The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1895-06-20
"REMINISCENCES OF THE IN
DERGROJ-ND RAILWAY

During the early COS St. Paul was
q way station on the great highway OF
the fugitive slavc-thc underground
railway" Many a black maa and
woman found the way to freedom and
Il home on the Canadian side Oi the
boundary through the Offices Of the
people who came to their rescu0 at st
Paul.
One OF the lowly phiIanthropists
who did 50 much for the individual
members Of their race in St. Paul 7till
lives here, in fact, there are several
mere still, Joseph Farr, who. III the
years from 1880 to 1850, helped many
d slave 10 freedom. is drawing on to 4
comfortable old age, surrounded by 4
clever family and in a cosy home earn
ed by lis own industry.
Farr was bornin Washington sixty
three years ago aud came West to
Galena. Ill, at the age Of twelve years.
He came thence to St Paul in 1880.
For two years prior to settling at St.
Paul, Farr was on the river; he was
cabin boy on the old DR.. Franklin, and
ne hecame accustomed to seeing the
desperate efforts made oy slaves VINO
place Jf safety. When Farr came 10
81 Paul to ll;e he went to work for
his uncle, William Taylor. who kept
q barber shop next II the old post
once q at Minnesota and Ihlro street
, 'oi "a9 !" 81! "eil hi'" II Tll2'
acIef ana tne IeaaeI oi tAe c'ioIeo
people mere Ia tho7e 4alkS, an zen =, IL
-@'SI T"iz, ne "a9 -. NI-i''.' Of ne u.
tI,.l,7 ,I..n "''iill7 Ine '5Io,'A o'1ole IL ~
Ino-, Another wen Aho"4 coiote.' lt'
'n Mh?7e ,IiE4l 1 mr.. l5 S'll1',''a, 80 'l.J @
=. ~ ~ = D,''' ~ 49,, l',',' fsil' ~ -''.t
I,''7 ''' - l 5,''' Gu " u ",'9 oL's -
,t''' '-''7' 's'i' '''',' - - ~
'l-.'9 " no "'iS S,'115i'lt,' \, III INC ''--
o.,'l'' inv
1lr. arr talked OF the tsEInS days
before .le war to Pioneer ir@a7 re
porter The other evening &s ne sat IA
ms paglor safrollu4ed ~ his ldmi.E.
Two of Mr.E arr $ daughters are teach
er7 ~ tie puhHc schools, and he IS
man of intelligence himself. tie
greatly feSfett1 not having preserved
the memoirs q the aiiaifa lIat TOOK
place Wmle the underground was III
operation, for the names and dates
have escaped hIin.
Tha!-ndarcronnl Route
i THINK. sdld hlf. arr, "that there
must hay" boen nifty or sixty coiored
people here IN lS2o, and they were al
concerned ia getting the slaves ont OF
the way OF their pursuers. We even
went farther than that, and made
arrangements TO get then away Ifom
their owners, Inc prlheiPa agents
III ine BUSINESS at =, tni9 ehI Were ny
Uncle " imam laylof' Dayla 10
wards ana a man wi VINO .. "orh9d ne IoF my
'hcie, aiie9 ny .I.. Mt,lili lii il1Ie ,.3 "aS
no society OF any 'lliIiS u 'llaO h'ltI'
out we were dolh@ Whatever {, we GouI.i. 9,
We hao man named I-i'Sei,e Derry
q co.ored man ana ne USED 70 iaAe
care OF the escaped = SAVES ID | onI ol N'a-
i'I'"' G'i 5''i a. - 'Il''i''i - . i''ILi
-i"LileI ,I JohiiSoHi anu ne u9e'' " Se'
up al hIlI,'9 oI Stile,:Li1,9 .iL - % tIe ,i
7l''N,'7 "N'E !loili llI'-'l l'',.7'1i 81 > i''
"o't'd od5S'us7 'Ho-n d wei do ~
Gpold ana get 'heiI "ooaio lne ~.
RANKIN ana lhen per-. "oulu laA9
ch"fSe OF 'liehi an" 81o" thenl away
among Tue iI@lSb'' -,
" heh lhe poa' came iiito d; iaui
my Uncle OF one one oI 'ne 9'ntil' ii l nav M
S''i So''..' "o,'-,' ~, a. ~ 1',' ~
lu' lt.1"'iN' "oI'l't pr ,'io'l@ =, ~ ~
uncle ; mouse, Whe[e llNe". CJe =,
cape that l fei1erno5f -, very wen VIII
i!Ij'7'tate IIe dllHc'''tle7 we na0 aI
times:
One Sunday morni z IN the sum
mer Of 1892 the boat brought up
fine looking, well dressed young col
ored fellow. He had plenty OF clothes
and was much better dressed than
was common with colored people at
that time. Engene Berry brought HIM
straight TO my uncIe's house, winch
was right across the street from my
uncle's barber shop on Third street.
When he came INTO the house he sat
down and begun to cry at a tremend-
ous rate and kept it up while Berry
took my uncle and myself to one side
'-..: - - - III -
her master at Galena The owner
had brought her North, and when
johnson went and proposed to her that
she escape she was uckIed to death.
Ii was easy enough to get her out Of
Galena. but the trouble was to get her
to a place Of safety. And the ,naster
would know that she had come on to
81. Paul and would soon be after her