The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-26
JANE Grey sWIssHELaI.
Her Battle for What She Thought Right In
the Old Abolition Days.

Her Battle for What She Thought Right in
the Old Abolition Days.
LeuisyiIle Oourier-Joarnal
Il remember Mrs. Jane Swisshelm we'll 2 said
Mrs. F. LortOn. y was o young girl when she
first came here 1t was somewhere about 1S40
They rented a house next door to ours, on Sec
ond street, and Mr.. Swisshelm went into some
kind of business As l remember her then she
was adelicate woman, with bright, piercing eyes
She was very nervous. and had quick, sharp
way of talking.
The story that she and her husband were UNI
happy while they were here is a mistake. They
seemed to live together perfectly contented Mr.
SwisShelm was a weak sort of a man, and his
wife was just the reverse. She wore the
breeehes, and the nsighbers used to say she made
it lively for the old man when he didn't dance
up to suit her She came down here from the
North somewhere and brought the Northern
abolition idea with her Abolition wasn't very
popular down here then. An Abolitionist was
regarded much as we would regard a man who
made it his business to spread a deadly disease.
They were accused of stirring up the slaves to
rnutiny, and, whether they did or not they got
the blame for it
Mrs. Swisshelm began by going around to
her neighbors and talking down slavery. She
was an enthusiast in everything; and she seemed
to set her whole soul TO freeing slaves. In one
of the houses in the neighborhood lived family
whose defendants are prominent people here
now. They hadshalf dozen slaves, and one of
them was as big rascal as I ever saw. They
could do nothing with him. He was about nine
teen years old, strong as an OK. and black as a
kettle. One day he was left in charge Of the
children, and. instead of watching them, he
started off and went to play ball One of the
little ones, who is now a prominent
lawyer here. upset pot Of water on himself,
and was badly scalded. When the boys father
returned he was naturally furious, and hunted
for the negro. He found him and took him into
the back yard, and, tying him up, hands ana
feet began to give him a sound whipping. Mrs.
Swisshelm dropped in to pay a visit, and saw the
whipping. She did not know what the boy had
done, but thought the master was simply exer-
eising his authority, and beating helpless crea
ture, who was absolutely at his mercy. She be-
came furiously indignant and, after bitterly
protesting against what she termed barbarous
brutality, she left and refused to notice the peo
pie again number of such incidents occurred.
and at last the better class Of whites wouldn't
speak to her.
Her husband fell sick and she found herself
in STRANGE and hostile community, with neither
money nor friends. She opened up a little cor
set store on Market street but nobody would pa
tronize her Then it was noised about that She
was going to lecture through the State IN favor
of abolition.
This created intense excitement There were
talks of mob and tar and feathers. was only
a girl at the time; but was deeply prejudiced
against this Northern woman / was standing
at our gate one summer evening watching some
children at play Mrs. Swisshelm was coming
home from her shop, her face pale, and big rings
under her sorrowful eyes She stopped when
she reached the children, and patted curly
headed darling softly while she beamed down on
him the gentlest of looks. The young savage
looked up and saw who it was With a scream
he dashed away, calling TO the rest of his cola-
panions to follow him and leave the niger
lover alone The great eyes of the sadfaced
woman filed with tears, and she wearily turned
toward home.
"It was desperate fight she was making, a
yvnp sficht f1ad n