A STATION ON THE
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
MRS. FLORENCE BEDFORD WRIGHT, OBERLIN.
The Anti-Slavery agitation of the
nineteenth century, called
out the heroic qualities in many a quiet
man in whom such attri-
butes had never been suspected.
In no part of the country, did the
friends of the fugitive
slave make more personal sacrifices than
those residing in south-
western Ohio.
It was during this period that the name
"under-ground rail-
road" was given to the manner by
which the negroes were piloted
to freedom.
Regularly routes were devised over which
hundreds of slaves
were sent on their way to liberty. These
routes were known to
but few, and those the persons actively
engaged in the service.
While slaves could not be owned north of
the Ohio river
the owners had many warm friends in the
north, who would have
been glad to assist them in recovering
their so-called chattels,
and who used all their influence in
making it uncomfortable and
even dangerous for those engaged in
relief work.
The phrase "having the courage of
one's convictions" so
often spoken with but little thought as
to its meaning, had an
intense force to those who were summoned
before a judge who
enjoyed inflicting the utmost penalty of
the law. The truth of
the poet's lines was unfelt by many.
"Then to side with truth is noble
When we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit
And 'tis prosperous to be just.
Then it is the brave man chooses,
While the coward stands aside,
Doubting in his abject spirit,
Till his Lord is crucified,
And the multitude make virtue
Of the faith they had denied."
Added to the penalties of the law were
the discomforts at-
tending being out, always at night,
often in storm, the nervous
(164)
A Station on the Underground
Railroad. 165
strain attending such experiences, and
the enforced neglect of
business. Cincinnati was of course the
point first reached by the
slaves, from there they were taken to
Glendale, then to Foster's,
on the Little Miami, and from there they
were brought to Spring-
boro, which was a village in Warren
county, settled largely by
"Friends" or Quakers, a people
justly celebrated for their sym-
pathy with the down-trodden. These
stations were the homes
of the various sympathizers and no
questions were asked by the
house-wives when well filled pantry
shelves were mysteriously
emptied. From Springboro they were taken
to the home of a Dr.
A. Brooks, near Wilmington, Clinton
county, and from there to
Oakland, a station near Xenia, Ohio, and
so on towards Canada.
Among those acting as conductor was a
Friend, William S.
Bedford, by name, who had probably
inherited his abhorrence of
the system from his father, Thomas
Bedford, who as early as
1786, shortly after his landing from
England, threw up a lucra-
tive position in Charleston, S. C.,
because his conscience would
not allow him to direct or use slave
labor, thereby so incensing
his uncle, by whom he was employed, that
he refused to pay him
anything for the labor already done,
upon which he started to
walk to Philadelphia, stopping in
Virginia and Maryland to teach
school, thus helping himself forward. It
is not surprising to find
his children, later, showing strong
feeling on the subject.
Only faint echoes from the past come to
us now, but such as
they are, they are worthy of
preservation.
The manuscript containing the account
published below was
found among the papers of my father, the
William S. Bedford
above referred to, to which has been
added the abstract of the
court record.
In 1839 a citizen of Rockingham county,
Virginia, by name
Bennet Raines, started for Missouri,
leaving his home hurriedly,
he being seriously involved,
financially. Accompanying his family
were four slaves, an old woman, her
daughter (a woman in the
prime of life) and two small children
belonging to the latter,
one four years of age and the other an
infant in arms. They
passed through Springboro, Ohio, and
pitched their tent one mile
west. Word had been sent to the
Abolitionists there of their in-
tended arrival, and a hope expressed
that they might manage to
166 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
free these slaves, - Springboro at that
time being one of the reg-
ular stations on the under-ground
railroad. The town was largely
composed of Friends or Quakers, most of
whom were friendly
to the cause. We held a hurried counsel
and agreed to meet at
his tent and inform him that he was
violating our laws by passing
slaves through our state.
A goodly number appeared according to
programme, Dr. A.
Brooks being appointed speaker. Raines
said we might take them
if they were willing to go, the elder
woman soon climbed into
our carriage, as would the younger, but
a daughter of Raines had
secreted the boy, no doubt thinking she
could sell him in Mis-
souri. We felt the children could not
judge, and that the mother
had the best claim to them so the search
was continued until one
cried out: "I feel its kinky
head," and within the next twenty
minutes they were all on the road to
Canada. Raines was much
irritated and finally pushed his gun
barrel out of the back of the
tent or wagon, some one told him
"that was a game more than
one could play," and at once the
noise of ramrods and gunlocks
was heard, the colored members having
brought theirs without
our knowledge or consent.
Raines was shrewd and keen and found
many sympathizers
in Franklin -a town near by, who advised
him to prosecute.
