The times., 1898-11-07
JOHN HOOKER'S SLAVE.

AT a recent meeting of the Connecticut
Historical Society John Hooker, of Hart
ford. related this personal experience,
showing how he became DID. by the
purchase of a colored clergyman. who
| such d title as a slave:
For several years before the passage
of the fugitive slave law the Rev James
w. Pennington, full-blooded negro. was
the pastor of a Congregational church of
colored people at Hartford. He was a
faithful pastor. and very much respected
| by the clergy of the city. as well as by
the people generally No one knew or
| suspected that he was fugitive slave.
But short time before the passage
OF the act he came to me for a most
confidential consultation and advice. He
told me that he was a fugitive slave and
that he had never divuiged the fact to any
of his people in Hartford, nor even to
his wife. He disclosed the fact TO me
that | might attempt to negotiate with
his master for the purchase of his free
dom.
He was born the slave of Frisb.e Tilgh-
man, of Hagerstown. Nd, and remained
his slave until he ran away, when he was
eighteen years old; he was now about
forty The name which he now bore was
an assumed one. his name as slave v;as
Jim Pembroke" After his escape he
found protection and assistance in q
Quaker family in Pennsylvania, whose
kindness he had ever since remembered
with the greatest gratitude. He had al
ready, in a stealthy way, learned to read
little, but here he began those studies
which, ever since pursued with unremeit-
TING rfn nd kpd baI
man of intelligence and something of
scholar. After a while he entered the
Christian ministry. and was licensed and
ordained as minister, and, / have
represented, was now settled over Con-
gregational church of coIored people at
| Hartford
That he could preach quite acceptably 1
knew. as I had often heard him, and at
| one time the Rev. DIR. Porter of Farm
ington. had exchanged with him, and the
| people of the quiet old town had been as
| tonished. some of them shocked. by see
\ ing one of the blackest OF men in their
| pulpit After two or three consultations il
was decided that 1t was best for him to
| go to Canada and remain while the nego-
| tiatiOn was pending. After he had left
the city wrote to Mr.. Tflghman, stating
| that l did so in behalf of his former
! slave, "Jim Pembroke" who was then
4 oul vi tAt GOuHllf dliu DtyONu ftdtur
but was willing to pay a small sum for
| his legal freedom l took care, of course
| TO give him no intimatiun or his adopted
name, nor of his place of residence. Mr..
Tiighman wrote me in reply that Jim
| was first-rate blacksmith and well
worth 81 1.0o9." and that as servants were
! then very high, he could not take less
| than $500.
! The sum demanded was much beyond
my informing him of Mr.. Tilghman's de-
I mand, we decided that 1t was not safe
| for him to return TO Hartford, but that
| it was best for him to go to England.
were he would find many friends among
I the aboiitionists there. He did So and
was abroad about two years He found
warm friends whenever he went, and on
I visiting Heidelberg. in Germany, was
made a doctor of divinity by the univer-
: sity there. When the fugitive slave law
was passed, in 1S0, which. of course,
made it out of the question for him TO
( return TO America as a fugitive slave, he
! was In Scotland, and friends there deter
mined to take the matter in hand and
I raise the necessary money to secure his
] freedom. whatever might be the amount
required, and appointed committee TO
j attend to the matter and correspond with
/ me on the subject.
I Upon nearing from tne committee tnat
1 they wished TO renew the correspondence
I with Mr. Tilgham, and to agree to pay
! him whatever he should finally insist
I upon. l wrote him. stating that Jim was
I now in England. and would not return
! unless his freedom was secured. and ask
( ing what was the lowest price he would
take for his freedom A stranger replied
+ stating that Mr. Tilghman was dead and
! that he was his administrator and that
I in the circumstances, as he desired to
/ close up the settlement of the estate. he
would take $50 He added that as admin
: istrator he had no power to manumit
but could only sell the slave, and the
/ purchaser could manumit, and wished me
( 10 name the person to whom the bill OF
sale was to be made. Mr.. Joseph r. Haw-
ley. since our senator at Washington. was
+ then my junior law partner. and he al
once went to Maryland. carrying the mon
j ey Ga larger sum than was necessary had
/ been sent me by the Scotch friends), and
( by my direction. took bill of sale to me
| | thus became a STAKEHOLDER and the own
| er of a doctor of divinity. On receiving
! the bill of sale held it for day to see
/ what the sensation would he and then
/ executed a deed of manumission.