St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-06-25
Bill of Sale from God Almighty.

Bill of Sale from God Almighty"
In another column of this paper we
reproduce the main part of an article
contributed by Oliver johnson, the
veteran journalist and original abOli-
ZIONIST, to the New York Independent,
regarding one of the most picturesque
aud unique figures in our Vermont his
tory. Judge TheophiIus Harrington,
tO whom the article refers. although
not a lawyer by profession, and not
even a member of the bar until after
his election as Judge, served Oh the su
preme bench for a period of ten years,
from 1903 to 1913, his sound common
sense aud sterling integrity giving him
his election. At that time the supreme
bench had three members Judge Her
rington's associates being the late
Judge Royal Tyler and Judge Fay.
The incident to which Mr.. johnson
refers, when Judge Harrington de-
manded "a bill of sale from the AL
mighty was one of the most striking
and significant in the whole history of
the anti-slavery agitation, and was the
more so because it, stood by itself, the
act of one man and the expression of
his own individual manhood, long be
fore slavery had come to he recognized
as a vital issue before the country.
The occurrence of the incident was on
this wise-and we give the narrative
as told by the late Lieut.-Gov Leonard
Sergeant OF Manchester, who was an
eye witness of the proceeding. A run
away slave, undoubtedly from New
York, where slavery was then state
institution, had been brought before
the Judge for ''proOf of title" to enable
his owner to take him back to bond
age, the laws then and for many years
afterward providing that the owner of
"a fugitive slave could seize him and
take him before IA magistrate, and on
satisfactory proof of title it was the
duty of the magistrate To give a certiti
cate which would enable the owner to
take his slave back to the place he fled
from. 1t may also he mentioned in
explanation that Judge Harrington
was largely occupied in those early
days in the trial of land titles, i'll which
cases the procedure was To trace the
titles back to 1.-the original proprietor"
which would finally end in establishing
the original charter or grant from the
king or a state governor.
In this case, besides submitting other
usual proof, the owner of the slave or
his attorney had proved the ownership
of the slaves mother, which had al
ways been held to be final and last
resort. But still the judge remained
memorable, declaring as each success
sive item of proof was furnished lyon
don't go back far enough you don't
go back to the original proprietor" At
last the astOunded and dumfOunded
slave owner asked in despair, "WhGt
WOULD be satisfactory proof IF title 2"
"A BILL OF SALE FROM GOD AL
MIGHTY !" answered the judge with
grim decision and the slave went
free.
Did not this ringing ntterance sound
the keynote in the great contest which
swept on and on until Lincoln pro-
claimed freedom for every slave in
1862, and until Lee surrendered to
Grant in 1868 That this occurrence
did not go on record, us mentioned by
Mr.. johnson, is due to the fact that
such proceedings were always before il
Judge or magistrate rs such, and not
before Il court in formal assembly, and
no record was required any more than
in an ordinary justice ca e.
Many other incidents of Judge Her
career are told, one of the
most amusing of which relates to his
of IL ne'er-d0- we'll who stole
pair of boots from his employer, Gen. |
Curtis of Windsor, and ran away. The |
fellow was captured and brought into /!
Judge HerringtOn's court and convict |
ed The Judge evidently felt that Gen.
Curtis had been too hard on the poor
vagrant, and when the time for SEN
tence came he told the prisoner to
stand up, and proceeded to read him "A |
lecture Oh the exceeding sinfulness of
his sin. lyon have been guilty of IL |
great otfense against the laws" h said: |
land the OtfeuSe is worse because you !
stole the boots from great man-trom |
Gen. Curtis, who lives in Windsor. on
the main street in Windsor, in large /
house. and on the same street with the |
church and the state prison,
and other retOrmatOry institutions. In I
view of the enOrmity of your crime, |
the court fines you one shilling, and If
YOU don't happen to have the shilling
about Won the court will lend it to
you ~
Judge Harrington was buried at
jhippen Hook IN CastletOn, his death
occurring in 1913. His grave is said to
rave fallen into neglect, and the legis-
ature of 1854. recognizing very made
Iuately the place which he occupied in
American Jurisprudence, passed an act
IpprOpriating the pittance of 100 ''for
he purpose of erecting a monument at
lis grave" and putting the grounds in
rider. Judge Neazey was made chair
nan of the committee to eXpend the
and such other sums as
nay Ice contributed by popular sub
criptiou. Mr.. JohnsOn's suggestion
hat IA statue To Judge HerrIngtOn's
memory should be erected on the CAPT
oil grounds at Montpelier deserves at
eCtIon from the people of the state.
II allusion to 1t the Montpelier Watch
aau we'll saws that ''sOme suitable
of Judge Harrington
nd the annihilating requirement lie
aid upon the man-hnnter, should he
laced in the state capitol, where all
he people, the living aud the genera
ions To come, may read the story aad
raw inspiration from it, Harrington
nd his Bill of Sale from God Almigh-
v would make most fitting compan-
On statue to Old Ethan and his In the
anne of the Great Jehovah and the
Congress. ~ BrattlebOrO :
'hGniX.
''Who is that new man that opened
-Oodyard or something on SecOLd
treet, and bought bills of goods of
: last SATURDAY. p asked Old Hyson :