|
MOTHER'S maiden name was
Melinda Light. Her mother died when she was quite young. She and father
were married when she was about nineteen years old. She took one of her
youngest brothers to live with her, and she acted more the part of a
mother than a sister to him. She sent him to school and gave him a good
education. His name was Allen Light and he was thoroughly qualified to
officiate in the capacity of a pedagogue. He taught a number of terms,
prudently saved his wages and bought father's little farm, before we
left the state of Yew York. He married a young woman, who had some
capital of her own, before we came away, and they settled on father's
old place, and lived there when we came to Michigan. For this uncle I
did some of my first working out, mostly picking up stone; he gave me a
shilling a day. I worked for him until I had, what I thought was quite a
purse of money and I brought some of it to Michigan.
As father lived in a
hired house I had my own time, during my vacations when I was not going
to school. One man was quite displeased with me, because I refused to
work for him for sixpence a day. Another man for whom I did work in
haying, and spread hay after two or three mowers and raked after, never
paid me anything. I supposed he would give me eighteen cents or two
shillings a day. I worked for him four days; he was a rich man at that
time. I wanted father to ask him for it for me, but he said if the man
wasn't a mind to pay it let him go.
Thirty years afterward,
when I was there, I met the same man; he was riding a horse down a hill
as we were going up. I asked my cousin who he was and when he told me I
remembered the work I had done for him. I inquired, of my cousin, about
his circumstances; he said that he used to be a rich man, but that he
had lost his property and was poor. I am sure, I didn't feel much like
sympathizing with him.
Uncle Allen wrote to
mother very often after she came to Michigan. He told her how much he
missed her, that she had been a mother to him. He said the doors of the
house, as he turned them on their hinges, seemed to mourn her absence.
It was this brother and his family that we wanted to see the most. We
heard from him often and learned that he had been successful in
business. He bought two farms, joining the one he bought of father, and
one about a mile off and paid for them, they were farms which father and
mother knew very well. We learned, from others, that he was a wealthy,
prominent and influential man, in that old country. Fickle fortune had
smiled on him and he had taken what she offered to give. In the fall we
were going to see them. The war of the rebellion had commenced, 1861,
when we got ready to go and see them.
Some three or four years
before this I hired three or four colored men, who came from Canada, to
work for me. The right name of one of them, I think I never knew, it was
necessary for him to keep it to himself. Campbell and Obadiah were the
names of the other two.
The people of the United
States, both North and South, were very much excited, at that time, upon
the subject of slavery. The Government had passed a law, in favor of the
South, thundering forth its penalties against any one who should aid or
harbor, feed or employ one who was a fugitive slave. That law required
northern men to turn out when notified, leave their business, help to
hunt and chase the fugitive down, capture him and help to put on his
fetters. So it was not for me to know the name of the one, who had been
recently a slave.
Campbell had a
considerable confidence in me and told me a little of the history of the
escaped slave, (some things I knew already); that when he ran away, from
the land of bondage, he was guided in his flight by the north star. The
slave had heard of Canada and knew if he could reach that country he
would own himself and be a free man. If he ever had a family his wife
and children would be his, and would not be owned by any one else. They
would belong to himself and not another. To gain his freedom he traveled
mostly nights. When he came to a creek or river, if he couldn't find a
bridge or boat, he either swam or waded across. While on his journey he
subsisted on fruit or grain, anything he could get hold of. When he saw
it was coming light, in the morning, he would select him a place a
little way from the road, if he happened to be in one, in a swamp or
woods, or any place that offered him a hiding spot, and there spend the
day sleeping or watching. When everything was quiet in the eve- fling he
would come out of his hiding place, set his face toward the north and
hurry on. He was trying to leave his master as fast as possible, and
every night he was making the distance greater between them. Sometimes,
when he reached the road, he would stop and listen to see if he could
hear the sound of horses' hoofs, or men approaching him, or the shrill
yelp of the blood hounds, that might have discovered his whereabouts or
been on his tracks. If he heard nothing to alarm him he hastened on.
Sometimes he was bare-footed and bare-headed, with no one to pity him,
or know the anguish of his heart, but his Creator.
When night had spread her
mantle over him, and the innumerable stars appeared, sprinkled over the
vault of heaven, millions of miles away, all joined together to shower
down upon the poor fugitive slave their rays of light. The faithful old
north star, with its light beckoned him on to freedom until he got among
friends and was safely taken, by the under-ground railroad, into Canada.
So I knew these colored
men, while working for me, had some fear that one of them, at least,
might be arrested and taken back into slavery. They didn't feel safe in
working so far from Canada. But I am sure if I had heard of his master's
approach, or his agent's, I should have conducted him, or the three, six
miles, through the woods, to Detroit River, procured a boat and sent
them across to Canada, regretting the existence of the "Fugitive Slave
Law," and obeying a higher law.
