The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-12-25

brother took with him stout maj
who was \ Fugitive slave. The TIVE
arriveti st Mr. Eorsythe's on Sat
urdzy night, and Penny brought
away mis- brothers wife, and travel.
ed so far as they could during the
night, aud concealed themselves du.
ring the day. They were Obliged
to rest ON the Sabbath during day.
light. When Mr.. Forsythe arose
Ga Sabbath morning his slave wo.
man was gone. The reverend gen.
tleman had hi. appointments foI
preaching TO fill, and therefore
could not pursue his fugitive slave,
but he employed two of his neigh
bors TO go in his stead. These two
slave hunters travelled all day on
Sabbath, anil arrived at the Ohio
riverat night, aud before Penny and
his company had reached that point.
They placed themselves in ambush
to await Penny's arrival. During
the night Penny and his Company
arrived, These pursners arose up
on them, and one of them presented
a pisfoi ut Penny's breast and de-
mandsh surrender. Penny drew
his pistol, and said, 81 can shoot as
well as you can. I'm not going -
surrender" The man was afraid to
Shoots and tried to persuade Penny
to surrender by assuring him that
he should not be hurt. 1t was 8
vain effort. Penny had too much
sense to be taken in that way. He
took hold of the ferry skif and put
his company into it. A club fight
ensued in which the ferryman was
knocked down and received a very
black face. One of the pursuers
took hold of the skiff to hold it to
shore. Penny said to him, aft you
don't let go I'll shoot you" The
man kept his hold of the skiff. PEN
ny aimed to hit him in the forehead,
but shot little too high, so that the
ball passed over his head without
injury. He thought he was hit, and
let go of the skiff, but took hold of
it again. A second shot hit him in
the breast. He fell, and cried out,
"I'm dead man." Penny pushed
Off from the shore, and passed over
to Ripley. Shots followed them
until they were too far away to be
hit. The man that was with Penny
received flesh wound in one of his
legs, but Penny got over safely
with his brothers wife, and was
kept out Of the way of slave catch
ers.
On that Sabbath I was preaching
at Decatur. On Monday as 1 was
going home, lady called to me as
L was passing her house, and said
she had q fugitive slave in her care
and desired me to see her. 1 COM
piled with her request. 1t was Pen
ny's wife. She had some shades of
African blood in her, but she was a
handsome and intelligent woman.
She gave me some account of her
reverend master. She said he told
her that it was no use for her to run
away, for he was known every
where as minister, SO that let her
go where she would he could find
her; if she went to hell he could
find her. replied to her, "That
she had better avoid that place, for
she would be more likely to meet
him there than anywhere else"
The wound which the slave hunt
er received in his breast was very
bad and dangerous. A physician
was called from Dover to see him,
but he, believing that the man
would die, did nothing for him.
Two physicians were called from
Ripley to see him. They probed
his wound and bound it up, and the
man felt better, and said, "I believe
these Abolitionists know more than
the Kentuckians." The physician
from Dover, Kentucky, did nothing
for him, because he bell. we'd moth
ing could be done.
On Monday Mr.. ForsytLe went
i'll search of his fugitive slave, and
searched the negro houses which he
passed on his way, until he came to
Pennis' hut-the ground. There
his friend was, apparently lying for
death. None expected him to re-
cover. He stajd with him over
night, but it was said that they had
no prayers. That was consistent
with his business. 1t would have
been hard to ask Gods blessing on
slave catching. 1t was reported
that at parting with his friend he
gave a heavy sigh, and said, "We
are not long for this world; I hope
we shall get to another and better
world where here will be no mig
ger thieves" Thus he consoled
his suffering friend by the hope
that, if he should die, he would get
to a world where there would be no
niger thieves to shoot him again.
Contrary to expectation, the Ripley
physicians succeeded in curing his
wound, and he lived to get home to
his friends. He deserved all he
suffered. He violated the Sabbath
in attempting to rob q man of his
wife. And how shocking was the
crime of the minister who hired
men to commit such wickedness.
JOHN RANKIN.