New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-08
Fish and bis comrades were of the Potomac

| for children published in this country For
| twenty five years was known to thousands
of the little ones of the North and West as
| ''Uncle Lucius." An entire generation of
| them grew to manhood and womanhood,
under my training while readers of the J4-
| renile Instructor. And they were aboli-
tionists of the most radical type. Stories
and pictures about slavery were freely in
terspersed with other matter suited to the
minds of children in land which had been
consecrated to freedom. although peopled
with slaves. AS one of my first and con-
slant readers, his sympathiss were sponta-
neous and enduring.
When war followed swiftly on the heels
of rebellion, no abolitionist doubted where
unto it would culminate. The freedom of
the slave was a foregone conclusion. And
whatever others did, and for what others
may say-but this we say for each other as
survivors who stand beside the graves of
those who have gone before-the battle
hymn of the republic was our favorite
song. Whether on the field after day of
victory, or in Libby Prison with Chaplain
McCabe, we sang in full chorus
"I have read fiery gospel writ in FURNISHED rows
of STEEL
As ye deal with @ysseontennsrs, so with you my
Let thu hero born of woman crush the serpent with
Since God is matching on.
For
'In the beauty of the lilies Christ born across
With glory in his bosom that transfgures you
and me,
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make
While God is marching on
When Selby Fish fixed his domicile in
New Orleans, he did not bate his breath,
nor conceal his sympathies, as crowds of
Northern men do here. These are selfseek-
ers wholly. ''The fact is," say they unblush-
ingly, "we come here to make money" And
any word, or act of independence, bene-
violence, or religious duty, that can be
traded away for dollar, they give or with
hold, with degrading servility, at the bid
ding Of The Southern masters of trade and
commerce. Poor, mean slaves are they who
wear chains of their own forging, when they
might be free Not so did Stephen Selby
fore, within reach of strong hackers and
patrons, if he would be prudent, in the per-
verted sense of popular usage, he was yet
guilty of the very marked imprudence of
being worshiper here, and supporter of
Ames' Methodist Episcopal Church. Scores
of Northern Methodists, who are clamorous
friends of the African, where there are few or
none, are as silent and cautious as mice in
New Orleans. The spies who look in at these
doors, to report who are to be put on the
black list of Southern tradespeople, will
never find them here. They are too prHdent
for that
Every time that calm face and tottering
step was seen coming up these aisles, it was
an utteranee of eloquent and seathing re-
buke to time-seving Northern Methodists in
New Orleans, who, for the sake of gain,
forgot the mother who gave them birth.
and disowned their brethren of the same
homestead born. But that coming to this
house of prayer was more than rebuke.
1t was noble self-assertion it proclaimed
will; it declared changeless purpose.
Behind that physical frailty was the mental
and moral strength of matured manhood.
Stop that man! Try to bind him Turn
him back from his chosen path! Ahah he
is more than match for any arm Of flesh
or the hosts of hell! Truth and right crown
single man with Gods omnipotenee.
Follow him to his Office; note the business
documents filed by the poor people, whose
ignorance of law was offset by the services
he eheerfully and gratuitously rendered.
See how naturally they turn their steps
to his desk. These are to-day the living
witnesses of his unselfsh and constant
friendship. And their choice of him as
Senator for four years from last November
shows that they knew who their friend was.
Sorry are they, and we share that sorrow,
that he has not lived to serve them during
that full term of office
He was victim finally of that malice,
cowardice and treaehery which constitute a
fendish trio only born of the demon slavery.
The written and unwritten history of July
30, 1866, in this city, we will not now un-
fold. But this must be said: cold blooded
massacre of free, unoffending citizens was
perpetrated by the neglect of the military
and by the connivance, if not command, of
the civil powers. And men known, whose
hands are red as Gains with the blood Of
their brothers, walk our streets unchal-
lenged and without fear of punishment.
Among the victims not instantly killed,
but wounded severely, was Stephen Selby
Fish. He was not member of the doomed
convention, but being known, was none the
less target for the assassin's fire. On the
banquet, outside the Mechanics Inntitute,
he received three successive balls. His
head, his arm and chest were wounded,
Each shot was from behind. Even an un-
armed man could not be faced by an armed
coward.
The last bullet entered the flesh below
the shoulder blade, and buried itself near
the vital organs. Every step of his path
way since has been accompanied with the
conscious presence of hidden foe to life,
that bit him as with the poison of asps and
plagued him as with the sting of viper.
And that deadly bullet which eluded the
surgeons scalpel and could not be found,
will only be discovered by the unerring
finger of decay among the handful of dust
to which all human dust finally returns.
His memory will be perpetuated as a
precious thing by the affectionate family
circle, whose members live to sweep over
his grave. First of these is the beautiful
bride, to whom he was married at
Marion, New York, in October, 1870. She