The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1862-05-01
How tho Negroes CT the District
Of lOlnnEb bla received their
Promised Emancipation.
r Washington Cor. N. Y. Tribune


In anticipation Of the liberty day that
seems SO near to them, the slaves all
over the city, and the free negroes, who
are connected with them by the ties Of
| kindred and sympathy, are dressed il
their best today (many Of them in
their secdy best to be sure,) and are
assembled to celebrate this Sabbath as
a day Of praise and thanksgiving. /
have talked with several candidates"
this evening from whom l gather that
this Thanksgiving Day" has been
kept ioyously in nearly Ill Of their sew
entcen churches. There seems to have
been preconcert among them, and the
afternoon was devoted to love teasts.
I attended the Bethel Church, near
The Capitol, this morning. The black
clergyman preached very good SER
mon from the text, "If God be for us,
who can be against u.s." to an audience
of 200 or'30o Of his own people.
| lie spoke Of the aeliyerance Of Mos
es and the children Of Is,e from bond
age; and by natural transition, refer
red 10 tile condition Of the slaves in
America, and especially in this Districs.
lie thanked the Lord most ferycntly
that he had been permitted to live to
see this day. Forty three years ago he
was tarred and feathered in Washing
ton because be would preach he Lord
Jesus as he understood it; '.bnt now
shouted the sable preacher, s'let Etaeo-
pia lf up her hands to God. for q great
good is coming out of this war.-a
good for me, for us, and tor our people,
whom every nation has set its heel M
on..'' His audience was boisteronsly
iavons, from the beginning - the ss::
Of the discourse Of course, the ex
rressians AMI demonstrations were q.
itravarant--;rue to the quick s,4iacy
and irrsrnt hearts of the race. Some
rubbed their hands II glea, some laugh
ell outri. ..ht, some leapcd in the air or
twisted themselves into grotesGns at
titnles, as if their JOY was too intense
to he entertained at staia perpenslic
ular: many shouted ''Glory to Cod"
"Halclnjah.r "Amen.' "1hc blessed
lay has GOMEZ &c; while nearly all
were in tears. When tie speaker
thanked the Lord that the slaves We're
to be free, the jubilee became utterly
indiscrihable. Whet a Babel of ,rinm
phant voices! An old "aunt" off in the
right hand upper corner, shouted and
wept persis,en,ly. Probably she had
4 reason for It, l thought-perhaps two
or three of them, helpless, and in the
hands Of the k,dnapper.. "Glory to
God.' said the preacher, solemnly and
slowly. ''Glory to Lovejov" yelled a
voice at the right that belonged to a
strongly built mulatto. No." com
manded the speaker instantly, tell
vau glory TO God - for he seemed de-
t.rminel from the first word that God
should have the undivided praise. re
tusing to give moiety to the Presi
dent or Congress. A pair of hands
clenched spasmo:lically the top Of the
seat in which I was sitting. looked
back and the man was hopping up and
down. as if he hadjust caughta glimpse
Of Heaven, and presently interrupted
the speaker by trying to sing, II am
bound for the land OF Canaan" His
face bore deep scar across the nose,
and tears were streaming from the long
turrows of bis cheeks. He had seen
thirty years perhaps, and the light gray
rags that he gathered about him told
me that he had "comc out OF the house
OF banda.c' Most Of the hearers
were partly white; many were mulas-
toes, quadroon, octoroons-and one OF
two women, imagined, would attrac,
attention, for their good looks, on
Broadway. But what > day Of sun
shine it was to the stricken souls
They seemed 10 think little Of the XIII
nappcr; they we're full Of hope, and
looked ahead Such q chorus Of exul
tation | never heard before; such foy'
ful gestures l never behela-it was 4
/ spectacle for men and angels.