Escape Betwixt Two Suns: A True Tale of the Underground Railroad in Illinois

Author:   Carol Pirtle ,  Rodney O. Davis
Publisher:   Southern Illinois University Press
ISBN:  

9780809323012


Pages:   160
Publication Date:   31 July 2000
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Awaiting stock   Availability explained
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Escape Betwixt Two Suns: A True Tale of the Underground Railroad in Illinois


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Overview

"Although the northern Illinois chapters of the story of Susan ""Sukey"" Richardson's escape from slavery on the Underground Railroad are documented, the part played by southern Illinois in that historic episode has remained obscure. Carol Pirtle changes that with her investigation into the 1843 suit Andrew Borders lodged against William Hayes, charging his neighbor with helping slaves from the Borders estate escape to Galesburg. In conjunction with her probe into the past, Pirtle also discovered the Hayes correspondence. Pirtle documents Hayes's involvement in the Illinois Underground Railroad through approximately two hundred letters received by Hayes from the early 1820s until his death in 1849. Many of these letters specifically corroborate his participation in the escape of slaves from the Borders estate. One such letter came from T. A. Jones in 1843: ""You Dear Sir are to me an unknown friend, yet I believe you are a friend to the poor down trodden Slave. This is as good an introduction as I want from any man. My brother, our cause is a holy one."" Letters written by Galesburg residents show that several prominent citizens of that community also assisted in the affair, proving that Knox College administrators and trustees were active in the Underground Railroad. Pirtle also includes excerpts from the trial transcript from the 1844 civil case against Hayes, which was tried in Pinckneyville, Illinois. She researched newspaper accounts of the event, most notably those in the Western Citizen and the Sparta Herald. Records of the Covenanter Presbyterian church of which Hayes was a member provide partial explanations of Hayes's motives. Telling the story of Hayes and his involvement with Susan Richardson and the Underground Railroad, Pirtle provides insight into the work of abolitionists in Illinois. Escape Betwixt Two Suns, in fact, is one of the few books to substantiate the legends of the Underground Railroad. She tells the story of a quiet man who made a difference, of a man deserving the accolades of a hero."

Full Product Details

Author:   Carol Pirtle ,  Rodney O. Davis
Publisher:   Southern Illinois University Press
Imprint:   Southern Illinois University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.278kg
ISBN:  

9780809323012


ISBN 10:   080932301
Pages:   160
Publication Date:   31 July 2000
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Awaiting stock   Availability explained
The supplier is currently out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out for you.

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Reviews

What is equally arresting about this volume and the sources on which it is based is the description here of activity at both ends of an Underground Railroad transaction: the escape of slaves from their owner, in this case the details of which were not previously known; the response of their owner; litigation initiated by both the owner and by supporters of the fugitives; and in this instance the escapees' partially successful guarantee of permanent freedom. --<b>Rodney O. Davis</b>, from the Foreword</p>


What is equally arresting about this volume and the sources on which it is based is the description here of activity at both ends of an Underground Railroad transaction: the escape of slaves from their owner, in this case the details of which were not previously known; the response of their owner; litigation initiated by both the owner and by supporters of the fugitives; and in this instance the escapees' partially successful guarantee of permanent freedom. --Rodney O. Davis, from the Foreword


"""What is equally arresting about this volume and the sources on which it is based is the description here of activity at both ends of an Underground Railroad transaction: the escape of slaves from their owner, in this case the details of which were not previously known; the response of their owner; litigation initiated by both the owner and by supporters of the fugitives; and in this instance the escapees' partially successful guarantee of permanent freedom.""--Rodney O. Davis, from the Foreword"


What is equally arresting about this volume and the sources on which it is based is the description here of activity at both ends of an Underground Railroad transaction: the escape of slaves from their owner, in this case the details of which were not previously known; the response of their owner; litigation initiated by both the owner and by supporters of the fugitives; and in this instance the escapees partially successful guarantee of permanent freedom. Rodney O. Davis, from the Foreword


Author Information

Carol Pirtle is a professional writer. Her books include Shining Momentsand Where Illinois Began: A Pictorial History of Randolph County.

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