Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1903-12-17
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
by Dr. G. Pickett.
CHAPTER ".

l
able episode in the history of this
country and from its conspicon
absence from our written history
it might we'll be doubted, but the
occurrences here related are sub
stantially true and are many of
them dramatically described in
Uncle Toms Cabin. Indeed the
thing reads almost like fairy
tale but the necessities of the
cases seemed always to justify
the means used even to the pre-
varication from the whole truth
that the participants were often
compelled to resort to. Here is
one instance where the ingenuity
and daring bravery of a woman
was plainly shown and fully rea-
lied by some men who had for
their purpose the taking of two
escaped girls back to slavery.
One Milly Wilherson if | re-
member the name right, lived in
a colored settlement near the
mouth of Cabin Creek where it
joins White River in Randolph
county. This settlement were
free colored people who had been
emancipated by their master or
masters IN term and settled there.
By some means best known to the
officers of the underground rail-
road, two girls of II and 10 years
or perhaps less, grandchildren of
Mrs. Wilherson had escaped from
their masters in Tennessee and
stopped with their grand parents,
Mrs. and Mrs. w. The master
who was said to be a preacher
hearing of the whereabouts of his
property came to a neighboring
settlement of white people col
lected posse of fifteen armed
men headed by another preacher
and with an officer and search
warrant proceeded to the Wilher-
son home which consisted of two
log cabins built few feet apart
with the space between enclosed
making three rooms but having
only one outside door. Mr..
Wilkersou was not at home. Mrs.
Wilkerson was powerful woman
but little past the prime of life,
Weighing over 200 pounds and
who could use an ak or a rifle
equal to the average back woods
man. When she saw her home
and loved ones thus threatened
she did not faint nor scream but
just planted herself in the door
armed not like the more modern
Carrie" with a Ratchet, but
with good broad corn cutter
CA pretty formidable weapon |
imagine) told the men she would
hew in peices the first man and
the next, who attempted to enter,
with as much neatness and dis
patch as Old Samuel did Agag
the Amalekiteish king before the
Lord. She had grandson with
her in the house, mere lad but
who had some of the blood of
his grandmother in his veins,
whom she dispatched through a
back window and ordered him to
mount horse after getting the
triumper that hung on the wall
and blow for ode Lords" sake to
raise the neighbors. The slave
hunters seeing the boy on the
horse commanded him to stop but
he was not just then in a stop
ping mood, nor did he stand on
the order of his going but went.
The men fired several shots at
him and one grazed his elbow,
but this only made him ride the
faster and blow the harder. Soon
a large number of colored people
were on the ground-these were
allowed to pass in and out of the
cabin at will, but the officer with
the search warrant was not al
lowed to enter. While this was
going on the girls were dressed
in boys clothing. An intelligent
son of the old lady demanded to
see the NUarreut read II SLOWLY