Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Edgar County, Part 108

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell
Number of Pages: 876

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And here a strange anomaly is presented. The slaveholder, in attempting to recover his slave, was acting within his constitutional and legal rights. The slave was his property in law. He had purchased or inherited his bondman on the same plane with his horse or his land, and, apart from the right to hold a human being in bond- age, regarded his legal rights to the one as good as the other. From a legal standpoint his posi- tion was impregnable. The slave was his, repre- senting so much of money value, and whoever was instrumental in the loss of that slave was, both theoretically and technically, a partner in robbery. Therefore he looked on "The Under- ground Railway" as the work of thieves, and en- tertained bitter hatred toward all concerned in its operation. On the other hand, men who were, in all other respects, good citizens-often relig- iously devout and pillars of the church-became bold and flagrant violators of the law in relation to this sort of property. They set at nought a plain provision of the Constitution and the act of Congress for its enforcement. Without hope of personal gain or reward, at the risk of fine and imprisonment, with the certainty of social ostra- cism and bitter opposition, they harbored the fugitive and helped him forward on every occasion. And why? Because they saw in him a man, with the same inherent right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" that they themselves possessed. To them this was a higher law than any Legislature, State or National, could enact. They denied that there could be truly such a thing as property in man. Believing that the law violated human rights, they justified themselves in rendering it null and void.

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For the most part, the "Underground Rail- road" operators and promoters were plain, obscure men, without hope of fame or desire for notoriety. Yet there were some whose names are conspicuous in history, such as Wendell Phillips, Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Theodore Parker of Massachusetts; Gerrit Smith and Thurlow Weed of New York: Joshua R. Giddings of Ohio, and Owen Lovejoy of Illinois. These had their followers and sympathizers in all the Northern States, and even in some por- tions of the South. It is a curious fact, that some of the most active spirits connected with the "Underground Railroad" were natives of the South, or had resided there long enough to become thoroughly acquainted with the "insti- tution." Levi Coffin, who had the reputation of being the "President of the Underground Rail- road"-at least so far as the region west of the Ohio was concerned-was an active operator on the line in North Carolina before his removal from that State to Indiana in 1826. Indeed, as a system, it is claimed to have had its origin at Guilford College, in the "Old North State" in 1819, though the evidence of this may not be conclusive.

Owing to the peculiar nature of their business, no official reports were made, no lists of officers, conductors, station agents or operators preserved, and few records kept which are now accessible. Consequently, we are dependent chiefly upon the personal recollection of individual operators for a history of their transactions. Each station on the road was the house of a "friend" and it is significant, in this connection, that in every . ettlement of Friends, or Quakers, there was sure to be a house of refuge for the slave. For this reason it was, perhaps, that one of the most frequently traveled lines extended from Vir- ginia and Maryland through Eastern Pennsyl- vania, and then on towards Now Tork or Cheet's to Canada. From the proximity of Olto t) Virginia and Kentucky, and the fact that it offered the shortest route through free soil to Canada, it was traversed by more lines than any other State, although Indiana was pretty thoroughly "grid-ironed" by roads to freedom. In all, however, the routes were irregular, often zigzag, for purposes of security, and the "con- ductor" was any one who conveyed fugitives from one station to another The "train" was some- times a farm-wagon, loaded with produce for market at some town (or depot) on the line, fre- quently a closed carriage, and it is related that once, in Ohio, a number of carriages conveying

a large party, were made to represent a funeral procession. Occasionally the train ran on foot, for convenience of side-tracking into the woods or a cornfield, in case of pursuit by a wild loco- motive.

