to treaty of Greenville by General Wayne of August 5, 1795, at the crossing place of the Tuscarawas branch of the Muskingum river above Fort Laurens at a bottom oak 10 inches in diameter standing on the west bank of said fork, which tree is notched with. three notches on the north and west sides with this inscription: 'Surveyed according to Treaty by Gen. Wayne, a line to Loramie's S. 78 degrees and 50 minutes W.'" In tracing the boundary line southwesterly through what is now Holmes county, Ludlow entered among his notes the following, "19 miles, 32 chains, a water course running southwest, where a flat ridge divides the waters of Sugar creek and Killbuck creek," "26 miles, 30 chains and 50 links, Killbuck creek 2 chains wide, running south, 20 east current gentle." "40 miles, 17 chains and 50 links, White Woman creek (now called Mohican) runs south, 20 east, 4 chains and 50 links wide." When Ludlow had surveyed the line to the distance of 119 miles and 59 chains, he ran a line south 480 chains when he found the trace of the random line he had run east. He returned to the camp on the treaty line and changed the course of the same from S. 78 degrees, 50 W. to S. 88 degrees, 50 W. and at 153 miles. and 35 chains from the starting place, he came to a post 23 chains and 50 links above the forks of Laramie's creek on a course S. 10 W. This report is dated August 29, 1797, and is signed by Israel Ludlow, D. S. The survey of the line from Loramie's to Fort Recovery, was commenced by Ludlow on Saturday, August 3, 1799, at Loramie's, and bears north 81 degrees, 10 minutes west, 22 miles, 51 chains. and 50 links to Fort Recovery, which was situated in what is now Mercer county near the Indiana line. The survey of the line between Fort Recovery and the mouth of the Kentucky river was commenced by Ludlow on Tuesday, 10 o'clock, August 8, 1799, at Fort Recovery, and bears S. II degrees, 35 minutes W. Six miles of this part of the line only is within the present limits of the State of Ohio. A STATION ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. MRS. FLORENCE BEDFORD WRIGHT, OBERLIN. The Anti-Slavery agitation of the nineteenth century, called out the heroic qualities in many a quiet man in whom such attributes had never been suspected. In no part of the country, did the friends of the fugitive slave make more personal sacrifices than those residing in southwestern Ohio. It was during this period that the name "under-ground railroad" was given to the manner by which the negroes were piloted to freedom. Regularly routes were devised over which hundreds of slaves were sent on their way to liberty. These routes were known to but few, and those the persons actively engaged in the service. While slaves could not be owned north of the Ohio river the owners had many warm friends in the north, who would have been glad to assist them in recovering their so-called chattels, and who used all their influence in making it uncomfortable and even dangerous for those engaged in relief work. The phrase "having the courage of one's convictions" so often spoken with but little thought as to its meaning, had an intense force to those who were summoned before a judge who enjoyed inflicting the utmost penalty of the law. The truth of the poet's lines was unfelt by many. "Then to side with truth is noble When we share her wretched crust, Till his Lord is crucified, Of the faith they had denied." Added to the penalties of the law were the discomforts attending being out, always at night, often in storm, the nervous strain attending such experiences, and the enforced neglect of business. Cincinnati was of course the point first reached by the slaves, from there they were taken to Glendale, then to Foster's, on the Little Miami, and from there they were brought to Springboro, which was a village in Warren county, settled largely by "Friends" or Quakers, a people justly celebrated for their sympathy with the down-trodden. These stations were the homes of the various sympathizers and no questions were asked by the house-wives when well filled pantry shelves were mysteriously emptied. From Springboro they were taken to the home of a Dr. A. Brooks, near Wilmington, Clinton county, and from there to Oakland, a station near Xenia, Ohio, and so on towards Canada. Among those acting as conductor was a Friend, William S. Bedford, by name, who had probably inherited his abhorrence of the system from his father, Thomas Bedford, who as early as 1786, shortly after his landing from England, threw up a lucrative position in Charleston, S. C., because his conscience would not allow him to direct or use slave labor, thereby so incensing his uncle, by whom he was employed, that he refused to pay him anything for the labor already done, upon which he started to walk to Philadelphia, stopping in Virginia and Maryland to teach school, thus helping himself forward. It is not surprising to find his children, later, showing strong feeling on the subject. Only faint echoes from the past come to us now, but such as they are, they are worthy of preservation. The manuscript containing the account published