The Underground Railroad eBook

William Still
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 1,446 pages of information about The Underground Railroad.

The Underground Railroad eBook

William Still
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 1,446 pages of information about The Underground Railroad.

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SUNDRY ARRIVALS.

About the 1st of June, 1855, the following arrivals were noted in the record book: 

EMORY ROBERTS, alias WILLIAM KEMP, Talbot Co., Maryland; DANIEL PAYNE, Richmond, Virginia; HARRIET MAYO, JOHN JUDAH, and RICHARD BRADLEY, Petersburg and Richmond; JAMES CRUMMILL, SAMUEL JONES, TOLBERT JONES, and HENRY HOWARD, Haverford Co., Maryland; LEWIS CHILDS, Richmond, DANIEL BENNETT, alias HENRY WASHINGTON, and wife (MARTHA,) and two children (GEORGE and a nameless babe).

The road at this time, was doing a fair business, in a quiet way.  Passengers were managing to come, without having to suffer in any very violent manner, as many had been called upon to do in making similar efforts.  The success attending some of these passengers was partly attributable to the intelligence of individuals, who, for years, had been planning and making preparations to effect the end in view.  Besides, the favorableness of the weather tended also to make travel more pleasant than in colder seasons of the year.

While matters were thus favorable, the long stories of individual suffering and of practices and customs among young and old masters and mistresses, were listened to attentively, although the short summer nights hardly afforded sufficient opportunity for writing out details.

Emory arrived safely from Talbot county.  As a slave, he had served Edward Lloyd.  He gave his master the character of treating his slaves with great severity.  The “lash” was freely used “on women as well as men, old and young.”  In this kind of property Lloyd had invested to the extent of “about five hundred head,” so Emory thought.  Food and clothing for this large number were dealt out very stintedly, and daily suffering was the common lot of slaves under Lloyd.

Emory was induced to leave, to avoid a terrible flogging, which had been promised him for the coming Monday.  He was a married man, but exercised no greater control over his wife than over himself.  She was hired on a neighboring plantation; the way did not seem open for her to accompany him, so he had to leave her behind.  His mother, brothers, and sisters had to be left also.  The ties of kindred usually strong in the breasts of slaves, were hard for Emory to break, but, by a firm resolution, that he would not stay on Lloyd’s plantation to endure the impending flogging, he was nerved to surmount every obstacle in the way of carrying his intention into execution.  He came to the Committee hungry and in want of clothing, and was aided in the usual way.

Daniel Payne.  This traveler was a man who might be said to be full of years, infirm, and well-nigh used up under a Virginia task-master.  But within the old man’s breast a spark was burning for freedom, and he was desirous of reaching free land, on which to lay his body when life’s toil ended.  So the Committee sympathized with him, aided him and sent him on to Canada.  He was owned by a man named M.W.  Morris, of Richmond, whence he fled.

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Project Gutenberg
The Underground Railroad from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.