The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-03-22
OF UNCLE TOMS CABIN.
Some Of the People who Figured
Therein are still Living.
Correspondence of the Press.


an interesting history for being one Of
the stations on the Underground Railroad
that passed through Cincinnati, as well
as for having once sheltered from her
pursuers girl whose experience subse-
quently furnished Mrs. Stowe with many
facts for her 'Uncle Toms Cabin"
The house is situated on the crest of
hill, and from its weatherbeaten and
somewhat dilapidated porch one can look
away southwark over one of the most
charming and fertile valleys in southern
Ohio, across which the rails Of the Mari
eta and Cincinnati railroad glisten in
parallels with the sluggish waters of the
Miami canal The man who selected this
site must have had in his constitution
more of the love for the picturesque than
is usually attributed to the rigid sect to
which he belonged. This man was John
Van Zandt, a Quaker, born in Kentucky,
Who moved to Ohio long before the war
and settled on farm north of the city,
near the present suburb of Glendale. He
identified himself with the Underground
Railroad work, and his services in the
| rescue of the young girl alluded to made
him the subject of one of Mrs. Stoves
characters in "Uncle Toms Cabin"
where he figures as Van Tromp.
At the time Mrs. Stowe wrote "UncIe
Toms Cabin" she lived in the east, but
the material was arranged during her
| residence in Cincinnati, and the house
ON Walnut Hills in which she lived still
stands. While the facts upon which the
story is built were CLEANED from far and
near, the originals of many of the char
acters figured in Mrs. Stoves every day
life. For instance, her own husband,
Professor Stowe, figures as Senator
Bird; the Simeon Halliday of the story
was Levi Coffin, who died only few
years ago, and Rachel, his good wife,
was none other than Catherine Cof-
fin, wife of Leyi Eliza Harris was
Eliza Cox, a seamstress in Mrs. Stoves
family; Richard Dillingham; was a
young Quaker from Morrow county, O.,
who came to Cincinnati to teach the
colored people, and whose enthusiasm
led him to Nashville in behalf of slave,
where he was arrested and imprisoned
and died before his release; George
he is known as George Clarke. OF course
all of these characters represent the adj
ventures of more than one person, whose
identities have been lost in that of the
principal person making the character.
The adventures of Eliza Harris, for in
stance, are those of a number of slave
girls, recorded as those of one person, a
thing that was necessary to avoid cum
bering the story with confusion of
characters. .
The young girr-who furnished the
name of Eliza Harris to the character
was slave from Kentucky, the property
of man who lived few miles back
from the Ohio river, below Ripley, o.
Her master and mistress were kind to
her and she had comfortable home.
But financial embarrassment forced the
master to sell his slaves. When Eliza
learned that she and her only living child
were to be separated, she resolved to
make her escape that night. When
darkness settled and the family had
retired, she started with her child in her
arms for the Ohio river, expecting to be
able to cross on the ice, but when she
reached its banks, at daybreak, she was
appalled, to find the ice broken up and
drifting in large cakes. She ventured
to house near by, where she was given
permission to remain during the day,
hoping to find some way to cross be-
fore night. But her absence had been
quickly noted by her master, ard before
nightfall rursuers appeared at the house.
With the courage of desperation she
seized her child and darted out through
back door, resolved to cross the river
or perish in the attempt. The men fol-
lowed in close pursuit, congratulating
themselves that the chase was nearly
ended. But they stood appalled, when
they saw their victim spring upon the
ice and make for the Ohio shore, spring
ing from cake to cake with marvellous
agility. Sometimes the cake would sink
beneath her weight, and she would slide
her child on to the next cake and pull
herself on with her hands, and thus con-
tinued her hazardous journey. She be-
came wet to the waist with ice water and
benumbed with cold when she reached
the Ohio shore, and was SO exhausted
that she would have drowned on the Dor
der of liberty had not a man who had
watched her daring feat assisted her up
the bank, She was taken to the house
Of Rev. John Rankin, a Presbyterian
minister, whose family still lives at Rip
ley, and cared for. Thence she was for
warded through Cincinnati to the house
OF Levi Coffin, then living at Newport,
Ind, just over the Ohio line, and from
there was sent to Canada.
The young girl who was rescued
through the daring of Professor Stowe and
the sacrifice of John Van Zandt was Eliza
Cox, who also came from Kentucky,
and was for some time in the service
OF Mrs. Stowe as seamstress. She came
into Ohio by consent of her mistress, with
the understanding that her brother was
to stand as hostage for her return
Slaves in Kentucky were treated with
much humanity, and visits to friends
across the river were frequent lndul-
gences. Mrs. Stowe met the young girl
and her sympathies were excited. Hav-
ing come into the state by consent OF her
mistress she was, by the laws OF Ohio.
entitled to her freedom, and she resolved
not to return to slavery, resolution IN
which she was encouraged by Mrs.
Stowe. Professor Stowe went before the
proper authorities, secured papers attest
ing her freedom, and all danger of pur-
SUIT was supposed to be over.
But after some time word was sent to
Professor Stowe from various sources
that the girls master was in Cincinnati
looking for her. Under the laws she was
secure, but there were in the city some
Justices of the peace who would issue
warrant for the arrest of any coloredper
son designated, and with this process the
object of their search could be arrested
and taken across the river before any
thing could be done in her behalf.
Once in Kentucky the master was easy
victor. Professor Stowe determined to
carry the girl to some place OF security till
the inquiry for her was over. At night
Professor Stowe secured a horse and
wagon and performed the part of Sena-
tor Bird. After drive of ten miles from
the Walnut Hills residence, along a soil
tary road, and crossing creek at very
dangerous fording, they arrived at the
bone of John Van Zandt. After some
rapping Van Zandt appeared, candle in
hand, and, as has been narrated, the fol-
lowing conversation took place:
"Are you the man that would save a
poor colored girl from kidnapers?'
Guess am; where is she?'