{"product_id":"escape-betwixt-two-suns-carol-pirtle-9780809323012","title":"Escape Betwixt Two Suns: A True Tale of the Underground Railroad in Illinois","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlthough the northern Illinois chapters of the story of Susan \"Sukey\" Richardson's escape from slavery on the Underground Railroad are documented, the part played by southern Illinois in that historic episode has remained obscure. Carol Pirtle changes that with her investigation into the 1843 suit Andrew Borders lodged against William Hayes, charging his neighbor with helping slaves from the Borders estate escape to Galesburg. In conjunction with her probe into the past, Pirtle also discovered the Hayes correspondence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePirtle documents Hayes's involvement in the Illinois Underground Railroad through approximately two hundred letters received by Hayes from the early 1820s until his death in 1849. Many of these letters specifically corroborate his participation in the escape of slaves from the Borders estate. One such letter came from T. A. Jones in 1843: \"You Dear Sir are to me an unknown friend, yet I believe you are a friend to the poor down trodden Slave. This is as good an introduction as I want from any man. My brother, our cause is a holy one.\" Letters written by Galesburg residents show that several prominent citizens of that community also assisted in the affair, proving that Knox College administrators and trustees were active in the Underground Railroad.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePirtle also includes excerpts from the trial transcript from the 1844 civil case against Hayes, which was tried in Pinckneyville, Illinois. She researched newspaper accounts of the event, most notably those in the \u003ci\u003eWestern Citizen\u003c\/i\u003e and the\u003ci\u003e Sparta Herald. \u003c\/i\u003eRecords of the Covenanter Presbyterian church of which Hayes was a member provide partial explanations of Hayes's motives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTelling the story of Hayes and his involvement with Susan Richardson and the Underground Railroad, Pirtle provides insight into the work of abolitionists in Illinois. \u003ci\u003eEscape Betwixt Two Suns\u003c\/i\u003e, in fact, is one of the few books to substantiate the legends of the Underground Railroad. She tells the story of a quiet man who made a difference, of a man deserving the accolades of a hero.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Carol Pirtle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 080932301X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780809323012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Southern Illinois University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/19\/2000\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 182\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.97h x 6.03w x 0.55d","brand":"Carol Pirtle","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48086900441343,"sku":"9780809323012","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_682df209-8d43-49f2-be42-ae31b39119b8.jpg?v=1769097214","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/escape-betwixt-two-suns-carol-pirtle-9780809323012","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}