Written by
Hall, Jasper L., American
Received by
Hall, James E.
Date
November 9,1858
Medium
(abc): ink on paper (fiber product)
Dimensions
H x W (a (open)): 7 11/16 × 9 15/16 in. (19.5 × 25.2 cm)
H x W (b (open)): 7 11/16 × 9 15/16 in. (19.5 × 25.2 cm)
H x W (b (closed)): 7 11/16 × 4 15/16 in. (19.5 × 12.5 cm)
H x W (c): 2 3/8 × 4 in. (6.1 × 10.2 cm)
Description
A wove paper letter (ab) and original envelope (c) from 13-year old Jasper L. Hall to his brother James E. Hall, describing the defeat of slave catchers in a pitched battle with ten fugitive slaves, Pennsylvania.
This eight-page correspondence, written in black ink across two sheets of paper, details the successful mass escape of fugitive slaves. Some of the letter reads:
"I told you bout Uncle Nedy Armstrong going after his negroes that ran away. He caught up with them and caught them. When they caught them, he had to shoot them to save his life. He shot three times. The first ball cut the skin of one of the negroes' forhead. The second ball went through his ear. The third ball missed and the negro stabed him. I am not certain whether he has got them all or not. Whether the stab that Mr. Armstrong got was considered dangerous or not, we have not heard." Two days later, he continued: "We heard some more of Mr. Armstrong's case. Him and five others went and caught them . . . all unarmed except Mr. Armstrong, and was taking hold of them, and they refused and commenced fighting, and Mr. Armstrong shot three times (as I stated), and they had him down, and would have killed him, only he called (to his negro) and said 'Dave, are you going to let them kill me!' and then Dave took them off. They did not get one of the negroes, but they got the horses. This happened 9 miles below Morgantown. Mr. Armstrong was taken to Morgantown and got his wounds dressed (he was very badly cut and bruised up). I do not know whether he is considered beond reach of recovery or not."
The original stamped hand-cancelled wove paper envelope (c) is addressed on recto to a Mr. James E. Hall of Westerville, Ohio. In the top right corner of the is a red three cents George Washington postage stamp with a black 'X' over it. On the reverse of the envelope, on the flap in graphite, is "1858".
Place depicted
Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Documents and Manuscripts
Type
envelopes
letters (correspondence)
Topic
Correspondence
Fugitive enslaved
Law
Self-liberation
Slavery
Violence
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2021.16.1abc
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55f29d3b3-3933-413c-ab17-6065e955ce43

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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