USA > Ohio > Washington County > Belpre > A history of Belpre, Washington County, Ohio > Part 11
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"One day before the Civil War a bright looking negro entered the sitting room of a country tavern in Canada. 'I suppose you are an escaped Slave' remarked a gentleman, the negro acknowledged that he was. A by-stander re- marked 'we are glad you got away, but you do not look very poor, had you good clothes down South?' 'Suttenly
¡Ohio Archilogical Magazine; Vol. 4 Page 57.
¡Ohio Archilogical Magazine; Vol. 4 Page 47.
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Sar, same clothes as my Massa;' 'You got a good many whippings, eh ?' 'Neber was whipped in my life, Sar.' 'Nev- er thrashed?' 'Well I suppose you did not always get enough to eat did you?' 'Always had enough gemmen, neber went hungry.' 'What,' said the interrogator, 'good clothes, no punishment, plenty to eat!' 'Now just think of it' he added, 'addressing a group of loungers, this fellow has left a position where he enjoyed all these privileges, for an uncertainty.' 'Gemmen,' replied the darkey, 'All Ise got to say respecting dem privileges is dat if any ob you wants to avail hisself of dem, de situation am open.' "
It was the anti-Slavery sentiment of the people of the North which secured the article in the Ordinance of 1787 prohibiting slavery in the Northwest Territory, and nearly all the first settlers in Belpre were in accord with that sentiment, though there may have been a few exceptions, and more in the case of persons who came later, some from Virginia.
In the History of Washington County by Prof. M. R. Andrews we find the statement that during the first years two slaves were reported to assessors in Belpre as personal property, such a case was evidently illegal. In those early years slaves were some times hired from their Masters by Belpre farmers. It has been reported that some were em- ployed from Mr. Blennerhassett. In the lower settlement farmers sometimes "changed work" with their neighbors on Washington's Bottom in Virginia, in which cases the farm- ers worked themselves for their neighbors. In the return the masters sat in the shade and their slaves did the work. Such facts tended to arouse in the minds of the sturdy sons of New England a warmer sympathy for the industrious slaves than for their indolent masters; this made them more willing to aid the negroes when they escaped across the river.
The early anti-slavery sentiment in Belpre, and its practical fruitage may be learned from the following found among early documents.
"To all to whom these presents may come, Know ye,
That in October, 1817, I bought of George Neal of Wood County, Virginia a black man named Harry Gray Bartlette, and that he lived with me four years in Belpre,
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Ohio, for which he was to have his freedom, and he is now free both by my consent and by the laws of Ohio.
Given under my hand and seal, March, 1824.
EDMUND DANA."
This philanthropic gentlemen really loaned this slave the means to purchase his freedom and allowed him to pay the debt as a free laborer. There is evidence that there were other similar cases during those early years.
As the years passed and the subject of slavery was more generally discussed the jealousies between free and slave States increased and it became more difficult for philanthropists to secure the manumission of slaves by pur- chase. There were very few negroes in Belpre previous to the Civil War. The proximity to Slave territory made it somewhat unsafe for the home of colored people and the census of 1860 enumerated only four negroes in Belpre, one male and three females. Many fugitives passed through here in their efforts to gain freedom. There were several reasons why Belpre became an important locality on the underground railroad. As the country increased in population and wealth, slave labor became much less profitable in the northern tier of Slave states than in the gulf states where cotton and sugar cane were staple pro- ducts. As a result a large part of the pecuniary profits from slavery in Virginia and Kentucky was derived from breeding slaves and selling them to planters farther South. Traders visited these States annually and sometimes often- er to purchase young negroes for the Southern market. These were taken in groups often chained together. This traffic caused divisions in families and many hardships. Colored parents were constantly in fear that sons and daughters would be taken from them never to return. It was easier for slaves from the border States to escape than for those farther South and so Ohio was a middle ground to be traveled in escaping from slavery to freedom. Another significant fact was that soon after the Ohio Company's settlement was made, the State of Virginia open- ed a road from Alexandria to the mouth of the Little Kan- awha River (Parkersburg) Mr. Thomas Wallcut went east along this route as early as 1790.
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This became one of the most extensively used roads both for Stage Coaches and freight wagons, and continued until the completion of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. While the escape of fugitives must be secret the slaves naturally continued near the traveled lines where they might be helped on their way by other slaves. This brought many to the river in the vicinity of Belpre.
