The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-09-24

~
The Christians Tragedy.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept IL.
l DEAR SIN: 81 write in great haste, ca
ger 10 correct, as have the means Of do
| ing in a measure, the accounts just pub.
lishcG in our morning papers, of the bloody
battle which took place Yesterday morning
AT Christiana, in this State, 30 miles this
side ofdancasler.
FROM an individual Just from that place
we learn that STAKEHOLDER with his son
and nephew, from Mary land, accompanied
| by U. S. officers Of this city and Baltimore,
went 10 Christana after two fugitive slaves
The blacks having received notice Of their
coming, gathered, a considerable numb Ell
oil them, in the house which tho slave
catching party were expected TO visit. The
door was fastened, and the blacks retired
TO the upper part of The house.
| When the STAKEHOLDER and his company
approached, they were warned of A par
10y took place, the STAKEHOLDER declaring, as
il is said and belle; ed, Z" will 70 to h
or have my slaves" The door was broken
in, horn was -oundcd out OF one of the
upper windows; alter an interval, a cons
pauy Of blacks. armed, gathered on the
| spot, and the negroes ia the house made a
| rush down stairs aud crowded the whites
OUT. Here the par'ey was resumed, the
Spokesman of the blacks telling thu white
men to go away; they were determined,
| he said, to die rather lhnu 20 into slavery
or to allow any ono of their number TO be
| taken
lie declared moreover that the blacks
would not FIRE, but if iha whites fred they
Al.
| then ale slave owner and hi5 son fred re.
volycr- wounding a number OF tho blacke,
| but no, seriously one man had his car
perforated by IL ball. The clothes Of 9TH
| crs were pierced aud torn, but as the blacks
said afterwards, " the Lord shook The bals
| out of he iire of the whites WAS returned"
The slave owner fell dead, ard his son
very dangerously wounded. The whites
| then returned
Que Of tho l.. S. officers summoned The
popse, but in vain. Some of the neigh
bors, Quakcrs, and Anli>Slavery persons,
went up and took up the wounded man
and carried him TO one Of their homes
| where, while they told him in Quaker
phrase that " they had no unity with him
in his acts" and abhorred the wicked bust
ness in which ne had been engaged, every
attention was paid him. Medical aid was
instantly sent for. The effect of this treat
| meni upon the Young man, ne oar inform
ant told us, may easily be imagined. lie
wcpt aud vowed, if he lived, TO correc, the
impression people had at his home about
the Ahoitionst-. The doctor pronounced
his wounds mortal.
People soon gathered in large numbers
at this scene Of blood The excitement
was Immense. Opinions and feelings con-
nictcd Of course, bot there was strong
feeling in behalf the blacks. While the
crowd were talking, and during the fer
meni, two blacks (brick makcrs) passed
Ore 81 the crowd exclaimed, There 90
two lollows who should he shotm The
black men paused and faced the crowd
and said calmly something to this effect -
Here we nre shoot ", If you choose
we ara a suilSring people any how. God
made us black we can't help that, shoot
US if you will" The revulsio0 was in
Simultaneous and strong, and any man who
had mutlerei q word against the blacks
| would have been knocked down on the
spot.
1t is not true that the blacks had been
counsclod to resist, They had been re-
peaicdy advised hot TO fight, hnt 10 fee TO
Canada.
Our informant, IN aged and eminent
| member OF The Society OF Fricnd7, does
not profess TO give the testimony Of an eye
witness. lie had seen the dead body of
the stakeholder. lie knew the people who
| tooa charge of the wounded man. lie
knew that the blacks had been counaclIed
ngains. resistance. The friends OF the
| slave anl he !ug tive IN that ncighborhoOd