Identifier: undergroundrailr1872stil (find matches)
Title: The underground rail road : a record of facts, authentic narratives, letters, &c., narrating the hardships, hair-breadth escapes, and death struggles of the slaves in their efforts for freedom, as related by themselves and others or witnessed by the author : together with sketches of some of the largest stockholders and most liberal aiders and advisers of the road
Year: 1872 (1870s)
Authors: Still, William, 1821-1902 Smith, Louise A., former owner Eaton, J.W., former owner Cornish, E., former owner
Subjects: Underground railroad Fugitive slaves Antislavery movements
Publisher: Philadelphia : Porter & Coates
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library

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n this particular showinga most utter disregard of the interest of their kind-hearted and indulgentowners. They left home on Monday, Christmas Eve, 1855, under theleadership of Frank Wanzer, and arrived in Columbia the following Wed-nesday at one oclock. As willfully as they had thus made their wayalong, they had not found it smooth sailing by any means. The bitingfrost and snow rendered their travel anything but agreeable. Nor didthey escape the gnawings of hunger, traveling day and night. Andwhilst these articles were in the very act of running away with them-selves and their kind masters best horses and carriage—when about onehundred miles from home, in the neighborhood of Cheat river, Maryland,they were attacked by six white men, and a boy, who, doubtless, sup-posing that their intentions were of a wicked and unlawful character feltit to be their duty in kindness to their masters, if not to the travelers todemand of them an account of themselves. In other words, the assailants ^
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BARNABY GRIG BY AND OTHERS. 125 positively commanded the fugitives to show what right they possessed, tobe found in a condition apparently so unwarranted. The spokesman amongst the fugitives, affecting no ordinary amount ofdio-nity, told their assailants plainly, that no gentleman would interferewith persons riding along civilly —not allowing it to be supposed that theywere slaves, of course. These gentlemen, however, were not willing toaccept this account of the travelers, as their very decided steps indicated.Having the law on their side, they were for compelling the fugitives tosurrender without further parley. At this juncture, the fugitives verily believing that the time had arrivedfor the practical use of their pistols and dirks, pulled them out of theirconcealment—the young women as well as the young men—and declaredthey would not be taken! One of the white men raised his gun,pointing. the muzzle directly towards one of the young women, with thethreat that he would shoot,

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