Run to Freedom – Reference and Research Notes

Run to Freedom – Reference and Research Notes

The Fugitive Slave Act – 1850

Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An April 24, 1851 poster warning colored people in Boston about policemen acting as slave catchers.
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slaveholding interests and Northern Free-Soilers and abolitionists.
One cause of conflict between the Southern slave states and the Northern free states was the lack of assistance given by northerners to southern slave-owners and their agents seeking to recapture escaped slaves. Southerners interpreted this as support for abolitionism and a refusal to respect southern states’ rights.
New law
In response to the weakening of this first fugitive slave act, the Fugitive Slave Bill of 1850 made any federal marshal or other official who did not arrest an alleged runaway slave liable to a fine of $1,000. Law-enforcement officials everywhere had a duty to arrest anyone suspected of being a runaway slave on no more evidence than a claimant’s sworn testimony of ownership. The suspected slave could not ask for a jury trial or testify on his or her own behalf. In addition, any person aiding a runaway slave by providing food or shelter was to be subject to six months’ imprisonment and a $1,000 fine. Officers capturing a fugitive slave were entitled to a fee for their work.
Effects
In fact the Fugitive Slave Law brought the issue home to anti-slavery citizens in the North, since it made them and their institutions responsible for enforcing slavery. Even moderate abolitionists were now faced with the immediate choice of defying what they believed an unjust law or breaking with their own conscience and belief. The case of Anthony Burns fell under this statute.
Many Methodists were highly active in the abolition movement, though the Methodist Episcopal Church was officially reluctant to touch the issue because it did not want to fan the flames of inter-sectional hatreds after the Southern wing split off in 1844. Two splinter groups of Methodism, the Wesleyan Church in 1843 and the Free Methodists in 1860, along with many like-minded Quakers, maintained some of the “stations” of the Underground Railroad. Most of the stations were maintained by African Americans.
The Fugitive Slave Act brought a defiant response from abolitionists. Reverend Luther Lee, pastor of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Syracuse, New York wrote in 1855:
I never would obey it. I had assisted thirty slaves to escape to Canada during the last month. If the authorities wanted any thing of me my residence was at 39 Onondaga Street. I would admit that and they could take me and lock me up in the Penitentiary on the hill; but if they did such a foolish thing as that I had friends enough on Onondaga County to level it to the ground before the next morning.
Other opponents such as African American leader Harriet Tubman simply treated the law as just another complication in their activities. The most important reaction was making the neighboring country of Canada the main destination of choice for runaway slaves. Only a few hundred runaways made it to Canada in the 1850s.
With the outbreak of the American Civil War, General Benjamin Butler justified refusing to return runaway slaves in accordance to this law because the Union and the Confederacy were at war, the slaves could be confiscated and set free as contraband of war.
Annulment
In March 1862, Congress forbade all Union army officers from returning fugitive slaves, with the passage of the Act Prohibiting the Return of Slaves, effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Law.

The Compromise of 1850 was introduced to stave off conflict between the slave states and the free states upon the admission of California as a state. Under the Compromise, California was admitted as a free state, New Mexico and Utah were organized as slave territories, and Texas had its boundaries set. Another part of the Compromise was the Fugitive Slave Act, which federalized the return of escaped slaves to their owners.
It is an offensive piece of legislation to us today, even if one takes the issue of race out of it. Slaves, of course, had no rights – they were guilty by virtue of a slave-owner’s say-so, there was very little burden of proof, the federal government bore most of the costs of returning escaped slaves, and non-slaves who helped fugitive slaves were subject to harsh fines and prison.
Resistance to the law in the North grew a fever pitch, with President Fillmore calling out the army to quell some mobs and to return some former slaves caught in the North.
As defiance of the law in the North became more and more open and more and more fervent, the anger of the South grew and grew, adding to a general feeling of discontent.
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Actual text of law:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the persons who have been, or may hereafter be, appointed commissioners, in virtue of any act of Congress, by the Circuit Courts of the United States, and Who, in consequence of such appointment, are authorized to exercise the powers that any justice of the peace, or other magistrate of any of the United States, may exercise in respect to offenders for any crime or offense against the United States, by arresting, imprisoning, or bailing the same under and by the virtue of the thirty-third section of the act of the twenty-fourth of September seventeen hundred and eighty-nine, entitled “An Act to establish the judicial courts of the United States” shall be, and are hereby, authorized and required to exercise and discharge all the powers and duties conferred by this act.
§ 2. And be it further enacted, That the Superior Court of each organized Territory of the United States shall have the same power to appoint commissioners to take acknowledgments of bail and affidavits, and to take depositions of witnesses in civil causes, which is now possessed by the Circuit Court of the United States; and all commissioners who shall hereafter be appointed for such purposes by the Superior Court of any organized Territory of the United States, shall possess all the powers, and exercise all the duties, conferred by law upon the commissioners appointed by the Circuit Courts of the United States for similar purposes, and shall moreover exercise and discharge all the powers and duties conferred by this act.
§ 3. And be it further enacted, That the Circuit Courts of the United States shall from time to time enlarge the number of the commissioners, with a view to afford reasonable facilities to reclaim fugitives from labor, and to the prompt discharge of the duties imposed by this act.
§ 4. And be it further enacted, That the commissioners above named shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the judges of the Circuit and District Courts of the United States, in their respective circuits and districts within the several States, and the judges of the Superior Courts of the Territories, severally and collectively, in term-time and vacation; shall grant certificates to such claimants, upon satisfactory proof being made, with authority to take and remove such fugitives from service or labor, under the restrictions herein contained, to the State or Territory from which such persons may have escaped or fled.
§ 5. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of all marshals and deputy marshals to obey and execute all warrants and precepts issued under the provisions of this act, when to them directed; and should any marshal or deputy marshal refuse to receive such warrant, or other process, when tendered, or to use all proper means diligently to execute the same, he shall, on conviction thereof, be fined in the sum of one thousand dollars, to the use of such claimant, on the motion of such claimant, by the Circuit or District Court for the district of such marshal; and after arrest of such fugitive, by such marshal or his deputy, or whilst at any time in his custody under the provisions of this act, should such fugitive escape, whether with or without the assent of such marshal or his deputy, such marshal shall be liable, on his official bond, to be prosecuted for the benefit of such claimant, for the full value of the service or labor of said fugitive in the State, Territory, or District whence he escaped: and the better to enable the said commissioners, when thus appointed, to execute their duties faithfully and efficiently, in conformity with the requirements of the Constitution of the United States and of this act, they are hereby authorized and empowered, within their counties respectively, to appoint, in writing under their hands, any one or more suitable persons, from time to time, to execute all such warrants and other process as may be issued by them in the lawful performance of their respective duties; with authority to such commissioners, or the persons to be appointed by them, to execute process as aforesaid, to summon and call to their aid the bystanders, or posse comitatus of the proper county, when necessary to ensure a faithful observance of the clause of the Constitution referred to, in conformity with the provisions of this act; and all good citizens are hereby commanded to aid and assist in the prompt and efficient execution of this law, whenever their services may be required, as aforesaid, for that purpose; and said warrants shall run, and be executed by said officers, any where in the State within which they are issued.
§ 6. And be it further enacted, That when a person held to service or labor in any State or Territory of the United States, has heretofore or shall hereafter escape into another State or Territory of the United States, the person or persons to whom such service or labor may be due, or his, her, or their agent or attorney, duly authorized, by power of attorney, in writing, acknowledged and certified under the seal of some legal officer or court of the State or Territory in which the same may be executed, may pursue and reclaim such fugitive person, either by procuring a warrant from some one of the courts, judges, or commissioners aforesaid, of the proper circuit, district, or county, for the apprehension of such fugitive from service or labor, or by seizing and arresting such fugitive, where the same can be done without process, and by taking, or causing such person to be taken, forthwith before such court, judge, or commissioner, whose duty it shall be to hear and determine the case of such claimant in a summary manner; and upon satisfactory proof being made, by deposition or affidavit, in writing, to be taken and certified by such court, judge, or commissioner, or by other satisfactory testimony, duly taken and certified by some court, magistrate, justice of the peace, or other legal officer authorized to administer an oath and take depositions under the laws of the State or Territory from which such person owing service or labor may have escaped, with a certificate of such magistracy or other authority, as aforesaid, with the seal of the proper court or officer thereto attached, which seal shall be sufficient to establish the competency of the proof, and with proof, also by affidavit, of the identity of the person whose service or labor is claimed to be due as aforesaid, that the person so arrested does in fact owe service or labor to the person or persons claiming him or her, in the State or Territory from which such fugitive may have escaped as aforesaid, and that said person escaped, to make out and deliver to such claimant, his or her agent or attorney, a certificate setting forth the substantial facts as to the service or labor due from such fugitive to the claimant, and of his or her escape from the State or Territory in which he or she was arrested, with authority to such claimant, or his or her agent or attorney, to use such reasonable force and restraint as may be necessary, under the circumstances of the case, to take and remove such fugitive person back to the State or Territory whence he or she may have escaped as aforesaid. In no trial or hearing under this act shall the testimony of such alleged fugitive be admitted in evidence; and the certificates in this and the first [fourth] section mentioned, shall be conclusive of the right of the person or persons in whose favor granted, to remove such fugitive to the State or Territory from which he escaped, and shall prevent all molestation of such person or persons by any process issued by any court, judge, magistrate, or other person whomsoever.
§ 7. And be it further enacted, That any person who shall knowingly and willingly obstruct, hinder, or prevent such claimant, his agent or attorney, or any person or persons lawfully assisting him, her, or them, from arresting such a fugitive from service or labor, either with or without process as aforesaid, or shall rescue, or attempt to rescue, such fugitive from service or labor, from the custody of such claimant, his or her agent or attorney, or other person or persons lawfully assisting as aforesaid, when so arrested, pursuant to the authority herein given and declared; or shall aid, abet, or assist such person so owing service or labor as aforesaid, directly or indirectly, to escape from such claimant, his agent or attorney, or other person or persons legally authorized as aforesaid; or shall harbor or conceal such fugitive, so as to prevent the discovery and arrest of such person, after notice or knowledge of the fact that such person was a fugitive from service or labor as aforesaid, shall, for either of said offences, be subject to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, and imprisonment not exceeding six months, by indictment and conviction before the District Court of the United States for the district in which such offence may have been committed, or before the proper court of criminal jurisdiction, if committed within any one of the organized Territories of the United States; and shall moreover forfeit and pay, by way of civil damages to the party injured by such illegal conduct, the sum of one thousand dollars for each fugitive so lost as aforesaid, to be recovered by action of debt, in any of the District or Territorial Courts aforesaid, within whose jurisdiction the said offence may have been committed.
§ 8. And be it further enacted, That the marshals, their deputies, and the clerks of the said District and Territorial Courts, shall be paid, for their services, the like fees as may be allowed for similar services in other cases; and where such services are rendered exclusively in the arrest, custody, and delivery of the fugitive to the claimant, his or her agent or attorney, or where such supposed fugitive may be discharged out of custody for the want of sufficient proof as aforesaid, then such fees are to be paid in whole by such claimant, his or her agent or attorney; and in all cases where the proceedings are before a commissioner, he shall be entitled to a fee of ten dollars in full for his services in each case, upon the delivery of the said certificate to the claimant, his agent or attorney; or a fee of five dollars in cases where the proof shall not, in the opinion of such commissioner, warrant such certificate and delivery, inclusive of all services incident to such arrest and examination, to be paid, in either case, by the claimant, his or her agent or attorney. The person or persons authorized to execute the process to be issued by such commissioner for the arrest and detention of fugitives from service or labor as aforesaid, shall also be entitled to a fee of five dollars each for each person he or they may arrest, and take before any commissioner as aforesaid, at the instance and request of such claimant, with such other fees as may be deemed reasonable by such commissioner for such other additional services as may be necessarily performed by him or them; such as attending at the examination, keeping the fugitive in custody, and providing him with food and lodging during his detention, and until the final determination of such commissioners; and, in general, for performing such other duties as may be required by such claimant, his or her attorney or agent, or commissioner in the premises, such fees to be made up in conformity with the fees usually charged by the officers of the courts of justice within the proper district or county, as near as may be practicable, and paid by such claimants, their agents or attorneys, whether such supposed fugitives from service or labor be ordered to be delivered to such claimant by the final determination of such commissioner or not.
§ 9. And be it further enacted, That, upon affidavit made by the claimant of such fugitive, his agent or attorney, after such certificate has been issued, that he has reason to apprehend that such fugitive will he rescued by force from his or their possession before he can be taken beyond the limits of the State in which the arrest is made, it shall be the duty of the officer making the arrest to retain such fugitive in his custody, and to remove him to the State whence he fled, and there to deliver him to said claimant, his agent, or attorney. And to this end, the officer aforesaid is hereby authorized and required to employ so many persons as he may deem necessary to overcome such force, and to retain them in his service so long as circumstances may require. The said officer and his assistants, while so employed, to receive the same compensation, and to be allowed the same expenses, as are now allowed by law for transportation of criminals, to be certified by the judge of the district within which the arrest is made, and paid out of the treasury of the United States.
§ 10. And be it further enacted, That when any person held to service or labor in any State or Territory, or in the District of Columbia, shall escape therefrom, the party to whom such service or labor shall be due, his, her, or their agent or attorney, may apply to any court of record therein, or judge thereof in vacation, and make satisfactory proof to such court, or judge in vacation, of the escape aforesaid, and that the person escaping owed service or labor to such party. Whereupon the court shall cause a record to be made of the matters so proved, and also a general description of the person so escaping, with such convenient certainty as may be; and a transcript of such record, authenticated by the attestation of the clerk and of the seal of the said court, being produced in any other State, Territory, or district in which the person so escaping may be found, and being exhibited to any judge, commissioner, or other office, authorized by the law of the United States to cause persons escaping from service or labor to be delivered up, shall be held and taken to be full and conclusive evidence of the fact of escape, and that the service or labor of the person escaping is due to the party in such record mentioned. And upon the production by the said party of other and further evidence if necessary, either oral or by affidavit, in addition to what is contained in the said record of the identity of the person escaping, he or she shall be delivered up to the claimant, And the said court, commissioner, judge, or other person authorized by this act to grant certificates to claimants or fugitives, shall, upon the production of the record and other evidences aforesaid, grant to such claimant a certificate of his right to take any such person identified and proved to be owing service or labor as aforesaid, which certificate shall authorize such claimant to seize or arrest and transport such person to the State or Territory from which he escaped: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall be construed as requiring the production of a transcript of such record as evidence as aforesaid. But in its absence the claim shall be heard and determined upon other satisfactory proofs, competent in law.
Approved, September 18, 1850.
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* “Whosoever shall make use of language in any public discourse from the bar, the bench, the stage, the pulpit, or in any place whatsoever; or whoever shall make use of language in private discourses or conversations, or shall make use of signs or actions having a tendency to produce discontent among the free coloured population of this State, or to excite insubordination among the slaves; or whosoever shall knowingly be instrumental in bringing into this State any paper, pamphlet, or book, having such tendency as aforesaid, shall, on conviction thereof, before any court of competent jurisdiction, suffer imprisonment at hard labour not less than three years, nor more than twenty-one years; or death, at the discretion of the court.”–Revised Statutes of Louisiana.

