William R. Chaplin, etc. (Boston, 1851), p. 54.
51. Sims case.
1851. Rendition in Boston:Liberator, April 17 and 18;Daily Morning Chronicle, April 26, 1851;Twentieth Annual Report of Mass. Anti-Slavery Society, 1855, p. 19;Trial of Sims, Arguments by R. Rantoul, Jr., and C. G. Loring; C. F. Adams,Life of Richard Henry Dana, I, 185-301; 7 Cushing'sReports, 287; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 333;New England Magazine, June, 1890; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 44.
52. Shadrach case.
1851, February. Rescue in Boston:Liberator, Feb. 21, May 30, 1851;Boston Traveller, Feb. 15, 1851;Boston Courier, Feb. 17, 1851;Washington National Era, Feb. 27, 1851;Cong. Globe, 31 Cong., 2 Sess., Appendix,238, 295, 510; May,Fugitive Slave Law and its Victims, 10; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 329; Von Holst, III, 21;Statesman's Manual, III, 1919;New England Magazine, May, 1890; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 47, 48; Rhodes,History of the United States, I, 209, 210, 290.
53. Christiana case.
1851, September. Riot in Christiana, Pennsylvania, caused by attempt to arrest and remove fugitives, followed by trial on the charge of treason of the persons alleged to have prevented the arrest: 2 Wallace Jr.'sReports, 159;9 Legal Intelligencer, 22;4 American Law Journal, n. s., 458;9 Western Law Journal, 103;26 Federal Cases, 105; Still,Underground Railroad, 348-368; "Parker's account," "The Freedman's Story," T. W. Higginson,Atlantic Monthly, Feb. and March, 1866;U. S. vs. Hanway, Treason, 247; May,Fugitive Slave Law and its Victims, 14;History of the Trial of Castner Hanway and others for Treason;N. Y. Tribune, Sept. 12, 1851, and Nov. 26 to Dec. 12;Boston Daily Traveller, Sept. 12, 1851;National Anti-Slavery Standard, Sept. 18, 1851;Lowell Journal, Sept. 19, 1851; Smedley,Underground Railroad, 107-130; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 328, 329; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 50, 51; Rhodes,History of the United States, I, 222-224.
54. Jerry rescue.
1851, October. Rescue of Jerry McHenry in Syracuse, New York:Liberator, Oct. 10-17, 1851; S. J. May,Recollections of the Anti-Slavery Conflict, 349-364;Life of Gerrit Smith, 117;Trial of H. W. Allen, 3; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 305, 306; E. W. Seward,Seward at Washington as Senator and Secretary of State, I, 169, 170; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 44, 47-51.
55. Parker rescue.
1851, December 31. Rescue by Mr. Miller: Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 324; May,Fugitive Slave Law and its Victims, 15;Liberator, 1853, Feb. 4;Lunsford Lane, 113.
56. Brig Florence rescue.
1853. Rescue of a slave on board by Capt. Austin Bearse: Bearse,Reminiscences of Fugitive Slave-Law Days in Boston, 34.
57. Case of Olivervs.Weakley and others.
1853. Prosecution before the United States Circuit Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in October term for harboring fugitives: 2 Wallace Jr.'sReports, 324.
58. Louis case.
1853, October. Escape of the fugitive, Louis, from the court-room while on trial in Cincinnati:Liberator, Oct. 28, 1853;Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, 548-554.
59. Bellefontaine (Ohio) rescue case.
1852, November. Discharge of the Piatt slaves from custody by theprobate judge of Logan County, followed by their escape over the Underground Railroad:Logan County Gazette, November, 1852; Letter of the Hon. Robert T. Kennedy, Bellefontaine, Jan. 22, 1893; Conversation with Judge Wm. H. West, Bellefontaine, Aug. 11, 1894; Letter of R. H. Johnston, Belle Centre, Ohio, Sept. 22, 1894.
60. Case of Millervs.McQuerry.
1853, August. Rendition of a fugitive, for several years a resident near Troy, Ohio, by the Circuit Court of the United States at Cincinnati, Ohio: 5 McLean'sReports, 481; 10Western Law Journal, 528; 17Federal Cases, 335; May, TheFugitive Slave Law and its Victims, 28;History of Darke County, Ohio, 324, 325.
61. Mitchell's case.
1853. Prosecution of Mitchell, an abolitionist of Indiana, Pennsylvania, for harboring slaves: 2 Wallace Jr.'sReports, 313;Pittsburgh Dispatch, Feb. 13, 1898.
62. Glover rescue case. (Case of Ablemanvs.Booth.)
1854, March 10. Rescue of Joshua Glover by a mob at Milwaukee; followed by the prosecution of Sherman M. Booth, one of the rescuers, and a conflict between the Supreme Court of Wisconsin and the Supreme Court of the United States:Liberator, April 7, 24, 1854; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 444; Mason,The Fugitive Slave Law in Wisconsin with Reference to Nullification Sentiment, 1895; C. C. Olin,A Complete Record of the John Olin Family, 1893; Byron Paine and A. D. Smith,Unconstitutionality of the Fugitive Slave Act.Argument of A. D. Smith, Milwaukee, 1854. Wisconsin Supreme Court,Unconstitutionality of the Fugitive Slave Act, Decision in case of Booth and Rycraft.
