The Underground Railroad (12 page)

I got a ride to the professor's office with Tamika and her mother on the following Tuesday. The professor arranged to have us meet in a larger room down the hall from his office. Along with the professor, Mr. Adams, Tamika, Mrs. Jones, and I were sitting together at a large table in the center of the room when we heard a knock at the door.

“Knock, knock,” said a familiar voice.

“Oh, brother,” Tamika said. “Okay … who's there?”

“Lettuce.”

“Lettuce, who?” Tamika replied.

“Lettuce in, it's cold out here.”

I chuckled as Tamika leaned forward and hit her head on the table. “Mr. Spinner, that's the worst joke ever.”

Mr. Spinner was wearing a big, toothy smile as he entered the room. “And look,” he said, “I've brought a special guest with me.”

He stepped aside as Miss Pepper walked into the room and said ‘hi' to everyone. “I've heard so much about this,” she said, “I just had to come along to see it for myself.”

Everyone was happy to see our teacher. Professor Tuesday pulled out a chair for her and she sat down. We all waited and talked as the professor set up his equipment.

The room was big and dark. Tamika tapped her flip-flops loudly on the polished wood floor. The table in the center of the room was thick and heavy. Big wooden chairs were placed along the table. Little lights, like stars, were built into the ceiling. Though it was fairly new, the room smelled like dusty, old books. We all sat facing a large flat screen TV that was attached to the wall.

Professor Tuesday left the room momentarily and returned with bottles of water and soft drinks. Then he powered up his laptop and connected it to the equipment in the conference room. The large screen on the wall sparked with light and showed the professor's desktop so that everyone could see what was happening.

“Before we take a look into history tonight,” the professor began, “I want to tell you what we are going to see.”

Everyone leaned forward in his or her chairs.

“One of the places we are going to visit is the home of Dr. Nathan M. Thomas in 1841.”

“Who was he?” I asked.

“Dr. Thomas was a physician and a Quaker,” Professor Tuesday noted. “He built a house that was both his doctor's office and his home in the small town of Schoolcraft, Michigan, in 1835. When he got married in 1840, he added on to his house. In addition to being a small town doctor, he was also a strong abolitionist. Years before he even built his house in Schoolcraft, fugitive slaves would come to him for help. He often gave them food, clothing, shelter, and medical aid as they passed through on their run to freedom.”

“I think I've heard of him,” Mrs. Jones said.

“Was he famous?” Tamika asked.

“Yes, he was,” answered the professor. “He was probably responsible for helping somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 escaped slaves in his time. His home was restored in 1975, and you can still see it today. The good doctor was also very involved in state politics, mostly on issues that involved abolishing slavery.”

Mr. Spinner spoke up. “You said that Dr. Thomas was one of our visits. Are we going somewhere else, too?”

“If it's okay with everyone,” the professor added, looking at Tamika, “we might take a look at an event that was called the Kentucky Raid. But we'll wait and see how things go.”

Professor Tuesday clapped twice and turned to his laptop to enter the information he needed to start up his Tuesday Teleporter once again. He hit the ENTER key with two fingers and colored lights filled the room. They swirled and spun as they circled. The low hum of the teleporter bounced off the walls and grew louder and louder.

The green cloud appeared on the far side of the table next to the wall. Mr. Adams jumped up from his chair and ran out of the room.

“What's wrong?” Tamika asked nervously. “Is he afraid of something?”

“No, he must have forgotten to bring the Critter Cam to the conference room,” the professor replied.

Mr. Adams came back after a few minutes with the Critter Cam under his arm. He had a sad look on his face, made the letter ‘A' with his right hand, and did a couple of circles on his chest. That was the sign for “Sorry.”

“That's all right, Mr. Adams,” the professor said. “Let's visit Dr. Thomas' house.”

