running a thousand miles for freedom-第1章

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THE　AMERICAN　NEGRO

HIS　HISTORY　AND　LITERATURE






RUNNING　A　THOUSAND　MILES　FOR　FREEDOM

William　and　Ellen　Craft




RUNNING　A　THOUSAND　MILES　FOR　FREEDOM　OR；　THE　ESCAPE　OF　WILLIAM　AND　ELLEN　CRAFT　FROM　SLAVERY。



〃Slaves　cannot　breathe　in　England：　if　their　lungs　　Receive　our　air；　that　moment　they　are　free；　　They　touch　our　country；　and　their　shackles　fall。〃

COWPER





RUNNING　A　THOUSAND　MILES　FOR　FREEDOM





PREFACE。


HAVING　heard　while　in　Slavery　that　〃God　made　of　one　blood　all　nations　of　men；〃　and　also　that　the　American　Declaration　of　Independence　says；　that　〃We　hold　these　truths　to　be　self…evident；　that　all　men　are　created　equal；　that　they　are　endowed　by　their　Creator　with　certain　inalienable　rights；　that　among　these；　are　life；　liberty；　and　the　pursuit　of　happiness；〃　we　could　not　understand　by　what　right　we　were　held　as　〃chattels。〃　　Therefore；　we　felt　perfectly　justified　in　undertaking　the　dan…　gerous　and　exciting　task　of　〃running　a　thousand　miles〃　in　order　to　obtain　those　rights　which　are　so　vividly　set　forth　in　the　Declaration。

I　beg　those　who　would　know　the　particulars　of　our　journey；　to　peruse　these　pages。

This　book　is　not　intended　as　a　full　history　of　the　life　of　my　wife；　nor　of　myself；　but　merely　as　an　account　of　our　escape；　together　with　other　matter　which　I　hope　may　be　the　means　of　creating　in　some　minds　a　deeper　abhorrence　of　the　sinful　and　abominable　practice　of　enslaving　and　brutifying　our　fellow…creatures。

Without　stopping　to　write　a　long　apology　for　offering　this　little　volume　to　the　public；　I　shall　commence　at　once　to　pursue　my　simple　story。


W。　CRAFT。



12；　CAMBRIDGE　ROAD；　HAMMERSMITH；　LONDON。





RUNNING　A　THOUSAND　MILES　FOR　FREEDOM。

…＋…

PART　I。

〃God　gave　us　only　over　beast；　fish；　fowl；　Dominion　absolute；　that　right　we　hold　By　his　donation。　　But　man　over　man　He　made　not　lord；　such　title　to　himself　Reserving；　human　left　from　human　free。〃

MILTON。


MY　wife　and　myself　were　born　in　different　towns　in　the　State　of　Georgia；　which　is　one　of　the　principal　slave　States。　　It　is　true；　our　condition　as　slaves　was　not　by　any　means　the　worst；　but　the　mere　idea　that　we　were　held　as　chattels；　and　de…　prived　of　all　legal　rightsthe　thought　that　we　had　to　give　up　our　hard　earnings　to　a　tyrant；　to　enable　him　to　live　in　idleness　and　luxurythe　thought　that　we　could　not　call　the　bones　and　sinews　that　God　gave　us　our　own：　but　above　all；　the　fact　that　another　man　had　the　power　to　tear　from　our　cradle　the　new…born　babe　and　sell　it　in　the　shambles　like　a　brute；　and　then　scourge　us　if　we　dared　to　lift　a　finger　to　save　it　from　such　a　fate；　haunted　us　for　years。

But　in　December；　1848；　a　plan　suggested　itself　that　proved　quite　successful；　and　in　eight　days　after　it　was　first　thought　of　we　were　free　from　the　horrible　trammels　of　slavery；　rejoicing　and　praising　God　in　the　glorious　sunshine　of　liberty。

My　wife's　first　master　was　her　father；　and　her　mother　his　slave；　and　the　latter　is　still　the　slave　of　his　widow。

Notwithstanding　my　wife　being　of　African　ex…　traction　on　her　mother's　side；　she　is　almost　white　in　fact；　she　is　so　nearly　so　that　the　tyrannical　old　lady　to　whom　she　first　belonged　became　so　annoyed；　at　finding　her　frequently　mistaken　for　a　child　of　the　family；　that　she　gave　her　when　eleven　years　of　age　to　a　daughter；　as　a　wedding　present。　　This　separated　my　wife　from　her　mother；　and　also　from　several　other　dear　friends。　　But　the　incessant　cruelty　of　her　old　mistress　made　the　change　of　owners　or　treatment　so　desirable；　that　she　did　not　grumble　much　at　this　cruel　separation。

