Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-02-23
EDITORIAL ooRRssPoNpENoE.
CoLuMBus, February II, 1858.


Dear 7slegyapk--As You are aware,
we left Pomeroy on Tuesday last, on the
steamboat ''Oh;o," on our return TO this
place. after n flying visit to chat celebrated
city Of "salt and cinders." 1t is not ne
eessary to say TO our readers who live neal
the river that the steamboat "Ohio" is, |
under the management Of her efficient and
gent,emanly officers, number-one boat
On her passage down, she was crowded TO
her utmost capacity with passengers.-
These were from almost all sections, and
all seemed disposed to make the trip pleas
ant and agreeable. In consequence of
strong head wind and rough water, the
trip was u tedious one--so much so that
we did not reach Cincinnati until Thurs
day, four o'clock p. M. So many persons
being thus brought together. many pleas
ant acquaintances were made, and many
pleasant incidents oce nrred, and one very
unpleasant one:
y Whom the boat left Point Pleasant, a
! number ofpsrsons took passage for point
on the Virginia side. short distance above
Galtipolis. When the boat landed at the
point designated, 10 land the supposed
passengers, and they were about to put
out the plank, behold, our innocent pas
ssngers proved to be, in fact. "negro
catchersP' They instantly pounced upon
the Steward Of the boat, on the claim thai
he was fugitive slave! They produced
warrant for his arrest, and, in
hot haste, hurri:d him into Virginia, and,
doubtless, into eternal slavery! And what
was the pretense that this man was slave?
1t was that, many years ago, somebody at
Point Pleasant lad made sluve of his
mother He was we'll known to several
op the boat, and that he had been resi-
dent Of Ohio for at least tUenay gears
that for large part of that time he had
been Steward on various boats, stopping
almost daily at tie Point. This was not
denied by his captors. But this was the
convenient but diabolical instrument Of the
kldnappcr-a warrant under the fugitive
slave law; and under its internal magic,
he WAS torn from his frantic wife, who
was on board at the time. and compelled,
IN mute dispair, to see her husband
snatched from her, perhaps forever. ma
king her virtually widow, and her chill
dren orphans, under circumstances a
thousand times worse than DEATH
From what we could learn, it seems
that this man-ior such he ISIS very
industrious and temperate person; has
been married and lived in Ohio for more
than twenty years; has purchased a pleas
ant farm, with the design and hope of
making happy home in the country,
where, humble as he must be from his
connection with an oppressed race, he
might. nevertheless, rear his children to
hsAest industry, and find resting place
among them in his old age. He denied
ever having been a slave, and so did bis
wife. But whether tie act was perpetra,ed
by more kidnappers, with forged papers,
or whether legal pirates actually used the
law for their cruel purposes, can make no
difference, as the crime is the same in
either case, and the result to him and
his family is the same. We cannot trust
ourselves to characterize the transaction;
but in sadness, We would ask our fellow
citizens, how long are such scenes to be
tolerated? Do we, in fact, believe there
is Providence that directs the destinies
Of nations, as we'll as men, in such way
that evil must, in the end, be its own pun
isher? Or are We about to vote God out
Of the universe--deny his Providence
in tho past history Of our race, and in
sanely hope to prosper by wrong, as il
indeed we could defeat His purposes with
impuui,y, and repeal the immutable laws
of the universe by Statute? Will you moi
consider?
In the evening, we had very good
sermon preached in the cabin, by the
Rev. Mr.. Miller, Of Marietta. The dis
course was a very quiet and serious one
and quite applicable to the occasion and
circumstances in which we then were, and
very happy impression seemed to be
made on most present. AS soon as h
closed his sermon, man from St. Loui,
arose and wished to make some remarks
No one objecting, he commenced denun
citation of the Bible as fraud and forgery
and had proceeded but moment when h,
became so obscene that he was immed
ately stopped. But. after few moments
it was voted to permit him to proceed
He did for some time in a very course
unconnected harrangue, which called on
rome pertinent remarks from a number o