The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-09-13

correspordepoe ofths chicago po.t.

correspondence ofthe Chicago Post.
| LAKEHARBoR; Mich, Aug. IL. LIN
tumble-down shanty on the south
bank OF Black Lake, q few miles, from
Muskegon, resides Captain Jonathan
Walker, Whittier's her0-s'The man
with the branded hand.r During the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. score OF Years
preceding the war, this mans heroism
aud suffering made him prominent
throughout this and other lands.
Capt. Walker is-a native Of Cape Cod,
Mass, 20 years old, Of stalwart frame,
and at present able to do good days
work without unusual fatigue. He Is
remarkable specimen of the hardy
forced by persecution scores of times
almost to the brink OF death, as often
has, by careful nursing and the exer-
else Of an infiexible will, been thor
oughly reconstructed" Mr. Walk
er's account of "the branded handD IL
as follows: $3.50. ~
sin 1886, with my son, twelve wears
old. and Richard Marvel, 1 sailed to
form colony I'm Mexico. Falling i'm
that, ran several trips between Mata-
moras and New Orleans, earn ying the
mails. On the last trip we drlfted
ashore, and were attacked by robbers.
Mr.. Marvel was killed. My son plung-
ed into the surf aud swan TO. tile sea.
They fired at me, two balls piercing
my wrist, and one entering the ,abdo-
men. 81 duplicated for .mercy, hut.
without avail, and SO plunged into the
sea after my son. Under cover Of dark
ness, and after we had been I'm the
water for long time, we, made n land
ing. After travelling that night and
the greater part Of next day, suffering
severely from pain, thirst, loss OF blood,
and the heat Of the sun upon our
naked bodies, we found h0spitable
treatment from the inhabitants of
village at the mouth of the Rio del
NOrte. got to Pensacola In 1886, and
I'm 1887 moved my family there from
New Bedford. sent them back in
1843, as / could not longer bear the
thought of having my children grow
up under the cursed institution of
slavery. In 1874 went to Pensacola
i'm vessel Of my own, to raise wreck,
and arrived June A, but did nothing
OF the wreck, as 1t was claimed by
citizen of Pensacola, although It had
been sunk thirty years. / found some
slaves desirious of getting away, and
agreed to take Them to the Bahamas.
We started on the I'D, but wien four
teen days out were captured i'm the Gulf
| Stream, and taken back to Pensacola,
where / assigned my Vessel, being
cheated out Of 1t, and was held I'm sun-
usual bail. L was tried and sentenced;
LIST, to be placed in pillOry for one
hour; I'd. to be branded In the right
hand with the letters b. s.. (slave- steal
er;) Sd, be remanded to Jail for fifteen
days; 4th, to pay q fine of $3.50, and to
remain in jail till the fine and all costs
were paid. The sentences were carried
out. In the pillory was rotten-egged;
after this taken into court and placed
In the prisoners box. The United
States Marshal, an old acquaintance of
mine from Maine, proceeded to tie my.
hand to the railing in front. / re-
marked that there was no need of that,
as would hold still, but 1t was tied
firmly. He then took from the fire
the branding iron, of a slight red heat,
and pressed 1t to the ball of my right
hand for fifteen or twenty seconds. 1t
made splattering noise, like hand
full Of salt in the fire ~ the skin scared
and gave way. The pain was quite Sc
we're, but, like tCrammer and Ridley, /
determined my enemies should have a
practical demonstrations of my sincerity
IN the holy cause of freedom, though
there appeared but few WHO wished 10
witness the scene. This occurred No
vember IL, 1874. After being impris-
Oned for several months was released
by friends In Massachusetts paying my
fine, and returned to New England"
Soon after his return to Massachu-
sets Whittier wrote his famous poem,
"The Branded Hand" 1t was set to
music and sang throughout the land by
George w. Clark, who accompanied
Mr.. Walker on lecturing tour from
1845 to 1849, and did as much as any
thing to fire the hearts OF the people of
the North against the evil system Of
slavery. rs1a .a Aai!l
Mr.. Walker has made precarious
living from his farm of eight acres here
for thirteen years, but feels his waning
strength, although. barring an acci-
| dent now and then, he has not been
unable to do "a fust raten days work
for three years. His family consists of
himself and wife, nine children, thirty
grandchildren, and several great
his aged wife in almost oppressive
case was presented to the AbolitiOnists'
ago, by Ira Porter, ESQ.,, his c0-laborer
and benefactOr, and a considerable
purse was donated him. A man ,of
scionsness, who has suffered as much
as any for his fellow man, it looks not
well that his "days of DYING should
be passed amid scenes of squalidness
and want. ~ ..t,...