, 1874-06-13


SYRACUSE, N. Y, hray 10. 1874.
AstAsA WALKER.
DEAn BIn: Your aoto inviting mo to attende
tounion OF tlle old Antl-3lnvory mon Of tht
,lation" to ba hold at Chicago on the 0sh instv
ca1nc duly to hnnd, mud It would aiIora mo great
poasnre to bo proAont OH tho occasion and moet
tho brave old friondn who stood shoulder Ia
shoulder IN tho greatest struggle carried on
In this or probably any other country. My eii.
gaEements, howoyor, nro hteil aaalL not 20 @ ab!
through you, MY most cordial greetings to thos
WHO may hBsembte.
\ WAS citizen Of Boston when tho great con.
t'ict began, and entered into 1t with MI the nrdoi
anG enthusiasm Of which I was capab1o. wat
snro TINT slavery Wan wrong. an Mttor abomiua-
tion, and that It ought TO bo abolished at once,
mud foroyor. folt roady to say this, in public
MI vol as private, aud was ofton calicd, ut tho
upon the subject.
~fhe first lecture gavo WAS at Reading, In
this Stato,-in that part Of it known az ''Wood
1ho ts Ny Il petition t ,,sao wae that n M
slave" cannot now say In whit ynnr this oo-
cured, but It was at tho very beginning OF thu
agitation in bol,alf of Freedom.
: So far aa oonBiHtea with my business, wh,cll
WIS then very large, attended tho various meet
1nga and conventions that wore hold In Massa'
chusotts, md had abundant approximations for
witnessing tho mob vloloncc which often at.
Quo Of tl,cso demonstrations shall not aoon
forget. / bud taken my dinner as usual, at my
house IN Montgomery rlaco, and WAS pnssing
through Washington Btroot to my counting-rooni,
whom / notlcod small collection Of mon and
boys iu what was then known aB Cornhil. They
were opposite q building in which the ladiog who
had espouscd the cause Of tho opprosHel, were
to hold prayer-'noeting that aftornnoon.
went TO tho place, md found that tho Mayor
Of tho city lul Just arrived. expected him to
order the assembly, which had now somewhat
increased, to diBporse, az It WAS Eb duty to do.
Had llo dono no, am snro ho would havo boon
obeyed, for thoro wore then symptoms Of vlo-
lellco. 1nstoad Of this, ho merely demonstrated
in very feoblo nannoF. mud 'llopod they would
disporso."
Tho crowd took encouragement from this, os-
peeally tho ,'gentlemcn Of property and stand
bcr Of porsona rushed TIP tho stairs to tho room
in which the mcotiny WAS being held, and open-
ing. tho Windows wronched tho Hign OF tho 'Fe-
| mnle Ansi-S!ayery Society" from, its fahtenngs,
| into hundred piocus.
1 seid at once to friond nonr mo, SHOW wa
! shall llave trouble thu mob spirit is aroused.'
romps % liz E"ss %soos for affFGe o o sna
mer. as a'l tho friends of tho cauao at that
| period know, WIS seized, n rope put around bin
| neck, and le would probably hayo been hung to
tho nearest lanip-post Ind not q fow cou!ag.oua
carringe, hastily driven to Leyaret stront and
piaced him securely n tho Jail,
| That night tho mob huotcd Aronpd my houac.
| and others who were supposed to be in sympathy
with tho odous Abp];tion;bty,
This was o specimen Of tto treatment no 70.
ceved at tho hands Of the public, md tho pro-
| toctiou given us BY tho civil authoritioY hut va
fured il possible, oven worse in tho Church. I
holonged Ut this period to tho Dowdoin Street
! Church, then un.lor tho charge Of lioy,
Hubbard Wiuslow 1t WAS quito i'm,
possible to rot any notice OF Anti-SlayorJ
| meetings read, aud although [ otrorod
IS an evening for tbs so Of tho yostry for hold
ing an Auti-S!avery prayer meeting, It could moi
DO Ind. Indeed, during the Martyr Age az II
has been properly called, no could not get an1
public hnll in which to hold au Abolition moot
| ri t1ntf fn1 tn 1ta cEoHn NJ