63. Burns case.
1854, May 24. Rendition of Anthony Burns in Boston:Liberator, May, June, 1854, Aug. 22, 1861;Kidnapping of Burns, Scrapbook collected by Theodore Parker; Personal Statement of Mr. Elbridge Sprague, N. Abington; Accounts inBoston Journal, May 27, 29, 1854;Daily Advertiser, May 26, 29, June 7, 8, July 17;Traveller, May 27, 29, June 2, 3, 6, 10, July 15, 18, Oct. 3, Nov. 29, Dec. 5, 7, 1854, April 3, 4, 10, 11, 1855;Evening Gazette, May 27, 1854;Worcester Spy, May 31; Argument of Mr. R. H. Dana; May,Fugitive Slave Law and its Victims, 256; Stevens,History of Anthony Burns;New York Tribune, May 26, 1854; Clarke,Anti-Slavery Days, 87; Greeley,American Conflict, I, 218; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 435; Von Holst, VI, 62; Garrisons'Garrison, II, 201, III, 409; C. F. Adams,Dana, I, 262-330; Rhodes,History of the United States, I, 500-506; T. W. Higginson,Atlantic Monthly, March, 1897, 349-354; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 45; Lillie B. C. Wyman,New England Magazine, July, 1890.
64. Sloane case.
1854. Prosecution of Rush R. Sloane before the District Court of the United States at Columbus, Ohio, for dismissing fugitives from the custody of their captors at Sandusky, Ohio: 5 McLean'sUnited States Reports, 64; Rush R. Sloane and H. F. Paden,Firelands Pioneer, 47-49, 21-22.
65. Rosetta case.
1855, March. Release of the slave girl, Rosetta, by writ of habeas corpus from the possession of her master, who brought her voluntarily to Columbus, Ohio; followed some time later by the seizure and removal of the girl, and the pursuit of her captors to Cincinnati, where they were compelled by legal process to give her up: Warden,Private Life and Public Services of S. P. Chase, 344, 345; A. E. Lee,History of Columbus, Ohio, I, 602, 603.
66. Erican case.
1855, May 28. Unsuccessful attempt at Columbus, Ohio, to persuade two slave girls to leave their master, P. Erican, a Frenchman from New Orleans,en routewith his family to Europe: Lee,History of Columbus, Ohio, 603.
67. Margaret Garner case.
1856, January. Rendition of Margaret Garner at Cincinnati, Ohio, after she had killed one of her children to prevent its return to bondage:Liberator, Feb. 8, 22, 29, 1856; May,Fugitive Slave Law and its Victims, 37;Lunsford Lane, 119; Greeley,American Conflict, I, 219; Lalor'sCyclopaedia, I, 207; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 446, 447; James Monroe,Oberlin Thursday Lectures, Addresses and Essays, 116; Schuckers,Life and Public Services of S. P. Chase, 171-176; Warden,Private Life and Public Services of S. P. Chase, 346-350.
68. Williamson case.
1856, January. Prosecution for aiding fugitives:Narrative of the Facts in the Case of Passmore Williamson, Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society;Annual Report of the American Anti-Slavery Society, New York, May 7, 1856, p. 24; May,Fugitive Slave Law and its Victims, 9, 34; Wilson,Rise and Fall of the Slave Power, II, 448.
69. Johnson rescue case.
1856, July 16. Rescue of slave on ship from Mobile:Liberator, July 18, 1856.
70. Gatchell case.
1857, January. Rendition of Philip Young: Chambers,Slavery and Color;Fugitive Slave Law, Appendix, 197.
71. Addison White case.
1857, May 15. Prosecution of Udney Hyde and others for aiding the fugitive, Addison White, at Mechanicsburg, Champaign County, Ohio: Beer,History of Clark County, Ohio; Howe,Historical Collections of Ohio,I, 384-386;Schuckers,Life and Public Services of S. P. Chase, 177-182; Warden,Private Life and Public Services of S. P. Chase, 350, 351.
72. Oberlin-Wellington rescue case.
1858, September 13. Rescue of the boy, John, at Wellington, Ohio, followed by the prosecution of two rescuers, and the indictment of four of the slave-catchers: Shipherd,History of the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue;Liberator, Jan. 28, April 29, May 6, June 3, 10, 1859; Cleveland (Ohio)Plain Dealer, July 6, 1859;Lunsford Lane, 179;Anglo-African Magazine(Oberlin-Wellington Rescue), 209; May,Fugitive Slave Law and its Victims, 108;New Englander, XVII, 686.
73. Nuckolls case.
1858, December. Prosecution of Nuckolls of Nebraska City, Nebraska, for injuring a person who remonstrated against his search for fugitives: Rev. John Todd, Tabor (Iowa)Beacon, 1890-91, Chapter XXI, of a series of articles entitled "The Early Settlement and Growth of Western Iowa."
74. John Brown's raid.
1858, December 20. Abduction of twelve slaves from Missouri, who were conducted directly through to Canada: Sanborn,Life and Letters of John Brown, 480-483; Redpath,Public Life of Capt. John Brown, 219-221; Hinton,John Brown and His Men, 30-32, 221, 222; Von Holst,John Brown, 104; I. B. Richman,John Brown among the Quakers, and Other Sketches, 46-48;Life of Frederick Douglass, 1881, 280, 281, 318, 319; McDougall,Fugitive Slaves, 51, 52.
75. Charles Nalle case. (Troy, New York, rescue case.)
1859, April 28.Troy Whig, April 28, 1859; Bradford,Harriet, the Moses of Her People, 143-149;History of the County of Albany, N. Y., from 1609-1886, p. 765;Liberator, May 4, 1860.
