Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-04-13
The CoIOred ExOdus-De parture on Oi
Hundred Fugitives for CANADA

Hundred Fugitives for Canada'
From the Chicago Tribune, 9Th ~
The United States marshal and his st2Aiding
advertisement that he has fully equlXpcd his
office in this city with fellows Of tIIxfight kid
ney, and is now willing to answer all orders
and catch all ruaaways, guaranteeing prompt.
ness and dispatch in doing, has created
wonderful state of feeling among our colored
citizens, to which we have before referred. In
saloons aud bar rooms about town The Jealous
federal officer is praised, but good men aud
humane men hang their heads-republican
finding this one consolation in the matter, just
this that the marshal does we'll to choose his
tools from the party that has always kept
boodhounds in leash, ready at the slave driv-
er's beck and bidding. No republican has yet,
we believe, received an appointment OF the
marshal
There has been au immense state of excite.
ment among the colored PROFESSIONALLY, as
class, our most quiet citizens and the actu-
al presence OF numerous slave hunters in town,
and the knowledge HAT several wrs were in
officers hands, has created Il perfect stampede
among the numerous iugitives resident here.
Within the week ending with Sunday last,
nearly 800 people of color from this city have
sought refuge in Canada. We give the above
| figures on the best authority, the outside
limit, for the reason that the number is great
~ exaggerated by rumor and accounts rite
about town.
And, indeed this is no inconsderabe num-
Der to have Ielt one community within a week
for new home and liberty in the queens do
minions. Many of them had been for years
resident among us, and not a few were com.
fortably maintaining themselves in vacations
| useful to the community. Some OF them had
here secured by their industry homes of their
own, and were living rebukes on the libel that
these people "cannot take care Of themselves.
But the fate of the Harris family was too
marked and too recent, and the marshal and
his assistants, and bogus police officers, quite
too eager at man-huntlng, and so the stampede
began Many were able to pay their own way
to land of freedom. Still more were aided
by the charitable to the means requisite for
their transportation to Canadian soil.
All through last week they lett in parties of
from four to twelve or fifteen, quietly, and
without attracting attention. These went by
the regular trains, and generally at second
class fares There was, however, large share
OF those for whom an early departure was
deemed prudent who were still in town when
the week closed. party OF thirty were con.
cealed for several days in the hold Of Il selioo-
ner, whose destination was the other side of
the lake, but which was windbound in this
harbor. Sunday came, and found upward OF
one hundred pressing and anxious to go, for
whose transportation, late in the week, prepar.
ations were made in the contract with the
Michigan Southern Railroad to take them
through to Detroit in freight caboose cars, at
an average of So apiece.
Sunday was mad memorial by such an eX-
odus as no city in the United States ever saw
before. While the church bells were calling
our congregations to praise and prayer, the
same was the signal for great gathering at
the Baptist church on the corner of Buffalo
and Edna Place, most remarkable in its char
acter The house, neat structure, erected
by our colored residents, was densely crowd.
ed. The services were impressive and deeply
affecting. The occasion was TO be the fare
well of the one hundred and fifteen who were
to leave by the train at P. NJ Tor Canada.
That quarter of the city is largely inhabited
by co'ored residents, on Edna Place, and Buff
falo street, and these were out i'll full force.
The peculiarly demonstralive characteristics
of the race had their full measure of display.
They wept, they embraced one another, pray
ed together sang together, and passed from
hous to house, giving words Of parting. Many
of the better class brought from their homes
provisions for the store of these poor pilgrims,
many little trinkets and kerpsakes were ex-
changed, and God bless yous and good byes-
very like white folk, under similar eircum-
been nearly the same, very like indeed.
The Michigan Southern train was to leave
at PM, the regular passenger train with the
four chartered freight cars attached, and into
these latter, as the hour of parting drew near,
they commenced slowing themselves. Each
ear was supplied with a cask Of water and
substantial provisions, bJiiel beef, hams,
beam beans broad and aPpes Some of the party
in fba;r nc ella
likely to run the risk of fleeing from slavery.
There were quite number OF young families
going to save the children from sharing the
fate Of slave mother.
One poor woman, for whom writs, it was
known, were made out some days since, was
brought down on a mattress, on dray, dan
gerously ill, but determined to brave all for
freedom. sick child was conveyed in the
arms fits father. The women. many ofthem,
were weeping among the crowd OF lockers on.
Quite number of liberty loving Germans did
not scruple to show their sympathy, and dis
din aga INST the whole thing.
The train started and the poor people were
gone, and by this present writing are on Cana
dian SOIL beyond the reach of Niger hunters.
There will scarcely be any difference Of opin-
ion in our community as to the propriety of
this movement, but the origin and kind of sem
tlment is widely diverse. While the humane
and right-minded will be glad that these are
removed beyond the grasp of and collision
with an odious law, there will be those of that
class who believe that there is something NAL
arious in the presence of free niggcrs, creating
an atmosphere in which pork and beef cannot
be cured and packed. and cereals and grocer
les sold anI these will breathe freer since this
hegira, in the removal of so many OF the dread
ed objects from our midst.