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• They still had some prejudices to overcome in Canada. from Josiah Henson’s memoirs
We have a great amount of prejudice to contend with, in that part of Canada. So much so, that our children are not permitted to attend the common schools with the white children of that town; yet we are taxed for school purposes. My own children were turned out of the common school at Windsor. One of the trustees gave orders that the teacher should not allow them to recite their lessons. I continued to send them for several days, until my eldest daughter complained to me so bitterly that I told them both that they might cease going to the school-house. I called to see the trustee who had thus prevented the instruction of my children: he is a Scotchman, by the name of Bartlett. His excuse was that others complained: he was quite willing that my children should attend school with his. I told him what I thought of the whole matter. I suppose my manner of expression was harsh: if it was not, I confess I felt as if it ought to be harsh. It is not that I think, for one moment, that it would be an honour for my children to be associated with these Windsor children: I am not so badly off for honour as to be driven to seek it from that quarter

http://www.googlesyndicatedsearch.com/u/docsouth?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=underground+railway+stories&btnG=Search

Rev 6:10 They cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Rev 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

Notes on the Commerce vessel

With the help of computerized vessel records and the clues given in the text it is most likely the vessel which brought Josiah Henson to Buffalo was the two-masted schooner “Commerce” of Buffalo, built at Sandusky, Ohio in 1825. The 72-foot-long vessel was enrolled at the Port of Buffalo in September 1830 with John Burnham as Captain. (Hiram Pratt of Buffalo was an owner.) In 1836, John Burnham was captain of the steamboat William Penn. He died in Buffalo in 1837.

“The sufferings of the past are now like a dream, and the enduring lessons left behind make me to praise God that my soul has been tempered by him in so fiery a furnace and under such heavy blows.”

Just as demand for slaves was increasing, supply was restricted. The United States Constitution, adopted in 1787, prevented Congress from banning the importation of slaves before 1808. On January 1, 1808, Congress acted to ban further imports. Any new slaves would have to be descendants of ones that were currently in the U.S. However, the internal U.S. slave trade, and the involvement in the international slave trade or the outfitting of ships for that trade by U.S. citizens, were not banned. Though there were certainly violations of this law, slavery in America became more or less self-sustaining; the overland ‘slave trade’ from Tidewater, Virginia, and the Carolinas to Georgia, Alabama, and Texas continued for another half-century.

How the term Underground Railroad came to be:
The “Railroad” had actually been operating for
years before it received its name. In 1831 a slave
named Tice Davids escaped from Kentucky. He came to the Ohio River, plunged in, and managed to swim across. His master was close on his heels, and finding a skiff, rowed after the bobbing head in the water. He was swiftly overtaking Tice when the slave touched bottom and waded ashore near the little town of Ripley. It seemed to the master only a matter of moments now until he would overtake him. But the slave disappeared, and though he was dripping  wet, there was no trace of him anywhere. His master searched the locality in vain, and said ruefully, “He
must have gotten away by an underground road.”
In those days the steam railroad was new, and to
many people mysterious. The supposition that per-
haps a “railroad” figured in some way in the escape
system was welcomed by the Quakers, whose activ-
ities must necessarily be veiled and secret. So the
friends of escaping slaves completed the phrase,
making it “The Underground Railroad,” under which
name the system operated until slaves were totally
freed by the Civil War.

Additional North Star notes
This type of axis movement is similar to that of a spinning top. As the top slows, the axis of rotation changes as the top draws out each rotation; that is to say that the stem of the top itself traces out a circular pattern rather than pointing at a single spot or staying mostly still. If you draw an imaginary line of the earth’s axis and continue it up to the sky, it will make a similar path. This type of axis rotation is called precession.
In the case of the earth, precession is caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon. The earth’s axis makes one complete rotation over the course of approximately 26,000 years. If you trace the path of the axis in the sky, you will find that Polaris, Vega, Thuban, and Alpha Cephei all fall on or very close to it. So when the earth’s axis is at a point on the path near Vega, Vega becomes the North Star while Thuban is the North Star when the axis is near it on the path.
Five thousand years ago, Thuban was the North Star. Five thousand years from now, the North Star will be Alpha Cephei. Seven thousand years after that, it will be Vega. Nine thousand years after that, Thuban will be the North Star again. At these dates, the various stars will be at the closest to absolute north. For some time before, the relevant star will be approaching due north and it will be receding for some time after the time listed. In these interim times, the North Star is whichever star is closest to north.

