The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-10-16
THE DAILY DISPATCH
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The Late TRAGEDY,

Trecdey Mornins, October 10, 1888.
The Late Tragedy.
Tho late tragedy In this city, fun account OF
which was given in yesterdays Dispatch, IL an
impressive, practical illustration at our own doors
Of abolition love for the negroes. The freedom it
ofYers is the freedom OF the grave; either by the
slow process Of starvation, the more rapid agen-
cscs of ssrychnine and the bowie-knifc.
The murderer, Francis Auburn, las he calls him
.eis) was, we have no doubt. as he represented 70
the negroes whom he had entieed from their mas
ter, an agent of an abolition society at the No'''
II il clear that men who engage in such an ei,p'o
ment, who come to Virginia for the purpose VI IN
ing In the abduction Of slaves, must DC h'e
ing TO hazard their own lives and, thereio''' ~
" reckless of the lives of others Is aiso
that no man would undertake an enterprise ." pc
Hons except with the prospect OF reward CORES
ponding to the dangers Of his vocation But 'he
abolition societies not in financial condition 10
nav large sums 10 their agents, and hence, we may
expec, those agents. whilst contracting with their
EMPLOYERS for a reward nominally small, TO ava
themselves of every opportunity to obtain sum
,ha. win compensate them for their extraordinary
risks and labors. Thus, If a negro come IN thcr
hands, having an amount of money sufncient TO
tempt their cupidity, they would rob him, on the
underground railroad without hesitation; and,
having robbed him, they would Kill him, lest he
.bould expose their crime to their abolition en-
blowers and thus procure their discharge from ser
vice 1t is only such bad bold men as Auburn that
would or could engage in such an enterprise. HE
was the gent Of an abolition society, but looked
after his own interests first, and had hardly com
nenced his vocation, before, to obtain some money,
he murdered of the negroes he had enticed from
his master and evinced disposition so inhuman
and reckless of life that the other negro fed fear
ing for himself similar fate.
7, mist he acknowledged that this abolition agent
commenced his operations on very considerable
scale Think of stranger coming to the capital
oil, ne Virginia. and in one Of the most populous
parts Of its principal horoughfares leasing three
story house as 4 depot for an underground rail-
road, and butcher shop for negroes with money
How long he might have pursued without suspi
cjon his nefarious traffic; how many occupants the
cellar of that house might in time have had what
new branches of business he might have added to
the kidnapping and numbering of servants, ii is inn
possible to conjecture. 1t is a question of much
more practical moment whether the underground
railroad" has other agents of the same sort i'll
this city, who have run off and still running off
negroes to the North TO the grave their in
terests dictate
Were this man Auburn added 10 the hideous
portraits pictured by De Quincy, in Murder, as
one Of the fine arts he would make the most in
fernal figure III the whole collection All the cir
cunstances connected with the slaughter of the
poor negro and with his own suicide, showed him a
most depraved and hardened villain. He admins
tiers poison to the wretched creature with the jocu
lar remark that it viii soon do him good mangle.
and cuts him open after DEATH in the most shocking
manner, informing the negro surviving that hs
riskcs TO eramine he effects Of strychninc upon III,
hpnam sysem; snaps pistol at one of the arresting
party, thus attempting another murder; blows
strychnine upon the faces of some of the watchmen
and recommends them to drink little water to
soye themselves from harm; swallows the deadly poi
son himself and in reply to question from the
physicians to the contents of the phal ironically
remarks: perhaps it is morphine, with little -four
in il to make it taste bitter; and dies, and goes to
his own place. Such is brief summary of one
chapter III the history Of Francis Auburn the late
representative and agent of abolitonism in the
capital of Virginia.