below was found among the papers of my father, the William S. Bedford above referred to, to which has been added the abstract of the court record. In 1839 a citizen of Rockingham county, Virginia, by name Bennet Raines, started for Missouri, leaving his home hurriedly, he being seriously involved, financially. Accompanying his family were four slaves, an old woman, her daughter (a woman in the prime of life) and two small children belonging to the latter, one four years of age and the other an infant in arms. They passed through Springboro, Ohio, and pitched their tent one milewest. Word had been sent to the Abolitionists there of their intended arrival, and a hope expressed that they might manage to free these slaves, - Springboro at that time being one of the regular stations on the under-ground railroad. The town was largely composed of Friends or Quakers, most of whom were friendly to the cause. We held a hurried counsel and agreed to meet at his tent and inform him that he was violating our laws by passing slaves through our state. A goodly number appeared according to programme, Dr. A. Brooks being appointed speaker. Raines said we might take them if they were willing to go, the elder woman soon climbed into our carriage, as would the younger, but a daughter of Raines had secreted the boy, no doubt thinking she could sell him in Missouri. We felt the children could not judge, and that the mother had the best claim to them so the search was continued until one cried out: "I feel its kinky head," and within the next twenty minutes they were all on the road to Canada. Raines was much irritated and finally pushed his gun barrel out of the back of the tent or wagon, some one told him "that was a game more than one could play," and at once the noise of ramrods and gunlocks was heard, the colored members having brought theirs without our knowledge or consent. Raines was shrewd and keen and found many sympathizers in Franklin a town near by, who advised him to prosecute. He made oath that we had robbed him of $1,000.00 in gold and $500.00 in paper. Sixteen of us in consequence were cited to appear before the court then in session in Lebanon, our county seat. We engaged four eminent lawyers, Ex-Gov. Bell, Ex-Gov. Corwin, R. Schenck (later General) and Robert G. Corwin, who agreed to see us through all the courts for $500.00, but before the case was reached the old man died, and his son took it up. There were three counts in the indictment: Abduction, grand larceny and riot. The abduction would not bear handling, but fell through at once; they then tried grand larceny. The mother and son being examined separately, she on being asked from what state she came, said she did not know, but thought it was Rockingham. She said the gold was put in a pasteboard box she supposed, but had never seen it, but the paper was in $100.00 bills. The son then said there were no $100.00 bills, and all the gold he had seen turn out was two or three $5.00 pieces, so the jury let that drop, almost without leaving their seats; but they held us on the last count, for they proved there were guns on the ground, and the unlawful manner of doing even a lawful thing was held by the court to constitute a riot. We were sentenced to five days in the dungeon, to be fed on bread and water and to pay a fine, some of $20.00 and some of $5.00. The dungeon proved too small, being but 8 feet by 10 feet, and one person already in it. They then made another room as dark as possible and placed us there. There were four of our company who were reported by the Grand Jury who were not tried in open court, but condemned with the rest. Our lawyers made a statement of the case and we sent it by a trusty messenger to the judge of the Supreme Court who ordered us all turned out by giving $500.00 bail for our appearance before the court when it should set in our county. Some of us had already given $3,000.00 bail on esquire's docket. Judge Hitchcock cleared us in the Supreme Court in about 30 minutes, for he said we had a right to use as much force as was necessary to accomplish the object. We learned long afterwards that the negroes settled among Friends and did not go to Canada. WILLIAM S. BEDFORD. COURT RECORD. "State Record No. 5. Warren Common Pleas, March Term, 1840. The Grand Jury was impanneled, viz.: William Crosson, Joseph Smithers, James Hopkins, Spencer Hunt, Richard Taylor, Caleb Saterthwaet, William Hamilton, Joseph Edwards, William Miller, Walling Worley, Patrick McKinsey, Samuel Leonard, Amos Kelsey, Edward Robinson, and John M. Snook. "Returned an indictment signed by J. M. Williams, Pros. Atty. of Warren Co., Ohio, and indorsed a 'true bill, William Crosson, Foreman,' against Abraham Brooks, James B. Brooks, Edward Brooks, Joseph Lukens, David Potts, John Potts, Lindley Potts, Perry Lukens, William S. Bedford, Ezekiel McCoy, John T. Bateman, Nicholas Archdeacon, Clarkson Bateman, Cyrus F. Farr, Jonas Wilson, Peter Lowe and Frederick Wilson, and divers other persons whose names are to the jurors aforesaid unknown, charging by the first count of said indictment that said defendants |