Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-11-19
FROM FRIEDRICH DOUGLASS.


the readers of his paper, in which he says:--
Dark and perilous is the hour-maidsnsd
and vengeful as is the slave power-the infuristed
demon Of Slavery never seemed to me more ser
tain of extirpaton than now. At the present
moment, Slavery seems to have gained an advsn-
tage. The audacity of the attack made upon ID
by that stern old hero who looks death full in the
face with a steady eye and uudaunted heart, while
pierced with bnyonet wounds and covered with %,
bre goshes. has created for the moment, perhaps.
q more active resistance to the cause Of freedom
and its advocates but this is tran sient. The mo-
ment Of passion and revenge will pass away. and
reason and righteousness will all the more. for this
sudden shock roll their laundering appeal to the
ear and heart of this guilty nation. sr
The Christian blood of Old John Brown will net
cease to cry from the ground long after the clam
Ors Of alarm and CONSERVATION of the dealers in
| She bodies and souls of men will have ceased to
arrest attention. Men will begin to look
away from the plot to the purpose-fron tbs
effect to the cause. Then will come the reaction
and the names now covered with execration will
be mentioned with honor, as noble martyrs to .
righteous cause. Yes, sad and dcplorable as was
the battle Of Harpers Ferry, it will not prove .
total loss to the of Liberty. The sharp
crack of the rifles there, proclaiming LIBERTY TO
THE CAPTIVE, CRUELTY LEFT IN BONDAGE BY ouR
BoAsrED RELIGION AND LAW, MAY ROUSE A DEAF
CHURCH AND DUMB MINISTRY TO THE DUTY OF
PUTTING AWAY THIS DARK AND DANGEROUS SIN.
The silent heights Of the Alleghanies, leaning in
grandeur against the pure blue sky will hereafter
look down and speak to the .ave with loving
and wooing voice. The benumbed conscience Of
4
of right impressions. The shareholders of Vir-
gnia and the South generally. are endeuvoring 10
make the impression that the negroes summoned
to the standard of freedom by John Brown, viey-
ed the effort to emancipate them with Indifference.
An eye witness, and prominent actor in tbs
transactions at Harper's Ferry now at my side,
tells tha. this is grossly aside from the truth
But even il the contrary were shown, it would
afford small comfort for the slsveholders. Ths
slaves were sensible enough not to shout before
they gained the prize and their conduct wss cred.
table to their wisdom. The brief space allowed
:hem in freedom, was not sufficient to bring home
to them in its fulness the real signifcahce Of tbs
occasion. All the efforts to disparage the yalor
of the colored insurgents are grounded in the
fears of the shareholders, not in the facts Of tbs
action. They report many dead insurgents, and
few killed among those who opposed them. /
have at least seen one man among the insurgents
reported killed, who is still alive and bids Iaif 10
live yet many years. On many accounts, wers
the thing possible, should be glad to use the
event a. arpers Ferry and the state Of feeling il
has produced, before the American psopls. But
there is work abroad we'll as at home. Efforts
will be made in England as we'll as in Amerios to
,utn the Harpers Ferry insurrection TO the ae-
count of Slavery. / may for q time, be useful
there, in resisting and counteraothg these sf-
! forts.
1t will probably be charged, by those who Dc.
light in any pretcx for aspersing me. that 60 to
England to escape the demands Of justice for my
alleged completely with the IIarper's Ferry insur-
rection. / am not ashamed Of endeavoring TO es-
cape from such justice as might be nationally sx-
pccted by. u man Of color at the hands of slave.
holding court, sitting in the State Of Virginia.
am not favorite in that State, and even if ac-
quilted by the court. with my knowledge of slave
holding magnanimity and civilization, could soar.
cely hope to re-cross the slave!ioding border with
my life. There is no more dishoDor in trying 10
keep out of the way Of such court, than there
would be in keer ing out Of tho way Of compauy
Of hungry wolves. Nevertheless, il is only 1us TO
truth to state, that for more than a year past /
have been making arrangements not to 60 to Har.
per's Ferry, but to England. This has been known
alike to both friends and foes. My going, too, hiss
been delayed, rather than hastened, by the occufi
renee Of that outbreak. The fact Of my known in
tention to visit England in November, and fny
published lecturing engagements in different parts
Of the State of New York, plainly show that no
man had any right to expect my personal oo-ope-
ration elsewhere. l am however, free to oonfess
that deem England safer asylum for me than
any afforded by the President of the United Statss.
have once before found shelter and protection in
a monarchy, from the slavehunters Of this Rspub-
lie, and am indebted not to democratic humanity
or justice for the liberty have enjoyed during the
last dozen years, and amid all the atrocities dudsr
the Fugitive Slave Bill in America--but to hu-
name British men and women who bought my
body and bones with British gold. and made men
present to myself-a Free an unsolicited gift. In
other words they gave me back the body original
ly given me by my Creator, but which had been
stolen from me under the singular!y just and gem
! erous laws of republican slavs STATED thank
God that there is at least one Christian country on
this globe where q colored man as we'll as vhitc
man may rest secure from the fury and Vengeance
of alarmed and terrified slaveholders, the msanssl
tyrants that cursed the earth by their orussy
or insultsd Heaven by their blasphsmous srser
gance. i0aitaa sscdw
Almost ever since the Harper's Ferry dissus.
bance. have seen assured that United States Mar.
shss. IN strong force. have been in search os ms
al different points, but chiefly t Rochester. "A
'-+ t 1sas s.eai= sv6s