L. B. Barnes was born in Palestine, Texas and was nine years old when emancipated.
“The slaves also would carry pepper with them to rub on the bottom of their feet at nights [sic] when they skipped off so that the dogs couldn’t scent them” (Baker Till Freedom 3-4). Taking off his shoes, the slave would put the pepper in his socks and leave a trail that left the dogs sneezing and teary-eyed (Silverthorne 45). John Barker was also a child when slavery ended. He recalled another trick used to throw tracking dogs off of the scent of a runaway.
In those days the horned toads ran over the world, and my grandpa would gather
them and lay them in the fireplace till they dried and roll them with bottles until
they were like ashes and then rub it on the shoe bottoms. You see, when they
wanted to run away, that stuff didn’t stick all on the shoes, it stuck to the track.
Then they carried some of that powder and threw it as far as they could and then
jumped over it and did that again till they used all that powder. That threw the
common hounds off the trail altogether. (Tyler Slave Narr. 66)
Barker went on to explain that while the common hounds were fooled by this trick, the bloodhounds, or “hell hounds” were not (Ibid). Another method used to foil the tracking dogs was to step repeatedly in fresh cow dung (Silverthorne 45). Vines were often tied across a road to trip the horse of a patroller in pursuit of a runaway slave (44).

The great jail-buster
As long as there’s hope, there’s life. I am hope. There’s nothing too dark‚ too bleak, or too hopeless for Me.
Sometimes life is like a long, dark tunnel with no light in sight. Sometimes life itself can seem like a prison–the big prison, the real prison–all walled in, small‚ locked in, no way out, no future, no help, no friends. And it’s true; life can be a prison that can choke out your very life. That’s why you have to escape the narrow confines of this life–bust out, crash the gates. And you can do that, but it won’t be in the physical. It will happen in the spirit.
As long as you’re on Earth and in this body, you’ll have to deal with the physical, but I can make a way of escape through the spirit where there are no walls, no limits, no restraints, no chains, no locked doors, no guards. The spirit is a whole other world.
Maybe you’ve seen sci-fi movies like “Superman” where people had supernatural powers. Though they lived in the physical world‚ they had powers that enabled them to escape the trap and death. That’s how it is in the spirit. My Spirit in you gives you power to break out of the despair and problems of life by bringing you happiness, hope, courage, and a power inside you that brings you new strength, that isn’t able to be squelched or put out or discouraged or condemned.
Call on Me! I’m a radical and a fugitive and I will help you to escape from this present world into a brand-new world of the spirit that has no limits, no locks, no darkness. Break out of the confines of your mind now! Call on Me, the great spiritual jail-buster.
– From Jesus with Love – Freedom Within

Run to Freedom – Conclusion

Run to Freedom – Conclusion
The tribulations and adventures of Josiah Henson

Peter van Gorder

To make a long story short, in 1841 we established a community of 1,500 acres called Dawn (now Chatham, or Dresden in Kent County, Canada near Ontario). We built a schoolhouse, a sawmill, trade school and other facilities. We received some help from friends in England who were sympathetic to our cause. It was important that we succeed in our endeavor. One argument of the pro-slavery advocates was that the black race was inferior and unable to manage their own affairs. We would prove them wrong with our actions. We grew until we had over five hundred members of our community.

Our struggles, which are to numerous to elaborate here, did not end when we reached Canada. We still had to overcome some prejudice there and the failings of many of my black brethren, but we did not give up and persevered.

I made several trips to England and met many important people, including Queen Victoria and the Archbishop of Canterbury, to whom I gladly told my story. I exhibited our fine black walnut lumber that we produced in our community at the Crystal Palace World Exhibition. I also spoke to many eager audiences of my adventures.

I returned to the South many times more to rescue more of my brethren. The Lord helped me to help one hundred and eighteen souls flee bondage and find a new life of freedom.

After laid to my earthly rest I began a new ministry in the Heavenlies. It is one perhaps you have heard of. It has been called by some, the ministry of “Universal Reconciliation”; which means that God’s plan will not be defeated. It is to right all wrongs and to heal the wounds of all injustices of all ages.

I have been very busy over the last hundred years doing just that by helping my former masters to see the light. It may surprise you to know that many former slave owners were very active in the spirit world to help the Civil Rights movement achieve progress for racial equality in America in the 1950’s and 60’s – almost exactly one hundred years after the terrible American Civil War.

I rest my pen now. My earthly course in my run for freedom has been run, may you take up my torch to bring liberty to the captives in your generation.

– The End

ISA.61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

ISA.61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

ISA.61:3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

ISA.61:4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.

ISA.61:5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

ISA.61:6 But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast.

ISA.61:7 Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

ISA.61:8 “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant.

ISA.61:9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed.”

ISA.61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

ISA.61:11 For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

 

 

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Run to Freedom – Chapter 13 – Jack & Flapjacks

Run to Freedom – Chapter 13 – Jack & Flapjacks

The tribulations and adventures of Josiah Henson

Peter van Gorder

Walking down this road, we saw a single white man approaching on foot. We knew he could not be a slave catcher as he was traveling alone, so we struck up a conversation with him and he introduced himself simply as “Jack” and told us his story without much chance for interruption.

“I lived a while down South, mostly in Virginia as a hired worker and things was going along as expected until one day I saw one of the overseers whipping a slave real bad. I told him to stop and he just laughed at me and told me to shut up or he would whip me as well. He kept on laying on the lashes. The screams from the slave were too much for me to hear so I tried to grab the whip from him. A fight broke out and he was knocked down and hit a fence. I didn’t wait to see if he died or not, but I am escaping from jail time or probably the hangman’s noose. I can tell you all this, ‘cause I know you are running away as well. Since we are going the same way, I’ll walk with you. May come in handy to have a white friend on your side, what do you think?”

We agreed. Since we were about 40 miles (64.4 km) from Lake Erie we decided to walk all night so we could get there the next morning.

At dawn we reached a wayside tavern by the lake, and our white friend, Jack, ordered breakfast for six. While our breakfast was being cooked, we fell asleep, weary from our long journey all that night.

“Here you go,” the waiter said as he served us our flapjack feast.

We were half asleep and half awake and about to enjoy the food when I heard that still small voice again, “Danger is near, it is just down the road, and it is coming this way. You must leave the house at once.”

That was all I heard but it was enough.

I roused my companions, some of whom were still trying to wake up.

“Wake up, everyone. We have to leave now! And I mean now!”

One brother said groggily, “But they just served us breakfast! I’m starvin’. I’ll stay right here thank you.”

“You do, and before you finished your breakfast you will be captured, for sure. I heard a message from the Lord.”

Another brother said, “What? That’s crazy!”

Jefferson countered, “Maybe, but Josiah has lead us this far and he’s done a good job of it. I say if he’s the leader then it’s our job to follow.”

Another brother agreed, “Well, we promised to do what he says, so I’m going to keep that promise. Let’s go.”

Everyone reluctantly gulped down a few bites on our way out of the door. The waiter looked surprised.

We waited in the yard outside the house and washed ourselves in the snow, which was up to our knees.

The tramping of horses! We hid ourselves well by creeping underneath some thick bushes. We could still see the road from where we lay.

Horsemen wearing long black coats stopped at the tavern.

Jefferson whispered to me, “See that one over there with the white beard, that’s Jake Simmons, mean one he. And the one next to him is Wiley Simmons, just as mean. The other one, don’t remember his name, but he works with them as well in our county – slave catchers they are!”

I sensed from their heavy breathing they might do something foolish so motioned that they keep quiet and motionless. We were close enough to hear their enquirers to the landlord, “Good day, to you, sir. Seen any Negroes pass this way?”

“Yep, I think I have.”

“We’ve been riding all night trying to find them. Can you tell us how many of them you seen?”

“About six. Went off direction of Detroit, by now they are probably just a few miles down the road.”

They reined in their horses, which seemed to protest another fast ride, and were thankfully soon out of sight.

The proprietor called us, “It’s good to come out now and finish your breakfast.”

We hesitantly returned and devoured the hearty breakfast in an incredibly short time. We found out that while we were sleeping, Jack had told the landlord about our plight and had asked him to help.

The proprietor told us, “I have a boat. I’ll sail you across to Canada if you like. I could use some fresh air and excitement away from the tavern business.”

We happily accepted and boarded immediately. Soon the white sail of our little bark* was filling with wind, gliding our way to freedom.

*bark (bärk) n.
1 [Old Poet.] any boat, esp. a small sailing boat
2 a sailing vessel with its two forward masts square-rigged and its rear mast rigged fore-and-aft

As soon as it was possible, the brothers jumped from their seats and out of the bark and danced and wept for joy, just as I had on my first day in Canada.

After a few months, on one joyous Sabbath morning, I had the happiness of embracing Tom once more. He had fully recovered from his sickness thanks to the loving hands of the Quakers. I was amazed at how robust and healthy he looked.

Mr.Frank Taylor, the owner of the Lightfoots, fell very ill, shortly after the brothers escaped and had a fit of insanity. When he was recovered, his own convictions and that of his friends persuaded him to free the remainder of the Lightfoot family. Shortly thereafter, the entire Lightfoot family was happily reunited in their new home of Canada. It was a beautiful scene of a foretaste of heaven, as brothers, sisters and parents were now once again together in their new home.

With a few more strokes of my pen, I will end my story, so that others may tell theirs.

Run to Freedom – Chapter 12 – Meteors, Madness, and ‘Misfortunes’

Run to Freedom – Chapter 12 – Meteors, Madness, and “Misfortunes”

The tribulations and adventures of Josiah Henson

Peter van Gorder

On my way, when I reached Lancaster, Ohio (just southeast of Columbus, Ohio) about three o’clock in the morning. Suddenly, the heavens were filled with streaks of light from falling stars. It was the great meteoric shower of November 5, 1833.

The bells were ringing and everyone was coming out of their houses and running up and down the streets in panic. One man grabbed me and with fear in his eyes he said, “The day of judgment is come!” and then ran off to warn others.

He was probably right, but I was at perfect peace talking to the Lord, “Maybe this is the Judgment Day, You probably know how much these people need a good shaking up. But, I’m not worried, because I know I am doing Your business.”

I continued walking through the town trusting that He would protect me even if a meteor came at me. Believe me, falling meteors were the least of my problems then. I soon left the terrified people behind. As I walked, I could see the stars continuing to fall until the dawn.

