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EDITED BY JOHN ELY BRIGGS
Copyright 1921 by the State Historical Society of Iowa
(Transcribed by Debbie Clough Gerischer)
Underground Railroad in Iowa
The ever-increasing number of fugitive slaves who sought to
cross Iowa on their way to freedom brought the Underground Railroad into
existence. Needless to say, it was not a subterranean railroad with high-speed,
well-equipped, electric trains. The term "underground" was applied to the
railroad because of the secrecy of its operations and the mystery with which the
whole system was shrouded. Its roadbed was the ordinary highway of traffic. Its
rolling stock consisted of the buggies, oxcarts, wagons, and other vehicles at
the command of early Iowa settlers. Occasionally it was possible to use the
steam railroad as a means of conveyance, but more often passengers traveled from
station to station on foot.
There were no well lighted and comfortably furnished depots at frequent
intervals along the line, nor was there a corps of persons who gained their
livelihood by promoting the road or by serving as conductors and engineers on
the trains. No fare was charged and the conductors, in many instances the most
influential citizens, rendered their services whenever the occasion demanded,
without thought of compensation. They also supplied the depots, which varied
from a room in the conductor's home to a cave in his back yard.
The Underground Railroad in Iowa was only a part of a complete system with
trunk lines and branches which extended through practically all of the northern
States. The main line entered the State in its southwest corner near Tabor,
passed through the towns of Lewis, Des Moines, Grinnell, Iowa City, West
Liberty, Tipton, DeWitt, and Low Moor, and crossed the Mississippi River at
Clinton to connect with a route in Illinois.
Most of the fugitives who came from Nebraska and Missouri and entered Iowa
in the southwestern part of the State first boarded the Underground Railroad at
or near the town of Civil Bend (now Percival), about five miles east of the
Missouri River and twenty-five miles north of the northern boundary of Missouri.
From this point fugitives were conveyed to Tabor. This was a very important
station because here the entire population was in sympathy with escaping slaves
and practically every family was ready to do anything to help the fugitives.
Sometimes the slaves were escorted to the next station on foot, sometimes they
were driven in buggies or oxcarts or wagons.
In the western part of the State the problem was a comparatively simple
one. The population was still quite sparse and the chances of detection
correspondingly small. But it must be remembered that every person aiding a
slave to escape was a violator of the fugitive slave law and as such rendered
himself liable to fine and imprisonment. So even here the promoters were
compelled to exercise continual vigilance lest they and their passengers be
apprehended. It was necessary to have agents promptly at their posts so that no
time would be lost in forwarding the passengers. Notices must be sent ahead
telling of coming passengers, warnings of approaching danger must be given, and
necessary funds had to be provided. The responsibility for carrying out these
matters devolved upon the conductors of the road.
All along the route of the Underground Railroad were families willing to
make their home a station for the refuge and forwarding of runaway slaves. It
was not always possible to dispatch the passengers to the next station
immediately and in such cases they were concealed in the homes of promoters, in
their garrets or cellars, sometimes in caves on or near the premises, and quite
frequently in outbuildings until a favorable opportunity for a "flitting"
presented itself. Most of the trains were dispatched at night and indeed the
darkest and stormiest nights were preferred for the operations. Sometimes
passengers remained at a station for days at a time until an opportunity for
sending them on should present itself or be created by the conductor. In this
manner fugitives passed through the various towns—from Percival to Tabor,
through Lewis and Des Moines to Grinnell. Here it was almost certain that the
well known J. B. Grinnell would take care of the fugitives. He had a room in his
home which was very appropriately called the "liberty room" and was devoted to
the harboring of passengers on the Underground Railroad. No doubt this made a
very comfortable station. When John Brown came to Grinnell with his band of
fugitives from Missouri on that cold night in the winter of 1858-1859, it was in
this room that the fugitives were cheered and given an opportunity to rest. Thus
with rests at frequent intervals the fugitives continued their journey from town
to town. After Grinnell came Iowa City, then West Liberty, Tipton, Low Moor, and
finally Clinton.