76. Jim Gray case.
1859, October 20. Dismissal of fugitive from arrest by decision of State Supreme Court at Ottawa, Illinois, followed by the rescue of the slave from the custody of the United States marshal, and the prosecution of several of the rescuers:Ottawa(Ill.)Republican, Nov. 9, 1891;Pontiac(Ill.)Sentinel, 1891-92; Speech of John Hossack, convicted of violation of the Fugitive Slave Law, before Judge Drummond of the United States District Court, Chicago, Ill. (New York, 1860.)
77. Sheldon and Woodford case.
1860, March. Prosecution of Edward Sheldon and Newton Woodford, of Tabor, Iowa, for aiding fugitives: Rev. John Todd,Tabor(Iowa)Beacon, 1890-91, Chapter XXI, of series of articles on "The Early Settlement and Growth of Western Iowa."
78. Anderson case.
1860. Extradition case between United States and Canada:Pamphlets on Anderson Case, Boston Public Library;Life of Gerrit Smith, 15;Liberator, Dec. 3, 1860, Jan. 22, 1861;British Documents, Parliament of Great Britain, "Correspondence Respecting Case of Fugitive Slave, Anderson," London, 1861.
79. Cleveland (Ohio) rendition case.
1861. Rendition of the fugitive slave, Lucy, in Cleveland, Ohio, to her master, Wm. S. Goshorn, of Wheeling, West Virginia:Cleveland Herald, date unknown.
80. Iberia (Ohio) whipping case.
1861, November. Prosecution of the Rev. George Gordon, Principal of Iberia College, for "resisting process" in the hands of a United States deputy marshal, who was endeavoring to capture a fugitive slave on the night of Sept. 20, 1860. The deputy and his assistants were caught, disarmed, taken to the woods and whipped. Principal Gordon witnessed without protest the last ten or fifteen lashes, and for so doing was sentenced to six months' confinement in the county jail, to pay a fine of $300, and the costs of prosecution—$1000 or $1500 more: Rev. George Gordon in thePrincipia, Nov. 29, 1861.
81. John Dean case.
1862, June. Prosecution of John Dean, a prominent lawyer of Washington, D.C., for protecting his client, an alleged fugitive just released, from a second arrest: Noah Brooks,Washington in Lincoln's Time, 197, 198.
Table A
Census of 1850Census of 1860RatioPerRatioPerSlavesFugi-of Fugi-CentSlavesFugi-of Fugi-Centtivestives tooftivestives toofSlavesLossSlavesLossAlabama342,8442911,822.0084435,0803612,086.0082Arkansas47,100212,242.0445111,115283,968.0252Delaware2,29026881.13521,79812150.6674Florida39,310182,184.045761,745115,613.0177Georgia381,682894,288.0233462,1982320,096.0049Kentucky210,981962,198.0455225,4831191,895.0527Louisiana244,809902,720.0366331,726467,211.0138Maryland90,368279324.308887,189115758.1318Mississippi309,878407,558.0132436,631686,422.0155Missouri87,422601,457.0686114,931991,161.0860North Carolina288,548644,508.0222331,059615,262.0184South Carolina384,9841624,061.0041402,4062317,501.0057Tennessee239,459703,421.0292275,719299,509.0105Texas58,161292,005.0498182,5661611,410.0087Virginia472,528825,693.0175490,8651174,194.02383,200,3641,0113,165.03153,950,5118034,919.0203
Table B
Showing that the Percentage of Decline of the Slave Population from 1850-1860 was Greater in the Northernmost Counties of the Border Slave States than in these States as a Whole
Counties1850186018501860StateBordering onAABBCDthe statesKentuckyIll., O., Ind..20.11.27.244511VirginiaPa., O..018.0089.53.475511MissouriIa., Ill..11.081.15.1082528MarylandPa..058.032.201.163320.4Average39.517.6
Table B legend:
A = Ratio between White and Slave Population in the Counties bordering on the Free StatesB = Ratio between White and Slave Population in Whole StateC = Per Cent of Decline of Slave Population in Counties in 10 YearsD = Per Cent of Decline of Slave Population in States in 10 Years
Table C
Showing the Percentage of Decline of the Slave Population in the "Pan Handle" Counties of Virginia from 1850-1860
185018501860186018501860"PanStateHandle"WhiteSlaveWhiteSlaveBorderingPopu-Popu-Popu-Popu-AABPa. and O.lationlationlationlationVirginiaHancock4,04034,4422.00074.0004539"Brooke4,9231005,42518.0203.003383"Ohio17,61216422,196100.0093.004551"Marshall10,0504912,91129.0048.002254"Wetzel3,319326,69110.0096.001584For all the Counties39,94434851,665159.0089.003056
Table C legend:
A = Ratio between White and Slave PopulationB = Per Cent of Decline of Slave Population in 10 Years
The materials upon which in large measure this book is based are reminiscences gathered by correspondence and conversation with more than a thousand persons, many of whom were old-time abolitionists, while the remainder included the families and intimate friends of abolitionists, and a number of fugitive slaves. It was discovered by the author after only a short search for published sources that little was to be gleaned in the libraries and that information sufficient in amount for an extended study could be obtained only by what geologists and botanists call field-work. The collection of materials went on as time could be spared for this purpose until a great mass of letters and notes had been brought together, and then the work of sorting, arranging and classifying began. The reminiscences were grouped by states and counties, so as to bring out as far as possible the coincident and confirmatory character of evidence relating to the same neighborhood or district; and the value of the materials appeared in the tracings of underground lines the author was able to make, county by county and state by state, throughout the region of the free states from Iowa to Maine. For the purpose of showing the extent and importance of the underground movement these unpublished reminiscences have proved to be invaluable.
