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Jump Ship to Freedom: A Wisconsin Story
Quote:
Dr. Edward Galusha Dyer, Burlington, Wisconsin: an abolitionist
"Can liberty and slavery long dwell together? Which side
shall we be on? Surely we shall be for liberty."
In Their Own Words: a personal story
JACOB GREEN: 1863
Jacob Green was a fugitive slave from Kentucky. He made his way to New
York and was hoping to get across the lake into Canada. But, on the street
he found an unexpected, terrible surprise…
"I saw my master who laid hold of me and called to his aid a dozen
more….that night I was placed in prison…and irons placed on
my ankles and hand-cuffed…"
Jacob’s master took him on the steam boat Milwaukie headed for Chicago,
Illinois on Lake Erie. They stopped in Cleveland to change boats.
"On Monday I was taken on board the steam boat ‘Sultana’…I
was placed in the cabin and at dinner time the steam boat stared and had
about half a mile to go before she got into the lake and the captain came
in to me and cautiously asked me if I could swim – I answered I
could, he told me to stand close by a window…and when the paddle
wheels ceased I made a spring and jumped into the water."
Jacob swam away. He saw the captain standing on the deck. When the captain
saw him, he waved to the engineer to start the paddle wheel again. As
the boat began to move, Jacob kept swimming. Suddenly, he heard his master’s
voice up on the deck. "Here, here – stop captain! Which
was echoed by shouts from the passengers; but the boat continued her course,
while I made my way as fast as possible to Cleveland lighthouse, where
I arrived in safety…"
Let’s Talk About It
- Did slave catchers
ever pretend to be part of the underground railroad in order to trick
people running away from slavery? How would a fugitive slave know who
to trust and who not to trust?
For any remarks, suggestions, or broken links:
Please email us at:
history@tds.net
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