Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1844-11-22
BALTIMORE JAIL, Oct. 20, 1914.

BALTIMORE JAIL, Oct 20, 1914.
Join G. Whutier Esq:
My Dear Brother, Your aflectionate and chez
ring note was handed me by our friend Crosby,
last week; and promised him would write you
IN season tor your meeting of yesterday: at least,
to answer the question, " Wachmun! what Of the
night" But, though his cheerful face and friend
y greeting made me feel WeU, almost, for The mo-
ment, increasing illness and debility have binder
cd ne from ting. Oern necessity Compeled
.~o yesterday and to-day to take up my pen, and
now, while my excited nervous y stcn enables me
to use my pen, will try to say enoL gh at least;
to acknowledge your kindness. For more than
six weeks past have been confined to my bed,
unable, most of the time, to read or write, and,
sometimes, even tn converse without pain have
had SIX nights only of toerabIe sleep during the
! time. With my rather feeble frame, and nervous
sanguine temperament, you can Judge that have
not very much mental and physical yigUr let-e-
nuuEh, however, lupe, to give SiaUerY some
blows yet under the 'flhrib;' and enough TRUST
to await the movements Of our friends to make the
proper use OF my case, both here and elsewhere,
for the good of the cause Of liberty If that is
done, shall not grieve, for a month, or d year,
more or less, Of imprisonment. Albeit, a prison
to a sick man is no trihe! even if he has no guilt
on his conscience, rs in my Case have little to
regret III my last eight years of service, but that
| nave not teU more, done more, and DARED more
for the slave, God gave me one talent not com
mltted to every one, courage that seldom falters
or shrnkS, come what may. | am ashamed that |
! have omitted to do good, in the slaves behalf,
sometimes, when others, far more richly endowed
in other respects, charged me with raShneS$
aDoutd be deemed wise and prudent when was
made for decisive action in the paths that wiser
men feared to tread. So it was got bOidnesS that
put me in prison, but efforts to be prudent, to act
'ou Of charactern In prison, so far as my weak
body allows feel my own proper nature, such as
God gave me, reSumng its power. With His
help, will not spare one blow At slavery, while |
| live, cost what it may, approve who may. 1t was
my wish, in settling in this State, to have tested
all the moral and legal questions involved in my
case; though ! was far enough from thinking of
such means Of doing it,. knew that cases enough
would be likely to occur But it is well, as it is
Abolonists, AMI the people generally, must
now decide whether christian men shall pay any
regard 10 lars IN fauor Of starery-a system be-
gun Ivy acts of piracy, completed by acts of pira-
cy, and continued by enacling the pirates feLont-
Gus principles Of aclI0p lnt0 code Of Statutes with
the forms OF law. 1t mast soon come to be rcgur-
ded as the common DUTY Of humane upright and
christian men, to help every slave out OF honda c
that they can; just us it their own wife, son,
daughter. and mother, were the victims, and we're
slaves in IripOll instead Of Baltimore, Charleston
or New Orlerns. have long seen that the IDEAS
Ject, were erroneous, were cow0rdly, were the
fruit of that SubSerUient spirit by which this Amer
lean piracy has SO long been supported through
the agency of Northern puIpits, Northern presses
and Northern voters. Even now, bur few are
fully prepared to receive the truth, on this point.
Five years hence it will be as undoutted h,o a.
mong northern men as mans right 10 his own
earnings. Let them now receive il that are able.
For the great legal issues involved in my case, the
public, and, what Is especially important, the Iega
public are in good degree prepared, even soutl
of the Dark Line. Many in this State will be-
LeUe when a clear headed lawyer declares thu
neither the original statute law nor the con,litu
ton Of Maryland give slavery any legal right t,
live in the state, and that it exists merely Ivy fore,
of UiciOuS custom, to which no length of time cal
/. impart the force Of lar and that no number o
regulating and restraining statutes can create
rights, where the thing is naturally and inherently
/, Uicjous.
: No sane lawyer doubts these doctrines, in the
applicability to hadwy houses, gaming tables ant
lotteries. All OF which have been more widely
and for longer period, sanctioned by express stat
utes than slavery has. 10 day it is. ''crazy pris
oner's dream" to talk so Of Siauery. In 1850, n
rational man north Of South Carolina, capable @