Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-10-02
VOL. 8.
A Letter from Fugitive Chaltls 10 his Owner.

A Letter from Fugitive Chalilt 10 his Owner
Henry BIBB announces in the last number OF
his paper, the arrival Of three of his brothers
from Missouri, safe via. Under Ground Rail
road. Mr. Bibb had not seen his brothers for
sixteen years. Most unexpectedly also they
met their aged mother, from whom they werc
separated in 1886 in Kentucky. Mr.. Bibb. in
the same number Of his paper, addresses tho
following letter to the man who claims him ns
his property. 1t is done, we suppose, by way
of consolation for his loss, as VIC are in
formed that these late arrivals, have COM
pletely destroyed his stock IN this spcies Of
trade.
ALETTER To MY OLD MASTER,
Mn ALnBnT q. SIBLEr,
SR; 1t has now been about sixteen years
since VIC saw each other face to face, and at
which time you doubtless considered meinferior
to YOURSELF as you then held me as an article Of
property, and sold me as such; but my mind
soon alter became insubordinate to the ,0ngodly
relation of master and slave, md tho work Of
self. emancipation commenced and l was made
free.
have long felt inclined to open aco--espon-
dcnce with you on this subject, but havcrcfrain-
cd from doing so, until now, for two redsons;
first, knew not your post Office address; and
secondly, YOU then held in bondage several OF
my mothers children, of which YOU robbed her
when you left the State of Kentucky IN 1896.
But those obstacles are now both removed
out of the way, can venture to address you.
For moro than twenty years you have been
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church
class leader and an exhoTter of that denomi-
nation; protesting to take the Bible, as your
standard of christian duty. But sir know you
not that in the light of this book, you have been
acting the hypocri.c all this while; i feel call
cd upon as a christian to call your attention to
a few facts with regard to il. But before doing
so, am happy to inform you that my.brothcrs.
John, Lewis and Granville, whose legs brought
them from your plantation, are now all at my
house in Canada with our dear mother, fee and
doing well on British soil so you. need not
give yourself any trouble about advertising or
looking for them. They have all served you
as slaves for 81 20 80 years without eotnpcnss-
ton, and have now commenced to uct for them
selves. Is this incompatible with the character
Of Bible christiani Ard yet l. suppose that
you. with your man.robbing poss0c bavec chased
them with your dogs and guns. as if they, wcro
shccp-killng wolves upon the hugo mountains
brow, for the purpose Of rc.capturing them and
dragging them back to q, mental graveyard, in
the name of law and slnveholding religion
Oh what harmony there seems To be between
these two twin sisters The Fugitive Slave Law
and the Methodist l., Church. Lstentto tho
language of inspiration; Feed the hungry.
and clothc the naked" Break every yoke and
let the oppressed go free; "All things, ,wiatso-
ever yc would that men should do unto you,
do yc even so unto them, for this is the law and
the prophets"
While on the other hand your church sane
tions the buying and selling of men, women,
and children: the robbing men Of their wives,
and parents of their offspring-thc violation of
the whole dccnloguc, by permitting the pffolan-
alton of the sabbath committing Of theft,
murder, incest and adultery, which is constantly
done by church members holding slaves and
from the very essence of slavery. Now, sir,
allow me, with the greatest Difference to your
Intelligence to inform you that you arc miscra-
bly, deeeiving yourself, if you believe that You
arc in the straight and narrow path to heaven,
whilst you are practising such abominablc viola
ton OF the planest pieccpts of religion.
The fellowship of no number of protesting
christians, however extended, nor the solemn
baptism and silent tolcraton OF all the Revcr-
end time serving ministers in creation; can
make you really christian, or dispense with
the binding force of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
as the rule of your life and practice and whilst
you continue in such an unhalIowed course of
conduct, your prayers, your solemn fasts and
ordinances are an aLomination to the Lord.
from which he will turn his face away III dis
gust, and will not hear or look upon. y
Imust here conclude for the present, but a.
this subject is fraught with such vital import
ance to your eternal interest, and as have once
maintained an intimate relation to you, / shall
feel bound as n christian to interest IN yself in
calling your attention to it again.
Yours with becoming respect,
HENRY BTDD:.
Windsor Sept, 90, 1852.
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