National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-21
A REMARKAgIE OIDLADY.
AN LNEERRSTING INTERVIEW WITH
soJoURNER TRUTH

soJOURNER TRUTH.
HER MISSION IN THE cITY-WHAT SHE
SAW AND HEARD AT THE EXECUTIVE
Z NANstoN-LINCoLN AND THE BIBLE
SOME INTERESTING FACTS AND REMIN-
!, IsCENCES. -F q
{ while . reporter Of TIE NATIONAL REPuB-
1,rIH was at the Police Court yesterday HIS
attention was called 10 o euaintlooking old
cOiored woman, who was sitting quietly on back
seat watching with absorbing interest the work
fnEs Of the court, and knowing that "Sojourner
Truth was tarrylng for q while In the city, he
surmished that this was she, and Immediately
approached her, but while in the act Of speaking
he vas interrupted by her presenting him with .
petition addressed to the Senate and House Of
Representatives in Congress assembled, which
read as fellows: "whereas from the faithful and
earnest representations Of Solourner Truth, twho
has personally Investigated the matter,) We be-
lieve that the freed eolored people in and about
Washington and elsewhere, dependent upon the
Government for support, would be greatly bene.
nted and might become useful eltiEens, by being
placed in q position 70 support thepselveG We,
the undersiened, therefore earnestly request your
honorable BODY to set apart for them portion or
the public land IN the West, and erect buildings
thereon Tor the aged and infrm. and otherwise
legIslste 30 as TO secure the desired resultsn
Amer brief conversation with the old lady the
reporter, DESTROYS Of interviewing her respecting
her present mission, asked her where she was
stopping.
8. J. "sless you, my chile, was stopping here
and there and again here until concluded to set
tie right down to business, and some kind poo
pie In de next door gave me nice room and COM
fortahle hxinS Won't you come over an see me,
come on" And she arese and passed out Of the
Rraffd vhaAh ap md NM fno
toll In the interest the colOred people for thirty
two years. She entered her pleasant quarters,
and requesting rs to take chair, she threw her
odd little bonnet from her head, took q seat, and
eoumenced o conversation the life and animation
Of which will defy<he honest competition Of the
best female talker in the City. She is the only
slave living that was emareipated when New
York abolished slavery, and ever since obtaining
her freedom she has pIlgrimAked over the country,
speaking upon the evils Of human bondage, and
working in divers ways for the smeliorstlon Of
her race. After the war she devoted most Of her
time IN the interest Of the Freedmen's Bureau,
Hhere she labored with an indefatigable zeal
which won for her among the colored people the
name Of "angel OF mercy" In answer to ques-
ton asked respecting her age, she replied, with q
merry twinkle IN her eye, "Bless you, chile, 1
don't tell my age. Use looking out for
o tgood chance to marry. Why de
othsf day while was up to de White House to
see President Grant met nice-Iooking old man,
who asked my age, and I told him charged I've
dollars for telling It, and directly refused him
Q SQUAD OF men came in to see de President and
after being introduced de biggest one stepped up
Che was country chap, know he was,) and said,
M. President, how, old are your and de Presi-
dent sald, Sir, am forty something, DONE
jest reoollect, and then the gagky said, he did,
why, I declare, We amt hkif Is old as I thought
you were Bless you, chile, was ashamed of
myself Twas for refusih' 90 tell ex-olayor Bowen,
FOR that's de man who asked me how old ] was,
when de President so generously told dat sum-
titus gauky his age. Said to President Grant,
After dat fellow got through quiEEin' him, got
q book for you whSt's kot all de great and good
mems names in, and would Ike to have yours,
and he took It and wrote his name, and then I
gave him my photograph. He smiled, and pre-
septed me with fve-dollaz bill, which glsddened
dis old heart muehly. He haint not such talker
as Lincoln, but he's good man, and thinks and
thinks great deal. 1 wish de gracious he'd let |
ne have his nice church and singing bells to lee
tore on, so dat de people would come out and see
me-"
Reporter. Did you ever call on President Lin
colnf
Sojourner. Indeed 1 did; God bless him In
deed I did, and he was so kind to me. Said he,
'iSojourner, ] am glad to see you; heard Of you