There are a few volumes that supply us with numerous illustrations of the Underground Railroad in operation. These books are not general treatises on the underground system, but give us an insight into the clandestine work of several limited localities; they are important because they exhibit the methods and devices of operators, show the sacrifices made by them in behalf of the midnight seekers after liberty, and supplement with valuable matter the unpublished reminiscences. In addition to the well-known books of Still, Smedley and Coffin, the author has found the three smaller, and hitherto unquoted books by W. M. Mitchell, E. M. Pettit and H. U. Johnson, to be useful.
A few of those who were active in aiding slaves to escape to Canada have published volumes of personal recollections, in which, among other things, they tell more or less about their connection with the humane but illegitimate work of the abolitionists, and give vivid sketches of some of their associates, as well as of some of their dark-skinned protégés. Such books are the Rev. James Freeman Clarke'sAnti-Slavery Days, the Rev. Samuel J. May'sRecollections of our Anti-Slavery Conflict, J. B. Grinnell'sMen and Events of Forty Years, Mrs. Laura S. Haviland'sA Woman's Life Workand Mrs. E. B. Chace'sAnti-Slavery Reminiscences.
A small class of books, of which thePersonal Memoirsof Daniel Drayton, and the books by Dr. A. M. Ross and the Rev. Calvin Fairbank are representatives, are indispensable as sources of information relating to the abduction of slaves from the South. The little book entitledHarriet, the Moses of her People, in which that remarkable guide of fugitives, Harriet Tubman, relates her exploits through the pen of her friend, Mrs. S. H. Bradford, properly belongs to this group.
The liability of Underground Railroad operators to severe penalties for harboring runaways explains the dearth of evidence in the form of letters, diaries and scrap-books they have left behind; such evidence would have been incriminating. It is known that a few abolitionists kept diaries and scrap-books and even wrote letters in regard to the business of the Road, but most of these records appear to have been destroyed before the beginning of the Civil War. The author has been able to secure only two or three letters and the single leaf of a diary in centres where much work was done. Three scrap-books in the Boston Public Library, containing memoranda, clippings, handbills, etc., that refer in particular to the experiences of Theodore Parker, shed much light on the work of the Vigilance Committee of Boston, and supply important information in regard to the famous case of Anthony Burns.
Biographies and memoirs of anti-slavery men not infrequently contain references to aid rendered to fugitives, explain the motives of the philanthropists, and give their versions of the fugitive slave cases that came within their immediate knowledge; such books are often indices of the public sentiment of the localities in which their subjects lived, and when read in conjunction with the biographies of pro-slavery advocateshelp us to realize the conflicting interests that expressed themselves in the slavery controversy. Lydia Maria Child'sLife of Isaac T. Hopperhas preserved to us the record of one of the pioneers of the underground movement, while the biographies ofGerrit SmithandJames and Lucretia Mott, show these persons to have been worthy successors of the benign and shrewd Hopper. In the biographies of John Brown by Redpath, Hinton and Sanborn, and in theLife of Harriet Beecher Stowe, by her son, Charles E. Stowe, we have proofs of the deep and enduring impression made by underground experiences upon strong characters capable of assimilating and transforming these into forces of historical moment. Chase, Seward and Sumner were among our public men who acted as counsel for fugitive slaves; it is not surprising therefore that their biographers have given considerable space to the consideration of cases with which these men were connected. The prominence of the statesmen just named and others of their class as party leaders makes their biographies indispensable in tracing the political history of the ante-bellum period. Claiborne'sLife and Correspondence of John A. Quitmanmay properly be named as an excellent and valuable example of the class of biographies of prominent men of the South.
A few obituary pamphlets have been gathered, which have proved to be of some service: such are A. L. Benedict'sMemoir of Richard Dillingham, and pamphlets relating to Mr. John Hossack, of Ottawa, Illinois, and Mr. James M. Westwater, of Columbus, Ohio.
A recital of the life and sufferings of many colored refugees in books written by themselves or by sympathetic friends, and published in various free states during the two or three decades preceding 1860, tended to increase the Northern feeling against slavery and doubtless also to carry to many minds convictions that found a partial expression in underground efforts. These books contain descriptions of slave life on the plantation and tell with the omission of particulars, which it would have been imprudent at the time to relate, the story of the escape to liberty. The omission of these particulars renders these sources of little use in tracing the secret routes to Canada followed by the refugees, or in confirming, in part or in whole, the routes of others. In the case of Frederick Douglass, the gaps and omissions appearing in the first autobiography are filled with much valuable information in the second, written after slavery was abolished. The books by Josiah Henson, the Rev. J. W. Loguen and Austin Steward are interesting as the narratives of negroes of superior ability who spent a part at least of their time after self-emancipation in Canada, and could therefore write intelligently on the condition of their people there.
There is but little material in regard to slavery and fugitive slaves in Canada. The question of slavery in the provinces is clearly presented in a few pages of Vol. XXV of theMagazine of American History, while the life of the colored refugees in Canada during the period of immigration and settlement can only be seen in anything like a sufficient light in Benjamin Drew'sNorth-Side View of Slavery, and Dr. S. G. Howe'sRefugees from Slavery in Canada West.
Many contributions on the Underground Railroad appear in the collections of historical, biographical and other materials that make up a large number of our state, county and local histories so-called. Accounts, which when taken by themselves are fragmentary and therefore of little importance, have been brought to light by searching through these histories; and not unnaturally, perhaps, the largest number have been found in the county histories of Ohio. Six or seven of these histories afford articles relating to the Underground Railroad; and characteristic items and incidents have been printed in both state and local histories besides. Illinois comes next in the number of contributions preserved in its local histories. The utmost diligence of the student in the library alcoves devoted to Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, will result in the finding of from one to three contributions only, as the case may be; while from the shelves given to Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New Jersey, he is not likely to secure anything to his purpose.