I arrived in the morning at Portsmouth, which is at the southern end of Ohio near Kentucky. Many Kentuckians live there who are always ready to pounce on any colored man that they may suspect of being a runaway slave and ship them back South.

I had to wait till two in the afternoon for the steamboat so that I would arrive in Maysville at night. So that no one would recognize me or question me, I got some dried leaves put them in a cloth and tied them together around my face to make a hat which almost covered my eyes. I pretended to be so insane and malformed that I was not able to speak.

Several men came up to me and asked, “Who are you, boy?”

I only slurred an unintelligible answer.

The other man added, “Better answer, nigger if you know what is good for you. Tell us where you are going,”

I again feigned madness.

“To whom do you belong?” asked a third man.

I just shook my head and mumbled.

“Can’t you see he’s touched? Probably been beaten senseless,” the first man said to his comrades.

They left laughing and so did I, but not so they could hear me of course.
I boarded the boat and reached Maysville, Kentucky in the evening, about two weeks after I left Canada.

On landing, one of God’s little miracles happened to me. The second person I met on the street was Jefferson Lightfoot. The same brother of James that I had met last year.

We talked, “Still want to go?” I asked him.

“Yes, sir. We do. All my brothers want to come.”

“Fine, we’ll meet tonight to make arrangements. I’ll come by your place. Be ready for me.”

We met regularly at night to plan the details of our escape. Only the four brothers would make the escape. We decided to leave on Saturday night as by the time they were missed they would be about 100 miles (160 km) away.

On Saturday night, they left without saying goodbye to their father or mother or sisters, to avoid their plans being made known somehow.

We took a skiff that we found and made our way down the Ohio River so that the hounds could not follow our trail. It was not the shortest way, but it was the safest.

The plan was to reach Cincinnati before daylight, which was sixty-five miles (104 km) from Maysville, and then take the stagecoach to Sandusky.
But the best plans often go sour. Halfway on our river journey, the boat sprung a leak. Furiously we paddled to the shore and reached it just in time. None of us knew how to swim.

His angels were protecting us. We found another boat, and continued on our way. The day broke and we were still about ten miles (16km) outside Cincinnati. We would have to abandon the boat for fear of being caught. We would walk the rest of the way to Cincinnati. When we were seven miles (11km) outside the city we came to the Little Miami River.

The waters looked too deep to cross on foot and we didn’t want to risk trying to find a boat. We walked up and down the river looking for a safer place to cross. After searching a long time we stopped to rest.

Jefferson said to me, “Looks like there’s no place we can cross.”

I tried to rally their courage, “Come on boys, we can’t give up. Let’s go upriver further and try again.”

We walked for about a mile (1.6km) until we saw a cow come out of the woods to get a drink at the river.

I tried to cheer them up, “See that cow? Maybe the good Lord sent it to bring us some news.”

“Mister Josiah, that cow don’t talk!”

I continued the jest, “How do you know this one doesn’t? There’s a time in the Bible that the Lord made an ass talk.”

They looked at me a bit puzzled but I had no time to elaborate.

The cow we were watching then walked up to the riverbank and instead of getting a drink, walked straight across without swimming.

“You see, that cow is talking plenty. It’s telling us where to cross!”

To me this was a very wonderful event. It was a sign of God’s blessing and guidance for us.

We were walking fast and hard trying to get to Cincinnati in time for the daily stage coach so we were perspiring heavily in spite of the fact that we were cooled from the snow that was falling.

“I think it is too dangerous to cross, too much ice,” one of the brothers warned.

This was not a time for reasoning. I told them, “You want to die here or live free men in Canada? We got to keep moving and there is only one way we can go. I’m going, anyone coming?”

I began fording the river and they reluctantly followed.”

I told them, “Boys, we got to pick him up and carry him.”
On the opposite bank we tried to rub his legs and arms to help him recover. Tom began to feel better and we kept on walking.

By the time we reached Cincinnati at 11 AM Sunday, the stagecoach for Sandusky had already left. We went to a friend of mine who had helped us before and we hid in a secret room in his attic.

After we shared with him what had happened on our journey he told us, “Good thing you missed that coach. Our abolitionist friends have told me that slave catchers check every coach now before it leaves hoping to catch runaways. Not safe at all. You best travel by foot.”

We thanked God for His wisdom and protection once more. As so often happens, what seemed like a setback in missing the coach turned into a blessing. We stayed there until the next evening and then began our long journey through mud, rain, and snow towards our haven in Canada.

We had traveled about 100 miles (161 km) towards the Quaker town of Richmond, Indiana. In this area, we could travel by day if we kept in the woods.

Tom’s health took a turn for the worse. He was unable to walk anymore. We were forced to carry him on our backs through the woods. It was too difficult, so we made a litter of our shirts tied across poles. Tom continued to get worse and it looked like the death angel would be coming to get him soon to release him from his suffering.

We stopped to rest in a secluded spot and he said in his weak voice, “Just leave me here and go on. I’m going to cause you all to get caught. You know it’s better to just let me go.”

We kept arguing with him until finally, his argument won out, “I’m ready to meet my Maker. You are the sorry ones, I’m going to be laughing and dancing in Heaven while you are trudging through this mud.”

We knew he was right, so sadly and with much difficulty, we left him there to win his crown.

We had not walked more than two miles (3.2 km) on our journey, when Jefferson stopped suddenly and got our attention, “I can’t leave my brother there. I know it may be the best thing to do to leave him there to give us a better chance, but I just can’t do it. I was thinking about them wolves, and I sure don’t want him to be their next meal. I could never live with myself knowing that I had left him there to die.”

He broke out in tears and pleaded with us so much that we decided to return. When we got there Tom was moaning out every breath in prayer for deliverance from his suffering. The boys literally danced for joy when they saw their youngest brother again and knew they had done the right thing by coming back to him.

We started our journey again through the bush. After a little while we saw a wagon approaching. I wondered if we could get some help from it.
I got in front of him and started walking in the opposite direction the wagon was traveling. When I came close to the driver, I said, “Good day to you, sir.”

He said, “Where is thee going?”

“To Canada,” I replied

When I saw his black coat and heard the way he talked, I knew that he was a Quaker and reckoned he would probably help us if he could.

“We are mighty tired, hungry, and cold. Tom, that’s our youngest, is mighty sick and needs help soon or he’s sure to die.”

“Woah!…” he called out his horses to stop.

“Neighbor, I will gladly help thee. Get thy friends and bring them hither and I shall do thee well.”

“Thank ye!” I said in his lingo and ran back to the brothers who were waiting for me in the bushes. I told them of our good fortune and they were soon by the Quaker’s wagon.

When he saw how Tom was suffering so, he was moved to tears and said, “Get thee into my wagon and I will drive thee to my abode.”

We soon clambered on board. He added, “And help thyself to the produce that thou mayest find there. Eat freely.”

We nodded our heads in thanks and tasted of his fine apples.

He flicked his reins again and with a whistle, our wagon turned around in the direction that he had just come and was off to his house. He was going to market but he went greatly out of his way to help us, God richly bless him for the kindness he showed us that day.

At his house, they took wonderful care of us and we saw the providence of God once more. If we had not turned around to rescue Tom we may have missed this Godsend opportunity to speed us on our journey fully refreshed.

We stayed the night and shared stories by the fireplace of all our adventures with his family, which they totally enjoyed.

We decided to leave Tom behind so he could rest up until he was fully recovered. They kindly gave us a sack of biscuits and a joint of meat, and once more we set out in the direction of Lake Erie, the last hurdle before reaching our destination.

Run to Freedom – Chapter 10 – Starting a New Life

Starting a New Life
Chapter ten
The tribulations and adventures of Josiah Henson

Peter van Gorder

The joy of the moment was soon replaced by the survival instinct. Here we were strangers in a strange land. How would we make a new life in Canada? We walked on until we found a friendly farmer who let us sleep in his barn for the night. I set out the next morning into town to find a job.

I asked around and learned of a farmer named Mr. Hibbard who owned a large piece of land. I found that he employed men to work for him. People didn’t speak very kindly of him, but I figured he couldn’t be any worse than some of the masters I had worked for. If there was anything I knew how to do, it was to work the land and make it yield its bounty.

He agreed that I could work for him. He gave me an rundown shanty to live in with my family. I had to chase out the pigs and labor with hoe and shovel, hot water and a mop, to clean it up, but after much hard work it was ready for our family to inhabit. I got straw to make beds for us to sleep in.

When my wife saw it, she laughed at its condition but said, “It ain’t much, but it sure looks pretty next to our mud floor cabin on the plantation.”

We were happy to be in our new humble home, but the strain of our journey had taken its toll on my wife and children. They were very sick for several weeks. I thought that I might lose them at this point. But the Lord came through again for us. Mr. Hibbard saw that I was a valuable worker and treated me well. His wife helped us with a few extras so that my sick wife and children could regain their health. I ended up working for him for three years and managed to save up to buy some pigs, a cow, and a horse.

A former slave who had moved to our area had heard me preach in Kentucky. He told others about me and I was asked to resume my preaching there. You may wonder why I was in demand as a preacher since I was “unlearned and ignorant” of education. I guess the Lord often uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. True religion is more about wisdom than it is about knowledge. It is more about connecting with the Lord than it is about traditions. (see 1C0.1 and Ac 4:13)God seems to specialize in using little things and little people like mustard seeds, shepherds, fishermen, and even runaway slaves.

The Lord blessed us in our new land. Mr. Hibbard was good enough to pay for a half of a year’s schooling for Tom, my oldest boy. Tom was a good student and learned to read fluently. The schoolmaster was so impressed with his progress that he let him stay in school after that.

His skill in reading was a big blessing to me, for I had him read me much of the Bible, especially on Sunday morning before I would preach. I would memorize a verse or sometimes a whole chapter and use it in my sermon that day.

One Sunday morning in summer, I rose early and asked Tom, “Please read to me son.”
“Where shall I read, father?”
“Pray and open the Bible. God will lead you to something beautiful.”

He opened upon Psalm 103 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name.”

