The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-10-28

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scheme which | could devise. however
was to outbid even Mathewson, and become
the successful purchaser when the iniam-
GUS sale should take place. | had but my
savings to contribute. however. somo two
thousand hard-earncd dollars and Brother
Boaz, though he said simply that he would
give "even to the half ot his substance,
10 save the poor victim, yet felt himself
forced TO throw cold water on the project.
Friend" said he, " for every piece of
silver we ccu muster by clubbing our store,
Joel Mathewson could lay down piece of
gold. His foundery alone briugcth in Il
revenue of thirty thousand dollars. Be.
! think thee, too, that he may safely bid the
wealth of Ophir, seeing he is the actual
owner of the captive maiden, wherefore he
is as one who playcth with coggcd dice"
There was no disputing the truth of the
good Quaker assertion.
That afternoon and evening, the chiv.
airy lured by the glowing paragraphs in
the newspapers, came pouring into the town
by train, or in vehicles of nondcscript char
acter. They did not all como to buy, but
for the most part to look on, scrutini1e, CN-
crcisc their critical powers, Just as ANA
teurs who never owned horse frequent
Tattersals. 1t was a sore trial to the pa
tience of Ellen'S friends to have perlorco TO
listen, in bar and saloon. in street and YES
tibulc, to loud and idle conversations OF
which she was the theme to empty josts
and brutal ribaldry, and to stories equally
false and revolving, in which the name OF
Helen, the pretty quadrcon," was banded
from mouth to mouth. The ignorant and
prohigate planters had no pity for the sup.
posed slave to them the sale was q pleas
ant piece of excitement. Mr.. Bingley held
his peace. and restrained his natural indig.
nation which long self discipline gave him;
but could scarcely refrain, moro than once,
from giving the lie TO some one of the foul
tongucd braggarts who were prating ut my
elbow.
Tho next morning we were early afoot.
This was the day of the auction; it was also
the day of the hearing in the Supreme
Court, since our attorney had not been able
to obtain the ear Of the Judge the preceding
afternoon. The court assembled at ten.
At half past nine, Brother B0a2 aud !
walked toward the tribunal On our way |
caught glimpGc. across the street, of face
at the sight OF which | felt the same rcpug-
nant thrill that would have been caused by
the sight of a serpent-Joel Mathewson
! The old scoundrel had kept aloof from Sa-
vannah until now, and had arrived in time
! for the sale; ostensibly attracted, like other
persons, by the advertisements and news
paper paragraphs. He was dressed in black,
as usual, with thick white cravat and n
| Iieweled brooch stuck in it; and his brown
hands, on which the veins and cords stood
out like unravelcd cordagc, were gloveless.
/ His face was less pale than usual--it was
! botched with an unwholCsome red; his
wicked eyes were bloodshot, and his lips
| twitched nervously; but these tokens Of
excitement only added to the cadaverous
lock Of the man. lie WINGED little as my
eyes met his; but instantly recovering his
! boldncss, he strodc across the street, and
| fixing his scowlng gaze on me, addressed
me with extreme insoIenCc: Why are you
not al your work, sir, Sheuld like to know?
We don't pay you puppies to neglect their
duties on the rail, | guess, and come here
playing the champion TO nigger wcnches.
| should have struck him, old man though
he was, in the first impulse Of anger, had
not Brother Boaz pressed his heavy hand
on my arm. mustered all my self-control,
as | saw, by the malicious twinkle in the
elders eyes, that he was trying to provoke
me into some illegal act. Briefly telling him
that he was no master of mine, and that to
the Board alone was responsible, turned
my back on the hoary sinner, and entered
the courthouse.
The court assembled in due time, and the
Judge heard the arguments of our counsel
with toerable patience, examined the evil
dence, and-took time for decision. 1t was
he thought, q case for a jury. But we knew
how little could be hoped from jury of
southern men. We applied for an order TO
stop the sale; it was refused The judge
grew irritable and touchy by the bare men,
ton OF step so certain to iniiame the an
cry passions Of the populacc.
We left the court with heavy hearts. A
CLEAN of hope was now rsised in our minds
by the arrival Of the British Consul. This
gentleman, though our tale appeared TO him
as most improbable and Unsupported, still
did what he could for us. His influence
prevailed on the Judge to promise an early
decision--a barren boon where all the
chances were against us. We found the
slavc-mart throngcd, and even the avenues
to it crowded; but by bribery and elbow
ing, we made our way in. BY this time
the town was in a ferment. Tho whole
population, white and black, swarmed in
the streets, and the chattering of tongues
was inccssant, and Ellen the theme of all.
But there was more than mere curiosity
abroad. The Irish laborers in the dockyard
were in state of fierce excitement and
suspicion. A rumor had got wind to the
effect that countrywoman of their own,
an Irish girl from the Ould Counthry,' was
to be sold as slave, on false pretences.
Those who know the Irish most intimately,
best know tho effect Of such an appeal on
their sympathies. Some hundreds of
bronzed athletic fellows were collected on
the wharfs and in the water-side streets,
with cudgels and crowbars in their hands
and before the lowering menace Of their
gaze, the eyes of the turbulent mob of Sa-
vannah quailed in fear, As yet, by infinite
pains on the part of the police and leading
townsman, the Irishmen had been kept from
actual riot but they swore loudly that UNI
less justice were done, they would wreck
the city in revenge for the oppression of
a compatriot. Just as we crossed the
Threshold of the mart, we heard the quick
roll of drums, and two companies of militia
marched down the street with shouldered
arms, and drew up so as TO present an i'm
posing front TO the Paddles on the quay,
whose yells of derision and defiance in
stantly drowned the martial music of those
holiday soldiers Still not a stone was
thrown, not blow struck; the indignation
of the Irish seemed to ezpend itself in au-
cry cries. / have said the mart was very
full space however, rallied off from the
rest of the hall, was kept free. Hero was
tho DuIuit-liE rOstrIifn Of thp auctiOuNpr