In the winter of 1852, a group of Philadelphia abolitionists dedicated to assisting runaway slaves in their to freedom formed a new assistance group to be part of the Underground Railroad-the General vigilance Committee. William Still, himself a son of slaves, was named its secretary and executive director. Deeply moved by the stories of the fugitive slaves he helped conduct northward, Still took his committee record-keeping to a higher level. He wrote down, in eloquent narrative form, every detail of their stirring, often heartbreaking stories.