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raun dj irars 01 t-arnest wornS01IE JX’OIDEXTS 7,V 1IK BISTORT TUE HA DISOX BU.XNUU OF TIIE UX-DEKGItOVXD RAI LUO AD.OFSj»cclal Correnpondonco of The Journal.• Madison, Ijcif., January 8. — Conspicuous runnng tho noted characters of Madison is Hoy. Chnpnmn Hau ls, a stalwart colored man, uow In Ills seventy-eighth year. The story of Ida eventful life would possess all the lutcrcat of n skill/ fully constructed romance; but It Is tlio purpose or tho writer to glvo only a brior outline of sumo of the incidents In Ids career. Mr. Harris was born in Nelson county, Virginia, of a free mother. In 1802, nfid grow to manhood In Albcrmnrlo county, ou tho bnuks of tho James river, no hnd heard In Ids childhood of Indiana as a land of freedom, and at an early day resolved to seek a hoiuo there; .blit ho did not Icavo old Virginia until he was 37 years of ago. Ho descended the Ohio' river from Gnyandotto to Portsmouth. Ohio, ou a koel-boat, hi 1830.and a tithe latter plaoo took passago on tho steamer Wllllaiu Parasol for Madison, wlioro ho arrived on tlio morning of tho Cth of September, In tho nbovc-iumtcd year, being asleep when the boat touched nt Madison, ho was not awakened In time to leave tho boat, but tho captain stopped his craft a short distance below the city, and lauded him on tho Kentucky shove. He walked back to Milton, and, on oxhlblting tho papers necessary, was allowed to cross tho river to Hoosicr soil. •At that tiino thcVo resided In Madison - a wealthy colored man named Lowia Evans (whose descendants slill reside here), and Harris entered his employ ns n teamster, which occupation he followed for a number of years. On tho 13tli of February, 1841. ho married, no was also baptized, about this time, and.taken into tho fellowship of tho whito Baptist Church, by Rev. E. I. Owen, who has now long been dead.It did not tnko Harris long to win tlio confidence of all tbc 1 Hit ter class of his own race. His natural gifts, joined lo his earnestness and Christian zeal, gave him great Influence among thorn, and he has always, sinco thnttiinc.cn-ioyed the respect and esteem of tho best classes of our people-.As every reader of tho Journal knows, tho Ohio river was at that time, and for ninny years lifter, tho dividing lluo between the free and tho slave States, and it was a common occurrencedon is ami windows, loaded • .their revolvers and a couplo of - -gutit. which worn In tho house, and informed tho Kentucky Hlnvc-catchoVH and their Hoosicr iillio* that when they wanted.to take slaves they cbuhl' Just eomo along ami try It. Tlio two men m-mulucd ou wntcii nil night, but no assault was niivdo, and about daylight, with many curses and imprecations, the Hlavc-himtcrs withdrew. This same Mr. Stewart was one of tho wannest supporters of Mr. Harris and his friouda In their ..' uiidcrgroimd-milrond enterprise.On one occasion one of llaceU‘s’eoi|S wns piloting a parly of ruimwivys oft a durk’nlglit. when n party or Kentucky slavo owners, reinforced l»y a number of Madison, slavfecatalrip*. suddenly sprang upon tlicni. Young Harris fought ill do-fenso of ids charge with desperate heroism, and I succeeded In saving all but one—tho poor old grnmlmothcr. who. having caught a glimpse of the blessed hind of freedom, was ruthlessly Ion* from her chlldreu and carried back to wear not hcrfow remain'ug yean* In hopeless bondage.After tbc-ton to was changed to Rykcr's Ridge the read was Tho Day Dug-out. iu honor of m ■ prominent friend of tho slaves named Day,* man who. like Miss Della Webster, was porno* eutod for zealous compllcltv in the work of aiding tho unfortunates. Day was undergoing a. ' trial before a court held in-.wlmt is uow Odd-/et-' 'lows Flail iu this city, when his lawyer,the In- ’ uiciited Joseph G. Marshall.' nlckod a flaw lu tho indictment. Tho court (Judge Charles. K. Walker) took tlio matter under'advisement until tho following morning, when tho dlseliargeof the prisoner was ordered. Kooytitig'that the counsel for tho prosecution had taken slept to ‘ cause the rcarrest of Day, Dr; DiiYliI«ou. Ryknr and oilier of his friends proeurod horses and aided him to fly in time to avoid the ftfHeor*.Or Chapman Harris's llvo sons, four grew to manhood, nud two of tliom were ((Uiiest worker* with their father iu the iiuilergrouud railroad -business. Among tiic white men who were more or less active in tno work were Judge Stevens, John II. Taylor. James Stewart. Dr. William Davidson. John Tibbetts. Samuel Tibbetts. man Hoyt, Jacob Wagner, Mr. Nelson. John Cair, , Will O. feyker, Abljali W. Pitcher tuid Isaac Wagner. ,The above are only a few incidents of tho Ufo and times of Rev. Chapman Harris, a mail who for many years devoted his lic*t energies to do-, liveriiig the men. women and children of his rare fromeruol bondage and gnlilin™ I he:u to a land of freedom where ownership of man was a thing unknown. There are living to-day hundreds who Ituvo cause to bless the name of Chapman-Harris, the man who led thorn or their lathers out of the land of bondage.Conspicuously on tho walls of Chapman Harris's hiuublc homo haug two pictures—tho portraits of John Brown and Abraham Llncoin-^-freedom’s martyrs, blessed bo thoir memories forever. • ~ a. c.‘CARPETS,Paper Hangings, DraperiesAND
Newspaper Details
Indianapolis Journal
Indianapolis, Indiana, US
Sun, Jan 11, 1880
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Linda R.
IN, USA 23 Nov 2016
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