The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-02-11
Many Of the escaping fugitives were
armed nv their avn Dathizera while IN the

armed by their sympathizers while on the
way north. They were advised to use
their weapons only when forced 70 do 80 al
the last extremity Of self defense, and ther
to strike hard and spare not" Amulatto
named Free, living at Springfield, had d
fine team Of horses and piled regularly be.
tween Springfield and Chicago, carrying
negroes on their way to freedom. As he
was poor, but never received any money
from his passengers, and as Spring field was
then the home of many benevolent people,
it is fair to presume that his labor was com.
penssted. Once, while near Washington
in Tazewell Co., he was pursued by some
one and shot In the shoulder. Hebrew an
old rusty musket in selfdefense, when his
ASSISTANTS, three In number, fled.
A NEGRO SOLD AT HENNEPIN.
About 1885, a negro appeared at Henne-
pin, as others had before, and many since,
but he came as tramp. He had no visible
means Of support nor cash Ia the bank, or
wealth in his pocket nor seemed TO want
any, lie had no narrowing tale to tell of
suiferings as slave, and didn't seem desir
Gus Of going to Canada, or anywhere, In
particular When hungry, he could get
plenty Of food at any kitchen door by the
simple act of rapping thereon. His black
face, kinky hair and shining ivories furn-
ished an ample certificate for square meal
at any house IN the village, and to bask in
the sun 10 any comfortable corner, was the
fullest measure Of his ambition This con
duct at length grew monotonous to the cit
liens, and when work was offered and he
declined 1t with contempt, they "soured
on him." and he was arrested under the
vagrant act or the old "black laws" of this
State, publicly advertised for sale for his
keeping and costs Of the suit. At first the
abolitionists of that county were greatly ex.
ercised about 1t, and many attended the
sale to take such action as outraged human.
ity and the principles of freedom might
require; but as no brutal master with
chains and blood hounds came to capture
or claim him as property, and there was
nothing in his case to appeal to sentiment,
they allowed the sale to proceed, and the
negro was knocked off" at pubic auction
to VIM. M. Stewart, for one dollar and the
costs attending, who took the colored
brother to the country and put him to work
on the farm, allowing him regular wages,
until he had earned suit of clothes and
little pocket money and then started him
forward on. the great Northern line"
A LIVELY CORPSE.
On one occasion, a negro, almost fright
ened out of his senses, came running into
the house of Mr. Asa Cunningham, near
the village of Henry, and begged for pro-
lection. He had escaped from Missouri
and been closely followed all the way by
some one who evidently had Identified the
runaway. Sometimes the negro was so
closely pursued that he had to hide In the
woods or under hedge, and once by crawl.
Ing into slough on the prairie! Though
he frequently threw his followers off the
right track for day or a few hours, they al.
ways found it again, probably not without
the aid of disinterested persons o. who
had met the fugitive and rightly concluded
him to be running away from his master
That morning he had been resting himself
by the roadside, when he discovered an ap.
preaching horseman, his pursuer, whom he
now recognized for the first time, as he was
closer than ever 1t was his MASTER The
slave owner did not see the negro, and
came on and stopped a: tavern near Mr..
Cunningham The latter was the village
undertaken, and quickly Matched up
scheme to save the cOlored man. Hitching
his I'D blind horse to the wei. known
hearse, he loaded in the negro enclosed In
coffin, and drove through town in his US
Nal melancholy way to Hennepin, where
he opened the coffin and let out the black
est and liveliest corpse imaginable and he
soon reached Ottawa and was safe from
further pursuit. J.G.A.