, 1874-02-08
Tho Origin Of TIC Underground
Railroad,
con,e Notable Characters Connected
with F" slave-stealing."


r,.reho1dcrs' Rehellon,-such as the March
<rom Atlanta to the Sea :" "We Are Coming,
Father Abraham !" "Tramp, Tramp;" t'John
nr,vus Soul Goes Marching On !" the "Jubi
1aa etc. Such as these are those songs of tho
raonle of which the ancient philosopher said, il
r. lad the making Of them ho cared not who
had the making of their lawa. Few haye the
n,.ieuce if they have the capacity, to trace these
55tr.ins back to their inspiring SOURCE
Attached to many Of the compositions in
,,ns,c which had their origin from the impulse
n the hour in the late War, like the above.
~ uh1ch ssJubilee" and '.Shcrnnn's March"
.,a striking Instances, is the name Of
WORK,
.voung man Of Chicago, as the composer Of the
music, and occasionally, think, Of the words
also, He WAS the composer OF many very popu-
lar airs which we're brought out By Root d Cady
duriug that timo. There is nothing particularly
significant in the name, excepting industry;
md perlaps it is not known to one in ten thou
sand Of those who have hoard his music with
snch delight, feeling that it struck q woudrous
chord to stir deeply the human. heart :that there
Was ANYTHING about this young mans hist ory
n experience that should give him the inspira-
ton, or make 1t
i FlINEAB ABOVE ALL Tu1tGS
th.t be should have written just such music Is
tris. Aud When once having heard one of these
soncs; and been aroused from sound slumber at
midnight BY tue band playing it, aud 1eeling 1t
thrill through every fibre, aud reading afterwatd
Tie name Of the author upon the printed music
sheet, it brought to mind the following series OF
eyeuts in the history Of the great slavery aglta-
ton in the Northwe at, aud made me deaply real
f1o how strangely do events work out their own
hntr %a1v urA+ III.
s:suuen:s Of use in the hands Of the ayenging
N:is' Ths Young Work is the eon of the elder Of 8
distinguished trio who figured largely on the
page Of popular events from 1o4o on for num-
bc1 Of years as the
THREE IMPRISONED ADoL1T1os1sTs,-
Burr, Work, and ThompE on, ,--wAo, wlilo citl-
gems Of Illinois, we're captured On Missouri soil,
md, for acts partly done in this State aud at
tempted to be cousummated in Missouri, we're
Ife. for the crime OF slaye-stealing." There
va All old statute law Of tho Jews, that, il q
pe1son stole man, and sold him, or II he be
found on his hands," he (the thief should sure-
II be put to DEATH This law was supposed to
b repeated in all civilized countries under
common law, which protected q mans right
in himself as against kidnapping; and so the
Aboiuonists Interpreted it is a law tlnt cut up
saycly root and branch, and no man could be
stolen unless deprived Of himself; IN other
words, Of his liberty, or the right to hlDnelf.
Tie slayeholdiug moral code interpreted it to be
. dead gLot at ali Abolitioaists. and aimed in 4
special manner ut any person aiding or soettlng
slave to escape from his master. This helping
another to freedom was By their code
MAS-sTEAL1SG;
md 20 eensitiye and sacred were rights OF prop
ersy III man held, that 1t was considered crime
Of very great turpitude, like crime against
ratuye. And 30 tho statutes OF the Slave States
m:de this act q cri1no Of the most odious char
1ctcr, and punished it accordingly.
This young Work WAS probably child OF this
event in his fathers lifo born about the time
Ct his Imprisonment, SO that it became En- In
sredient Of sorrow md retriba.ion in his
mothers mlk !; OF somc years later, after LIS
fathers release, for he was the nzst one pardon
ed, when the moral character Of the act, the
martudom of the punishment, must haYo sank
deep INTO the souls OF both parents aud become
3 part OF their moral constitution. II any per-
son could be born with haired to Slavery, or
b;1n for s1:ec:al work to do against it, or With
auission unfuIt1led In his being, it would ba
child born OF such parents under such circum-
Etslcas. It ls
l. FEARFUL THING
for any people it their crimes become the source
Of en5euicriug power to demand tctrlbutlon
Soon after the Beginning Of the modern and
final agitation Of tha Slayefy question by Luudy,
Garrison, Leayitt, aud others, about 1850, or
some period in tho early part Of that decade, the
coed Dr. David D. Nelson, author OF that very
popular and valuable book, Nelson on lntidel-
lty' (he being 4 repcntant Shareholder from len
nessee), together with the Key. Moses huntef,-
also, believe, from the South h,-came to Adams
County, in this State, and on the pralrles,. not
far from the hluiIs OF the Mississippi, q mile or
two from Quincy. set up college tor tho educa-
ton Of young men for The ministry, which they
called the
MISSION INSTITUTE.
It embraced some very practical notions for the
educatiou Of Young 1nen destitute OF means to
help themselves, and it should be better known
and appreciated than it is, for It was eminontly
calcula1cd to train up the young to be men OF
character and stamina.-such men as We have
need of more There was not much Of the cle-
nent Of the Yankee in this institution, made up
Is it way by mcu Of Southern and Western sym
path:es who loved liberty, who had an honesty
IT purpose in life equal to the best OF the lard,
sasssa :ssa they da 4on not RFsssaat ' ase
Ihs Anti-slavery party, in early tunes,
in the Northwest, WAS made up largely from
such men, who had left tAe South to be free
from the curse that afflicted the land, and they
wsre legs liable to tie caught and bamboozled
Into uaze Of The right or wrong OF the matter
b; the nonsense OF the sophistries and subtletles
sh!ch misled 80 many Of the good people until
they we're lured On to the verge OF national
ruin.
THIS TRIO or ADoL1T1oS1sTs,
whose names were rung in one cham, were
Students Of, or connected with, the Missouri ln-
Esisu:e, under the tutorship of these two IN
compromising worthless, Nelson and Hunter:
George Thompson, the younger, person OF
eminent piety, great energy and activity, VINO
Fas probably the inspiring genius Of the oc-
ee,sion, was studying for the ministry. Joseph
=. Burr was man then past so, and, II 3 stu
dent, had d le.s specific purpose in view. Alan-
son Work, father of the musical composer, VAS
married man, and filled station as steward
or position in aid Of sustaining the business
ada1s, OF the Institute. They were from among
tue choicest spirits, esteemed by all, and men
Who ever governed their conduct By tae h1gh@es @
principles, and lived, as they thought, IN tho
lear Of God.
luis Institute Was known in al the ADJOINING
asse-Statee, and known as being run by npos-
sates from Slavery aad i: was hated. ana All lia
compartments, as widely as it "as known II
Fas regarded as
BREEDING NEST
u rcsi{erous Aboli.lon;sts, aud the lives OF
ts managers would hardly have been SAFE In the
oeIshbo1ins State of Missouri.
IL the City Of Quincy, at that time, was also
nes. Of Observation-Disclosures they VINO were
building up Liberty party in politics, while the
institute wcs shaping the morals OF the Cnutcn.
9tele wero there among them Weu-kno"n1 I
Character, DR.. 1dchofd Eclls, praetitlonerE - enu
teacher Of incendiarism, mud the Rev. Il. FOOT
and sewell, practice,s Of righteousness ana, On