The reports of anti-slavery societies, especially those of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, are rich in comments upon the prosecutions in the South of abductors of slaves, and do not fail to show the effect of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 upon the activity of Underground Railroad lines. They also tell something of the missionary work done among the refugees in Canada. In the last-named respect they are secondary to theReports of the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada,the Refugees' Home Society, and theCanada Mission.
Within the past ten years various societies of the historical type have been instrumental, directly or indirectly, in the publication of addresses bearing upon the violation of the Fugitive Slave laws. A series of lecturesbefore the Political Science Association of the University of Michigan, several of which involve this theme, were published in 1889 under the general title,Constitutional History of the United States as seen in the Development of American Law. A collection of letters and addresses commemorative of the anti-slavery movement and some of its leaders was printed in 1893 in a book, calledOld Anti-Slavery Days, by the Danvers (Mass.) Historical Society. An address on "The Underground Railroad" by ex-President James H. Fairchild, of Oberlin College, formsTract No. 87in Vol. IV. of the publications of the Western Reserve Historical Society. The best account of the Glover rescue case will be found in a pamphlet by Mr. Vroman Mason on theFugitive Slave Law in Wisconsin, with Reference to Nullification Sentiment, issued in 1895 by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
The reader who acquaints himself even superficially with John Codman Hurd's two volumes, entitled theLaw of Freedom and Bondage in the United States, can not fail to be impressed with the value of legal reports for the study of the great contention over slavery. Hurd's pages are full of descriptions and discussions of cases in their judicial bearing, and his foot-notes are largely made up of references to the published reports of trials.
In the series of these records of trials, one may trace the history of legal opposition to the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave laws, note the decision in the Prigg case, by which the efficiency of the law of 1793 was destroyed, and the Southern demand for a new law made imperative, mark the clash of state and federal jurisdictions, and see the growth of the spirit of nullification in the North. For these purposes, one should consult not only the records of the Supreme Court and the lower courts, such asFederal Cases, Howard'sReports, McLean'sReports,Ohio State Reports,Wisconsin Reports, etc., but also the various law periodicals, for example, theAmerican Law Register, theLegal Intelligencer, and theWestern Law Journal. Some important cases have been published in pamphlet form, while two at least are more minutely set forth in books; a volume is devoted to the Oberlin-Wellington rescue case, and several relate to the trial of Anthony Burns.
In marked contrast with the legal reports and law periodicals, little can be gleaned from the popular magazines of fugitive slave days. The ethics of resistance to the laws for the recovery of runaways is discussedin theNorth American Reviewfor July, 1850, and in theDemocratic Review, Vol. V, 1851, and incidents typical of the experience of the underground operator and his confederates are recited inOnce a Weekfor June, 1862. Careful and extended search has revealed nothing in the better known periodicals published during the War and the two decades following. Recently, however, abolitionists have become retrospective and reminiscent, and the tales of their midnight adventures in contravention of those laws of their country which they deemed subversive of the "higher law" begin to appear in periodicals and newspapers. For example, the first of a series of stories, which are founded upon facts, was printed in theLake Shore and Home Magazinefor July, 1887, an article on the Underground Railroad appeared in theMagazine of Western Historyfor March, 1887, and a "symposium" of reminiscences was published in theFirelands Pioneerfor July, 1888. Articles of a miscellaneous nature, in which points of interest are brought out, have been appearing in some of the monthly magazines within more recent years, for instance, in theAtlantic Monthly, theCentury Magazine, and theNew England Magazine.
Only vague and rare references to the Underground Railroad and its workings are made in the newspapers of ante-bellum days, and these are of little value. TheLiberatorwas fierce in its opposition to the Fugitive Slave Laws, and contains many stories of fugitives, but in this, as in less radical newspapers, the editor observed a discreet silence concerning the secret efforts of his colaborers in emancipating the bondman. It is necessary, therefore, to rely upon the long delayed accounts contributed by operators now advanced in years to the columns of the press. In 1885, interesting articles were printed in theWestern Star, of Indiana, and theNew Lexington(Ohio)Tribune, and since then, especially since 1890, many others have been published. These have been patiently gathered, and form a part of the author's collections.
Materials relative to the attitude of various religious denominations towards slavery are to be found in the histories of the different church organizations, such as William Hodgson'sThe Society of Friends in the Nineteenth Century, Dr. H. N. McTyeire'sHistory of Methodism, and Dr. R. E. Thompson'sHistory of the Presbyterian Churches in the United States.
Other works, for example A. C. Applegarth'sQuakers in Pennsylvaniaand S. B. Weeks'Southern Quakers and Slavery, which, while dealing with a single denomination, are not to be regarded as denominational histories in any strict sense, contain points of interest and value.
The study of our colonial legislation supplies ample proof that the harboring of the hunted slave early became a source of annoyance to slave-owners. Laws against this misdemeanor, with curious penalties attached, are included in the collections of statutes of various colonies, for example, in theLaws and Ordinances of New Netherlands, theMaryland Archives(Assembly Proceedings), theActs of the Province of New York, theProvince Laws of Pennsylvania, theLaws of Virginia, etc. These statutes have been made accessible through their publication in series of volumes, a good collection of which may be found in the State Library in Boston. Among the most important editions are Leaming and Spicer's collection for New Jersey, Hening's series of Virginia Statutes at Large, Bacon's collection for Maryland, and Iredell's edition of South Carolina Statutes.
