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UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STORIES
Submitted by:
Sharon M.
Kouns
ORDER OF
TWELVE
Ironton Register,
February 09, 1888
A
lodge of this secret society has been organized in Ironton,
and last Monday night the first officers were publicly
installed. The ceremony took place in the G. U. O. O. F. Hall.
The Order of Twelve is a colored organization exclusively,
based upon the secret order that was formed in 1852 to operate
the famous underground railway system, and operated since the
emancipation upon beneficiary principles similar to many other
orders. It has separate departments for men, women and
children. The lodge just formed belongs to the second class,
though some gentlemen belong to it, and is under the direction
of W. A. Craig, who joined the order in Arkansas and bears the
title of National Deputy and Grand Mentor. It is the second
lodge in Ohio, and has been named "Pride of Ohio Tabernacle,
No. 384." Following were the principal officers installed:
Mrs. M. J. Poage, Preceptress; Miss Callie Scott, Vice P.;
Mrs. Caroline Scott, Priestess; Mrs. Mary Peebles, Inner
Sentinel; Mrs. Annie Watkins, Outer Sentinel; Mrs. Kate
Fossett, Chief Recorder; Miss Lena Tyler, Vice R.; Charles
Peebles, Chief Tribune; Levi Mitchel and Henry Watkins,
assistants.
UNDERGROUND
RAILWAY ADVENTURES
Ironton Daily Register, January 24, 1917
When the
underground railway was in operation through Ohio, a new
occupation grew up upon it. Men engaged in the business of
catching runaway slaves and returning them to their owners -
of course for liberal rewards. It was dangerous business,
for those known to be engaged in it had to live in a state
of armed warfare with their neighbors, who were for the most
part against interference with the operation of the railway.
But
those who engaged in it were generally from the South, where
they had established confidential relations, and they were
adventurous spirits to whom a fight was by not means
unwelcome. The return of an occasional runaway slave brought
them sufficient money to live on without other employment,
so that it was a life of comparative ease that they led,
after all.
Professor Siebert of the State university tells an
interesting story in connection with the slave catchers in
an article published in the State Historical Society Reports
some years ago. He got it from Colonel D. W. H. Howard of
Wauseon, then 80 years old, whose father was active in the
underground railway work and who permitted him sometimes, in
his boyhood, to take a trip over it.
His father's house was a station on the railway in the
northwestern part of the state, and because it was known
that slave catchers were in the vicinity, the runaway slaves
were always moved at night. One night, when a bunch of
runaway slaves were to be forwarded to Canada, it was
ascertained through Indians that the party was to be
intercepted by slave catchers. In spite of the fact that a
circuitous route was taken, the party had not gone far
before they heard horses coming up from behind.
Placing a young man in concealment alongside the trail, the
main party pressed forward with the slaves at top speed. Two
horsemen -- slave catchers -- soon rode up. The rear guard
thus posted took careful aim and shot down one of the
horses. This ended the pursuit, and the slaves were
delivered beyond the Canadian border. Colonel Howard was
with this party and told of what he actually saw. It is a
great pity that more of these stories of the underground
railway in Ohio were not secured before those who took part
in the work passed away. --Columbus
Dispatch
UNDERGROUND RAILWAY INFORMATION
Semi-Weekly Irontonian,
February 13, 1917
MacDonald, W. Va.,
Feb. 6, '17
Editor Register:
In the Ironton Register of Jan. 24th, under heading,
Underground Railway Adventures," (copied from Columbus
Dispatch) the piece ends with: "It is a great pity that more
of these stories of the underground railway in Ohio were not
secured before those who took part in the work passed away."
In keeping with the above, I will narrate an incident which
occurred to the writer when a little boy in knee breeches,
about 1859 or '60, in Cincinnati. I know it occurred before
Fort Sumpter was fired upon, a _he "fugitive slave leave" was
in force and I well remember the excitement and stirring
scenes following the firing on Ft. Sumpter. The writer is now
in his sixty-third year, yet the memory of what my boyish eyes
drank in, never has and never will be effaced.
My father, the late Geo. F. Davis, a life long Pork Packer of
Cincinnati, was an active and energetic officer of the
"Underground Railway" and many a score of slaves were assisted
to Canada and freedom thru his efforts. But to my story; one
bright summer Sunday morning, I got up early and while running
in and out the house, as a small boy would, I noticed my
mother and the cook were very busy cooking doughnuts,
ringer(?) bread, making ham and chicken sandwiches and filling
pint bottles with coffee.
I finally said: "Why mama what are you doing, this is Sunday,
we do not have picnics on Sunday." "Hush! hush! run out and
play," she told me.
Well, my boyish curiosity was _____ and I continued
questioning her.
My father called me into the library and said: "Gil, can you
keep a secret?"
"Why of course I can," I replied, feeling very big over the
question and confidence bestowed on me.
"Well," my father said, "Now you keep out of the kitchen and
after breakfast we will harness up old black bobtail Charley
in the Jennie Lewnd [sic] buggy and I will show you something
you never saw before and I hope you will never forget."
"Well, after breakfast we carried an immense willow basket,
covered lightly with some cloth to the buggy. Father and I got
in (it was the first house west of the 16th District school,
on Southern avenue, but, Auburn, the house in which I was
born.) We went down the long sycamore hill and kept straight
on down the same street to No. 11, five doors from the public
landing, my father's Pork House.
Father got out, and I remember how carefully he glanced first
up, then down the street, (the "fugitive slave law" was in
force and he was looking out for detectives). Then he took a
big brass key from his pocket and unlocked the front door,
walked inside and listened, then came out and we carried that
big basket inside, locked the door, went the length of the
store and up stairs and opened the door into a store room over
the office next to the alley. I then saw a sight that made my
eyes nearly bob out of my head. There, sitting on breakfast
bacon boxes or astride of ham ____, sat ten or twelve big
strapping colored men, all of them too, as still as mice. They
turned their heads and looked at us, but not a word escaped
them. Father said to me: "Gil, these men are all runaway
slaves from the South, they arrived by the underground
railway." Then addressing the slaves he said:
"Boys, this basket contains food enough for four meals apiece
for you. If you eat it all now you will have to go without
before you reach Canada. Tonight, about ten o'clock, a large,
covered farm wagon will stop at the back door, he then told
them the raps and pass word they would use, so the slaves
would know they were friends and not officers, but what there
knocks and pass words were, I have forgotten.) When you get
into that wagon, sit down in the straw and stay there, do not
talk and above all things, do not stick your heads out, you
will be seen. That wagon will take you to Reading, ten miles
out and there you will be locked in a box car. You will arrive
in Detroit, Mich., tomorrow forenoon. A man will meet you
there and see you safely on the ferry to Windsor, Can. Then
you must look out for yourselves.
Now boys, you know the fugitive slave law is in force. If we
are found out I will be fined and sent to jail and you will
all be put in irons and taken back South and you know what
your master's will do to you for running away.
"Dat am all right massa, dat am all right, we will be keerful,"
one of them said.
"We will now give you your breakfast" father said. Then with a
box lid for ____________(can't make out from microfilmed copy)
The next night they all got safely away.
I had seen slaves several times, but always following their
masters, but never saw them but this once as passengers on
"The Underground Railway."
I narrated part of the above in a speech to the Lawrence Co.
Republican Convention when I was nominated for coroner of
Lawrence county, in the spring of 1895. I hope the above will
be of historical interest to your readers.
GILMAN R.
DAVIS |