It　may　be　remembered　that　slavery　in　America　is　not　at　all　confined　to　persons　of　any　particular　complexion；　there　are　a　very　large　number　of　slaves　as　white　as　any　one；　but　as　the　evidence　of　a　slave　is　not　admitted　in　court　against　a　free　white　person；　it　is　almost　impossible　for　a　white　child；　after　having　been　kidnapped　and　sold　into　or　re…　duced　to　slavery；　in　a　part　of　the　country　where　it　is　not　known　（as　often　is　the　case）；　ever　to　recover　its　freedom。

I　have　myself　conversed　with　several　slaves　who　told　me　that　their　parents　were　white　and　free；　but　that　they　were　stolen　away　from　them　and　sold　when　quite　young。　　As　they　could　not　tell　their　address；　and　also　as　the　parents　did　not　know　what　had　become　of　their　lost　and　dear　little　ones；　of　course　all　traces　of　each　other　were　gone。

The　following　facts　are　sufficient　to　prove；　that　he　who　has　the　power；　and　is　inhuman　enough　to　trample　upon　the　sacred　rights　of　the　weak；　cares　nothing　for　race　or　colour：

In　March；　1818；　three　ships　arrived　at　New　Orleans；　bringing　several　hundred　German　emi…　grants　from　the　province　of　Alsace；　on　the　lower　Rhine。　　Among　them　were　Daniel　Muller　and　his　two　daughters；　Dorothea　and　Salome；　whose　mother　had　died　on　the　passage。　　Soon　after　his　arrival；　Muller；　taking　with　him　his　two　daughters；　both　young　children；　went　up　the　river　to　Attakapas　parish；　to　work　on　the　plantation　of　John　F。　Miller。　A　few　weeks　later；　his　relatives；　who　had　remained　at　New　Orleans；　learned　that　he　had　died　of　the　fever　of　the　country。　　They　immediately　sent　for　the　two　girls；　but　they　had　disappeared；　and　the　relatives；　notwithstanding　repeated　and　persevering　inquiries　and　researches；　could　find　no　traces　of　them。　　They　were　at　length　given　up　for　dead。　Dorothea　was　never　again　heard　of；　nor　was　any　thing　known　of　Salome　from　1818　till　1843。

In　the　summer　of　that　year；　Madame　Karl；　a　German　woman　who　had　come　over　in　the　same　ship　with　the　Mullers；　was　passing　through　a　street　in　New　Orleans；　and　accidentally　saw　Salome　in　a　wine…shop；　belonging　to　Louis　Belmonte；　by　whom　she　was　held　as　a　slave。　　Madame　Karl　recognised　her　at　once；　and　carried　her　to　the　house　of　another　German　woman；　Mrs。　Schubert；　who　was　Salome's　cousin　and　godmother；　and　who　no　sooner　set　eyes　on　her　than；　without　having　any　intimation　that　the　discovery　had　been　previously　made；　she　un…　hesitatingly　exclaimed；　〃My　God！　here　is　the　long…lost　Salome　Muller。〃

The　Law　Reporter；　in　its　account　of　this　case；　says：

〃As　many　of　the　German　emigrants　of　1818　as　could　be　gathered　together　were　brought　to　the　house　of　Mrs。　Schubert；　and　every　one　of　the　number　who　had　any　recollection　of　the　little　girl　upon　the　passage；　or　any　acquaintance　with　her　father　and　mother；　immediately　identified　the　woman　before　them　as　the　long…lost　Salome　Muller。　　By　all　these　witnesses；　who　appeared　at　the　trial；　the　identity　was　fully　established。　The　family　resemblance　in　every　feature　was　declared　to　be　so　remarkable；　that　some　of　the　witnesses　did　not　hesitate　to　say　that　they　should　know　her　among　ten　thousand；　that　they　were　as　certain　the　plaintiff　was　Salome　Muller；　the　daughter　of　Daniel　and　Dorothea　Muller；　as　of　their　own　existence。〃

Among　the　witnesses　who　appeared　in　Court　was　the　midwife　who　had　assisted　at　the　birth　of　Salome。　She　testified　to　the　existence　of　certain　peculiar　marks　upon　the　body　of　the　child；　which　were　found；　exactly　as　described；　by　the　surgeons　who　were　appointed　by　the　Court　to　make　an　examina…　tion　for　the　purpose。

There　was　no　trace　of　African　descent　in　any　feature　of　Salome　Muller。　　She　had　long；　straight；　black　hair；　hazel　eyes；　thin　lips；　and　a　Roman　nose。　　The　complexion　of　her　face　and　neck　was　as　dark　as　that　of　the　darkest　brunette。　It　appears；　however；　that；　during　the　twenty…five　years　of　her　servitude；　she　had　been　exposed　to　the　sun's　rays　in　the　hot　climate　of　Louisiana；　with　head　and　neck　unsheltered；　as　is　customary　with　the　female　slaves；　while　labouring　in　the　cotton　or　the　sugar　field。　　Those　parts　of　her　person　which　had　been　shielded　from　the　sun　were　compara…　tively　white。

