Illustrated Edition of the Life and Escape of Wm. Wells Brown from American Slavery: Written by Himself — John Shaqi
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
We knew nothing of her being in the room until Stanford pointed to the
bed and said, “Under there is our betrayer.” She was soon hauled out,
and it was as much as some of us could do to keep the others from
lynching her upon the spot. The curses came thick and fast from a
majority of the company. But nothing attracted my attention at the time
more than the look of Mrs. Stanford at the betrayer, as she sat before
her. She did not say a word to her, but her countenance told the
feelings of her inmost soul, and we could but think, that had she spoken
to her, she would have said, “May the world deny thee a shelter! earth a
home! the dust a grave! the sun his light! and Heaven her God!”
The betrayer begged us to let her go. I was somewhat disposed to comply
with her request, but I found many to oppose me; in fact, I was entirely
alone. My main reason for wishing to let her escape was that I was
afraid that her life would be in danger. I knew that, if she was taken
back to Buffalo or Canada, she would fall into the hands of an excited
people, the most of whom had themselves been slaves. And they, being
comparatively ignorant of the laws, would be likely to take the law into
their own hands.
However, the woman was not allowed to escape, but was put into the
coach, together with Stanford and his wife; and after an hour and a
half’s drive, we found ourselves in the city of Buffalo. The excitement
which the alarm had created in the morning had broken up the meetings of
the colored people for that day; and on our arrival in the city we were
met by some forty or fifty colored persons. The kidnappers had not been
inactive; for, on our arrival in the city, we learned that the man who
had charge of the carriage and fugitives when we caught up with them,
returned to the city immediately after giving the slaves up to us, and
had informed Tate, who had remained behind, of what had occurred. Tate
immediately employed the sheriff and his posse to re-take the slaves.
So, on our arrival in Buffalo, we found that the main battle had yet
to be fought. Stanford and his wife and child were soon provided with
clothing and some refreshment, while we were preparing ourselves with
clubs, pistols, knives, and other weapons of defence. News soon come to
us that the sheriff, with his under officers, together with some sixty
or seventy men who were at work on the canal, were on the road between
Buffalo and Black Rock, and that they intended to re-take the slaves
when we should attempt to take them to the ferry to convey them to
Canada. This news was anything but pleasant to us, but we prepared for
the worst.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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