The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-02-28
OHIO FUGITIVE SLAVE CAsE-ELOQUEET
SPEECH FROM LUCY STONE.
The Daty Of a Mother TO Protect her Children
from Slavery with the Knife.

! In the course of the trial of the slave Mar
garrett on the 18th inst, Col Chambers. coun-
sci for the slaye-owners, said, among other
! things;
| The gentlemen on the defence say that they
never saw her (Margaretl before the deed was
| done, and ! suppose they did not but have,
! had, this morning, matter presented to me. TO
| which | now call the attention Of the Court
| that it may protect her life and the lives of her
children. a lady in this Court, last evening.
wanted one OF the officers TO permit her to give
Margaret Garner, the author of the death of
one OF her children, knife, Nat she n,igLt EIY
ne rest Of hei tRtte ones, and then put an end
to her oTA AFe! The lady was Lucy Stone
Blackwell, the officer was Deputy Marshal
Brown"
Alter the adjournment Of the Court, the mem.
Ders and audience resolved themselves into a
public assembly, says the Cincinnati Columbian.
with Mr.. Il. Pullen as chairman, and the lady
mounted the Judges desk. She was dres.ed
IN black silk gown, had brown merino man
tie over her shoulders, bonnet Of me Same
material ON her head and greer. veil. She
spoke in an easy, assured mar. ner, without en-
cltement or violence, never so much as RAISING
her voice beyond the cow, penetrating tones
peculiar to her. She said;
. have been informed that Mr.. Chambers
has spoken this morning Of my having offered
to the poor woman now under examination n
knife. / wish to explain in the rigbt nIace
where the matter has been spoken Of what /
said, and the motives that led me to say wha.
did. "''''
!" did not ask of Deputy Marshal Brown the
privilege of giving knife. If Mr.. Brown were
here, he would acknowledge as much. have
been out OF town ever since the commencement
of this examination, until yesterday, or / should
have been here every day, doing what | could
to show my sympathy with my afflicted sister.
:" As spoke to her of liberty, her eye beam
ed with the dull light Of despair, the tear of
anguish trickled down her cheek; her lip uuiy.
cred In silent agony, as took her hand and ex-
pressed my sympathy. / thought, as looked
upon her unexpressed grief, that if ever there
was a time when 1t was good deed to give a
weapon to those who fought the battle of hber.
ty on Bunker's Hill-if those patriots had the
right to use the arms supplied to them-she
who had SAID, "Let us 90 to God rather than
go back to Slavery" had the same right. In
PEELED by my feelings, | turned to Mr. Brown.
and expressed my wish that she could have s
knife to deliver herself dreading. as she did
Slavery to such an extent, that she had taken
the life of her dear child rather than return
to it.
"Who that knows the depth of a motbers
love does not estimate the sacrifice she had
madeP If she had right to deliver her child.
she had a right to deliver herself. So help me
Heaveni | would tear from myself nv life with
my teeth, before would be slave
asked no privilege of the Marshall beg
my rights OF none: had a right to put a dag
ger IN the womans hand--the same right that
those had who seized their weapons to 6ght
about paltry tax on teal
hoped 70 see her hbarty rendered herr
bops it still. do NOT know the Commissioner