The history of our national legislation respecting fugitive slaves may be traced in outline in theJournals of the Senate and House. For the voicing of the need of this legislation, which one would naturally expect to find in the speeches of members from the Southern states, one must turn to theAnnals of Congress, covering the period from 1789 to 1824, theCongressional Debates, for the period from 1824 to 1837, and theCongressional Globefrom 1833 to 1864. The provisions of the Fugitive Slave laws one may find, of course, in theStatutes at Large, and some of the effects of the law of 1850 may be studied in a pamphlet entitledThe Fugitive Slave Law and Its Victims, compiled by Samuel May, Jr., and first published in 1856. An enlarged edition of this pamphlet was issued in 1861.
Under this heading are brought for convenience several different classes of books on slavery. The first of these classes comprises the three small volumes, published during the interval from 1816 to 1826, in which immediate emancipation was advocated by the Rev. George Bourne, the Rev. James Duncan, and the Rev. John Rankin. Our interest here in the teaching of these men arises primarily from the circumstance that two of them, at least, are known to have done what they could to advance the work of the Underground Railroad, while all of them lived, at the time of the appearance of their books, on or near the border line over which came the trembling fugitive in search of freedom.
Another class is made up of volumes descriptive of slavery. Such are Mrs. Frances A. Kemble'sJournal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1836-1839, Frederick Law Olmsted'sCotton Kingdom, G. M. Weston'sProgress of Slavery in the United States, and a book that has but recently come from the press, Edward Ingle'sSouthern Sidelights.
In a third class must be grouped such recent monographs as Mrs. Marion G. McDougall'sFugitive Slaves, and Miss Mary Tremaine'sSlavery in the District of Columbia. The former has been found to be especially serviceable, not only because of its subject matter, but also because of its numerous and accurate references and its long list of notable fugitive slave cases.
One will seek in vain in the secondary works for an adequate account of the Underground Railroad, or a proper estimate of its importance, whether one looks in the general histories of the United States, such as the works of Von Holst, Schouler, and Rhodes, the more condensed books of which we have an example in Prof. J. W. Burgess'sThe Middle Period, or the histories of slavery, like Wilson'sRise and Fall of the Slave Power in America, Greeley'sAmerican Conflict, Williams'History of the Negro Race, and Willey'sHistory of the Anti-Slavery Cause in State and Nation. These works are important for their discussions from different points of view of the political forces and constitutional questions involved in the struggle for emancipation, and in general they present descriptions of the famous contested fugitive slave cases and cases of rescue, but they have failed, on account of the small amount of evidence hitherto available, to arrive at a proper view of the political significance of the underground system.
While the great mass of evidence that has made this volume possible was collected by field work, the author did not neglect to search libraries, both public and private, in the prosecution of his undertaking. He was able to make use of the public libraries of Cincinnati, besides the private library of Major E. C. Dawes of that city, the state library, and the library of Ohio State University at Columbus, the library of C. M. Burton, Esq., of Detroit, Michigan, and during two years' residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he was able to avail himself of the splendid collections of anti-slavery books and pamphlets to be found in the Boston Public Library and the library of Harvard University. The materials for the chapter on "Prosecutions of Underground Railroad Men" were gathered in the Harvard Law Library.
Levi Coffin. Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, the Reputed President of the Underground Railroad; being a Brief History of the Labors of a Lifetime in Behalf of the Slave, with the Stories of Numerous Fugitives, who gained their Freedom through his Instrumentality; and Many Other Incidents. Second Edition. Cincinnati, 1880.
Ascott R. Hope(anom de plumefor Robert Hope Moncrieff). Heroes in Homespun, 1894.
H. U. Johnson. From Dixie to Canada. Romances and Realities of the Underground Railroad. (Reprinted from the Lake Shore and Home Magazine.) Vol. I. Orwell, Ohio, 1894.
Rev. W. M. Mitchell. The Underground Railroad. London, 1860.
Eber M. Pettit. Sketches in the History of the Underground Railroad; comprising Many Thrilling Incidents of the Escape of Fugitives from Slavery, and the Perils of those who aided them. Fredonia, N. Y., 1879.
R. C. Smedley. History of the Underground Railroad in Chester and the Neighboring Counties of Pennsylvania. Lancaster, Pa., 1883.
William Still. Underground Railroad Records. Revised Edition. With a Life of the Author. Narrating the Hardships, Hairbreadth Escapes, and Death Struggles of the Slaves in their Efforts for Freedom. Together with Sketches of Some of the Eminent Friends of Freedom, and Most Liberal Aiders and Advisers of the Road. Hartford, Conn., 1886.
Austin Bearse. Remembrances of Fugitive Slave Days in Boston. Boston, 1880. (Pamphlet.)
Henry Thomas Butterworth. Reminiscences and Memories of Henry Thomas Butterworth and Nancy Irwin Wales, His Wife, with Some Account of their Golden Wedding. Nov. 3, 1880. Lebanon, Ohio, 1886. (Pamphlet.)
Elizabeth Buffum Chace. Anti-Slavery Reminiscences. Central Falls., R.I., 1891. (Pamphlet.)
James Freeman Clarke. Anti-Slavery Days. A Sketch of the Struggle which ended in the Abolition of Slavery in the United States. New York, 1883.
Daniel Drayton. Personal Memoirs, etc., including a Narrative of the Voyage and Capture of the SchoonerPearl. Published by the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. Boston and New York, 1855.
The Rev. Calvin Fairbank.During Slavery Times. How he "Fought the Good Fight" to Prepare "the Way." Edited from his Manuscript. Chicago, 1890.
