Some slaves came up with great ideas to gain their freedom. Henry “Box” Brown climbed into a wooden crate and mailed himself to an abolitionist in Philadelphia! His box traveled by wagon, railroad, steamboat, and ferry during its 27-hour journey. Despite having “Handle With Care” and “This Side Up” written on the outside, several times his crate was placed upside down or handled roughly. Of his escape, Brown said, “If you have never been deprived of your liberty, as I was, you cannot realize the power of that hope of freedom, which was to me indeed, an anchor to the soul both sure and steadfast.”
Maybe this cache should have been placed closer to the American Museum of Magic, across the street from the Post Office, because one couple surely used magic to escape! William and Ellen Craft were slaves in Georgia who devised a ‘first-class’ escape plan.
Ellen had very fair skin because was the daughter of a mulatto slave woman and her white master. To escape, Ellen had to changer her race, her gender and her social status! William cut Ellen’s hair short and she dressed in men’s clothing that she had sewn - transforming her into a white gentleman landowner who was traveling with his slave - who was really her husband William!
The couple also put her arm in a sling, because, being slaves, they did not know how to write. She was then able to sign with an “X” when needed because of her “injury”. Ellen also had bandages wrapped around her face to further her disguise and give her a reason to limit how much she was expected to talk. During their 4-day escape, they traveled in first-class trains and even dined with a steamboat captain! The couple also stayed in first-class hotel rooms until they finally reached Philadelphia and freedom.