In the eastern part of the State, Underground Railroading required great
care and precaution in order to avoid detection, but the promoters were equal to
the occasion and resorted to various means for forwarding the passengers. On one
occasion John Brown was able to secure railroad passage for his band of
fugitives. Through the good offices of William Penn Clarke, of Iowa City, and J.
B. Grinnell, a box car was obtained and held in readiness at West Liberty. The
fugitives were then dispatched to this place from Springdale and, after spending
the night in Keith's Mill (an old grist mill near the station), were loaded into
the empty freight car. The car was then attached to a train bound for Chicago on
the Rock Island Railroad. At Chicago the famous detective, Allen Pinkerton, took
the party in charge and dispatched it to Detroit. All passengers, however, were
not as fortunate as this band. Most of them had to go from station to station by
the slower methods of horse-drawn conveyance or on foot. At Iowa City William
Penn Clarke and Dr. Jesse Bowen were always ready to aid the cause. It was in
the latter's home, situated on Iowa Avenue between Governor and Summit streets,
that John Brown was concealed during his last night in Iowa City when he was
hard pressed by a band of men bent on capturing him because of his "nigger
stealing".
After a "stop-over" in Iowa City passengers might be ticketed to one of
several stations. Perhaps they could be taken to Springdale to partake of the
hospitality of the Quakers, and from there to West Liberty. Perhaps conditions
were favorable for making a longer run and the train might go directly to West
Liberty. At this place the old grist mill which harbored John Brown's band of
fugitives would probably serve as a waiting room.
The next stop was generally Tipton. For reasons known to the operators the
railroad did not run into the town. As is sometimes the case with the steam
railroads of to-day the depot was on the outskirts of the village. The Humphrey
home situated about two and one-half miles south of Tipton was an important
station on the Underground Railroad. A member of the family has related that it
was not unusual for whole families of colored folk to remain at their home over
night. The next day it was Grandfather's task to carry them farther on their
way. Daylight did not prevent the operations of this conductor. He would load
the human freight into his wagon and cover them with blankets, thus disguising
them as bags of grain.
Once more the train was in motion. On the long lonely stretches of the road
between the Humphrey home and Posten's Grove—a distance of about fifteen
miles—curly heads and black faces often popped out from among the "grain sacks"
to survey the country through which the train was passing. When strangers
appeared the command was to "duck". Needless to say the order was promptly
obeyed and the passengers became part of the load of bags of grain which, to all
appearances, Grandfather was hauling to the grist mill. When Posten's Grove was
reached this venerable old conductor had completed his "run". He transferred his
passengers to the care of other conductors who in turn relayed them to DeWitt,
next to Low Moor and finally to Clinton—the last Iowa station on the Underground
Railroad.
The final stages of the trip through Iowa were the most difficult and
perhaps therefore the most interesting. In the eastern part of the State
population was more dense and hence a greater number of persons were opposed to
the Underground Railroad. This necessitated greater vigilance and more detailed
and complete organization. The number of persons engaged in the work was also
greater in proportion to the work to be done. Some of the prominent agents in
DeWitt were Captain Burdette, Judge Graham, and Mrs. J. D. Stillman. These
people could be trusted to take care of the fugitives and to send them on to Low
Moor when they thought conditions favorable. In this latter town were G. W.
Weston, Abel B. Gleason, B. R. Palmer, J. B. Jones, Lawrence Mix, Nelson Olin,
and others who were anxious to tender their services. The guiding spirit and
chief promoter of the Underground Railroad at this place seems to have been G.
W. Weston. It devolved upon him especially to see that agents and stations were
in readiness, to provide the necessary funds, to give warnings of approaching
danger, and to advise the master of the next station about coming passengers. On
one occasion G. W. Weston sent the following letter to C. B. Campbell at
Clinton:
Low Moor, May 6,1859.
Mr. C. B. C.:
DEAR Sir—By tomorrow evening's mail, you will receive two
volumes of the "Irrepressible Conflict" bound in black. After perusal, please
forward, and oblige
Yours truly, G. W. W.
