Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-06-11

a WAisx Gil Rs1sersed Sfypns S'ss1v--G y2rx-
sradrrs - Stakeholder Cssaribssins t.s
/ On Sands morning ~, a The Plymesth
Church At Brooklyn, aitrr service, sassthc n.
r. Times the Rev Henry Ward Bceeher said-;
..About two weeks sgd, letters came 10 me
from Washington. telling me the facts which
shall relate 10 you "a father had sold his daugh-
ter, as Baltimore into slavery. Sad that such
things could ever be, bat this was no ordinary
case. The daughter wasg Of such a character
that it touched the heart Of a sase-trader who
had known her previously, to thirk that such a
one as she, should be sold to the far South, for
purposes such as yoa may ina CINE when you
see her; and he bought her himself for Il. 200,
to give her chance TO save herself by purchas-
ing her freedom. Nay, more; he gave, himself,
Slo0 toward her price, and went TO another
slaye-trader, who also gave him s loo toward it.
Ali there is still left something of good in the
hearts of even the lowest. BIZ his permission,
also, she went with letters to friends in Wash
ington, and there and in Baltimore she raised
$500 more, and then the limit of her power was
reached. was then written to, TO know ii we
could do anything TO help he's raise the $500
which were necessary. / answered them say
i,ig that We could do nothing unless the woman
herself we're here, and so, alter mach hesitation
on her masters part, relying on her promise TO
return if the money was not raised, he gave her
leave to come, and she is here among us, free by
the law, but bound by that which is stronger
than hw--her promise. I could not spend time
to go around among you Individually TO state
the case, and there was need of haste for the
time was limited, and SO thought it best that
she should come here among US to-day, and
would tell you the story, and we would see it
We could lend her helping hand. And so she
is here. Come, Sarah, said he addressing the
girl who sat near him, ''come up upon e plat
form" The slave rose in her seat, a tall, fine
looking woman, with barely enough of tnge in
her complexion and wave in her hair to betray
her colored blood, and hardly an eye in the i'm
mense audience but was wet with sympathetic
tears, as she, trembling, aud completely overcome
with emotion, stumbled up the pulpit stairs.
Mr.. Beecher assisted her to a seat on the plat
form. When at last she raised her face to look
upon the great concourse of people around her,
larger than she probably ever saw before, she
burst int tears, buried her face again in her
handkerchief, and sobbed aloud, as did also
many of the congregation. The most stoical
and the most refined shed tears like rain. Men
wept who had not wept for years. Ladies cried
aloud. The hearts of three thousand people
| were never SO moved before. A gentleman
from South Carolina sat in one Of the pews to
whom slave was no unusual sight, for, as he
said afterwards, he owned fifty Of them himself;
but the scene was too much for him, and the big
tears came dropping over his cheeks.
Mr.. Beecher then said to the audience. 81
wish you all to see her, that you may know who
theyare that are soldas slaves-that are put into
the scales and silver heaped up as an equivalent
for them. cannot say to her Stretch forth
thy had and be free" but can say to you
"stretch forth your hand and make her free. :"
With that he began the contribution by placing
his own contributions upon the plates which
were now passed through the house. The desi:e
| among all to contribute something for the free
dom of the woman was most intense. They
gave, and then returned and gave again. Ladies
took rings from their fingers and cast them into
| the Treasury. gentleman from Missouri, q
save-owner, who happened to be present, gave
twenty dollars. A prominent Wall street "ope-
rator," who happened to be present, gave fifty
dollar bill. One lady took diamond cross from
her dress and put it into the msney box. And
| as the bills were piled upon the plates, "Ah!"
| said Mr. Beecher, 81 see that the plates are
| heaping up. Remember that every dollar you
| lay on is one step more of q weary pilgrim tt
| wards freedom. And there are but few more
| for you now" said he to the girl Then Mr..
Lewis Tappan rose in his seat and said some.
! church, and Mr.. Beecher announced that some
| gentlemen had agreed to make up any deficiency,
| if there were any, so that she would not have to
60 back-and then the wrought up feelings OF
the multitude could be, restrained no longer, but
broke out into loud and long continued ap.
plause. When it had died away Mr. Beecher
said: "When the Jews went up to Jerusalem to
their feasts, their religious exercises were min
ged with shouts at which the mountains echoed.
| am opposed to ungodly clippings in the house
of God, but when applause is but giving vent,
as now, to good deed well done, believe it is
heard by God in Heaven When the offerings
were all gathered in, he. said: 'And now let US
sing this hymn l think we shall sing it as VIC
her first song of freedom" The whole assembly
sang the following hymn, from the Plymouth,
Do notI love thee, 0 my Lor,l .......-
Behold my heart and see:
And turn the dearest idol
| That daiGS TO rival thee. -.a
Is not thy name melodious still
| To mine attentive ear? . .
Doth not each pulse with pleasure bound
I My Savior's voice to hear.
Hast thou lamb in all thy flock -.
l would disdain to feed?
Hast thou foe before whose face
| fear thy cause to plead?
m Would not my heart put forth its blood
| In honor of thy name?
| And challenge the cold hand Of death
al To damp the immortal fame? ~ "a
Thou knowest love thee, dearest Lord
| But O long to soar
| Far from the sphere ofmortal Joys, ---
.. And learn to love thee more. -.
The congregation was then dismissed, but
large portion of them still remained to learn tn,
result of the collection. After Sarah had lief
the church, and while the money was bein!
counted, Mr.. Beecher said there was one Dor
ton of the story which he had not thought bes
to mention at the time, lest they might not b.
able to bear it, that her brothers and sisters
having white mother, but the same father
found themselves so much inferior to her boil
in endowmcnts and attachments, that they treat
ed her like furies, and on this account she re
quested to be sold to 80 away from them; alst
that q phyician in Baltimore, taking advantage
Of her servile condition and her wish for free
dom, had become father of child by her tha
this child, now about two years old, had beer
also bought by the STAKEHOLDER, and she coulG
| nave It's freedom with her own Tor between two
and three hundred dollars more, which, if the
collection-amounted to enough, would be secur
ed at once. s...ssr r.
We have learned some further facts concern
ing Sarah's history which will be interesting te
| our readers:
She is an intelligent, sensible and well-bred
| Christian woman, twenty-five years of age, and
II daughter of white citizen oil Virginia, mar
ried man of wealth and L.huence! She has been
his house keeper and his most valued servant
taking the entire charge of his family affairs
But the jealousy of his legitimate daughters to-
ward her, and the harsh treatment which she re.
| ccived from them, as well as the outrageous re.
lationship which her master enieavored to es
tabiish between hcrsefa and him, induced her to
quit her home. She entreated her owner to sell
her-that she might escape from is niquitous
presence. As he refused to do this, she ran
away from him last Christmas Day. She ar.
aived in Baltimore by the cars from Washington,
4 In the same cars with her was patty of slaves
escaping from South Caroline, for whom the
police of Baltimore, having been notified by
Telegraph, were in waiting a. the railroad sta.
ton. ,s.,r.
The South Carolina party resemblcd her own
party in numbers. and appearance 50 closely
| Il II