Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-07-03
A Slave Girl Purchased by Rev
Fl. w. ReeCher's Church.

A Slave Girl Purchased by Rev.
Fl. w. BeeCher's Church
A remarkable and exciting scene was enacted
in Plymouth Church, brooklyn, on Sunday last,
a full account of which we copy from the New
York Tribune of Monday:
" AT the conclusion of the sermon yesterday
morning, tho Rev. Henry Ward Bcecher an
nounced to his congregation that he was about
to preform an act of a most extraor lnary nature
which he would preface by reading portion of
the 18th chapter of Matthew. He accordingly
read the 10th, 1lth and 18th verses of that
chapter after which he proceeded to give
sketch of slave girl Sarah by name, an appeal
in whose behalf he had lately received She
was he said, the daughter Of a Southern plan
ter, acknowledged by himself as his own off
spring, and reared in his own family until his
other daughters growing up had treated her
so cruelty that she attempted to escape. She
was captured and taken back to her paternal
master, who made immediate preparations to
sell her to the extreme South, refusing to dis
pose Of her to any one who would permit her to
remain in the neighborhood.
Many persons in the vicinity, knowing her to
be most faithful, efficient and, therefore, vaua-
bly, piece of property, were anxious to purchase
her, but her owner utterly refused to sell to them
his object being to have her removed to so great
distance that her near relation TO the Others of
his children could occasion them no fuiher morti6-
cation She sSas. accordiugiy, sold 10 Soath
ern man who held her at $l500-but who finally
cons nted to part with her for $1,000. A slave
holder in Washington, pitying the girl, brought
her for the latter sum immndiateiy, however,
setting on foot subscription to enable her to
purchase her freedom, he himself contributing
500, another man, also stakeholder, gave
500, and s 700 were finally obtained. AT
this junction" said Mr. Beecher, " received
letter asking if ,ce coud do any thing "towards
making up the rest of the money" to which
replied that would promise nothing unless we
could see her here.
The revrend gentleman h're stepped from his
desk, and with an encouraging Come up
Sarah" he led upon the platform young, intel
ligen-looking mnlatto girl whom he presented
to the Gro yded audience as the slave girl in ques
tion.
She is apparently about twenty-three years
old, probably three quarters white, of yer.
nlaoe;n0 nd rnpdoct Mr. Rppchp
seated her in chair by his side, while he con
tinued his remarks She was here, he said o
her parole of honor. She had promised to g
back, and she must return, either with or with
J out the five hundred dollars which were yet ne
} cessary to make her free woman. A collec
tion would be taken up, and the result woul
show their verdict.
7 By this time there was hardly dry eye in til
whole immense cong ngregaton of nearly 5000 pee
. pie. Men wept, and women sobbed-not shame
g facedly, but openly and without any attempt :
: concealment. All seemed to he touched to Il,
J very heart The ike scene has never been wi
{ messed in the world.
J. One gentleman here rose and announced thi
4: the money should be forthcoming TO made he
3 free, and for the entire amount This announc,
r mcnt was received with hearty and long contin,
b ed applauses, the audience being no longer abb
t to restrain their feelings, and Mr. Beecher e,
i pressing his approval of the jubilant demonstr;
d tlons Sarah the slave girl, had, up to this tim
|, preserved tolerabe composure, but when ii
N certainty was declared that she should not @
N back to life of Slavery, she buried her face
Il her handkerchief and wept aloud AS the co
ID lectors passed among the audience, the plat
s. were actually heaped up with the tokens of su
of stantial sympathy one lady even took the ewe
ir ry from her person and cast into the fund. FL
ut amount collected on the spot was S7S4. whic
RS beside completing the sum necessary for h
ID purchase Of Sarah, will also rescue her child.
!" boy of four years, who is now in bondage"