The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-21 00:00:00

ANDERSON, 211 E FUGITIVE SLAVE

ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING IN MARYLEBONE:
An enthusiastic meeting of the inhabitants of
Marylebone, convened for the twofold purpose of
raising funds for the benefit of Anderson, the fugi-
tive slave, who has recently arrived from Canada,
and for his kinsmen of Hamilton, Canada West, to
aid them in erecting a church and school, took
place at Portman Hall, Carlisle-street, Portman-
market, on Wednesday night.
The Rev. Dr. Burns presided on the occasion.
The Rev. T. M. KINNAIRD, minister of coloured
population, in the British Methodist Episcopal
Church of Hamilton, Canada West, first addressed
the meeting in an able manner, and in which he
endeavoured to show that the course of appealing to
the sympathies of the benevolent of this country
for aid to carry out the erection of a church and school
in Hamilton, was the only way of improving the pre-
sent generation of coloured people in that quarter.
He dwelt upon the civil war in America, and the
evils of slavery in the South, of which Anderson
had been a suffering victim. He was not surprised
at this war, and only wished it had come to pass
years ago. He took the present opportunity to
inform his hearers that one-half the money col-
lected that evening would be for the erection of his
church and school, ar.d the other half to Anderson,
who must have something to eat and drink for the
present. _

JOHN ANDERSON, who was received with great
and prolonged cheering, said, with a modest de-
livery—Mr. chairman, ladies, and gentlemen, I am
somewhat bashful, not being used to appear before
the public. I only want to state in a few words
how I got along among slave owners. (Hear.)
When I escaped from bondage I had to cut and run,
and in my flight I am sorry to say I had to fight
and shed blood. I don't like to shed blood. (Cries
of " You did right.") That is what is called fighting
in retreat in war, I believe. (Hear, hear.) I assure
you lam very sorry to have done what I did. I
tried to evade my pursuer, to avoid killing him, and
I told him beforehand what I would do if he con-
tinued to follow me—that I would slay him, But
he persisted in following me for tw a or three days
longer, and said he would not leave me, and I slued
him. (Loud cries of " Bravo" and " You did right.")
I went to my wife. I had a young wife and sick
child at the time. I then had to fight with cold steel.
I am, indeed, my brothers and sisters, very, very
sorry for having done so, but I had a good chance of
escape, and it was my last resource to avoid being
retaken into bondage. I certainly would have es-
caped, if I could, without killing the man. I was
then a Christian man, and I hope I am now.
(Cheers, and loud cries of " It was a justifiable act.")
I had a narrow escape, and but for England /
should never have been free.
The Rev, CHAIRMAN thought if there was in
any kind of war that which was right, he must
fully endorse the opinion so loudly expressed in the
meeting, that John Anderson did perfectly right.
(Hear.) Does our fugitive friend look like a mur-
derer ? (No, no.) In no other country in the wide
world besides England, *Would the same intense ex-
citement, trouble, ar.a interest be evinced on behalf
of a simple fugitive coloured man. (Cries of " Hear,"
from Anderson and others.) And he (the Chairman)
was proud to say it did honour to his country and
Government, and has ended in the complete vindi-
oation of their friend, Anderson. (Great applause.)
He maintained then, as he had done the previous
Sunday from his pulpit, that, with respect to
thorough love of humanity and liberty, England
stood alone, and no other country would have saved
poor Anderson. (Renewed and prolonged ap-
plause.) It would beget in coloured men through-
out the world eternal gratitude to Englishmen, and
he rejoiced that his country had done this great
thing.

The Rev. Mr. HORNE next spoke, and contended
amidst continued applause, that had he been in
Anderson's place Anderson's conduct would have
been his. Under the circumstances he did per-
fectly right to kill or die.
Mr. HORNER announced that a monster meeting
was appointed to be held at Exeter Hall on the 2d
July on behalf of Anderson, and hoped all present
would endeavour to be there. (Great cheering.)
A vote of thanks to the rev, and learned Chair-
man closed the proceedings.
A collection of Anderson's card photographs were
offered for sale at a shilling, but so great was the
enthusiasm, that notwithstanding an admission to
the hall had been charged, and the majority of the
purchasers, who were very numerous, were of the
poorer class of the community, something above the
shilling was invariably insisted on being paid.