Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/596

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��short distance west of Ontario, an aged and re- spected citizen. The penalty for assisting in the escape of fugitive slaves was very severe, and these men were, therefore, continually on the "ragged edge," and several times came ver}' near having serious trouble. At one time, Ben- jamin Gass brought to Mr. Finne}- five colored men with five or six women and children. He lodged the females in the upper part of his dwelling-house and the men in his granary- in the barn. Six men, armed with revolvers, who had been in pursuit, came up with them here. Learning they were secreted about the prem- ises, they made a demand of Mr. Finney for their restitution. He was clearly caught, but determined not to give up the fugitives without a struggle. He demanded their warrant. The^* could not produce this, but sent three of their number to Mansfield to procure the warrant, while the other three remained to watch. Mr. Finne}' had dispatched word to some of his particular friends in Mansfield, and his object now was to gain time ; meanwhile he armed the darkies in the barn with pitchforks. Rep- resenting to the three men that the fugitives were locked in his granary (which was true) and would not probabl}' escape, he invited them into his house, gave them Ijreakfast, and consumed as much time as possible in various waj'S. While this was passing, the fugitives found an opening in the liarn and escaped to the woods. When the warrant arrived, no darkies were to be found — the presence of those up-stairs in his house not Ijeing suspected by the pursuers. It is hardly possible, however, that these slaves could have been recaptured without a fight, as Mr. Finney's friends liegan to arrive from Mansfield, all armed and expect- ing trouble. Among those who first came to his assistance were Dr. Miller, Thomas Thaker and Mathias Day. The pursuers, finding the fugitives had escaped, began a search of the neighborhood, and, as soon as he could with safety, Mr. Finney transferred the females to

��the house of his friend Joseph Roe. Mr. Roe, being notorious in this cause, and well knowing his house would soon be searched, contrived to get them away to his neighbor, James Wood, which he had no sooner done, than the pursu- ers appeared to search his premises. Mr. Roe pleaded ignorance, and, fearing they would go on to Mr. Woods house, contrived to throw them oft' the scent b}' oftering to assist in the recapt- ure of the fugitives, and leading them ofl[" in the opposite direction, back to Mr. Finney's, and then to Mansfield ; meanwhile, Mrs. Roe sent word to Mr. Wood, and the fugitives were conveyed to the Smith settlement, in what is now Washington Township, and from there to other points, and escaped. The men were gathered up here and there in the woods, and all got safely' awa}-.

Mr. Joseph Roe, before mentioned, gives an excellent historical and political review of mat- ters in Springfield, from which the following notes are taken :

When he came to the township in 1835, it was largely Democratic and controlled b}' preju- dice and superstition. It was supposed that a negro had no soul, and no rights a white man was bound to respect. An Abolitionist was considered much beneath a horse-thief and coun- terfeiter. The Democratic idea was, that Ab- olitionists carried negroes to Canada, and re- ceived a compensation from the Canadian Go^- ernment, and that, should a war arise between the two countries, these negroes would improA^e the occasion to murder the people of Ohio and other States ; and further, if slaver}' should be abolished, our country would be completely ruined and society much demoralized, if not destroyed. Hence the intense feeling against the Aliolitionists. The matter was carried into the pulpit, and many churches divided. Mr. Roe resohed not to support any minister who sanctioned slavery. He was thoroughly Anti- slaver}', and entered heartily into the under- ground railway business. In the spring of

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