The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-05-14
The Underground Railway.
BY M. HEDGE.

Uncle Peter Williams, one of our
straightforward colored citizens, tells
a most interesting story Of his escape
from slavery. 1t is instructive to the
student because it shows the desper
ately demoralized condition OF the
South shortly after Lincoln's eman-
cipation proclamation. He was work.
ing on a plantation in Marion county,
Missouri owned by man by the name
of BaIlinger. The colored people had
all heard of Lincolns glad message.
AS summer approached when they
could live in the open they gradually
left their masters and out for free
dom-that for which they had longed
from the dawn of reason. On We'd
nesday morning early in May, 1868, ne
with three other companions much
younger than himself, started for Han
nibal fifteen miles away. Here they
were set across the river to the I'LL
nois side in an old rickety fiat boat
propelled and guided by oars. The
passage was made after nightfall once
week. Secretly for fear of molesta-
ton by the authorities, 1t was run by
a company of river rats both white
and black. They found out as near as
they could what money each passenger
had and charged him that amount.
Having once started for the North y
was unsafe for them to remain long
on Missouri soil, They dare not cross
the river in the regular way. Using
this as a pressure these tiatboat sche-
mers extorted unreasonable sums
from these unframed wayfarers. The
women and children were carried free.
On this night there were fifty men and
twenty-five women and children crowd.
ed on the boat, with little more than
standing room. After drifting several
miles down the river they landed In a
marsh and waded to shore. Without
loss OF time the whole company began
their march on the marshy highway
up the river on the eastern shore,
wading the unbridged sloughs or max
ing use of boats when they could be
found. There were men. women ana
children of almost all ages. Mr.. Will
liams says he carried little child OF
the company almost all the way to
Quincy, their objective point. Toward
morning many became weary and
dropped out in the brush to rest.
Through the day on Thursday they
noticed a number of men on horse
back galloped across the prairies in
front and on either side of the road.
Several men who had undertaken to
escape before, pronounced them spies
and predicted trouble. This caused a
larger number to hide themselves as
best they could. When within fVe
miles of Quincy, H., the company had
dwindled to eighteen men. Here they
were halted by seven mounted men
we'll armed. When they had surren-
dered the Tuffians robbed them OF
everything of any value. told them
that all who had passes could go on
their journey and the others would be
shot, The fugitives told lem that
their company was in charge of mum.
Der of U. S. marshals and they were
expecting them to come up any min
ute. At this the scoundrels rode
away to find other victims. These
men were self-constituted robbers who
had organized to profit by this general
hegira of the colored race. Further
down the river on that same day they
robbed everyone they could find.
Among them was an old couple, who,
out of their penury and lifetime of
toll had accumulated the sum of one
hundred dollars in gold. This the des-
poilers took and then for fear Of being
arrested when the fact became known
they took their reVolvers and dubbed
the almost helpless old man on the