If now, we add a third fact, namely, that Belpre is so related to the Ohio river that it has about fourteen miles of river front, we may understand why many fugitives crossed the river here. If all the adventures of escaping Slaves who passed through Belpre could be written we might find some cases as thrilling as the crossing of the river on floating ice by Eliza, described by Mrs. Stow in "Uncle Tom's Cabin." There were varieties of sentiment among people on both sides of the river, the majority on the Virginia side were pro-slavery. On the Ohio side were some settlers from Virginia and a few who sympathized with them but the majority of the people realy believed that slavery was wrong; at the same time they accepted it as an existing fact which they could not destroy and many excellent people discouraged any agitation as tending to create animosities between different portions of the coun- try. This is shown by the records of a Social Circle in Marietta in 1844 in which we find the following language: "Most of the Circle were thorough Whigs, and at one table might be heard anathamas hurled at Abolitionists, who, in their zeal for the welfare of the poor slaves, have taken this very course to bind their chains still closer and make their hardships harder."
There were in Belpre as in nearly every Northern com- munity some people who fully believed that slavery was a sin which should be exposed and destroyed, and that it was their duty to keep the matter agitated. Nearly all the people of Belpre at that time were pleased to have slaves escape from bondage but only a few were known as actively employed on the underground railroad. Such people glor- ied in the name of "Abolitionists" though it was given to them by both Whigs and Loco Focos, as a term of reproach. Among these were Capt. John and Mr. Jonathan Stone, Perley Howe, Daniel Goss, Joseph Smith, T. B. Hibbard and others in different parts of the town. There were a
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few persons in Parkersburg who would lend their aid to escaping fugitives and there was a free Negro woman called Jennie living in a cabin near the mouth of the Little Kanawha who was an efficient helper. The anti-slavery sentiment gradually increased throughout the North until the Civil War.
The Slaves for some distance back in Virginia came to know the names of their friends in Belpre and how they could be reached.
For many years there was a large cornfield on the Stone farm in which many fugitives were hidden. Mr. John M. Stone told the writer that when a lad he saw a colored family with several young children hidden beside a small pond in this field. The children were kept so quiet during the day that they were not discovered. Meanwhile during the day word was sent to a friend near Barlow who came down during the night and took the fugitives on to another station. In many cases fugitives were con- cealed and fed for several days and when it was considered safe to pass them along a gentleman would take them to a well understood point where he would give a certain sign, perhaps hoot like an owl or bark like a fox; when this signal was answered, the fugitive was directed to remain where he was until a friend came to his relief. The bene- factor then started on his homeward journey. He had neither seen nor spoken to any one and so had not made himself liable to prosecution. A gentleman still living has related to the writer how he once turned a would be slave catcher on the wrong road at Lewis' Corner in Porterfield. At one time two young ladies in Belpre, Melissa Stone and Abbie Browning, took provisions across the Ohio in a skiff and left them on a hill a little ways below Parkersburg for a slave who was afterwards caught, flogged, and put in jail. Mrs. Lydia L. Moore, a daughter of Capt. John Stone, still living, remembers that Francis Stone used to bring negroes to their house at night, whom her father would take in his wagon to the house of a friend about six miles away, by whom they were concealed and moved on towards Canada, while he returned home the same night so that no one ex- cept his family knew of his trip. She also remembers that slaves were hidden in the attic of their house while hunters were searching the barns, corn shocks and other places for
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them. She also relates that she at one time attended an entertainment in Parkersburg in the evening with other young people, and a violent storm prevented them from re- turning home that night. She was entertained at a certain home and the fear that the host might ascertain that she was a daughter of the hated abolitionist prevented her sleeping at all during the night.
While the anti-slavery sentiment was increasing in Belpre, the antipathy against abolitionists increased in Vir- ginia. Captain John Stone did not cross the river to Park- ersburg, at least in day light, for more than twenty years. It has been said that a price was offered for him by certain citizens of the baser sort who wished to treat him to a coat of tar and feathers or to injure him in other ways.
