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Escaped From Slavery

Escaped From Slavery image
Parent Issue
Day
5
Month
January
Year
1888
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

There are a number of prosperous colored men in Ann Arbor who escaped from southern slaverv, before the war, and one of them, A. J. Lucas on Ann st, has been on his back for eight weeks, but not eo 8ick all the time that he couldn't talk of the struggle he had in reaching Canada in 1854. Ilia experience, probably, was as easy as any Blave had who made a dash for liberty, becauae he was bom and raised in Kentucky near the ühio river; but it was not pleasant. He was on a plantadon owned by a widow whose two grownup Sons were past HviDg with. Mr. Lucas was nota docileslave, but in an unguarded moment gave the young aristocrats pretty severe poundtngs. He was sold to a trader who took him to Lexington, Ky., where he was kept 31 days in a trading yard with a number of other slaves who were destined for more southein plantations. Lucas and s?ven others were conflned behind wrought iron bars, but they found that by removing one bar, they could get out. Three weeks of patiënt work on one bar with a common case knife effected their release, and the eight men separated and started for the north. Lucas reached the old plantation where he was bom, which waü almost n sight of the Ohio river, aud liis people helped him evade the watchers along that river. He had slept in tobáceo barris and gtraw stacks, and had been hungry, but he finally reached the Underground Railroad atGeorgestown, O. Here he was fed and received assistance to (riends in Cleveland. The trader who had bought him was in Cleveland ahead of hitn, and was watching the trains to and from the city. He was actually at the very train which Lucas was to take to Buffalo, but the black abolitionists of the Undergroui d Railroad hustled their charge ioto tbe rear end of the car as the slave trader left ihe forward end. Mr. Luces reached Canada and found employment readily.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register