Underground railroad exploits in early 1800s Louisiana and New York
Five years before the Civil War Charles Bradley recounts aiding his friend George Wesner in rescuing enslaved people including Lucy a white slave from the Coverly plantation. They establish a refuge in a river woodyard and move dozens of enslaved people north by sea and land aided by Anti-Slavery Society contacts and allies.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George Wesner
Charles Bradley
Attakapas County
Louisiana
Wesner
Lucy
Coverly
New York
Anti-Slavery Society
Wines Lacy
Andover
Cairo
Pierce
Weener
Gregg
Cromwells
Attakapas
Canada
Shreveport
Chapter of a Southern detective tale unfolds on a river voyage
The narrator hides his identity on a steamboat bound for Shreveport while monitoring Wesner and Beatham for a looming plot. He plans to survey timber land in Lafayette, hires local help including Alec the literate mulatto, and notes a suspicious blot in Wesner’s correspondence as tension rises.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John Little
Wesner
Gregg
Shreveport
Beatham
Weesner
New Orleans
The
St. Charles
Charles J. Bradley
Lafayette
George Wesner
Bentham
Richardson
Joe Pentland
Richardson’s
Alec
Ae Pratham
Esner Reese
Path Beyond the Levee Narrative of Escape and Pursuit
The narrator recounts a Confederate era hunt for enslaved people, detailing Beatham and Gregg plots to recapture Lucy, escapes to Massachusetts, and a perilous trek through Louisiana swamps toward the North. It describes slaveholders, abolitionist networks, and the harsh conditions endured by fugitives and allied pursuers.
Sabine River timber plan and escape camp near Orange Tex
The narrative describes a timber freighting plan on the Sabine near Orange Texas, with 650 tons waiting on the Louisiana bank. It notes liberal freight terms to Boston parties, a demurrage of 15 per day after twenty days, and a dangerous trek for fugitives through swamp and forest to reach Texas. The party camps among cut timber, swamp and bayous, while health improves among the sick.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sabine
Orange
Tex
Louisiana
Wesner
Grand Prairie
Texas
Gulf of Mexico
Macassin
Entwissle
Last Venture in the Swamps North of the Teche
The narrative follows fugitives in August through hot bayous and windfalls as Obed Mason and others hide four sick captives. They debate routes northward to Cairo or water passage, seek letters about a girl, and face harsh jungle travel with growing fatigue and danger.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lucy
Charlie
Wesner
Louisiana
Bayou
Obed
Mason
Massa
Missus
New Iberia
George
Cairo
Bentham Letter Reveals Death and White River Fight
A letter from Bentham informs the writer of the death of their stepfather Robert Kirkland and includes a lengthy account of the White River fight. The note suggests no clear clue linking any person to the matter, though it presents crucial personal and historical details.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bentham
Robert Kirkland
White River
Expedition to Sabine River Describes Escape Plot
The narrator and Wesner plot to remove enslaved people via the Sabine route using a Jacobin-like plan. Entwissle reports revised shipping steps and a brig for timber, while Coverly faces illness and a $1,500 bid. The team camps through swamps and prairies, planning a beeline approach to Sabine Pass.
Back door into China proposed as remedy for empire
The author argues China could be better governed if imperial rule collapsed and Britain secured control over a divided region. Yunnan is seen as the test area to restore China on its village foundations, arguing rustic peasants are honest and deserve liberty.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Great Britain
Yunnan
Pacific
The Country Editor in Ireland Remembered and Read
The piece recalls Michael’s libel trials and a satirical line about Paddy the Blast prompting a £1 solatium. It notes rural readers rely on Dublin weeklies and American papers read aloud at gatherings. Ellen the tailor’s daughter once read Dan O’Connell and Nation ballads to neighbors.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Michael
Paddy
Boaster
Murnaghan
Patrick Carmen
Patrick
Dublin
Nation
Donegal
Ellen
Dan O'Connell
Davis
Mitchell
Seumas MacManus
Kew Gardens Spring Poem Echoes At Pall Mall Gazette
The verse imagines spring touching gardens and nature from Kew to London. It contrasts living growth with last year’s remnants while crocuses bloom and rivers carry barges toward the bridge as children in red cloaks move toward spring’s altar.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Autumn Drear In The Year’s Slow Passing
The poem laments the swift passage of the year from May to August and fears the coming winter. It contrasts sunny months with the advancing cold and long nights, noting a cycle of warmth followed by gray skies. The verse voice expresses wary anticipation of colder days ahead.
Dawn in the Market Place Fevered Plans for Gold
Poetic fragment depicts daily market scenes from dawn to night. Vivid imagery contrasts daylight commerce with concealed motives and charity veiling harsh realities. Names, dates, or places are not provided.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dross
Turn About Weather Skirt Causes Maidens to Follow
A light verse notes men roll up trousers in rain while maidens copy the fashion by adopting shortened rainy weather skirts. The playful observation compares practical dress to social imitation in wet weather.
Up in Grand Old Mountains Poem in Denver Evening Post
In a reflective poem the speaker longs for release from city life and labor. He describes freedom in the mountains and nature's healing calm, with vivid imagery of trout, deer, pines, streams, and the bliss of idle rest. The verse exalts solitude, beauty, and a return to nature as a respite from wealth mad pace.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Denver Evening Post
Earth
Grand Old Mountains
June Serenade in the Pines by Victor A. Hermann
A Chicago News item recounts a woodland serenade with a cricket, a lady bee, a bumblebee, a June bug from Tennessee, a gauze-wing dragonfly, a tree-locust troubade, and a busy woodworm composing a harmonious chorus that ends with a shared June serenade.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Victor A. Hermann
Chicago News
Pines
Tennessee
Angleworm's quietist fate echoes in Punxsutawney pages
A reflective verse tale follows Annt and the Grub Worm as they debate life and labor. The Angleworm embraces a simple earthly existence, praising contentment, independence from laws, and detachment from human fears while contemplating vast cosmic possibilities.
Marion Squizzle Shipwreck Tale From A Sea Yarn
The narrator recalls a brutal storm on the Marion Squizzle. Captain Pete orders no crew to touch the sail as the ship buckles in the gale. Jim, the captain's pale son, tows the boat and saves himself. the ship sinks with all hands lost.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jim
Cap’n
Peta
Marion
Also Mentioned on This Page
Facummings
S.s.meclure Co
Sunday Commercial Tribune
Jim Myers
Jo Pentland
Coverly’s
Mr. Beatham
Franklin
Lacroix
Jack Davis
Florida
Georgia
Tallahassee
Milledgeville
Jack
Lile Gregg
United States
Massachusetts
Ill
Shaughnessy
Orleans
Gregge
Underground Railroad
Dick Coverly
Portland
Mr. Richardson
North
Selwyn
Vermillion Bay
Atchafalaya
Boston
Sabine River
Goverly
Ohio
Ohio River
Bradley
Mass
Kanada
Maine
O. K
PB Caine
Lewis Pierce
Canes Bradley
Pierte
Charley
Sabine Pass
Cyrus Adams
Entwissle. P. S
Galveston
Calcasieu
Reynold Cheswick
Prrce
Big Prairie
Ireland
Kew Gardens
Pall Mall
Washington Evening Star
New Poetry
Anil
Erer Ameren
Apollo
Little Ben
William B. MacHarg
St. Nicholas
Manistee
Cap'n
Pete
Han
Adrif
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!