National Republican., 1881-11-19
FREDERICK DOUGLASS.
His Coming Lecture on John nrown and
the Autobiography Ipc Is writing.

His Coming Lecture on John Hrown and
the Autobiography ue Is writing.
see by the papers that Frederick
Douglass is kept busy in his old age gratifying
that loudable curiosity which Is so universal In
the public mind about his early slave life and Its
humiliations and his latter free life so full of
labors and honors. II is familiar story to me.
know all about II. II has more Of romance in its
reality than any other life that can
be written You and I, years before the
war read his book called "My Bondage
and My Freedom" aud read it with tears
on every page. Truly Frederick Douglass is n man
OF sorrows and acquainted with grief His heart
strings have felt The sweep of the whole scale Of
human misery and human ccstacy, from woe and
despair to Joy and exaltaton. What book such
man can give us 1 sec that he is again to lee
ture this winter He told me he was tired Of IL,
and thought he would quit It, But now for the
first time he is TO tell us all he knows of
"JoHN Brown, OF ossAwArroNiE"
How the people will crowd to hear for the first
time the only true story of John Brown. That
story has never yet been told rs Frederick Doug
lass will give It in mastery way in his lectures
this winter. John Brown he told me once, staid
at his house ut Rochester, New York, some weeks,
and tried to induce him to embark in that mad
adventure which cost Brownfhis life. He left the
original draft Of his Constitution Of Republic he
was to set UP in the mountains after he had freed
the slaves at Douglass's house, and Douglass
keeps yet That visit Of Brown liked to have cost
Douglass his life. Douglass was then editing his
paper at Rochester, and doing well. AS soon as
the news came of the Harper's Ferry insurrection
In 1859 Douglass friends were uneasy for his per-
sonal safety. lie laughed at them and said there
was no danger-he had had nothing to do with
John Brown or his raid on Harper's Ferry.
D." Surely" he said, bad as the slave power hates
me, II will not dare TO touch for sheltering the
poor old man in my house." But his friends were
wiser than he One morning early friend rushed
TO Douglass house and told him TO flee TO Europe
at once, the authorities. Democratic Of course,
were on his track, aud United States Marshal
was even then
HUNTING FOR HIN IN ROCHESTER,.
There was not moment to lose not moment
even to bid his family good.by, and he was
hustled into wagon, driven off at a rapid pace,
passed over the underground railroad, and In
due time set down safely In Canada, and thence
sent to England, where he remained until Vir-
gina was glad to nolle the indictment, for he had
been indicted for murder, and would have been
hanged If they could have caught him. lie
told Inc 1t was one Of the most thrilling
| adventures of his life, that escape from
Rochester see Douglass is about to publish his
autobiography. 1t will be more thrilling than any
age and Freedom" sold almost equal to "Uncle
Toms Cabin" for time, but of late the sale has
| fallen of greatly. The work was incomplete
Douglass was then only young man, and the
public wanted the story of his rounded out life oi
three score years and ten. Douglass is
SEVENTY YEARS OLD, OR TuEREABouTs.
| l tell you how know. When he and were cam
paigning together in Indiana last fall frequently
some one in tho vast crowd before him would in
| Nnrr, tho I,,a ~ Nr
| Douglass. some of us here have n curiosity to
know how old you are" "Well," he would softly
reply, with smile. in that quiet manner Of which
| he Is such a consummate MASTER :" l have the
same curiosity, my friend. That is what
1 want to know, too. But, really, don't know
When / was born men of my color were moi
born on days of the week, or weeks of the month
or months of the year. but in corn planting, in
huckleberry time, conveniently as they might be-
At this there would be general laughter all ovc
the crowd at the expense of the inquisiive person
who had put the question. AS soon as order was
resumed, Douglass said: "Oh, that is all right.
am always glad to answer any question put to me
when can do so. / suppose am about sixty
| seven years old"
DOUGLASS Is A WONDERFUL sTUMP.sPEAKER.
He had the largest crowds Of any man who spoke
In Indiana. He and were billed together, and
spoke ut Fountain City. Richmond indianapolis
IeHultlOil, ullu OtucT vi
the principal cities and towns Of the State In the
Garfield campaign. He is pleasant travel
| ing companion, full Of anecdote, always
In good humor. and never thrown OIL
| his balance. He told me the whole story
| of his life. The public will soon have 1t for
the first time in full, and would not anticipate II
| II could. He is devoted Republican. Let me
tell your readers how enthusiastic the great orator
or, as Sir Robert Peel called him, "the oConnell
| A,,n ~ fpr Ga nj and A,il, Thnx
were going to have great fair At Kansas City
about the middle Of September, 1880. and wanted
Douglass to speak there
AND DRAW THE CROWD.
| lie wrote then that his engagements with me In
| Indiana rendered 1t impossible. Still they kept
writing, and finally the day we were at Richmond
Ind, he showed me telegram, saying: :" You
must come. We will pay you $500 n day and ex-
| penscs" said, Douglass, go; that is q good
| thing" He smiled and answered me as kindly as
If | were his son: "oh no, my boy would moi
| 80 If they gave me 81, 600 day. / would moi
| break my word for million dollars and
| promised Mr.. Arthur before l came here thai
/ would talk for Garfield and Arthur rs long q:
my strength lasted" And he kept his word. He
spoke every day, sometimes twice day, day aftei
day. week AFTER week, to all those great crowd:
until his strength was almost gone and his mag
| nillcent voice was reduced to a hoarse whisper
| and then went homeland l went with him-ex-
| hausted.
| DOUGLASS IS WORTH 100000
or more, and has good office as Commissioner O.
Deeds at $1,000 year, ana the duties light So hi
has plenty of time and means to elaborate and de
| liver his great lecture on John Brown. No mar
! is so well qualified for that duty; and now in Q
ripe and honorable old age he can find the leis
urc and means, thank God, to prepare an auto
biography Of the most wonderful life that eve
was lived among men. He told me he had beer
trying to work himself up to the point Of writing
| such a book for many years but that he had neve