Still, William, Underground Rail Road:
A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, Etc.

Porter & Coales, Publishers, Philadelphia, PA, 1872
Call Number: 1400, MSA L1117

MSA L1117, Image No: 476   Enlarge and print image (44K)

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Still, William, Underground Rail Road:
A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, Etc.

Porter & Coales, Publishers, Philadelphia, PA, 1872
Call Number: 1400, MSA L1117

MSA L1117, Image No: 476   Enlarge and print image (44K)

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ARRIVAL FROMHIGHTSTOWX, 1858. 451 was one of " the torn down, devilish dispositions, all the time quarreling and fighting, and would swear like an old sailor." Jt was iu consequence of these evil propensities that her ladyship was intolerable to Roberta. Without being indebted to her owners for any privileges, she had managed to learn to read a. little, which knowledge she valued highly and meant to improve in Canada. Roberta professed to be a Christian, and was a member of the Bethel Methodist Church. Her servitude, until within four years of her escape, bad been passed in Arirginia, under Mrs. McCoy's father, when to accommodate the daughter she was transferred to Baltimore. Of her parentage or relatives no note was made on the book. It was sad to see such persons destitute and homeless, compelled to seek refuge among strangers, not daring to ask the slightest favor, sympathy or prayer to aid her, Christian as she was, from any Christian of Baltimore, wearing a fair skin. ARRIVAL FROM IIIG HTSTOWN, 1858. ROBERT THOMPSON (A PREACHER). Slavery exempted from the yoke no man with a colored skin no matter what his faith, talent, genius, or worth miglit be. The person of Christ in a black skin would scarcely have caused it to relinquish its tyrannical grasp; neither God nor man was regarded by men who dealt in the bodies and souls of their fellow-inen. Robert stated to the Committee that he fled from " John E. Laten, a very hnrsli kind of a farmer, who drank right smart," that on the morning- he " took out," while innocent of having committed any crime, suddenly in a desperate fit of passion, his master took him " by the collar," at the same time calling loudly to " John " for " ropes." This alarming assault on the part of his master made the preacher feel as though his Satanic majesty had possession of him. In such a crisis he evidently felt that preaching would do no good ; he was, however, constrained to make an effort. To use his own words, he said : " I gave a sudden jerk and started off on a trot, leaving my master calling, ' stop.' stop!' but I kept on running, and was soon out of sight." The more he thought over the brutal conduct of his master the more decided be became never to serve him more, and straightway he resolved to try to reach Canada. Being in the prime of his life (thirty-nine years of age) and having the essential qualifications for (raveling over the Underground Rail Road, he was just the man to endure the trials consequent upou such an undertaking. Said Robert: " I always thought slavery hard, a very dissipated life to live. I always thought we colored people ought to work for ourselves and