long before l was elected" and I guess he was
agwipe to tell me q story, but was too full Of
gratitude, and I bust right out and said, "Bless
you chile, was afeerd I'd never see you, for dere
Is much combustibles goin' on down yere, felt
all along that you were like Daniel in the lions
den, and expected cherry day that you would be
tore to pieees."- And he look up kind pale and
sad at me, and said, "Dey haven't done 1t yet, |
nuutie, /" and replied, THANK God, they haven't
done it yet" Then de pesky ofice-seekers come
In and broke up the Conversation for awhile, but
he come back again, and asked him about de |
beautiful Bible dat de colored people Of Balti- |
more gave him, and he told little Tad, dat beau |
tiful boy, to go upstairs and have de messenger
bring 1t down. Dey brought it, and what beau |
tiful book ii was. Iopened It, and the first thing
I saw was picture filled with angels, carrying |
Christ de Saviour of men, towards Heaven, and |
de President said, "Auntis, dat Is q man we all |
love" And, chile, whenever hear de bad men |
Rnd newspapers say dat he was q non-believer, |
know dat it's all q lie, for he told me Dat he |
loved JesuSr Den told him dat 1t WIS strange |
dat de very people whom dis yere Government !
wouldn't allow to read, should give its ruler q |
Bible and he said ''dat dat would all pass away |
and de cOlored people would enjoy de game rights
dat de white people do" And now I've lived TO
zee his prophecy fulfilled, and ooIored man sittin'
In de very seat what JEFF Davis disgraeed. 1 tell
you, child, de world moves, and all things in it.
him my picture and asked him to give me his'n, |
and he put his hand IN his pocket and gave me |
one wild green back to 1t. A great many curious |
people have asked me how much It was, but OBJ de |
living speak, OBJ de dead never. Den he took me |
by de hand and shook It o shake dat never shall |
forget, anG told me TO come again by and by, and
By all means help him to take care of de colored |
people But knew, chile, dat dat great man |
want gNine to live long, for he looked 50 mel
rwha h. "A ko,r,
done It yst," and de next time 1
saw him was in de Capitol, cold and stigI !
in desth, and as fell tia tears stealing
down NV -Se while looking in his coffin 1t seemed
a. though could hear his kind voice whispering,
a'C6me again, Adrty, but by all means help me
take care Of de eolored people, and eonsecrated
myself from dat minute to lifelong service in dis
great work, and If de Congress and de people viii
only helpme through with my petition, my work
will be accomplished, and my promise to de great
and good Lincoln will be fulfilled" After the
close Of this interesting interview, the reporter
bade the remarkable old lady 'tgood morning"
fully satisfied that she is genuine in her purposes
And will be faithful TO the end
SaIQuRNER's LECTURE.
Last r' w.t.. enc i.e-u,s --"om Of the Qongrega-
Honsi church was we'll hiIsd By curious YET u !
teIligent audience, who listened with much inter
est and amusement 10 the substantial thoughts Of
this iIltterate old lady, who manifested much
t9neSthess In the presentation OF her pet subject
The following is an abstract Of her rambling
remafls:
nv plan is this: take them out to the Western
reservation and teach the young and rising gen
9rstQn Virtue.
1t win take some time, but 1t viii pay to teach
these humanity and decency.
1t is time to stop the scenes Of depravity which
require the daily routine Of the police court. Con-
sressmsn will do the work II the people want IT.
They profess 70 be the servants Of the people.
have been telling this story all over the North
and East for three years past and they tell me to
80 talk this at Warrington to the Government.
Now give the colored people tract OF land q
Thousand miles from any city where they can
thrive on their own industry and become o credit
20 themselves and an honor to those who shall
come after them. II the women were let into the
rational Affairs the
GOVERNMENT WOULD BE CLEANED Up.
LApplause.J It comes to be natural to thieves
70 be in jail, and the offender almost rel
tshes his ride to Judge SMELLS reception in the
aRlaek Maria about As much a. Q lady loves
ride in her carriage. In Wisconsin every one
goes in for this plan Of localizing the negro race
Rut in the East they deem Il an abridgement of