The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-07-06
A RUNAWAY SLAVES TALE
For Forty Years Kept Secret by a
Pennsylvania Farmer.
A DREARY AND TRAGIC STORY.

A DREARY AND TRAGIC STORY
From the New York sun.
'In one corner Of farm burying-
ground in Fulton county, Pa, near the
Maryland border,n said resident oi
that county, ''is grave with small
headstone bearing the simple inscrip-
ton, 30, lS93.' Jo was a negro. For
years he worked on the farm where he
died aud was buried in 1898. Every
one in the vicinity knew that he had
cOc.e to the farm a runaway slave, but
not until after he was dead did any one
except the farmer with whom he had
lived so long, and the farmers wife,
know his strange and dramatic story.
Early one morning i'm the fall Of
1888 the owner Of the farm, as he went
out to begin his chores, saw negro sit,
ting on thesbottom step of the back
stOOp with his head in his hands. His
cheeks and eyes were sunktn. The
whites of his eyes were bloodshot. His
clothing was in tatters. Wnnout ~ait-
ing for the farmer to speak, the wretch
ed-lOoking negro said:
AZ am a runaway slave
''The remark was unnecessary. The
farmer knew well what the negro was
the moment he saw him. Like most
Of the residents in that part of Penn
sylvania, this farmer was a States
Rights Democrat and approved of the
fugitive slave law. He asked the negro
where he es.InS from.
Louisiana
This rather amazed the farmer, for
such a thing rs a fugitive slave from
far-away sugar or cotton plantations
was an unheard-of thing in that local
ity. the runaways being invariably
from Maryland or Virginia planta-
tiOns, and the farmer at once suspected
this fOrlorn fugitive of lying TO him, a
suspicion that was not dispelled when
the negro said be was not only from
distant Louisiana, but that he had been
two years making his way to where he
was. Seeing that the farmer mistrust-
ed hm, the runaway said:
"'If belong TO any one In this neigh
borhood he will soon be after me. Let
me stay here until he comes and claims
me. / will work for you until he
comes
This seemed reasonable to the far
mer. While he was opposed TO har-
boring or aiding runaway slaves on
principle, he did not think that he was
called upon TO make it his business to
look up slave owners who had lost
slaves and notify them of the wherea-
bouts of their missing property, so he
went into the house and laid the case
of this fugitive before his wife and ask
ed her what they had best do. She
went out. talked with the runaway
while, and then said:
"'We will keep him here
"a more grateful creature never lived
than this wretched fugitive, and that
night ne told his benefactors his story.
His name was JO. He was born on the
Hopkins plantation in Virginia. When
he grew up he became the property OF
his masters son John, who was doe
tor, and a wicked, desperate man. Jo
was the doctors body servant. One
day his master became incensed at one
of his female slaves and ordered her to
go to her cabin. Then he handed
pistol to Jo, and, taking one himself,
ordered 10 to follow him. They went
to the cabin Of the offending slave.
The doctor ordered her To stand with
her back against the wall. Then he
ordered 10 to shoot her. The woman
begged for her life, and Jo begged his
master not 10 make him murder her.
Hopkins placed the muzzle of his pis-
10 JOS temple and told him to shoot or
be would have his own brains blown
out. Jo fired at the woman's shoulder
and she fell. That seemed to satisfy
the master.
''As Jo discovered aflerward, or as he
had reason to believe, his master, in or
dering him TO shoot the slave woman,
was only training him to more serious
business DR.. Hopkins was a single
man, but he was anxious to marry the
daughter Of rich planter of the neigh
borhoOd. She refused his hand, and
accepted as her suitor a rival OF the
doctor, young man named Wiswell,
a member of an old Virginia family.
One night shortly after Dr. Hopkins
had forced J.l to shoot the slave woman
in her cabin, his master handed him
shotgun, and taking q revolver and a
dirk, ordered 10 TO follow him. The
Wiswell plantation was two miles from
the home Of the young woman who re-
jeeted Hopkins. The accepted suitor
was in the habit Of riding TO the home
Of his intended once or twice week in
the evening. and returning about ten
O'Clock. The road was lonely one.
Or. Hopkins led 10 TO that road and
mile mp it There he ordered him to
hide behind some bushes, and took
place by his side. By and by the sound
of horse galloping down the road was
heard. AS the sound drew nearer Hop
kins. placed his revolver at JOS head
and hissed:
"'If the rider of that horse passes
here you are dead niggeE'
The slave knew wharthat meant,
and he knew that his master would
surely blow out his brains if the impli-
ed order was not carried out. The
horse and its rider came opposite the