Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-02-19
Thine sincerely,
II. C. WRIGHT.
FREDERICK DoUGLAss's REPLY.
%, 81. .3nn's Square, Manchester, !
22d Dec, 1916.
Henry c.. WRIGHT:

HENRY g.. WRIGHT
Dear Friend Your letter of the I2,h De-
cember reached me at this place, yesterday.
Please accept my heartfelt thanks for it. |
am sorry that you deemed it necessary to as
sure me, that it would be the last letter of
advice you would ever write me. 1t looked
as If you were about to cast me off for ever
| do not, however, think you meant to con-
vey any such meaning and if you did, | am
sure you will see cause to change your mind,
and to receive Inc again into the fold of those,
whom it should ever be your pleasure to adj
wise and instruct.
The subject of your letter is one of deep
importance, and upon which | have thought
and felt much and, being the party of all
others most deeply concerned, it is natural to
suppose | have an opinion, and ought to be
able to give it on all fitting occasions. |
Geem this a fitting occasion, and shall act ac-
cordingly.
You have given me your opinion | am
glad you have done so. You have riven it
to me direct, in your own emphatic way
Iou never speak insipidly, smoothly, or
mincingly; you have strictly adhered to your
custom, in the letter before me. | now take
great pleasure in giving you my opinion, as
plainly and unreservedly as you have given
yours, and trust with equal good feeling
and purity Of motive. | take it, that nearly
all that can be said against my position is
contained in your letter for if any man in
the wide world would be likely to find valid
objections to such a transaction as the one
under consideration, ] regard you as that
man. / must, however, tell you, that | have
read your letter over, and over again, and
have sought in vain to find anything like
urbot / CON ronard &c n valid ro,noa ,-u,.
the purchase Of mig body, or against my recei.
ring the m~anumission papers, i they are eve'
presented 10 me.
Let me, in the first place, state the fact:
and circumstances of the transaction which
you so strongly condemn. 1t is your rich
to do so, and God forbid that | should eve
cherish the slightest desire to restrain you il
the exercise of that right. | say to you a
r once, and in all the fulness of sincerity, speaI
out; speak freely; keep nothing back lie
me know your whole mind. slew TO tn,
t line, though the chips fly in my face Tel
me, and tell me plainly, when you think
am deviating from the strict line of duty anC
, principle; and when | become unwilling Il
hear. | shall have attained a character whicl
! now d~espise, and from which | would hop
to be preserved. But TO the facts.
, am in England, my family are in the L
| nited States. My sphere of usefulness is i
the United States /; my public and domesti
4, duties are there; and there it seems my du
f ty to 90. But | am legally the property c
r Thomas Aud, and if go to the United States
(no matter to what part, for there is no Cit
of Refuge there, nc spot sacred to freedom
= there Thomas Aud, aided by The .3merica
Government, can seize, bind and fetter, an
drag me from my family, feed his cruel re
venge upon me, and doom me to unendin
, slavery. In view of this simple statemer
=, of facts. a few friends, DESTROYS of seeing m
. released from the terrible liability, and to re
4 lieve my wife and children from the painful
a trepidation, consequent upon the liability
> and to place me on an equal footing of safe
: ty with all other anti-slavery lecturers in til
( United States, and to enhance my usefulnes
: by charging the field of my labors in the L
t nited States, have nobly and generously pal
T Hugh Aud, the agent of Thomas AulC
PI5O-in consideration Of which, Hugh Aul
(acting as his agent) and the Government
the United States agree, that | shall be fire.
;, from all further legal liability.
! These, dear friend, are the facts Of tn
e whole transaction. The principle here acte
on by my friends, and that upon which | a