The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-04-01
[NGTON, THURSDAY, APRIL !, 1852.

YOU to leave me. he place wants as MANY
hands to work it as ii did before We need
the same about the house that we did before
But. you are now free men and free women.
shall pay you wages for your work such as we
shall agree on. The advantageis that in case of
my getting in debt, or dying-things that
might happcn-you cannot now be taken up
and sold | expect to carry on the estate, and
to teach you what perhaps it will take you
some time to learn-how to use the rights |
give you as free men and women expect
YOU to be good, and willing to learn; and
trust in God that shall be faithful. and will
ing to teach. And now, my friends, look up,
and thank God for the blessing of freedom
An aged, patriarchal negro who had grown
gray and blind on the estate. now rose. and
lifting his trembling hand, said, :" Let us give
thanks unto the Lord" As all kneeed by
one consent more touching and hearty TIE
| Deum never assembled to heaven. though borne
on the peal of organ, bell, and cannon, than
came from that honest old heart.
On rising. another struck up a Methodist
hymn, of which the burden was
"The year of Jubilee is come.
| Return, ye ransonled sinncrs, home
Zone thing more said George, as he stop
/
all remember our good old Uncle Tom 20
George here gave a short narration of the
scene of his death, and of his loving farewell
to all on the place, and added
cit was on his grave, my friends that | re-
solved, before God, that would never own an
other slave. while it was possible to free him ;
that nobody, through me- should ever run the
risk of being parted from home and friends
and dying on lonely plantation, as he died
SO, when you rejoice in your freedom, think
that you owe it to that good old soul, and pay
| it back in kindness to his wife and children
Think of your freedom. every time you see
JlNuE TOMS CABIN; and let it he u memo
rial to put you all in mind to follow in his
steps, and be as honest, and faithful and
Christian, ~ he was
CHAPTER XLIV.-Coneluding Remarks
The writer has often been inquired of by
correspondents from different parts of the
country whether this narrative is true one
and to these inquiries she will give one general
answer
The separate incidents that compose the
narrative are, to very great extent, anthem
tic, occurring many of them either under her
own observation, or that of her personal friends.
She or her friends have observed characters
the counterpart of almost all that are here in
troduced; and many of the sayings are word
for word as heard herself or reported to her.
The personal appearance of Eliza, the char
acter ascrbed to her, are sketches drawn from
life The incorruptibe fidelity piety, and
honesty. Of Uncle Tom, had more than one
development to her personal knowledge. Some
OF the most deeply tragic and romantic, some
Of the most terrible incidents, have also their
parallel in reality. The incident of the moth
er's crossing the Ohio river on the ice is we'll
known fact The story of old Prue," in the
second volume, was an incident that fell under
the personal observation of brother of the
writer then collecting clerk to large mercan-
tile house, in New Orleans. From the same
source was derived the character of the planter
Legree Of him her brother thus wrote, speak
ing of visiting his plantation, on a collecting
tour: " He actually made me feel of his fist,
which was like a blacksmith's hammer. or a
nodule OF iron telling me that it was cal
loused with knocking down niggers.' When |
lett the plantation, drew a long breath, and
felt as if had escaped from an ogre's dem
That the tragical fate of Tom, also, has too
many times had its parallel, there are living
witnesses, all over our land to testify Let il
be remembered, that in all Southern States il
is principle of jurisprudence that no person
of colOred lineage can testify in a suit against
a white, and it will be easy to see that such
a case may occur, wherever there is man
whose passions outweigh his interests, and a
slave who has manhood or principle enough to
resist his will There is, actually nothing to
protect the slaves life, but the character of the
master. Facts too shocking to be cOntempla-
ted occasionally force their way to the public
ear, and the comment that one often hears
made on them. is more shocking than the thing
itself Ii is said Every likely such cases may
now and then occur, but they are no sample of
general practice If the lawsof New England
were 50 arranged that master could noW and
then torture an apprentice to death, without a
possibility of being brought to justice, would it
be received with equal composurei Would it
be said, These cases are rare, and no samples
of general practice This injustice is an
inherent one in the slave system-it cannot
exist without it,
The public and shameless sale of beautiful
mulatto and quadroon girls has acquired
notoriety, from the incidents following the
capture of the Pearl We extract the follow
ing from the speech of Hon. Horace Mann, one
of the legal counsel for the defendants in that
case. He says: " In that company of seventy
six persons, who attempted, in lS48, to escape
from the District of Columbia in the schooner
Pearl, and whose officers assisted in defend
ing, there were several young and healthy
girls, who had those peculiar attractions of
form and feature which connoisseurs prize so
highly. Elizabeth Russell was one Of them
She Immediately fell into the slave-trader's
fangs, and was doomed for the New Orleans
market The hearts of those that saw her
were touched with pity for her fate They
offered eighteen hundred dollars TO redeem her;
and some there were who offered to give, that
would not have much left after the gift but
the fend of IA slavc-trader was inexorable She
was despatched to New Orleans but when
about half way there, God had mercy on her.
and smote her with death. There were two
girls named Edmundson in the same company
When about to be sent to the same market, an
older sister went to the shambles. to plead
with the wretch who owned them, for the love
of God to spare his victims He bantered her,
telling what fine dresses and fine furniture
they would have Yes she said that may
do very well in this life, but what will become
of them in the next, They two were sent to
New Orleans, but were afterwards redeemed
Mt an enormous ransom, and brought back"
Is it not plain, from this, that the histories Of
Empeline and Classy may have many counter
parts!
Justice, too, oblges the author to state that
the fairness of mind and generosity attributed
to St. Clare are not without parallel, as the
following anecdote will show. A few years
since. a young Southern gentleman was in
Cincinnati with q favorite servant, who had
been his personal attendant from boy. The
Young man took advantage of this opportunity
to secure his own freedom, and fled to the pro-
lection of Quaker, who was quite noted in
affairs of this kind: The owner was exceed
inply indignant. He had always treated the
slave with such indulgence, and his confidence
in his affection was such, that he believed he
.-naliood IlIoIl "a indlca him