Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1845-09-12
MARY M'HUGH.

The following extract, which we have
been allowed to take from the records of the
Prison Association, kept by Isaac t. Hop
per, at the office of that eXcellent institution,
No. l3 Pine street, may be interesting TO
the readers fthe Evening Mirror. We trust
that this affecting case may at least operate
as a caution to employers how they iniure
the character, and blight the prospects, of
poor young creatures engaged in their ser
vice:
"Mary McIIugh belonged to a respectable
Irish family in Upper Canada. There being
several sisters at home, and her services not
needed, she deemed it best to relieve her pa
rents of a part of their burthen, by an effort
to earn her own living. For that purpose
she came to the United States, and entered
into the service of Mrs. -. She dis
charged the duties of her station in a salts
factory manner, and secured the confidence
and alTectionate good will of the family.
At the death of Mrs. -, she engaged
with another family in the same neighbour
hood. This Mrs. - promised her a dol
lar a week for her services; but after she had
been there three weeks, she told her that
she should rive but sixty-two cents. Mary
then requested the wages that were due her,
that she might 90 into the service of anoth-
err family near by, who had offered a dollar
and a quarter a week. Mrs. - declared
that she should not leave till she had pro-
cured another servant; that she would not
pay her a cent till another servant came, and
that she would pay her only sixty-two cents
a week from the beginning to the end of her
stay.
This oppressive and altogether unjustifa-
BILE conduct excited Mary's resentment
Partly in anger, and partly from the idea
that her employer intended to wrong her, she
hid a silver can and some spoons in the wood
house. There is every reason to believe that
she had no intention of stealing them, and
she was not aware that such a step subject
ed her to the danger of a criminal prosecu-
ton. Mrs. - was extremely eXasperated;
and, it is to be hoped, more under the iniu-
ence of thoughtless anger than of deliberate
cruelty, she caused the poor girl to be ares
ted. The silver was found where she con-
fessed she had hid it, she was tried, convic-
ted, and sentenced to Sing Sing fortwo years.
A sense of the disgrace which her inpru~
dence had brought on herself and family,
and especially the anguish it would infict
on her mothers heart, completely broke the
spirit of the poor sufferer. Her sensitive
nature could not belr up under the terrible
struggle, and she sunk into a ~listless despair.
She took extremely little nourishment, and
obtained scarcely any sleep. 1t soon became
evident that reason was giving way under
the influence of perpetual grief, and that she
was in danger of melancholy lunacy the re-
mainder of her life. Her father, a venera-
BILE old soldier, who had been famed in the
British army, at the battle of Saragossa,
came from Canada with an earnest petition
in her behalf, backed with letters and GER
t~ihcateS from magistrates and other people OF
influence and high responsibility, testifying
TO the good character and conduct Of Mary
and her family. The cruel circumstances OF
the case being officially laid before the Gov
ernor, in connection with these certificates,
he granted a pardon, and communicated the
welcome intelligence to the afflicted father
in a letter which did him great honor
While | write this, my heart calculates,
"May heaven bless him!'
4 letter from Eliza w. Farnham, the OK
c%ellent matron of Sing Sing prison, enquir-
ed of me whether the Prison Association
could provide for this unfortunate creature,
till such time as her father could come for
her. l replied that a suitable place had bet
ter be procured in the neighborhood of the
prison, and the Association would pay her
board till she could be restored to her home.
As she was labcring under arrangement oil
hlllu, anu lGQuItu SOuic BGlhlC ICSIdlIlts IL
was difficult to procure a suitable place, and
she was conveyed to the County House.
Another letter from T.. w. Farnham inform
ed me of this, and expressed great anxiety
on her account. For four days she had tas-
ted no food, nor obtained a single hour OF
sleep. The letter concluded by saying,
''Fhis, in addition to her previous eXhaus-
ton, must, if continued, soon produce death.
She is exceedingly miserable, and my heart
is sore at the thought of leaving SO sensitive
and shrinking a spirit all unshielded as she
is"
Unwilling she should remain in the Coun-
ty House an hour longer than was necessary,
| started for Tarrytown the very day | re-
ceived the letter. / had seen the poor child
Of misfortune at Sing Sing, some months
before, and my sympathy had been greatly
excited in her behalf. She recollected Inc
at once, and made no objection to returning