Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-05-13
A Journey in a Coffin.

A Boston correspondent Of the New
York Tribune writes: Do / remem-
Der any incidents of the underground
railroad that haven't got into print p
said an old abolitionist and slave-res-
cuer the other night in response to q
question well, there is one Story
that | don't remember to haye seen in
the books or the papers. In 1859, just
IN the height of agitation, s., our
agent at Columbia, 5. c., had occasion
to ticket middle-aged negro, job Van
cey by name, through to Providence, ,R.
l., by the underground. Job had shell
tered a runaway in his cabin and had
been betrayed by another negro. He
learned the situation and came into CO.
iumbia'in the middle Of the night. There
wasno hope of concealing him. Our
agent had thought of new means of
shipment that he had never tried. This
was his opportunity to try it, for job
was clear grit strong with the well-knit
strength of middle age, and patient as
his namesake.
s. got a large coffin that he kept
for the emergency, and into this coffin
he put poor job, and with him guam
tity of crackers, cheese, dried meat and
a rubber bag full of water. A few gim-
blet holes admitting air. On the first
train the next Observation-Disclosures went
off, shipped as corpse to chosen ad-
dress IN Providence. Trainmen were
general respectful of the dead in those
days, and Job travelled comfortable for
a time, barring the hours that he Oc-
caslonally lay on some depot platform
in the broiling southern sun. Travel
was slow, and sometimes the treatment
was little rough. Job after day or
SO began to get exceedingly lame with
the confinement and pressure, his grim
berth grew irksome, but it was when
the loud shouts and laughter of his own
kind died away around him, and when
that and the sickening chill came over
him when they dumped him one night
on the stone floor of a cold baggage
room somewhere told him that he was
in the north, and he began to suffer
The mere consciousness that he was in
the north might have buoyed him up,
however, if it had not been for one
dreadful circumstance.
There was a sort of faint gleam
around him that told that 1T was day,
and he must have been in New York :,
for he says that he knew that he had
been carried across some water by the
sensation of rising and falling that he
had felt. He had felt himself ratified
along in wagon, too, and the wagon
had brought up in a place where he had
heard the clatter and the roar of trains
again. His coilic was dragged violent =
ly out Of the wagon and when his bear :
ers put him down they stood the cotli
against WALTON his head. JOB be.
gan to feel the blood rushing to his
head. lie felt that he was lost, and
would die. but he dared not shout for
help, as that would mean discovery, a
delivery to his owners, and worse than
death. Better die there Z; even horri-
ble death from torture, than be carried
back to his masters plantation. He
clung to the determination, but at last
felt his weakened senses give way. His
consciousness, after minutes Of agony,
which seemed hours, was lost.
'When he recovered Job had actually
arrived at Providence and his new
found frends-better friends than he
had eyer known-were using their best
endeavors to restore him. In a few
days he was able to step out into the
world, in a home in chosen village, a
| free man.