St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-08-11
The Man who Saved Fred
Douglass.
From the Philadelphia Record. !

lrTOm tne Ihllauelpnla RECORD.
Eyes, sir: | am the man who saved
Fred Douglass from being hanged
when old John Brown was captured
at Harper's Ferry. | suppressed "A
dispatch addressed to the sheriff of
Philadelphia instructing him to arrest
Douglass, who was then in that city, as
proofs of his completely in the memora-
BILE raid were discovered when John
Brown was taken into custody" Seat
ed on the doorstep of his cosy cottage,
a few miles outside of Nineland, y. j.,
was John w. Hurn, pleasant gray
bearded man of 60, who, when ques-
toned, answered as above respecting
the aid rendered by him to the noted
abolitionist. "At that time | was Il
telegraph operator, located in Philadel-
phia," continued Mr.. Hurn, "and when
| received the dispatch | was frighten-
ed nearly ont of my wits. AS | was an
ardent admirer of the great eX-slave,
who was doing all that mortal could
do to agitate the anti-slavery question,
| resolved to warn Douglass of his i'm
pending fate, no matter what the re-
suit might he to me. The news had
just been spread throughout the coun-
try of the bold action of John Brown
and his intrepid followers in taking
the little town of IIarper's Ferry.
Every body was excited and public feel
ing ran high. Before the intelligence
came that Brown had been captured
the dispatch which | have mentioned
was sent by the sheriff of Franklin
county, Pa, To the sheriff of Philadel-
phia, informing him that Douglass had
been one of the leading conspirators,
and requesting that he should he i'm
mediately apprehended. Though
knew it was illegal to do so, | quietly
put the dispatch in my pocket, and
asking another operator to take my
place, started on my search for Fred
Douglass. | went directly to Miller
McKim, the secretary of the contra
band, underground, fugitive railway
Office in Philadelphia, and inquired for
my man. Mr.. McKim hesitated to tell
me, whereupon / showed him the dis
patch and promised him not to allow
it to he delivered within three hours.
| told him that | would not do this un-
less he agreed to get Mr.. Douglass out
of the state. This he readily assented
to, for it was his business to spirit es-
capped slaves beyond the reach of the
authorities. | returned to the tele-
graph office and kept IA sharp lookout
for similar dispatches. None arrived,
however, and when the allotted time
expired | sent the belated message to
its destination.
'In the mean time those entrusted
with my secret saw Mr.. Douglass and
urged him to leave the town as quickly
as possible. He was lOath to do so at
first, but the cXpOstulatiOns of his
friends Overcame his objections, and in
an hour he left on railroad train
which placed a gap of forty miles be
teen him and Philadelphia every hour.
He reached his home in Rochester, n.
Y, destroyed the compromising dOcu-
ments, and then packed his gripsack
and started for Canada. 1t was fortu-
nate for him that he left as soon us he
did, for Immediately after his depart
ure from Rochester his home was sur
rounded by officers.
"ThOSe were queer times, and per
sons had to be careful what they did
and said. | did not tell of my share in
the rescue, for feared the power OF
the slave party, as they could have had
me imprisoned. When | look back
and think what did to save that man
from the gallOws-fOr he would I'M
dOubtedly have gone there had he been
arrested feel that am rewarded by
contemplating that the life saved was
well worth saving"