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Interesting Letter From Oberlin

Interesting Letter From Oberlin image Interesting Letter From Oberlin image
Parent Issue
Day
14
Month
July
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The pro-slavery spirit existing at Detroit is really dreadful to behold. h would seem scarcely equalled by the slavocracy at the South. The greatest crime a man can be guilty of, in the estimation of many individuáis, is to assist the poor, homeess, wandering fugitivo from Southern barbarity and oppre?sion, in cscaping to a land of freedom. Thcy are ready to hurl their anathemaa at you, and denounce you as much vvorse than a horse-stealer, aud unfit to hve; and when you aek them if they would not wish to have a fricnd of then-a assisted, who was endeavoring to escape from slavery, iheir answer is, Do you mean to compare me to a d- d niseer V They will justify Such acta as lhese A colored woman, a servant at one of the hotels in D. tried to persuade a young woman who was stopping there vvith a Southerner, who claimed her as his slave, and wa8 travelling about the country with her, to leave the man and go to Canada . She mformed her master of t, and he, ülled with rage, imraediately went down into He rejoieed over t greatly and boastedthat he could whip a woman for $12. The woman afterwards sued him for danv ages, and the enlightenefl, honest, impartial jury awarded her one cent damagest But this, doubtless, will benefit, rather than otherwise, the colored people there; for it cannot fail to awaken sympathy for them, suffering from such monstrous in-' justice. A companyofslaveholders spent somctime in D. a few weeks ago, making unsucccssful attempts to obtain possession of several of their slaves, who had escaped a short time before into Canada. One man oflerred $1500 for three of his slaves who were musicians, and of great value. IIo hired a company of 15 or 20 'black-legs' to go to Malden, and entice them on board a stcamboat, under pretence of playing for thom; and when they got them on board to 'shove off' immediately to & other sido, when thcy would be in iheir power; but the slaves were infórmed of their intcnlion, and escaped from the snare. Their master spent some time with them at Malden, iuing every art to induce them to return with him to the comforts, pleasures and happiness of slavery, but they steadfastly refhsed, being so fanatical as to prefer 'mereJj the name of being free, with all the hnrdships and miseries of freedom, to the blessedness of a life of repose and quietness beneath the shadow of the patriarchal institution. It was stfange, and greatly wondered at by the pro-slavery folks; but it was doubtless owing to the nferiority of their intellects, in consequence of which, they failed to perceivethe superior advantages of slavery to freodom. The poor man, it is said, wept to think of their determination ; the story does not say whetlier it was at the Ihoughls of losing so much valuable property, or on account of the sufferings and hardahips they were about to undergo by living in a land of freedom; bul, from what we know of the love of the elaveholders for their slaves, their kindness to them, &c. we can but think ihat it was the latter reason! Ho even offerred togive them their freedom in two years, if they would return with him. This was straJige; to offer to make thenv miserable again at the end of two years, if they would but place themselves in a state of happiness till that timo. Could he have thought that they would prefer the evils of freedom to the blessedue9s of slavery, which both he and they well knew about? Strange to ofter a man misery and wretchednesa as an inducement to him to place himself in a siluation of happiness and pleasure! Quite a number of fugitives have passed ihto Canada already this season, many of them Jiaving remained at Oberliu, through the winier, in consequence of tho Lakc having closed when they arrived at O. Oberlin has to receive a pretty good share of the hatrcd and wrath of pro-s!avery men, on account of its assiatance to runaway slaves. They seem to mako hat the butt of all their spleen and ill-hunor, in consequence. They seem to üate t with a perfect hatred.A few weeks ago, vvhile in Detroit, I had the pleasure of being one of a small company, in assisting thrce fugitives in crossing the river to Canada. They arrivcd Saturday night at about 12,and found their way to a colored man's house, from vhence, at about noon on Sunday, ihey vere conveyed privately to the river, and ent across in a skjfF, it not bcing deemed afc io have them cross in the ferry boat, 8 slavehülders v.ere in the city. It would iave done your heart good, and more thnn made up for much of your aufiering in the auso of the falave, to have witnessed the tnjle ofjoy light up their countenances as ïeyseated themscivesm the boat, and to ïave heard the::e wordsgushingfroinlheir uil hearts- "Now I feel í am safe!" Yes ïank God! there is a Canada, wherc our rother, who has been deprived of. and