The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-07-13
Henry Box Brown.

AZ the Anniversary of the New England
Anti. Slavery Society, Henry Box Brown
was introduced to the meeting, nd gave the
following narritive Of bis escape from bon.
dsRe.
| THRILLING NARRATIvE.-Atthe meeting
on Wednesday evening, a fugitive slave,
newly named Henry Bor Brown, came on to
tho platform, by invitation, and related his
adventures, while escaping from the house
Of bondage.
! Henry was slave in Virginia. He has,
or had, q wife and three children, for whom
their master ask ed $3.50. The husband and
father made incredible exertions Is purchase
them, and succeeded IN raising 5000. The
remaining$5O were advanced by his own
master, who had a lien upon the wife and
children. After buying his family. Henry
rented house for the m, bnt he soon became
| involved as his master claimed the largest
portion Of his earnings. One morning he
went of TO his work, but on returning found
that his vile and children had been seized,
sold upon the auction block TO the slave ira.
der and were 10 be trausportd out Of the
Staie.-1hey were sol for 1850. After
this sad provided for the slave wife, sold it
and event, his master seized upon the fur
niture provided for the slave wife, sold it
and pocketed the proceeds.
Henry remarked, with the deepest rathc',
that after his wife aud children were stolen,
his heart WAS broken. He had learned to
sing, to tighten the ,edium Of his labor, and
for the qualification Of his fellow captives,
hut now he could hot sing. His Thoughts
were far away in the rics-swamrs If Caro-
lima or the cotton plantations Of Georgia.
} His wife wa, not, and his children were not,
and he refused TO be comfor,ed. When
! the master, noticing his dependency, told
him he could Get another wife (>onihern
morality Brown shook his hrad, the wife
, Of his affections and the children OF his love,
or none al all.
= Thoughts Of liberty now began 10 stir up
! in his bosom. H. had heard ofthe aboli.
r tionists, and determined To escape 10 them
If twas possible. lie became frugal, saved
with more than A miser's pagrrness every
cent h- could Law claim to, until he had
. snassed a sufficient sum for his purpose -
! The means used for his escape were "f the
most unprecedented character. With the
assistance Of a friend, arrangements were
u mpde for him 10 escape in box. which was
2 To he f"rw Rrdrd 10 friends If the slave IN
= Philadelphia, carefully marked as q valu
, sh" package.
d; The TREND " lln assisted him in this ylct
p took all his nancy. aSon' $50. and lis co
= 'hrs Brown could off, no ~ c'rirs
= 'houch it l,ft him pcnnilcse. YET with s
Irm,an heart, he was true to the fixed rIr
pose 81 his soul ne wa. on his way Ia liher
Il ~. The box used for this exuiordrs' ,
: fight was only three feet. oneinch high. TIRE
+ feet ,ridr. and tro tp sir inJhcs long. II
this diminniiv- box hp was trsnSm1'tst
r from Richmond TO Philadelphia nv railroa'
i and steamboat. a distance of 3n0 miles ami,
2 peri!S so great that the mind shudders v heI
' thew are contemplated.
e On board oI the steamboat while goDl
a mp The Potomac, the box was set on end
which placed Browu head doun,rdrd. How
2 long REMAND in this {, arsul position, he doe
: not know, hut he mentally resolved TO die
Of die ne must, without makinra sign
a which might involve those who had beef
!. assisting him.
y The next great peril which he enrann
d tered was At the Baltimore depot at Wash
e ihc'on. The box was roughly tumbled OH
q Of ths transportation wagon, and It relle'
Vt over two or three times. This the unhspp,
l. fugitive though was bad enough, but he va
II horror striker when il wns proposed not 4
:. forward the box until the uext day. I
n that evnt he would die. But he bethough
him to pray, and while yet praying a super
ior officer ordered it to be forwarded
When put into the baggage car he was aga
placed on his head, in which position he 7
manned for the space OF halt a" hour. Iii
J. eyes became swollen nearly out Of his hea
h his veins were flied to bursting. and h
ID must have died, had not the position bee
ID rrovideniially changed.
The box arrived safely in Philadelphia
its destination. The friends who were anS
Or ionsly waiting for 1t were assembled in
j. room with the door locked. They were
3, Trad 10 move. They feared mat the ,nma'
I'd box, ~. all rich, here ?" in a friendly ton,
"All riyh,.n was the brief re.ponse fro,
within. The friends were overcome b
- their emotions, "You are the create st ms