Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-03-19

slavery IN It's turderS, ne never cared
to keep any written account Of his ex-
periences; but he estimated that Har-
riet brought to him between 60 and 10
slaves. In letter published in brief
memoir Of her life which was prepared
by one Of her friends, he says of lIar-
riet: "ln truth, never met with any
person Of any color, who had more con-
fidence in the voice Of God, as spoken
direct to her soul. F."
One day she came into his store and
told him that God had revealed to her
the fact that he had some money for
her. He asked her how much she
wanted, and after rejecting a moment,
she said: "About S23 He then
handed her S24 and some odd cents,
which had been sent to him by a gen
tleman in Scotland, who had heard of
Harriet from the reports of Abolition
lists and had consequently forwarded
this sum through Eliza Wigham, secre-
tary of the Edinburgh Anti-Slavery
Society. 1t was the first money Gar
rett had ever received for Harriet. A
year later she came once more to him,
saying that God had told her that he
again had money for her, but not so
much as he had before A few days
previously another gift of ono pound
and ten shillings had come from the
other side of the ocean.
These incidents impressed him with
the conviction, which other people who
came in contact with her also felt, that
she possessed sort of clairvoyant
power. She had no education what
ever, but she assured her Quaker friend
that she. talked with God daily, and
that God talked with her, and said she
felt no fear of being arrested on her
expeditions, because she never went
anywhere unless God sent her, and she
was sure He would protect her.
She took different routes on her Jour
neys, so that but portion of her pro-
teges went through Delaware. At first
she took them only as far as New York
State, but after the Fugitive Slave law
WAS passed sne carried her parties TO
Canada. II wouldn't - she said,
trust Uncle Sam wild my people nc
longer. " During the later years be.
fore the war, she made her own home in
Canada, but she did not stay there
much.
She had various ways of letting the
negroes in Maryland know when she
was likely to appear in their country.
Once she sont a letter so mysteriously
worded that the white people who in
spected it could make nothing of it,
and the negro to whom ii was addressed
had the wit TO clear himself of sus.
picion, when it was read to him, by
refusing to take it and declaring that
it could not be for him. He under
stood it, however, very we'll, and, re.
membering the words which he had
pretended were utter nonsense he con
veyed the message to larriet's brothers
that they were to prepare to fly to the
North with her.
On one occasion she walked boldly
by daylight through a village where
she had lived when slave. She pulled
her sun-bonnet over her face and imi-
tated the gait of an elderly person. In
the market place she bought a pair Of
live fowls. Turning corner, she met
man To whom she had once been
hired out " She twitched the string
that bound the legs Of the chickens
and as they struggled and screamed she
bent over them, and SO hid her face as
she went by her master.
Once she sent her company Of fugi.
tives onward by some secret route, and
started North herself on railroad train.
There were posters in the car offering
$40, 0OO for her head The passengers
read these papers aloud, so that she
learned their purport. At the next
station the dauntless woman left the
car and took train going South, feeling
convinced that no one would suspect
that woman upon whose life price
was set would dare turn her face in that
direction. The reward was promised
by the slave -holders of the region she
was accustomed to visit.
She tolerated no weakness in herself
or in her followers. A toothache tor.
mented her during one Of her journeys.
She took a stone or bit of iron and
knocked the offending tooth out of her
mouth. If any of the band she was
leading faltered through terror or weak
ness, or threatened to lie down on the
way either to die or wait chance to
return home, Harriet in her heroism
had a heroic remedy ready for their
physical or moral faintness. She
simply pointed revolver at their heads
and said; Dead niggers tell no tales
you 20 on or die. :" Young mothers
He'd with her, and Harriet put their
babies into baskets and drugged them
SO they could not cry. The salvation
she sought for her people was worth in
her eyes the most desperate endeavors.
When her fugitives lacked food il
sometimes became necessary to hide
them IN the woods, and then leave them
anu scour the country herself in search
| ol provisions or to learn the best means
OF reaching the next station on theil
trlp. She used songs as signals 10 lei
the poor creatures know as she camt
back to them that it was she and I'd,
| an enemy who approached. Ii in doubt
ful whether music ever sounded sweete,
to human ears than her singing dir
to them, as she hurried on throunf
swamps and tangled forests TO theil
succpr.
Ono night she came to town yher,
| she expected to find friend who haf
before this given her aid. She left heI
party huddled together in the street il
q pouring rain, and advancing to thu
| dnur o. the house where she ha,
formerly visited she gave psculia
rap, which she Rnew her friend woult
recognize. y white man put his hcaf
out Of the window and gruily demanded
what she wanted She asked for hel
acquaintance, and was told that ht
had been forced to leave tho place fo
harborin9 niggers, DAYLIGHT WA
close at hand. Discovery seemer
Imminent; but Harriet hesitate,
only a moment before she rnmpmbere,
a swamp lying near the village. ant
into its recesseH she led tho slaves
They lay down in the tall, damn grass
Iney were hungry and they wer,
frightened, but Harriet dared not Q,
for FOOD, lest the man she had rouser
should have suspected her and So
officers on the search. There was
mir Of twin hnLLns IN .h1 r.n-t.. u.