Then, again, there were not wanting lawyers who, in case the operator, conductor or station agent got into trouble, were ready, without fee or reward, to defend either him or his human freight in the. courts. These included such names of national repute as Salmon P. Chase, Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, William H. Seward, Rutherford B. Hayes, Richard H. Dana, and Isaac N. Arnold, while, taking the whole country over, their "name was legion." And there were a few men of wealth, like Thomas Garrett of Delaware, willing to contribute money by thousands to their assistance. Although technically acting in violation of law-or, as claimed by themselves, in obedience to a "higher law"-the time has already come when there is a disposition to look upon the actors as, in a certain sense, heroes, and their deeds as fitly belonging to the field of romance.

The most comprehensive collection of material relating to the history of this movement has been furnished in a recent volume entitled, "The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Free- dom," by Prof. Wilbur H. Siebert, of Ohio State University ; and, while it is not wholly free from errors, both as to individual names and facts, it will probably remain as the best compilation of history bearing on this subject-especially as the principal actors are fast passing away. One of the interesting features of Prof. Siebert's book is a map purporting to give the principal routes and stations in the States northwest of the Ohio, yet the accuracy of this, as well as the correct- ness of personal names given, has been questioned ly somle best informed on the subject. As .. ig it be expected from its geographical position between two slave States-Kentucky and Mis- sJuti-on the one hand, and the lakes offering a highway to Canada on the other, it is naturally to be assumed that Illinois would be an attract- ive field, both for the fugitive and his sympa- thizer.

The period of greatest activity of the system in this State was between 1840 and 1861-the latter being the year when the pro-slavery party in the South, by their attempt forcibly to dissolve the Union, took the business out of the hands of the secret agents of the "Underground Railroad," and-in a certain sense-placed it in the hands of the Union armies. It was in 1841 that Abra-

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ham Lincoln-then a conservative opponent of the extension of slavery-on an appeal from a judgment, rendered by the Circuit Court in Taze- well County, in favor of the holder of a note given for the service of the indentured slave- girl "Nance," obtained a decision from the Supreme Court of Illinois upholding the doctrine that the girl was free under the Ordinance of 1787 and the State Constitution, and that the note, given to the person who claimed to be her owner, was void. And it is a somewhat curious coincidence that the same Abraham Lincoln, as President of the United States, in the second year of the War of the Rebellion, issued the Proclamation of Emancipation which finally resulted in striking the shackles from the limbs of every slave in the Union.

In the practical operation of aiding fugitives in Illinois, it was natural that the towns along the border upon the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, should have served as a sort of entrepots, or initial stations, for the reception of this class of freight-especially if adjacent to some anti- slavery community. This was the case at Ches- ter, from which access was easy to Sparta, where .a colony of Covenanters, or Seceders, was located, and whence a route extended, by way of Oakdale, Nashville and Centralia, in the direction of Chicago. Alton offered convenient access to Bond County, where there was a community of anti-slavery people at an early day, or the fugi- tives could be forwarded northward by way of Jerseyville, Waverly and Jacksonville, about each of which there was a strong anti-slavery sentiment. Quincy, in spite of an intense hos- tility among the mass of the community to any- thing savoring of abolitionism, became the theater of great activity on the part of the . opponents of the institution, especially after the ' . advent there of Dr. David Nelson and Dr. Rich- ard Eells, both of whom had rendered themselves "obnoxious to the people of Missouri by extending aid to fugitives. The former was a practical abolitionist who, having freed his slaves in his native State of Virginia, removed to Missouri and - attempted to establish Marion College, a few miles from Palmyra, but was soon driven to Illinois. Locating near Quincy, he founded the "Mission Institute" there, at which he continued to dis- seminate his anti-slavery views, while educating young men for missionary work. The "Insti- tute" was finally burned by emissaries from Mis- souri, while three young men who had been connected with it, having been caught in Mis- ¿souri, were condemned to twelve years' confine-

ment in the penitentiary of that State-partly on the testimony of a negro, although a negro was not then a legal witness in the courts against a white man. Dr. Eells was prosecuted before Stephen A. Douglas (then a Judge of the Circuit Court), and fined for aiding a fugitive to escape, and the judgment against him was finally con- firmed by the Supreme Court after his death, in 1852, ten years after the original indictment.