As I heard this outpouring of praise, for the first time, I was deeply moved. It was like the book of my life was opened and I remembered all my dangers and afflictions that I had been delivered from. He had fulfilled all of His promises and brought us into our land of Promise. I couldn’t hold back my tears.

When he had finished reading, Tom turned to me and asked, “Father, who was David?”
When he saw that I was not able to gather my emotions enough to answer him, he added, “He writes pretty, don’t he? But who was David?”

To tell you the truth, I had never heard of David but was too proud to admit it to my son, and so I answered evasively, “Uh…He was a man of God.”

“I suppose so,” said he; “but I want to know something more about him. Where did he live? What did he do?”

As he went on questioning me, I saw it was in vain to attempt to escape, and so I told him frankly I did not know.

“Why, father,” said he, “can’t you read?”
“No, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I never had an opportunity to learn. I had nobody to teach me.”
“Well, you can learn now, father.”
“No, I am too old, and don’t have enough time. I must work all day, or you wouldn’t have enough to eat.”
“Then you might do it at night.”
“But still, there is nobody to teach me. I can’t afford to pay anybody for it, and of course no one can do it for nothing.”
“Why, I’ll teach you. I can do it, I know. And then you’ll know so much more, that you can talk better, and preach better. And you don’t need to pay me. It’s my birthday present to you.”

I knew it would do me much good and that he was right, yet it was humbling to be taught by my twelve-year-old son. He was so insistent I couldn’t let him down.

The idea troubled me so much, that I couldn’t preach that day. The congregation was disappointed but I just couldn’t bring myself to go. I wanted to take some time alone with the Lord in the beauty of His forest cathedral. I was so engrossed in my thoughts and in prayer that I didn’t even go home for dinner.

I began to take reading lessons from Tom every evening by the light of a piece of burning hickory bark or pine wood, which was the only candle I could afford.

Weeks passed, and my progress was so slow, that poor Tom became discouraged. He sometimes fell asleep from boredom. Sometimes he would complain about how dull I was, much like a schoolmaster talks to a stupid boy. I feared that my age, my insufficient practice, my daily fatigue from working, and the dim light would keep me from ever learning how to read.

But Tom didn’t give up on me and that winter I could read a little. I kept at it and I eventually mastered the art of reading.

Having acquired this skill it certainly made me thankful that I was no longer in the ignorance of the many years I lived without it. I became angry at the mental slavery I suffered even more than the physical depredations I had to endure. I remembered the incident with the Webster’s spelling book and how my first attempts to read had been so cruelly snuffed out.

It also made me want to do something for those who were in like condition to my own so that they could also learn how wonderful it is to be able to read.

I found a better job with a man of good reputation whose name was Riseley. I shared with him my vision to improve the situation of the escaped slaves who resided in the area. I wanted to organize meetings so that we could improve our lot. The fact was that many former slaves when they reached Canada had no mind of business or how to manage their own affairs. For their whole lives they had all that done for them and they only had to follow orders. Now, they were their own masters, they had to have a good business sense.

Too often they were shortsighted and worked for low wages or planted crops that were not profitable. For example, they would plant tobacco because it fetched a high price, but soon because so much tobacco was on the market the price crashed and the price of wheat rose. I learned all I could about farming methods and then taught these to the black community.

For the community of former slaves was to make any progress, we would have to unite and save enough money to buy some land instead of working as laborers on someone else’s land.

My new employee was very open to these ideas and agreed to host the meetings. Soon we had enough money saved to buy some land and I was given the job to find where to invest these funds.

After I had tasted the blessings of freedom, my heart often went out to my black brethren whom I knew were groaning in captivity. I wanted to free as many as I could. I thought that by much effort I could help others escape as I did if they just had some practical advice on how to do it. An idea was born.

Discussion Point: How can working together in unity help us to achieve a better life? When we are financially stable, how can we begin to help others in need? Why is learning to read such a valuable skill to master?

Prayer: Please help us to have unity with others and work together to accomplish Your will.

Run to Freedom – Chapter 9 – Touching Shore

Run to Freedom
Chapter 9 – Touching Shore

The tribulations and adventures of Josiah Henson
Peter van Gorder

“You wait here in the bushes, while I go and try to find my friends,” I told my wife.
I knew some people that I had met when I had spoke there recently. I found them and asked if they would take us in. They welcomed me warmly. Soon we were taken care of by these friends who cared for us as if we were their own family. It was a risk for them, for if they were discovered they could suffer a heavy fine and imprisonment.*

After two weeks of constant fatigue and hardships we were so thankful to be refreshed by such kindness. God bless them, they deserved a rich reward for helping us. Jesus promised it:
MAT.25:34 “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
MAT.25:35 ‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
MAT.25:36 ‘I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
MAT.25:37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
MAT.25:38 ‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
MAT.25:39 ‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
MAT.25:40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

They gave us a wagon ride thirty miles (about 50 km) on our way. They told us of a road that we could travel on in the daytime as it was seldom used. It was an old military road used in the war of 1812 with Great Britain. After traveling at night and following the North Star, we found the road, where there were a special large sycamore and elm tree that marked its beginning and so we set off on this road early the next day.

By this time, we had again run out of food. We had not taken much with us as we wanted to travel light. We had brought money to buy food from the people that we expected to meet on the way but there was no one to be seen.

The going was tough, as the road had not been cleared for a long time. Trees had blown over and we struggled onwards to climb over them and the thorns that were growing over the whole path.

 Our strength was at low ebb. My wife walking behind me, stumbled over a branch and fell down. Tom, who was walking next to her rushed up to me, “Pa, come quick, Ma is dying!”

I ran back to see her lying motionless. It seemed that she really might have passed away. I knelt by her side and prayed for her for several minutes until she began to stir. I gave her some dried beef. She rested awhile until she recovered her strength enough to struggle onwards.

That night as we slept, we heard wolves howling. My wife and children were terrified that this would be our end. I reassured them the best I could and stayed up all night making noise by singing and shouting and banging with sticks.

The next morning we ate a few bites of the last of the dried beef and continued on our journey. The meat was so salty that made us extremely thirsty again. We had run out of water and there were no streams to be found.

About three o’clock that afternoon, we saw four Native Americans walking on the path towards us. Our first reaction was to run, but we had no strength for that. They were carrying backpacks so they were bent downwards and did not see us clearly. As we were passing them, they looked up from their burdens and got a good look at us. Suddenly, they made an awful yelp like they had seen the devil himself. They tore off in the direction that they had just come, screaming as they ran.

My wife was alarmed, “What if they are running back to get others to murder us? We should turn back now.”

“If they had wanted to murder us, they could have done that already. We’ve come too far to turn back now and I don’t like walking over the same trees twice.”

As we walked on, we could hear stirring and see eyes peeping at us from the bushes. We came across their camp, which consisted of several wigwams*. The chief who stood with arms folded, greeted us in a friendly fashion and invited us to sit down inside his wigwam.
( *wig•wam (wig´wäm’, -wôm’) n. a traditional dwelling of Indian peoples of E North America, consisting typically of a dome-shaped framework of poles covered with rush mats or sheets of bark)

We told the chief who we were and why we were traveling in these woods. He understood enough English to catch our meaning and offered us a fine feast of food. I think he sympathized with us and understood what it meant to suffer injustice from the hand of the powerful.

As we were eating, he explained to some of the other braves not to be afraid of us. We immediately became a curiosity, as many of them had never seen a black person before.

The Indians were particularly intrigued with the children. They poked them to see what they were made of. They wondered if our black flesh was the same as theirs or maybe if like some wild creature, we would bite them. Our children jumped in fright when they were poked and the Indians jumped back as well. Our children were very shy not knowing what to think about the whole experience. They were not used to being the center of such attention.

When the Indians saw that we were normal people and not strange creatures from another world they became more relaxed and their fears were allayed. They entertained us with their music and dance until we retired to our beds. We were so thankful for the good sleep and food that we had that night.

The next day we found we were twenty-five miles (40 km) away from Lake Erie. Across this water, freedom awaited us on Canada’s shore. The chief hugged us and said his warm farewells to us. He ordered two of his Indians to guide us through the forest until we saw the lake in the distance.

We traveled on the road that led to the lake until we came across a river that was about 150 yards (137 meters) wide and four feet (1.2 meters) deep. I forded the river with a pole to find our how deep it was. Then after I knew the way, I took the two younger children, then one by one the older children and then my wife. This was very painful, as the skin on my back had been worn away where I had carried the children in the backpack. We slept one more night in the woods.

The next day we continued until we reached a woodless plain outside the village of Sandusky, Ohio. We dared not contact any one until we could find out more about this place.

We were now about a mile (1.6 km) from Lake Erie. I saw a two-masted schooner* docked with the name “Commerce” written in bright red letters across its stern . A line of people were unloading goods and loading sacks of grain from and into its hold. I hid my family in the bushes and went down to them to see if we could make a way across the lake with them. (*schooner: a ship with two or more masts, rigged fore and aft)

As I came near to them, one of them called out to me.
“Hollo there, man! you want to work?”
“Yes, sir!” shouted I.
“Come along, come along; I’ll give you a shilling* an hour. Must get off with this wind.”

(*shilling: a colonial coin – an English shilling is worth 1/20th of a pound. At this time, 5 shillings made a dollar in the US. A dollar in 1830 is worth about $20 in 2005 according to measuringworth.com
Pounds, shillings, and pence were used as the unit of account in America up until the middle of the nineteenth century. This would mean, the captain offered him about $4 an hour in today’s wages.)

As I came near and he got a good look at my maimed arm, he said, “O, you can’t work; you’re crippled.”

“Can’t I?” said I. “Watch!” I joined the line of workers, grabbed a bag of corn, and emptied it into the hold of his ship.

I took my place in the line of laborers next to the only colored man I saw. He introduced himself as ‘The Doctor”. A title he earned, he said, from his skill in setting bones and healing ailments.

Soon I got into conversation with him. “How far is it to Canada?”

He gave me a peculiar look,. “Want to go to Canada? Come along with us, then.

