Margaret Garner

 

In January of 1856 a heavily pregnant, runaway slave by the name of Margaret Garner (age 22) escaped to Cinncinati, Ohio with her four children ages rangaging from 9 months to six years, her husband, Robert Garner (age 21) and a select few members of his family she was 22 years old and pregnant. She and her children had left from Archibald K. Gaines farm in Richwood, Kentucky while her husband and family had come from a plantation nearby owned by James Marshall that was closer to Cinncinati. It had been the plan that with his experince with the area (he was often hired out as a laborer) that they would cross the frozen Ohio river and make their way to the house of cousin who would see to it they were given "safe passage via the Underground Railroad." This unfoutunately is not what happened. 

They were found at this home by the sons of the their "owners" and as a consicence Margaret Garner killed her infant daughter, and attempted to kill her other children so they would not have to be returned to slavery. Garner was arrested and charged with murder and then began the "longest fugitive slave state of the era".

 

Many diffrent speculations where made for the reason behind the infantcide including, but not limited to: the testimony made by abolitionist Lucy Stone that "you only had to look her her children to know that she had been subjected to rape by her owner Gaines.