‘Master Slave, Husband Wife’
By Ilyon Woo

“Master Slave/Husband Wife” is the remarkable true story of an epic 15,000-mile journey from slavery to freedom made possible because Negro slave Ellen was so light-skinned as to pass for white. In 1848, disguised as a wealthy, but sickly, young gentleman, she was able to succeed, along with her black husband William, posing as her slave.

Shod in black leather gentleman’s boots, a silky black cravat, extra tall silk hat, white shirt, black frockcoat, a handsome cloak, and fitted pants, the couple added other accouterments to Ellen’s outfit to camouflage their real identities, including dark glasses with a green lens. To further cover her face, a white bandage was placed under her chin as if suffering for toothache, as well as placing her right arm in a sling.

If caught, the punishment would be dire. Confiding in no one; they left their cabin, taking separate paths to the railroad which would take them the first lap of their journey from Macon, Ga., up to Pennsylvania and further north. Ellen was the favorite lady’s maid of Mrs. James Smith, whose husband was Ellen’s father, who had raped his teen-age black slave, Maria, Ellen’s beloved mother.

Years later, Maria would be tallied on the same page as her owner’s chickens and pigs, valued at $500. William had earned the necessary money for the trip from his apprenticeship with a skilled cabinetmaker who paid him a wage in addition to what his master’s take for loaning him out.

The first test Ellen successfully passed was purchasing train tickets for herself and her “slave” from a porter, a former suitor. While she rode in a first-class compartment, William was in baggage. One tense moment arose when she was greeted by Scott Cray, an elderly acquaintance of her master; when she did not respond to “It’s a “very fine morning, Sir,” Cray became annoyed and repeated it loudly. Pretending to be deaf, she was saved by another passenger who interceded regarding her perceived disability, a life-saver since Cray might have instantly recognized her female voice. Earlier, while seated in her compartment, she had espied on the train platform William’s employer, who had a suspicion that morning and had come looking for his young cabinetmaker. Such suspenseful moments are repeated again and again throughout their long arduous journey. The tension mounts with each leg of the trip.

Once in Savannah, Ellen needed to sign in at the finest hotel, Pulaski House, but avoided the requirement by pointing out her injured right arm, once again avoiding detection. Next, in close quarters aboard a steamer bound for Charleston, “slave” William began to concoct a ointment of camphor, liquor, soap, and ammonia to treat his master; but when fellow passengers complained of the stench, it gave the couple an excuse to retire to their berth to avoid curious onlookers.

Once again on deck, a man with a gold watch who had eyed Ellen curiously, inquired as to William’s young master He answered that they were headed to Philadelphia to see a renowned doctor to determine his master’s illness that had confounded many physicians. When the man, having observed the slave’s intense dedication to his master, offered to purchase him, William demurred.

Aboard another train, an elderly man and his two daughters did all in their power to make the journey more comfortable for the ill young master, allowing him to lie along their laps, removing his boots and offering him sweets. But in Fredericksburg, William’s beaver hat caught the attention of a hostile stranger who commented that “the President himself could not have owned a better fur hat.”

Another precarious encounter occurred when Ellen was summoned to prove she was William’s owner because it was illegal to take a slave out of the city. Drawing herself up to her full height, Ellen protested adamantly that she had purchased their tickets in Charleston to pass through Philadelphia and they had no right to detain them. Once the conductor from the previous train confirmed they had ridden with him, they jumped aboard the already departing locomotive. Both were convinced that they were sustained by divine intervention.

The most suspenseful portion of their trek occurred when William fell into a deep sleep in the baggage car while their train stopped to cross a river.

When her slave failed to arrive to assist her, Ellen crossed the ferry alone to board the next train. Little did she know that the luggage car had been placed on the ferry’s upper deck to be hitched again to the train on the opposite shore. When reunited, Ellen sobbed copious tears, as she believed William had been left behind. It was Christmas Eve, again confirming their belief that God was guiding them.

Now they had to escape slave catchers. Taking the Underground Railroad, they headed for Boston, the hotbed of raging abolitionists. On the lecture circuit, Mr. and Mrs. Craft, names they assumed, were in high demand, earning money for themselves and fellow slaves. Crowds surged to see and hear them in Worcester, Pawtucket, Taunton, Roxbury, Quincy, Cambridge, New Bedford, etc., where they electrified audiences with their daring escape. However, their Southern owner’s henchmen pursued them with warrants for their arrest and return to Macon, so once again they were on the run, this time Canada, and then to Liverpool, where they remained for 20 years.

In England, they started their family, having delayed for fear their children would be born in bondage, totally unacceptable to both who had so fervently sought freedom.

This is an incredible tale of love, courage, determination, and super-human resilience based on thorough research. Their stunning pursuit of freedom is told in fast-paced, exciting prose that leaves the reader cheering them on all the way. A harrowing page-turner, it will leave you breathless after each close call in their bold and dramatic search for freedom.