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The Underground Railroad
was a system of kidnapping
negroes in the slave-holding
states of the South and
running them off to freedom
in Canada. The Fugitive
Slave law was designed to
aid in the recovery of
runaway blacks held in
bondage. The hot passions
of the Civil War were thus
engendered.
There lived at Independence
a large slave population,
servants of many wealthy
families. All border towns
kept patrol forces on the
highways at night to pick up
negroes bent on flight.
Negroes all feared the "patterrollers."
It is related in some
reminiscent narrative that a
runaway negro man was
returned to Independence and
was chained overnight to an
anvil in a blacksmith shop;
he was to be publicly
whipped next morning, but in
the morning he was dead,
still chained to the anvil,
and without any marks of
violence -- perhaps died of
terror in the darkness.
When the Mormons first came
to Independence they were
charged with inciting
discontent among the
blacks. Jebez Smith, father
of our late John T. Smith,
who lived in a fine old
mansion in the east part of
Independence, owned so many
slaves that he did not know
them all, and sometimes met
one on the road and
inquired, "Whom do you
belong to?" Often the
answer was, "Ise Marse
Smith's n-----."
One of the first ordinances
passed by the first city
council was a very brief
one, specifying the number
of lashes to be laid on a
negro.
It is not of record that
John Brown of Ossawattomie,
famous Underground Railroad
operator, ever paid a visit
to Independence, but his
system was widespread and
embraced by the people of
Jackson County. There is no
way of ascertaining or even
estimating the number of
runaway negroes from
Independence. After the
outbreak of the Civil War
negroes were carried off by
Red Legs openly.
Quantrell, the guerilla
chief, was first made known
to the public as the leader
of a band of Underground
Railroad operators.
Quantrell planned a raid on
Morgan Walker's house near
Blue Springs for the purpose
of running off Walker's
negroes through Kansas to
Canada. Quantrell apprised
the Walkers of the
contemplated raid and
proposed to turn against his
followers, which he did.
Several of the raiders were
slain in the melee.
Quantrell was arrested and
put on trial at
Independence, but was not
convicted of any crime. Many
slave holders sent their
negroes South to get them
away from the Kansas
Underground operators.
Quantrell himself went South
with negroes belonging to
the Gill family. The late
Turner A. Gill was a young
member of this family.
In the days of the so-called
"Kansas Troubles" the
Missourians who went into
the Territory of Kansas to
vote were denominated
"Border Ruffians." Many of
the best and foremost
citizens of Independence
belonged actively to this
class. (See John Sherman's
report.) The Border Ruffians
always marched under the
United States flag. The
Kansas Jayhawkers did not
march under the United
States flag. When the Civil
War broke out, there was an
instantaneous change of
flags. The Jayhawkers now
came marching under the
United States flag, while
the Missourians dropped the
old flag and took up the "Secesh"
flag.
For a description of the
"Border Ruffian" as a
swaggering, tough looking
character on the wharf of
Kansas City; and his other
aspect as a well-dressed,
elegant, refined gentleman,
when he appeared in
Washington City calling on
cabinet officers or on the
President, see a book
entitled, "Geary
and Kansas" (1856) by
Dr. John H. Ghion, Gov.
Geary's private secretary. |
