Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-03-27
A Conductor on the
Underground Railroad
BY JARED WILLIAMSON
/, Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

Comparatively few persons of the
present generation would know the
meaning of the underground railroad
The underground railroad comprised :
,, few abolitionists-1S4Ot to 1S6O-wht
were engaged in helping runawa,
;; slaves to reach free territory. Any
one of these railroaders if caught at
their work, especially during the last
few years prior to the civil war. would
Il have been hanged instantly.
~ One evening in the winter Of 1856
colporteur, riding on horseback
stopped at country house near Nash
vile, Tenn, and, calling for the owner
announced to him that he intended
to start series of religious meet
ings in the neighborhood. Mr.: Boone
: the gentleman he addressed. imbued
; with true southern hospitality, asked
the stranger to dismount and be his
guest for as long period as he liked.
"1'm not what is usually called a
religious man." said Mr.. Boone, but
, respect the cloth, and I'll do all I
-. can TO- yo', subj"
;. The colporteur, who gave his name
las David Singleton, accepted the invi.
tation, removed his addlebags-then
used in lieu of a suit case-turned his
: horse over to a negro slave and went
into the house.
II judge, suh," remarked Mr.. Boone,
from yo' accent that yo' a from the
rnsfh "hi1o in,
house, trust that yo' have none of
the abolition notions prevalent among
yo' people,"
II can prove, sir" replied the colpor-
teur, from the Bible that the institu-
ton Of slavery is a divine institution"
This was perfectly satisfactory to
Mr.. Boone, who gave himself no fur
Their concern about his guests pro-
slavery proclivities. He one day caught
Mr.. Singleton talking with one Of his
negroes-Bill, young man with 81
wife and child-whom he (Boone) was
expecting to sell. separating the fam
fly. But at frightened glance from
Bill, who saw his master coming, the
colporteur drew bundle of tracts from
his pocket, gave them to the slave, and
by the time the master came up was
enjoining the negro to repent and be
saved. Mr.. Boone failed to suspect
that the northerner was tampering
with his slave.
One evening party Of gentlemen
from the neighborhood gathered in Mr..
Boone's house for game Of poker,
always popular in the south, and at
which Mr.. Boone considered himself
proficient. He apologized to Singleton
for not inviting him to take a hand,
giving as reason that the latter's vo-
cation was not in accord with the
game. The colporteur sat beside the
table watching the game, occasion.
ally asking stupid question with re-
gard to it. For instance, he wished to
know If the one spot, as he called the
ace, was the lowest card in the pack
and It the knave would take the king
7 Finally one of the players. winking at
the others, invited the locker on to take
a hand. OF course he declined, but the
players continued to force him to play,
and by their united efforts succeeded.
But Mr.. Singleton could not be pre-
vailed upon to take out his money, 50
one Of the party who had won literally
showed ten one-dollar bills before him.
D The colporteur continued his stupid
questions and remarks about the game,
Y but from the first held very good
hands. He did not seem to know their
value. often betting most on the weak
lest. But somehow he won more on
~ poor hands than the others did on
large ones. !. ~. ...
R midnight Mr.. SINGLETON. playing