Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-04-12
JOHN MCLEAN AND SLAVERY.

Since the name of Judge Mclean as Il candidate
for the Presidency is being assiduously used by a
portion of the Republican party, in disregard of
his various ubiquitous decisions in slave cases, and
since mo Slavery outside of the Slave States" is
the b. amer cry under which that party purposes to
go into the contest with the slave power, a scrap
of the personal history of this their prospective
candidate, may not unproftably be republished at
this time.
Some time in the year 1888, II believe) there
came by the underground train, to n station in
Clinton County Ohio, a colored woman named Lu-
cinda. Her story was that she had been purchas-
ed in Kentucky, by Judge Mclean, as a slave,
and taken to his then residence near Ridgeville,
Warren county, Ohio, and was there held and used
as a chattcl personal, and subjected to the beat
ings and privations, incident to the condition of a
slave. Great pains were taken to prevent her
holding any communication with the free colored
people of the vicinity, but the suspicious of the
family became aroused that she was medltating
an 8ttempt for liberty. She was in consequence,
cont to an upper room in the house, to await
thearrival of q son-in-law, who was to take her
to Kentucky again and sell her. Being permitted
TO come down stairs once in twenty four hours,
she managed to secrete a rope, and at night, let
herself down from the window and escaped to
Springborough, where she at once found friends
among the colored people. They started her for
Canada, by the usual route, but it was SO obvious
that she was legally free, and that the Judge dare
not venture under the circumstances to re-enslave
her, that when she came to the station above
named, she was advised to go no further. Her
hands were then literally raw from the friction of
the rope, and attested the truth of tina. part Of her
story. How long she endured the condition and
usage of u slave in free Ohio, has now escaped my
memory, but l think it was about a year. She re-
manned in Clinton coanty, married with Randall
Updegrave, a slave emancipated by his father, and
brought to that county from North Carolina, and
i presume is still living there. If | remember
correctly the facts of the case were published
about thotime of her escape, in the Philanthropist,
at Cincinnati. About the year 1874 they were re-
published in the Anti-Slayery Standard. With
regard to these dates | cannot be exactly certain,
and therefore give Thorn with doubt. The affair
demonstrates the unprincipled character of q man,
whom O large portion of the Republican party are
anxious 60 elevate to office. Judge Mclean had
none Of the p~alliating circumstances, as by some
supposed, of inheritance, the usages of society
around him, &c., to plead for the wilful violation of
the most sacred rights. These facts prove him to
have no conscience which forbids the crimes of
slave Suying and slave owning, even where prac-
tised contrary to what he would call law, and help
to illustrate the reason why his judicial decisions
are always inimical to liberty, a. BROOKE,
MARLBORO, APRIL 8, 1856.
AMERICAN ANTI-SLAvERY SocIETY.-The Ami,
yersary of this Society, as our readers will SEQ by
the call for the meeting is to commence on Wednes-
day the 9TH of May. Shall not the West DO rep
resented on this occasion? 1t should be. We
trust that it will be.
Many abolitionists have business at the East
this spring and with a little care can arrange it Sc
as to be in New York at the time of the meeting.
Any who can, should by all means do SO. The
importance of this Society's operations is in no
wise diminished by the fact that large numbers Of
politicians are now enemies of slavery-extension,
on their own account. Many of them ere not abo.
~litioDists as individuals and their marty comedies