Litchfield enquirer., 1850-10-31
LETTER TO A sLAvE-CATCHER.

LETTER TO A SLAVE-CATCHER.
David Paul Brown, Esq, enc of the
most eloquent members of the Philadel-
phia Bar, having recently volunteered in
defence of an alledged fugitive from sla-
very, received the following note:
CEc1LroN, (Md.) Monday, Sept. I6.
David Paul Bro,Un, Esq have just
been informed from Baltimore, that you
have made yourself detestable, by your
inquiries concerning my securing and
safely getting away my negro woman and
her child from New Jersey, whittier she
fed from my service some years since,
with negro man by the name of Jerry
Berry, who afterwards changed his name
10 William Thompson. Said Thompson
was not her husband here; her husband
is living in this State, and would say to
you, that would have succeeded sooner
had it not been for such men as you and
others of the same Bamp. ('negro steal
ers y to Bill Vallow and her husband,
who is here, and who intend to reward,
| am indebted. still V. was up some
time ago, and gained the information.
Come and see me if you want further in.
fol nation, "you gerry nice negro thieves"
Brown, Gibbons d Co.
j. MITCHELL.
To this letter che following answer was
forwarded:
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. Is, 1850.
To Mr.. J. s. Mitchell: Sir-I have re-
ceiyed your letter from Cecil Co., Md,
under date of the 10Th inst. Inever in>
vited this attention, but since you have
done me the honor of a correspondence,
of course you are prepared to take It's
consequences. In the first place, then,
permit me to ssy that the language and
tone of your letter would disgrace q
school boy; nay disgrace even one OF
those miserable slaves doomed as they
are to ignorance) over whom you pre-
sumo to play the despot. This tends
further to show me what / have always
believed, that folly and crime are gener-
ally inseperable companions. Had the
time that you have devoted to the prac-
tice of cruelty over your fellow-creatures
been bestowed upon the pursuit OF NOR
al and intellectual instruction, you might
have known how to write like gentle
man, and probably like Christian. I'm
fortunately, however, in degrading others
you have degraded yonrse5f, and now
present to the better informed portion OF
the community an object of contempt
rather than admiration. All that is left
to you therefore is to stick to the lash ;
hat you are proficient in no doubt; it is
too late for you to attempt either litera>
ture or good manners. While you de-
spise and trample on your serfs, every
enlightened freeman despises and tram
pies upon you and yet still, perhaps,
you are SO blinded by habit, as not to
perceive the measureless distance between
you and gentleman. By lording it owe.
the unhappy you think you are above
your fellow men, while every body else
must know that you legitimately rank
6elow those whom you Cypress.
You speak of my course in vindieating
the rights Of man as detestable. =
Heaven save the mark What is to be
said of yours. which consists in reckless
and ruthless disregard of all the sympa-
thies and charities of the human heart,
and an avowal not only of your being a
slave>owner and slave-dealer, but a
bold faced KIDNAPPER,"
Yes, you audaciously confess that you
have not only, without process and clan
destinely, removed the mother whom you
allege to be your slave, but her intanl
child. born upon the free soil of New
Jersey, and declared by the highest legal
tribunal in the country to be free. You
not only do this, I say, but you dispose
of them to a negro-trader, and cause
them to be exposed upon a butcher:
shamble for sale. Shame, where is thy
blush Manhood, where is thy honor
Do you not know, Sir, that you are liable
to twelve years Imprisonment for the
crime you are cruel enough to commi
and weak enough to confess ? Ifyou dc
not, l will give you a practical opportu'
nifty of knowing it, if you will either ia
vor me with visit, or if your Executive
will comply with requisition for yor
from the Governor of Pennsylvania. II
have some of your agents here mos0
and shall punish Asem. AS yea seem t.
have shared in their offence, you ough
not to shrink from participation in theil
punishment.
A few words more and our civilitie:
are ended. have some advantage oveI
you. l ksow you, and you do not know
nae. You have given me your charactel
under your osrn hand, and will at leas
believe you against yourself. But as
have said you don't know me, am not
as you suppose. an ultra Abolitionist.
am neither frantic, nor lunatic, still an
every inch a friend to Human Freedom
and will continue so to my dying day.
resist no man in his legal claims to pro-
perry. even in Human Flesh; but, Sc
far as am concerned. l will permit M
4 a g q kn Las A