He made oath that we had robbed him of
$1000.00 in gold and
$500.00 in paper. Sixteen of us in
consequence were cited to ap-
pear before the court then in session in
Lebanon, our county seat.
We engaged four eminent lawyers, Ex-Gov.
Bell, Ex-Gov. Cor-
win, R. Schenck (later General) and
Robert G. Corwin, who
agreed to see us through all the courts
for $500.00, but before the
case was reached the old man died, and
his son took it up. There
were three counts in the indictment:
Abduction, grand larceny
and riot. The abduction would not bear
handling, but fell
through at once; they then tried grand
larceny. The mother and
son being examined separately, she on
being asked from what
state she came, said she did not know,
but thought it was Rock-
ingham. She said the gold was put in a
pasteboard box she sup-
posed, but had never seen it, but the
paper was in $1000.00 bills.
The son then said there were no $100.00
bills, and all the gold
he had seen turn out was two or three
$5.00 pieces, so the jury
let that drop, almost without leaving
their seats; but they held us
A Station on the Underground
Railroad. 167
on the last count, for they proved there
were guns on the ground,
and the unlawful manner of doing even a
lawful thing was held
by the court to constitute a riot. We
were sentenced to five days
in the dungeon, to be fed on bread and
water and to pay a fine,
some of $20.00 and some of $5.00. The
dungeon proved too small,
being but 8 feet by 10 feet, and one
person already in it. They
then made another room as dark as
possible and placed us there.
There were four of our company who were
reported by the Grand
Jury who were not tried in open court,
but condemned with the
rest. Our lawyers made a statement of
the case and we sent it
by a trusty messenger to the judge of
the Supreme Court who
ordered us all turned out by giving
$500.00 bail for our appear-
ance before the court when it should set
in our county. Some
of us had already given $3,000.00 bail
on esquire's docket.
Judge Hitchcock cleared us in the
Supreme Court in about
30 minutes, for he said we had a right
to use as much force as
was necessary to accomplish the object.
We learned long afterwards that the
negroes settled among
Friends and did not go to Canada.
WILLIAM S. BEDFORD.
COURT RECORD.
"State Record No. 5. Warren Common
Pleas, March Term,
1840. The Grand Jury was impanneled,
viz.: William Crosson,
Joseph Smithers, James Hopkins, Spencer
Hunt, Richard Taylor,
Caleb Saterthwaet, William Hamilton,
Joseph Edwards, William
Miller, Walling Worley, Patrick
McKinsey, Samuel Leonard,
Amos Kelsey, Edward Robinson, and John
M. Snook.
"Returned an indictment signed by
J. M. Williams, Pros.
Atty. of Warren Co., Ohio, and indorsed
a 'true bill, William
Crosson, Foreman,' against Abraham
Brooks, James B. Brooks,
Edward Brooks, Joseph Lukens, David
Potts, John Potts, Lindley
Potts, Perry Lukens, William S. Bedford,
Ezekiel McCoy, John
T. Bateman, Nicholas Archdeacon,
Clarkson Bateman, Cyrus F.
Farr, Jonas Wilson, Peter Lowe and
Frederick Wilson, and
divers other persons whose names are to
the jurors aforesaid un-
known, charging by the first count of
said indictment that said
defendants -
168 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
"On the 6th day of November, 1839, with force and arms at
the township of Franklin, and county of
Warren, aforesaid, unlaw-
fully did conceal, advise and entice
four colored persons, namely,
Molly, Sarah, Adam and Mary, then and
there being, and who
by the laws of the State of Virginia did
then and there owe labor
and service to one Bennett Raines then
and there, being then and
there to leave, abandon and escape from
the said Bennett Raines,
to whom the said labor and service of
Molly, Sarah, Adam and
Mary, according to the laws of the said
state of Virginia was then
due and owing, contrary to the form of
the statute," etc., etc.
The second count charges that said
defendants "did unlaw-
fully, did conceal, advise and entice
four colored persons, etc., etc.
They, the said (defendants) then and
there well knowing that the
said Molly, etc., etc., did according to
the laws of Virginia, use,
etc., etc. The third charges that said
defendants did "unlawfully
furnish a conveyance, to-wit: a carriage
and two horses with in-
tent and for the purpose of enabling
four colored persons, viz.,
etc., etc., owing, etc., etc., to escape
and elude the said B. R. They
the said (defendants) well knowing,
etc., etc.,
The fourth count is the same as the
first except it charges
that Molly, etc., etc., owed labor and
service under the laws of
Missouri.
