(Editor’s note: This historical account is from a memoir by Josiah Emery who had personal knowledge of these events. It was originally published in “Recollection of early life in Wellsboro” (1879) and reprinted in the “History of Tioga County Pennsylvania” (1897) (1). William Garretson published a serialized version early in 1868 in the “The Tioga County Agitator”(2). The two versions differ in some of the details but have the same overall narrative. Some of the people mentioned in this version include William Hill Wells, brother of Mary Wells. Eben and Hettie Murry, who were former slaves of William Hill Wells. They were given their freedom and title to a local farm some 20 years before this story. Judge Samuel Morris was brought up in the Quaker tradition by his parents Mary Wells and Benjamin Wistar Morris co-founders of Wellsboro, originally from Philadelphia. William Garretson was born in Mount Pleasant, Ohio in 1801 to Quaker parents and moved to Tioga, PA at the age of 19. He was known to be a prominent conductor on the “Underground Railroad” and assisted many fugitives on their way to Freedom (1,3). While many individuals passed through Tioga County on their way to Freedom using the “Underground Railroad,” there is little recorded of their travels, hopefully, because all went smoothly and unnoticed. This makes the following account stand out. One thing the article makes clear; there was a diverse group of people in the county that cared, and were willing to do something.)

(The following has been edited for accuracy, flow and some phraseology peculiar to the 19th century.)

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THE GREAT SLAVE HUNT (1)

It has been stated that a few slaves were brought here by William Hill Wells from Delaware and that they were in due course given their freedom. In later years runaway slaves occasionally found their way into this area, either to visit acquaintances or while in transit to Canada via the "Underground Railroad." Josiah Emery in his interesting reminiscences of early life in Wellsboro records the incidents of a slave hunt, which were very exciting if not thrilling.

It was in the fall of 1828 or 1829 that two young African-American men came to Wellsboro and stayed a day or two with Eben Murry. They were then given work by Judge Morris. Two other men came into the county with them, but they found employment at or near Covington. The first two remained a month or more with the Judge. People were startled by the announcement that Boyd and Freanor, of [Hagerstown, MD (2)] Maryland, were in the village as claimants of the two young men, who were fugitives from slavery. They had obtained writs of arrest from Judge Kilburn, of Lawrenceville, and had placed them in the hands of Chauncey Alford and Carlisle Atherton as deputy sheriffs. Word was immediately sent to the runaways that Boyd and Freanor were in town. A short time after receiving the information they were fleeing across the hill to the Covington road, only to be met there by the two deputies, who brought them back to the village. They were handcuffed and fettered with irons brought by their claimants, hustled into a sleigh, and started for Judge Kilburn’s, at Lawrenceville, followed by Judge Morris to see they received fair play.

What was to be done? Eben and Hettie Murry thought it was terrible. It was discussed for over half an hour, when someone said, "Let’s go down and see the fun and help the men if we can." Another, more administrative than the rest, suggested that they should "take out a habeas corpus returnable before Judge Morris in Wellsboro, bring them back and have the hearing here."

"But Judge Morris has gone to Lawrenceville and there is no one to sign the writ to bring them back and have the hearing here," interposed another.

"Make out the writ in due form, " exclaimed another, "and have Judge Morris sign it at Lawrenceville."

"But they will insist on trying it there before the judge."

"Hustle him home as soon as he signs the writ and before it is served," yelled one in the crowd, which had increased and was still rapidly increasing.

"What good will it all do?" said a conservative gentleman in the crowd. "The Marylanders have the law on their side, and they will take the men back anyhow."

"We’ll see," shouted a dozen voices at once. "Hurrah for Lawrenceville and freedom for the fugitives!"

A hurried consultation was held by a few outside the crowd. Mr. Donaldson, a clerk in the prothonotary’s office, went up to the office; two or three others went off in different directions. Another half-hour passed. Mr. Donaldson came out of the office holding a folded paper in his hand. A couple of double sleighs drove up and were loaded with as many as they could hold. However, the conservative gentleman looked on, declining to go. Three cheers were given for the fugitives and the party drove off for a frolic or something else. Most of them had no clearly defined idea of what was going to be done, or what was contemplated as a result. Perhaps an hour and a half or two hours had passed before they were fairly underway.

