Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-08-20

Which their own blindness feigned for adamant,
Wrong ever builds ON quicksands; but the right
10 the hrIn center lays its mOyeless base.
y. X. LoceH.
[The following story, which is very sug-
gestive at this crisis is strictly true. The
southern gentleman, who visited the swamp in
disguise, and heard the speeches of the slaves,
repeated them, as nearly as he could recolIect,
to a friend of Mrs, Child, and she committed
them to writing The incidents occurred dur
ing the war of 1872, when the probability OF
the British landing on our coasts was much
talked of
Mr.. Duncan was sitting alone in his elegant.
ly furnished parlor, in the vicinity of Charles,
ton, South Carolina Before him lay an open
voume-Thierry' History of the Norman
Conquest. From the natural kndliness OF his
character, and democratic theories deeply i'm
bibed In childhood, his thoughts dwelt more
with nation Frustrated and kept in base sub.
jeclion by the. strong arm of violence, than
with the renowned robbers, who seized their
rich possessions, and haughtily trampIed on
their dearest rights.
"And so that bold and beautiful race be-
came slaves - thought he. "The brave and
free soued Harolds, strong OF heart and strong
of arm the iair.haired Edith, in their queenly
beauty, noble i'll soul as well as ancestry
these all sank to the condition Of slaves. They
tamely submit to their lot, till their free,
bright beauty passed under the heavy cloud OF
animal dizziness, and the contemptuous Nor
man epithct of base Saxon churs' was but
too Significantly true. Yet not without ef.
forts did they thus sink. How often renewed,
or how bravely sustained, we know not for
troubadOurs rarely sing Of the defeated, and
conquerers write their own history. That
they did not reliuquish freedom without u
struggle, is proved by Robin Hood and his
bold followers, floating in dim and shadOwy
glory on the outskirts Of history; brave out
laws OF the free forest, and the wild mountain
passes, taking back, in the very teeth OF dam
ger, precaIous subsistence from the rich
possessions that were once their own !; and
therefore styled thieves and traitors by the
robbers who had beggared them. Doubtlesa
they had MINISTRIES of uleir own unknown in
princely halls, untrumpeted by fame, yet sing
ing of their exploits in spirit.stirring tones, to
hearts burning with sense of wrong. Trou.
bled must be the sleep OF those who rule q
conquered nation %
These thoughts were passing through his
mind, when dark mulatto opened the door
and making a servile reverence, said in
wheedling tones, "Would massa be so good as
glib pass to 90 to Methodist meeting"
Mr.. Duncan was a proverbially indulgent
master, and he at once replied, eyes, Jack
NOT stay out all night"
ooh, no, massa. Tom never preach more
than two hours"
Scarcely was the pass written before another
servant appeared with similar request; and
presently another; and yet another. When
these interruptions ceased Mr.. Duncan re.
sumed his book and quietly read of the or
pressed Saxons, until the wish for glass of
water induced him to ring the bell No
servant obeyed the summons. With an i'm
patient jerk Of the rope he rang second time,
mutterng TO himself, "What curse it is to
be waited upon by slaves If l were dying
the-lazy looms would take their own time and
come dragging their heavy heels along an hour
after l was in the world Of spirits. My
neighbors tell me it is because | never fog
them. | believe they are in the right. 1t is a
hard case, too, to force man to be tyrant,
whether he will or no.
A third time he rang the bell more loudly !;
but waited in vain for the sound OF coming
footsteps. Then it occurred to him that he
had given given every one Of his slaves a pass
to go to the Methodist meeting. This was in
stantly followed by the remembrance that the
same thing had happened few days before.
We were then at war with Great Britain :
and though Mr.. Duncan often boosted the
attachment of his slaves, and declared them to
be the most contented and happy aborers in
the world, who would not take their freedom
if they could, yet by some coincidence of
thought the frequency of Methodist meetings
Immediately suggested the common report that
British troops were near the coast and about
to land in Charleston. simultaneously came
the remembrance of Big-boned Dick, who
many months before, had absconded from a
neighboring planter, and was suspected of
holding a rendezvous for runaways in the
4 Nl,1 s Il,
existence OF such gang was indicated by the
rapid disappearance of young corn sweet
potatoes, lat hogs, ETC., from the plantations for
many miles around.
"The black rascal !" exclaimed he ''if my
boys are in league with him
The coming threat was arrested by a voice
within, which, like a chorus from some invsi-
bic choir, all at once struck up the lively ballad
of Robin Hood and thus brought Big .boned
Dick, like Banquo's ghost, unbdden and I'M
c0ngruous association with his spontaneous
sympathy for Saxon serls, his contempt of
chase Saxon churls" who tamely submitted TO
their fate, and his admiration of the bold out
laws, who lived by plumber in the wild freedom
OF Saxon forests.
His republican sympathies, and the System
entailed upon him by his ancestors" were OBJ
viousy out of JOINT with each other; and the
skilltulest soldering OF casuistry could by no
means make them adhere together. Clear as
the tones of a cathedral bell above the hacks
and drays OF a city, the voice OF reason rose
above all the pretexts of seltishness and apol-
ogies OF sophistry, and loudly proclaimed that
his sympalhies were right and his practice
wrong. Had there been at his elbow some
honest john Woodman, or fearless Elias Hicks
that hour might perhaps have seen him a free
man in giving freedom to his serfs. But he
was ali Ita Of nJ,
and the habits OF his whole life, coliured up
fearful array of lions in his path, and he
wist not that they were phantoms The ad-
monitionS of awakened conscience gradually
gave place to considerations OF personal safety
and plans Tor ascertaining the real extent of
the danger,
The next morning he asked his slaves with
assumed nonchaanee whether they had a good
meeting"
"Oh, yes, massa; berry good meeting"
"Where did you meet?"
"In the woods behind Birch Grove, massa. y
The newspaper was brought, and found to
contain renewal of the report that British
troops were proving about the coast. Mr..
Duncan slowly paced the room for some time,
apparently studying the figures Of the carpet,
yet utterly unconscious whether he trod on
canvass or green sward. AT length he ordered
his horse and drove to the next plantation.
Seeing gang at work in the fields, he stop.
ped and after some questions concerning the
crop, he said to one OF the intelligent, $50 you
had fine meeting last night 2"
on, yes, massa, berry nice meeting"
"Where was 2"
The slave pointed far east of Birch Grove.
The white mans eye followed the direction OF
the bondmans finger, and deeper cloud gath
cred on his brow. Without comment he rode
nd II,