New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-02-23
Cincinnati Fugitive slave Case.

SPEECH BY Lucy sToNE.-The Cincinnati papers
contain the concluding proceedings in the slave case
before the U. S. Commissioner. Col Chambers, one
of the counsel for the claimant, having in his argu-
ment alluded to an interview between Mrs. Blackwell
and the slave mother, in the course of which he
charged Mrs. B. with having asked the Q. S. Marshal
to give the slave woman knife to destroy herself in
she remanded back to slavery, Mr.. JoIlif,
the counsel for the slaves, asked permission Of the
Court that Mrs. B. might reply The request was
granted but she preferred not to speak the bar and
requested the audience to remain after the adjoufn-
ment of the court to hear her explanation.
The Commissioner then postponed the case till the
18th of March next, and the Court adjourned.
The U. $. Marshal Immediately called the meeting
to order, Mr.. Pullen in the chair Mrs Lucy Stone
Blackwell then took the platform and said !:
! am only sorry that was not in when Col. Cham
bers said what he did say about me, and about my
giving knife to the poor woman who has just gone
have been here every day Of this trial When came
here and that poor fugitive took her toll hardened
hand and read in her face deep suffering and ardent
longing for freedom could not help bid her be Of
good cheer. told her that a thousand hearts were
aching for her. and they were glad that one child of
hers was safe with the angels Her only reply was a
look of deep despar-ofangu such as no word cam
speak, thought then that the spirit she manifested
was the same with that of ancestors to whom We
had erected the monument at Bunker Hll-the spirit
that would rather let all go back to God than back
to slavery.
The faded faces of the negro children teIlto plainly
to what degradation female slaves submit Rather
than give her little daughter to that life, she killed. it
If in her deep maternal love she felt the impulse to
send her child back to God, to save it from coming
woe who shall say she had no right to do so That
desire had its root in the deepest and hottest feelings
of our nature-implanted alike in black and white by
ollr common Father. With my own teeth would
tear open my VEINS and let the earth drink my blood
rather than wear the chains of slavery. How then
could blame her for wishing her child to find free
dom with God and the angels, where no chains area
I know not whether this Commissioner has little
children, else would appeal to him to know how he
would like to have them torn from him but feel
that he will not disregard the Book which says,
Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant
which is escaped from his master unto thee he shall
dwell with thee even among you in that place which
he shall choose in of thy gates, where it Gketh
him bestn
After talking with this poor slave woman talked
with her master no, cannot say her master for one
is your master, even Christi. told him that these
were heroic times and that this heroic action of his
slave might send his name to posterity as her op-
pressor-Or if he chooseas the generous gyer of her
freedom. He said, ' If geth back to Kentucky,
mean to mike her free"
After she concluded, Col. Chambers rose and said
that he was authorized by his client to deny the
statement made hirs. Blackwell that he would free
Margaret. He sSsg# when he got her back TO hen-
lucky he would consider whether he would free her OF
not.
Mrs Blackwell repeated that he had promised her
to free Margaret and said this was an evasion. he
had told her just what she stated.
The meeting then dispersed.