Excerpted from an article entitled "A Former Slave Tells His Story"which appeared in the Jefferson Gazette about 1912, shortly before Mr. Garlick's death.
Excerpted from an article entitled "A Former Slave Tells His Story"which appeared in the Jefferson Gazette about 1912, shortly before Mr. Garlick's death.
Jefferson, O., February 11, 1884.
Jefferson, O., February 11, 1884.
Later Notes, Part 1I am a native of West Virginia. The climate not being congenial to a boy of my complexion I thought that it was best to hunt a place that would be congenial to me and I did so and found it in West Andover, O., in the year of 1843. It seems like a long time to look back and think over the times one half of the union had slavery and the other freedom. And they were living together as happy as could be until old Uncle John Brown hit them with "a jog" as we boys used to do the hornets nest when we wanted to hear them sing and, as they used to say, knock all of the fat into the fire. It broke the friendship between slavery and freedom, but since that event occurred, our county has prospered and grown rich. Churches have sprung up in a number of places entirely unknown before. When we realize and know that the condition of a certain number of the inhabitants of this union prior to the war, we would wonder that they ever thought of calling on God or anybody else after what some of them have endured during old slavery days. But we are a forgiving race of people.
Some time after my arrival in Ohio, I attended church with Mr. A.K. Garlick, of West Andover, Ohio, and it was an event long to be remembered by me for the preacher did not receive much attention. I was the center of attraction that day, being a stranger and a colored man at that, coming to church in a strange land, a chattel liable to arrest at any time. But I stayed in Ohio and lived they would stop until executed by us. We had a time to start for the free states and we did so and succeeded in reaching them which was a big job in those days when every hound who wanted ten cents would chase a poor fleeing fugitive slave almost any distance to get the reward. We had at that day, men who did nothing else but catch Negroes and keep their masters advised of their whereabouts, so that they might be found at any time. But sometimes slave would get the drop on his pursuer and get away in the north, and I have known them to follow a slave to Canada and try to get him out when I was over in Canada in the year 1853.
When I landed in the town of Dorset in the year 1847, it was full of wild game of most all kinds, pigeons being the most plentiful. People used to come in by the wagon load and catch the birds and carry them off. But they did not have the fun I did catching wild cats. I caught five of them. They ran away with my trap, and as good luck was on my side, I would always find them hidden under a log near enough to jump on me if I got near enough to them so they could, but I always had eyes in the right place in my head. George, the man who was with me, had some narrow escapes from the wild cats. They were dangerous to handle and we did not like the business but we had to do a great many things in those days that are not done now.
Later Notes, Part 1I am a native of West Virginia. The climate not being congenial to a boy of my complexion I thought that it was best to hunt a place that would be congenial to me and I did so and found it in West Andover, O., in the year of 1843. It seems like a long time to look back and think over the times one half of the union had slavery and the other freedom. And they were living together as happy as could be until old Uncle John Brown hit them with "a jog" as we boys used to do the hornets nest when we wanted to hear them sing and, as they used to say, knock all of the fat into the fire. It broke the friendship between slavery and freedom, but since that event occurred, our county has prospered and grown rich. Churches have sprung up in a number of places entirely unknown before. When we realize and know that the condition of a certain number of the inhabitants of this union prior to the war, we would wonder that they ever thought of calling on God or anybody else after what some of them have endured during old slavery days. But we are a forgiving race of people.
Some time after my arrival in Ohio, I attended church with Mr. A.K. Garlick, of West Andover, Ohio, and it was an event long to be remembered by me for the preacher did not receive much attention. I was the center of attraction that day, being a stranger and a colored man at that, coming to church in a strange land, a chattel liable to arrest at any time. But I stayed in Ohio and lived they would stop until executed by us. We had a time to start for the free states and we did so and succeeded in reaching them which was a big job in those days when every hound who wanted ten cents would chase a poor fleeing fugitive slave almost any distance to get the reward. We had at that day, men who did nothing else but catch Negroes and keep their masters advised of their whereabouts, so that they might be found at any time. But sometimes slave would get the drop on his pursuer and get away in the north, and I have known them to follow a slave to Canada and try to get him out when I was over in Canada in the year 1853.
When I landed in the town of Dorset in the year 1847, it was full of wild game of most all kinds, pigeons being the most plentiful. People used to come in by the wagon load and catch the birds and carry them off. But they did not have the fun I did catching wild cats. I caught five of them. They ran away with my trap, and as good luck was on my side, I would always find them hidden under a log near enough to jump on me if I got near enough to them so they could, but I always had eyes in the right place in my head. George, the man who was with me, had some narrow escapes from the wild cats. They were dangerous to handle and we did not like the business but we had to do a great many things in those days that are not done now.
The Life, including his Escape and Struggle for Liberty,of Charles A. Garlick, born a Slave in Old Virginia,who secured his Freedom by running away from his master's farm in 1843.
The Life, including his Escape and Struggle for Liberty,of Charles A. Garlick, born a Slave in Old Virginia,who secured his Freedom by running away from his master's farm in 1843.
Page 9 Your are (HERE)
Page 9 Your are (HERE)
