Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-11-04

prevailed. BY some I was assured ,h.s 0erri, Smith
nouse was watched by volunsssfs every night In the e.
Ter the fashion Of Kansas border ruananism IN the iHy
OF old Ossawattomie Brown. BY others I vas scrioui,
informed that the apprehension was not % much ps
Gerrit might be arrested, ~ that he might Be shot-As
sassinated by some emissary OF Gov. Wise. NJ. Smith
neighbors evidently believe that The Southerners rrgars
him asa terrible and powerful enemy, and have no fde,
that he Is only looked upon by every sensiblc man a.
crazy, but honest abolition fanatic.
1 soon discovered that poor Mr.. Smith h about a CT
cited and as mistaken as his friends. Indeed, I am quiz,
convinced that the agitation consequent upon The Wiz
ginia outbreak has not only impaired his health. but h
likely to seriously affect his excitabls and mvbal.ncc.
mind. He Is a rny di6sreat maa TO day from ,cAat A.
yeas fesirs Saonfhs sinee. His calm, digniRed. impr>>iy,
bearing has given place 10 = hasty, nervous agitation. a
though some great fear was constantly before his imayi
nation. His eye Is bloodshot and restless a. that Of {
startled horse. He has lost flesh, and his face looks 4.
red and a. rough as though he had Just returned from
one of old Browns Kansas raids. IL may be that n.
ehates aud frets at the silence and inactivity imposed up
ON him by his friends rather than breads any nsponsi
bility for the past; but, howcvcr this may b.. he appe.r,
an altered man, and his true friends must deeply rsgre,
an affair that can 20 agitaie and 30 distress him.
Mr.. Smiths views as to the Sabbath are a pecuii.r AZ
are his political sentiments. He follows rather the lev.
ish doctrine, and makes Saturday his day Of rest He IA
therefore, always visible and ready for business on the
Sabbath. Having been appriscd OF this fact I sought an
interview with him ON Sunday, armed with a letter from
a hear relative. found this unnecessary. however. a.
Mr.. Smith at once recognized our former slight personal
acquaintance. Ills family proper consists at this time
only OF himself, his wife, and q son about twenty wears
old. His daughter. the wife Of Col. Miller, lives ON The
opposite side of the green. however, and is q coustan,
visitor, with some OF her interesting children. AZ her IA.
theirs house. There Is also, just now, considerable com.
motion about the premises. aud q constant food of vie.
iors-lawycrs, relatives, advisers, aud some mysterious
individuals-who come and GO on bushes. known only
TO themselves. Mr.. Chas. u. Sedgwick and Mr.. T;mo,bx
Jcnkins-Mr. Smiths legal advisers in this aaair-to.
gether with Mr.. Fiizhugh, of oswego, Mrs. Smiths bro.
ther, and several others, ladies' and gentlemen. we're
guests at the house yesterday. The two former gentle
men have been constant visitors at Pcterboro' since the
date of the outbreak at HarpcrIs Ferry.
A few words suhiced to convince me that any attemnt
To obtain from Mr.. Smith any information as TO the .s.
tors in the Virginia invasion, or his connection Herewith
was useless. l frankly avowed a desire to hear his sem
timents upon that subject sic" said Mr.. Smith, start.
ing Ike a frightened deer, ~ can't speak a word with
you on that matter. i can't say a word-not a SYLLABLE
even to my most intimate friends" .'But,- / argued
u do not OF course, desire any disclosures or any word
from you that could ~implcate or injure any one
Il can't speak about il at all" replied Mr.. s az am
going to be indicted. II any man in the Union is taken,
II viii be me. IL would not be proper to say a word
about it.. 1 ought not TO say one word. am advised
not to approach the subject at all. I am going 10 he in.
dicted, sir, indicted! You mus, not talk TO me about IL"
i dropped the subject as a matter of course. IL is evi.
dent that the family of sr. Smith are much alarmed. and
in a constant state Of agitation; for when I approach the
house, a stranger TO them, an apprehension-a dread
painful to see-was evident in the anxious countenanres
Of his wife and daughter, who were on the nisz,, a, ,h.
moment of nv call.
l subsequently conversed with a near relative and close
adviser OF Mr.. Smith, and expressed to him A desire 10
obtain some statement that, while doing injury to none,
might, on the other hand, remove erroneous impression
and lay facts before the public.
'Sir, he said, Mr.. Smith does desire to make such A
statement himself, and can scarcely be restrained from
dong so. But II he should, he would do il in his own
manner, and strike the thing square in the face let who
might be injured. He is, however, strongly advised no,
to do so in the present position of affairs, and has agreed
10 abide by the Judgment of his counsel When Ia doss
tell his story, IL will be found that many now only part,.
ally suspected are more implicated than he himself is
But at present he will say no word TO any person.
L made some Inquiries about Capt. Brown, and found
that he was here last spring for several weeks, a guest At
GerTit Smiths house, aud that while here a aunaEsr Of the
most prominent leading republicans visited him, and
Ecre for days IN consultation eth him.