Belmonte；　the　pretended　owner　of　the　girl；　had　obtained　possession　of　her　by　an　act　of　sale　from　John　F。　Miller；　the　planter　in　whose　service　Salome's　father　died。　　This　Miller　was　a　man　of　consideration　and　substance；　owning　large　sugar　estates；　and　bearing　a　high　reputation　for　honour　and　honesty；　and　for　indulgent　treatment　of　his　slaves。　　It　was　testified　on　the　trial　that　he　had　said　to　Belmonte；　a　few　weeks　after　the　sale　of　Salome；　〃that　she　was　white；　and　had　as　much　right　to　her　freedom　as　any　one；　and　was　only　to　be　retained　in　slavery　by　care　and　kind　treatment。〃　The　broker　who　negotiated　the　sale　from　Miller　to　Belmonte；　in　1838；　testified　in　Court　that　he　then　thought；　and　still　thought；　that　the　girl　was　white！

The　case　was　elaborately　argued　on　both　sides；　but　was　at　length　decided　in　favour　of　the　girl；　by　the　Supreme　Court　declaring　that　〃she　was　free　and　white；　and　therefore　unlawfully　held　in　bondage。〃

The　Rev。　George　Bourne；　of　Virginia；　in　his　Picture　of　Slavery；　published　in　1834；　relates　the　case　of　a　white　boy　who；　at　the　age　of　seven；　was　stolen　from　his　home　in　Ohio；　tanned　and　stained　in　such　a　way　that　he　could　not　be　distinguished　from　a　person　of　colour；　and　then　sold　as　a　slave　in　Virginia。　　At　the　age　of　twenty；　he　made　his　escape；　by　running　away；　and　happily　succeeded　in　rejoining　his　parents。

I　have　known　worthless　white　people　to　sell　their　own　free　children　into　slavery；　and；　as　there　are　good…for…nothing　white　as　well　as　coloured　persons　everywhere；　no　one；　perhaps；　will　wonder　at　such　inhuman　transactions：　particularly　in　the　Southern　States　of　America；　where　I　believe　there　is　a　greater　want　of　humanity　and　high　principle　amongst　the　whites；　than　among　any　other　civilized　people　in　the　world。

I　know　that　those　who　are　not　familiar　with　the　working　of　〃the　peculiar　institution；〃　can　scarcely　imagine　any　one　so　totally　devoid　of　all　natural　affection　as　to　sell　his　own　offspring　into　returnless　bondage。　　But　Shakespeare；　that　great　observer　of　human　nature；　says：


〃With　caution　judge　of　probabilities。　Things　deemed　unlikely；　e'en　impossible；　Experience　often　shews　us　to　be　true。〃


My　wife's　new　mistress　was　decidedly　more　humane　than　the　majority　of　her　class。　　My　wife　has　always　given　her　credit　for　not　exposing　her　to　many　of　the　worst　features　of　slavery。　　For　instance；　it　is　a　common　practice　in　the　slave　States　for　ladies；　when　angry　with　their　maids；　to　send　them　to　the　calybuce　sugar…house；　or　to　some　other　place　established　for　the　purpose　of　punishing　slaves；　and　have　them　severely　flogged；　and　I　am　sorry　it　is　a　fact；　that　the　villains　to　whom　those　de…　fenceless　creatures　are　sent；　not　only　flog　them　as　they　are　ordered；　but　frequently　compel　them　to　submit　to　the　greatest　indignity。　　Oh！　if　there　is　any　one　thing　under　the　wide　canopy　of　heaven；　horrible　enough　to　stir　a　man's　soul；　and　to　make　his　very　blood　boil；　it　is　the　thought　of　his　dear　wife；　his　unprotected　sister；　or　his　young　and　virtuous　daughters；　struggling　to　save　themselves　from　falling　a　prey　to　such　demons！

It　always　appears　strange　to　me　that　any　one　who　was　not　born　a　slaveholder；　and　steeped　to　the　very　core　in　the　demoralizing　atmosphere　of　the　Southern　States；　can　in　any　way　palliate　slavery。　It　is　still　more　surprising　to　see　virtuous　ladies　looking　with　patience　upon；　and　remaining　indif…　ferent　to；　the　existence　of　a　system　that　exposes　nearly　two　millions　of　their　own　sex　in　the　manner　I　have　mentioned；　and　that　too　in　a　professedly　free　and　Christian　country。　　There　is