Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1860-09-19
MistrII Ianeous.
Profering Slavery to Freedom,

One OF those instances which now and
then show the silver lining of Slavery
says the n. Y. Times, occurred on Tues.
day. at Philadelphia PAssMoRE WILLIAM
SON, that moral sleuthhound, whose scent
| for the slaves is as keen as that of the
most accomplished Cuban beagle, discov,
cred in the person of female servant, at
tendant upon Mr.. Conquest, OF Virginia.
nov residing in Philadelphia, an involun,
tary victim Of the great wrong. The birl,
it was reasonable to presume, could not
be acquainted with her rights. In the
true evangelical spirit, Williamson seems
| to have indoctrinated her with the princi-
| piles of the Contribution, as interpreted by
the Supreme Court: and gaining a mo-
mentary influence over her mind, procu
red her signature to an application for a
writ Of habeaS corpus addressed to Judge
Ludlow, of the Quarter Sessions The
writ was granted the slave was produced ;
AID there, in the presence of the multi>
tude, did that faithful oolored woman Mt.
test her undying loyalty to the best of
masters, and her determination not only
to adhere 10 him among the actual Tempt
tions to liberty, but to return with him, il
need were, to the house of bondage itself
She stated that she had received nothing
but kindness from the respondent-the
latest exhibition of his generous temper
being that "he had taken her all around
town, and shown Eer all the sights :" and
with an acute sense of the proprieties of
! life, worthy Of the pure Caucasian, she
declared that after such delicate atten-
tions "she did not think it would be hon
ora5le TO leave him. Chagrined at re.
suit so title to be anticipated, the Aboli
tionists left the field, and Conquest resu-
med his negro. Now the cunning of the
transaction appears in this: The master,
conscious of the precarous tenure of his
property, and prescient of the efforts of
her Abolitionist tenpters had INDUCED
the girl with survey OF the city and its
sights. We may take for granted that a
practical turn was given to this expidition;
and that among the puilieus laid open to
! the inquistive eyes of the negress were
such localities as Lombard, Elizabeth,
South and Shippen streets, the haunts OF
the free colored population of PhiIadel~
phia. What the girl must there have seen
must necessarily have qualified the aspi.
rations, if any, she had previously enter,
tained for Freedom. Poverty and suffer
ing rags insufficient for decent shelter to
the limbs; eager hunger in hollov eyes
and cheeks sloth, vice and misery, on all
sides, are the attractions presented by Ii
berty ia those particular quarters. The
negroes of Philadelphia are in tho aggre-
gate in far lower social position than those
of any other Northern uity. Instances oi
individual enterprise, and of pecuniary
moral, and Intellectual elevation are not
uncommon but the inert mass of the Afri
can population, herded together in its own
accustomed district, presents all the worst
characteristics of the race and the un-
happiest results of sudden freedom. NJ
worder that from such sights, the servant
OF an udulgent master should derive les
son of contentment. When freedom has
no better equivalents TO offer for life
long home and comfortable subsistence
without care or undue labor, freedom, al
though embodied in the person of the
persuasive PasSporc Williamson, will be
likely TO fail in its prcsclytism. Perhaps
it was after Sina had signed the applica
ton for the benefits of the haJeds corpus
that this eventiul ride was taken. Were
professional Abolitionists penetrable with
ordinary common sense, they might learr
to refrain from this special department o
LABOR. Repeatedly have they sought to
decoy away the personal attendants oi
Southern masters, and in nearly every in
stance has the difficulty in the way ofsuc
cess been found to be attached to the
slave for his owner. The truth is, it il
I OF the Southern household servant who
feels the pinch of servitude. Comforta
bly, housed, lavishly fed, INDUCED, and ve
ry often spoiled, their lives are easily in
: dolent ana their daily intercourse will
the white members of the family seldom
i fails to inspire mutual feelings of attach
ment. The Abolitionist offers no substi
, tute for these comforts-no guarante
: against an unprovided old age; and will
: the better intelligence acquired by associ
alton with the masters h household, the dc
. mestic negro has forecast enough to stud
these little considerations, to shrink fron
t the change. And, it is needless to say
: with every such defeat Of the Abolitionsi
!, the advocates of the institution are fur