Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-11-12
An Item of History.

= some of the wonderful changes whic
have taken place in men and thing
ideas and Institutions, during the lai
forty and fifty years, A few days az
occurred the fortieth anniversary of tn
! great pro-slavery riot in Boston, when
mob of several thousand, headed b
" gentlemen of property and standing,
as represented by the Boston papers, in
vaded the rooms Of the Female Anti
slavery Society, broke up the meeting
and handled Mr.. William Lloyd Gar
rison so roughly that he was glad to fine
shelter from their rage within the WALL
of even Leverett street Jail, whittier HI
was dragged with rope about his neck
No one not conversant with the pub
lie sentiment of those times especially
in our larger cities can have any ade.
quate idea of the excited state Of feel
ing upon the question of slavery. Ev-
cry other subject might be freely dis
cussed, anywhere and at any time; but
any man or women who ventured to
speak or write against slavery was re-
garded as an outlaw, and from that mo-
ment forth was threatened and often
overtaken with violence. So strong was
the prejudice against color, and deep
rooted and widespread were the inter-
ests of trade, that had the people of
Boston actually owned Southern planta-
tions well stocked with slaves, as doubt
less many of them did, there could
scarcely have been greater intolerance
OF opinion than existed among all class
es, against those who lifted up their pro
phetic voice against this gigantic and
hoary-headed iniquity. There had been
anti-slavery societies organized before
even as far back as the Revolution but
they had not struck at the root of the
tree, or even Topped off any of its living
branches. The American Colonization
Society had long existed, but even this
had been turned into a safety valve to
the institution of slavery, by expatria-
ting the dangerous class of free negroes.
The press and the politicians of parties
WED with each other in subserviency to
the slave power, and the most eminent
even of our Northern statesman, with
the notable exception of John Quincy
Adams, crooked the plant hinges of the
knee before this mighty n oloch
But we designed barely to allude to
Mr.. Cartoons Imprisonment. The fol-
lowing inscription, made by himself up
on the walls of his cell, serves to point
the tale:
" William Lloyd Garrison was put in
to this Jail, Wednesday P. NJ, October
q, 1885, to save him from the violence
OF a respectable aud influential mob,
who sought to destroy him for preaching
the abominable and dangerous doctrine
that all men are born free and equal
and that all opposition is hateful in the
sight Of God Hail Columbia
Cheers for the autocrat of Russia and
the sultan Of Turkey Reader, let this
inscription remain till the last slave in
this despotic land is loosed from his fet-
tiers
1t is remarkablet that riots ola like char
acter occurred on the same or succeeding
day in Concord, New Hampshire, Mont
pelier, Vermont, Utica. New York. |
At Montpelier, Rev. Samuel j. May was
prevented by mob from making an
address in the old brick church, but he |
had better success in the state house the
next evening though missile was hurl-
ed at him through a window-pane The
half dozen or so of gentlemen of pro-
perty and standing" who signed pla-
card warning Mr.. May to leave town,
we believe have all passed away Mont
peiier Journal