September 3, 1838. Baltimore, Maryland . . . a slave state.
A young man walks across the cobblestone street, approaching the railroad station. His heart pounds, but he tries to appear nonchalant.
He is a slave, you see, and this is his second attempt to escape from slavery. The last attempt failed due to the betrayal of another slave he had trusted with the plan, and it had taken him two years since that failure to find another opportunity. He does not think he’ll get a third. Slaves who escape twice tend to be made examples of.
He’s disguised himself as a free black sailor, in a red shirt, sailor cap and black cravat about his neck. In his pocket he clutches a “sailor’s protection pass,” borrowed from an actual free sailor, which can be presented in lieu of “free papers,” that African Americans were obliged to carry with them everywhere they went in slave country.
He doesn’t like the keen eyes of the ticket agent. Even though he has money borrowed from his beloved—a free woman of color—he skips the ticket line. Instead, he finds a secluded spot near the end of the station and waits until the train starts moving.
He has to time this just right. If he moves too soon he might be stopped by station officials. If he moves to late the train will be out of reach. He gages his moment, takes several heavy breaths, and then sprints like his life depends on it.
. . .
For more, listen to the Podcast episode and check out my book, History Stories for Everyone, where I dive deeper into this and some of history’s other most fascinating and relatable human stories:
