CHAPTER IX

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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

    Though situated on the very verge of civilization and without railroads or telegraph connections with any part of the world, Montgomery county did not escape the fierce slavery agitation that preceded the Civil War. The liberty loving pioneers, almost without exception, were strongly opposed to the institution of slavery; nor did they take kindly to the continual legislation enacted in the slave holder's interests. The few sympathizers were silenced by the force of public opinion and violations of statutory law in giving of assistance to fugitive slaves was open and unrebuked. Slaver existed throughout the state of Missouri, and, naturally, the slaves escaping from that section very frequently made their way through Page and Montgomery counties on their way to Canada. This of course meant pursuit and frequently parties of "nigger catchers," as they were styled, startled the isolated settlers in different parts of the county. A short review of contemporaneous events throughout the state and county may serve to give some idea of the legislation and court decisions that were responsible for the intense bitterness that prevailed.

    The trouble with slavery went back to the formation of our national constitution. The framers of this great document, which Gladstone declared the wisest ever formulated by man, clearly saw the absurdity of inculcating in that instrument any recognition of slavery, so inharmonious with its declaration that all men are created free and equal. Jefferson, the author of the document, was personally in favor of abolition and substituted a

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milder terms for the word "slave." The sentiment at that time was not so strongly in favor of the institution of slavery and if it had not been for the many other grievous problems confronting the framers of the new government, the question of slavery by gradual abolition might have been successfully solved. As it was, nothing was done and when on account of the invention of the cotton gin and the culture of cotton slave labor became of great value, the hope of any peaceable settlement of the question had well nigh perished. The slaveholders claimed the right under the constitution, to take their chattels, which of course included negroes, to any portion of the United States they might choose to go. This position was generally antagonized throughout the North and especially in the pioneer sections of the West. The men who had left the far East in the hope of a larger freedom, did not take kindly to involuntary servitude in their midst. The legislation, however, was all in favor of the slave holder and under the law every northern man was an enforced slave catcher. Any United States marshal could command any man to assist him in recovering runaway slaves. Very severe penalties were imposed on anyone who disobeyed this law. A fine of $1,000 and six months imprisonment was the penalty that might be inflicted on any person harboring a fugitive slave or in any way assisting in his escape. The fugitives were to be surrendered on demand without the benefit of any testimony or trial by jury. The validity of this law was passed upon by the supreme court of the United States in the celebrated "Dred Scott" case. The court decided that it had no jurisdiction because no slave or descendant of a slave could become a citizen of the United States and therefore had no rights of any kind before any legal tribunal. In connection with this decision the court gave its decis[i]on that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that a slave did not cease to be one by being carried to territory where the Compromise prohibited slavery. Such a decision, coming from the

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highest court in the land, so glaringly and manifestly unjust, naturally infuriated every advocate of freedom throughout the North, and nowhere was it more bitterly denounced than by the people of the state of Iowa. The courts of this state refused to recognize the decision, even though it came from the supreme court of the nation. Instead of rendering assistance to slave catchers as required by law, the people of the state generally threw every obstacle possible in the way of any attempt to capture the fugitive and not infrequently opposed them with a force of arms.

    This sentiment of freedom had begun very early in Iowa in 1839, and long before the state had been admitted to the Union, the Supreme Court of the territory had passed on a peculiar and rather important case. It was known as the case of "Ralph" who was a colored man who had been held as a slave in Missouri and bought his freedom of his master for less than the price which negroes were then br[i]nging in the market. His master permitted him to go to the lead mines of Dubuque to earn the purchase price of his freedom, and though there was a written contract between the slave and his master, the latter decided to cancel and disregard this because he alleged that the slave was not saving enough money to pay his indebtedness. Finding it very difficult to secure the return of Ralph, the master contracted with slave catchers to kidnap him and return him to Missouri. He was accordingly seized while at work, handcuffed, and taken to the steamboat landing. A farmer who witnessed the affair reported to the office to Thos. S. Wilson, one of the justices of the Supreme court. and demanded a writ of habeas corpus, which was prom[p]tly granted and the case was transferred to the supreme court for trial. The three judges constituting the court, though all were democrats, decided that Ralph was a resident of that territory of Iowa and recognized no property in men, and furthermore declared that the laws of another state did not apply in this case. Freedom,

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they insisted, was a natural right, and slavery could not exist in Iowa. All honor to these pioneer judges for placing Iowa early on record as a staunch supporter of freedom. While the decision was in no way a legal precedent, except possibly for Iowa alone, and had no extra territorial effect, it showed that the territory of Iowa was well in advance of all other sections of the Union in opposing the institution of slavery. There were people in every part of the north, and particularly in the pioneer West, who, regardless of laws in favor of slaveholders, did all in their power to harbor, conceal and protect from pursuers the fugitives who frequently attempted to find freedom in Canada.

    A series of secret yet well define routes were laid out through the free states and a number of these so-called "underground railroads" ran through the state of Iowa. The fugitives were concealed in some safe locality during the day-time and were hurried on their journey by night from one station to another. Naturally enough, these friends of the oppressed slave were held in the most bitter detestation by the people of the South. No terms of denunciation could be strong enough and no epithet vile enough to express the opprobrium of the slave holders. Even murderers were held in higher repute by the southern gentry than the detested "nigger stealers" of the North. Yet, as we look back on these times of bitterness and hatred, it is easy enough to see that among this detested class were the noblest and most Christian characters of the times. Montgomery county participated to some extent in the stirring scenes of the times. Many of her good people lent substantial assistance to the slaves and the writer of this book, though technically a lawbreaker, harbored and helped on their way many of those needing assistance. He was at that time living in a house on the east side of Tarkio Creek, about a mile east of the old town of Frankfurt. At one time no less than seven fugitives ere secreted in the "lean-to" addition of his residence, and they only ventured out when apprised that there was no danger of discovery. One of these was an intelligent young colored man who had escaped some months before from his master in Ken-

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tucky, and, eluding his pursuers, had landed safely in Canada. After a short time he determined to return and assist his mother, four brothers and one sister escape from bondage. It was an extremely hazardous undertaking, but they had succeeded, with the aid of sympathizing friends, in coming thus far on their journey. A Congregational minister whose home was in Amity, Page County, was their pilot. The writer did not learn of their safe arrival in Canada but in all probability they were not captured. Their pursuers thought the negroes were concealed in one of the small groves along the Tarkio. Four men, riding good horses and carrying a small arsenal of fire arms came up from the south in pursuit of the negroes but their prey had flown. The fugitives were taken by wagon from point to point. The stations were sometimes long distances apart and dark and stormy nights were preferably chosen for the transfer. If pursuit were close, the fugitives remained concealed during the day time. They were not infrequently conveyed in canvas covered wagons and when meeting anyone on the road would lie concealed in the bottom of the wagon bed. The pioneers did not take kindly to any inquisitiveness in such cases and a man had to be pretty sure of his right to search before he undertook it.

    The agents and stations of the underground railroad were unknown to the general public. Instructions sent in advance might have read something like this: "By tomorrow evening's mail you will receive two volumes of "The Irrepressible Conflict," bound in black. After perusal, please forward, and oblige." The underground railroad did a strictly passenger business. Fares were never demanded and the only dividends secured was the consciousness of service for righteousness and human freedom. After President Lincoln's Proclamation of Emancipation, the underground railroad passed into history and all that remains is a memory and hope that similar conditions may never arise in this land of the free.