{"id":601,"date":"2022-09-19T20:49:52","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T20:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/?p=601"},"modified":"2022-09-19T20:49:54","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T20:49:54","slug":"six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Escape On Their Owners Horses &#8211; Underground Railroad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This excerpt from \u201cThe Underground Railroad\u201d by William Still documents a party of six fugitives who escaped from Hagerland, Maryland by stealing their owner\u2019s wagon and horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were accosted on the road by two white men whose carriage had brown down and wanted to seize theirs. The fugitives fought back with clubs and got away on the horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The escaping party included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Charles Bird<\/li><li>George Dorsey, a friend of Charles<\/li><li>Angeline Brown (sister of George) and her sons Albert and Charles<\/li><li>Jane Scott, a friend of Angeline<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/#About_The_Book\" title=\"About The Book\">About The Book<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/#Excerpt_%E2%80%93_Escape_Of_A_Party_Of_Six\" title=\"Excerpt &#8211; Escape Of A Party Of Six\">Excerpt &#8211; Escape Of A Party Of Six<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/#Switching_To_Horseback\" title=\"Switching To Horseback\">Switching To Horseback<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/#Arrival_To_Safety\" title=\"Arrival To Safety\">Arrival To Safety<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/#About_Charles_Bird\" title=\"About Charles Bird\">About Charles Bird<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/#About_George_Dorsey\" title=\"About George Dorsey\">About George Dorsey<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/#About_Angeline_Brown_And_Her_Sons\" title=\"About Angeline Brown And Her Sons\">About Angeline Brown And Her Sons<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/#About_Jane_Scott\" title=\"About Jane Scott\">About Jane Scott<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/#Other_Fugitives_Who_Escaped_With_Their_Masters_Horses\" title=\"Other Fugitives Who Escaped With Their Masters&#8217; Horses\">Other Fugitives Who Escaped With Their Masters&#8217; Horses<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_The_Book\"><\/span>About The Book<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Underground Railroad\u201d was published in 1872. The book gives the testimonies of hundreds of slaves who escaped to freedom using the network of agents and safe houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The author, William Still, was a black abolitionist and businessman who was a key member of the Philadelphia stop in the freedom network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The book is in the public domain. It can be found in the\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/11008368\/\" target=\"_blank\">Library of Congress<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Any headings and italicized text in the excerpt below were added by the website editor. The rest is nearly verbatim from the book. However, I changed the order of some sections to make the narrative clearer. There are also some changes to the punctuation.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/underground-railroad-william-still-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/underground-railroad-william-still-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/underground-railroad-william-still-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/underground-railroad-william-still-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/underground-railroad-william-still.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Excerpt_%E2%80%93_Escape_Of_A_Party_Of_Six\"><\/span>Excerpt &#8211; Escape Of A Party Of Six<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This party in order to get over the road as expeditiously as possible, availed themselves of their master&#8217;s horses and wagon and moved off civilly and respectably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About nine miles from home on the road, a couple of white men, finding their carriage broken down approached them, unceremoniously seized the horses by the reins and were evidently about to assume authority, supposing that the boys would surrender at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But instead of so doing, the boys struck away at them with all their might, with their large clubs, not even waiting to hear what these superior individuals wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;effect of the clubs brought them prostrate in the road, in an attitude resembling two men dreaming, (it was in the night.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Switching_To_Horseback\"><\/span>Switching To Horseback<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The victorious passengers, seeing that the smashed up carriage could be of no further use to them, quickly conceived the idea of unhitching and attempting further pursuit on horseback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each horse was required to carry three passengers. So up they mounted and off they galloped with the horses&#8217; heads turned directly towards Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No further difficulty presented itself until after they had traveled some forty miles. Here the poor horses broke down, and had to be abandoned.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/escape-by-horse.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/escape-by-horse.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/escape-by-horse-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption><em>Illustration from the book<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Arrival_To_Safety\"><\/span>Arrival To Safety<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The fugitives were hopeful, but of the difficulties ahead they wot not; surely no flowery beds of ease awaited them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For one whole week they were obliged to fare as they could, out in the woods, over the mountains, &amp;c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How they overcame the trials in this situation we cannot undertake to describe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Suffice it to say, at the end of the time above mentioned they managed to reach Harrisburg and found assistance as already intimated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_Charles_Bird\"><\/span>About Charles Bird<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Charles was twenty-four years of age, quite dark, of quick motion, and ready speech, and in every way appearing as though he could take care of&nbsp;himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He had occupied the condition of a farm laborer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This calling he concluded to forsake, not because he disliked farming, but simply to get rid of David Clargart, who professed to own him, and compelled him to work without pay, &#8220;for nothing.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Charles spoke favorably of Clargart as a man, to the extent, at all events, of testifying that he was not what was called a hard man, nevertheless Charles was so decidedly opposed to Slavery that he felt compelled to look out for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Serving another man on the no pay principle, at the same time liable to be flogged, and sold at the pleasure of another, Charles felt was worse than heathenish viewed in any light whatsoever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was prepared therefore, to leave without delay. He had four sisters in the hands of Clargart, but what could he do for them but leave them to Providence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_George_Dorsey\"><\/span>About George Dorsey<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The next on the list was George Dorsey, a comrade of Charles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was a young man, of medium size, mixed blood, intelligent, and a brave fellow as will appear presently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_Angeline_Brown_And_Her_Sons\"><\/span>About Angeline Brown And Her Sons<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>George [<em>Dorsey<\/em>] and Angeline, (who was his sister) with her two boys [<em>Albert and Charles<\/em>] had a considerable amount of white blood in their veins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[<em>They<\/em>] belonged to a wealthy man by the name of George Schaeffer, who was in the milling business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were of one mind in representing him as a hard man. &#8220;He would often threaten to sell, and was very hard to please.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>George and Angeline left their mother and ten brothers and sisters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_Jane_Scott\"><\/span>About Jane Scott<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Jane was a well-grown girl, smart, and not bad-looking, with a fine brown skin, and was also owned by Schaeffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_Fugitives_Who_Escaped_With_Their_Masters_Horses\"><\/span>Other Fugitives Who Escaped With Their Masters&#8217; Horses<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This enterprising six weren&#8217;t the only fugitives in William Still&#8217;s book who absconded with the helpful aid of the horses and wagons of their owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A group of four did the same and were also accosted. In this case, the <a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/guns-drawn-on-the-underground-railroad\/\">fugitives were armed with guns <\/a>and drew them to make good their escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One young man <a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/escape-by-horse-and-carriage-underground-railroad\/\">took his master&#8217;s horse and posed as a coachman<\/a> to a white woman who aided his escape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This excerpt from \u201cThe Underground Railroad\u201d by William Still documents a party of six fugitives who escaped from Hagerland, Maryland by stealing their owner\u2019s wagon and horses. They were accosted on the road by two white men whose carriage had brown down and wanted to seize theirs. The fugitives fought back with clubs and got &#8230; <a title=\"Six Escape On Their Owners Horses &#8211; Underground Railroad\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/six-escape-on-owners-horses-underground-railroad\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Six Escape On Their Owners Horses &#8211; Underground Railroad\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":604,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601\/revisions\/604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}