New-York tribune., 1895-02-10
SLATE-HUNTERS.
IN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD DAYS

IN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD DAYS.
From The Midland Monthly.
Slave-hunters appeared before the mousse Oh M''
Quier. I will let him tell his own story:
There were seventy-fve of them. 1t had been the
common custom to enter the premises ana seaten
everywhere. The law did not permit this ana
knew 1t. | had long been suspected of harboring
the blacks. and they very naturally looked towaro
our house as the probable hding-place. l armed my
II an and with gun in hand stepped outside my ooor
as they s.opped at my gate. AS they were ABOUT
10 enter | said to them: Halt! The first man that
comes inside the yard is dead man. They seemed
to understand that | meant 1t, and that wouio
stand no nonsense / knew the law in the case ana
when they demanded their nggers. repiied' Weii
get them if you can, but you can't come upon these
premises until you come armed with the authority
OF the law There Baptist preacher IN the
crowd who began to repeat Scripture to me: Ser
wants obey your masters, ETC. | was terrioy In
censed and used a good deal of language far moro
expressive than polite. | said 10 Abbott one OF the
slave-hunters. 4 could put you on boat on the
Ohio send you TO New-Orleans, put you on the auc-
tion-block and knock you down to the highest bid
der without any trouble for unless you could prove
that YOUR mother was free woman when you was
born YOU couldn't help IL II your soul was 70 oe
eternally damned He had clear negro blood
Those who saw Mr. Quler that day say his right
eous Indignation was something wonderful TO pehoo.
'.They spent hours pareyng and trying 10 erect
a COMPROMISE They wanted 10 see Aunt judy they
said Tell her TO come out said one. Ny wife tn
tered the house and soon returned saying 'Auh'
Judy could not come out. had constant hsnt
with myself | did so want TO fire upon the cro"o'
While knew the country was full OF sympatnzers'
l there a strong abolition sentiment. Sirs'
Armstrong had that morning said 10 her sohs'
Boys thee will load the guns and repair TO Friend
Arynes and assist him
Il desired to hold them as long as possipe 10 give
the friends time to run the refugees out. AT last
hat, fbair
were futile they asked for justice OF the peace.
directed them one that knew was negro sym
pathizer we'll knowing such a warrant as ne wouid
issue would be OF no value-anythin 10 gam ''me'
The negroes would be under way as soon as II was
dark and we must hold the sesrchers here until
thev were gone. At last they left 10 hunt up tne
Justice and secure the proper papers to enable them
TO search our place. i knew the squire woud hoio
them there long as possible. He dallied Win
them until the last train for that day had gons'
and then Informed them of the real facts In oroer
10 secure their warrant they must go TO Indianap-
Oils and the warrant must be served by a United
States marshal So many people were Ignorant Oh
the real facts that the hunters ran, roughshod' over
them -,
Yes it required some nerve for two men to hold
seventy five bay. The Armstrong boys came tnae
night, but the hunters did not return
Those dark days. | was very ofteh gone
from the mill and when the foreman or others IN
quired as to where | had been | invariably replied:
c,Tef,X co,ered my tracks OF the hundreds who
passed through my hands only two boy and "a d
after they had left me- | never allowed myself 10
be caught of the defensive, and had many ha'r'
While the two just mentioned were being led LED
TO "A rendezvous agreed upon. where TWO youis men @
were to met me and assume charge OF them, we
were hurryng along the way mhen Ms Thsyy
did not speak We passed, which circumstahhe h
immediately made me suspicious M sarrsq snsp birk
ory cane. walked back toward them. ana JUST S az
drew sHr my cdo Sw SSen on o them
spoke and | recognized the voice OF one OF me sae
yOnns mistake hn IN MnI the ~ appointed spot only
this Indication of how carefully we @ ieit a OUT
Way tna% Sna hGm T iU Be friend ss were 0 every
My mos; exciting experience Tas na my ,ailN, asr ohs
was as dark night as could We'll be imagined we
Obliged to keep II to ~ Keep @
road across the fields and through the woods; we
and had gone but a little way when we met man.
a neighbor. recognized him even IN the aask-
nizei me He was intensely pro-slavery and !
knew would set the hunters on our track. we az
cavern in the forest We reached the cave with
Tus Moments before heard the baying Of hounds and
knew they had turned the boodhounds loose @ upon POI.
raGs rsp so D we wohs Sas left the and
| Nearer and nearer came the dogs ana nna"s "a
Sag Ssd" MANAGED to secure good club for the black
Instructed him how to use II In an instant sadboSnd m
1 fAe.
and a fierce large-szed bulldog Both We're vera ierS. s
! c,ous beasts Even in the darkness couid sss
| their mouths were iecked with roam ana rhn, rns,r
| moodshot ewes shone red in the darkness they
made no halt The bloodhound In the lead WIN VIZ ,h q
vicious snap sprang straight for me throat o @ .,s
| Hack The heavy club swung through M tne ni al, Snp
| i,nded sollarelv across the neck OF the annaI
killing the brute All this took IN at glance IN IN
~am,a the bulldog. who made straight Tor me. Ny
| c,,b landed upon the dogs head, but only stunned
J him / rained upon him blow after p'ow ana ne was
dead. ...,,oa nc Ua couId h.,r
tho voices of the on-coming searchers They would
| s"or he ,pon us swiftly sped away into the
! darkness We had not gone far before We came 10
| low sa g hole where water commonly stood II was
dry at the time and about IT grew dense hedge OF
| S,imbush s. Upon hands and knees we crawled
through the dense growth and lay down just within
| the sag my instruction to the darky being 10 Kill
| The first who came through. Ne bided our
! time | had determined to Kill II necessary. In .
| few minutes four men appeared on horseback. When
| they came the yet quivering bodies of the dead
| dogs. with terrible profanity they vowed vengeance
| on Quer and the niger. They undertook 10 follow
our trail but soon lost H. They rode away FOR some
distance: returned and took up the trail again; rode
around the sag and away into the darkness. and We
/ heard them planning as they went as 10 where they
| would overhaul We crawled from our hiding
| place and hurried away | reached The next station
| and turned my to the next conductor
| without further alarm and thus ended my work
| 1.-THE Emancipation Proclamation came soon after.
and the Underground Railway was a thing OF the
/ naSf