The New York herald., 1877-09-17
OBITUARY..
LEVI COFFIN, pHILANTHRopIsr.

Levi Coffin, well known IN ante bellum days as
President of the Underground Railroad, always u
prominent antisIavery man, died at his residence In
Avondae, near Cincinnati, at half-past two O'Clock
yesterday afternoon at the age OF seventy seven
years and eleven months Mr. Levi Coffin was born
North Carolina October 20, 1898, and before he left
that State grew into an active sympathy with the
slaves in their struggles for freedom. In 1926, soon
after his marriage, ho settled In Newport, Wayne
county, Ind There he renewed his work OF aiding
fugitive slaves and soon came 10 bo widely known
among the slaves their uniaing friend 1T is gen.
orally understood that the house OF the old Quaker in
Indiana as graphically described In 'Uncle Toms
Cabin" Is no other than Lew Colnns home. On the
4th OF April, lS47, he removed to Cincinnati BY thus
time he become the recognized leader OF the un-
dcTgrouud raiiroad operations, although that import
ant enterprise had regular officers or organization
Some OF his imprudent friends used 10 address him at
this Office Lov Conn. President OF the Underground
Railroad" During all this tme his wife was In hearty
with ms %Srs ss ana an sce n"i 10
war, large number OF contrabands were collected
at Cairo, where tney suffered severely from want
movement was organized in Cincinnati Tor their
relief rhis grow into the Uoniraband Relief Society,
OF which Mr.. Collin became the general agent and
changed into the greodman's Aid Associa-
ton, ior which Mr.. Coffin continued TO work
Association. He thon became tho general agent Of
that aud has since spent bis best efforts In Its service
In 1864 and 1866 ne visited England 10 present the
of tho suffering blacks, aud there raised large
OF money and quantity OF supplies. During
bis early experience IN Cincinnati he was the pro
prictor OF "iree labor store,' where NO articics
Many OF tho older ctzens Of Cincinnati will remember
the place. the corner OF Sixth and Elm streets.
There we're OF course hundreds OF curious and amusing
incidents which grew out Of his connection with tho
underground railroad" but We have only space ior
one. Ono saturday morning, in 1850. he received a
letter from Nashville, signed Hannah M. Johnson
stating that box nad beou consigned 1T, to
and asking him to look out ior II when
it arrived He had no dea OF Its contents, but
applied ut the express Office Saturday night But
stead OF the box ne found telegram saying that IN
tumbng II around ut seymour, Ind, tho cover mad
bursted of and "live nigger' had rolled out The
affair created considerable sensation AZ the time.
Aeck the negro fugitive, was taken to tho Louisville
Jail and kept until his master camo up and got
Walden happened TO be IN Nashville together and
thought they would look up Aleck. They found him
had another shop tho street. but Aleck had
The OF the trado In gratitude 10 his old friends
lie made each OF them TIN ougle, which remain
among their most cherished elects. On the 2Sth oi
OCTOBER 1874 Levi and Catherine Colin celebrated the
litetn anniversary OF their wedding at the
Mound and Eighth strees, Cincinnati A
great crowd was present Aflcr prayers aud an ad-
dress Dr. Taylor, who opened the meeting. said that
some OF their friends had requested that the vencr-
abo bride and groom repeat tho peculiar ceremony
OF the Quaker Society, which united them as man aud
wife fifty years They rose together. the bride
groom remurking that he could remember his part,
aud for tho bride, she could oncc talk faster than
he. lie tnau pesau tnc situplo ccreIhouy '-'DctoIc
the Lord and Ia tho presence Of this assembly, take
Catherine Whito to be my wife, promising to be TO her
KIND and faithful husband until dcath shall separate
u.s." Tho bride Ia response rccited the same words
taking Levi Colin 70 be her husband. And that
was all there Of it, The original certificate
Of their marriage was then read, setting forth
that Levi Coffin and Catherine White had liz
tho tenth month 1924. someniy and openly do
clared their intention OF uniting themselves In
wedlock, and that when tho rno canc and
no objection was ofercd they were Joined as man and
wiio Tn noxt exercise was the recitation OF poem
changing OF tho Crane, by young man. The appli-
cation of characters mud incidents OF tho poem to
the present was quito striking. Al the con
cluson oil the reading, ttlo girl, dressed In whitc
handed a beautiful bouquet to the bridal pair.
aHirc n