Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-04-21

loted by X. e. Ranking and other trusty
men. The danger was so great that ad-
vanced videttes as we'll as rear guard
were thrown out. They pushed en- through
fierce Northwestern, and reached another
station about midnight, but the baying Of
the hounds was so distinct that they were
afraid to tarry. The pursuit was abandoned
some twenty miles further north, however,
the slave-hunters concluding they were on
the wrong trail. The party reached High
land county the next day, but the weather
became so unfavorsble that they remained
there until spring. They went to Fayette
county in the summer and made Bloom
burg their permanent home.
ELIZA OF "UNcLE TOMS CABIN"
The countless thousands who have been
fascinated by the thrilling descriptive
scenes and touching pathos of "Uncle
Toms Cabin, have no doubt a natural GU
riosity as 70 the exact point where the
scenes of that remarkable work were 10.
Gated. The escape of the woman Eliza is
particularly thrilling PEN picture. and is
made leading feature in the latter-day
dramatization of the work. Mrs. Stoves
statement is Just trifie colored, especially
in the part where Eliza is represented as
leaping from cake to cake of ice. The real
facts as given to me by one who ia entirely
conversant with the affair, is as follows:
At the time of ELIAS escape the river was
frozen over, and heavy snowfall covered
the ice. The weather becoming milder the
snow began to melt, and people had ceased
crossing on the ice, not deeming it safe.
Eliza struck the river at Rocky Point, Just
above Ripley. and started across, the ice
then being entirely covered with about six
inches of water. The next morning the
ice had entirely disappeared, and her pur-
suers, reaching the river few hours after
she had succeeded in crossing and noticing
her tracks In the snow to the waters edge,
supposed that she had deliberately drowned
herself. While the hunters were being
ferried over the river John Crosby, the
ferrymsn, related the circumstance of
tracks in the snow on the Ohio side, and of
his finding red flannel skirt dropped
from, the child which the woman bore in
her arms, and which was recognized by the
owner of the woman as one the child had
worn. These statements were cleaned by
Mrs Stowe and made part of her famous
romance, while herself and her husband,
Rev. Calvin E were the guests of Rev.
John Rankin, during a meeting of the
Presbyterian Synod at this place.
TosI HARRIS, THE ORIGINAL "UNcLE TOM"
OF the work, was also a through passenger
on the underground route. After he bad
been in Canada two years he returned to
Ripley, crossed into Kentucky. and as
sisted his brother to escape. They were
so near white that shey travelled in day
light, without arousing suspicion of having
African blood in their veins. Singular as
it may seem, as the years passed on Tom
Harris became darker, and when he lect-
ured in this place some two years ago, our
informant states that he would not have rec
ognized him, but that he related various in.
cidents of the old slave days and of his first
escape from bondage, that proved him to
be the original beyond the shadow of a
doubt.
In the summer of 1S47 free black
named Perry, whose wife was slave be.
longing to a Presbyterian minister named
ForsS the, living near Cynthians, Harrison
county, KY, went over to assist her to es
cape. They succeeded in getting away on
dark and stormy Saturday night. For
sythe having an engagement to preach the
next day, sent other men in pursuit of
them. They followed the trail so holly
that they came up with the slaves Just as
they were pushing the skiff from the Ken
lucky shore. One of the most daring of
the pursuers jumped and caught the bow
of the boat to pull it ashore, but Perry
fired at him with his pistol, and he dropped
dangerously wounded This temporary re-
spite enabled them to get away, but one of
the party in the skif received slight
wound from shot fred by the pursuers.
The slave-hunters, in their frequent
INvAsIoNs INTO OHIO AFTER FUGITIVE
BLACKS,
Avoided going to the house of Rev. John
Rankin, one of the most rampant Adolf.
| tionists, in the day time, but always prowled
about after nightfall. The reverend gen.
| tleman had pine grown sons, and it was not a
particularly inviting place to invade. The
place was visited only once in daytime.
On bright morning in the spring of 1910,
four men, Washington Ward, a. Shrofe,
Dick Smith and one named Reynolds, from
the vicinity of Dover, KY, and accom-
panied by CLANCY Shaw, of Ripley, sur
rounded the house. Amos Shrofe came to
the rear door and inquired of Mrs. Rankin
the way to an underground station some
little distance northwest. On receiving the
necessary direction he seemed in no hurry
to leave, and finally said:
MADAM, to be plain with you, don
want to go to that place there was store
broken open in Dover last night, and lot
of goods stolen, and we have tracked the
party into your yard. We want, and must
have, the privilege of looking through your
house."
Mrs. Rankin informed him that they did
not harbor thieves or secrete stolen proper
ty that they were perfectly welcome to
search the premises.
Shrofe started TO come in, when Samuel
Rankin, boy of seventeen, who was the
only male person at home, reached over the
door for the rifle, cooked and pointed the
weapon at Shrofe, ordering him at the same
time to.
HALT OR HE WAS A DEAD MAN.
This command he promptly obeyed. A
younger daughter of Mrs. Rankin started
for town to give the alarm, but meeting her
brothers, David and Calvin, on their re-
turn from assisting the fugitive away, she
related the occurrence and sped on her way
to town, while the young men hurried to
! the house. The news spread like wild. fire
/ In the town below that there was party
of slave-hunters assaulting the Abolition
fortress on the hill, and 1t was not many
minutes until excited gangs of men were
swarming up the hillside who were ready
to annihllate the slave. if they per.
sisted in their endeavors. The slave hunt.
ers seeing the odds against them thought
discretion the better part of valor, and GO
ing to Ripley they sought the Office of Chas
| F. Campbell, Justice Of the Peace, fol
legal redress, but he informed Mr.. Rey-
nolds, the owner OF the slave, that there
was no law in Ohio recognizing property II
msn. The party returned to the Rankin
house. and were told they could select 4
man and Mrs Rankin another, as com
mittee to search the house. This was agreed
to, but the ones appointed reported tina
there was no colored man concealed therein
REYNOLDS grew indignant at this answer,
| and tbraatenad IN search the house himself