A map in Professor Siebert's book, showing the · routes and principal stations of the "Undergound Railroad," makes mention of the following places in Illinois, in addition to those already referred to: Carlinville, in Macoupin County; Payson and Mendon, in Adams; Washington, in Taze- well; Metamora, in Woodford; Magnolia, in Put- nam; Galesburg, in Knox; Princeton (the home of Owen Lovejoy and the Bryants), in Bureau ; and many more. Ottawa appears to have been the meeting point of a number of lines, as well as the home of a strong colony of practical abo- litionists. Cairo also became an important transfer station for fugitives arriving by river, after the completion of the Illinois Central Rail- road, especially as it offered the speediest way of reaching Chicago, towards which nearly all the lines converged. It was here that the fugitives could be most safely disposed of by placing them upon vessels, which, without stopping at inter- mediate ports, could soon land them on Canadian soil. 4

As to methods, these differed according to cir- cumstances, the emergencies of the occasion, or the taste, convenience or resources of the oper- ator. Deacon Levi Morse, of Woodford County, near Metamora, had a route towards Magnolia, Putnam County; and his favorite "car" was a farm wagon in which there was a double bottom. The passengers were snugly placed below, and grain sacks, filled with bran or other light material, were laid over, so that the whole presented the appearance of an ordinary load of grain on its way to market. The same was true as to stations and routes. One, who was an operator, says: "Wherever an abolitionist happened on a fugi- tive, or the converse, there was a station, for the . time, and the route was to the next anti-slavery man to the east or the north. As a general rule, the agent preferred not to know anything beyond the operation of his own immediate section of the road. If he knew nothing about the operations of another, and the other knew nothing of his, they could not be witnesses in court.

We have it on the authority of Judge Harvey B. Hurd, of Chicago, that runaways were usually

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forwarded from that city to Canada by way of the Lakes, there being several steamers available for that purpose. On one occasion thirteen were put aboard a vessel under the eyes of a United States Marshal and his deputies. The fugitives, secreted in a woodshed, one by one took the places of colored stevedores carrying wood aboard the ship. Possibly the term, "There's a nigger in the woodpile," may have originated in this incident. Thirteen was an "unlucky num- ber" in this instance-for the masters.

Among the notable trials for assisting runa ways in violation of the Fugitive Slave Law, in addi- tion to the case of Dr. Eells, already mentioned, were those of Owen Lovejoy of Princeton, and Deacon Cushing of Will County, both of whom were defended by Judge James Collins of Chi- cago. John Hossack and Dr. Joseph Stout of Ottawa, with some half-dozen of their neighbors and friends, were tried at Ottawa, in 1859, for assisting a fugitive and acquitted on a techni- cality. A strong array of attorneys, afterwards widely known through the northern part of the State, appeared for the defense, including Isaac N. Arnold, Joseph Knox, B. C. Cook, J. V. Eus- tace, Edward S. Leland and E. C. Larned. Joseph T. Morse, of Woodford County, was also arrested, taken to Peoria and committed to jail, but acquitted on trial.

Another noteworthy case was that of Dr. Samuel Willard (now of Chicago) and his father, Julius A. Willard, charged with assisting in the escape of a fugitive at Jacksonville, in 1843, when the Doctor was a student in Illinois College. "The National Corporation Reporter," a few years ago, gave an account of this affair, together witli a letter from Dr. Willard, in which he states that, after protracted litigation, during which the case was carried to the Supreme Court, it was ended by his pleading guilty before Judge Samuel D. Lockwood, when he was fined one dollar and costs-the latter amounting to twenty dollars. The Doctor frankly adds: "My father, as well as myself, helped many fugitives afterwards." It did not always happen, however, that offenders escaped so easily.

