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
She had trusted in her Lord and Savior in all these years of toiling,
and now must she see that daughter sold down the river? In her distress
she went from house to house, to plead for a buyer who would advance
the five hundred dollars, and take a mortgage on her until she could
make it. At length she found a Baptist deacon who purchased her
daughter, and she paid him the four hundred dollars. He was to keep her
until the mortgage was redeemed by the mother, who was compelled to
abandon her first project, and bend her energies toward making the five
hundred dollars. After working very hard one year, she was able to pay
but one hundred and fifty dollars to ward the mortgage, when her health
began to fail. The deacon told her the money was coming too slowly, and
that he could not wait longer than another year, before he would have
to sell her to get his money back. "Weeping and prayer was my meat and
drink day and night. Oh! must I see my poor chile' go after all my hope
to save her?" A merchant in that town by whom she had been employed,
told her he would give her a little secret advice, which was, to go to
Louisville as she had done before, but not to stop there, but to go on
to Cincinnati, and he would give her a good recommendation to his
brother, Mr. Ketcham, who was a merchant and knew the abolitionists.
They would aid her in raising the three hundred and fifty dollars; but
she must not let it be known that he had advised her, or that she was
going North. Mr. Ketcham introduced her to Levi Coffin and lawyer John
Jolliffe, who gave her letters of introduction to friends at Oberlin,
and other places, and by the time she was sent to me she had over two
hundred dollars toward the release of the mortgage on the daughter. As
her health was poor from constant overwork and troubles incident to
slave life, to give her rest I took her papers, and while calling on
the friends of humanity, did not slight some of my Democratic friends,
some of whom had some years previously told me if I would go to work
and purchase the slaves they would aid me.
Consequently I called on one who was living in splendor within his
massive pile of brick, and reminded him of the promise he made me on a
certain occasion. Now was his opportunity, as I was assisting a mother
to purchase her daughter. I gave him the line through which I had
received the best of endorsements as to her industrious and honest
Christian character, and what the friends had done for her upon whom I
had called, and but for her poor health would have brought her with me.
After listening attentively to all my statements, he arose from his
chair, walked nervously to and fro across his room, as if striving to
his utmost to brace against sympathy, and said, "Mrs. Haviland, I'll
not give a penny to any one who will steal slaves; for you might just
as well come to my barn and steal my horse or wheat as to help slaves
to Canada, out of the reach of their owners."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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