Wikipedia:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia/Freedom Channing


Freedom Channing was the conductor of New Hampshire's branch of the underground railroad. After an unfortunate event in which she was purported to have been "cat-calling" the young white boys outside the five and dime, she was hunted down and tied to a stake. Her only chance at salvation was to take the dare offered by the lynchers and swallow a can of live bait. "Free" Channing kept her sense of irony to the very end, refusing to eat the worms, and answering their query with a whistle and a shout of "Hey, Hotpants!"

The taunting words of her captors were later reenvisioned as a patriotic call to arms. Just another twist of irony in the story of Freedom Channing, mistress of the underground railroad.

(Source: McArthur, Rutherford; "The Daring and the Dare: The Life and Death of Freedom Channing", Southern Solstice Press, 1956.

Trivia: According to American Folklore, Channing was born on the Fourth of July, although no historical proof has been demonstrated to corroborate.