How did the American slave ship Rebecca evade capture and successfully deliver its cargo of slaves to Cuba in 1859, and was the Rebecca really the last slave ship? In 1859 George W. Howe (1839-1890), a crew member aboard the slaver Rebecca, published a short, 30-page account of his experiences as medic on what he termed the last American slave ship voyage. In describing how he was unwittingly coaxed to become a slave ship crew member, Howe writes: "At nine o'clock on the morning of April 26th, while I was awaiting the usual arrivals at the gates, one of the professors, Dr. Howard Smith, drove up in his buggy, and without replying to my salutation, said: 'George, how would you like to go to the coast of Africa?' The doctor was a very pleasant gentleman, and a great favorite among the students, and, believing him to be in a very pleasant mood, I replied: 'First rate, doctor.”How soon can you get ready?”I am ready now.'"
