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RELIC OF SLAVERY TIMES.
There stands totluy on the outskirts of
Nebraska Oity , a small , ordinary look
ing house , which from its present ap-
itearaiideVould hardly tiibrlt it passing
glance. But remove the weatherboarding
ing together with that which goes to
make its present veneer of civilization ;
then would there remain an object of no
little interest a representative log
liouso 8f fifty years ago. Then , could
we restore the little things that half a
century has taken away , we would have
the home of Mr. Mahew , pioneer ,
Mormon nnd ardent abolitionist.
tindergrolind Railroad.
Forty-odd years ago Maiiew and the
'dfcher abolitionists of this vicinity
fraeea a ratliet difficult sittUtibu. Tne
underground railroad , backed1by the
ariti-siavery sentiment , had been organ
ized all over the country. The main
western artery , over which the fugitive
slaves from Missouri , Kansas and the
Southwest : etd ? carried , p'assed tilrdugh
Nebraska Oity by way of Jim Lane's
settlement at Falls Oity. And if time
and conditions permitted the slaves were
hurried across the river the same night
and on to Oivil Bend , a collection of
houses strung along the road near the
present site of Percival. From the
Bend the route led to Tabor , and thence
on by various stations to Chicago and
Canada ,
Oiice in Fremont cottuty tlie slaves
Were Comparatively safe. But it was
hot always possible to reach Iowa the
Wight they arrived. The citizens of
Nebraska Oity , while a majority were
no doubt opposed to the idea of slavery
in Nebraska , were strong in their oppo
sition to "slave stealing,1 * In the young
city that stretched along the banks of
the river there Were few homes where it
would be possible to conceal a slave.
These few places were the property of
men not friendly to the abolition cause.
Where could the local station be estab
lished ?
John Brown Cave ,
We find the answer fifty feet west of
Mahew's former home , in "John
Brown's cave , " situated some 800 feet
west of 19th street and about twice that
distance north of Wyuka cemetery. At
the present time it is only a narrow
passageway , opening on a draw from a
branch of South Table Creek and ex
tending into the bank nearly thirty feet.
The early settlers tell us that formerly
the cave was in the simps of a Roman
cross with a sub cave of two or three
rooms some six or eight feet below the
cave proper. Those lower rooms were
used only when the fugitives seemed in
danger of recapture. At this time these
rooms are entirely caved in and but for
the interest taken by H. H. Bartliug in
the matter we would know oil but noth
ing concerning this relic of the slavery
days. Mr. Bartliug is having the cave
excavated and explored , which is a very
difficult task , because the only means
of tracing the outlines of the cave is by
the different quality off the soil and a
few decayed posts. It is possible
that by summer the cave will have re
sumed its original proportions. How
ever that may be , this much is certain
that the abolitionists selected the cave
fofr tiie'tt headquarters and maintained
an active station during the year's pre1-
cediiig the war. Slaves run off by John
Brown and others vere received from
the south ; held over for a night or two ,
then lldsteiied tin tti tile iiext station1.
Citizens Oppose.
Meanwhile the citizens , seine of
whom held slaved of their own , lodk'ed
asktiuce upon the operati6ns south
west of town. et we find but one
record of any attempt to disturb M'o'hew '
and his friends. One day in the fall of
1858 it was rumored in the city that the
notorious John Brown , with two of his
lieuienaiitg , b'tfctipied the cave with a
squad of negroes that tiie w'6fe Help
ing on to Canada. The situation seemed
to demand action. A company of seven
banded themselves together in order to
capture Brown and his party that even
ing. Under the leadership of a deputy
sheriff , they assembled where the court
house now stands. Every man was
armed and equipped for the fray , and
all started for the cave. On the way
some dissentiott artise as to the means to
be employed. One faction Was de
termined to go , cost what it might ,
while the others were not so eager.
When the party reached the ground
where the stand pipe is now located it
was discovered that their ntlmber had
dwindled to four. This was serious. A
man was quickly dispatched to find and
return with the deserting three ; but
alas for the success of the expedition ,
he too deemed discretion the better part
of valor , and returned to his home. The
remaining three disbanded. The task
under these conditions was too great.
Had the men held together some im
portant history might have been made
and the insurrection at Harper's Ferry
might have been averted , for it has been
ascertained that the rumor was true.
Nuckolls Slaves.
It was not long after this that the
Nuokolls negroes were "run off , " caus
ing the greatest indignation among the
people of this city. The Nebraska City
News for Saturday , Nov. 29 , 1858 , con
tained this notice : "Quite a sensation
wafi created in town yesterday morning
by the fact being known that two female
servants had been enticed away from
our townsman , Mr. S. F. Nuokolls , by
some vile white-livered abolitionist.
Many of our citizens are out in search
of the runaways. They escaped Thurs
day etrewing. Mr. Nuckolls offers a re
ward of $200.00 for their apprehension
and delivery to him in ifebrdska dity <
They will doubtless be found in
abolition hole. "
Civil Bend Raid. ' . ,
Everything pointed to Oivil Bend as
the refuge tff the1 negrdes. So the first
posse to begin the purs'ttit Headed fof
that place. There were seveutdeti iHeii
in all , among others : William B. Hail ,
Grant Hail , Robt. Mason , George Viok-
roy , Fountain1 Pearmau , W. 0. Wyatt
and S1. FNtickdlis. . THe fi'rst place to
be visited wds the Hdirie' of a Mr. Wil-
Hams , the foremost anti-slaVe'fy' * Ha of
; hat section' . Willidmts riot only ft ? '
tisod to permit his house to be searched ,
but b'egdti ' such1 ri tirade' against the'
pdrty that a brother of & # < ifackoir's-
3ec'dming a'ngfy , struck William's atid
effectively silenced him. The men' cotij
tinned the pursuit , despite some at
tempted resistance on * the part of the
Bend inHabltan'tsuritil the entire party
was arrested b & tfoWpany of abolition"
ists from Tabor. Trial wais Quickly ar'
ranged for the next day , and fill Vttt twd
of the Nebraska City men were s'Gt ftt
liberty j Grant and W. B. Hail remained
as hostages fof the return of the party.
On the following day the fifteen men
prepared to return , and with them some
sixty others , all fully armed. About
three o'clock in the afternoon the ice
became firm enough to Cross on , and the
entire party marched on to the Bend-
whore they found the hostage * in a1
school house surrounded by a band of
abolitionists. Frightened at the"
strength of the Nebraska force the
Iowa men quickly disbanded , leaving
their prisoners free to join their friends.
Williams Casd. * *
The Williams incident was taken into
court , where a Fremont county jury
awarded Williams a considerable sum
for damages. He invested this money
in a large barn- and opened a hotel and
feed stable for the use of people travel
ing to and from Nebraska Oity. One
night two strangers sojourned with Mr ,
Williams. That evening the barn was-
found on fire. The ropes to the -wells-
were out and the strangers had van , '
ished. f
The route which the "nigger thieves"
selected as the best suited for their
purpose is thus chronicled by O. N.
Karstens , who , while not immediately
connected with the abduction , was cog
nizant of it : "The party , after securing
the negroes from the Nuokolls home ,
went up the river to a point a few
hundred yards above the old Wyoming
station. Here they weie niet by a
party from Iowa who had been instruct
ed to come over in a skiff and take the
refugees away. They took the darkies
to Oivil Bend. When the pursuit of the
negroes was heard of , they were hastily
driven on to the next station. " There
are two stories aa to the manner in
which the negroea were smuggled past
