The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-10-17
II e r M g.:
A ROMANCE OF sLAvERY.

Six months, In advance, u
OF SLAvERY.
No better illustration of the peculiar
relationship of the past and present
can be found than that afforded by the
appearance to-day of a gray-haired
negro in the city looking for his rela-
tives of eighteen years ago. Your
correspondent met the ancient darkey
this morning in an attorneys Office
and ascertained from him that he was
Bev Strother, who. with his half-broth-
er, jeff Murray, ran away in 1860, land
had never been heard of by their
friends since. Bev's face relaxed into
broad grin AZ he told how me and
jeff run away, and the awful time we
had" It seems that Bev and JEFF were
slaves in 1860, the former belonging
to Travis Murphy, and the latter to
DR.. J. T. Overall, of st. Charles
County, Mo. that BeY was threatened
with sale down de riber," the terror
of all darkies, and SO persuaded JEFF
to run away with him. Through an
old darkey at st. Charles they found
. white man who agreed to pilot them
100 miles for $22, and on the night Of
June 80, 1860, the trio met and started
on "runaway sure enough" They
travelled nights and lay in the brush
by day, the white man being used TO
pilot the way and buy provisions. The
negroes had very shrewdly provided
themselves with q campass, to be sure
they were being piloted to the far.
off land rather than to Dixie" They
also took pistols to defend themselves
with, and always, after they had hid
for the day, and sent the man for pro.
visions, moved their hiding-place and
watched "dat ar white man" from .
long way OFF, to see that he did not
bring any nigger-ca -catchers with him.
On the evening Of the secong day out
the white man, while out foraging.
saw DR.. Overall and pursuing party,
and heard him describe the negroes,
and efer q reward for their apprehsn.-
sion. IL tell you, massa," said Bev,
as he rubbed his gray head, "them
was hot times" They travelled at
right angles to their general course
that night, and the pursuing party
meyer heard Of them again.
The "white pilot and nigger-stealer"
was given away by q pretended rum
away about three weeks later, was
captured by DR.. Overall, and sentenc-
ed, after a plea of guilty, by Judge
King, of st. Charles circuit court, to
six yeaas in the Pen.
Two years later Bev and JEFF turned
up at Lafayette, Ind. with mighty
little faith of there being an end to tho
world or anything for runaway me-
groes but sore feet and empty stom-
echs. On the night of their arrival
here they Auere followed by a negro
man who accused them of being rum
aways and rendered his services to
snow them the Underground rail-
way" They denied the fret and re-
fused the last, but when the would-be
guide was reinforced by one of "dem
real ole honest niger mothers," the
runawans acknowledged the soft inn
peachment and were provided for.
At Detroit they jumped of the train
q mile from the depot, and following
the beckoning of q Black Hand"
without inquiry or explanation, and
were locked up in little room way
up on top of a boat. The next day
Canada received two citizens and the
United States was out $1,000 worth of
niggers.
Both negroes went to work on .
farm in the county of Essex, at $24O
q year, and at the end of five years had
saved $1,000, with which they pur-
chased two farms. JEFF acquired .
limited education, and, in addition to
attending to his own matters, became
foreman on large farm. InJune last
jeff was poisoned by his wife, who
bids fair to hang. AS JEFF had no
children, Bev came back to hunt up
his heirs. Bev found his mother,
Emily Murray, a negress 76 years old,
still living.
As her children, twelve in number,
are all illegitimate, they cannot inher-
it from each other, and hence she gets
Jeff's entire estate, worth some s., 600,
subject to the dover rights of the
wife.
Bev. found his old master, who 10
81 years of age, still living on the old
place, and was made happy by the
kindly manner in which he was re-
ceived and treated by the massa and
missus of his boyhood days, and
thinks he will sell out and move his
family of seven back to I" de ole Mis-
souri, shore."-[St. Louis Special to
Chicago Tribune.