Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-09-09
III ~unitatton us .
ANOTHER RESCUE.

e. Some excitement was produced in Allegheny
City on Monday last, by the rescue Of a colOred
woman and four little children from the custody
of a man calling himself VIM. IIorner, from Far
quhar Co., Va, and supposed to be about to carry
them from the city as slaves. Horner had called
with his property at the Allegheny Hotel for din
ner, expecting to take the 8 o'clock train of the
o. & p. Rail Road for tho west.
Some intelligent colored men called upon the
woman, who informed them that she and her chill
dren were slaves, but that her master was tnking
her West to set her free. A large number of per.
sons, principally colored, collected about the hotel,
and after IN hours deliberation, concluded that,
having been brought to Pennsylvania by their
master, and by the act entitled to freedom, the
mother and children might rs well enjoy their lib
erty then and there, as to go further and perhaps
fare worse. The hotel was therefore entered, and
they were carried triumphantly away, just before
the leaving of the cars. Mr.. Horner, who left by
the cars without his "niggers," as he called them,
informed the passengers that they were willed free
by his sister, who died about q year ago, and that
he was carrying them West to find them q home.
Possibly his statement may have been tree; but as
the holders of " this species of property" as James
Madison would say, have a habit Of lying in such
cases, it would be folly to credit the statement,
without better proofthan his assertion. If IIorner
had in his possession sufficient proof that their
freedom was secured, land he he had no business
to travel under circumstances so suspicious without
such evidence,) he had abundant time to produce
it, as the crowd were around the hotel a full hour
before the rescue took place; yet he did not make
his appearance. In his stead, however, if not in
his employ, l observed a well dressed man in the
crowd, with the countenance of a Methodist preach
or, but protesting to be a lawyer, who did his utmost
to dissuade the people from committing so great an
outrage as to carry the poor creatures away.
He assured the colored people that he was no friead
to slavery, but that if they were slaves, the mastor
had the law on his side, and all efforts to free them
would be useless; whereas, il the woman's statement
that they were to De freed was true, he feared greatly
their i'll treatment of the master might cause him
to abandon his benevolent intention, and sell them
to the South He was reminded that whatever
might have been their condition in Virginia, having
been brought into q free State, they were free.
This he stoutly denied, declaring that the most ig-
norant colored person present knew better. AS,
! however, no ignorant colored man assented to his
doctrine, he informed them he was q lawyer, and
of course, having made these things his study,
ought to know. lie was informed that if no was,
as he claimed, a lawyer, he knee thar he eas lying,
as he could not utter such an untruth, without
knowing it to be such. Finding his efforts thrown
+ away, he withdrew, at length, in disgust; and I
, observed him gazing at a distance, rather in sorrow
than in anger-though not entirely devoid of the
latter-at the denouement.
] observe that some of the Pittsburgh papers
! represent Mr.. IIorner's statement as to the freedom
of the colored people, as probably correct. Pos.
silly it may he SO; but | see not what better course
, could, under the circumstances, have been adopted,
than the one pursued. After Abby Kelly Salem
was carried away from our station, a week ago,
the master declared, Notwithstanding his former
statement to the contrary, that she was n free child
l Had we believed his statement, Abby would now
have been a slave in Tennessee, and her maste,
laughing with his friends at the stupidity of the
abolitionists. Better that ninety and nine free
persons should be "rcsdued," than that one man,
thief should pass, with his human prey, unmolestod
=, through n free State.
Having been, by accident, present at the Alle
gheny rescue, 1 write from observation.
JAMES BARNABY.