Judge Harvey B. Hurd, already referred to, and an active anti-slavery man in the days of the Fugitive Slave Law, relates the following: Once, when the trial of a fugitive was going on before Justice Kercheval, in a room on the second floor of a two-story frame building on Clark Street in the city of Chicago, the crowd in attendance filled the room, the stairway and the adjoining sidewalk. In some way the prisoner got mixed

in with the audience, and passed down over the heads of those on the stairs, where the officers were unable to follow.

In another case, tried before United States Commissioner Geo. W. Meeker, the result was made to liinge upon a point in the indictment to the effect that the fugitive was "copper-colored." The Commissioner, as the story goes, being in- clined to favor public sentiment, called for a large copper cent, that he might make comparison. The decision was, that the prisoner was "off color," so to speak, and he was hustled out of the room before the officers could re-arrest him, as they had been instructed to do.

Dr. Samuel Willard, in a review of Professor Siebert's book, published in "The Dial" of Chi- cago, makes mention of Henry Irving and Will- iam Chauncey Carter as among his active allies at Jacksonville, with Rev. Bilious Pond and Deacon Lyman of Farmington (near the present village of Farmingdale in Sangamon County), Luther Ransom of Springfield, Andrew Borders of Randolph County, Joseph Gerrish of Jersey and William T. Allan of Henry, as their coadju- tors in other parts of the State. Other active agents or promoters, in the same field, included such names as Dr. Charles V. Dyer, Philo Carpen- ter, Calvin De Wolf, L. C. P. Freer, Zebina East- man, James H. Collins, Harvey B. Hurd, J. Young Scammon, Col. J. F. Farnsworth and others of Chicago, whose names have already been men- tioned; Rev. Asa Turner, Deacon Ballard, J. K. Van Dorn and Erastus Benton, of Quincy and Adams County; President Rufus Blanchard of Knox College, Galesburg; John Leeper of Bond; the late Prof. J. B. Turner and Elihu Wolcott of Jacksonville; Capt. Parker Morse and his four sons-Joseph T., Levi P., Parker, Jr., and Mark -of Woodford County; Rev. William Sloane of Randolph; William Strawn of La Salle, besides a host who were willing to aid their fellow men in their aspirations to freedom, without advertising their own exploits.

Among the incidents of "Underground Rail- road" in Illinois is one which had some importance politically, having for its climax a dramatic scene in Congress, but of which, so far as known, no full account has ever been written. About 1855, Ephraim Lombard, a Mississippi planter, but a New Englander by birth, purchased a large body of prairie land in the northeastern part of Stark County, and, taking up his residence temporarily in the village of Bradford, began its improve- ment. He had brought with him from Mississippi a negro, gray-haired and bent with age, a slave

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of probably no great value. "Old Mose," as he was called, soon came to be well known and a favorite in the neighborhood. Lombard boldly stated that he had brought him there as a slave; that, by virtue of the Dred Scott decision (then of recent date), he had a constitutional right to take his slaves wherever he pleased, and that "Old Mose" was just as muchi his property in Illinois as in Mississippi. It soon became evident to some, that his bringing of the negro to Illinois was an experiment to test the law and the feel- ings of the Northern people. This being the case, a shrewd play would have been to let him have his way till other slaves should have been brought to stock the new plantation. But this was too slow a process for the abolitionists, to whom the holding of a slave in the free State of Illinois appeared an unbearable outrage. It was feared that he might take the old negro back to Mississippi and fail to bring any others. It was reported, also, that "Old Mose" was ill-treated; that he was given only the coarsest food in a back shed, as if he were a horse or a dog, instead of being permitted to eat at table with the family. The prairie citizen of that time was very par- ticular upon this point of etiquette. The hired man or woman, debarred from the table of his or her employer, would not have remained a day. A quiet consultation with "Old Mose" revealed the fact that he would hail the gift of freedom joyously. Accordingly, one Peter Risedorf, and another equally daring, met him by the light of the stars and, before morning, he was placed in the care of Owen Lovejoy, at Princeton, twenty miles away. From there he was speedily "franked" by the member of Congress to friends in Canada.

