In 1854, or about seven years
prior to the breaking out of the
civil war, run-away negroes were
harbored and taken care of by
organizations, who furnished
financial assistance to aid in
the escapade of these runaway
slaves to Canada. A line
of stations existed at intervals
of ten to thirty miles, and the
travel over the line was
entirely at night.
“Conductors’’ were engaged to
pilot the runaways in safety,
while agents and sympathizers
through the south enticed
negroes from their masters, and
furnished them with means to
escape to the north, where they
would be cared for and sent on
into Canada. The method,
organization, manner of
concealment, etc., can best be
related by the following article
written by Mr. C. A.
Croninger, of this city, who
was one of the contributors to
this institution and who has
kindly furnished me with the
following at my request: “Dear
Sir and Friend:
“At your request I take pleasure in giving you a few
items relating to what I know of
what was termed the ‘Grapevine
Telegraph and Underground
railway’ through Hancock county.
In May, 1854, as memory serves
me, I arrived in Findlay, Ohio,
and became actively engaged in
the mercantile business on the
corner of Main and Main Cross
streets in this city, in the
wooden block known as
Headquarters. I soon made
the acquaintance of many of the
farmers of the county and quite
a number who hailed from
Richland and Ashland counties,
some of whom I had met in those
counties. Among others was
our respected and worthy
citizen, Uncle John
King, who lived and owned
the farm three and one-half
miles north of town on the
Perrysburg road (East Side).
Our old acquaintance being
renewed he sounded my sentiments
on the slavery question.
I, frankly told him that I was
somewhat pro-slavery in
sentiment, yet I had a horror of
many of the doings in southern
slave-holding states, and while
I had no intention nor a
disposition to interfere with
the institution of slavery in
the states where it existed by
law, yet I would not aid a slave
owner in capturing a runaway.
This was just what my friend
wished to know and in the course
of several talks with him and
his reliance on my sentiments
expressed, told me of an
organization that was in
existence styled the
‘underground railroad’ to aid
refugees who were fleeing from
slavery to Canada and freedom,
and asked me to contribute what
aid I felt like doing to keep up
‘steam’ and pay the ‘engineer,’
‘fireman’ and “conductor’ ’on
the popular line, which I gladly
assented to do. One
regular station of some
importance was near
Williamstown, better known as
‘Bill Town,’ and a flag station
a mile or two this side of
Arlington. The refugees
usually
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came in squads of three, four,
five or six. The agents at
such stations would secrete the
‘passengers’ during the day and
a train get away after dusk,
‘passengers’ carefully secreted
under cover of a good bunch of
loose hay, and from the ‘Bill
Town Station’ to North Findlay,
where they changed ‘cars and
conductors” to the next station
in Wood county known as ‘Slocums.’
The North Findlay ‘station
agent’ was the ‘operator’ of the
‘Grapevine Telegraph Line,’ and
usually delivered the message
verbally, about thus: ‘Travel
somewhat heavy this week, 6 and
4’ - which meant 50 cents - 01
‘is somewhat light, 5’ - which
meant 25 cents from me. A
nearby neighbor of mine, a very
strong anti-slavery man (A.
Bushon) also contributed his
mite to the general expenses of
the railroad.
“I called, on several occasions, at the station and on
two occasions had interviews
with some of the passengers,
many of whom were rather bright
to be profitable slaves, and
this station was on the edge of
the highway and a good
opportunity for passengers to
see the passer-by. On one
occasion while two southern
slave hunters stopped at the
Reed house (now
Phoenix Inn) in Findlay, on the
track of fugitives, they were
directed to the station where
they were supposed to be and a
telegraph by the ‘grapevine’
line (none other at this time
than W. C. Cox and his
spirited steed) was dispatched
to the station in time so the
passengers were secreted in a
smoke house, the door locked,
and key mislaid, and the owners
were disappointed in catching
any travelers they were after.
The evening following, the train
left the station, taking a
roundabout route and succeeded
in evading these southerners.
