Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-10-15
a TOUCHING INCIDENT

THE following passage occurs in n recent
speech made at Boston. by Theodore rilton, Of
Brooklyn
Some time ago-yes so long ago as the cold
weather Of Christna.-which is the slaves holiday,
when the happs festival comes round when he is
70 be bought and Soda poor slave woman at
tempted, by the aid of her husband, who was a
free man, to escape from bondag, with her two
little children, and to cross Chesapeake Bay in an
cpen boat. Shortly after they set sail, a violent
eorthr west wind forced them to &C ashore at An
sspolis. The little weatherbeaten party having
y suspicious look, a project was Immediately set
on foot to arrest and throw them into Jail. The
husbands ssgacIous eye was keen enough to see
tho trap before he fell into it. lie hurried his wife
and children into the boat, and, notwiths anding
this weather, embarked. The storm and cold in
creased, and their fear increased with it. They
uem6led at the thought OF landing q second time
on an inhospitable shore. The mAn-who was a
eoat.builder by trade, and Of some SIX i'll as q sail
81 trimmed his sails to keep the boat at sea. The
water dashed over the bow, and the mother hug
sed her infant to her breast to keep life in its
body. But life could not be kept there long. Lit
tie BY little the cold crept through the limbs Of
tuo UdJc, uul INV 10 LUZ ulOhhSi iOOh
ed at her infant as it lay still in her arms. The
roor woman shed her tears upon the little face, bot
they were shed in vain. The child was dead
dead from the cold She Rugged it close to her
bosom oil day long. but at night her husband lift
I'd Il over the side ofthe boat, and dropped it with
sad burial istc tao sea! Oh that winter night,
AMI that aching heart There was one child left;
and The mother after much suffering by sen and
laId, and after many weary footjourneys in the
night, Reached the border line Of a free State
carrying in her arms the burden Of the living
child, and carrying 10 her heart the greater bur-
den Of the dead. She was then met by some
strangers who proved to he f riends, and who aid
ed her on her way to Canada Now, this is a
story :,.at should Jingle the car even Of a man Of
bronze ; but what would the man Of bronze have
said to it? What if this poor woman, instead of
meeting a few Qlakers in Pennsylvania, had
CHANGED to have fallen in the way Of the great man
of Massachusetts whose image has been set up
in the State House yardI What would the great
nan have done 2 Why, he might perhaps have
been a little touched with natural sympathy, but,
as the first step, be would Of course Immediately
have conquered lis prGudices." Then, next, he
would have .'discha' ged that duty"-the catching
Of the fugitive sla,e-"as an affair Of high morals
<ad high pri.cf,es." Then, next, in regular or
<er, 10 would have turned around, aui have said
with q complacent smile-"Any man can perform
an agreeable duty; ii is not erery man Dcho can per-
form a dtagreeable duty."" Theu-well, what
shen Why, nothing would have remained for
the great man Of Massachusetts, but to lift up his
magnificent head, and to hold it still, until, like
bis heart, it should become petrifed into bronze !!
And there to-day stands the image in the State
House yard lin honor Of the man who stood up
an bis place in the Senate Of the United States
and reccnmeded to Massachusetts that she should
catch and return every trembling fugitive slave
VINO, faint and pursued, should come to seek the
Shelter of the shadow of Bunker Hill the man
who, in the full maturity of his powers, surrender
ed the high moral principles which had been the
honor of his manhood, and his only claim to the
confidence of Massachusetts with the deliberate
aim of securing, even at such a cost, the place and
chair of the bead Of the country which be too
eagerly hoped would be given to him by the Slave
Power in reward for his recreancy to the cause OF
freedom, and his denial Of the rights Of men