On one occasion, about this time, when Mr. David Putnam of Marietta landed from a steamboat on the wharf in Parkersburg he was discovered and immediately assailed by a mob of roughs. Being a strong, muscular man, he defended himself with his fists until he fell backward into the river. The Captain of the boat which he had just left, rescued him and took him to a safer place.
In the year 1845 there was an occurrence in Belpre of great significance to the whole country and which awaken- ed very great interest. It illustrates the enmity between the different sections of the country which continued to increase until it culminated in the Civil War. We will here quote substantially from an Article in the Centennial issue of the Ohio State Journal by Dr. Frank P. Ames. This seems to be based quite largely on the testimony of one of the negroes who was present at the time:
"The Slaves of a planter by the name of Harwood, living on Washington's Bottom, were prevailed upon by an intinerating Baptist preacher by the name of Ronaine to make an effort to gain their freedom in order to escape the danger of being sold to a trader from down the river, of which fate they were in constant fear. The plan, as ar- ranged by Ronaine involved aid from friends on the Belpre side of the river at a secluded spot in the narrows just above the mouth of the Little Hocking. The company of Slaves consisted of Daniel Partridge, Frederic Gay, his wife Hannah, and three children, Mary (14), Harriet (6),
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and Burnet (3). These left Virginia in an old Pirogue and landed on the Ohio side at two a. m. July 10, 1845.
Meanwhile Mr. Harwood had become acquainted with the plot and his son, several nephews, and others secured from Parkersburg, making in all about sixteen men, fully armed, crossed the river and were hidden in the bushes, when the other party landed. The five Ohioans took the baggage of the slaves and directed Daniel and Fred to take up the two children and follow them, with the wife and daughter, up the bank to their homes. One of the white men went directly up the steep bank with his load, while the others took a diagonal course. When the first man reached the road Daniel said he heard him exclaim "Don't stab me; shoot me if you dare." He did not hear a word from the Virginians lying in ambush till the Ohioans who were leading them up the bank turned about and ran down the river in hope to elude their pursuers in that direction. Upon this movement of the escaping party, Daniel said he soon heard the loud tramping of the Virginians in the road above, running with all speed to head those who were en- deavoring to flee from them. They ran in this way for some distance when a party of Virginians poured down a small ravine and came to the river ahead of them. Here a scuffle took place, in which Daniel said two Ohioans were taken. These, with the one taken in the road, made three that were captured and taken over the river and lodged in Parkersburg jail. When the Virginians came down to the river and were endeavoring to secure the abolitionists the slaves turned and ran down the river to make good their escape. They were pursued by George Harwood, their young master, and Perry Lewis a cousin. Loaded as the Slaves were their pursuers gained upon them so fast that Daniel was forced to drop Harriet whom he had carried in his arms until then. Soon after he set down the child his foot struck a rock which brought him to the ground, he recovered as soon as possible and flung himself under the roots of a large Sycamore tree upturned to the wind. Just as he fell a pistol shot was fired by one of his pursuers, probably to frighten rather than to injure. Ensconsed under the roots of the old Sycamore his pursuers passed without seeing him and soon after at the command of young Harwood another pistol was fired at the fleeing
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Slaves. This brought them to, and they were all brought back in view of his place of retreat. When passing Har- wood asked his Cousin Lewis if all the slaves were taken. He replied that he believed they were. At this juncture Daniel heard a cry from one of the Ohioans, "Don't choke me so; if I have done anything against the laws of my State I am willing to answer for it, but I am not willing to be taken over the river to be tried by your bloody slave laws." At this a voice,-the voice of Wyatt Lewis he thinks,-was heard "Come along you D-d abolitionist and get into the boat or I'll drag you into it-get up then on to your feet you rascal and get into the boat." After this Daniel says he heard nothing that he could distinctly make out, except oaths and loud talk, till the marauding party of brigands set up a shout of victory and fired a triumphal volley from their rifles. Daniel now crept from his hiding place and made his way up the bank to the road above. There he soon fell in with friends, who took him to a house and immediately started him North. Daniel says he is per- fectly sure that George Harwood, his young master, Perry, Frank and Wyatt Lewis his cousins, were among the six- teen armed Virginians who boldly attacked six unarmed citizens of Ohio in the dead of night while these citizens were engaged in the discharge of what they considered their Christian duty.
