Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-05-25
TEE TENDER MERCIEs OF MASSACHUSETTS

lore become necessary.
TEE TENDER MERCIEs OF MASsACHusETTs
Under the head of Gan Infamous Case of Ex-
tradition" the Boston Advertiser relates and COM
ments upon the case of an Irish woman from the
town of Monson, who, with her infant, was foro:-
bly, sent back to Europe in the ship Daniel Web
ster. Here are the main portions of the Adver-
Users article:
Among the crowd ofhuman beings on board that
proud vessel, was one poor woman with an infant
daughter Her passage and that of her daughter
were paid by the rich and powerful Common wealth
OF Massachusetts,. She left our free and happy
shores unwilling and reluctant. She went away
against her own free will constrained by force of
the civil authorities of the State. Her cries as
she begged not to be thus cruelty bauished, were.
we are told, most pteous and such as to cause the
accoentai witnesses OF the scene to burn with in
dgnation.
The offence Of this unfortunate woman for which
she was thus violently and ANONYMOUSLY expelled
from Massachusetts, was the fact that she was born
IN Ireland, and is called a pauper. Her infant
daughter, who unconsciously shares her mothers
sad tate, IS native of the Commonwealth of Mas
sachusetts, but she too partakes of that hard lot
OF poverty which it has been reserved for Mesa
chusetts to make crime; and crime which Mas
sschusetts Furnishes as other crime is punished
in America-by Observation-Disclosures from
ones native Ian /.
The name Of this victim to know nothing ntol
erance was Mary Williams; her infant, Bridget, is
but few weeks old. About thirty-6ve paupers,
perhaps more, were sent away at the same time in
the same vessel, at the expense the State These
facts learn from eve witnesses of the scene and
from other certain and authentic sources of infor.
nation.
The rendition of Anthony Burns from Msssa-
chusetts to Virginia, under the law of the United
States designed to give effect to an express stipula-
ton Of the Constitution, caused an immense ex-
element in this community. The rendition of Ma
~ Williams and her infant Bridget under our own
law, by our own authorities scarcely caused re-
mark. be was sent back under law of the Uni
ted States, binding on the people OF Massachusetts,
whether agreeable or disagreeable She was sent
under our own laws, which the same legislature
that elected Henry Wilson to the Senate and
voted to remove Judge Loring from the bench
might repeal in day. He was sent back to the
care OF master, bound in law to feed, clothe and
protect him. She was sent to be landed on a for
eign shore, where there may not be single per-
son to know or care that she has arrived He was
sent away, strong ran with stost limbs able to
bear misfortune and hardship should they fall up
on him. with some degree of frmnes-. She was
sent away, weak woman, with an infant few
weeks old, demanding all her care, with nobody
to protect or assist her. The Treasury OF the
United States bore the expense of the rendition of
Anthony Burns. The Treasury of Massachusetts,
paid for the rendition of Mary Williams But
then he was a negro, ga man and a brother"
while she was only white woman woman
and mother
No vigilance committee rallied at the rumor of
the embarkstion of Mary Williams No young
and enthusiastic council hurried to profer her their
services. Judges were not solicited at unseeming-
ly hours for writs of habeas corpus and nothing
was said about the de honnine replegiands in her
case. Sherifs and coroners were not plagued with
processes that they did not like to serve. The qu-
ct Of the city was not broken; only a few heart
rendng cries disturbed the silence on Long Wharf
on Monday evening-the deed was done, the wo-
man was embarked, and yesterday morning the
vessel sailed with heT living and unwilling freight