Record Data
Transcription
From the True Wesleyan.
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD-EXPRESS LINE
Mr. Editor: - Last evening, by invitation, I preached to a crowded audience in the colored church of this city. At the close of the sermon, Rev. B. rose, and after delivering a very appropriate and powerful exploitation of seeking the Saviour, the speaker said he had a matter of great importance to present to the audience. “Here’s a man,” pointing his finger to one of the most perfect specimens of humanity I ever saw - a man about six feet tall - a full, broad chest, with a very large and well balanced head - neatly and richly clad, looking as calm as summer evenings - “here’s a man with whom I was acquainted in the days of his boyhood; he is a stranger here, just from Kentucky - a fugitive - he is one of your big servants - the servant of a big man; he left his master (!) Friday evening, and got safely here last evening - by tomorrow evening he will across the Branch out here (Lake Erie.) We want to raise money; to pay his fare the rest of the way to the land of the free. And now, brethren, I have confidence in you - you will do your duty - just bring on your change.” And at the word, here they come, with cheerful hearts and open purses, rattling down the material aid in showers.
The money being raised, the preacher, said, “There, sir,” as he handed the money to the fugitive, and added, “God has brought you thus far, and He’ll give us grace not to allow you to be taken back.” “Yes, and strength, too.” responded some one at my right, in a significant tone of voice.
The fugitive reached up over the stand, and said to me, “Do you think I did wrong in leaving my master?” “No, sir! Thank God for the grace that put it into your heart, and enabled you to escape,” I answered.
The preacher said, “Now we must sing a fugitive song for our brother. I presume he never heard one, fixing his eye on the fugitive.
Then they struck up and sung - and O, what good singing! - “O, come, come away,” &c.
We then knelt down, and the fugitive led in returning thanks to God for his deliverance - prayed for his wife and children, who were yet in slavery - that God might bind up their broken hearts, keep them from the evils they will be necessarily exposed to while in slavery - prayed for their deliverance - for his own safe arrival in Canada, &c., &c.
As he closed, the writer led the audience in thanking God for putting it into the heart of this brother and forty others who had safely arrived in Canada, last week, from slavery - in praying that God would make the slaves uneasy and longing for freedom - that He would give them grace and resolution to leave their inhuman task-masters - that He would preserve and take care of them in their flight, and cause the oppressor to feel that he was unsafe in trying to hold our brethren as property.
The underground railroad, and especially the express train, is doing a good business just now. We have good and competent conductors. I reckon it would not be very safe for slave-catchers to get on the track when the bell rings at some of the depots in Northern Ohio.
Yours, for humanity.
C. O., Oct. 4, 1852. J. McBRIDE.