Josiah Bushnell Grinnell.Men and Events of Forty Years. Autobiographical Reminiscences of an Active Career from 1850 to 1890. Boston, 1891.
Laura S. Haviland.A Woman's Life-work: Labors and Experiences of Laura S. Haviland. Fourth Edition. Chicago, 1889.
Samuel J. May.Some Recollections of our Anti-Slavery Conflict. Boston, 1869.
Joseph Morris.Reminiscences. Richland Township, Marion Co., Ohio. Date unknown.
A. G. Riddle.Recollections of War Times. New York, 1873.
George W. Julian.Political Recollections. 1840-1872. Chicago, 1884.
Dr. Alexander Milton Ross.Recollections and Experiences of an Abolitionist. Second Edition. Toronto, 1876.
Charles Francis Adams.Richard Henry Dana. A Biography. 2 Vols. Vol. I. Boston, 1890.
George E. Baker, Editor. The Life of William H. Seward, with Selections from his Works. 3 Vols. New York, 1853, 1861, 1864.
A. L. Benedict.Memoir of Richard Dillingham. Philadelphia, 1852. (Pamphlet.)
William Birney.James G. Birney and his Times. The Genesis of the Republican Party, with Some Account of Abolition Movements in the South before 1828. New York, 1890.
John Howard Bryant.Life and Poems. 1894.
Lydia Maria Child.Isaac T. Hopper: A True Life. Twelfth Thousand. Boston, 1854.
J. F. H. Claiborne.Life and Correspondence of John A. Quitman. 2 Vols. New York, 1860.
W. G. Deshlerand Others. Memorial on the Death of James M. Westwater. Published by the Board of Trade, Columbus, Ohio, 1894. (Pamphlet.)
O. B. Frothingham.Life of Gerrit Smith. New York, 1878.
Wendell Phillips GarrisonandFrancis Jackson Garrison.William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879: The Story of his Life, told by his Children. 4 Vols. 8vo. New York, 1885.
Mrs. Anna D. Hallowell.James and Lucretia Mott. Life and Letters. Boston, 1884.
Rev. D. Heagle. The Great Anti-Slavery Agitator, Hon. Owen Lovejoy as a Gospel Minister, with a Collection of his Sayings in Congress. Princeton, Ill., 1886. (Pamphlet.)
Richard J. Hinton. John Brown and his Men, with Some Account of the Roads they traveled to reach Harper's Ferry. New York, 1894.
In Memoriam. John Hossack. Deceased Nov. 8, 1891. (Reprinted from the Republican Times,) Ottawa, Ill., 1892. (Pamphlet.)
Oliver Johnson. William Lloyd Garrison and his Times. Boston, 1880.
George W. Julian. Life of Joshua R. Giddings. Chicago, 1892.
Memoir of Jervis Langdon, Elmira, N.Y. (Pamphlet.)
J. C. Leggett. Oration. Ceremonies attendant upon the Unveiling of a Bronze Bust and Granite Monument of Rev. John Rankin. (Ripley, Ohio), 1892. (Pamphlet.)
Thomas J. Mumford, Editor. Memoir of S. J. May. Boston, 1873.
John G. NicolayandJohn Hay. Abraham Lincoln. A History. Vol. III. New York, 1890.
C. C. Olin. A Complete Record of the John Olin Family. Indianapolis, 1893.
Mrs. L. D. Parker. Scrap-book containing Newspaper Clippings, etc., relating to Theodore Parker and Others. Boston Public Library.
Theodore Parker. Scrap-book collection, with Hand-bills and his own Manuscript relating to Anthony Burns. Boston Public Library.
E. L. Pierce. Memoir and Letters of Charles Sumner. 4 Vols. Vols. III and IV. Boston, 1877-1893.
FlorenceandH. Cordelia Ray. Sketch of the Life of Rev. Charles B. Ray. New York, 1887. (?)
James Redpath. The Public Life of Captain John Brown, with an Autobiography of his Childhood and Youth. Boston, 1860.
F. B. Sanborn. The Life and Letters of John Brown, Liberator of Kansas, and Martyr of Virginia. Boston, 1885.
—— ——. Dr. S. G. Howe, The Philanthropist. New York, 1891.
J. W. Schuckers. The Life and Public Services of Salmon Portland Chase, United States Senator, and Governor of Ohio; Secretary of the Treasury, and Chief Justice of the United States. New York, 1874.
F. W. Seward. Seward at Washington, as Senator and Secretary of State. 2 Vols. New York, 1891.
C. E. Stowe. Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe: compiled from her Letters and Journals. Boston, 1889.
Miss C. C. Thayer. Two Scrap-books relating to Theodore Parker. Boston Public Library.
Robert B. Warden. An Account of the Private Life and Public Services of Samuel Portland Chase. Cincinnati, 1874.
John Weiss. Life and Correspondence of Theodore Parker. 2 Vols. New York, 1864.
W. I. Bowditch. The Rendition of Anthony Burns. Boston, 1850.
Sarah H. Bradford. Harriet, The Moses of Her People. New York, 1886.
Boston Slave Riot and Trial of Anthony Burns. Boston, 1854.
William W. Brown. Narrative of William W. Brown. A Fugitive Slave. Second Edition. Boston, 1848.
Frederick Douglass. My Bondage and My Freedom. Part I.—Life as a Slave. Part II.—Life as a Freeman. With an Introduction by Dr. James M'Cune Smith. New York and Auburn, 1855.
