Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-12-08

The spectator has only to imagine himself stand.
ing ia front of the prison at Charleston ns tho
door was thrown open for John Brown to pass liz
threshold to martyrdOm, in order fully to com
prehend the picture aud the location Of its subject.
John Brown occupies the confer of the canvass,
standing six feet four inches in height upon his
left, Mr.. Saddlcr, the grey bearded man, is speak
ing to Captain Avis, the jailor, and as these two
men seemed at tho time Of Browns incarceration
to embody oil that was lefs of a generous and np-
2reciative spirit in Virginia, they are here intro
duced to symbolic whatever Of noble feeling or
enlightened manhood may have remained. Their
portraits are purely imaginary, no opportunity
having occurred for obtaining actual likenesses.-
In advance OF these characters, q figure in the
uniform OF q huEzar, bears upon his face quite as
positive indications of the prevailing spirit OF the
Old Dominion, arrogance and ovetbearing insOlOnce
when thoroughly secured from any possibility OF
danger. He turns with an authoritative and angry
look to the oppressed woman, as though command
ing her in a surly grOHl to depart, while she,
wearing an expression Of hopeless misery, gszes
into his face with intense and painful inquiry, as
if she could there discover what immediate pun
ishment she might expect for happening to be
where none but freemen are allowed. Her child
alarmed by the forbidding aspect Of the officer, is
%clingiug to her for protection, while she with a
true mothorly instinct is lifting him to her bosom.
Even this child displays upon his baby counter
ance, tho henrtbreak and sorrows Of his down
trodden race.
Immediately back Of the slave and at the right
of Brown, q figure, dwarfsh 10 proportion, and of
n z.o.A l-...1 $500 =. =. ~. - -,a1;nr har
the mother,-"who has no rights tchtch any
tohite man is bound TO respect" from the prison
steps. This man carries The Standardof Virginia.
The bare idea of the slave-driver compacting in his
little self all that is debasing and brutal in the
human character, he is best fitted to bear the
standard Of a State whose propertyship in the
souls and bodies Of men and women is sustained by
these very elements. Directly behind him stands
a soldier in the uniform of a continental Of 1776.
"Oh how are mighty fallen !" The banners of
Virginia are waving behind the figure Of Brown;
it is so arranged as to surround his head with a
glory, while the escutcheoD, an armed Liberty
trampiing upon q slain tyrant with the motto
"Sic Semper 7yrannis," recoils uron Virginia
with a power too well understood to need explain
alton. In the left hand, lower corner, stands a
mutlated statute OF justice. In the old colony
days, or even later, when northern armies return
victorious from Yirginia's soil, perhaps this stat
ute adorned some noble public edifce and welded
a power over the assemblies which deliberated
within its walls may be some hall OF justice ac-
knowledged the sway Of her balances and knew
the righteousness of her sword, or it may have
surmounted even the dome of the capitol at Rich
~mond-there is no knoEing-and poured her be-
uigu spirit down through ali of its masses of stone
and timber, and iron, sensibly into the Legislative
halls. But those days of pristine purity have
passed. Justice; the consort of Love, has not on
ly proven a fable, but her ordinances have be-
come obsolete. Her balances are shattered, bu. a
poor fragment of she sword remains in her hand,
her arm is broken off at the shoulder, and she is
cast among rubbish, useless, mouldy, forgotten
But the surly and blinded stone bears the tramp
of men moving along to the murder of heroes, and
stern marble lip is pressed tighter, and she knows
the day is coming when the balances will be made
whole and restored to her, when her garments will
be ordered, and the broken arm set to its place
when the shivered sword will be welded, and then
it will drip with punishment,