S04 Episode 5 Extra: Deadly Skins

see people who had long since died. This story was used as the basis for a two thousand and thirteen film titled, rather paradoxically, The Haunting in Connecticut two Ghosts of Georgia, where in real life no specific reason was ever given for the apparitions that were apparently witnessed at the Wyrick property, the film took a decidedly different attact.

Rather than a random selection of previous local residents, the spirits were taken to be former slaves who had tried to escape the region, only to be murdered by the man who had promised to help them. The story draws heavily on the history of the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the late eighteenth century to help slaves escape the South and seek a better life in the Free States of the North,

as well as in Mexico and Canada. This incredible organization, led by free born African Americans as well as former slaves such as Harriet Tubman and other abolitionists such as Levi Coffin, is credited with helping over a hundred thousand individuals gain their freedom. The Underground Railroad was so called partly as a reference to the secrecy of the organization, but also because its secrecy was maintained by the use of code words such as conductors, stations, and station masters

to refer to the railroad's members and safe locations. There is little doubt that Georgia was a slave state. However, anyone trying to escape the region was unlikely to have been helped by the Underground Railroad, the reason being it was simply too dangerous. As one of the lower South states topped to the north by Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky, it would require having to travel in secret through at least two other states in order to reach

the safety of the North. Most would have considered it an impossible journey. In eighteen forty eight, however, seventeen years before slavery was legally outlawed in the United States, two individuals, Ellen and William Craft, attempted it regardless. Their story is one of the most extraordinary, daring and heartbreaking escapes to freedom the world has ever known. Before recounting the Craft's story, it is essential to understand the context under which it

took place. Around the year eighteen fifty, they were estimated to be roughly four million slaves in the United States, and half a million of those were in Georgia. Just under a third of the adult white male population of the state owned a slave, but most belonged to the slave holding elite, which constituted roughly fifteen percent of the

white adult male population roughly twenty thousand individuals. Though only a small minority, this fifteen percent of the population or did a deeply disproportionate amount of power, not only as landowners, but also because two thirds of the states legislators were taken from this minority. In other words, those who owned slaves could dictate the state's political and economic path without

ever needing the cooperation of non slaveholding legislators. So when it came to the question of abolition, the quest to end slavery in the United states. It goes without saying that these men, whose power and wealth were entirely dependent

on slavery, had little sympathy for it. The way to justify their position legally was to treat their slaves like any other property that they owned, which is to say, while slavery remained legal, any attempt to escape from it meant, in the eyes of the law, that you were perpetrating the theft of property, the property being yourself. The consequences of being caught attempting to flee from bondage as a slave were stark and would invariably include, at the very

least torture, if not rape, and even death. In some cases, a slave owner would prefer to maim or kill their own slaves rather than allow them their freedom. Punishments meted out to captured slaves could range anywhere from whipping to having ears cropped, to the severing of hamstrings or the

tendons close to the knee. To prevent further attempts that escape, it was also common to have individuals branded on the face, on the shoulder, and even the butters, so that other locals could easily identify a former runaway slave, and such actions were permitted and in some cases encouraged by law, which says nothing of the difficulty for any slave on

the run in evading capture in the first place. It was also legal in a number of slave states for any white person to stop a black individual if they had reason to suspect they were not where they were supposed to be. As the law stated, it shall be lawful for such white persons to pursue, apprehend, and moderately correct such a slave, And if such slave should strike or assault such white person, such slave may be lawfully killed.

It was a right often taken with relish. William Craft was born into slavery in Macon, Georgia, eighteen twenty four. By age ten, he had watched helplessly as his mother and father were separated and sold off to different owners many miles apart, unlikely to ever see each other again. By sixteen, two brothers and two sisters had also been

sold to raise bank debts for his owner. However, since his owner was ultimately unable to pay these debts, William was essentially confiscated by the bank and soon after became the property of one of the company's cashiers, having already been apprenticed to a carpenter in Macon, it was decided he should be kept on in that role. In eighteen twenty five, Maria Ellen Craft's mother was raped by her owner,

