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Extract Of A Letter From C. C. Burleigh: "a Stranger."

Extract Of A Letter From C. C. Burleigh: "a Stranger." image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
December
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

t may be well to meniion aiso a circumstance wliich ndded to the interest of our second meeting at West Grove. The night before, nn "emigrant" bnüñd for Canada, had como up fronv Virginia, and, as euch etrangers should be, was taken into tho hospitable abode of one of our brethren in that neitrhborhoor], whose house is well knoun therebouts us over open to such travellers. Su favorable itho general feeling of tho neigoburhuod, that it va3 considered safe for him to attend the meeting, and take a con?picuous scat, which, with some persoasion arui assurance of safe ty, he was inducod to do, He was a tall, grave looking, - I tnight a!moat eay venerable - o!;l man, wlioso countenance seemed to spcak of mecfi e dnrence, and, lo every cye accustomec! u read character and disposiüon, in iheeuments ot "the tuunuu !;ice invine, lore emphatic testimor.y ogninst the ohjection wesooftcn hear, th:t emancipa! ion vvoulil be thc "etting loóse" ol'a bordo oí bloodthirsly savage?, to desoíalo i lio land wi'.h fire, and dreuch t wiihblood. The re be sal in the "econd gaílery" oftbe Friend's Meeting housc.(wiih fwyor three residems of the neighborhood, who were of thi?, same complexión wiih himself,) directly before Dr. Hudson and myself, wbo stoóíl in the "uppermost place" - and bis very looks were a powcrful airgument ín behalf of his own rights, and those [' bis opprcFsed brethren. Nor did ve fui I to alinde to thc circumstance of his presence among us, as the representa! ive of those whose cause we were pleading; and at times, when, as Dr. Hudson was making such ailusions, I caught a gümpse of ih oldgtnan's face, its expression of mingleíl emotions was truly touching. Sadness 8eemed to prodominate, much ns he hnc to rejoice in his own particuiar case, and I could notbut f hink thatstjcb were at least mingled with his joy at having escoped; as James Bradley gave utíernnce to, when he said, ''Freedom itself is bitter tome, wiule my brethren oro in bondage." The oíd man, ia conversador befure meeting, gave some acconnt of himscif, a part of which was incidentally wrought into Dr. Hutlson's address before the meeting. 13y that account it appears that he was the last cf his master's human chattels, all the rest having esenped before him. Ilis children and grand childrcn had gonc to Canada somc time ago, and ít was reaüy moviog to hoar him tel! how he "pined and grieved lili he was uúnost brouglu to dcath'd áobt,V at the thóught tfial they werc separated from him for the remainder of his lifc, but nov he looks for a ?peedy rc-union with thoni. Whsn he started oa hia pügrimago to ÍKe land uf freedom, he said he was so feehle and flick and lame that he confd liard'.y get aloiig, but the farther he went th'e betícr lio feit,] and the easier he ibund it to travel on. - The immedíate canse of bis feaYÍnT ivasthis. - Two young men had lcft his tnaster who suspected him of helping ihem away, and supposing doubtless that thoy were urkingabout the noihborhood,thrè;i:cned htm with a terrible inflicüon of the hsh if he did not find them nrui liring ïiem back. So he started t.ff, and 'has been iooking for the boys ever sincc,1 bul ra'iier thinks ho shall not find them tülhe gets to Qücen Victoria's domtnicna. We find that the 'Chio Black i.aw1 is practically 'oull and void,' atid that the frienda of humanity make do eeerct of tbeir detennination to disrngard iis wicked provisi..o.?,and to coniinue, as heretoforc, togive bred to the hungry,and the shelter of thcir hoiises tn the strant?er: nor probably, u-as thcre ever a ti::c, when, in a given period, a larger nutnber of these "eniipraots" have passed through theStn{e,aided and cbeered on, not only by Abolitioni?s but by nthers aUo, ihan since the enactmentof thatatlrocious statute. I doubt much whether the verv menwhoframed it, woaki Ironbte {heme!ve to put it intp execuiion, even if ihey know of ifg being openly dtnregnrded in thei