The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1845-01-01
From the Hartford Journal.
IS THIS IN THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY

CENTURY?
On Saturday last we chronicled the fac
that Capt. Walker, of Boston. was recent,
tried and convicted at Mobile, Of having Civ
en- passage to runaway slaves. 1t will be re-
membered that he was sentenced TO paw {
fine Of $50, stand in the pillory one hour, be
imprisoned fifteen days and be branded in the
right palm with the letters S. S. And this
barbarous punishment, we learn. was inflicted
10 the letter,-with the addition of pelting
of rotten eggs from the chiralry, while stand
ing in the pilory And, reader, what is the
crime of which this man was convicted! Is
1t a crime to aid down-trodden humanity in
It's efforts TO escape from bondage, and life
long oppression? Ifso, then, perhaps, Capt.
Walker suffered Justly.
But apart from the offence which he is said
TO have committed-what shall be said, in
this age, Of the punishment inflicted The
pillory and the branding iron. We had
thought these barbarous modes of punish
ment had long since fallen into utter disgrace !
They are worthy only, of the most debased
ages of the Worlds barbarism, and the men-
ton of the fact that such things have trans
pired here, in the United States of America,
and at this period, should bring the crimson
TO every cheek-ay, even to the brazcn orows
Of this ineffible chirely of the South
But these Southern Republicans--these
valient wielders ofwhips, and trafiicers in hui
man flesh, not content with pllorizing and
and branding ship captains-the excess of
their chirairy does not find full ventin pelting
their victims with rotten eggs! They strike
at high game, worthy of them! In jail at
Lexington Kentucky, they have bravely Gag
ed WOMAN! Perhaps these high melted,
knightly OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES pinks of mod
ern chivaly may emulate their Mobile breth-
rem and reviving some obsolete punishment,
long since discarded by the civilized world,
lash this woman naked through The streets
1t would be a rare exhibition of manhood.
worthy, altogether worthy, of the Southern
Slaveocracyi
The statement subjoined is made in letter
from Vergennes, by G. d. Jewett, and pub
lished in the Boston Chronicle. Whether
all the circumstances, as here stated, are cor
rect we are unprepared to say-but that Miss
Webster is thus confined, is undoubted, and
that is enough 10 know. We rejoice to learn
that Henry CLAY, with his ready and noble
philanthropy, no sooner heard Of the case of
Miss Webster, than he repaired to her prison
anu SCifiCtS III uCI
and, we may mention here, incidentally, that
among all the abolition papers which have
published the statement below, not one has
seen fit to to mention this fact, so creditable
to Mr.. CLAY
Miss Della A. Webster, who has been ar
rested and is now confined in Jail at Licking
ton, Ky. charged with breaking the slave laws
of that State, is daughter of Mr.. Benjamin
Webster, Of Ferrisburgh VT. She was en-
gagged as a teacher in seminary. Rev. Cal
win Fairbanks who is now in prison and in
irons, in the same Jail with Miss w. and upon
the sane charges, is Methodist minister,
who, while visiting Lexington, boarded in the
same house with her. Mr.. F. preached once
in the Congregational church in Lexington,
while there, to the acceptance OF his audience;
and soon after, three slaves were missing.
A reward was offered, and every effort made
to find them, without success; and. upon
this failure, suspicion rested upon Mr. F. who
was followed into an adjoining county, ares
ted, brought back and imprisoned. Shortly
after, Miss Webster was waited upon by the
authorities at ] o'clock at night, and the in
spection Of her trunk demanded, which she
acceded TO without objection; and on the fol-
io"inS udN ktne SItn Oh SeptenDerD sue was
arrested and imprisoned, and has since had
three indictments found against her, has been
held TO bail in the sum of $4,000, and now
awaits her trial, which takes place in March.
We understand the main cause of suspic-
ion against her consists in letter, alleged to
have been found among her papeas, speaking
of her acquaintance with Mr.. F. while board
ing at the same house with her, and of gener-
al remarks about slavery; and last. though
perhaps not least, that she happens to be a
Northern lady.
Miss Webster is respectable young lady,
of worthy family, well educated. and of fair
talents, and denies ever having uttered an
Abolitiou sentiment in Kentucky, excepting
one time, when being impertinently question
ed on that subject, she said she wished the
slaves were all back in Africa, and she would
be willing to spend her days in teaching them,
for they hal souls. Her father is well known
by the citizens ofVergennes and Ferrisburgh
to have been always hostile TO Abolition in
any form; indeed he has been noted for his
ultra opinions on this subject"