We’re going to Buffalo, New York. Our captain’s a fine fellow – by the name of Captain John Burnham. “

“Buffalo; how far is that from Canada?”
“Don’t you know, man? Just across the river.”
“I got a wife and four children with me as well who are coming.”
“I’ll speak to the captain,” said he.

He did so, and in a moment the captain took me aside, and said, “The Doctor says you want to go to Buffalo with your family.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Doctor says you’ve got a family.”
“Yes sir.”
“Where are they now?”
“About a mile back.”
“How long have you been here?”
“No time,” I answered, after a moment’s hesitation.
“Come, my good fellow, tell us all about it. You’re running away, ain’t you? Don’t be ashamed of it. Freedom is a fine thing.”

I saw by the look in his eye, that he was a friend, “Yes, sir. I am. I paid for my freedom but I was cheated so I have to run away or they will separate me and my loved ones.”

“How long will it take you to get ready?”
“Be here in half an hour, sir.”
“Well, go along and get them.”

I started to go; but, before I had run far, he called me back. “Wait, I just thought of something. You go on getting the grain in. When we shove off, I’ll dock the boat at that island over there, and at night, I’ll send a rowboat to pick you up. There’s a lot of regular nigger-catchers and their Kentucky spies in Sandusky, and they might catch you if they saw you and your family coming out of the bush and boarding us in daylight. It would be a shame for you to have come so far to be caught now.”

I nodded in agreement and then continued to work loading the rest of the three hundred bushes of corn aboard. The hatches were fastened down, the anchor raised, the sails hoisted, and the ship let loose its moorings to sail.

As it left, I stood on the dock wondering if I would ever see the “Commerce” again. I followed her every movement. It seemed to go almost out of sight but then just as the purple and the gold of the sky transformed to dark gray, it came about.

When it reached the island that the captain had told me of, it kept sailing. I was sure I would be left behind to fend for myself. How was I going to get across this huge lake now?

But the boat turned into the wind, her sails emptied of any breeze. The boat stood motionless just where Captain John had said he would stop to get me. A small boat with the Doctor and two other men was lowered into the water and in ten minutes it reached me. Together we rowed off to find my wife and children who were in hiding.
I was alarmed that I couldn’t find her anywhere.

I called her, “Elisabeth, I’m here. It’s Josiah. Where are you?”

There was no answer. I kept looking until I found her crouching in fear in some bushes nearby.

“It’s all right to come out.”

“Who are those men with you? They’ve come to sell us, haven’t they?” She screamed in a fit of fright.

“They are our friends who want to help us get to Canada on their boat.”

She was still reluctant to come out and after much gentle persuading by me and the other men she yielded and came out. She hugged me and cried.

We quickly got in the boat and rowed without much effort to the “Commerce”. A light on her mast showed us the way. We were greeted by three hearty shouts of welcome from the crew. It seems that all aboard were of the same sympathetic mind to our cause as was the captain.

The captain had them throw us a rope ladder and shouted in his thick Scottish accent, “Coom up on deck, and clop your wings and craw like a rooster; you’re a free nigger now, as sure as a crookit stick will throw a crookit shadow.”

We pulled in the boat and turned the boat and the wind filled the sails. The boat took off, like it was thankful to be moving – the water hissing and seething and foaming and splashing at our hull. Thankful was I for a good head of wind to carry us to freedom.

God had been good to us and reached out His hand to lift us up every time it looked like the end for us. I wept for joy at our change of fortune from despair to victory. My heart felt it would burst with praise.

The next morning we dropped anchor at a place called Black Rock. Captain John stood next to us on the deck and pointed into the distance.

“You see them trees? They grow on free soil, and as soon as your feet touch that you’re a man. I want to see you go and be a freeman. I’m poor myself, and have nothing to give you; I only sail the boat for wages; but I’ll see you across.”

A ferry operated there to bring passengers across the river to Canada. Captain John called out to him, “Here Green. What will you take this man and his family over for–he’s got no money?”

“Three shillings. (3/5ths of a dollar) ” Came the reply.

The captain then took a dollar (worth $20 in 2005) out of his pocket and gave it to me. As he put his hand on my head he said, “Be a good fellow, won’t you?”

I felt a tingle of electrical emotion running through my body, “Yes, Captain John, I’ll use my freedom well; I’ll give my soul to God.”

He stood on the deck waving his hat as we pushed off for the opposite shore. God bless him! God bless him eternally! Amen!

It was the 28th of October, 1830, in the morning, when my feet first touched Canada’s shore. I threw myself on the ground, rolled in the sand, seized handfuls of it and kissed them, and danced round like a lunatic.

“You must be some crazy fellow!” said a Colonel Warren, who happened to be walking past.

“O, no, master! don’t you know? I’m free!”

He burst into a shout of laughter. “Is that it? Well, I never knew freedom make a man roll in the sand before.”

I was enjoying the moment too much to answer him. I laughed, hugged, and kissed my wife and children, and they did the same to me.

Discussion Point: Talk about the difference between running away from problems and trying to change them. Give examples of when it is good to do one or the other. Why do we have to sometimes take risks to achieve a greater end? When is better not to take risks? talk about how God uses people to help us when we are at the end of our rope.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for protection. Please deliver us from evil and supply all of our needs.

Run to Freedom – Chapter 8 – The Journey Begins

Run to Freedom

Chapter 8  – The Journey Begins

The  tribulations and adventures of Josiah Henson

Peter van Gorder

We rested in the day, wherever we could find a place that might protect us from being seen. Sometimes it was under a tree that had fallen, a cave, or underneath a thick clump of bushes. At night, we trudged on the road as far as the feeble strength of my wife and boys would allow. If a wagon or horse was heard approaching, we quickly scurried into the woods until it safely passed.

In the 1830’s this land was sparsely inhabited. If we did see people, we made sure they did not see us, as most people were unfriendly to our cause. We dared ask no one for help for fear we would be jailed. God was our only friend. As we walked, I prayed desperately for His help.

As the journey lengthened, we became very weary. The precious load on my back rubbed me sore until my back was covered in blisters. Tramping in the mud with the rain pouring down on us in the cold was terrible.

One night as we traveled it became almost unbearable, then my wife began to complain.“I told you, we should never have come. Oh, we’re going to die for sure.”

I took her aside and talked to her sternly, “Don’t you ever talk like that again. The children have it hard enough. Be as strength for them, don’t voice your doubts –  ever!”

She was working herself into a frenzy, “But, they’re going to catch us, for sure. Some say that Master Amos is a conjurer – that he’s got magic powers to send spirits to follow us and catch us if we run.”

“Come wife, where is your faith? God is more powerful than any demon of hell sent to enslave us. You shall see we will be safe.”

She continued to shake like a leaf and finally, I had to almost force her to keep walking and not give into her fears. The sun was rising, we found an overhang of mossy earth that would be our bed for the night and we all fell asleep, cuddled close to each other. 

The slave catchers were after us. I could hear the dogs barking, hot on our trail. My heart began to beat furiously. I was breathing heavily. Now they were on us, surrounding us, clamping those cold irons on our neck. I woke up in terror. It was just another one of those bad dreams.

I was startled into my reality. We were a few days outside Cincinnati, Ohio now. We had carried with us some food, but now after two weeks, it was almost gone. We lived on apples, berries, chestnuts, Indian corn, and any edible roots we could find. Learning what we could eat from the forest was a very useful skill that we had picked up from being underfed but we didn’t have the time to look for food now – had to keep moving.

We were totally exhausted. All night long my children cried, they were so hungry and thirsty.

“You see, what you have done. The babies are so sick and tired. We should give ourselves up, maybe Master Amos will have mercy on us.”

“Elizabeth you don’t know what you are saying. When have you ever known them to have mercy? — Only when it suits their purpose. They’d have to punish us to discourage others from escaping. There is no way to go but North. Giving up is too terrible to think about.”

She only answered me with tears.

I held her in my arms and tried to comfort her, “Come daybreak, I will find some food for us. God won’t let us down, you’ll see.”

At dawn, I set off southwards on the road to look for food in some farmhouse. No one would suspect that I would be an escaped slave if I were walking in the opposite direction of freedom.

I approached one farmhouse and a vicious dog barked at me furiously and lunged out at me.

The owner came out quite disturbed, “What’s all the ruckus ‘bout? Now quiet down, Boxer,” he said as he motioned his dog to back off. Looking me over he spit out, “Who in tarnation are you and what do you want?”

“Excuse me sir, I was wondering if you would be so kind to sell me some food. Bread and meat would be much appreciated.”

“I got nothing to give, lend, or sell, to no nigger. Now get off my property for I change my mind and sic Boxer on you.”

I left quickly and tried my luck at the next farmhouse. A man came out and told me much the same as the first.

Then his wife appeared from the house and told her husband, “How can you treat any human being so? If a dog was hungry you would give him something to eat.

“We have children, and who knows but they may some day need the help of a friend.”

The man laughed, “Well, you can take care of niggers if you want, but I’ll have nothing to do with it.” He then went out to the barn to do some farm chores.

“Come in then,” she said kindly.

I sat down on a chair warming myself by the fire.

“I’ll be just a minute,” she said in a reassuring tone as she set about to load a plate with bread and cooked venison*.                               *venison: flesh of deer.

I put the food into my handkerchief quickly in case her husband would call some neighbors to capture me.

I placed a quarter* on the table to pay for it but she would not accept it. Instead, she placed the quarter back in the handkerchief and added some more venison to the bundle.                                                                                                                                        *a quarter in 1830 is worth about $5.50 in 2005 according to measuringworth.com.

Tears welled up in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks, “Thank you, thank you.”

“God bless you,” she said tenderly in farewell as I hurried quickly away to feed my starving wife and little ones.

Everyone was very happy to eat again but as the venison was so salty it added to our thirst. My next challenge was to try and find some water. Going through the bushes, I located a stream and drunk deeply from it. It would be too hard for my children to reach this spot. How would I carry the water back to my family?

I filled up my hat, but it would not hold water for long. The only thing left for me to do was to take off my shoes, wash them the best I could, then fill them up with water. It worked! Thank heavens they had not worn holes in them yet!

