The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-26

buy, for 5000, her mother who still lived on
Mr.. Dwight's plantation. When the
last of the money was paid
Dwight refused to allow the old woman to
join her daughter in Charleston, saying that
it was enough for her to know that she was
free; nor would he refund the purchase
money. Mrs. Furness heard the story, bought
Henrietta from Dwight for 81 800 and then
brought suit to compel him to either give
the old woman her freedom or to return the
5000 paid for her. Dwight won the suit, the
court holding that Henretta's earnings were
as much his property as she was. The old
woman went back into slavery and died,
Henrietta then bought her own freedom,
Mrs. Furness allowing her to put in her
wages in partial payment. After purchasing
her freedom she married Asa Daniels, a
blacksmith, and five years later she bought
him out OF slavery, paying 81, 500. In about
fifteen years this woman had bought her
mother, herself and her husband.
Daniels and his wife wanted to come North
at once, but Mrs. Furness, who had a great
affection for Henrietta induced her to con-
sent to remain in Charleston until Daniels
had found employment in one OF the North
ern cities. Daniels came TO Philadelphia,
and on Pine street found work in black
smith shop, which he afterward owned. A
few months later Mrs. Furness was taken
sick and died, but not before she had given
Henrietta $4,000 in bank notes as a reward
for her faithfulness. She also left her house
in Charleston, but as collateral heirs of the
dead woman contested the will, Mrs. Daniels
came North to join her husband. Soon after
she left it was discovered that few days be-
fore her death Mrs. Furness
had drawn $4,000 from a bank.
The money could neither be found nor
accounted for. The assumption was that
Mrs. Daniels had stolen it, and officers set
out in pursuit of her. In Richmond Mrs.
Daniels learning that she was being hunted.
secreted herself for several weeks and was
finally brought to Philadelphia by an agent
OF the underground railroad. All this time
she had in her possession Mrs. Furness's
written acknowledgment of the gift of
money, but previous experience made Hen
rietta dread the decisions of the Charleston
courts. On her arrival here she engaged a
lawyer, who at once notified the Charleston
authorities of the true facts in the case, and
there the matter ended.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniels bought a house on
South street, and lived there many years. Be-
fore Daniels died, in 1879, he and his wife
owned two blacksmithshops and a score of
small tenement houses in the center of the
city. They had one son, who was drowned
in the Delaware four or five years ago. When
old Mrs, Daniels died a host of her and her
husbands distant relatives came forward and
claimed the estate The property was sold
by order of the court and the money paid
into court Mr. Masterson will, as auditor,
arrange a distribution OF the funds. The
lawyers of the collateral heirs of Mrs. Dan
iels hold that her husbands relatives have
no just claim upon the estate, he having
been her slave by purchase. The legal advis-
ers of the relations of Mr.. Daniels argue,
however that when he came North he be-
came free man and her equal and that as
the Philadelphia property was in his name it
should be divided among them.