Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-09-20
THE ANTI-SLAvERY BUGLE.
The Cbristlana Tragedy.


The tragedy which occurred near Ian
caster, Pa, on the l1lh, is the first we have
had under the Fugitive act, where Slarss de-
Tended themselves like mrn. The prolmbil-
iiy is, that il will not be the last The won
der Is, that colored men have heretofore sub
nitted so tanely.
The account we give is from a cores
pondent Of the .Nep York Tribune, who re-
ceived his facts from an eye witness.
From on individual just from TINT place,
we learn that slavuholder with his son and
nephew, from Maryland, accompanied 10y
U. ;. officers of this city and Baltimore,
weit to Christiana ulter two fugitive slaves.
The blacks, having received notice OF their
coming, gathered, considerable number ot
! them, 10 the house which the slnve-catching
parry 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 off. A pnrley took place, the slave
holder declaring, as il is said aud believed,
81 will go TO H. or havo my slaves -
The door was broken IN, horn was sound
ed out OF one ofthe upper windows; after an
interval, company ofblacks, armed gather
ed on the spot, and the negroes in the house
made rus down stairs aud crowded the
whites out. Here the parley was resumed,
the Spokesman Of tie blacks telling the white
men TO go away; they were determined he
said, to die rather than 20 into slavery, or
allow any one Of their number to he tnkeu.
lie declared moreover that the blacks would
not fire, hut it. the whites fred they were
dead men. Shortly, first the nephew, then
the slave-owner and his son fired revolvers
.I. ...xe
seriously,-one man had his ear perforated
by ball. The clothes of others were pier
ced and torn, hut us the blacks said after
wards "the Lord shook the bulls out of theil
clothes" The fire of the whites was return.
ed. The slave.owner fell dead, and his son
very dangerously wounded. Tho whites
then returned. One of the u. s. officers
summoned the posse, but in vain. Some ol
the neighbors, Quakers, and Auti-Slavery
persons, went and took up the wounded
Inan and carried him 10 one of their homes
where, while they told him in Quaker
phrase, that "they had TO unity with him ia
his acts" and ahhorred the wicked business
in which he had been engaged. Every at
tention was paid him. Medical aid instant
ly sent for. The effect oi' this treatment up
on the young man, as our informant told us,
|
eel, ii he lived, TO correct the impression peo
pie had at his home about the Abolitionisis
The Doctor pronounced his wounds moral
People soon gathered in large numbers a
this scene of blood. The excitement wat
immense. Opinions aud feelings conflcted
of course, but there was n strong feeling il
behalf of the blacks. While the Grove
were talking, and during the ierment, two
| If
crowd exclaimed, "there go two fellows wlIC
should be shotp' The black men paused
faced the crowd and said calmly something
to this effect: ."Here we are shoot us, il yoI
choose; we are a suffering people anyhow
Cod made us black; we can't help thut
siroo, us ifyou will" The revulsion was in
stantaneous and strong, and any man win
had niuitered a word against the black
would have been Knocked down on til
spot.
1t is not true that the blacks had beel
counseled to resist They had been repeat
edly advised not 10 fight, but to flee to Can
ada.
Our informant, an nged aud eminent mem
ber Of the Society of Friends, docs not pro
Tess to give the testimony OF an eyewitness
he had seen the dead body Of the stakeholder
lie knew the people who took charge OF III,
wounded man. lie knew that the black
had been counseled against resistance. Tht
friends of the slave aud the fugitive, in thn
neighborlood are Quakers. Further thai
this, the above account is the account of
resident in that vicinity, who gives us wha
is the most probable truth Of the case, accor
ding TO the statements of those in the neigh
borhood best acquainted with the circum
stances. In few days, it is hoped that th'
truth will he ascertained with more certain
ty. Although, by some questioned at first
which fired first, the settled belief at ia,
place is, that the whites fired first, as state'
above. Yours, for truths sake,
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