As the train was well guarded
and conductor and trainmen as
well as the passengers were well
armed, there would have been
trouble had the train been held
up; but fortunately they arrived
near Perrysburg safely, while
their pursuers were ahead of the
line and having a good time in
Toledo.
“The funds raised went to pay the expenses as before
mentioned, at the rate of 100 to
200 (cents) for a team and
driver that conveyed four
passengers twelve to sixteen
miles; and occasionally a team
would drive twenty-four miles
and at other times thirty-four
miles, returning home with a
number of empty sacks lying
loose in the bed of the wagon,
so that inquisitors could see
that the party had been to
market and had made sale of
their load.
“I was told that two slave-hunters from Kentucky
followed some fugitives on the
route so closely that the
sheriff of Hancock county, Ohio,
was called to their aid to help
capture four passengers supposed
to be in the station and before
the sheriff and his posse were
ready to carry out the program
became pretty well filled up
with good spirits and having a
good time, as the ‘grapevine
line’ was ahead and the inmates
of the station were in the
wooded district, safely
secreted, and the officer and
posse returned without the
capture of the runaways.
The passengers tarried a day or
more to aid the station agent to
cut and harvest a field of grain
on the farm.
“The aid rendered the refugees was not a lucrative
business to those engaged in it
by any means, as it required
time, patience and money to
carry it on; also it
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was well known that an attorney
at (Portland) Sandusky City had
been fined by court under the
federal laws of the United
States $1,000 for aiding runaway
slaves, and that the law would
await any others that were
caught aiding or abetting these
poor runaways.
“The station agent near ‘Bill Town,’ whose name is not
remembered, was said to have
been an indefatigable worker in
this line, as was our friend
King. The latter was up in
years, so that he could not well
spend the hours of night away
from home, but had on hand or
secured those that were quite as
efficient as he would have been
in his stead. I remember
of being told that no less than
twenty fugitives in one week
went through Findlay, and often
ten to twelve. The heavy
runs were in 1856 to 1860, but
the organization and route had
been doing business years
before.”
JOHN A. WOODS.
It was later learned that the
station agent at “Bill Town” was
none other than John A. Woods,
who lived one mile north of
“Bill Town,” and his son,
James P. Woods, of this
city, present sidewalk
inspector, when but seventeen
years of age was one of the
parties who helped to convey the
runaway slaves from the “Bill
Town” station to Uncle John
King’s north of Findlay. Mr.
J. P. Woods related to the
writer that at one time just
prior to the breaking out of the
civil war in 1861 he conveyed a
man, wife and child on horseback
to the North Findlay station,
the husband riding one horse and
carrying the child, while the
mother rode behind him (Mr.
Woods) on the other horse.
On his way back he spent the
balance of the night in Mr.
Ballentine’s stable on West
Crawford street, and after
himself and horses were fed
started on a roundabout way home
until he reached Chamberlin’s
hill, south of town. Here
he was met by a party who
inquired his business at Findlay
at so early an hour.
Mr. Woods replied: “It is
none of your business,” to which
the inquisitor answered he would
make it his
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business. Mr.
Woods replied that he was on
the public highway, and had no
right to be disturbed, and
backed up his reply by
presenting a well-loaded
revolver as convincing evidence.
The party strode on to Findlay
and among others inquired of
Mr. Ballentine, who
kept a hotel, who the party of a
certain description was, and
Mr. Ballentine said
he did not know unless it was
someone who had brought parties
to the train to go away on the
Carey branch. Thus one of
the investigators was misled.
Story after story of this
character could be told of the
workings of the underground
railroad. Parties were
even taken from Delaware as far
north as John King’s
and passed through Findlay in
broad daylight. Mr.
Woods stated that as many
as thirty-one runaway slaves
were in hiding among the hay at
their barn at one time.
The party who run the flag
station, two miles north and one
and a half miles west of
Arlington, was Francis
Bartley.
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