Major James Smith, and consequently fell pregnant. She gave birth to Ellen the following year, creating the not unusual predicament that Ellen's father was also her slave master. As a further consequence of this crime, Ellen's skin was unusually light for a black slave, even more so as her mother had also been born under similar circumstances. As a child slaving for Major Smith's family, Ellen was frequently mistaken for

one of his wife's children. Angered by this as well as her being a constant reminder of her husband's infidelity, Missus Smith decided to take action. At the age of eleven, Ellen was taken from her mother and given as a gift to one of mister and Missus Smith's daughters, who lived in Macon as a wedding present. It was there that Ellen would later meet William, stealing moments together whenever

they could. The pair soon fell in love, and as their relationship grew, it was only natural that their thoughts should turn to their future life together and the prospect of perhaps one day starting a family. Both knew only too well, however, that any child of theirs would, by law or so become the property of Ellen's masters, and this was not a situation either was willing to accept. Though they fantasized about escaping to freedom, both knew it

would be a near impossibility. Not only were they over seven hundred and fifty miles from the nearest free state if they were caught, the punishment for attempting it, at the bare minimum being separated from each other did not bear thinking about. In the end, they put all thought of escape behind them and resolved to eke out what joy they could in the company of each other. In eighteen forty six, after getting permission from their owners, Ellen

and William were married. But as each day passed and the desire for a child grew stronger and stronger, the injustice of it all only became more intense. Until one day William hit on a plan. Since Ellen had frequently been mistaken for being white, perhaps they could travel unnoticed, he thought, provided Ellen played the part of William's master.

The big catch being that, since it was virtually unheard of for a white woman to travel alone, with a black slave, Ellen would have to do this while also pretending to be a man. Over the next few months, the pair cautiously made their preparations. As a carpenter, William was allowed to keep a small percentage of his earnings,

and so he began to save them up. Then, always at a regular times and from different shops, he started to buy all the necessary pieces for Ellen's disguise, who in turn made the required adjustments, stashing each item away in a chest of drawers that William had made for her. After securing permission to take a few days leave, something which was only very occasionally granted during the Christmas holidays,

the pair waited patiently for their day to arrive. On Tuesday, December twentieth, Ellen and William spent the night together in Ellen's room, terrified at the prospect of what they were about to do. Then, as the hour drew near, Ellen put on her disguise. This included a fine jacket and trousers, as well as a top hat and a sash of tartan, the preferred accessory of many a slave owner. The costume was finished off with a pair of glasses. But then

something occurred to Ellen. Neither she nor William could read or write it, being in fact illegal for anyone to teach a slave how to do so as part of a systematic effort to prevent organizing against their oppressors. If, as was custom, Ellen was required to put her name in a boarding or customs house directory, they would be found out immediately. Then she had an idea. Taking some material, she made a sling for her arm and a bandage

to place around her head. If she was asked to write her name, she would claim to be too infirm to do it. The bandage on her head would hide her lack of facial hair and hopefully dissuade people from talking to her. With the hour having arrived, they blew out the candles and quietly made their way to the front door as the faint glimmer of freedom beckoned from beyond. But as William stepped forward to leave, Ellen remained fixed

to the spot. Suddenly it had all come rushing up to her, the impossibility of what they were trying to do, and the price if they were to get aught. She looked to William, her eyes welling with tears, and silently shook her head. But then she thought of everything they had suffered, of what her future children would suffer, and everyone else that had ever suffered. Then she wiped away the tears and looked her husband in the eye. Come it is getting late, she said, Let us venture upon

our perilous journey. And with that they were gone into the early morning light. Are you always taking care of your family? Do you often take care of others and not yourself? Now it's time to take care of yourself, to make time for you. You deserve it. Tele adoc gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling your best, to feeling like yourself again. With tele adoc, you can speak to a licensed therapist

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available through most insurance or employers. Download the app or visit teledoc dot com forward slash unexplained podcast Today to get started, That's teladoc dot com slash Unexplained podcast. Their first task was to make it out of Macon without William being spotted. Though they were confident Ellen would evade capture. Since William was only meant to be taking time time off for Christmas, any evidence that he was leaving the

city would be immediately suspect. They knew also that they didn't have long before both their absences would be noticed. Every part of the plan had to run perfectly That morning to avoid suspicion. The pair traveled to the station separately, Having arrived at the earliest. William had to endure a painful weight looking out for any sign of Ellen, fearing

every second that her cover had been blown. Finally catching sight of her, he stood wait as she successfully purchased the tickets, handing one silently to him before making her way to the first class carriage. William then stowed away the luggage and went to sit with the other slaves in the back carriage. Now separated but joined in the quickening rhythm of their hearts, the pair sat and waited, counting the seconds as the rest of the passengers milled

about looking for their seats. Just then William's face froze in horror. The carpenter he had been apprenticed to was steadily making his way down the platform, clearly looking for somebody. As the man's agitation intensified, William watched with terror as the man jumped onto the train and began charging through the carriages, checking the face of every passenger he passed.

