A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. HavilandHaviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Religion
A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. Haviland
Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Freed persons; Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith), 1808-1898; Underground Railroad
Excitement does not cease, though the base is changed. Tidings came to
us that fourteen newly-arrived fugitives were housed in the basement of
Zion Baptist Church. I repaired at once to see what was needed for
their journey, and found a very sick babe, two months old. The mother
said it was very sick before they left, and she did not expect it to
live, but their arrangements were made to go for freedom, and she would
rather bury her child on the way than to stay behind till it left her.
It died that night, and they were provided with a respectable coffin,
and the company, with others, formed a funeral procession to the
burying-ground. After the burial the thirteen fugitives were taken to
the Quaker settlement, twenty-five miles distant, and from thence were
forwarded to Canada. The colored members of our vigilance committee
informed me that an infant died in that basement once before, and they
took up a part of the floor and buried the child in the grave prepared
for it, to avoid suspicion; for its parents were the slaves of a
wealthy Kentuckian, who was making great efforts to capture the family.
CHAPTER VII.
CHRISTIAN AND EDUCATIONAL WORK.
Very many incidents of interest we must pass over; but, suffice to say,
there was seldom a week passed without a slave or slaves leaving a boat
or otherwise crossing the river in quest of freedom.
I met on the street a sister White, who was much distressed about her
son, who was almost gone with consumption, and yet was unwilling to see
any minister or religious person, to say any thing to him about a
preparation for the change. "Do, please, go with me now to see my dying
son Harvey. May he'll listen to you."
I went to her house, and found him too weak to talk much. The mother
introduced me as her friend who had called on her. I took his emaciated
hand, and said, "I see you are very low and weak, and I do not wish to
worry you with talking, but you have but little hope of being restored
to health I should judge from your appearance."
He turned his head on his pillow as he said, "I can never be any
better--I can't live."
"Then your mind has been turned toward the future, and may the
enlightening influence of the Holy Spirit lead you to the Great
Physician of souls, who knows every desire of the heart, and is able to
save to the uttermost, even at the eleventh hour." I saw the starting
tear as he looked earnestly at me, while I was still holding his
feverish hand in mine. "Will it be too much for you, in your weak
condition, if I should read to you a few of the words of our Lord and
Savior?"
"O no, I'd like to hear you."
I opened to John xiv; and upon reading a few verses I saw that the
impression made was deepening, and asked if it would worry him too much
if I should spend a few moments in prayer.
"O no, I'd like to hear you pray."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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