Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-08-27
From The Liberty Bell for ls47.
a Sketch of Maryland Life.
BY CAROLINE W. HEALY DALI.

JAIN ndlt, hlnly striped with grey, walked
irresolutely back and forth before the win
dow Of a booksellers shop in the city OF
Philadelphia. Now he paused for moment
to gaze w~istfully at some richly bound BIZ
bles, last within the glass, now he waited
without the half-open door, and finally, as if
any certainty were better than suspense, he
entered. For several years this faithful
Christian had laid aside all he could spare
from his scanty earnings, on what is called
the Eastern Shore" Of Maryland, in the
hope Of procuring for himself and his chill
dren a copy of the Word of God.
know not by what strange Providence il
happened, but this colored man knew how 10
read, and as he stood on that clear, sunny
morning, by the booksellers side, and turn
ed over the leaves of that long-desired VOL
ume, feeling that it cost more than he could
spare, his heart ached and the tear sprang 10
his always pensive eye. Come" said the
bookseller, coaxingly, you shall have it five
cents lower, and | will throw in this hymn
book" Sherry took the hymn-book, and
turned over its leaves. He caught the first
lines OF well-remembered hymns, and a
glimpse Of some short stories that his curly
headed boys would climb his knee 10 hear.
One or two pictures decorated the book, and
the innocent man, looking on a coarse cut Of
a slave, holding out his hand for the iron, and
another Of the o~verseer, with his cow.skin al
his side, little thought that these plain rep
reservations Of fact, would be termed "libel-
Gus and insurreciionary" by the government
under which he lived. He forgot that he
was in a free and bound for a Stare State he
thought only Of his Bible and of his songs,
and trusting to God to forgive his extrava-
gance, he emptied his pockets and went
away. The happy little faces that clustered
about him on his return, banished all anxious
thoughts of his improvidence. The hymn
book came to be cherished like the Bible
Often had he huumed his baby 10 sleep by
the joyous carol of Canaan, happy Canaan"
while the mournful strains of "Come, ye
disconsolate," had checked full many a Sun
day (rolic of the older boys. Al night it was
carefully laid upon the shelf, but all day il
nestled in the otherwise empty pockets o
Sherry Williams, and full two years had now
gone by without his ever missing the money
IL had cost.
He was by trade a mason, and on another
bright and gorgeous morning with a far lighter
heart than that with which he had waited the
booksellers decree, Sherry threw his irowel
in his hod over his shoulder, and taking his
hand, started for a neighboring farmhouse
where his services were wanted. He threw
his Jacket over the settle, and climbed up the
spacious chimney of the old kitchen. While
he was proceeding with his repairs, he heard
the full, sweet voice of Dinah, the cook, sing
ing what he called I" spiritual songs" below,
and his work speeding all the lighter for this
accompaniment, he was soon down again.
To his surprise his ~favorite book was gone
bu, Dinah, who had spied a corner of it peep
ing from his pocket, soon came to relieve hi:
r,,oNaHA 10 hA~ him q - o.a,t II ltnanr - ~.
read her some of the pretty hymns, which
she had not the learning to spell out. yes
said Sherry, "if you will sing me one o
those sweet songs that made my heart dane,
while ! was up in the chimney, l will real
you all | know" Dinah promised Will
A Sherry ate, she sang, and when they had fin
ished, he opened his dear book. While the,
were both busted over its pages, a son of III
l master of the house, a pining country lawyer
q on the "Shore," came lounging in. l an
glad lido not know his name. He may hav
come of honest blood, and | would not Civ
. it an ignoble fame. He was longing for
client, and found il in his native state. Poe
. Maryland, thou hast much TO answer for
Standing on the brink of the free States, tho
e hast not been able wholly to check the foo
of light which hath invaded thy border; ne,
n ertheless, thou hast turned thy back on i
glory, and chosen the rather TO gaze moodil
on thine own shadow. A glance sufficed
reveal 10 the white man the character of Il
book, and he humbly begged TO borrow it
Sherry, who, smothering his love for its wol
out pages, unlesitatingly complied with Il
lie request.
Sherry, be it understood, was a free ma
and after waiting a reasonable number
weeks, he went to the lawyers Office for h
ID book. The pettifoger put him off to an no
m which he named. Sherry went again al
r. found himself in the power of the sheriff
re his book, indeed, in his pocket, but man
ID cles on his free hands. He was torn fro
he wife and children and carried TO Baltimore
m be tried for it is thus, o, Slavery, that III
lie dost protect myself! Fifteen ,~uitnesses Il
a tilted, upon the trial, that Sherry was hone
s. pious, ind ustrious, and content; he had ne
er been heard to complain; was the last m
in the world to create an excitement.
es short, nothing could be proved against hi
n but the fact that ouch a hymn-book was
rs, his possession. Weeping children and
nd heart-stricken wife surrounded him, but tn
- tears flowed over cheeks of palesi broni
on and so made no impression on the heart Of
he Judge far darker and harder. The law h
We taken hold Of him, and it would not retra
IRE The statute under which he was %convictt
on sentences the colored man who shall be fou
ip- with an incendiary publication in his poss'
we sion, to an imprisonment in the Penitenti1
or Of not more than twenty nor less than
re- years. In consid Grafton OF the evidence
no character, adduced upon his trial, and
in despite Of the public excitement on the 81
In ject, poor Sherry was sentenced to ten.
by The pettifogger was satisfied, his angry c
,ed ent gained her cause, and the miserable
Of mily Of the prisoner begged their way bz
to the "Shofe." have fnrgot'en how ma