The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-05-10
REMARKABLE PERSONS.

y
and who is there that has lived in this vicinity
within the last forty years who did not know
Uncle Jack PTS dead. He breathed his
last on Tuesday, at his residence in the town of
Willing, few miles south of this village. He
was 40 years old. AS our readers at distance
may not be familiar with the history of this ex-
traordinary man, we will inform them. He was
an Afriean-a pure African. When child, be
was stolen from his native plains in Africa, by
band of marauding Arabs, who retained him
until he arrived at manhood, when he was sold
to West India man-dealer. He was carried to
the Island of st. Domingo, where he served a
number of years with different masters, as a
slave cook. At the time of the instruction in
st. Domingo, (which event, if we mistake not,
transpired in or about the year 1851 when the
furious blacks exterminated almost the entire
white population of the Island, Uncle Jack
refused to join with his fellow-bondmen in the
Notwithstanding rather to flee to New
York with his master, whom he represented as
being very kind to him. As Slavery was one
of the institutions" at that time, of the State,
he was still slave, and remained with his old
st. Domingo master until his death, when he
was sold. His last master was the late Judge
Eindsley, ofLawrenceville, Pa.-hencet the name
of Jack Lindsey. Jack became freeman
under the laws of Pennsylvania, after devotins
the number of years allotted to the life of man
to the routine of a slaves life. His wife, who
survives him, he purchased while yet slave,
paying for her the sum of one hundred dollars
The twain came to Allegheny county about
thirty years ago, and have resided here ever
since. For number of years past they have
lived upon the charity of the people hereabout,
and have also been recipients of aid from Anti
Slavery Societies of the county. Physically
speaking, Uncle Jack Lindsey had been a
model man-tall, well-proportioned, and as
straight as our native pines-but the tolls and
troubles of nearly century and a quarter had
bent low his erect and stalwart form, bieached
the raven hue of his "feecy locks" to snowy
white, and closed the windows of his soul
against the sunlight of earth. He, however,
retained his mental faculties in a remarkable
degree. He was rigidly pious. His piety was
of the Uncle Tom stamp-meek, lowly, patient,
forgiving, and hunbly submissive to the DEGREES
of Providence. After eventful struggles with
the vicissitudes Of bondman's life for nearly a.
century and a quarter,
"The poor old slave has gone TO restp
The Great Emancipator has set him free,
and his soul has flown to that land where Slave
RVS blight despoileth not Gods images.
WellsciNe Press.
A Learned OddHy-The Baltimore cores
pendent of the New Orleans Pcayttn< gives
the following brief sketch of very singular
and eccentric parsonage whom he met q few
evenings since:
" His name is Henry Ottmer. lie was born
some fftytwo years ago, in Somerset county,
Pennsylvania, of German parentage. He came
to Baltimore when boy, and served an ap-
premiership to matchmaker. Working in this
city until his majority, he got sick of city life,
and retired to the country. Having taste for
study, and with only rude education, he ap-
piled himself to books. The taste for literature
and science grew upon him, and ever since he
has been a laborious student. Solitary and
alone, he toiled day and night until he accom-
plished thorough knowledge of Latin, Greek.
French, Spanish, Hebrew, German, and several
other languages. This done, he betook himself
to history, the sciences, &C., and now ranks
among the best scholars of the age. His pres
ent favorite study is mathematics, and admits
of but two problems which have given him
pause-squaring the circle, and the solution Of
cubic equations. He is an astronomer, phlos-
opher, chemist, poet, mechanic, mathematician,
and somewhat Of theologian. In my whole
life, / have never seen such singular per
sonsge. He lives in a small isolated cottage,
apart from society. Peter the Hermit was not
so thorough recluse, nor Diogenes more
learned. He rather eschews women, lives
bachelor, has fine library of the classics and
modern literature, and is happy beyond measure.
His expression to me was, that he would not ex-
change positions with the most favored crowned
heads of Europe. He processes no religion, but
respects all, and takes the Bible alone as his
guide and standard of morality. His personal
appearance is remarkably singular. Scarcely
a hair can be seen on his head, which shines
like CREASED pumpkin. Beneath high, in
tellectual forehead and a projecting brow, is
seen a small, quick, penetrating black eye, full
of character and intelligence. He never slaves,
has fine moustache and ample whiskers, with
a face vivid in expression. His entire costume
would not sell for ten dimes, fput up at public
auction. A passer-by would suppose him q
poor mendicant, and be inclined to extend the
hand of charity; and yet he is comfortable in
the worlds goods-owes no man a farthing, IL
Independent as king, happy as lord. His
food is literature, and his delight the classics
is, by profession, skillful repairer of clocks
and, after finding his funds getting low, sets out
on an expedition through the country, on a
professional tour Of clock-mending."