Two or three of the party seemed to be anxiously looking out on the north side of the road as they passed down the creek. They whispered to each other as if they were hatching some conspiracy or looking for a good site whereon to build a reputation. Someone in one of the sleighs suggested that it would be a good plan to get up a hustling fight on the way back and let the fugitives getaway. He chuckled loudly over his suggestion, as though it was an original thought.

Onward dashed the rescuers. What a flourish they made as they drove up to the tavern door of that great apostle of temperance who kept the only tavern in Lawrenceville, and what cheering news the loungers gave as they saw the formidable delegation from Wellsboro. "Too late, boys," shouted Samuel Hunt, "the fugitives are on their way to Canada, and Boyd and Freanor are laid away upstairs, afraid for their lives, but, come in everyone and have something." Which they did, of course. [Note: The trial was held over to the next day, thus people from Wellsboro could have arrived before the “unpleasantness” began (2).]

The house was full and the groups got fairly mixed in and sufficiently refreshed at the bar. A more excited and wild set of fellows it would have been hard to find.

During the afternoon an important arbitration was in progress at Lawrenceville and it had excited considerable interest and drawn together a large collection of people. The arbitration had run into the edge of the evening and was about to conclude when Deputy Sheriffs Alford and Carlisle Atherton drove up to the tavern [Note: Goodrich’s Tavern (2)]with their prisoners. They were accompanied by the Marylanders and followed by Judge Morris in his cutter. It was soon whispered about that the two prisoners were fugitive slaves, who had been living with Judge Morris, and that the two strangers had come from Maryland to claim them.

Those who are old enough to know what an arbitration sometimes was in those early days, and how easily a large crowd stimulated by whisky could become excited, can in some measure be a judge of the situation. The capture of fugitive slaves in Tioga County was a new thing. The people, somehow or other, had got it into their heads that when a slave had escaped out of the southern states he or she was, or ought to be, free. They, as well as those who went down from Wellsboro, thought that the fugitives ought to at least have fair play. Their shackles ought to be taken off and—the sheriff being the umpire—there should be a fair run or a fair fight. [Note: It was common at the time to say you were going down to Lawrenceville from Wellsboro, when in fact you are heading north because the river flows north and you are going downriver.]

But the sheriff would not agree to any such arrangement, and Boyd and Freanor were not consulted on the subject. [Note: because the trial was held over to the next day due to the judge being “unwell” (?) they retired to their rooms for the night. (2)] So the area and the room occupied by the sheriff were examined to determine the exact situation and defense. Some hard words were said, threats of lynching heard, advances and retreats made, pistols were drawn by the Marylanders, and on the whole, it looked as though there might be some "unpleasantness."

The sheriff, however, kindly informed Boyd and Freanor that he knew the people of Tioga County better than they did. He told them to put up their pistols, or he would have to put them under arrest to save their lives. He said if one shot was fired he would not be answerable for their safety and if they valued their lives they had better leave the defense in his and his assistant’s hands. Otherwise, he said, "you will be dead men in less than ten minutes after the first shot is fired!" The belligerent Marylanders were effectually frightened and slunk back into the corner.

In an instant, a rush was made by the crowd, the lights were extinguished in that room, and in the bar room, the fugitives were seized and hurried to the door. One, however, was recaptured but then freed. Both of them were hurried over the line into the State of New York, which passes just north of the village [Note: this changing legal jurisdiction]. From one the shackles were easily removed. His heels and hands were either too small, or the irons were too large. From the other, the shackles were removed by breaking them.

The names of the principal leaders in the rescue have been preserved. They were: Joseph McCormick, Elkland; William Garretson, Tioga; Almon Allen, Medad Gunn, and Samuel Hunt, Mansfield. After the shackles were taken off a contribution of money was made for the benefit of the fugitives, and they were sent on their way toward Canada.

Early the next morning a warrant was issued by a justice of the peace at Tioga, ordering Boyd and Freanor held for kidnapping. [Note: the kidnapping charge stems from the claims by the fugitives that they were Free by law and illegally forced into slavery. The Bills of indictment against Boyd and Freanor were later ignored, and they were discharged. (2)] They were not prevented from obtaining bail. In fact, it was part of the program, that they should make bail. An attempt was made to arrest the other two fugitives. At Covington, one of them being a strong and powerful man knocked down his would-be captor and escaped into the woods. The other was for a while concealed in the cellar of Elder Ripley, [Note - Nehemiah Ripley on present Rte 549 north of Powers Corners,] [Note: Elder Nehemiah H. Ripley was a Universalist Preacher at the Lamb School House (2)] beyond Mansfield, on the road to Troy. After the excitement was over and Boyd and Freanor had left, he was furnished with money and sent northward into Canada.

