ABSTRACT
A family in Accomac county, in the State of Virginia, by the name of Stokely, owned a number of slaves. Some members of it embraced the doctrines of the Society of Friends, and joined the Society. Having previously become convinced of the iniquity of holding human beings in bondage, they had manumitted them. About the year 1820, I think, one of those slaves concluded to go to Philadelphia, to seek for employment. Soon after arriving in that city, she made application to Isaiah Knight, who kept an intelligence office, to procure a situation for her. Knight stated that she must pay him twenty-five cents. This was done. He professed great friendship for the woman, and kindly invited her to make her home at his house, until he could find a situation; telling her that he would not make any charge for her board. In the course of a week or ten days, he informed her that he had procured a place for her, and had made a good bargain. He also told her that she must go before a magistrate, and sign the articles of agreement, without asking any questions; as he would attend and see that all was right. He was a plausible fellow, and had fully obtained the confidence of the stranger, who had not the least suspicion of any trick in the business. Accordingly, they went before George Bartram, 2 a magistrate of Philadelphia, where they were met by John Huffnagle, 3 who kept a hardware store, at the corner of Market and Fifth streets, in that city. The articles of agreement, already prepared, were duly executed, and the woman went home with Huffnagle. After remaining in his service some time, she asked for the privilege of going out of an evening; this was denied. She was not permitted to put her foot into the street, on any occasion. At length, she asked for her wages; when she was informed that she was an indented servant, for the term of five 276years, and the Huffnagle had paid Isaiah Knight one hundred and fifty dollars for her. This information greatly alarmed her, but she did not know how to seek for a remedy. After remaining in this situation several months, Huffnagle hired a colored man, who had been a coachman several years for Samuel R. Fisher 4 , a relation of Joseph G. Rowland, the husband of the colored woman’s former mistress. She made her case known to this man, who communicated the circumstances to S.R. Fisher; and he called upon me, and informed me of them. He also wrote to Joseph G. Rowland, who resided in Delaware, giving the like information to him; in consequence of which, he went to Philadelphia, and called upon me. I accompanied him to see Huffnagle, and asked permission to have an interview with the woman; this was refused. We then informed him that the whole transaction was fraudulent, and that the indenture by which he held the woman, was void. He alledged that the woman had voluntarily signed it; and that if there was fraud in the business, she had made herself a party to it, and must abide the consequences. In reply to this, he was informed, that the woman was ignorant, and had been imposed upon by Knight; and that his refusing to permit her to go out of his house, furnished occasion for suspicion that he was privy to the deception practised upon her.
