Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-04-30
From the Obcrlin Evangelist.
The Little Strangers Burial.

orphan fugitive from slavery, who hos just now
found a refuge in our grave yard, we sit down
to sketch them for the sake Of our readers.
Lee Howard Dobbins, a colored child Of some
four years, was brought into our village some
few days since in the last stages Of consumption.
Ills mother died two years since, but in her
last hour committed this little one to the COM
passionate care Of fellow slave.mother, by
whom no was brought here to die. lie had
father--but of him humanity makes no particu
lar account. lie was one of those fathers who
oton property in the flesh and bones Of their
children, to whom therefore sick and dying
boy is valuelcss thing. His natural mother
seems never to have thought Of such father as
a protector of her child. Instnctvely she
turns for human sympathy and help to a sister
savc-mothcr and not in vain. The latter
promptly accepted the trust, and heroicaly did
she fulfil it. she nursed tho feeble one along
with the other littlo ones Of her fold, till the
hour came to ttrike for freedom, and then with
a babe Of her own on one arm, and this sick
helpless one on the other, she badc her other
children follow, and fed. A Hand moro than
human guiding and sustaining they were set
down among us, in safety. The little sick one
could 60 no farther. With many bitter tears
this mother by adoption tore herself away and
left him here, till God opened his Great House
of Refuge, and took the fugitive orphan home!
Upon this community it devolvcd to perform
tho last offices Of sympathy for the orphan boy,
and not often has such call been responded to
more promptly. Moro than one thousand per-
sons were present at this funeral. From many
an eye unused to tears, they "would unbidcn
start" We thought of the horrible system
which gives TO thousands Of little babes no
earthly father, save such as would chase down
and sell thtm for the god-vnlue of their bones
and muscles. We thought now this same sys-
tenn tears away from its babes the mothers God
gave and dooms them to more than orphanago-
orphanose among human flesh. mongers We
thought how kind 1t is in God IL open the
grave as a hiding place, over whose thrcshliold
even Slavery cannot stride, to reach its fleeing,
escaping victims. But oh, how terrible must
be that mode Of life from which death is a ref.
ugc! We looked upon tho wasted fmm of
this babe of years, as one of many thousands
yearly born to orphanage and bondage whom
slavery rears and fattcns for its amblcs-who
have natural mothers to love and cherish them
while they may, but often have only unn0tlUai
fathers who chase them down if they fly for
freedom, and whom this nation clothes with
its whole power for their mereilcss work.
We Mought-and from our aching heart, we
uskcd-lIow long, o Lord, hO,o long' How
long ere it shall be said-"verly, there is q God
wlo judgeth in the carth"a
The hcroism Of this fleeing and escaping slave
mother had she been Pole or Spartan, and not
Of the doomed race, would have earned for her
immortal fame. Two daughters grown to wo-
manhood, one of them with an infant in her
arms, she learns, are sold to 60 down the river
(lIer husband was already sold and gonc) 1t
is too much for brave and bold heart to bear,
and at once her plans arc laid--for freedom 1t
matters not that she has one infant of her own
upon one arm, and this adopted, sick, and al.
most dying ono, on the other,-it binders not
that there are three other lads to be taken
| along-a company of ninc and not one man
on whose strong arm and steadflst heart thev
can lean sit daunts them not that hounds and
horses, and yet moro savage men, will surely be
upon their track-lor what will not tho Lero.
ism of slave-mother, in agony for her sold
daughters, do and dare: Perhaps she had
faith in God. At least, hei spirit reminds ia
of those ancient men of faith who "out of weak.
ness were made strong"
And shall it be still demanded of this on.
pressed race that they prove thoir birthright in
the human family Postcrity will love to &C
cord to them this honor, while it must grudec.
if fnot deny it to their opprcssor
Since writing the above we opened Henry
Bibb's Voice of the Fugitive published in Con.
ada West, opposite Detroit, turned to the col.
umn OF "Local Matters" ''The operations of thu
under ground railroad" and found the follow.
ing welcome paragraph, which should be con.
nccted with the history as above:
"sincO the above was written, oman with
seven children and one grnndchiid, have arriv.
cd on the last train. They ran away from Rice
Bolton, OF Dover, Ky. These were all tho
slaves which he possessed. This woman wishes
to say to her old MASTER that she has landed
safe with all her children, and that sho upex.
pectcdly met With her brother thornton in
Canada, within ten minutes after sho landed
here and that she found him doing we'll She
also thanks him for selling her two eldest
daughters to the soul-drivers for $500. for /,
was this that caused her to flee away with them
| to land of liberty"
a freight train travelling at the ratio of TWEEN.
ty'ionr miles the hour, requires on level
5i6 yards to come to astop, and 10 l. 2 seconds