The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-03-30

A Douglas Dsm ecrAttc Ediser ann ems
the Joh. nrswnttss--Hs Narrates
his Experience I'm nsscutmg EuGt.
/ tive slaves from their Pursuers-'
/ ply.
On the 10th inst, (the evening OF the day
that Stephens and Haslett were executed ai
Harpsr's Ferry,) large number OF fhsir
sympathizers met at the Court House, in JEFF
ferson, Ashtabnla %. Among those presen,
wore John Brown, jr., Owen Brown, Barclay
Ooppoc and James Redpath, oil Of whom sd-
dressed the meeting, expressing their deep
sympathy with the enterprise in which their
relatives and friends bad persisted. In the
| long report of the affair ia tho Ashtabula
Sentinel, we find the following, which was
not put down in the bills, and which relieved
| the otherwise sombre aspect of the occasion.
Deacon Gray, of the Cleveland Plaindealer,
who had come TO report the meeting for his
paper, was loudly called for. He arose and
said
He could not believe, after the courtesy he
had met in Jefferson, that this audience called
him out for the purpose OF Kissing him do wn.
{Cries of no no 20 on, &c.) If they could
see bis heart they would know that be was
not so far in feeling from any OF them a. they
might think. He had nothing to object to in
the remarks of John Brown, or in the quaint,
odd speech of Owen and although he GOULD
not indorse the position of Mr.. Redpath, he
had no quarrel with him. He would not
make speech, but asked to be let OF BY
telling a story. They might know that there
were two Grays--J. W. Gray, OF the Plain
dealer, and himself, or deacon Gray, a. some
people called him. [Laughter.1 He 1.-THE
speaker) was once deacon Of the Presby.
terrain Church at Pittsburg. One day he
saw q negro limping along and white man
following with a drawn revolver in his hand.
Now, said the speaker, mind you, Pm not
tclking of my theories, but practice. Laugh
teri This negro was fugitive, who had
once before escaped into Pennsylvania, but
had been followed, shot down, and taken
back. This was the second time he had been
captured
These two men-black and wbite-were
crossing q covered bridge, at one end Of
which was the Presbyterian Church. As the
negro was some ways ahead, he (the speak
or) managed to push him into the church
door, at which the sexton happened to be
standing. They then looked the door and
ran the negro up the steeple, and there they
looked down upon the Shareholder who was
passing about in all directions. in trying to
find where the negro had gone.
Three cheers were given for Gray's Dem
oeratic practice.
The speech was wonderfully well received.
The Deacon's humorous style of telling the
story, and bis cool confession Of practical
hypocrisy, were inimitable in their way.
John Brown rose and asked Mr.. Gray If
be would be willing to answer o question?
The whole audience became still, and the
Deacon rose with rather uneasy and de-
cidedly serious face, and said-ssCertainly.o
John Brown, Junior.-"Well, sir, let me
ask you if you did not feel nearer Heaven
when yor were up in that steeple with the
negro, than while standing on the Cincinnati
platform ?"
The Deacon dropped as If be had been shot
through the heart, and the whole audience
rose and cheered. The bit was so unexpect-
ed and complete that it was long before aui-
ct was restored. We suspect it will be some
time before the Deacon hears the last of that
question.