The three men captured were Daniel Garner, Creigh- ton Loraine, and Mordacai Thomas, two escaped with Mr. Romaine, Titus Shotwell and Burdon Stanton both Quak- ers and citizens of Washington County.
Efforts to bail the three prisoners from Parkersburg jail led to a series of interesting and exciting events. Un- der Virginia law only freeholders could sign a bail bond. So bitter was the feeling against the Abolitionists that no freeholder, though he might be willing, would dare sign a bond to release the despised prisoners.
Nathan Ward, William P. Cutler, and Anselm T. Nye, three substantial and wealthy citizens of Marietta, Ohio, offered to sign an indemnifying bond if any citizen of Virginia would furnish bail for the prisoners, but without success. Mr. Ward then offered to sign a note payable at the time, if the prisoners failed to appear when sum- moned, only to fail. A young Virginian offered to sign a
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bond but as his property was in the form of bank stock his signature was not lawful. The dispute over the law on the part of the court officers of Parkersburg and the energetic efforts on the part of the citizens of Marietta to release the prisoners aroused the people and the press of Ohio to frenzy, especially did the Abolitionists seize upon the occasion to agitate and promote their propaganda. Governor Bartley of Ohio became interested and called into council William P. Cutler, who then represented Washing- ton County in the Legislature and set before him the plan, viz: to select one hundred picked men from the Militia, who should secretly proceed to Parkersburg jail and rescue the prisoners by force. Mr. Cutler counseled delay hoping that time would allay the bitter feeling and that the dif- ficulty might be settled without resort to arms. Virginia for a time nightly guarded the point at the junction of the Little Kanawha and Ohio. In the darkness a noise was heard in the mud along the river edge one evening; think- ing the enemy was upon them the guard fired in the di- rection of the noise and wounded the town bull. *
Governor Bartley abandoned his military project and resorted to correspondence with Governor McDowell, of Virginia. In the latter part of September Governor Bart- ley made requisition upon Governor McDowell, at the same time expressing his anxiety to preserve peace and harmony between the states.
Oct. 21 Governor McDowell refused to surrended the prisoners and reminded the Governor of Ohio "that a faith- ful compliance with the fugutive slave laws will be more powerful than any other instrumentality in preserving peace and good will between the States."
Governor Bartley replied Nov. 3 as follows: "To redress the wrongs of this outrage to the rights of our citizens and to the sovereignty of the State resort has thus far been had alone to the peaceful remedies of judicial pro- ceedings ; but if your excellency is not disposed to lend vour aid and the exercise of your authority to redress these wrongs bv the course of legal proceedings; if injunctions of the National compact are to be made secondary to strain- ed construction of mere statutory enactments and matters of local expediencv, if a diabolical outrage of this kind is to be perpetrated by citizens of Virginia upon the persons
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of the citizens of Ohio and the perpetrators escape with impunity, be assured Sir the friendly feeling and inter- course between the two States will be greatly endangered, and it is feared the people of Ohio will take justice into their own hands and redress their own wrongs without re- course to the authority of Virginia. I do not say this by way of threat nor without due reflection. I believe your excellency to be acting from good motive, but, sir, it is not human nature for any people to submit calmly, and see their people kidnapped and imprisoned in a foreign juris- diction. I tell you plainly, Sir, with proper respect and due deliberation that Ohio will not submit to such wrongs. Still I trust, Sir, the admonition will not be entirely useless. I am firmly of the opinion that the administration of the criminal laws ought not to be relaxed unless it be intended to let the people avenge their own wrong by resort to vio- lence." As regards the legal question involved in the tran- saction it was really a question of the boundary between Ohio and Virginia. Virginia claimed that these pris- oners were arrested in Wood Countv. Virginia when aiding fugitives to escape. The claim of the Governor of Ohio was that the men were kidnapned in the State of Ohio, and forcibly imprisoned in another State. We have in Williams History of Washington County the following ac- count of these prisoners and their trial.
"Intercourse with their friends from Ohio was denied them. and Marietta Lawyers employed to defend them were rejected. Subsequently the wives of the prisoners were permitted to visit them under guard.