The professor's nephew placed the Critter Cam on the floor by his chair and then picked up the remote. He guided the machine toward the green cloud and we watched it disappear inside. In an instant the screen went black. Professor Tuesday switched on the night vision device and everything turned green. As images came into view, we could see a small house. We were surprised to hear footsteps. They sounded close. Just then, someone walked right by the Critter Cam and knocked lightly on the door of the house.

“Move the Critter Cam closer to the house,” Professor Tuesday said excitedly. “I want to hear the conversation with Dr. Thomas if I can.”

Mr. Adams moved the machine closer to the house. The door creaked open in the night. From inside, a man peeked out then scanned the surrounding area. After a bit, the visitor spoke.

“Excuse me for calling so late, Dr. Thomas,” the man said. “Can you furnish entertainment for myself and a few other persons?”

“That's the password! That's the password!” Professor Tuesday said excitedly, clapping his hands twice. “This should be very interesting.”

“What password are you talking about, professor?” I asked.

“The password was the question the man asked— ‘Can you furnish entertainment for myself and a few other persons?' He's probably a guide for the others. When escaped slaves were being guided along the Underground Railroad that exact question was often used to tell the stationmaster that there were runaways needing help. Let's watch and listen carefully.”

The man left the doorway and disappeared into the night. After a few moments, he came back. This time there were two others with him, a man and a woman.

“Oh, no,” Tamika shrieked. “Look at that!”

“
O
ne of my passengers is hurt bad, doctor,” the guide said. The person he was talking about hopped along, using something that looked like a big stick for a cane.

“Everybody get in here quickly,” Dr. Thomas replied.

The doctor went outside and put his arm around the injured man. “What happened?” he asked, helping the injured man through the door.

“I think he's got a broke leg or somethin',” the guide answered.

Soon, everyone was inside. We heard some movement, but we couldn't see anything.

“Mr. Adams,” the professor said, “move the Critter Cam around to the side of the house. Maybe we can see what's going on through a window.”

As the Critter Cam rounded the corner of the Thomas house, a light flickered in a window. Mr. Adams moved the machine back a little and Professor Tuesday switched off the night vision so that we could see inside the house. Now, we could see five people; Dr. Thomas, the guide, a black man, a black woman, and a white woman.

“This must be his medical office,” the professor noted.

Dr. Thomas had the injured man sit on a table while the others in the room stood around and watched. The man screamed in pain as the doctor turned his leg gently and examined it.

Mr. Adams looked at the professor and put the index finger of his right hand in his ear and then he shook his fists in front of him.

“Oh, good idea,” said the professor. To all of us, he said, “Mr. Adams wants me to turn up the volume on the Critter Cam's microphone.”

The professor's nephew nodded and soon we could all hear everything that was going on in the doctor's office.

“Pamela, dear,” the doctor said, “I have to do more tests on this poor man's leg. Would you kindly prepare some food for our guests?”

“Can I help, ma'am?” the African-American woman asked.

“That would be lovely,” Mrs. Thomas replied.

The doctor's wife and the black woman left the room. We watched as the doctor looked at the injured leg. The man screamed again as Dr. Thomas picked up his foot and moved it around.

“What's he doing?” Tamika asked. “He's hurting him.”

“Don't be scared,” her mother said. “Doctors often have to do things that may hurt a bit, but he's trying to help.”

The doctor smiled at his patient. “You are a lucky man. It's not broken—just a bad sprain.”

We watched as the doctor tied a tight bandage on the injured leg. “So what's your name, friend?” Dr. Thomas asked.

The African-American man looked up slowly. “My name is Henry. My wife, her name is Macy.”

“I am pleased to meet you, Henry,” the doctor said. “You should stay off that leg for a few days. You and Macy will be safe here while you get your strength back. Pamela, my wife, and I will take good care of you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Henry said.

Macy and the doctor's wife returned with a platter of bread, roasted meat, and vegetables. All the guests dug in and ate their fill. After dinner, the guide left Henry and Macy at the doctor's house.

Dr. Thomas gave Henry a crutch. “You and your wife weren't wearing shoes when you came here tonight,” he noted.

