Original Document

About the 31st of May, 1856, an exceedingly anxious state of feeling existed with the active Committee in Philadelphia. …It was a day long to be remembered. …The courage, which had so often been shown in the face of great danger, satisfied the Committee that there were heroes and heroines among these passengers, fully entitled to the applause of the liberty-loving citizens of Brotherly Love. The very idea of having to walk for days and nights in succession, over strange roads, through by-ways, and valleys, over mountains and marshes, was fitted to … the bravest hears, especially when women and children were concerned.



Party No. 1 consisted of Charlotte Giles and Harriet Eglin....So they contrived each to get a suit of mourning with heavy black veils, and thus dressed, apparently absorbed with grief, with a friend to pass them to the Baltimore (railroad) depot…They took a direct course for Philadelphia.



While seated in the (railroad) car, before leaving Baltimore (where slaves and masters both belonged), who should enter but the master of one of the girls! In a very excited manner, he hurriedly approached Charlotte and Harriet who were apparently weeping. Peeping under their veils, "What is your name?" exclaimed the excited gentleman. "Mary, sir," sobbed Charlotte. "What is your name?" (to the other mourner) "Lizzie, sir," was the faint reply. On rushed the excited gentleman as if moved by steam–through the (railroad) cars, looking for his property; not finding it, he passed out of the cars, and to the delight of Charlotte and Harriet soon disappeared....Be this as it may, the Underground Rail Road passengers arrived safely at the Philadelphia station and were gladly received.



In the meantime, Arrival No. 2 reached the Committee. It consisted of a colored man, a white woman and a child, ten years old. … an explanation was sought, which resulted in ascertaining that the party was from Leesburg, Virginia; that David, the colored man, was about twenty-seven years of age, intelligent, and was owned or claimed by Joshua Pusey. David had no taste for Slavery, indeed, felt that it would be impossible for him to adapt himself to a life of servitude for the special benefit of others.... So after thinking of various plans, he determined ...to "travel as a coachman," under the protection of a white lady. In planning this pleasant scheme, David was not blind to the fact that neither himself nor the "white lady," with whom he proposed to travel, possessed either horse or carriage.



But his master happened to have a vehicle that would answer for the occasion. David reasoned that…he had a right to borrow, or take without borrowing, one of Joshua's horses for the expedition. The plan was submitted to the lady, and was approved, and a mutual understanding here entered into, that she should hire a carriage, and take also her little girl with them. …White people being so accustomed to riding, and colored people to driving, the party looked all right. No one suspected them, that they were aware of, while passing through Virginia.



On reaching Chambersburg, Pa., in the evening, they drove to a hotel.... the night passed safely.... Breakfast having been ordered and partaken of, to the lady's surprise, just as she was in the act of paying the bill, the proprietor of the hotel intimated that he thought that matters "looked a little suspicious" in other words, he said plainly, that he "believed that is was an underground Rail Road movement;but...he assured her at the same time, that he would not betray them."...One thing they decided to do immediately, namely to "leave the horse and carriage," and try other modes of travel. They concluded to take the regular passenger (railroad) cars. In this way they reached Philadelphia. ...As the sole aim apparent in this case was freedom for the slave the Committee received these travelers as Underground Rail Road passenger.



Arrival No. 3. Charles H. Rinegold, Robert Smith, and John Henry Richards, all from Baltimore. Their ages ranged from twenty to twenty-four years. With the above three arrivals on hand, it may be seen how great was the danger to which all concerned were exposed on account of the bold and open manner in which these parties had escaped from the land of the peculiar institution....



The writer (William Still) on going from his dinner that day to the anti-slavery office, to his surprise found an officer awaiting his coming. Said officer was of the mayor's police force. ..."I have just received a telegraphic dispatch from a slave-holder living in Maryland, informing me that six slaves had escaped from him, and that he had reason to believe that they were on their way to Philadelphia, and would come in the regular train direct from Harrisburg; furthermore I am requested to be at the depot on the arrival of the train to arrest the whole party, for whom a reward of $1300 is offered. What I am telling you is confidential. My object in coming to the office is simply to notify the Vigilance Committee so that they may be on the look-out for them at the depot this evening and get them out of danger as soon as possible. This is the way I feel about them; but I shall telegraph back that I will be on the look-out."...



As notified, that evening the "four large and two small hams" (a code name for the fugitive slaves given in a telegram that day to the Vigilance Committee). Arrived .... Accommodations were finally procured for a number of the fugitives with a widow woman.... Here some of the passengers were kept for several days, strictly private, long enough to give the slave-hunters full opportunity to tire themselves, and give up the chase in despair....



Arrival No. 4: Charles Bird, George Dorsey, Angeline Brown, Albert Brown, Charles Brown and Jane Scott....This party in order to get over the road as expeditiously as possible, availed themselves of their master's horses and wagon and moved off civilly and respectably. About nine miles from home on the road, a couple of white men, finding their carriage broken down, approached them, unceremoniously seized the horses by the reins and were evidently about to assume authority, supposing that the boys would surrender at once. But instead of so doing, the boys struck away at them with all their might, with their large clubs, nor even waiting to hear what these superior individuals wanted. The effect of the clubs brought them prostrate in the road… . The victorious passengers, seeing that the smashed up carriage could be of no further use to them, quickly conceived the idea of unhitching and attempting further pursuit on horseback. Each horse was required to carry three passengers. So up the mountain and off they galloped with the horses" heads turned directly towards Pennsylvania. No further difficulty presented itself until after they had traveled some forty miles. Here the poor horses broke down, and had to be abandoned. …For one whole week they were obliged to fare as they could, out in the woods, over the mountains, &c. How they overcame the trials in this situation we cannot undertake to describe. Suffice it to say, at the end of the time above mentioned they managed to reach Harrisburg and found assistance as already intimated....