This is typical of the correspondence carried on between
stations. Such were the train dispatches. They served the purpose of telling the
agent at the next station of the coming of fugitives, together with a pretty
accurate idea of the number; and the peculiar wording in which the information
was couched often told of the age, complexion, and sex of the comers. When the
fugitives arrived in Clinton it was usually a. B. Campbell who sought a place
for them to stay. Quite frequently he would secrete them in the attic of his
home, a small frame building near the corner of Sixth Avenue and Second Street.
On other occasions fugitives were kept in a cave, used as a cellar, in a garden
belonging to J. R. and A. Bather, or in the garret of their home until the next
train was ready to start. It happened at one time that two fugitive slaves—a man
and his wife— were being concealed in this garret when a message was received
from DeWitt that slave catchers were in hot pursuit. This place of concealment
was thought to be too much suspected and it was deemed best to have a "flitting"
as soon as possible. Andrew Bather undertook to convey the fugitives out of the
town. He procured for the occasion a covered family carriage which belonged to
H. P. Stanley. In this he transported them to Lyons to which place a. B.
Campbell had gone to hire a skiff to convey them across the river The river was
full of ice and it was only after paying a high price that the owner of the
skiff agreed to make the crossing. During this trip the woman, whose complexion
was so fair as to give her the appearance of a white woman, represented herself
as the owner of her husband. Not all of the fugitives passed through the
stations which we have mentioned. Many never reached any of them. There were at
least three parallel lines of the Underground Railroad branching from Tabor and
running eastward to the Mississippi. Besides these main lines there were
innumerable branch lines and " spurs " which connected with the main lines. The
presence of so many routes was due to the fact that not all of the escaping
Negroes entered Iowa in its southwest corner. They came into the State at
various points along the southern border wherever the opportunity existed. In
fact the great majority of the slaves effected their escape alone, and completed
the first and in many respects the most difficult part of their journey towards
freedom unaided.
Negroes talked among themselves of the land of freedom off to the north and
told each other of the Underground Railroad. They knew there were hosts of
friends who would help them on to ultimate freedom if they could only be
reached. With this knowledge many slaves took their lives in their hands and
escaped from their masters, hiding in the woods or caves by day and progressing
slowly and cautiously at night trusting that somewhere they would reach this
Underground Railroad of which they had heard.
Along the southern border of Iowa were many Negroes—some of them slaves and
some of them free —who made it their business to aid their escaping brethren.
Very often they did little more than ferry them across a stream or direct them
to the home of some abolitionist friend. A Negro could render such services with
comparatively little risk to himself. Having once obtained the exact location of
the first Underground Railroad station the traveler need only exercise
precaution against being seen by his enemies. He need not fear a lack of
welcome, regardless of the hour at which he might present himself to the station
master. The timid and uncertain knocking at the door would invariably be
recognized by the family as the signal of the arrival of a new passenger.
In the southwestern part of the State there were several short routes with
initial stations at Croton, Bloomfield, Lancaster, and Cincinnati, all of which
no doubt connected with some main line and had their Iowa terminals along the
Mississippi. Farther east was the Quaker village of Salem, conveniently
surrounded by numerous woods and streams, which made hiding in this vicinity
quite easy for the Negroes. At night they could proceed to almost any of the
Quaker homes, for practically without exception the Quaker families were known
to be friends of the escaping slaves. Through the village of Denmark, about
seventeen miles from Burlington, connection with the Underground Railroad's
trunk line could also be conveniently made. Here was the home of Dr. George
Shedd, a rather bold and independent operator. Practicing medicine was his
chosen profession but on the side he talked abolition quite openly and privately
worked slaves northward to Canada.
Not all the slaves who set out to seek their freedom attained their object.
Negroes represented a considerable sum of wealth and naturally southern
slave-owners were very reluctant to see their property disappear. It is small
wonder then that those who suffered loss of slaves should term the Underground
Railroad directors "nigger-stealers" and exert every effort to recover their
property. In doing so they very often
resorted to methods which put them in unpleasant positions. The story is told of
Mr. Nuckolls of Nebraska City, Nebraska, who lost two girl slaves in December of
the year 1858. He correctly guessed that they had escaped into Iowa and promptly
began the hunt for them at Tabor.
