The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-12-18
BY EDWARD EVERETT HALE.


New York was the great centre where
the slave-traders of the world bought
their vessels. Havana was the great
centre where they laid their plans. Bos-
ton, New Bedford, New London, Cadiz,
Barcelona, the Western Islands, and
know not where else, were the minor
places in the operation. The voyages
were arranged at Havana, the ships
were partly fitted in New York, thence
they slipped to sea, picked up the rest
of their equipment and the right papers
elsewhere If New 7 DIRK would not an
swer, and brought up on the Western
Coast. / have seen the record which
Mr.. Archibald, the English Consul and
Commissioner in New York, kept of
one hundred and seventy-one of these
Yessels in three years time. His secret
agents boarded them in New y olk liar
Tor, and described them for him in de-
tail, even down to The brand of cigars
which the captain had in his cabin. Mr..
Archibald sent the description to the
Admiralty, and they to the Coast. Let
me go below. said an English officer on
board SLAYER in one of the African
rivers. ~ on go at your peril" said the
captain, brave in the perfectly regular
papers he had, i'll the Stars and Stripes
over his head, in the new coat of paint
lie tdhcU ut the western lSi1tlDS-
and IN the fact, perhaps. that though he
sailed as bark, he was now "a brig
g Y GU go below at your peril" Il will
take the risk" said the Englishman ::
went below. and found all the slave-fit-
tings, casks, cooking-stove, handouts
and the rest, and of course seized the
vessel. The out-witted captain, white
with rage, swOre between his clenchcd
teeth, you would not have Known me
but for your bloody English Consul in
New York" Almost every man of the
projectors was known to the English
government through this steady secret
service. But they all ran riot till Mr..
Lincoln came i'll, and then one fine day
one Gordon was arrested for slaye-tlad-
ing, another day he was tried, and
another he was hanged!
Yes, my friend, he was hanged. l
know about what is called the sacred
ness of human life. For my part, be-
heve a mans life is as sacred as his lib
erty, and no more SO. And | believe
when his country requires eith6r his
life or his liberty, she may use il, If she
takes the responsibility. In this case, l
am very glad my country took this re-
sponsibilify. Whatever Gordon's life
may have been worth TO him or his
friends, L think this country put it to a
very SOOu use When size Idl9cu Hlnl.-
A storm of protest was made against
his. death. Twenty-Five thousand peo-
pie petitioned Abraham Lincoln to spare
that mans life, and Abraham Lincoln
refused. Gordon was hanged. And all
through the little ports and big ports OF
the United States it was known that a
slave-trader had been hanged. And,
when that was known, the American
slave-trade ended. All up and down
little African rivers that you had never
heard the names OF, it was known that
an American siave-trader had been
hanged and cowardly pirates trembled.
and brave seamen cheered, when they
heard it. Mothers of children thanked
such gods as they knew how to thank ;
and slaves shut up i'll barracoons. wait
ing for the voyage, got signal that some
thing had happened which was to give
them freedom. That something was
that Gordon was hanged. So far that
little candle threw its beams.
/ am told, and l believe, that when
that poor wretch was under sentence OF
death, his friends" kept him in liqour
to Che moment of his death-so anxious
were they lest he should cOInplicate
some OF them by confession. And
when he was dead they celebrated his
death in the last great orgy Of the slave
trade-in one drunken feast they held
togeIher-sO rejoiced where they that
they had escaped his testimony. Such
is the honor among thieves.-Attdnttc
Monthly for December.