Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-04-05


TAKE ADVICE AND SPEAK YOUR MINDS.
INTRODUCTION Levitc Of Mount Ephran
eoe.h to Bethlehem Judah with his servant, tc
bring home his wife who was ut her fathers. Ir
returning home they arrived opposite Jebus, a city
of the Jebusites, late in the day, and the servant
desired to turn n tor the night; but the master
would not lodge in city that was not of the chill
dren of Israel. They passed on to Gibcah which
belonged to the tribe of eniamin; but there was
no hospitality shown them, one asked them tC
their houses. 1t was time of great dcclension in
religion, and there was no King in Israel, every
one doeth as liketh him best. Seldshness had nc
room even for the ordinary courteses towards onC
of their own countrymen. BY and by poor old
laboring man, from his work, saw them in the
street. and invited them to share with him the
humble provisions of his dwelling. The Leyite
and his wife with their servant, accepted the in
vitation-indeed there was alternative But
during the night the rabble having heard Of the
presence of these strangers from Ephraim, q riot
GUS mob surrounded the house and so mal-treatel
the woman that she died. In the morning the
husband took up the dead body Of his wife and
departed for his own home. There he took knife
and divided tie corpse into twelve parts, and sent
them out to the tribes of Isral And it was So that
all who saw it said: (See the text)
The result was, that the children of Israel raj
lied as one man, from Dan t. B3rsheba, 100000
footman that drew the sword and arrayed them
selves before Gibeah, and demanded the delivery
OF lne men VINO Eal committed TINS tOul QecQ. But
the children of Benjamin took sides with the
people of Gibcah, and terrible battle ensuei-
many thousands perished and the tribe Of Benz a
min came near its utter extinction. Thus much
for the introduction.
A few weeks ago, just at dawn of day might be
seen company of strangers crossing the winter
bridge over the Ohio river, from the State of Ken
tucky, into the great city of own State, whose
hundred church spires points to IIeaven--elling
the travellers that in this place the Goo of Abra-
ham was worshiped, and that here Jesus the Mes.
sah was known, and his religion of love taught
and believed. And yet, rs in Gibea, no one asked
them in or offered them any hospitality of sympa-
thy or assistance After wandering from street
to street poor laboring man gave them the shell
of his humble cabin, for they strangers and
in distress. Soon it was known abroad that this
poor man had offered them the hosptal:ties of his
home, and a rude and fcrocous rabble soon gath.
cred around his dwelling, demanding his guests.
With loud camor and horrid threatening they
broke down his doors and rushed upon the stran-
gers. They were old man and his wife, their
daughter and her husband with four children
and they were of the tribe of slaves fleeing from
bondage which was worse than death. There
now Hscape-the tribes of Israel had bon
ded against them. On the side of the oppressor
there is power And the young wife and mother
into whose very soul the iron had entered lie airing
the cry of the master "Now we'll have you all, "
turning from the side Of her husband and father,
with whom she had stood to repe the foe, seized II
knife, and with single blow reariy severed the
head from the body of her darling daughter, and
throwing its bloody corpsc at his feet exclaimed
"Yes, you shall have us all take that" and with
another blow inflicted gasty wound upon the
head of her beautiful son, repeating-"Yes, you
shall have MS all-take that" meanwhile calling
upon her old mother to help her in the quick work
of emancipation-for there were two more. But
the pious old grandmother could not do it, and it
now too late-the rescuers had subdued and
bound them they were on their way back to ihe
house OF their bondnge-a life more bitter than
death! On their way through that city of churches
whose hundred spires told of Jesus and the good
Father above; on their way amid the throng Of
christian men, whose noble sires had said and
sung-"Give me liberty, or give me death."
But they all tarried in the great Queen City of
the west-in chains and in felons cell There
Cur preacher visited them again and again There
he saw the old grandfather and his aged compan-
ion whose weary pilgrimage of unrcquitted toll
and tears was near at its end. And there stood
the young father and the heroic wife Margaret"
said the preacher-"M Margaret, why did you kill
your child" ut was my own" she said given
me of God to do the best 4 mother could in its be
half Ihaue done the JestI could | would have
done more and better for the rest! l knew it was
better for them to go home to God than back to
slavery?" But why did you not trust in God
why not wait and hope?" II did wait and then
we dared to do and fed in fear, but in hope,-
hope fed-God did not appear to save-I did the
best fcould!"
And who was this woman? A noble, womanly,
amiable, dfectionate mother. "But was she not
deranged?" Not at all-cam, intelligent, but res.
olute and determined. "But was she not fendish
or beside herself with passion?" No, she was
most tender and affectionate, and all her passion
was that of mothers tondest lore. l reasoned
with her, said the preacher; tried to awaken
of guilt and lead her to repentance and to
Christ. But there was no remorse, desire of
pardon, no reception Of Christ or his religion. To
4 .. Al
death And where had she lived? where thus
taught? Not down among the rice swamps of
Georgia, on the banks Of Red river. No, but
within sixteen miles of the Queen City of the west
In nominally christian family-whose master
was most liberal in support of the Gospel,
and whose mistress was COMMUNICATE at
the Lords table and professed follower Of
Christi Here in this family, where slavery is
found in its mildesJ FORM she had been kept in ig
norancc of Gods viii and word and learned to
know that the midest form of American slavery
at this day of Christian civilization and Democrat
ic liberty worse than death itself! She had
learned by an experience of thirty years that it
than death ITSELF She had learned by
all experience of thirty years that it was so bad
she had rather take the life of her own dearest
child by her own hand, with out the hope of Heaven
for herself than that IL should experience its unut-
terable agonies, which were to be found even in a
christian family! But here arc her two little boys
OF eight and ten years of age, Taking the eldest
by the hand the preacher said to him kindly and
gently, "Come here, my boy; what is your name?"
"Tom, SIR" "Yes. Thomas" "No, sir Tom"
"Wel Tom how old are you?" Three months"
"And how old is your little ebrother2" "Six months
sir" Sand have you no other name but Tom ?y
"No." "What is your fathers name p "IIav'nt
got anyw "Who made you Tom?" "Nobody."
"Did you ever hear of God or Jesus Christ ?"-
"No SIR" Ard this was slavery in its best estate
By and by the aged couple and tae young and
his wife, ,hc remaining children, with the master