I tell you, no king ever enjoyed a drink from his crystal goblet* more
than we did of that fresh water from my shoes. I went back again more times until they were strong enough to travel. Strengthened and reassured of God’s care for us, that night we made a good distance. Two days later we arrived in Cincinnati.

*goblet: a drinking glass with a base and stem

 

Run to Freedom – Chapter 7 – Run to Freedom

Freedom Run
Chapter seven

the tribulations and adventures of Josiah Henson
Peter van Gorder

“I’m on my way to Canada
That cold and distant land
The dire effects of slavery
I can no longer stand—
Farewell, old master,
Don’t come after me.
I’m on my way to Canada
Where colored men are free.”
—song by George W. Clark

“I think there is many a slaveholder’ll get to Heaven. They don’t know no better. They acts up to the light they have. ”  – Harriet Tubman

Richmond Enquirer, 1856: “Democratic liberty exists solely because we have slaves . . . freedom is not possible without slavery.”

During the three months that I was speaking in the free state of Ohio, I heard many stories of how slaves had escaped. I heard about their routes and methods. I learned about the North Star* that had led thousands of my brethren to their land of promise. Like the star of Bethlehem, this blessed beacon of freedom pointed the way in the night sky to the north. It is the only star that doesn’t appear to move in the heavens. Wherever I wandered, I could always look up and see that friendly guide pointing the way.

It was September now. I had only a few days to prepare for our escape. My wife agreed on Thursday and we planned to leave the following Saturday. That just gave us nine days to get ready. I chose to leave on Saturday evening because the following day was a rest day and the next two days I was scheduled to inspect some neighboring farms that belonged to our plantation that I was overseeing. This would mean that we would most likely have three and a half days to put some distance between master Amos Riley and us before he called out a search party.

Our first problem would be how we would walk with four children. Two of them were still young. One son was three the other was two years old. Elizabeth made a backpack for me out of some left over strands of fiber she gathered from spinning. I would carry the two smallest. Elisabeth would walk with the two oldest. In the evenings preceding our escape, I practiced carrying the children in the backpack so I could get used to their weight and that they would get used to the confined space. We made kind of a game out of it – they seemed to even enjoy it.

The next problem was how to get our oldest child, Tom from the master’s house where he worked as a houseboy.

On Saturday, as the sun went down, I went up to the main house to give a report of my work to Master Amos. I started to return home but then turned and said casually, “O, Master Amos, I almost forgot, Tom’s mother wants to know if you won’t let him come down for a few days, that she may mend his clothes and fix him up a little?”

“Yes, boy, yes, he can go.”

“Thankee, Master Amos; good night. The Lord bless you!” I couldn’t resist the temptation to put some emphasis in this farewell, as it would be the last time I planned to see him.

With my son by my side I walked home victoriously about to embark on our adventure.

It’s strange but as I looked for the last time at my familiar surroundings, my joy was mixed with some sorrow. I thought to myself, There is the scythe we cut down grain with, somebody was careless and left it out. And there’s the stable with our horses. I thought about how much I loved riding “White Lightning” which was my favorite stallion. I named him myself on account of how fast he could run. I thought, I’m going to miss this farm in some ways. I guess when you put as much labor as we did into any piece of land; it takes a hold on you.

Our family met at our house on the bank of the Ohio River. I gathered all our family together for a final talk before we left.

“Now, children. We are going to go on a very long journey. I’m going to carry the two youngest, just like we practiced. It will be lots of fun, and we will see many wonderful things – maybe even some wild animals and Indians, but it will also be hard. There will be times when you will be cold, or hungry, or thirsty. But it is all for a good purpose. For we are going to a new land where we will be all be free and no one will be able to separate us again. There’s one thing you must always remember no matter what happens. You must not cry or make any big noise. Can you do that for us? Promise?”

They nodded their heads in agreement. “Good, let’s pray for our journey.”

We soon left the house and entered the skiff* of a fellow slave who had agreed to take us across the river. It was a new moon that night, which lessened our chances of being seen. As the saying goes, ‘the night has no eyes’.

So far, the children were keeping their promise of being quiet.
The boatman pushed off from land as quietly as he could. There was hardly a sound as the sail caught the wind.

When we were halfway over the river he whispered to me so my wife wouldn’t hear, “It will be the end of me if this is ever found out: but you won’t be brought back alive, Sie, will you? ”
“Not if I can help it,” as I glanced at my pistols and bowie knife I was carrying around my body. I had recently bought these from a poor white farmer in case we needed them to defend ourselves.

“And if they’re too many for you, and you get seized, you’ll never tell my part in this business?”

“Not if I am shot through like a strainer.”

“Well, that’s all I got to say,… except: God help you.”

Our boat touched the Indiana shore and we all jumped out of the boat, happy that we had made it safely this far.

I looked back at him put my hand on his shoulder and said, “May Heaven reward you for your help.”

He nodded and pushed off into the darkness of night the sound of his oars fading into the distance.

Now began our journey into the unknown. We had to put as much distance as we could between the river and us before sunrise.

   *A skiff is a small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern, used mainly by fisherman. Skiffs are usually only able to hold one or two people and can use oars, a sail for propulsion.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skiff

* What is the North Star? Fact Box

The North Star, also called the Pole Star or Polaris, is the star that the earth’s axis points toward in the Northern sky. For many years, people have been fascinated with this star and the fact that it doesn’t seem to move in the sky. Why

Do We Care about the North Star?

For many years, the North Star has been used as a navigation aid and to chart navigational maps. It has also been used to measure astronomical latitude since we map latitudes to the equivalent sky positions: the North Pole equates to +90 degrees latitude on Earth as does its projection into the sky. In addition to these functional uses, over time many cultures have built folklore around the North Star. Even people with little interest in astronomy or mapmaking know about the North Star, and some have created stories explaining why it seemingly never moves.

Polaris: The Current North Star

Today the Earth’s axis points within one degree of Polaris, the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor (also called the Little Bear or the Little Dipper). Polaris appears to be in a fixed position in the sky throughout the year. All other stars and constellations seem to revolve around the North Star.

To find Polaris in the sky, locate the Big Dipper and follow the two stars at the end of the basin upward. This should lead you directly to Polaris. It is the last star in the tail of the Little Dipper.

Why isn’t the North Star Fixed?

Over the course of time, the North Star changes. Right now Polaris is within one degree of true north, but at other times the North Star has been and will again be Thuban (the brightest star in the constellation Draco), Vega (the brightest star in the constellation Lyra), and Alpha Cephei (the brightest star in the constellation Cepheus).

The North Star changes over time because the direction of the earth’s axis changes slowly over time. Since by definition the North Star is the star most closely aligned with the earth’s axis, as the axis moves the nearest star changes too.

http://ms.essortment.com/northstarastro_rmdz.htm

Run to Freedom – Chapter 6 – Delivered

Delivered
Chapter six

The tribulations and adventures of Josiah Henson

Peter van Gorder

An hour before dawn, Amos called me, “Sie, I feel sick.”
“What is it Master Amos?”
“It’s my stomach, Sie. It hurts real bad.”
“Lie down Master. You’ll feel better soon.”

He didn’t. Dengue fever had taken hold of his body. We called it river fever then. It is a disease similar to malaria carried by mosquitoes. By eight in the morning, he was in utter agony with the pain.

The tables were now turned. I was no longer property but his only friend in the midst of strangers who didn’t care if he lived or died.

He cried out to me, “Forgive me, Sie for selling you. Stick to me, Sie! Stick to me, Sie! Don’t leave me, don’t leave me. I was only joking. I was never going to sell you.”
“Of course, you weren’t master. You wouldn’t do that to me. You need me too much!”

“Do what I say and I’ll cancel the sale. Sell the flat-boat. Get me, my trunk, and you on board the steamer as quick as you can.”

I did what he asked. By twelve o’clock that same day he was in one of the cabins of the steamer assigned to sick passengers.

How my heart sang to the God of Mercy as the steamboat swung loose from its mooring and made its way out into the mighty tide of the Mississippi. Each stroke of the paddle took me further away from this land of bondage and death and closer back to my loved ones.

“O, God,” I prayed, “Make a way for me to be free.”

The fever raged like a fire in Amos’ body as it teetered on the brink of death. He was totally helpless to speak or move a limb. He could only motion with his lips that he wished me to quench his thirst with some water or some soup. We were twelve days from home and his life hung by a tenuous thread. I nursed him like my mother had done many times to me in my need. All wrongs done to me by Amos were now forgotten. His recovery was all that mattered.

After twelve days of sailing we reached home. He was still unable to speak or walk. We moved him in a litter to the five miles to our house. Everyone back home was surprised to see me come back, which was about the last thing that they expected. When they realized that I was bringing their sick Amos back to them they cried loud and long over his condition. The next thing was to commend me for helping him and taking care of their property so faithfully.

After a month of convalescing, Amos began to recover. His first words were, “Thank you Sie. If I had sold you I should have died for sure.”

The praise for my assistance died quickly and I was soon back to my old work. Instead of feeling guilty about trying to sell me, they know were pleased because I had proved my worth and would fetch a much higher price than before. I realized that it would not be long before they tried to sell me again.

God in His infinite mercy saved me one time but He also expected me to do my part by giving Him a bit of cooperation. If Isaac had kept his part of our bargain, I would have kept mine and paid him the rest of the money but there was no dealing fairly with such a man.

I will escape to Canada. I thought. Even in the free states, a runaway slave is never safe. Many stories had been told about those slaves who had escaped and had been kidnapped and returned to their owners.

I thought long and hard on how I would make my escape. I told my plans to my wife, “Elizabeth, I want you and the children to escape with me. What do you think?”

“Oh, Josiah, it is too dangerous. We will be caught for sure. Then what will happen to us?”

“If we just stay, Master Amos will try to sell me again for sure. I heard them talking about it the other night. There are some things worse than death. If we do die, at least it will be trying to be free.”

“Josiah, why don’t you just be content with our lot? We have it better than some slaves.”