Soon after this exciting affair, legal action for trespass was brought forward in the United States court by Boyd and Freanor. They did not like the idea of being so summarily deprived of their property, even if it did consist of flesh and blood. Proceedings were begun against Joseph McCormick, Oliver T. Bundy, William Garretson, Almon Allen, Samuel Hunt, Medad Gunn, and several others whose names are not now recalled. Medad Gunn was not notified, for he "went off" before the marshal had time to serve the writ. The case took its regular course and was taken up by the United States court at Williamsport. A large number of witnesses from Tioga county were subpoenaed, among them Josiah Emery. However, as none appeared, the case was held over to the next term. [Note: another account had nine defendants that stood trial: Almon Allen and Samuel Hunt, of Mansfield; William Garretson, H. B. Graves and Groves Gordon, of Tioga; Dr. O. F. Bundy, of Wellsboro, and John Barnes jr., Joseph McCormick and Anson Phinney, of Lawrence]

After the proceedings, Joseph McCormick talked with the plaintiffs. He offered, if they would return home, to furnish sufficient evidence to convict the defendants, and would himself be a witness, as he knew everyone engaged in the rescue. The bargain was struck and a paper was drawn up and signed. It was stipulated by the plaintiffs that payment of twenty-five dollars by McCormick was to be considered full satisfaction of any damages. In return, he was discharged from the suit.

The next term, when the case came up to trial, Judge Lewis presented the McCormick paper discharging him from all further claims. He then moved to discharge all the other defendants, on the principle that the receipt of satisfaction from one of several joint trespassers was a satisfaction by all. This ended the suit through this acute legal dodge. McCormick always claimed that one of the defendants stole the paper from his desk. The truth is, it was a little bit of "sharp practice" between Ellis Lewis and McCormick, with the paper being handed over to Lewis by McCormick himself. The Marylanders saw that they were defeated and soon after departed.

The two rescued men fled to a point near Rochester, NY, and obtained employment at a country tavern. Soon afterward their whereabouts were known by Judge Morris. When the Marylanders were discharged from the kidnapping suit they hurried north instead of south, still intent on looking for the men. When Judge Morris became aware of that fact he suspected they had found out the location of the men. [Note: in one version Judge Morris was in Blossburg when the southbound stage passed and notice Boyd was alone. He reasoned Freanor must be in fresh pursuit. (2) ] That they were going to have them arrested and make another attempt to carry them to Maryland. He acted quickly. Harnessing his horse and sulky, he started after them. After changing horses at Lawrenceville, he overtook the stage at Painted Post and found Boyd and Freanor aboard. Leaving his horse and sulky he booked passage on the stage with them.

But, the ride was apparently too much for him, and when the stage stopped a few miles from where the men were at work he was so sick (?) that he had to retire to a private room to be doctored. Making a confidant of the landlord, he persuaded him to hitch up a fleet team and send him to the tavern ahead. In the meantime, the landlord should detain the stage as long as he could under the pretense that Judge Morris would soon be well enough to go on!

When they finally got to the next tavern, the aggressive Marylanders found they were outwitted and at the end of their journey. The young men had been advised of the pursuit and were safely beyond their reach. When the stage drove up, Judge Morris, who was standing on the porch, politely bowed to the Maryland gentlemen as they got off! They were greatly surprised, and the expression of their countenances, as Judge Morris described them afterward, indicated that they would have experienced great pleasure in shooting him!

This remarkable slave hunt, and its happy termination for the fugitives, became the topic of conversation not only in Tioga County but in the adjoining counties as well. It was discussed for years in the family circles, in the barrooms of country and village inns, and at public gatherings.

1) Emery, Josiah. The Great Slave Hunt. History of Tioga County Pennsylvania. R.C. Brown & Co. Harrisburg Publishing Co., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1897, pp. 87-90.

2) Garretson, William. “Underground Railroad.” The Tioga County Agitator, vol. 15, no 4-6, winter 1868, pp. 1.

3) History of Tioga County Pennsylvania. W.W. Munsell & Co. Press of George MacNamara, New York, NY, 1883.