—— ——. Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Written by himself. His Early Life as a Slave, His Escape from Bondage, and His Complete History to the Present Time. With an Introduction by Mr. George L. Ruffin, of Boston. Hartford, Conn., 1881.
Josiah Henson. Life of Josiah Henson, formerly a Slave, now an Inhabitant of Canada, as narrated by himself. Preface by T. Binney. Boston, 1849.
—— ——. Story of His Own Life with an Introduction by Mrs. H. B. Stowe. Boston, 1858.
Rev. J. W. Loguen. As a Slave and as a Freeman. Syracuse, N.Y., 1859.
Mrs. K. E. R. Pickard. The Kidnapped and Ransomed. Personal Reflections of Peter Still and his Wife Vina after Forty Years of Slavery. Syracuse, N.Y., 1856.
Charles Stearns. Narrative of Henry Box Brown, who escaped from Slavery enclosed in a Box 3 feet long and 2 wide, written from a Statement of Facts made by Himself. 1849.
Charles Emery Stevens. Anthony Burns. A History. Boston. 1856.
Austin Steward. Twenty-two Years a Slave, and Forty Years a Freeman; Embracing a Correspondence of Several Years, While President of Wilberforce Colony, London, Canada West. Rochester, N.Y., 1857.
George Bryce. Short History of the Canadian People. London, 1887.
John Charles Dent. The Last Forty Years, Canada Since the Union of 1841. Vol. I, 1881.
Benjamin Drew. A North-Side View of Slavery: The Refugee, or the Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada related by Themselves, with an Account of the History and Conditions of the Colored Population of Upper Canada. Boston, 1856.
J. C. Hamilton. Slavery in Canada. Magazine of American History, Vol. XXV.
Samuel G. Howe. The Refugees from Slavery in Canada West. Report to Freedman's Inquiry Committee. Boston, 1864.
John M. McMullen. History of Canada. 2 Vols. Vol. II, 1892.
Illinois.
A. T. Andreas. History of Chicago from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. Chicago, 1884.
S. J. Clarke. History of McDonough County, Ill. Springfield, Ill., 1878.
History of Knox County, Ill.; with Record of its Volunteers in the late War, Portraits, Biographical Sketches, History of Illinois, etc. Chicago, 1878.
Edward G. Mason. Early Chicago and Illinois. Chicago, 1890.
George H. Woodruff. Forty Years Ago. A Contribution to the Early History of Joliet, and Will County, Ill. 1874.
—— ——. History of Will County, Ill. 1878.
Indiana.
History of Henry County, Ind.
History of Wayne County, Ind., from its First Settlement to the Present Time; with numerous Biographical and Family Sketches. Cincinnati, 1872.
Iowa.
L. P. Allenand Others. The History of Clinton County, Iowa, containing a History of the County, its Cities, Towns, etc. Chicago, 1879.
Massachusetts.
Leonard Bolles Ellis. History of New Bedford and its Vicinity, 1602-1892. Syracuse, N.Y., 1892.
Mason A. Green. Springfield, (Mass.) 1836-1886. History of Town and City, including an Account of the Quarter-Millennial Celebration. Issued by the Authority and Direction of the City. Springfield, 1888.
Joseph Marsh. Article on "The Underground Railway," in the History of Florence, Mass.
Michigan.
Silas Farmer. Article on "Slavery and the Colored Race," in the History of Detroit and Michigan. Detroit, 1884.
E. G. Rust. Calhoun County (Mich.) Business Directory. For 1869-1870. Together with a History of the County. Battle Creek, Mich., 1869.
New York.
George Rogers HowellandJonathan Tenny, Editors, assisted by Local Writers. Bi-Centennial History of Albany, N.Y., with Portraits and Biographies and Illustrations. New York, 1886.
Benson John Lossing. The Empire State. A Compendious History of the Commonwealth of New York. Hartford, Conn., 1888.
Andrew W. Young. History of the Town of Warsaw, New York. Buffalo, 1869.
Ohio.
History of Ashtabula County, Ohio; with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Pioneers and Most Prominent Men. Philadelphia, Williams Bros., 1878. Article on the Underground Railroad contributed by S. D. Peet.
Alexander Black. The Story of Ohio. Boston, 1888.
Rev. Henry Bushnell. The History of Granville, Licking Co., Ohio. Columbus, 1889.
James H. Fairchild. Oberlin—The Colony and the College. Oberlin, Ohio, 1883.
History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio.
History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Pioneers and Most Prominent Men. Philadelphia, Williams Bros., 1878.
Henry Howe. Historical Collections of Ohio. 3 Vols. Columbus, 1891.
Rufus King. Ohio, First Fruits of the Ordinance of 1787. Boston and New York, 1888.
Alfred E. Lee. History of the City of Columbus. New York and Chicago, 1892. Chapter XXXI, by Leander J. Critchfield, on "Bench and Bar."
W. H. McIntoshand Others. The History of Darke County, Ohio: containing a History of the County; its Cities, Towns, etc. Chicago, 1880.
William T. Martin. History of Franklin County. Columbus, Ohio, 1858.
History of Medina County, Ohio.
J. R. Shipherd. History of the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, with an Introduction by Prof. Henry C. Peck and Hon. Ralph Plum. Boston, 1859.
Jacob H. Studer. Columbus, Ohio; Its History, Resources, and Progress. Columbus, 1873.
History of Summit County, Ohio.
History of Washington County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches. H. Z. Williams and Bros., Publishers. Cleveland, Ohio, 1881.
Pennsylvania.
J. Smith FutheyandGilbert Cope. History of Chester County, Pa., with Genealogical and Biographical Sketches. Philadelphia, 1881.