Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-08-28
How a Fugitive Slave Escaped.

at was during the winter of 1956-57.
Many of my hearers will doubtless re
member that, during the holidays OF
that winter, reports were extensively
circulated that a projected slave-insur-
rection had been discovered just in time
to prevent the rising of the slaves.
number of slaves and free blacks, with
two or three white men, suspected OF
being leaders of the plot, had been hung
and shot. So great was the alarm that
members of Congress left their seats and
returned to their homes, and Congress
itself came near an adjournment. was
at that time pastor of the Congregational
Church at Janesville, Wis.
"Some weeks after the excitement just
named, on bitter cold morning in the
early part of February, a gentleman of
my acquaintance from Green County,
about twenty miles west of Janesville,
drove up to my door in a sleigh. He
said he had runaway slave in his
sleigh, and wished to commit him to my
care, to be sent to Canada. l welcomed
him in manner that at once inspired
confidence in him that | could be trusted
as friend. He was cold, hungry, and
very lame from a wound in the right leg
below the knee. After making him com
Portable gathered from him facts of a
wonderfully thrilling character, opening
my eyes more fully to the dangers of
slavery, and the amazing benefits of our
labors as Abolitionists to the whites of
the South.
"To inquiries propounded to him he
said his name was George; that for years
he had been at work among the furnaces
in Southern Kentucky. He was about
thirty-five years of age, a mulatto, firmly
built, and of very great intelligence. The
only weapon he carried about his person
was short bowie knife, with which he
SAID he should take his life rather than
be carried back into slavery.
He frankly confessed that he was
one of the leaders of the late attempted
! insurrection at the South; that they were
! betrayed by slave just befor ethe rising.
az told him of the alarm felt during
the holidays throughout the South, and
said that | had never been able to ascer-
tain whether there had been any real
danger; and, if so, whether it was in a
single locality or widespread.
"He replied that the rising would have
embraced large sections of the South.
8 We have been secreting weapons, and
those of us engaged in the furnaces have
spent many nights secretly manufactur-
ing keys to open arsenals and places
where weapons and ammunition were
kept deposited. We have been meditat-
ing this rising ever since that about
| twenty-five years ago.
- asked him if he referred to that in
surrection in Southampton, Va. He
said: 'Yes-that under Nat Turner
But. YOU were young then?' | said.
Yes, he replied; ten years old; but
was fired with desire to be a Nat
Turner. l have never married, for | did
not want a family to embarrass me when
/ felt called upon to strike the blow
ITO my inquiry, What had hindered
him from executing his purpose earlier?
he replied, We had been told that our
friends at the North were laboring to de-
stroy slavery, and that, if we created
disturbance, their plans would be de-
stroyed; and so we kept quiet these long
wears, until we could wait no longer, for
we thought our friends were doing moth
ing for US and we determined to act for
ourselves
ITO my remark that we at the North
and the whole civilized world had hor
ror at the idea of an insurrection, where
! slaves should murder men, women and
helpless children That he replied,
was by no means our design. After
arming all who could use weapons, we
were to destroy all that remained and
! all the ammunition not needed. Then,
with our families, guided by the north
star, we were to march in body for
| Canada! Those in Texas and the far
South would go to Mexico. No one
would be molested if they let us alone
"As wild and chimerical as this plan
appeared, l could not but look upon the
| being before me as no ordinary man.
! He only needed the rod of Moses and
! Divine aid to have led out his nation
! q hsr, Anfr
! Had success crowned his efforts, his name
would have passed upon the page of his
tory and his brow been encircled with the
wreath of fame.
"As we were parting-he taking the
cars for Detroit-I said, You will be
safe in Canada when the next insuIrec-
ton occurs He quickly replied, while
his eye kindled with delight, shall be
among them A letter came from De-
troit in about week, that my noble
guest, the fugitive from Kentucky, was
safe in Canada.
Farewell George; for mystery rests
upon your future. Your anticipated in
surrection was changed into a war for
the liberation of your brethren in bonds,
Whether you were on the blood-stained
battlefield, and now fill an unknown
grave, or whether you yet live, | know
not The great object of your life is at
tained-the freedom of 100000 of
slaves.
''The narrative of his escape was full
of tragic interest He told me that, as
often as suspicion rested upon any one,
he was summarily shot. Several of the
hands in the furnaces thus perished.
He and two of his fellow-workmen
had taken the precaution to carry food
! 30, 10 fI,a hu rpGnlNpI
to escape there if danger threatened. A
few days after the attempted insurrec
tion, while he and the other two were al
work, little boy of twelve summers
who was very much attached to George
came running into the building, crying
and saying, George, father and two meT
are at the house, and heard them say
/ they were going to shoot you George
, dropped his tools and gave the alarm
for the men had already left the house
i rifle in hand. They started for tho
forest. The crack of the rifles wa'
t heard his companions fell dead at his
: feet, and he was shot through the ,shy
part of the leg below the knee. 1t die
2 not disable him from reaching the fores
!, and the cave in safety, He dressed hi
e wound as well as he could, and remained
quiet for some days.
Ab lNh5bhi III viz hAoAN pSoschi
, rations for few days, he took up hi
| march for the north star. He narrowl,
escaped death in crossing the Ohio River
!, He told me OF his sufierings by cold AM
hunger as he made his way by night, an,
/ laid by in some outbulldings, or unde
/. strawstacks, by day. His leg at .lengt
0 became so painful that he ventured I
inquire for a surgeon. The ball was el
e tracted, the wound dressed, and he agai
Q set off by night toward the North.
He came very near being betraye
G and sent back to Kentucky by colore
y family to whom he revealed himse
l. when nearly perishing with hunger. II
had resolved to stay with this famil.
r who seemed so kind and friendly to hin
II One night he had retired to the loft {
the cabin, but his leg was so painful thu
" he could not sleep. In the dead of I'll
4. ~ oil 1pa,