As I have said I hired
these three, from Canada, to help me through my haying and harvesting. I
also gave them some other jobs. I relate this circumstance as it comes
in connection with mother's visit to the East and what I said to my
uncle there.
The names of two of these
men were Campbell and Obadiah, as I have already stated, and these were
all the names I ever knew for them. Campbell was an oldish man, and I
found him to be very much of a man, trusty, ingenious and faithful in
everything he did for me. Obadiah was a young man. He told me his
parents died when he was young, that he had a sister younger than
himself and a brother still younger. He said that he wanted to keep them
together and provide them a home. This young woman kept house for my
three workmen. She frequently came down to our house and helped Mrs.
Nowlin. She seemed to be very nice and smart and had access to our
house.
After I had finished my
haying and harvesting they moved back to what, I think, was styled the
"Reservation" in Canada, near Windsor. A short time after they were gone
I missed my watch. It was kept hanging up in my room. It had
unaccountably disappeared and seemed to be gone. I made up my mind,
after all of my kindness to the colored people, that the girl had taken
my watch and given it to her brother, Obadiah, or that at least he knew
something about it, and that they had carried it to Canada. I wanted my
watch and hated to lose it; what made it seem worse was its being taken
from me under such circumstances. I made up my mind that I could
contrive to get it again.
I went out to Dearborn,
saw the Deputy-Sheriff of Wayne County, Daniel D. Tompkins, told him the
circumstances and what my suspicions were, and my plan, and asked him if
he would go with me to Canada. He said he would. I told him that I would
come out with my team, he and I would go to Canada and decoy Obadiah
across the river, have the papers ready and arrest him in Detroit. I had
made up my mind that he had the watch or knew its whereabouts. I thought
he would be glad to give it up in order to get out of the scrape, and
all I wanted was, somehow, to get my watch.
Accordingly, in the
morning I took my team and we started, went to Detroit, drove down to
the wharf and waited for the large ferry boat to come to her wharf. Mr.
Tompkins was a shrewd man. He thought that he would cross on the little
ferry boat, that was then in, and see what he could learn on the other
side, and got aboard and went over. While I was waiting I spoke to a
mulatto and asked him if he was acquainted in Canada, and what they
called the reservation back of Windsor, three or four miles. I told him
I wanted to find a man by the name of Campbell. (I thought I should be
able to find Campbell as he was the oldest man and he would be able to
tell me where Obadiah was.) The mulatto asked me what his given name
was. I told him I didn't know, I always called him Campbell. He said
there were two men by the name of Campbell there; they were brothers and
one of them was a preacher. I told him I thought one of them was the man
I wanted to see. He stepped back by the corner of a saloon and commenced
talking with another colored man privately; soon another one joined
them, and there were three. I noticed them, as they cast sly glances at
me, and I thought they were making some remarks about me, or my rig. I
had a large team hitched to a covered carriage, double-seated. I led my
horses on to the ferry boat, and when it started, two of the colored men
stepped aboard. We went across to Canada, I led my horses on to the
wharf and found my comrade there waiting for me. I asked him if he had
found out where they lived; he said not. We got into the carriage and
started for the reservation, being sure that no one knew anything about
our business but ourselves, however, I thought, from what I had seen,
that things appeared rather suspicious.
We drove up the river
road. There was another road running back farther from the river, into
the country, which also led to the reservation. We drove along a pretty
good jog for a mile or two, and who should we meet but the old man
Campbell! He seemed very glad to see me, and came right up to shake
hands with me. He wondered how I came to be in Canada, and inquired very
particularly about the health of my family. I asked him where Obadiah
was, told him I wanted to see him. He pointed across the road and said,
that he came down with him and stopped there to get an ax helve. Said he
would run in and tell him, that I had come, and in a minute out they
came; Obadiah laughing and looking wonderfully pleased to see me. Of
course I had to appear friendly, although I didn't feel very well
pleased. I supposed that I would have to wear two faces that day; but I
was spared the disagreeable task. I told Campbell and Obadiah, that I
had come over to see them, that I had a little job on hand which I
wanted to have done and that if they would go to Detroit with me I would
tell them about it. They said they would go and I told them to get into
the carriage. They said they could walk, they were afraid of soiling it;
I told them to tumble in and I would take them to Windsor in a few
minutes.
While we were talking up
came a colored man on horseback, his horse upon the jump, breathing as
if he had rode him fast. He spoke to Campbell and took him one side and
talked with him. Then Campbell stepped back to me laughing and told me
what the man said. He said: "Heaps of colored people" thought I was a
"Kentuckian;" they said, I looked like one and that my team and carriage
looked like a Kentucky rig. The man would not believe but that I was
one, and thought that I had come to get a colored woman, who had been a
slave in Kentucky; and he said, that there was a great excitement among
the colored people about it.