William turned to the window as the man drew closer and closer, until when on the verge of entering his carriage, the sharp peep of a whistle was heard, followed by the ringing of the train's disembarking bell, and then it started to shudder forward. The man took one last desperate look, then wrenched open the door and jumped onto the platform. Seconds later, the train pulled away the station up ahead

in first class. Unaware of the earlier close call, Ellen was also trying to avoid eye contact, staring out at the window when she felt the presence of another passenger sit down beside her. It was Ellen's turn now to freeze in fear. Since the man was mister Cray, an old friend of her former master. It's a very fine morning, sir, came a voice. I said, a fine morning, sir, he

repeated with irritation, Ellen pretended not to hear. When he said it again, louder, this time, drawing embarrassed looks from fellow passengers. Ellen finally plucked up the courage to face him. Slowly turning round, she kept her head low and muttered a quiet yes before turning back to the window. Thankfully, mister Craig didn't recognize her. That evening, they arrived in Savannah and took a steamship bound for Charleston in South Carolina.

Later that night, Ellen was able to avoid the customary drink with guests by pretending to suffer about of rheumatism. Once settled in her cabin, William stepped out onto the deck to ask a steward where he was supposed to sleep. The steward replied there was no place for people like him, slave or otherwise. William eventually settled on top of some bags of cotton, close to the warmth of the ship's funnel,

and sat there until dawn. The following morning, Ellen, no longer able to avoid conversation, was forced to take breakfast with the rest of the first class passengers. Arriving in the dining room, she discovered she would also be sitting next to the captain. Throughout the conversation, as William cut the food for his pretend master, the crafts were treated to the full litany of ideas and language one can

imagine of wealthy slave owners of the time. At one point, one guest, concerned that Ellen, who they took, of course to be a man, might lose his slave if he were to travel to Pennsylvania, offered to take William off his hands there and then, in the deepest tone she could muster, Ellen thanked the man for his kind gesture, before excusing herself at the first opportunity and making her

way back to her cabin. Later, Ellen was invited to take a drink with the military officer, who was also concerned at the way she appeared to spoil her slave, not once having even reprimanded him in all the time she had been on board the vessel. After finally arriving at their destination having avoided detection, Ellen and William proceeded to an near by hotel to get some food before returning to the port to board a steamer bound for

Wilmington in North Carolina. Everything went smoothly until Ellen was asked to write her name. When she asked if the ticket officer could do it for her, he refused. There was just something about the man stood in front of him that didn't seem quite right. He was just leaning in to get a closer look at his face when a voice called out from the back of the queue. It was the military man from the previous boat trip,

demanding to know what the hold up was on. Seeing Ellen having trouble at the front, the man scolded the ticket officer and demanded immediately that she'd be allowed through. The officer duly obliged. From Wilmington, Ellen and William, who by now had been declared missing back in Georgia, continued by train through Richmond, Virginia, and on toward Maryland, each

hour bringing them simultaneously closer to freedom but also possible capture. Thankfully, the next part of their journey passed without major incident, with the exception of William being at one point mistaken for someone else's slave, until finally, on the eve of Christmas Day, they poured in to Baltimore. Ellen and William

were now only forty miles away from the nearest free state. However, being one of the last major cities so close to the Pennsylvania border, Baltimore was also one of the most heavily policed for fugitive slaves looking to sneak across the border. Later that day, for what they hoped would be the last time before they made it across the border, Ellen approached the ticket office window and brought two tickets for

the overnight train to Philadelphia. On receiving them, she handed one to William, and together they headed on to the train once again, William helping her into the first class carriage before taking his place in the slave carriage. Moments later, Ellen was surprised to see William standing at the carriage door again. It was all she could do to suppress a smile at the thought that in only a few hours time they could be free, but something on the

look of William's face told a different story. William asked his master to join him on the platform. Ellen promptly got up and stepped off the train to find a police officer waiting to speak with her outside. The man then invited her into his office while the passengers watched from inside the train The officer explained that he could not let Ellen travel across the border unless she could

provide proof that she was William's rightful owner. Was to someone, perhaps in Baltimore, that could vouch for them, the officer asked, Ellen shook her head. The officer looked both William and the disguised Ellen up and down, then asked them both to stay where they were. Just then, the train's departure bell rang out and a commotion started up. It was the passengers on the train, demanding that the officer let the man travel with his slave. After all, couldn't he

see he was an invalid. The officer arrived back in the room, unsure what to do. Finally he made a decision. He handed the tickets back to Ellen and destructed the clerk to inform the conductor that they were now permitted to board the train. That night, the pair across the border into the Free state of Pennsylvania. A few hours later, the train stopped at the banks of the Susquehanna River.

