The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-07-21
THE BRANDED HAND.

THE BRANDED HAND.
ro~Ar4AH WALKER AND HIS sBRANDED
HAND--HOw HE AIDED SLAVES TO ESCAPE
AND HIS PUNIsHMENT-AH HISTORICAL CHAR
AcrER.
A correspondent of the Detroit Tribune,
writing from Muskegon, Mich, gives some
facts connected with the lif- of one of the
MARTYR abolitionists: Jonathan Walker, to
whom attention was called at the Reunion /
of the Old time Abolitionists," lately held in
Chicago, was at one time quite prominently |
known as an earnest laborer in the "under-
ground railroad" business. but since the ne !
cessity for that kind of work has ceased, his |
name, as well az the trials and hardships
that he endured in that cause have been for
gotten, except by few of his more intimate
acduaintances. But there are some OF those
earnest men who still remember him. among
them John G. Whittier and Fred. Douglass.
the latter of whom made a particular effort
to see him when here few years ago.
Mr. Walker, who is now seventy-one years
of age, lives on fruit farm OF about eighty
acres, which he owns ana cultivates, about
/ five miles south of this city, in the township
of Norton. Hei still active and vigorous,
and is able to gain livelihood with the as
sistance of the "brande1 hand" This old
veteran in the abolition cause was born.
near Cape Cod, Massachusetts,, and until be
went South was employed as a sailor and at
! shipbuilding. While yet young he became
acquainted with Lundy, then the publisher
ofihe Libera;or, and Others of the abolition
u ISIS and entered zealously into their plans
for the liberation of the slaves. Lundy and
his friends were colonizationists in theory,
their plan being to found colony of those
who Fad been slaves, somewhere in Mexico.
For the purpose of selecting some suitable
location to put their theory into practice, a
small trading vessel was fitted out with a
stock of goods, and Walker and a few others
started on an expedition intending to land
at the mouth of the Rio Grande. All went
we'll until they had nearly reached their
destination, when
THRY WERE DISCOVERED
by a band of Mexican freebooters who fired
upon them, killing one of their company
Walker and the others escaped by swim
ming to the shore, losing their vessel and al
r OF their outfit. This was in 1885, They sue
ceeded in returning as far towards home
: as Pensacola, Florida, where after time
they fitted out another small vessel and be
[ gan trading along the coast, having aban
b doned the colonization scheme. 1t Is not L
t be presumed that these, Abohtionists tradeS
e SEN souls of men" although there is no doub
: but that number ofsouls, I'M abiting blacl
J. bodies, found their way to the British Yves
Indies through their fundamentally. Or
one of these excursions in 1913, and whei
they had several runaway slaves on boar
A their vessel, their vessel became becalmed
they were pursued, arrested, taken back t.
Il Pensacola and thrown into Jail. Mr.. Wal
. ker was tried on a charge of slave-stealinp
20 convicted and sentenced to be branded o
r, the hand with the letters s. S. burnt in wit
, hot iron, to stand in the stocks eight hours
and to be imprisoned In Jail nine month:
The sentence was faithfully execute
l. k,..I
10 Rhode Island, and cousin OF the would-b
J. Governor Dorr. of that state. While Wake
was standing in the stocks, one of the me
y who owned the slaves whom he was assist
ID ing to escape, pelted his head with rotte
r eggs While he was in JAIL George Thomso
~ and other sympathizing friends in England
sent him letter of sympathy, which wa
s. Intercepted by the tailor and sent to the gov
3 ernor of Florida. This official sent it to tn
: legislature, which was then in session, an
IS the MISTER was referred to the judiciary con-
n mittee of the Senate, who reported it bac
X with the recommendation that the law fo
$ the punishment OF slave stealing be so amend
j. ed as to provide that the person convicte
~ should be punished with death. The fins
'r result of this matter do not now remembe
le but it did not affect Mr.. Walker, who, hay
n ing served his time in Jail and been released
re commenced a suit against the man VIII
Is pelted him with rotten eggs, for assault an
J. battery. After a long, closely conteste
n trial the stakeholder was found guilty an
1 adjudged to pay
- SIX CENTS DAMAGES.
7e Many of your readers will remember I'll
t. account of these events, as they we're pull
:. lished in the newspapers of that day, an
'6 perhaps also remember seeing a wood CT
IN representation of Mr. Walker while beI
ne pelted with eggs in his helpless condition
q They will also recall j. G.. Whittier's touc
y ing poem. 1.-The Branded Hand, wherel
y, n. in speaking of these incidents, he says:
as "why, that brand is highest honori than /
traces never vet
~ Upon old armoral Indictments was a proud
or bazOn set;
ng And thy unborn generations, as they tread o
be rocky strand,
NC Shall tell with pride the story OF their falhe
= branded handW
Is After the events above related, Mr.. Walk
he returned to his home in Massachuset
where he remained for u time. He tn,
went to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, living the
q few years, and from thence removed to
70 present home in this county. He purchas
y and settled on his little farm eight yea
,er ago, and here he spends his time in the CT
"a tivation of fruit, of which he has a fl
w assortment, and from the sale of which
he derives his support. The money collect
m for him at the reunion, amounting to S65
90. was gratefully received, ard was quite 8
ceptable, as his only means of livelihood
rs what he obtains by the cultivation OF
he little farm.
THE CRUSADE IN CALIFORNIA.
"o THE GERMAN LEGIoNs CARRY THE DAY-Dl
81 GRACEFUL BEHAVIOR TOWARD THE woMl