Illustrated Edition of the Life and Escape of Wm. Wells Brown from American Slavery: Written by HimselfBrown, William Wells
History
Illustrated Edition of the Life and Escape of Wm. Wells Brown from American Slavery: Written by Himself
Brown, William Wells
Enslaved persons -- United States -- Biography; Slavery -- Missouri
The carriage, with the kidnappers, crossed the Niagara river at Black
Rock, on Saturday evening, about seven o’clock, and went on its way
towards St. Catharine’s; no one suspecting in the least that they were
after fugitive slaves. About twelve o’clock that night they attacked
Stanford’s dwelling by breaking in the door. They found the family
asleep, and of course met with no obstacle whatever in tying, gagging,
and forcing them into the carriage.
The family had one child about six weeks old That was kept at its
mother’s breast, to keep it quiet. The carriage re-crossed the river, at
the same place, the next morning at sunrise, and proceeded to Buffalo,
where it remained a short time, and after changing horses and leaving
some of its company, it proceeded on its journey. The carriage being
closely covered, no one had made the least discovery as to its contents.
But some time during the morning, a man, who was neighbor to Stanford,
and who resided but a short distance from him, came on an errand; and
finding the house deserted, and seeing the most of the family’s clothes
lying on the floor, and seeing here and there stains of blood, soon gave
the alarm, and the neighbors started in every direction, to see if they
could find the kidnappers. One man got on the track of the carriage,
and followed it to the ferry at Black Rock, where he heard that it had
crossed some three hours before. He went on to Buffalo, and gave the
alarm to the colored people of that place. The colored people of Buffalo
are noted for their promptness in giving aid to the fugitive slave.
The alarm was given just as the bells were ringing for church. I was in
company with five or six others, when I heard that a brother slave with
his family had been seized and dragged from his home during the night
previous. We started on a run for the livery-stable, where we found as
many more of our own color trying to hire horses to go in search of the
fugitives. There were two roads which the kidnappers could take, and
we were at some loss to know which to take ourselves. But we soon
determined to be on the right track, and so divided our company,--one
half taking the road to Erie, the other taking the road leading to
Hamburgh. I was among those who took the latter.
We travelled on at a rapid rate, until we came within half a mile of
Hamburgh Corners, when we met a man on the side of the road on foot, who
made signs to us to stop. We halted for a moment, when he informed us
that the carriage that we were in pursuit of was at the public house,
and that he was then in search of some of his neighbors, to assemble
and to demand of the kidnappers the authority by which they were taking
these people into slavery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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