First, he took precautions to guard the crossings on Silver Creek and
Nishnabotna River over which his slaves would be required to pass on their way
east. Then he began his search, but a train had promptly been fitted out and the
passengers dispatched before Mr. Nuckolls arrived at Tabor so his quest availed
him nothing. Knowing Tabor to be an abolitionist center he decided to make a
more thorough search believing that his slaves were hidden in one of the many
stations in the town. With perhaps twenty men to aid him he began a systematic
investigation of the Tabor homes—often gaining entrance only by force and
violence. At one home he met with more than ordinary rebuff so he struck the
remonstrating person over the head, inflicting permanent injury. The result of
the search was that Mr. Nuckolls did not recover the girls, and he had several
thousands of dollars worth of damages to pay besides.
The monotony of the life in the Quaker village of Salem was at one time
somewhat relieved by the attempted recovery of nine escaped slaves belonging to
Ruel Daggs from Clark County, Missouri. In the beginning of June of the year
1848 this band of slaves was successful in evading the patrols which Missourians
maintained on the roads to the Quaker village, until they were about a mile from
the town. At this point, while hiding in the bushes, they were discovered by
Messrs. Slaughter and McClure, two slave catchers. Without losing any time these
two men proceeded to lead their "catch" back to Missouri. They had scarcely
started on their way when they met Elihu Frazier, Thomas Clarkson Frazier, and
William Johnson, three stalwart Quakers from Salem. One of this party demanded
that the slaves be taken back to Salem where the captors would be given the
opportunity to press their claims before the Justice of the Peace. Naturally
this did not meet with the approval of Slaughter and McClure but the Quakers
persisted. One of them stood his ground to the extent of putting aside his
proverbial Quaker passiveness, and declared that he would "wade in Missouri
blood before the Negroes should be taken. " Before such determination the
Missourians agreed to stake the outcome on "due process of law", and the party
repaired to the village.
No small excitement was created by their approach. Every citizen joined in
the procession towards Justice Gibbs's office in the home of Henderson Lewelling.
The room proving too small, the court adjourned to the meeting-house. After a
hearing the case was dismissed because the plaintiffs were unable to show
warrants for the arrest of their captives. For a moment every one seemed at a
loss to know what to do next. Suddenly Paul Way called out: "If anybody wants to
foller me, let him foller." Two of the Negroes evidently did want "to foller"
and seized the opportunity. In a few moments they were on horseback and on their
way to freedom. The remaining Negroes in the party were taken in charge by
friends. Slaughter and McClure left the village in great anger promising to
return to wreak vengeance.
A few days later a large number of well-armed Missourians paid Salem a
visit. They veritably besieged the town and sent searching parties to every
"rigger-stealing house". Thomas Frazier's home was the first to be singled out
for detailed investigation. As a matter of feet there were slaves hidden here,
but in strict accordance with Underground Railroading methods, he was warned of
the coming visit. Before the party came he "side tracked" his passengers to some
nearby timber. The station master and his family were quietly eating dinner when
the Missourians arrived and with curses and threats announced their purpose of
searching his home. In true Quaker fashion they were quietly told to do so. The
search was fruitless. Other homes were visited with as little regard to the
rights and feelings of the owners and with similar results. It is possible to
tell only a part of the story of the Underground Railroad in Iowa. All the
methods used in the transportation of fugitive slaves have not been described,
nor have all the stations and their agents been named. To do so would be an
impossible task. It must be remembered that this was an Underground Railroad.
Its operations were secret. The stories that have come down to us constitute but
a fragmentary record. Generally the train masters kept no dispatch books or
records of train schedules or of passengers, for should such records fall into
the hands of those who tried to enforce the fugitive slave law they would
constitute most incriminating evidence. Enough of its story is known, however,
to show that as an institution the Underground Railroad has played its part in
the history of the State. Not only did it bridge the gap between slavery and
freedom for thousands of fugitives, but the hazards and adventures of the
traffic served to lend fascination to the frontier life; and the story of the
operation of the system gives a picture of the ideals, the character, the
resourcefulness and the fearlessness of the early settlers of the State. |
