Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-01-31
FRIDAY, JANUARY 81, 1916.

ooh, massa may die then nobody knows who |
get me some dreadful folks, you know, master,
might get me, as they did Jim Sanford, and nobody
to take my part No, master rather be free man.
Alfred turned to the window, and thought few
moments, and then turning about, said, We'll, Sam
believe you are right. think, on the whole, I'd
like best to be free man myself, and must not
wonder that you do So, for aught see, you must
go but then, Sam, thre's your wife and child
Sans countenance fell.
Never mind, Sam, ] will send them up to you.'
'Oh, mastern
Il will but you must remember now, Sam, you
have got both yourself and them to take care of,
and have no master to look after you be steady,
sober and Industrious and then, if ever you get in
to distress, send word to me and I'll help YOU Lest
any us of over coloring our story, we will
close it by extracting passage two from the let
ter which the generous young man the next day
left in the hands of the Quaker, for his emancpa-
ted servant. We can assure our readers that we
copy from the original document, which now lies
before us
Dear Sam ! am just on the eve of my depart
ure for Pittsburgh may not see you again for
long time, perhaps never and leave this letter
with your friends, Messrs. A. & b. for you and
herewith bid you an affectonate farewell. Let me
give you some advice, which is, now that you are u
free man, in free State, be obedient you were
when Slave; perform all the duties that are re-
quired OF you and do all you can for your own tu-
that have the same good feeling towards you that
YOU know always had and let me tell you far
ther that if you want friend, call write to me
and will be that friend. Should you be sick, and
not able to work, and want money to small u
mount at different times, write to me, and will al
WAYS let you have it. have not with me at present
much money though will leave with my agents
here, the Messrs. W., So for you; you must give
them your receipt for it On my return from Pitts
! burgh will call and see you if have time fa
not to write to my father, for he made you gooc
master, and you should always treat him with res
poet and cherish his memory so long as you live
! BE good, Industrious and honorable, and if untor
tunate in your undertakings, never forget that yot
| have friend in me- farewell, and believe me you
! affectionate young master and friend.
ALFRED b.
That dispositions as ingenious and noble as tina
of this Young man are commonly to be found eth
| err in Slave States or in free, is than we dar
| assert; but when we see such found even anon!
those who are born and bred shareholders, we can
not but feel that there is encouragement for fair
and mild and brotherly presentation Of truth, an
every reasyn to lament hasty and wholesale denun
ciations. The great error of controversy is, tina
it is ready to assa persons rather than princi
piles. The slave system as system, perhaps con
centrates more wrong than any other now existing
and yet those who live under and in it may be, as W
see emil ghened, generous, and amenable TO reason
If the systen, alone is attacked, such minds will b
the first to perceive its evils and to turn against it
but if the system be attacked through individuals
self-love, wounded pride, and thousand nature
feelings will be at once enlisted for its preservation
We therefore subioin it as the moral of our story
that man who has had the misfortune to be Dor
and bred Stakeholder may be enlightened, geaei
Gus, humane, and capable of the most dislntereste
regard to the welfare Of his Slave.