brought out incidents of
the most thrilling and touching nature--not with regard to hardships
which they had personally experienced, but in relation to outrages which
had been perpetrated upon their mother. Such simple facts as were then
written are substantially as follows: Nearly thirty years prior to the
escape of Richard and his brother their mother was in very bad health,
so much so that physicians regarded her incurable. Her owner was
evidently fully impressed with the belief that instead of being
profitable to him, she might be an expense, which he could not possibly
obviate, while he retained her as a slave. Now there was a way to get
out of this dilemma. He could emancipate her and throw the
responsibility of her support upon, herself. Accordingly he drew up
papers, called for his wife's mother to witness them, then formally put
them into the hands of the invalid slave woman (Dinah), assuring her at
the same time, that she was free--being fully released as set forth in
her papers. "Take notice I have no more claim on you nor you on me from
this time." Marvellous liberality! After working the life out of a
woman, in order that he should not have her to bury, he becomes hastily
in favor of freedom. He is, however, justified by the laws of Maryland.
Complaint, therefore, would simply amount to nothing. In the nature of
the case Dinah was now free, but she was not wholly alone in the world.
She had a husband, named Jacob Green, who was owned by Nathan Childs for
a term of years only, at the expiration of which time he was to be free.
All lived then in Talbot county, Md. At the appointed time Jacob's
bondage ended, and he concluded that he might succeed better by moving
to Baltimore. Indeed the health of his wife was so miserable that
nothing in his old home seemed to offer any inducement in the way of a
livelihood. So off they moved to Baltimore. After a time, under careful
and kind treatment, the faithful Jacob was greatly encouraged by
perceiving that the health of his companion was gradually
improving--signs indicated, that she might yet become a well woman. The
hopes of husband and wife, in this particular, were, in the lapse of
time, fully realized. Dinah was as well as ever, and became the mother
of another child--a little boy. Everything seemed to be going on
happily, and they had no apparent reason to suspect any troubles other
than such as might naturally have to be encountered in a state of
poverty and toi