1873 FUGITIVE SLAVES 1st/1st John and Mary Klu Klux RARE Abolitionist CIVIL WAR

  

John and Mary Klu Klux RARE Abolitionist CIVIL WAR. " John and Mary: or, The Fugitive Slaves " is a historical-fiction novel written by Ellwood Griest, originally for The Lancaster Inquirer, and set in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The story revolves around the escape of two slaves, John and Mary, weaving a narrative grounded in real events and characters verified by older inhabitants of the region. Despite its fictional nature, the novel captures the social impacts of slavery and the transformative period following its abolition.

Notably, the story offers a stark, early insight into the emergence and vile activities of the violent, racist organization known as the Ku Klux Klan, not yet a decade old, in the post-Civil War American South. Griest highlights the importance of remembering and learning from the past, and his hope was that readers would find both pleasure and enlightenment in the story.

John and Mary: or, The Fugitive Slaves, A Tale of South-Eastern Pennsylvania. Written Originally for the Lancaster Inquirer. Lancaster, PA: Inquirer Printing and Publishing Company, 1873.

Reference(s): Wright II, 1031. Provenance: Handwritten - Author's inscription. 7.75in X 5in (20cm x 12.5cm).