From Dixie to Canada: Romances and Realities of the Underground RailroadJohnson, H. U. (Homer Uri)
History
From Dixie to Canada: Romances and Realities of the Underground Railroad
Johnson, H. U. (Homer Uri)
Fugitive slaves -- United States; Underground Railroad
Infused with the hope of making a fortune out of the Morus multicaulis
speculation which spread as a craze over the country during the later
years of the decade, there came to Massillon, from the east, in 1837,
Cyrus Ford, a man of progressive ideas, who soon associated himself with
the Quakers of the neighborhood in acts of underground philanthropy. His
hopes with regard to mulberry riches failed, but his fears with respect
to the ague was more than realized, as he imbibed the dense malarial
exhalations arising from the Tuscarawas to such an extent as to shake
him in his boots, and in 1841 he abandoned the valley and settled
himself on a purchase east of what was then known as “Doan’s Corners,”
now East Cleveland, a short distance from where Adelbert College stands.
For years he resided in an unpretentious house situated just in front of
the site of the present hospitable home of his son, Horace Ford, Esq.,
Euclid Avenue.
One September morning, in 1843, young Horace had been started early
after the cows, but scarcely had he left the door when, in the early
dawn, he was hailed from the roadside. Approaching the caller he found
standing at the gateway the Williams turnout from Massillon, and on the
box the old gentleman’s son Ed, a young man about his own age.
“What’s up, Ed?” said young Ford.
“Not much. Don’t thee see the curtains are down?” was the reply.
“O, ah, I see.”
“Not exactly thee don’t, for them curtains are opaque, but there are two
persons within for whom, as we believe, search is now being made in town
yonder. Massillon was thoroughly searched, and it was not until last
evening we dared to start out. Thee and thy father must now provide for
the poor beings and see them off to the Queen’s Dominion.”
Without further ceremony Peter Jones and Mary, his wife, were bidden to
alight and in a few minutes were safely secreted on the premises of Mr.
Ford.
IV.
On Seneca street, in that early day, near the present site of the
criminal court rooms stood John Bell’s barber-shop, the more euphonious
term, “tonsorial parlors,” being then all unknown. John was a sterling,
wide awake darkie, and for years one of the _principal forwarding
agents_ in the growing city. To him during the day young Ford applied
for transportation for the arrival of the morning, but was informed that
matters were entirely too hot to undertake their shipment at that time,
but that he should wait until the third evening and then bring them in
promptly at nine o’clock and he would have everything ready for their
transfer. They were taken into the city in accordance with this
arrangement and in thirty minutes were out on the blue waters of Erie
duly headed for Canada.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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