Daring Escape of the Slave – Henry “Box” Brown
When slavery was flourished in North America and Europe, there are a few escape attempts of slaves that can be labeled as ‘Great Escape.’ Most of these daring real-life escape attempts have never been shown to the people as ‘biopics’. On the contrary, we saw so many boring biopics of mediocre events / people. One such event is the ‘smart escape of ‘Henry Brown.’ Who expertly escaped from his slave owner in a small wooden box. That incident made him every one to call as ‘Henry ‘Box” Brown.’ A Great Escape is like no other will give goosebumps.
Henry "Box" Brown
After his wife and children were sold and shipped away to another state in 1848, Virginia-born Henry Brown resolved to escape slavery by any means necessary. With the help of a free black and a white shopkeeper, he hatched a desperate plan to ship himself from Richmond to Philadelphia in a wooden crate. On March 23, 1849, Brown wedged himself into a three by two foot box labeled “dry goods” and settled in for a long journey via wagon, steamboat and railroad to the home of abolitionist James Miller McKim. He only had a few biscuits and some water as supplies and during one leg of the trip, his crate was placed upside down on the deck of a steamship. Brown was left sitting on his head for 90 minutes, his eyes “swelling as if they would burst from their sockets.” He nearly passed out before two unsuspecting passengers flipped the box over to use it as a seat.
Brown arrived safely in Philadelphia after 27 grueling hours inside the cramped confines of the box. His incredible story made him a minor celebrity in New England, but he was soon forced to flee the country after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. “Box” Brown later spent several years in Great Britain hosting a stage act as a magician that documented his escape. He eventually returned to the United States in 1875 and worked as a magician. As part of each show, he would climb into the same wooden crate that had once carried him to freedom.
Compiled by
Srini
Source: History.com