The following is a true story about a young Amherst girl who faced enslavement. It was written by nationally-renowned Amherst storyteller Eshu Bumpus and his brother Djata (this book's author). It shows evidence of the operation of the Underground Railroad in the Amherst, Massachusetts area. Of course, the Underground Railroad is the “romantic”c term that is used in US history school books for an alleged system of escape for African American captives. However, there was no actual “system” as such. Rather, there were many ways that folks left the South. For example, some hid in wagons, while others earned or were given money and simply hopped on trains.
It was a seemingly ordinary Spring day, in the month of May, 152 years or three grandmothers ago. Angeline Palmer was an 11 years-old orphan. She was so poor that, in Amherst, where she had been born and raised, the townspeople decided to find a family that would care for her. She had an older brother named Lewis B. Frazier (her late mother's son from a previous marriage) who lived in Amherst. But he was only twenty years-old and could not afford to take care of her by himself.
Mason and Susan Shaw, a European American couple from nearby Belchertown, offered to take Angeline to live with them. They seemed like a nice couple, so Amherst town officials were satisfied to have found a home for Angeline.
But things were not as pleasant as they seemed. The Shaws had a secret reason for taking Angeline. They had been planning to visit one of the Southern states where many African Americans were still being held in slavery. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw decided to take Angeline with them in order to sell her to a slave trader, because captive workers could be sold for lots of money. To complete their scheme, when the Shaws returned to Massachusetts, they would tell people that Angeline ran away.
Luckily, a woman overheard Mason Shaw telling some of his friends about the scheme. She did not like what the Shaws were planning. So she made sure that Angeline's brother, Lewis, found out about it.
Lewis Frazier was a brave young man. He was not going to let anything happen to his sister. Lewis got two of his friends, Henry Jackson and William Jennings, to help him. The three young African American men broke into the Shaw's house and rescued Angeline. They brought Angeline to Spencer and Sarah Church's farm in North Amherst. The Church family was European American. Although she had eight children of her own, Mrs. Church agreed to care for Angeline and hide her when necessary.
Of course, Lewis knew that his sister could not stay in Amherst. He and his two friends sought the advice of an African American woman named Huldah Kiles who also lived in North Amherst. She brought Lewis and Angeline to her brother, Charles Green, who lived in Colrain, a small town next to the Vermont border. At last, Angeline had found a real home. > Because of how and from where they rescued Angeline, the three men were wanted by the legal authorities. So, about two weeks after bringing her to safety, Jennings, Jackson and Frazier turned themselves in and were put in jail. Fortunately, because they all had jobs, the men were immediately able to obtain bail bonds and, therefore, freed from jail, until their case was brought before a judge. When the trial came up, several months later, the judge offered to dismiss all charges if the trio would reveal Angeline's whereabouts. But the young men knew that they were right and would not say a word. So, they were sentenced to three months in the Hampshire County Jail of neighboring Northampton.
Knowing their story, however, Mr. Clapp - the Jail Keeper, did not take their sentence seriously. He let them leave the jail during the day as long as they promised to return at night, which they did. They were also allowed plenty of visitors who brought them food and clothes. When finally the three returned home to Amherst, they were received as heroes by both African Americans and European Americans alike.
Although Lewis Frazier died about ten years later from a hip complaint. Henry Jackson, who lived out his life in Amherst for over 60 years after the abovementioned incident, went on to become one of the town's most distinguished citizens. William Jennings also remained in Amherst and - a little more than 20 years later - became a hero of the North American Civil War. Jennings served first in the all-African American 54th Regiment, then later he re-enlisted in the 5th Massachusetts cavalry. Both of these fighting units were depicted in the Hollywood production called Glory. The very brave Angeline Palmer continued to live a secure and happy childhood in Colrain, before reappearing in Amherst, eleven years after her escape/rescue, as a married woman with children.
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