“If I am sold, we will be separated. We’ll never see each other again. Do you want that?”

“No, of course not. But what if we fail? It’s too terrible to think about. I won’t go.”

“I know this may sound cruel to you, but I am going to go with or without you. I am going to take all but the youngest. I won’t go through the agony of being separated from them again.

She wept bitterly, “Oh, please Josiah. Won’t you change your mind?”

We spent the whole night talking about it. When it was time to go to work the next morning, I left her there still weeping and begging me.

I had not gone far when I heard her voice calling me, “Josiah, wait there is something I want to tell you.”

I stood waiting for her to come. She said, “I see that you won’t change your mind. When I married you, I promised to stay with you through good times and bad, and I’m not going to let you go without me now.”

We both held each other and wept tears of joy. After a final kiss, I mounted my horse and rode off to work, my heart much lighter than it was the night before.
The next Saturday night we would make our run for freedom.

Discussion Point: Does God often deliver us from our problems at the last moment? Why is that? What about the people He doesn’t deliver but are martyred for their faith? What is the balance between putting feet to your prayers and doing what you can and trusting in God to do a miracle?
Prayer: Help us to trust You, even when things look very black. We know that whatever happens You are in control.

Run to Freedom – Chapter 5 – Betrayed

Betrayed
Chapter five

The tribulations and adventures of Josiah Henson

Peter van Gorder

The next morning, at the blowing of the horn, I went out to find Master Amos. I found him sitting on some steps by the fence, and as I drew near enough for him to recognize me, he shouted out a hearty welcome in his usual friendly style. “Why, halloa, Sie! is that you? Got back, eh! Why, you old son of a bitch, I’m glad to see you! My, my, why, you’re a regular black gentleman!”

He looked at my clothes with an appreciative grin said. “Well, boy, how’s your master?”

Without waiting for my answer, he continued, “Isaac says you want to be free. Want to be free, eh! I think your master treats you pretty hard, though. Six hundred and fifty dollars don’t come so easy in old Kentuck. How does he ever expect you to raise all that. It’s too much, boy, it’s too much.”

In the conversation that followed I found out that Issac Riley had tricked me, he had now raised the price of my freedom to one thousand dollars and had no plans to send my papers. Like Laban of old, my master had cheated me.

I was not undaunted but kept praising the Lord, knowing that He would work all things out for me in His time. It had been a miracle that I been able to raise this first amount. If it were His will for me to achieve freedom, He would make a way for me to raise the second amount.

I looked for ways to raise the extra money. I knew it would take a long time if ever to achieve. Inside I was in great torment and being tricked like this but it was useless to show my feelings. I went about my work with as quiet a mind as I could, resolved to trust in God, and never despair.

Amos was happy with the situation though, for it meant that he could keep me working for him longer. He had no idea to let me go again to raise the additional six hundred and fifty dollars.

He often took delight in my misfortune, “How’s it going raising that money you need for your freedom? You should plant some money trees, ha! Oh, by the way, Isaac is writing me wondering when he’s going to get his money.”

Things went on as usual for a year. I began to think more and more of a way to escape. One day my master suddenly informed me that his son, who was also named Amos, a young man about twenty-one years of age, was sailing down the river to New Orleans, with a flat-boat loaded with produce, and that I was to go with him. He was leaving the next day, and I was to go with him to help him sell his cargo for the best price I could get.

Although no one told me as much, I knew this meant that I was to be separated from my family and sold again as a slave. All my hopes seemed dashed. Even now, the Lord comforted me by telling me that where there is life, there is hope.

A battle royal was raging in my soul, between the temptation to despair and vent my rage and to keep trusting God. I felt like Christ on the cross when He called out, “My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?”

I said my tearful goodbyes to my wife and children at the landing. We never knew if we would see each other again. The boat was manned by two white men and the captain, who had been hired for the trip. There was also Amos and I, making five in total. The load consisted of cattle, pigs, poultry, corn, whisky, and other articles from the farm, and from some of the neighboring estates, which were to be sold for the best price we could get as we sailed down the river.

As we traveled downstream, each one of us took turns steering the ship. I learned how to navigate the difficult currents and how to avoid logs that could snag us and sandbars in the quick current of the Mississippi River.

I was given more and more shifts until I was steering the boat most of the time. The captain of the boat became blind from the bright reflections on the river. As none of us knew the river and the captain was unable to help us, we had to sail only in the daytime. At night, we had to keep constant watch as attacks on ships to plunder goods were common.

On our way downriver, I got permission to visit a plantation near Vicksburg. I wanted to visit some of my old friends who had been sold there from Kentucky.

I was deeply saddened by what I saw when we met. Four years of working for a hard master, suffering starvation and disease had taken their toll. Their cheeks were caved in and their bodies infested with parasites. Toiling half naked in malaria marshes, under a burning, maddening sun, and poisoned by swarms of mosquitoes and black gnats, they looked forward to death as their only deliverance.

They cried for me knowing that the same fate awaited me. I went away sick at heart. To this day, the sight of that wretched group haunts me.
Now a dark storm cloud gathered over my thoughts. All that I saw on the river journey seemed to echo my despair – wretched slave pens, rotting carcasses of animals swarming with turkey buzzards and green flies, filthy water. An evil vapor seemed to rise from the scene like phantoms that took shape and filled the air with their choking fumes.

I thought only of a quick death to relieve me of the suffering I had seen in my former companions. My faith in God gave way and I surrendered my thoughts to the torments of hell that the devil cast in my face.

He said to me, “You see, you will become a walking skeleton like them. You’re not as young as you used to be or as young as your pitiful friends you just saw. Yes, two years should do it. God has abandoned you forever. Give up praying or trusting Him. Death is your friend. Only dying can release you from your suffering.

“Is it not written: ‘There the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest. There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor. The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master. Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?’ (Job 3)

“Look, you have done everything for your masters, but what do they care about you? They are ready to sacrifice you for their selfish interests and a few dollars.”

His line was working, but he was not finished, he heaped on more to get me to do his bidding and take me out of God’s protection.

One dark rainy night, it reached a pitch, “Here’s an idea. Take the life of those who have done this injustice to you. You can do it easily enough. They don’t suspect you. You have them in your power.

“Remember when you were in Ohio and you could have taken your freedom and you didn’t do it because you were trying to play by their rules? What happened? They cheated you. Now, is another opportunity to get back at them and get your freedom. You can kill them quickly and escape! Who would blame you for this after all that they have done to you? Not God, He would probably reward you.

“They are in the hold sleeping. Now is your chance. In a few days you will be in New Orleans and it will be too late. Do it now!

“Here’s a plan. Kill all four of them, steal their money, wreck the ship, and make your escape. Don’t let this chance go by, another one may not come again.

“Look, there is an axe.”

I grabbed the axe.

“Go down to the bedroom. Go quietly!”

I went down to the bedroom.

“There is Amos, nearest to you. Start with him.”

In the dim light I could make him out.

“Raise your axe.”

I did.

Another voice broke in that startled me. I turned my head to listen, “What are you doing committing murder? And you a Christian?”

I hesitated for a moment to argue with this new voice, “It’s not murder. It’s self-defense.”

“Has anyone tried to kill you?”

“No, not yet, but they will when they sell me.”

“It is a crime. If you kill these men. You will hang.”

“But what about the great warriors in the Bible? They killed and were praised. Is this any less worthy?”

“You are going to kill a young man who has done nothing to you. He is only obeying what he was told to do. Besides, if you do this, you will hate yourself and regret it forever.”

I knew this was right. I was certain to lose that peace of mind that had never left me through all I had endured. I put down the axe and went back upstairs.
“Thank you Lord, for stopping me from doing this horrible thing!” I thanked Him then, and I thanked Him every day after that as well that I had resisted this temptation.

The devil did not give up so easily. Now he took tried a different tactic by condemning me. “You are doomed. They will see it in your face. You’ll probably say a careless word that will give it away what you were planning to do. Maybe one of them even saw you.”

I gathered the strength to mount a counter attack, “Get out of here. I resign myself to the will of God. Whatever happens to me, I will take with thankfulness. If I die soon, it will be with a free conscience before God that I trusted in Him. If I go soon, it will mean less suffering and sooner to enjoy the taste of paradise.”

Like the three men who before they were thrown into the fiery furnace said,
Dan 3:17 Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Or as Job, “ Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”

It wasn’t long before I recovered my self-control and serenity. I told no one of this incident for many years.

We arrived in New Orleans on time. We sold the rest of our cargo quickly. The only thing left to do was to sell me.

Amos no longer pretended to hide what he would do with me, “I’m sorry Sie, but I have to sell you. But don’t worry, I’ll get you a good master. I’ll find a job for you as a coachman or house servant.”

I began to cry and beg for mercy, “But Master Amos. Please don’t sell me away from my wife and children. I’ve done so much for your farm. I’ve doubled your crops and brought you good prices. I’ve done all you’ve asked of me and more. You would be better off keeping me.”

He began to cry too. But he was as trapped as I was. “ I’m sorry for you, Sie. Truly I am, but I have no choice.”

I fell at his knees and grabbed him pleading my case. He cursed me and gave me a kick to get me out of his way.

He left quickly and avoided talking with me. It was too painful on his conscience to bear.

Several planters came to the boat to look at me.

Amos praised me to them, “This is our top nigger. He is running our whole farm, he is – and getting top dollar for our goods, too. Smart nigger, this one. He’s fast too. I’ll show you. Sie, go buy some apples for us. Go quickly now.”

I did what he asked. When I came back they looked at me more closely as if I were a horse that they were about to purchase.

A buyer was found for me and I was to be sold the next day, our boat would be sold, and Amos would take the six PM steamboat back to the farm in Kentucky. That night I could not sleep. I felt as if I were a man sentenced to be hung on the morning.

Then God reached down and worked in His mysterious ways to change the current of my life.

Discussion point: When people are unkind to us, how should we deal with them? How do you think would have happened to Josiah had he not listened to the second voice?
Prayer: Lord, deliver us from temptation of evil and help us to show love to those that do evil to us.