The Journal of Negro History, Volume 3, 1918 | Page 6

of bringing them to Canada. Leaving his family alone he
traveled on foot through New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio into
Kentucky. He had little difficulty in finding the Lightfoots. On
presenting them a small token of the loved one, who, they were told,
had gone to the land of freedom, they exhibited no little excitement.
Unfortunately, however, Lightfoot's parents were so far advanced in
years and his sisters had so many children that they could not travel. As
the young men, who could have gone, were not anxious to be separated
from their loved ones, all declined the invitation to make this effort for
freedom at that time, promising to undertake it a year thereafter, if

Henson returned for them.
Henson agreed to do so and in the meantime went forty or fifty miles
into Bourbon County in the interior of Kentucky in quest of a large
party of Negroes who were said to be ready to escape. After a search
for about a week he discovered that there were about thirty fugitives
collected from various States. With them he started on the return trip to
Canada, traveling by night and resting by day. They contrived to cross
the Ohio river and reached Cincinnati in three days. There they were
assisted and directed to Richmond, Indiana, a settlement of Quakers,
who helped them on their way. After a difficult journey of two weeks
they reached Toledo and took passage for Canada, which they reached
in safety.
Henson then remained on his farm in Canada some months, but when
the appointed time for the delivery of the enslaved kinsmen of James
Lightfoot arrived, he set out again for Kentucky. He passed through
Lancaster, Ohio, where the people were very much excited over a
meteoric shower, thinking that the day of judgment had come. Henson
thought so too, but believing that he was promoting a righteous cause,
he kept on. On arriving at Portsmouth on the Ohio, he narrowly
escaped being detected by Kentuckians in the town. He resorted to the
stratagem of binding his head with dried leaves in a cloth and pretended
to be so seriously afflicted that he could not speak. Arriving at
Maysville, he had little difficulty in finding the slaves whom he was
seeking. The second person whom he met was Jefferson Lightfoot, the
brother of James Lightfoot for whom Henson was making this trip.
Saturday night, as usual, was set as the time for the execution of this
affair, for the reason that they would not be missed until Monday and
would, therefore, have a day ahead. They started from Maysville in a
boat, hoping to reach Cincinnati before daylight, but the boat sprang a
leak and the party narrowly escaped being drowned. They procured
another boat, however, and got within ten miles of Cincinnati before
daylight. To avoid being detected, they abandoned the boat and
proceeded to walk to Cincinnati, but faced another difficulty when they
reached the Miami, which at that point was too deep to be forded. But
in going up the river seeking a shallow place they were seemingly led

providentially by a cow that waded across before them. As the weather
was cold and they were in a state of perspiration on wading through,
the youngest Lightfoot was seized with serious contractions, but
recovered after receiving such ministrations as could be given on the
way. They were assisted in Cincinnati and the next day started on their
journey to Canada. They had not gone far before the young Lightfoot
became so seriously ill that he had to be carried on a litter, and this
became so irksome that he himself begged to be left in the wilderness
to die alone rather than handicap the whole party with such good
prospects for freedom. With considerable reluctance, they acceded to
his request, and sad indeed was the parting. But before they had gone
more than two miles on their journey one of the brothers of the sick
man suddenly decided to return, as he could not suffer to have his
brother die thus in the wilderness, and be devoured by wolves. They
returned and found the young man seemingly in a dying condition.
They at once decided to resume their journey and had not gone far
before they saw a Quaker whose thee and thou led them to believe that
he was their friend. They then told him their story, which was sufficient.
He immediately returned home, taking them with him. The fugitives
remained there for the night and arranged for the boy to remain with the
Quaker until he should recover. They were then provided with a sack of
biscuit and a supply of meat, with which they set out again for Canada.
After proceeding a little further they met a white man, who