Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1891-11-21
Renaissance of an Under
ground Railway.
FOR FIRST CLASS IN HISTORY.

The playing of Uncle Toms Cabin has
revived memories of that perilous day
which that book tells of, and I've had
the pleasure of listening to some very
interesting "reminiscences of those times
One can scarcely imagine now the
fervor. the intense earnestness with which
this work, the helping of slaves to their
freedom, was carried on.
"The underground railway" was an
established certainty. Stations were kept
and passengers always arrived and left in
the dark. There were no daylight trains.
There were signals, to be heard, not seen,
and calls; and while there was not so much
regularity as in the railway system of to-
day, there we're certainly a very efficient
corps of conductors and engineers.
You see this work was all carried on
secretly and some times even members of
a family kept secret from other members
the fact that they belonged to the under
ground railway. ~,
The colored people were hurried along
and told the name of their next station.
They would not forget. Oh, no. 1t was
matter OF greater Importance than life
ard death. 1t was matter of life and
worse than death, for a slave to get
caught and sent back.
The refugee always arrived at night
and If tired out he rested till the next
night when someone, if possible, took
him to the next station.
[ want to tell you little story of how
a brave, great-hearted man kept poor
slave from being captured and sent her
on her way to Canada rejoicing.
You must understand that the ones
who helped these colored fugitives were
guilty, in the eyes of the law, of crime
and when house once set out to be a
station to help in this business they were
bound, on account of personal safety, to
keep on and not get caught at it.
Well a certain man undertook to con-
vey a poor colored woman to station
1t was known that there were men on her
track, that she was holly pursued and
might be overtaken at any time.
Her conductor told her that in the
event of approaching strangers, or OF
danger of any sort, that she must jump
from the wagon, hide in the woods and
remain hidden till called by peculiar
whistle, to return to the road.
They were making good time. and time
was precious to both; to the poor colored
woman who was striving for freedom, to
the man who was evading, or breaking
the law: when suddenly the horses were
stopped and the lines we're cut The
conductor knew that he was in the hands
of men working for the reward placed
upon the poor woman's head.
The woman realized this, too, so she
was out and gone, according to instruc-
tons. before the men had left the horses
heads. - ~, s
The conductor was taken into custody.
The wagon was searched, but the only
NAV IL COuNofuC0 Ihos SuCiO
had been anyone else in it, other than the
conductor, was a little bundle of old
clothes which the woman had forgotten
in her fright.
The conductor was placed in jail but
was released the next day on bail. He
had not forgotten his colored charge, so
that night he returned to the place and
gave the cali, hardly expecting it would
be answered. Butt was. The woman
made her way to her friend in the dark
and though she lost her clothes, (which I
hope were made up to her, she gained her
freedom.
The clothes were offered in court. Can
you imagine more ridiculous scope
than this court must have presented? A
few greedy men, for gain, swearing that
the clothes had pecnhar odor which was
proof positive that they had belonged to.
. colored person. The learned judge BE-