Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-10-09
We z Paper.
From the Richmond Compiler.
AFFECTING OBJECTS.

I q
AFFECTING OBJECTS.
& Some months since, Iimet in the street.
hoy. well grown, whoha.. no ether GAR
,.snt an than loose ssirt--no siee, nor
3 Iat lie was followed by crowd of
hav.--the poor creature in some alarmI
m,k;ug kind Of rhattering noise, like
MAT 81 i monkey. My attention was i'm.
msa,ate,y drawn to this miserable spec
n tac,e. and to my enquiries, one Of the
isughiag boys Immediately answered,
& Oh he is nothing but poor ideot, whs
: goiDg about. What have ssu never
.eea him before 20 sand thai GAattering
mise he Makes Oh as to that, he
: deaf and dumb, And where. is he
n from, f''---s Why he lnss IN the city,
& Where 20 & ] daat exactly know--but
4 sons qhere over the Creekn--M Nv repeat
ID enquiries could not extract any pre-
else informaiisn--Ey Every body almost
seemed to kasw him: though none seem
ed Ia know much About hial ALI that |
could discover was, that he had mpther
alive, who was very ,tahappy aboat bEm :;
but that he was Suffered TO wander al
most where he pleased, very often ia-
mished, and that he woa!d not hesitate to
eater q house, and lay his hands uron
ths FIRST thing thatile could meet with thai
would serve for focd. | need not FAY
that the situation Of this poor oatcast al
tected mel could not help mattering to
myself, what would Stranger say TO
this ? Whatwould he think Of US? Are
these things ordered no better in Pii!adei-
phia or New York
Another object soon crossed my path.
II wasa peor black woman, who remind
eli me Of Otways sYitch--ber garments
tattered and torn. her bosom opeil--herI
Embs visible through her rags, without
any coyeriog to head or feet. She was
old-and appeared to be drunk--so dis
tortsd were the muscles ofaer face, and
SO mumbliny was the gibberish she was
breakius.-A small plying white boy.
Il was standing beside her. oferiRs. her an
q apple. !. Who Is Tins pusr creatuleF = Said
q /. A poor woman out of her senses
q he replied .sWhere does she come fFoln:s''
q 6 Idon't know but see aersery often
IS They tell ue sac goes about So, with these
few clothes on, ard sometimes having
nothing To eat. Il IS pity, ShisperedI
The boy. Yes, indeed, 1T IS my little fellsw,
and yoasdon't know whose duty II is tcI
take care of her??'' : No, indeed unless
il IS her masters; for they say she has
one--but suppose he has turned her a
way now she can be OF no use to him.
You know, sir, the story OF the old hound
whose teeth we're won out r" :. Yes
(said y and a,n afraid remember ano |
Their case, much bettefin paint--the anec
dote Of the great Cato, who used to ex-t
pose his slaves in a uesolate island, aftes
they had beeR worn outin the service.
q Yes, but ksass the bpyl perhaps it was
the way inthese times, or Cato would
not have doneit---bnt il is notso with US.
Sir is it Ny father, know, does uot
treat his old slaves in this manner, bel
feeds and clothes them, though they are
helpless, and am sure wo8Id do it. III
they were as much out of their senses
as this ald'woman. 1t is a shame, Sir.
to see tins poor creature going about III
this way" Yes, (said liny little Eel
low, it is so: What would stranger say
to it ?"
But the list Of wanderers was not yet
at a close. This morning, while ! was
walking in one Of the most frequenied1
str els or Shockoe Hill was struck with
the appearance OF q small muiatto bey
running after another, with whip in his
hand, and amusing himself at bis expense.
The little boy he was chasing was black,
very small, and emaciated, aud with NO
covering about him, but sort of ragged
dirty mantle, winch hung fiom his shoas,
der and was 0pea beiore---he too ~as
deaf and dumb he too was an on CAST
wandering ever tie streets, and Indebt
ed to charity for morse! OF bread. Nc
one could tell me any thug satisfactory
about him. " But what muttered II
would a stranger say to this J"
l was astunished, sir, that three suef
spectres as these should be suffered Il
haunt the streets Of TIE metopUlis--Ot
tending the humanity and taste oil 4;
cisizens and Strangers Must our @ise'
and children be compelled to witne
such spectacles? Is there 70 ray t. sol
them ? Sir, cast no censures--tor ] ar
acquainted with such matters--I know
not whom to blame. But entreat tis
proper authority Of this corporation I