New-York tribune., 1871-09-09
yERxoNr MEYER BAD a SLAVE,
REcr1FIcAT1oN OF GROea ERRoR-c6ETRIBU-
TON TO THE TRUTH OF HISTORY.

TON TO THE TRUTH OF HISTORY.
70 the BdttOr OT The Trfb~~e.
SIR: COL Harrington, the Acting Superin-
teudent Oeuens In pokng about among his figures
has discovered important historical factor rather an
important fact that corrccts an outrageous historical
O,under. Thi blunder has been nursed, and fed ana
kept warm by stascians historians, essayists, news
raper writer's and public speakers for more than tlree
quarters OF century, 1t involved the
fa of of the purest Of the sisterhood OF STATES
IL win be difficult to cast aside the traditions OF me
tirne. To disregard, from certain days. certain s'u
IN In history and to overake and correct an error ~
a. had nearly @ century's start But COL Harrington
IN do his part the newspapers will do theirs, and the
sublic must aleo assist in the correction OF o
inexcusable that the only wonder is that II mas eu
long. The error, which has Outived the Sste" "H'n
brought into existence places Slavery IN Tue
hills Of Vermont Col. Harrington, jealous On INC ian
name Of his native State and Of the county OF Ms p'
took IL into his head he would look into the Iact a
knowe6ged az such from one end OF the country 70 @
other, OF the existence of Slavery in that oio 0U t
wealth. and he succeeded in pulling from tne oHy on+
webs of .agee the truth, which ls Ina' '0
never owned a slave that there was ho''
slave owned within her borders ana aSs unss Of some
suffered the odium through the caretb Century As
1lnnuoTln am Snn1Ss the rst census OF the United
States was taken I'm 1890 and one mas S time After
Conyersation with COL Harrington went ID searCn oa
copies of the first Census which however the UNI
Ssrs rsfGCe for all Iefogged nHurers readily supplied
copy sought reminding me a Una" he did not Know of
nnoSr in cxtcnce Tho copy produced is most prim
NV rC OF IN aoc primer Toba6y inches long y q wde
and tic follow ing on is h mstrcts az %
Of tue United states. According to an Act pro
Vidng for the enumeration OF sne mnSOiiT tbs arst
81 Si1 ,"' 'phSdelphia: printed by Chids and swane,
IciicrrSs is Ia long primer or small plea type with the
eccentric shaped "s and other letters common IN tat
day ana the edges stained yellow From the tables,
il appcars that south Carolina slow in sending 1n
her cturus the book printed leaving blanks ior
with rcu The volume was the property OF Oliver
Of s IT,, Who SSS Ss aSo
graph well that of Thomas Jenesson tnen re th
ccnst,s in the following words; ,..,.., l..
Truly stated from the original returns gepoSte1 III
the OfiCe otthe Secretary Of State. TIL JEFFERSON
October "a, 4T91" o,.
lie .new as little Of that which he certified as many Of
our Later Government officers for neither were the re
TURNS accurate tue transcript certified correct
one Te vSn Tr Itd ,se S sses SS oSns and counties to-
Rcther with the sex, age, and color by eaSn S'ae anu
eontnng Eve columns or subdivisions showing In each
town the Following facts: In the nrst e0luinn rec
families :" tie second column is headed Free white
males u.ider years - the third column contains Free
"All oter persOns; the fifth has the number OF
and the the 15 aS 1e Of in @ch O Benz
nngton County credited with lS sfyeS nese ses are
Bennngton, y MaDeSeser s. Powna shafts6ury'
/; Windhal Il and each they are placed in the
aud thus it has been continued for 80 years
returned to the Census office. and was shown the
original return for the state OF Vermont in columns by
towns and by counties The returns were contained IN
1G Sa fed hGR fE So ee IN and
about 20 iuches in width. The sheets had been pasted
ot and yellow as paper upon which the returns
were mace was, the whiting itself was Remarkably clear
hand whch often met with in old papers and docu
mcnts The ink had aded somewhat 31{ II was & sun as
1{.tip pf aOnnn
and all that return filled as 1t is with names and hg
not s plain print. Tie ruling, lettering. &C., was all
done hy nand Running carefully down the columns In
TnS me e rterS OF single one in The whole Siatc Of Yer
mont any entered IN the column OF TOTALS but
In pefs s neaf
@ Ges S fSSns PCTGa sSa6y
Windail l-these being in the County OF Bennington
tic returns Still show no slaves but. the contrary,
show Free Blacks" Of given age, with no mention
Robinson, Assistant to Marshal and BY Her1an Allen,
u s. Marshal OF Vermont and is fair, workma9lEe,
this table for the printer. somebody got the
SGs SanSsr ssed n into ne ana hG into
1t las been perPetuated by the census makers axe r.
d7so TS 10 Yes All works on slavery the
Of slavery IN Vermont in that year. and mas
sons Vermont in Congress have been tannted with
mistake and the subsequent census takers were TOO
nefcemt TO examine the nrst return G9ode, ~ ~ b s
'HistuTy OF Slavery Ill tue UDlJ6u oidNbJ VI
most Trustworthy books printed upon the subject has
this paragraph: <.,. -,
ain I77 tic people OF Vermont met IN Convention and
proclaimed Vermont sn independent State: me nrst
article Of their bill OF rights exciudeo Ss-
Yery Though not admitted into the Con-
federacy lowing to some claims Of New-Yorfl tn
I5s Vermont honor Of having first provided Io
The abolition Of Slavery Seventeen slaves are indeed
set down to Vermont in the census OF 1900"
Inc writer is in error regarding the number The
number set down the Of 70 l6 and It was not
until the census OF 1910 prnted In 80 that some enter
prsine individual discovered another slave as having
existed in Vermont in $780, The seventeenth slave was
found in Windham County and had much Of al exist
ance as the other 49, and but in all the subse
auent ccnsuses including that Of $780, the number OF IL
iias een continued From the book under the head,
all other in the Stete appears the number
s which would 10 show that the mistake was de-
eratc or that the text changed to suit the
In 1890 thus appears, according to the frst census,
thf ou of the states which then composed the Union
nnIv two CHaine and Massachusetts) were nonsave-
holding TO tLcso Vermont must be added HJR.
Washington, Sept. 8, ISL