The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-04-14
Death of Remarkable Negro Woman
Who Was Nurse, Scout and Spy

threw him over her shoulder.
She was dragged down, but kept her
hold on the slave. Aroused to lighting
pitch by her splendid courage, the
crowd massed around her and dragged
her and the slave to the river, where
the fugitive was thrown into a boat,
which pulle out.
AS the slave owners had paid agents
in Philadelphia, she decided to estab-
liSh her free slaves elsewhere and
started a settlement at Cape May, N.
j.. in 1852. This place was successful
ly managed by her with the aid Of
Thomas Gerrett, the Quaker abolition
ist, Of Wilmington, Del She personal
1y escorted 300 negroes to freedom in
parties Of one to nine.
The fugitive slave law enforcement
made her work more difficult each year.
Driven from Pennsylvania and New
Jersey, she came to New York. The
bred Scott decision in a1S57 forced her
to establish her last station on the I'M
~derground in Canada. At this time
Auburn came into prominence as one
Of the underground stations, and Will
liam Fl. Seward, later Lincoin's Sec
rotary of state, was one of Harriet's
best supporters, giving literally from
his private funds to pay Carfare for
fugitlVeS from Auburn to Suspension
Bridge. where they got&into Canada.
When, in 1868, 1t was decided to use
negro troops, Harriet pleaded to be ap-
pointed an army nurse. When the Fiji
ty-fOurth Massachusetts volunteers
marched away from camp at ReadViIIe,
Mass, under the command of Col. Rob-
ert Gould Shaw, Harriet left for the
south with a commission in her dress
pocket from Governor Andrew. Down
at Por Royal she cooked for Colonel
Shaw and dined with him, to, on oc-
CasiOns. when she had important in
formation to impart.
When she was not acting as cook,
she secuted around the enemy's lines.
where she listened, and returned to
repeat many things to the union off,
GERS that they were glad to know, On
one occasion, she informed Major
General Hunter at Hilton Head Of
mines planted in the river, and sever
al %gunbOats sent to the scene removed
a lot of torpedoes that would have
smashed an expedition that was about
to pass over this dangerous ground.
Called General Tuhman".
Harriet lived for a time at the home
of Emerson, in Concord, and spent
some time visiting the family Of Will
liam Lloyd Garrison, the AIcotts, the
Whitneys, Mrs. Horace Mann, and
Phillips Brooks.
Illustrative of Harriet's hold upon
III OiilNCA VI hAC III anu LllSII kOLI-
fidenCe in her. one of her many war
time passes may be quoted showing
the privileges she enjoyed. 1t was is
sued to her by Major General David
Hunter at Port Royal, near Hilton
Head, headquarters of the department
of the south in 1863. 1t reads:
Pas the bearer, Harriet Tubman,
to Beaufort and back to this place,
and wherever she wishes to go; and
give her free passage at all times on
all government transports. Harriet
was sen to me by Governor Andrew
Of Massachusetts, and is a valuable
woman. She has permission, as a
servant of the government, to pur-
chase such provisions from the COM
mjssary as she may need.
David Hunter,
"Major-General Commanding"
After the war Harriet located in Au-
burn, N. Y, permanently. She was the
| widow of a man named Tubman, who
died in the south and later she mar
ried Nelson Davis.
In 1896 she bought a portion of what
was known as the Beardsley estate
north of her property. and founded in
that year the Harriet Tubman home,
converting the former dwelling into
the home. .