Here the passengers were required to disembark in order to take a ferry to the other side, before meeting up with the train again and continuing on their way to Philadelphia, but when Ellen arrived at the other side, there was no sign of William anywhere. While trying not to display her panic, she asked the other passengers if anyone had seen him. Ironically, since most of them were abolitionists, none of them were inclined to help. She soon realized that

he had most likely been discovered or abducted. In any case, he was now gone, with the train due to leave. Ellen had a choice to make. Since she had the tickets and what was left of their money, leaving without him would mean almost certainly never seeing him again, but if she stayed, she might too risk capture. She had no choice but to continue. Utterly devastated and inconsolable, but unable to reveal even a hint of it, Ellen boarded the train and took her seat in the first class carriage.

Just then a voice called out from the back of it. Ellen turned to find William standing in the entrance. I heard you were looking for me, sir, he said, without flinching. Ellen replied, I was afraid you had run away. William, never your master, he said, before turning to take his seat in his usual carriage. After arriving in Philadelphia, William and Ellen were introduced to mister Berkley Evans, a prominent abolitionist, who invited the couple to stay with him at his

family while they out their next plans. It was the first time either of them, as they put it later, had experienced an act of disinterested kindness from a white person. From there, the couple were given safe passage to Boston, where they settled for two years, with William working as a carpenter and Ellen as a seamstress. However, with the

government passing the Fugitive Slave Bill in eighteen fifty, everything changed. Now, regardless of whether a slave had made it to a free state or not, inhabitants of free states were required, under law, under heavy penalty, to refuse food and shelter to any fugitive slaves, but also to assist in seizing the perceived perpetrators. Judges required to officiate over the matter of returning a fugitive slave to their owner would be

paid commission to do so. As soon as this bill was passed, Ellen and William's owners took out warrants and placed them in the hands of the United States Marshal to execute. A few weeks later, two slave hunters mister Hughes and mister Knight arrived in Boston intent on capturing them with the help of the Vigilance Committee, an organization of abolitionists. Ellen was taken out of the city to hide, while William had little choice but to stick it out

in their home. Thankfully, it was not legal for the bounty hunters or u S Marshals to break into anyone's property, and so attent stalemate ensued. Frustrated by it, the craft's old masters even wrote to President Fillmore for assistance, who, in turn, agreeing that the pair should be arrested and sent back to slavery, arranged for a small military force

to assist the marshal in making the arrest. Miraculously, however, Ellen and William managed to evade capture for over two weeks before finally making it out of Boston, and with the assistance of more abolitionists, eventually succeeded in making it all the way to Liverpool in the United Kingdom and to complete freedom at last. The couple remained in England

for almost two decades, where they had five children. Together, with the resolution of the United States Civil War and the abolition of slavery, they were finally able to return to their homeland. In the years that followed, the couple were frequently invited to lecture on the circumstances of their extraordinary escape. Such was the etiquette of the time, only William was ever permitted to talk, while Ellen had to be content to sit silently on the stage next to him.

In the first few years after making it to the UKAE, many slavers, keen to protect their profits and drum up support for maintaining the slave trade, resorted to good old fashioned fake news in their efforts. Pamphlets were made up stating that since escaping their captivity, the crafts had fallen on hard times and that they regretted ever having made

their escape. But by then, thanks in part to the efforts of Harriet Martineau, a prominent British abolitionist, Ellen had learned to read and write, and she was not about to have her story told by anyone other than herself.

Writing in eighteen fifty two, she declared, I write these few lines merely to say that this statement is entirely unfounded, for I have never had the slightest inclination whatever of returning to bondage, and God forbid that I should ever be so false to liberty as to prefer slavery in its stead. In fact, since my escape from slavery, I have gotten much better in every respect than I could

have possibly anticipated. Though had it been to the contrary, my feelings in regard to this would have been just the same, for I had much rather starved in England a free woman than be a slave for the best man that ever breathed upon the American continent. In eighteen sixty, the couple published Running a Thousand Miles to Freedom, giving

the full account of their extraordinary story. If you enjoy listening to Unexplained and would like to help supporters, you can now go to Unexplained podcast dot com forward slash support. All donations, no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. All elements of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard McClain smith. Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, and feel free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas

regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation of your own you'd like to share. You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at facebook dot com. Forward slash Unexplained. Now, it's time to take care of yourself to make time for you. Teledoc gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you get back to

feeling your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video anytime between seven am to nine pm local time, seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is available through most insurance or employers. Download the app, or visitteldoc dot com. Forward slash Unexplained Podcast Today to get started. That's t e l a d oc dot com slash Unexplained Podcast