“We don't have none,” Henry answered.

“We can fix that, and we can get you some new clothes, too,” said Mrs. Thomas.

Professor Tuesday pushed his glasses up his nose and turned to us. “Many runaways were barefoot, even in the winter months.”

“That must have been terrible,” Tamika said. “It gets awful cold in Michigan.”

Professor Tuesday thought for a moment before speaking. “By the time runaways reached Michigan, they were exhausted. All along the route north, they had to constantly watch for danger. They suffered many, many sleepless nights. Many wore tattered clothes and were terribly sick or badly injured. It was almost a miracle that anyone made it to Canada.”

“How long do you think Henry and Macy will stay at the doctor's house?” Miss Pepper asked.

“It's hard to say,” answered the professor. “They might stay a few days or a few weeks. Eventually, they would head for another hiding place in Michigan or move on to Canada.”

Dr. Thomas put out the lamp in his office and the room went dark. We sat for a few moments, staring at the dark screen.

“Where do you think they'll go next?” I asked in a whisper.

“Most of the runaway slaves who stopped at Dr. Thomas' house moved on to the home of Erastus Hussey in Battle Creek.”

“Do we know much about him?” Mr. Spinner asked.

“He was another Quaker who moved to Michigan from New York,” answered the professor. “He and his wife had a general store in Battle Creek. Like Dr. Thomas, Mr. Hussey was a friend to runaways. It's been reported that he and his wife fed and gave protection to more than 1,000 fugitives.”

“Mr. Hussey and Dr. Thomas worked together then?” I asked.

“In a way,” answered the professor as he switched on the Critter Cam's night vision. “Erastus Hussey was involved in newspapers and politics. He published an abolitionist newspaper called the Michigan Liberty Press, was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, and even became the mayor of Battle Creek. Mr. Hussey also drafted a law that made it illegal to capture runaway slaves in Michigan. Unfortunately, the law never passed. He believed that his involvement in newspapers and politics were powerful methods for getting rid of slavery in our state and country.”

“I'll bet slave hunters and slave owners didn't like him one bit,” Miss Pepper noted.

“That's true,” Professor Tuesday said. “Many slave owners and slave catchers tried their best to make Underground Railroad conductors look evil. They even accused people like John Rankin, George DeBaptiste, Levi Coffin, Dr. Thomas, and Erastus Hussey of making big profits in the slave market.”

“Did people ever take money or steal from fugitive slaves?” Tamika asked.

“Unfortunately,” the professor said with a sigh, “some did. But when Erastus Hussey was asked if he had been paid to be a stationmaster on the Underground Railroad, he answered, ‘No, we were working for humanity.'”

Professor Tuesday motioned to Mr. Adams. His nephew drove the Critter Cam back to the teleporter and into the conference room.

“You were right, Professor,” said Mr. Spinner. “That was very interesting.”

Everyone agreed—everyone except Tamika.

“I didn't like it when the runaway slave was hurt,” she said. “That bothered me.”

“Are we going to see that other thing you were talking about, Professor?” Miss Pepper asked, trying to change the subject away from Tamika's fears.

“I'm not sure,” he answered as he scratched his chin. “It might be too frightening.”

Professor Tuesday powered down his computer. Then he took a seat. He drummed his fingers on the table as he thought.

“I have found the location of a group of hired slave catchers who came to Michigan in 1847 in order to capture and return slaves to their owners in Kentucky,” the professor said. “This raid was very dangerous for both the slaves and their protectors.”

Professor Tuesday folded his hands on the table in front of him and turned to Tamika. “This may be upsetting. Anyone who doesn't want to see what is going to happen should leave the room right now.”

T
amika turned to her mother. “I don't think I want to see this.”

Mrs. Jones held her hand. “I am right here with you,” she said. “There's nothing to worry about, dear.”

“I know,” my friend replied, “but this stuff is creepy. And, it scares me. I don't want to have any more bad dreams.”