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Bared by the Overground Railroad.“Mr. Girrett’s death reminds me of a story,” remarked au old railroader not ! now in service. “It was before the war. I I was running an engme on the B. and { O. In those days there were a good many slaves Retting away from their masters in Virginia and making for Pennsylvania. So the owners clubbed together and established a patrol along the B. and O. For more than a hundred miles they kept an average of three men to every mile where there was timber, watching the track nights with dogs and guns to catch any slave that would attempt to cross. One night I was running a freight west. All of a sudden before mo in the light from my head lamp I saw a colored mnn on the track. He had a heavy stick in his hand, and was fighting for life with a pack of dogs. Down the track I saw three slave hunters running toward the negro. Acting on the impulse of the moment, I shut off steam, whistled down breaks, and set up fearful whistling. I also released the Bfety valve and made her blow off steam. I hoped to frighten the dogs, and did. They turned and looked at the big light of the engine, and some of them ran away.“But the slave was nearly as badly frightened as the dogs. He stood motionless on the track. To this day I can see his figure as it was outlined against the darkness. It was a statue of despair. Fearing that we would run over him, I clambered out to the pilot and shouted to him just in time. He roused with a start, jumped to one side as ] passed, and called to him to get on the train, which by this time was running slow. I watched him get on, when I gave her a full head of steam, whistled c.ff breaks, and we sailed by the slave hunters so fast that they could not get on. They fired at me, but missed. My fireman carried my dinner bucket back to the negro. He devoured it like a starving man. Ho must have been a peculiar negro, for when my fireman came back there were streaks down his coal-begrimed face. Ho had been crying. He said tt at negro had embracedhim with joy and prayed for him on hisknees on the top of a box car. My bucket was empty when it came back, r and then the fireman took his back to onr passenger. It was emptied, too. The man was famishing.“Well, that slave got into Ohio, and after an investigation my case was laid I before Mr. Garrett. To satisfy the , l slave owners be discharged me, but got me a job on the Pennsylvania road, and paid me full wages all the time I was idle.”Tlie Congo Country.
Newspaper Details
Greenville Banner
Greenville, Virginia, US
Wed, Jan 21, 1885
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Victoria E.
USA 30 Jul 2022
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Greenville Banner
