New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-04-17
From the Rochester Sunday Times
ReCOiiecii0ns OF Frederick EOIG-
lass.

To tie Editors of tie Times:
The account of Fred. Douglass escape
from slavery, which has been going the
rounds of the press, recalls some incidents
of my boyhood life, of which the following
is summary:
He is one among the first of colored pco-
PIE remember having seen. He came to
our house in company with a black man
named Remond, and believe DR.. Jackson,
now of Evansville, New York, was one of the
company also. They were all working in the
interest Of Douglass and his paper, the North
Star. They wanted to hold an anti-slayery
meeting in the IIiXite quaker meeting house,
and my grandfather, who sat at the 'head
of the meeting" had no objections to their
doing so, but other members of the society
would not consent, and the meeting was
held in the school house at the centre"
Many of the quakers of the neighborlood at
tended this meeting and Douglass gave them
some hard knocks for refusing him their meet
ing house, and made "odious comparisons"
He made an exception of the man who sat
at the ''head of the meeting" They staid at
our house that night, and the next morning
l went and looked in the bed which Douglass
and Remond had occupied to see if any of the
black had rubbed off. There were low toned
conversations that morning in the sitting
room, and l now believe that our house be-
came depot for the underground railroad
L remember that soon after Douglass was
there, a white man from the town of Rush.
Monroe county, now dead, and for whom
Douglass pronounced a funeral grafton, come
in the night with five 'runaways" hid in his
sleigh, and left them with US. They were
secreted, fed, and clothed, and the next night
taken to Rochester. One Of this party had
been shot while making his escape, and the
wounds he exhibited sustained the truthful
ness of his story.
Some five years passed by. / had entered
upon my teens, and acquired Il local reputa-
ton as a I" composition" writer. L had spent
much time in writing a story to be read at
the school exhibition. 1t was one contain
ing all the horrors of slave life which the inn
agination Of a boy filled with abolitonism
could invent The prettiest girl and the
best reader in the school were to read the
paper-the Erenng Star, in which the story
appeared. She had read, and reread the
piece until it was almost committed to
memory. She had practiced under my in
structiOn, until her voice would tremble,
tears start, and general choking up occur
at the pathetic parts, and her face lose itself
in smiles at the droll sayings of Pete or TiD
The exhibition night at last came, and the
old red schoOl-house was more than full
How watched the effect Of my story upon
that audience! Would they cry: Would
they laugh? They did both, and | was the
happiest boy on the continent. Friends of
the family advised its publication. What pa
per more appropriate than Fred. Douglass.
prepared a carefully written manuscript and
called upon that gentleman at his office. Ny
bamp of self-esteem was very active that day,
az of oil 4
not have made me more conceited than was
upon that, to me, eventful occasion. Adj
vancing toward Mr.. Douglass, | said: "How
do you do, sir. | am so and so--from the
town of Mendon, my father is so and So
and my grandfather is. / have written
a story, sir, and would like to have it pub
lished in your paper, sir, as l consider it the
most appropriate journal for it to appear in.
Here is the manuscript, sir" Mr.. Douglass
took the paper, read a few lines, smiled and
said: This reflects much credit upon one
young and inexperienced. am satisfied,
however, that YOU could improve upon il, and
so ] advise you to take it home and try. In
a little while you will feel ashamed of this
effort and thank me for rejecting it. In five
years from now / would be pleased to pIlr-
chase it of you at your own price, with the
privilege of publishing it under your full
name. Good day, sir, give my regards to
your father and grandfather" With heavy
heart and trembling hands, / took the manu-
script, rolled ii up carefully, and then with
good day" bowed myself out of the Office
My hopes had been crushed, the greatest eff
fort OF my life had been rejected, rejected by
a niger" Deliberately i walked 10 Main
street bridge, looked sorrowfully upon the
waters, and then dropped my story of slave
life into the raging torrents. a change
came over the spirit Of my dream" From a
red-hot Abolitionist to a copper colored
Democrat was a natural transition under the
circumstances. But Douglass was right after
all, and couldn't buy that story to-day for
lots of money.
Yours truly, W. &. Q.