There was a great commotion in Bradford over the "stealing" of "Old Mose." Lombard and his friends denounced the act in terms bitter and profane, and threatened vengeance upon the per- petrators. The conductors were known only to a few, and they kept their secret well. Lovejoy's part in the affair, however, soon leaked out. Lombard returned to Mississippi, where he related his experiences to Mr. Singleton, the Representative in Congress from his district. During the next session of Congress, Singleton took occasion, in a speech, to sneer at Lovejoy as a "nigger-stealer," citing the case of "Old Mose." Mr. Lovejoy replied in his usual fervid and dramatic style, making a speech which ensured his election to Congress for life-"Is it desired to call attention to this fact of my assisting fugitive slaves?" he said. "Owen Lovejoy lives at Prince-

ton, Ill., three-quarters of a mile east of the village, and he aids every slave that comes to his door and asks it. Tlou invisible Demon of Slavery, dost thou think to cross my humble threshold and forbid me to give bread to the hungry and shelter to the homeless? I bid you defiance, in the name of my God!"

With another incident of an amusing charac- ter this article may be closed: Hon. J. Young Scammon, of Chicago, being accused of conniving at the escape of a slave from officers of the law, was asked by the court what he would do if sum- moned as one of a posse to pursue and capture a fugitive. "I would certainly obey the summons," he replied, "but-I should probably stub my toe and fall down before I reached him."

NOTE .- Those who wish to pursue the subject of the "Underground Railroad " in Illinois further, are referred to the work of Dr. Siebert, already mentioned, and to the various County Histories which have been issued and may be found in the public libraries; also for interesting inci- dents, to "Reminiscences of Levi Coffin," Johnson's " From Dixie to Canada," Petit's Sketches, "Still, Under- ground Railroad," and a pamphlet of the same title by James H. Fairchild, ex-President of Oberlin College.

UNDERWOOD, William H., lawyer, legislator and jurist, was born at Schoharie Court House, N. Y., Feb. 21, 1818, and, after admission to the bar, removed to Belleville, Ill., where he began practice in 1840. The following year he was elected State's Attorney, and re-elected in 1843. In 1846 he was chosen a member of the lower house of the General Assembly, and, in 1848-54, sat as Judge of the Second Circuit. During this period he declined a nomination to Congress, although equivalent to an election. In 1856 he was elected State Senator, and re-elected in 1860. He was a member of the Constitutional Conven- tion of 1869-70, and, in 1870, was again elected to the Senate, retiring to private life in 1872. Died, Sept. 23, 1875.

UNION COUNTY, one of the fifteen counties into which Illinois was divided at the time of its admission as a State-having been organized, under the Territorial Government, in January, 1818. It is situated in the southern division of the State, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River, and has an area of 400 square miles. The eastern and interior portions are drained by the Cache River and Clear Creek. The western part of the county comprises the broad, rich bottom lands lying along the Mississippi, but is subject to frequent overflow, while the eastern portion is hilly, and most of its area originally heavily tim- bered. The county is especially rich in minerals. Iron-ore, lead, bituminous coal, chalk, alum and

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potter's clay are found in considerable abun- dance. Several lines of railway (the most impor- tant being the Illinois Central) either cross or tap the county. The chief occupation is agri- culture, although manufacturing is carried on to a limited extent. Fruit is extensively cultivated. Jonesboro is the county-seat, and Cobden and Anna important shipping stations. The latter is the location of the Southern Hospital for the Insane. The population of the county, in 1890, was 21,529. Being next to St. Clair, Randolph and Gallatin, one of the earliest settled counties in the State, many prominent men found their first home, on coming into the State, at Jones- boro, and this region, for a time, exerted a strong influence in public affairs. Pop. (1900), 22,610.

