On one occasion, Harriet was unable to make it to Garrett’s station. Thomas was able to hatch a plan in order for Tubman and her fugitives to reach his store safely. “Garrett hired bricklayers and had them leave the city crossing a bridge in two wagons, seemingly off for a day’s work on the farm… Once Garrett’s henchmen were safely outside the city, they rendezvoused with Tubman and carefully hid all the fugitives in the bottom of the wagons, under blankets and tools.” Garrett was willing to do anything possible in order to help Tubman and the fugitives. The police never became suspicious of the wagons and the runaways were able to make it into freedom. Without Garrett’s knowledge and assistance, Tubman might have been caught smuggling slaves. …show more content…
Samuel Hawkins was a free black man, but his wife Emeline was a slave at a nearby plantation. All of their children were spread throughout the valley, but they were allowed to live with each other. When one of the owners died, the two eldest son’s were sent to another relative. The family was spread out now and Samuel just wanted his family back together again. So, he decided to reach out to Garrett to help plan their getaway. With Garrett’s help, the entire family was able to gain their freedom. This case boosted Garrett’s reputation as a conductor greatly. Thomas Garrett remained active in the smuggling of fugitives for many years. He would help anyone that came through his “station.” Garrett would even pay people to help get the runaways from place to place until they had reached safety. These conductors would not be as effective without their president,