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
The following week I accompanied an insane friend with her brother to
Toledo. The brother wished me to go to Monroe on business for them. He
soon informed me that the five Kentuckians were in the same hotel with
us, and he overheard one say that I had no doubts followed them to see
whether they had found any of their runaways, and that one of their
party was going wherever I did to watch my movements. This friend also
saw them consulting with the barkeeper, who sat opposite at breakfast
table, and introduced the defeated stratagem of the Tennessee
slave-holders at the Toledo hotel a few months previously. Said he, "I
believe you are the lady who met them there. Some of us heard of it
soon after, and we should have rushed there in a hurry if there had
been an attempt to take a fugitive from our city. They might as well
attempt to eat through an iron wall as to get one from us. I am an
abolitionist of the Garrison stamp, and there are others here of the
same stripe." And in this familiar style he continued, quite to my
annoyance, at the table. He came to me a number of times after
breakfast to find what he could do to assist me in having the hack take
me to whatever point I wished to go.
"Are you going east, madam?"
"Not today."
"Or are you designing to go south, or to return on the Adrian train?"
"I shall not go in either direction today."
Leaving me a few moments, he returned with inquiring whether I was
going to Monroe, and giving as the reason for his inquiries the wish to
assist me. I informed him I was going to take the ten o'clock boat for
Monroe. I learned in the sequel that they charged me with secreting the
woman and five children, and aiding their flight to Canada; but of them
I knew nothing, until my Ohio teacher informed me of their flight, and
while I was suspected and watched by their pursuers, we had reason to
believe they were placed on a boat at Cleveland, and were safe in
Canada.
We learned that their lawyer made inquiries while in my neighborhood
whether my farm and Raisin Institute were entirely in my hands. When
they became satisfied of the fact they left orders for my arrest upon a
United States warrant, to be served the following Autumn, if they
failed to recover their human property. About the expiration of the
time set George W. Brazier went with a gang of slaves for sale to Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, and died suddenly of cholera. There his projects
ended, and John White soon returned to his work in Michigan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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