UNION LEAGUE OF AMERICA, a secret polit- ical and patriotic order which had its origin early in the late Civil War, for the avowed pur- pose of sustaining the cause of the Union and counteracting the machinations of the secret organizations designed to promote the success of the Rebellion. The first regular Council of the order was organized at Pekin, Tazewell County, June 25, 1862, consisting of eleven members, as follows: Jolin W. Glasgow, Dr. D. A. Cheever, Hart Montgomery, Maj. Richard N. Cullom (father of Senator Cullom), Alexander Small, Rev. J. W. M. Vernon, George H. Harlow (after- ward Secretary of State), Charles Turner, Col. Jonathan Merriam, Henry Pratt and L. F. Gar- rett. One of the number was a Union refugee from Tennessee, who dictated the first oath from memory, as administered to members of a some- what similar order which had been organized among the Unionists of his own State. It sol- emnly pledged the taker, (1) to preserve invio- late the secrets and business of the order; (2) to "support, maintain, protect and defend the civil liberties of the Union of these United States against all enemies, either domestic or foreign, at all times and under all circumstances, " even "if necessary, to the sacrifice of life"; (3) to aid in electing only true Union men to offices of trust in the town, county, State and General Government; (4) to assist, protect and defend any member of the order who might be in peril from his connection with the order, and (5) to obey all laws, rules or regulations of any Council to which the taker of the oath might be attached. The oath was taken upon the Bible, the Decla- ration of Independence and Constitution of the United States, the taker pledging his sacred honor to its fulfillment. A special reason for the organization existed in the activity, about this

time, of the "Knights of the Golden Circle," a disloyal organization which had been introduced from the South, and which afterwards took the name, in the North, of "American Knights" and "Sons of Liberty." (See Secret Treasonable Soci- eties.) Three months later, the organization had extended to a number of other counties of the State and, on the 25th of September following, the first State Council met at Bloomington- twelve counties being represented-and a State organization was effected. At this meeting the following general officers were chosen: Grand President - Judge Mark Bangs, of Marshall County (now of Chicago); Grand Vice-President -Prof. Daniel Wilkin, of McLean; Grand Secre- tary-George H. Harlow, of Tazewell; Grand Treasurer-H. S. Austin, of Peoria, Grand Mar- shal -- J. R. Gorin, of Macon; Grand Herald -- A. Gould, of Henry; Grand Sentinel-John E. Rosette, of Sangamon. An Executive Committee was also appointed, consisting of Joseph Medill of "The Chicago Tribune"; Dr. A. J. McFar- land, of Morgan County ; J. K. Warren, of Macon; Rev. J. C. Rybolt, of La Salle; the President, Judge Bangs; Enoch Emery, of Peoria; and John E. Rosette. Under the direction of this Committee, with Mr. Medill as its Chairman, the constitution and by-laws were thoroughly revised and a new ritual adopted, which materi- ally changed the phraseology and removed some of the crudities of the original obligation, as well as increased the beauty and impressiveness of the initiatory ceremonies. New signs, grips and pass-words were also adopted, which were finally accepted by the various organizations of the order throughout the Union, which, by this time, included many soldiers in the army, as well as civilians. The second Grand (or State) Council was held at Springfield, January 14, 1863, with only seven counties represented. The limited representation was discouraging, but the mem- bers took heart from the inspiring words of Gov- ernor Yates, addressed to a committee of the order who waited upon him. At a special ses- sion of the Executive Committee, held at Peoria, six days later, a vigorous campaign was mapped out, under which agents were sent into nearly every county in the State. In Oc- tober, 1862, the strength of the order in Illi- nois was estimated at three to five thousand; a few months later, the number of enrolled members had increased to 50,000 - so rapid had been the growth of the order. On March 25, 1863, a Grand Council met in Chicago- 404 Councils in Illinois being represented, with

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Edgar County, Part 108

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Number of Pages: 876

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell
Number of Pages: 876