The fifth count charges that the
defendants, with force and
arms, to-wit, with clubs, dirks, stones,
guns, pistols, and divers
other unlawful and offensive weapons,
etc., etc., etc., unlawfully,
notoriously, riotously, did assemble and
gather together to dis-
turb the public peace and with the
intent with force and violence,
to-wit, with clubs, dirks, etc., to tear
down a certain tent the prop-
erty of one Bennett Raines, and also to
make an assault upon
said Bennett Raines, Elizabeth Raines,
Eliza Raines, and a colored
person by the name of Adam, in the peace
of the state of Ohio,
and being so unlawfully assembled, etc.,
etc. They the said (de-
fendants), with clubs, dirks, etc.,
etc., riotously, etc., did disturb
the peace and also unlawfully, etc., and
with great force, etc., did
tear down the aforesaid tent and also
then and there unlawfully,
etc. The said Bennett Raines, etc., did
strike, beat, bruise, wound
and ill-treat the B. R., etc., then and
there did contrary, etc."
A Station on the Underground
Railroad. 169
The sixth count charges the defendants
assault and battery
on Bennett Raines. The indictment is
signed J. M. Williams,
Pros. Att'y, and endorsed a "true
bill, William Crosson."
The defendants were arraigned and
pleaded "not guilty."
The case was continued to August term,
when it was again con-
tinued to November term, when for trying
the case, came a jury,
viz., William Holcraft, Adam Bone, John
St. John, William Hill,
of the regular jury, and from the
by-standers William Gregg,
William Thompson, David Bone, Berkley S.
Brown, Aaron Van
Note, Robert M. Hull, Samuel Drake and
John Pauley.
The jury being sworn, the case was tried
before a full court,
Benjamin Hinkston, President Judge,
James Cowan, John Hart
and William I. Mickel, associate judges.
The jury, by their verdict, found the
defendants "not guilty,"
as they stand charged in the first,
second, third, fourth and sixth
counts of said indictment, and guilty as
charged in the fifth count
of said indictment.
The motion was made for a new trial, it
was overruled by the
court, and the defendants excepted. A
bill of exceptions was
prepared, signed by the court, but no
proceedings in error had,
and at the March term, 1841, "April
12th the defendants being
present the court rendered judgment,
viz., "That James B. Brooks
pay a fine of $5.00 and be imprisoned in
the dungeon of the jail
of Warren county until 8 o'clock P. M.
of this day.
That Joseph Lukens, Ezekiel McCoy, Cyrus
F. Farr, Jonas
Wilson, Frederick Wilson, John T.
Bateman, Peter Lowe, Nich-
olas Archdeacon, each pay a fine of
$5.00.
That Abraham Brooks, John Potts, Lindley
Potts, William S.
Bedford, each pay a fine of $20.00.
That Abraham Brooks, Joseph Lukens, John
Potts, Lindley
Potts, William S. Bedford, Ezekial
McCoy, Nicholas Archdeacon,
Cyrus F. Farr, Jonas Wilson, Frederick
Wilson, John T. Bate-
man, Peter Lowe and Edward Brooks,
"be imprisoned in the
dungeon of the jail of Warren county for
the term of 5 days,
that is to say, until the 17th
day of April, 1841, at 12 noon, and
that during said imprisonment they be
fed on bread and water
only," and the state recover of
said defendants, 17 in number
(again naming them), the costs taxed at
$261.38.
A STATION ON THE
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
MRS. FLORENCE BEDFORD WRIGHT, OBERLIN.
The Anti-Slavery agitation of the
nineteenth century, called
out the heroic qualities in many a quiet
man in whom such attri-
butes had never been suspected.
In no part of the country, did the
friends of the fugitive
slave make more personal sacrifices than
those residing in south-
western Ohio.
It was during this period that the name
"under-ground rail-
road" was given to the manner by
which the negroes were piloted
to freedom.
Regularly routes were devised over which
hundreds of slaves
were sent on their way to liberty. These
routes were known to
but few, and those the persons actively
engaged in the service.
While slaves could not be owned north of
the Ohio river
the owners had many warm friends in the
north, who would have
been glad to assist them in recovering
their so-called chattels,
and who used all their influence in
making it uncomfortable and
even dangerous for those engaged in
relief work.
The phrase "having the courage of
one's convictions" so
often spoken with but little thought as
to its meaning, had an
intense force to those who were summoned
before a judge who
enjoyed inflicting the utmost penalty of
the law. The truth of
the poet's lines was unfelt by many.
"Then to side with truth is noble
When we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit
And 'tis prosperous to be just.
Then it is the brave man chooses,
While the coward stands aside,
Doubting in his abject spirit,
Till his Lord is crucified,
And the multitude make virtue
Of the faith they had denied."
Added to the penalties of the law were
the discomforts at-
tending being out, always at night,
often in storm, the nervous
(164)