Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-11-12
THE FIR E L N A N.
For the Green Mountain Freeman
Tour among the COlOred Refugees in
Canada West;
Performed IN the months Of September and October, 1886
BY ED. CYRUS PRINDLE.
Continued.

Continued.
Mr.. EDITOR ON leaving Detroit came to Am
ersburgh l8 miles down the river. This is the great
western gate of Freedom. Many a STAKEHOLDER re-
members this place. as the disappointed Rhode Island
politician said with tears in his eyes and wrath in
his gzzard" Multtudes cf painting slaves have stood
up in the dignity of God-ordaned manhood for the
first time in this place, and the save-hunter has arv
ed just in season to meet them his equals.
This is the residence of Rev. Isaac J. Rice, who has
been in his present position seven or eight years past
and most valuable man he is, too. He will come
the nearest to doing half dozen things at the
time of about any man was acquainted WITH
He breaches the gospel teaches school, does most of
the writing for the colored people, settles difficulties,
feeds the hungry and deals outcothing to the needy,
and does every thing else that promises good to the
colored man, for whose welfare he sten pledged by
the strongest feelings of his heart. And not only
feel bound to say thus much in relation to the man,
but this position is certainly If the most important
of any to which the slaves have fled in the Province
Bro. Rice estimates the number in his section within
eighteen miles, to be from three to four thousand per-
sons--the greater part of whom have formerly fled
from slavery in of our glorious striped States
spent more than week in this place, and in that
time attended a camp meeting in the Gown of Colches
ter, twelve miles down the lake, which commenced on
Thursday, and concluded on the Monday following
Many meetings of this name have attended, but none
OF the kind, exactly, of this ore. White people at
tended spectators, but left the coored people to do
the work and enjoy the blessings, with the exception
of Bro Rice and myself; and ,ve were so fully negro
men that put ourselves in the fore front of the bat
tle.) A number found peace in believing during the
meeting; and among the rest young lady just Orriv-
ed from Kentucky. This circumstance, to me, was
one of great interest," and of itself would have been
ample compensation for my tour This young woman,
with ten Others arrived in the Province the Sab
bath before, and coming to the meeting where anti
slavery gospel was faithfully preached the truth so
deeply affected her heart that she cried to God for
mercy and found the pearl Of great price, This COM
pany of eleven persons started out from Kentucky
some three weeks before this, and the "edrt" helped
them that, without let or hndrance, they arrived
in safety in the Queens dominions in good spirits and
think they shall be able to make live of it. If Ma
thaniel Morton, Jacob Lawson, James Walker, and
widow Elizabeth Walker, who claimed these eleven
persons slaves have had deep for them you
may inform them that Samuel Holiness Susan Vaughn,
Maria Vaughn Gabriel Clingman, wife and chill
dren, &C., all arrived in Canada about the middle of
September and found their cousus who left Kentucky
last summer, in good health and they had merry
meeting on freedoms soil. would suggest that these
Kentucky gentry send to the friends have named a
little ready cash to begin the world WITH and in part
payment for services rendered.
A small portion of the colored population in this
section have taken up land and in comfortable cir
cumstances others owing for the situations they
occupy. and fear will hardly be able to make pay.
ment in to save themselves from the painful
process of legal election Bro. Rice is deeply inter
ested in this matter and is doing all he to
rage them to make vigorous effort to become the
owners Of the soil. This regard absolutely neces
say to the elevation of the coored man, and when this
shall be an appendage to him, every thing else un
righteous will give way. Added to the foregoing this
portion of the refugees are suffering immensely for the
want of schools to which they can send their children
for an education. Practically the colored children
are all excluded from the government schools not BY
the force of laws, but by the influence of ungody pre-
JUDGE. could not learn that there were more thai
two schools in this large population at which the chill
dren of these robbed ones can be admitted one o
those is kept by Bro Rice, when he find time tt
be thus employed; and one other, kept by young
man in the adjoining town; but what these wher
there should be or 10? And permit me here to say
that unless the friends in the States shall furnish thu
means for establishing schools among the colored PEG
pie in Canada they must remain destitute Of en- edu
cation for long time to come as, in many places thu
prejudice against the colored will continue unit
education is introduced among them But let the col
ored man become the owner of the soil, and be edu
Gated, and he will stand up an acknowledged man
both in Canada and the States.
While in this place was repeatedly solicited to al
in delivering different individuals from southern despc
tsm, and the manner in which the appeals were made
was enough to melt the hardest heart. One old, su
fehng man. with sobs and tears, begged me to hel
him to grandson, who is now in the slave regio
He had had four children of his own, but all we're sol
from him. and last of ALL they took from him his lit
grandson, (which was his only comfort Another roc
ia miles, to beg of me to render assistance in bringr
out of the house of bondage a mother and two sister
Poor man honored the heart of this SON and brotte
but was compelled to say that | knew of no way
could aid him, but in appeal to God in his own al
friends behalf Under these circumstances cou
imagine what the feelings of Torrey and others mu
have been when similar appeals were made to the
And declare that, had it been in my power to ha
rescued these imprisoned ones, and restored them
tbcr friends in Canads should have done as fret