The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-07-05
our or BONDAGE.
Frederick Douglass Tells the Story Or HIS
EncaDo From Slavery.

Frederick Douglas Tells the Story or HIS
Escape From Slavery.
IN the forthcoming number Of the Gen.
tury Magazine Frederick Dodglass, for tho
Art time, relates the story Of his dscspe
from bondage. Nearly fifty years ago,
whom the flight wa6 made, it was the GUS
tom in the state Of Maryland to require
oil free colored people to be provided with
free pRper6," without which they were not
permitted to tnVel: 4 description Of the
person was given in these p3peys, and the
person was examined very rigidly to ndaks
good his identity. A slave answering the
general description would sometimes bor-
row OF hire bis papers ftoid 9 free negro,
but this was critical thing to do shd often
resulted disastrously to both the owner and
the borrower. Douglas answered no de-
ssription papers he had seen, 80 that plan
could not be adopted in his case: He had
friends sailor-who was provided with
an official look. Baltimore WAS his starting
point. He arranged with friendly hack
man to take his luggage to the station, and
arriving there himself just in time to jump
aboard the train, hoping in the confusion
attending it's departure, to avoid exciting
suspicion. The story is best told in Doug
lass own language.
an my clothing was rugged out In sail
OF style. I had on . red shirt and tai
paulin hat, and black crsvst tied in sailor
fashion carelessly and loosely about my
neck. My knowledge Of ships and seilor's
talk came much to my assistance, for I knew
q ship from stem 10 stern and from keelson
to crosstrees, and could tslk sailor like an
old salt. was we'll on the way to Havre
Do Grace before the conductor came into
tho negro car to collect tickets and examine
the papers Of the black passengers. This
was critical moment III the drama. Ny
whole future depended upon the decision
Of this conductor. Agitsted though I was
while this ceremony vas proceeding, still,
externally at least, was apparently calm
and self possessed. He went on with his
duty, examining several c61ored passen.
gers before reaching me. He was some.
Nhat harsh in tone and peremptory in
manner until he reached me, when. strange
enough, and to my surprise snd relief, his
whole manner changed. Seeing that did
other eolored persons in the car had done,
he said to ME, IN friendly contrast with
his bearing toward tho Others"
Il suppose you have your free tnpers?'
To which answered:
mo, sir; never carry my tree papers to
sea With me"
"But you have something to show that
you are freemat, haven't your"
Yes, SIR" answered; X have q paper
with the American eagle on it, and that
will carry me around the world"
At HavTe do Grace he met q young COL
ored man whom he knew, and who seemed
curious to find out his business 90 far
away from home. He got rid of this dr.
6culty only to encounter another. At the
window of train standing on Q side track
directly opposite the one LIE WAS in sat o
man for whom he had j1et been working at
Baltimore. BY good luck the man did not
turn around, SO he was undiscovered: On
reaching Philadelphia he inquired the way
TO tho New York trains, and arrived there
on the 4th of September, 1888, free man.
But his troubles were not over. In New
York he found that it was hard to fnd
Trustworthy man even OF his own race.
return of runaway slaves; and few Of
the miserable darkies in the city could
withstand the temptation to betray a
brother. For days Douglass wandered
homeless and hungry through the streets.
Finally he found a good samaritan who d.
rected him to the house of David Ruggles,
one of the officers Of the underground rail-
road, who lived on the corner of Church
and Lispensrd streets. There the poor
runaway was hidden for several days, and
there he was joined by his intended wife,
free woman from Baltimore, and they
were married by Presbyterian minister.
From New York the newly married couple
went to New Bedford, Mass, where their
free life began in earnest. It was in New
Bedford that Douglass, on the advice Of
colored friend, changed the name given him
at birth to the one he now bears. Fred
erick Augustus Washington Bailey was his
original name. His friend, having Just
read "The Lady of the Lake." suggested,
indeed insisted, upon Douglass as the new
surname, and Douglass it was made.