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| 392 THE UNDERGROUND RAIL ROAD. and " deadly against anything like freedom." He held fifteen of his fellow-men in chains. For John's hire he received one hundred and fifty dollars a year. He was, therefore, ranked with first-class "stock," valued at $1,500. WILLIAM was about thirty-five years of age, neat, and pleasing in his manners. He would be the first selected in a crowd by a gentleman or a lady, who might want a very neat-looking man to attend to household affairs. Though he considered Captaiu Cunningham, his master, a " tolerable fail-man," he was not content to be robbed of liifl liberty and earnings. As he felt that he "could take care of himself," he decided to let the Captaiu have the same cliancc—and so he steered his course straight for Canada. ARRIVAL FROM UNIONVILLE, 1857. ISRAEL TODD, AND BAZIL ALDRIDGE. ISRAEL was twenty-three years of ago, yellow, tall, well made and intelligent. He fled from Frederick county, Md. Through the sweat of his brow, Dr. Greenberry Sappington and bis family had been living at ease. The doctor was a Catholic, owning only one other, and was said to be a man of " right disposition." His wife, however, was " so mean that nobody could stay with her." Israel was prompted to escape to save his wife, (had lately been married) and her brother from being sold south. His detestation of slavery in every phape was very decided. He was a valuable man, worth to a trader fifteen hundred dollars, perhaps. BAZIL was onlv seventeen vears of a<*e. About as near a kin to the •> ^ O " white folks " as to the colored people, and about as strong an opponent of slavery as any " Saxou'' going of his age. He was a brother-in-law of Israel, and accompanied him on the Underground Rail Road. Bazil was held to service or labor by Thornton Pool, a store-keeper, and also farmer, and at the same time an ardent lover of the "cretur," so much so that "he kept about half-drunk all the time." So Bazil affirmed. The good spirit moved two of Bazil's brothers to escape the spring before. A few months afterwards a brother and sister were sold south. To manage the matter smoothly, previous to selling them, the master pretended that he was "only going to hire them out a short distance from home." But instead of doing so he sold them south. Bazil might be put down at nine hundred dollars. |