Aug. 15th a public meeting was held at the Court house in Marietta to take into consideration further meas- ures for the liberation of Ohio citizens now in jail at Park- ersburg. and the vindication of the rights of Ohio. Sep- tember 2nd the prisoners. each collared bv two men, were taken from jail to the Court house in Parkersburg and there pleaded "not guilty" to the charge of "enticing and assisting in the county of Wood. Virginia the six negroes to escane from slaverv." Bail was again refused except bv a Virginia freeholder and the prisoners went back to jail. The jury found a special verdict of quilty turning on "Jurisdiction in the case, to be tried by a higher court." The question of jurisdiction or boundary between the two
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States was argued before the court of appeals at Richmond, Dec. 10-13 and the court divided equally on the question, whether the State line was at low water mark on the Ohio side or above that. The men had been captured just above low water mark.
At this trial Hon. Samuel F. Vinton of Gallipolis, Ohio, a member of Congress, made a very able argument in which he showed conclusively that the boundary line between the States had been and should be low water mark, therefore the men were kidnapped in Ohio and not Virginia. This address was published in the Ohio Archarological Magazine, Vol. 4, Page 67.
Though the judges in this case divided equally in their opinion of the question of jurisdiction the case was really settled by the argument of Mr. Vinton. At a special term of the court of appeals held at Parkersburg. Garner, Lo- raine, and Thomas were admitted to bail in the sum of one hundred dollars each, on his own recognizance, Jan. 10th, 1845. After confinement in jail for six months. The case was never again called .
This case was one of so great local and general interest that we will insert several contemporary documents.
Aug. 7, 1845 only a short time after the kidnapping, the following article appeared in the Marietta Intelligencer : "From what we can learn, we are pained to announce it,- there exists among some of the people of Parkersburg very little of the feeling of responsibility which should result from the outrage of Virginia in capturing and transporting Ohioans for acts done in Ohio. There is exulting over the feat of capturing these men. The deep feeling of indigna- tion which is spread in Ohio seems to be utterly contemned and disregarded. The claim to jurisdiction is as coolly as- serted as would be the right of a master to punish his ser- vants at his own good will and pleasure. Let us hope the Virginians do not generally sympathize with this feeling. Will the thousands of good people of Virginia risk their peace and safety to protect a few men in kidnapping Ohio citizens? Are they willing the peace of this fair valley should be compromised? The people of Ohio are slow to wrath but it is dangerous to despise them."
STONE 1791
STONE HOME, BUILT 1798 CONTINUED IN THE FAMILY UNTIL THE PRESENT TIME.
HOME OF JOHN DANA
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The local prejudices of that time, as well as the effect of the able arguments of Hon. S. F. Vinton may be learned from the following quotation from a letter of Mr. Vinton to Caleb Emerson, Esq., editor of the Marietta Intelligencer, dated Dec. 20th, 1845 after speaking of the presentation of arguments he added. "The Judges had it under consulta- tion for another term of four days, when the court, which was composed of fifteen Judges, divided as follows, seven for rendering a judgment for Virginia, seven against it, and the other Judge, having doubts what the judgment ought to be, the case was continued till the next term of the court. I was informed, by a letter from Richmond, that Judge Mc- Comas, before leaving that city said he should call at Park- ersburg and put the prisoners to bail in some small amount. This may be looked upon as a decision in favor of Ohio. Indeed before that argument the prevalent opin- ion at Richmond was that the prisoners would be condemn- ed. After the argument I was told often by gentlemen of the first respectability that the opinion among the Rich- mond bar, and the outdoor opinion generally was that the jurisdiction over the "Locus in quo" was exclusively vested in Ohio.
Very respectfully yours, SAMUEL F. VINTON.
The importance of this case and the interest taken in it at the time in all parts of the State is shown by the fol- lowing extract from a letter written to Caleb Emerson, Editor of the Intelligencer by Salmon P. Chase then a law- yer in Cincinnati. Afterwards Governor of Ohio, and Secretary of the Treasury during the Civil War.
"I see that our abducted fellow citizens are released. I am glad they are out of a Virginia jail. I thank God for that, but I must still express my regret that they did not find the power of the State their sufficient bail. Had I been in their places, I know not how, in the weakness of human nature, with strong yearnings for home, children, wife, and friends stirring at my heart, I should have acted. I think however I know how I ought to have acted, that I ought not by word or deed, by recognizance bond or other- wise to have admitted the jurisdiction of Virginia to try me for an act done in Ohio and innocent by her laws."
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