I learned something of
the circumstance; that woman had been a slave in Kentucky. Her master
thought a great deal of her, treated her with much kindness, in fact
made quite a lady of her and gave her liberties and privileges, which
thousands of other slaves never enjoyed. But she made up her mind, that
she wouldn't be the property of any one; her life should be her own. She
ran away to Canada to gain her liberty. When she arrived there, she
didn't find everything as pleasant as she had expected and expressed a
willingness to return to her master and slavery, in the land of bondage.
Through a secret agent, her master had learned where she was. He made a
bargain with the preacher, Campbell, to get her back. He was to have
quite a sum of money if he succeeded in persuading her to return to her
master.
The colored people had
found it out and every man of them branded the preacher Campbell, as a
traitor and enemy to his race. They were watching him and the colored
woman, and were determined, that no one who had gained their liberty
should ever be subjected to slavery again, if they could prevent it.
Campbell and Obadiah got
into the carriage. By this time we had convinced the first trooper, that
I actually was a Michigan man (for he saw for himself, that I had no
woman) and we started back toward Windsor. We shortly after met another
horseman following up; when he met us he turned with us. They had
alarmed all of the colored people on the road and nearly every man had
volunteered for duty. They told us that some men had gone on the other
road, on horse back, to cut us off in case we turned that way.
I began to make up my
mind that, sure enough some how or other, we had raised quite an
excitement among the colored people. We were attended by quite a
cortege. 'I'hey seemed to be paving a good deal of attention to a couple
of Michigan men. We had attendants on foot and on horse back, before and
behind, and we were quietly making our way toward Windsor. If persons,
who did not know us, and knew nothing of the affair or circumstance, had
stood in the main street in Windsor, opposite the ferry, and seen us
come in, attended by our retinue, they might have thought, that I, a
Michigan farmer, had the King of the Sandwich Islands accompanied by
some great Mogul, that I was their driver and that the Deputy Sheriff,
of Wayne County, Michigan, was their footman.
When we came up opposite
the ferry, the crowd of colored men was so great, we had to stop and
give an account of ourselves. They had raised the alarm in Detroit and
she had furnished her quota of colored men for the emergency. The
excitement had helped the ferry business a little.
We found ourselves
surrounded by a large concourse of people. I told them, that I did not
know anything about the woman nor of Kentucky. Some of them wouldn't
believe but what there was actually a woman in the carriage and they had
to step up and look in and examine it, in order to satisfy themselves.
Luckily, some of those who came across from Detroit knew me and knew
that I was no Southerner.
Campbell was my main
spokesman. He was a very sensible man and more than an average talker.
He said: "Why gemman, I know this man well; he libs in Dearbu'n. I
worked for him heaps of times, often been to his house. We're goin to
Detroit wid him to see 'bout a job."
One colored man, more
suspicious than the rest, crowded his way through up to the carriage,
opened the door, took Obadiah by the arm and told him to get out, that
he wouldn't let him go across; he said he was a young man and it was
dangerous for him to go over. Obadiah said that he knew "Misser Nowlin
fust rate," that he had worked for him and that he had more work for him
to do and he must go over. Other men, who knew me, reasoned the case
with them, and the' finally concluded it was a false alarm, closed the
carriage door and we were permitted to drive on to the ferry. We soon
crossed back to Detroit; to what some of the colored people considered
so dangerous a place for their race.
I had Campbell hold the
horses while my friend, Mr. Tompkins, and I consulted together
concerning Obadiah. I told my friend, that I hadn't been able to detect
any guilt in Obadiah from the first to the last. I thought if he had
been guilty he would have been alarmed, and have allowed himself to have
been taken out of the carriage in Windsor, and would not have crossed
the river with us. Mr. Tompkins had made up his mind to the same thing.
I stepped back to them and said, that I had consulted with my friend and
changed my mind, that I wouldn't do anything about the job then. I have
no doubt, they thought the colored people had raised such an excitement
it had discouraged me and cheated them out of a job. (It is seen that
the job I wished done just then, was to get my watch, and I had thought
that Obadiah was the one who could help me accomplish it.) I told them,
some other time when I had work I would employ them, and I did employ
Campbell a number of times after that. I gave them money to get them
some dinner and to pay their passage back, as I had paid it over. I left
them feeling first rate; they never knew the object of my visit. They
must have thought that I treated them with a great deal of respect.
When I reached home at
night my pocket book was a little lighter, my trip had cost me
something. I told my folks that if they had made out in Canada, that I
was a southern man and that I was after that woman, it would have been
doubtful about my ever getting home and that it would have taken three
hundred Michigan troops to have gotten us out of Windsor, dead or alive.
But I do say to exonerate those colored people from all suspicion, in
the affair, that, some time after, the watch was found, nicely wrapped
up in a piece of cloth and in a bureau drawer, where it had been laid
away carefully and forgotten. |
