Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-03-15
Letter for Abolitionists.

The following letter from the family ply.
stefan of the claimants Of the Cincinnati fugi-
tive slaves, in relation to the Abolitionist
charge of cruelty on the part of their masters,
is published in the Cincinnati papers:
/ have seen it stated in several papers that
cruel treatment, by the owners of the slaves,
whose protracted trial is still pending before
the United States Commissioner in your city,
was the cause of their attempted escape, and
also of the murder of the child Standing in
the relation of physician, neighbor and friend
to these gentlemen. end knowing the absolute
falsity of this charge, feel unwilling that it
should remain uncontradicted.
have known A. K. Gaines and James Mar
shall, the owners Of the negroes, for more than
twenty years. ] have lived within a mile or
two Of James Marshall about that length Of
time, and as near or nearer to Mr.. Gaines since
his return from the South, some eight or ten
years ago. / have attended the families of
these gentlemen, both white and black, as
physician; have been at their houses and negro
houses in the day and in the night, in every
season Of the year: have seen their negroes at
work indoors and out, and feel assured that
cruelty or inhumanity to their slaves could not
have been hid from my observation in all that
never witnessed cruelty or inhumanity in either
Of them toward their slaves; but, on the con-
trary, have seen them well cared for in health
and in sickness, well housed, and we'll clothed
and well fed, and looking rs contented and
happy as negroes generally do; and they are
generally, when let alone by false inhumanity,
the most contented and happy beings to be
found anywhere.
] have seen the children Of the woman Peggy
brought into Mr.. Gaines own house in sick.
ness, and attended them there and seen them
tenderly cared for BY the white family, in their
sufferings. And ! have no doubt that il has
required much and long persuasion to induce
her to leave her comfortable house and home,
for the untried merces and tender care Of her
abolition friends, whose bowels of compassion
seem just now to be so hungry and thirsty for
her blood, that they cannot wait the regular
delays Of the law. She has offended against
the laws Of Ohio, by pouring ont the blood of
her child MS an offering to her free SOIL The
majesty of Ohio's laws must be maintained;
and the yelping ours Of abolition raise pte-
Gus howl for the blood Of their deluded victim,
even in defiance of the laws of the United
States. Abominabe hypocrisy Do they not
know that their senseless iniquity and utter
disregard Of the laws Of the land have been the
cause OF lnlS crime, ana mat tney Stanu accused
Of this murder by every honest conscience?
Do they not know that they stand guilty of
sending hundreds Of slaves to the extreme
South against their wills, and against The wills
and wishes Of their owners? Do they not
know that they are daily tightening the bonds
Of slavery, and diminishing the privileges and
comforts Of the slave? They would drive the
owners to cruelty and inhumnnity If it were
not true that cruel master in this community
would be held as only one remove above an
Abolitionist.
And, after all is sad what do they care for
the poor fugitive who has been hurried to the
inhospitnble North, or lives in filth and penury
in their midst forever fleeing from, and, per.
haps never pursued. by his owner? II is all
false, decetful, dishonestl / do not mean
honest anti.slavery men and women. do not
mean law-abding emancipationists. We have
many such in Kentucky, and there would have
been many more among us if there never had
been negro deceiving Abolitonist.
Z. SMITH GARRISON.
Boone CRY, KY, February Ii, 1856.