Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-11-05
A Character from " Uncle Toms
Cabin"

xne, writing from Oberlin, O., says:
The other evening, shortly before
dusk, I knocked at the door of No. ion
East College street. q coy suburban
residence. situated within one hundred
yards of the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern railroad track. Ny knock a
the door was readily ans wered, and
was ushered in by a man past the mid
die age OF life. He was really younger
than he looked-his form being bent
and possessing the appearance of ar
aged person. His skin is almost white
hair curly, somewhat thin; he had 6
bright, sharp eye, clear. cut face, and 9
full beard, almost white from the frosts
of time. he weighed about It's pounds,
and stood five feet eight inches iu
height, showing that at one time he wa
Q model Of physical manhood. The
warm welcome to his cheerful home
and family, which consisted Of himself
and nine children, the eldest nineteer
years Of age. led me to feel that I wa,
h the presence of q man who was no
An entire stranger to good society and
culture. With the memories still fresl
from an early reading of g." Uncle Tom
cabin" appreciated the enviable op
portunity Of conversing with the per
SON from whom Mrs. Harriet Beechel
Stove drew the chief character and in
oidents Of that work. It was none
other than Lewis Clarke, the George
Harris Of Uncle Toms Cabin" He va.
ready and willing to answer questions
and talked freely of his early history
After being comfortably seated by hii
side, Clarke related to me something
Of his personal history.
Who were your father and mother p
I asked.
my mother was q handsome quad
room woman, the daughter of her mas.
ter. Ny father was o Scotchman, q
weaver By trade, and . revolutionary
soldier. My mother was given to him
in marriage with the express under
standing that she and her children were
to be free. This promise was never
ful4lled. Upon the death Of my father.
my mother and her nino children were
taken back into bondage to her fathers
house. Twas born in Madison county.
IN 1Sl4. Three brothers and one sister
are all that remain Of our family"
We're you ever sold p
I" Yes; l was mortgaged once, sold
under the hammer twice, and offered
once, but nobody bid, az they said /
was too white and spoiled niger. y"
HOY long were you a slave, and
when did You escapeP"
was Q slave until I was twenty
seven years Of age. and escaped to the
North in 1841. In August of that year
] crossed the Ohio rivef on horseback
ct Haysville, Ky. left that point
with Q body servant in the evening, but
We rode only part OF the night to.
gether. I thought I was too ignorant
TO travel with him, for could not read ,
and / accordingly decided to send him
back. I put mp at public house,
whore I was frequently met with in.
quiries as to my business. I told such
in4niaitive ones that I was from Ken
tusky; that I had friends in the North,
and that I wanted to find them. I could
mot read the guide boards, and, to be
On theright side, I always took the big
geat roads. When I arrived in town
] would make q mark at tho side
OF the road, or somewhere else.
that I might know from which direc.
ti6n I came-for I dared not ask the
way OF farmers, for fear they would dis
cover my identity. I wandered about
for nearly week. and at last found
myself near Cincinnati. Here I met
Dave oaten, freed slave and an old
time friend Of mine. Dave aided me
in getting rid of my pony, and, being
acquainted with the captain of the
steamboat Sylph, he secured my pas
sage to Portsmouth,, o. At that point
] took . canal boat for Cleveland.
When I arrived in the latter city, I
found q great excitement prevailing
ever some runaway slaves. 90 I was
afraid 10 be in the city. had heard
that Canada WAS across Lake Erie, and
I walked down and viewed the lake for
the frat time. l could not see the op.
posite shore, and I made mp my mind
there and then that it was Q pretty wide
stream. walked up and down the shores
ofthe lake for several miles, but could
not see Canada. Fiading it impossible
70 discover the looked-for country, ]
gave it mp and went back to the city.
! heard man asking some sailors
where their boat Was going. I marched
boldly mp to the captain Of the boat and
engaged passage on the vessel, which
was to leave the Cleveland port that
evening. There was no cooking on
board the boat, and each man carried
his own lunch. We sailed out about
tan milea. lint theva hein0 No Wind
We returned to port. I remained in the
boat until morning. The next night
We crossed the lake, and, when
stepped ashore, l felt for the first time
in my life that I wss free man. My
hands and feet were now my own.
came back, however, and spent the win
ter Mt Oberlin."
Where did You finally settle?"
"In Chaatauqua county, New York,
where I bought farm. was married
in 1849, but my wife died Q year later,
leaving no children. I raised seeds