Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-04-21
UNDERGROUND RAILWAY.
THE REAL PERSON ELIZA OF UNCLE
TOMS CABIN.
Interesting Account of the Times and
Ways Slaves were Helped Out Of
Slavery into Freedom.

The following interesting as well as his
torical letter, written from Ripley, Ohio,
town on the Ohio river, adjoining Ken.
lucky, and published in the Cincinnati Com
mercial Gazette, will wildly call to mind
the exciting anti.slavery times OF long
years ago, and to both the reader, who was
a contemporary of the events recited, and
those who are younger and only read OF
them in books and history, will be alike re.
paid for its perusal. The writer says:
MANY Of your readers, and especially the
youths Of the present generation, have often
seen chance illusions Ia print of the " Un-
dereround Railway" that mysterious route
over which thousands of fugitive blacks in
the old slave days were spirited to the free
soil Of Canada but very few OF them have
ever read true description of its workings,
and thinking few incidents In this con-
nectiou from place that was the recog-
nized Southern terminus, or rather the
headquarters of this great organization,
would prove of interest, a number of the
leading participants therein were inter-
viewed. Among the prominent early lead
ers of the anti-slavery cause In Brown
county we're Rev. John Rankin and DR..
Alexander Campbell, OF Ripley Rev. Jas.
GiIliland, of Red Oak Rev. jesse Lock.
hart. OF Russellville DIR. Bearce, of De-
catur DIR. Issac Nj. Bsck and Rev. Robert
B. Dobbins, of Sardinia Rev. John B.
Mahan and John Moore, of Washington
township.
EARLY ORGANIZATIONS.
As early as 1925 there were numerous
Coloniz stion Societies throughout the State
for the amelioration of the slaves who had
escaped and the free blacks, but the Adolf.
ton Society proper was not organized in
Ohio until 1884 under recognized consti-
tuition. This society was formed for the
purpose of rendering aid to the blacks IN
their new homes, and with its inception
came the great underground railway scheme
that shortly became famous for the humane
work 1t accomplished, and wonder and
terror to the shareholders over the border,
many of whom imagined there was some
thing " uncanny" in the manner in which
their human property was spirited away.
The frequency of these disappearance,
however, created the most bitter animoslty
against the managers OF the underground
route, and as the shareholders became bet
ter acquainted with its mode OF operation,
they were outspoken in their hostllItles.
At an anti.slavery meeting OF the citizens
of Sardinia aud vicinity, held on November
81. 1888, proclamations were read wherein
rewards OF from $500 to s., 500 were offered
for the abduction and assassination of Rev.
John Rankin, DR.. Campbell, Rev. John
Mahan and others, who were prominent in
the movement.
THE UNDERGROUND STATIONS
Were at first from eight to fifteen miles
apart. but as the movement became wide
spread the distance between stations be-
came less and less, and in the latter years
of it's existence the average distance was
only two miles. The regular route through
this county travelled by escaping slaves was
from Ripley, through the neighborhoods OF
Red Oak and Russellville to Sardinia,
thence to the Quaker settlements in Gin
ton county. The first through passenger,
of which any record vas kept, was finely
formed, athletic black named John, the
property OF WIN. Greathouse, an extensive
Shareholder, living near Washington, Ma.
son county, XIV. He made his escape in
June, 1885, his objective point being the
house of Rev. John Rankin, who lived on
the hill Just back of town. Owing to the
darkness of the night, he diverged some
distance TO the west, striking the farm of
Franklin Dragoo, an adherent to the cause.
He was directed Alright, reaching the Ran
kin place near daylight, and it being mat
ter Of great risk to proceed farther, he was
seereted In a wheat field until nightfall
That night he was taken to the house Of
Rev. John Mahau, near Sardinia, an timer
ant Msshodist Episcopal preacher of local
celebrity. Mahan was indiscreet enough
hfn N
the next day, and this coming to the ears
of the party who were securing the coun-
try in search of the slave, they came di.
rect to Sardinia to recover their property.
Mahan had been warned in time of their
coming, and he advised the black man to
seek safer quarters. Mahan was kidnapped
BY the pursuing party aud taken to Wash
ington, Mason county, KY, where he was
indicted upon the charge of
AIDING AND ABETTING A SLAVE TO ESCAPE
From the State. He was bailed out by a
personal friend, but a short time after the
Governor of Kentucky forwarded a requi-
sition to the Governor of Ohio for his de-
livery to the authorities of Mason county,
and on September 6, 1888, Governor Vance,
of Ohio, issued a warrant to that eifect'
His friends accompanied him to George
town for the purpose of securing his re-
lease on a writ of habeas corpus, but 1t was
disregarded by the Sheriff of Mason coun-
ty, who was then on his way to Kentucky
with Mahan. Through some technicality
of law his trial did not come off for four
teen months after his imprisonment The
case was tried before Judge Walton Reid,
and he was acquitted of the charge, the
Judge ruling that the Court had no Jurls-
diction in the case, as the prisoner was a
nonresident Of the State, and had not been
In Kentucky until brought there by legal
process. Mshan's case directed attention
TO the unjust extradition laws of Ohio as
they then existed, and that they needed
revision for the protection OF the personal
liberty of its citizens. Governor Vance re-
ferred to it in his annual message to the
Legislature 10 q manner that caused con-
siderable criticism, his course being COM
mented upon and severely censured by the
press and many citizens of the State. A
full report of the case was published at the
time in the PhilGnthropist, the organ of the
Oaio auti.Slavery Society, published by
Gamahel Bailey, Jr., at Cincinnati, and
the editor wss outspoken in denunciatior
of Governor Vance. Tne year following
Mahan's release from the Kentucky prison.
he and Joseph and Amor Pettijohn, were
tried at Georgetown, OHIO, on an indict'
ment for riot In reseuing q negro from the
hands Of the Sheriff Of Brown county. Hon
Thomas L. Hamer appeared for the prose
cution. Mason and Joseph Pettijohn were
found guilty and each sentenced to pay
fine of $50 and be confined in the county
iail for ten days. The case was appealed
20 the Supreme Court, and sentence wal
suspended until the decision of the higheI
tribunal. One year after, Mahan was Ii
censed to preach in the Presbyterian
church, emigrated to Illinois and died
few years later.
ESCAPE OF ELEVEN SLAVES.
One of the most interesting incidents o
the underground railway happened in lS4l