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.
from the market and soon met a friend formerly from Richmond, who had been in servitude in the tobacco factory owned by his master.  Henry tried to prevail on him to spot out said Hobson, in the market, and see if there possibly could be any mistake.  Not a step would his friend take in that direction.  He had been away for several years, still he was a fugitive, and didn’t like the idea of renewing his acquaintance with old or new friends with a white skin from Virginia.  Henry, however, could not content himself until he had taken another good look at Mr. Hobson.  Disguising himself he again took a stroll through the market, looking on the right and left as he passed along; presently he saw him seated at a butcher’s stall.  He examined him to his satisfaction, and then went speedily to headquarters (the Anti-Slavery Office), made known the fact of his discovery, and stated that he believed his master had no other errand to Boston than to capture him.  Measures were at once taken to ascertain if such a man as Charles L. Hobson was booked at any of the hotels in Boston.

On finding that this was really a fact, Henry was offered and accepted private quarters with the well-known philanthropist and friend of the fugitive, Francis Jackson.  His house as well as his purse was always open to the slave.  While under the roof of Mr. Jackson, as Hobson advertised and described Henry so accurately, and offered a reward of two hundred and fifty dollars for him, Henry’s friends thought that they would return him the compliment by publishing him in the Boston papers quite as accurately if not with as high a reward for him; they advertised him after this manner:  “Charles L. Hobson, twenty-two years of age, six feet high, with a slouched hat on, mixed coat, black pants, with a goatee, is stopping at the Tremont Hotel,” &c., &c.  This was as a bomb-shell to Mr. Hobson, and he immediately took the hint, and with his trunks steered for the sunny South.  In a day or two afterwards Henry deemed it advisable to visit Canada.  After arriving there he wrote back to his young master, to let him know where he was, and why he left, and what he was doing.  How his letter was received Henry was never informed.  For five years he lived in Boston and ran on a boat trading to Canada East.  He saved up his money and took care of himself creditably.  He was soon prepared to go into some business that would pay him better than running on the boat.  Two of his young friends agreed with him that they could do better in Philadelphia than in Boston, so they came to the City of Brotherly Love and opened a first-class dining-saloon near Third and Chestnut streets.  For a time they carried on the business with enterprise and commendable credit, but one of the partners, disgusted with the prejudices of the city passenger railway cars, felt that he could no longer live here.  Henry, known after leaving Slavery only by the name of Wm. Scott, quitted the restaurant business and found employment as a messenger under Thomas A. Scott, Esq., Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Central Rail Road, where he has faithfully served for the last four years, and has the prospect of filling the office for many years to come.  He is an industrious, sober, steady, upright, and intelligent young man, and takes care of his wife and child in a comfortable three story brick house of his own.

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