As | viewed Gerrit Smith, the man of stuadv frame
and large heart, l could not resist drawing q contrast In
my own mind between him, with his earnest. diSint.rest.
Ell, but instructed philanthropy, aud his willy, calcula-
ting, selfish colHborcr, Wn. II. Seward; the one m
hoaest sboltionist-the other a political antLslayery man
iiow wide the distinction between the generous although
almost criminal acts of the one, and the cool. weIl-weish.
ed, carefully prepared professions OF tie other. Truly
there IS as much difference between the manly heart and
The politicians gizzard, as physically between the mas.
sive form Of the Abollionist and the insignificant 6gur.
OF the Agitaior. i could not help thinking thar Sou,h-
ern men, who have seen them both. must have much
more respect for the sturdy champion of the negro than
for the cunning demagogGe who rides the black hobby only
so lar as II i safe AMI useful. The former has before
now refused 20 shake the hand that would fastcn a ;et,er
on a human being. The latter, with spaniel-ike amisbil.
iy, has rendered the grasp of friendship TO a Southern
opponent who has insr'ited him only TO find it haughtilv
sLNNNN6- Att NOAld III "a All gentleman rp-D..f
the former more than the latter 4?
An evidence OF Gerrit Smiths sincerity vas furnished
me last evening. 4 bright, intelligent negro lad. about
fifteen years old, came into the sitting room Of The t,v-
ern' ana ! learned that he was one OF n family of eight
who were purchased out Of slavery by Mr.. Smith. The
fathers name is sam Russell, and he belonged 10 n reIa.
ave oil sT. smith, who Is n Southern lady by BIRTH
His master died, and Sam was sold. When the fact came
10 the ears of Mr.. Smith, he Insulated inquiry In Son,b
Carolina, where Sam wa owned, and the result was that
the purchaser, a gentleman of means, finding the
Northern aboItionists in earnest, agreed to let him
have the whole Gmily of eight persons for ,hre.
thousand five hundred dollars-less than half their
actual value. Mr.. Smith Immediately cent an agent TO The
south with the money, and the Russell family were
brought 70 Feterboro', where they have since rcsided-
fortunately they have all turned out honest aud indus.
trous, and are doing well. IN reply to a question. tho
lad declared that all the ooiorod men IN the place ronId
lo.t hoir lines bcfore their ~bcaefdeior shouH D, kaI,n
from his hons for the Harper Is Ferry affair. Mrs. Smitb's
family name vas ~fitzhnsI. NJ. Henry Fitzhugh. Of Os.
"ego' is one OF her brothers, and her own nep6ew il the
lily much regret.
A comical instance of Gerrit Smiths connection with
the negro IL related hy his n~eighbors. Some wears ago
an eccentric Southern gentleman died. leaving fortv ne.
groes their freedom, provided Mr.. Smith would transfer
them to New York State and provide for them" This
Mr.. s. Of course consented TO do, for he declares he can.
not ne his money more satisfactorily than in procuring
freedom FOR the slave. But when the time came for th.
exodus OF the darkies, they were Informed that G.rrit
was a %cannibal, and only wanted TO get them 10 New
York to cook and eat them. The poor negroes were so
'' ~ NM iur 70 u tNe1r state. and chose
TO remain in seryitude, and others ran away as soon "a
they could get a chance, leaving only seven out Of the
forty to reach PeterbOro'
An evidence of the excitement that exists in the VII
lage, and the constant apprehension Of the people. was
furnished in my "-n case. Ry arrival in the village on
sunday, a stranger, and the careless inquiries I made In
reference to Mr.. Smiths residence and to the popular
sentiment on his connection with the Harper's Ferry aE
fair, created the impression that I was in some way con-
nected with legal proceedings growing out OF that event
An officer, perhaps, come to steal away his prisoner
] was consequently the observed Of all observers 10 An
%unpeagant degree, ] could not move without feeling
ns NJ. BickWiek iet b. ihe Office Of Mr.. Bardelrs LAWYERS.
that the people we're "twiggiDgp me. One mysterious In.
disiduai, after giving me VARIOUS secret sicns and mo
tons, followed me out Of the room and hgriiedly asked
me IL he could "be Of any service" assuring me that he
did not sympl,hize with Gerrit at all, and informing me
that j was surrounded by that gentleman's spies. Shah.
ing my head mysteriousy, ] told him mot AZ present
and lcn him, doubtless, to dream Of reauisitions arrests
fescpes. and probably assassiuatous.
! cum gp ny experience at Gerret Smiths home thus.
lie y. IN eEident aisrI aTd agitation, Inconsistent with
the idea that his completely With the pll. 4 simply TO the
extent already made public. Jbsisve Nat BrGps's yisf
TO his homss ka't spring pas ultimately connected rim
me iHsuTsetioa, and that IL l. the knowledge that AZ any
moment. either by the discovery Of papers or the COMES.
sion Of hceonplices, his connection with the affair may
become erposed, that keeps Mr.. Smith Ia constant eE-
element aud fear. That many others are implicated.
whose names have not yet been mentioned amongst the
guilty, j have no doubt. from the information piven mo