The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-21
PRICE CENTS saAy ssSs sgssas z

She was with me in the night. She woula
long before / was awake she was gone
After his escape from slavery to the Nortn
ano establishing himself at New Eediofsa
he was drawn into the current OF anu
slavery. demonstration then flowing from
Massachusetts all over the country; Asa AS
weight. He visited England more than once
In the interest of the cause, and was Warmly
the ts'cou country. e He was M M Very int Intimate with
the Howitts, and visited their house Tor
some aae time Here ne met met mass e5nh ShI,stana ana
the poet spoke no English their acquaint-
ance did not become very intimate.
lass's book than that which describes his
connection with John Brown. When they
spectacle and prosperous merchant, who
owned large brick store on one of the
that the You'd BE
was a small wooden building on a back
street, and the inside was palmer than the
exterior
MEAL WITH JOHN BROWN.
The first meal Douglass ate there was
called tea" but it consisted of "beef soup
cabbage and potatoes" The table was sin
nocent of paint, veneering, varnish or table,
lcloth,' and the smother and daughters
cooked the meals and did the waiting. The
master of this household fulfilled St. Pauls
idea of the head of the family. His wife
believed in him. and his children observed
him with reverence" Douglass describes
Brown as his face is known through illus
trated papers of those stormy days. After
tea Brown cautiously approached the SUD-
ject that was nearest his heart-the freeing
of the slaves-and he laid lis llan before
would send him down in the pages of Eis-
tory either murderer or 4 mu-y~. He
ali the money nc he had seysd 70 by IN
the most economical manner was 10 &c de-
voted to the cause. Il can but be killed,
OF course, Douglass met Mrs. H. B. Stowe.
whose ''Uncle Toms Cabin was one Of the
slavery fight was fought. Mrs Stowe in
vited him to her house to talk oser plS n
for the bettering the condition & af the sol, !,
but Douglass convinced her that shops to
teach them how to earn their living would
Another person whom Dou glass admitted
and loved was Abraham Lincoln, and well
he might. II shall never forget my first
interview with this great man, he vote;
Il was accompanied to the executive man
sion and introduced to President, Liaccln
he received visitors was the onc ntw used
by the Presidents secretaries. i entered
consequence and yet there I was to talk
with the head man of a great nation Hap
ceay Ceremony nor G about ' him. / was ST. never p more
quickly or more completely put at ease
in the. presence Of a great man than in
when / entered. in a low arm chair, with
his feet extended on the floor, surrounded
busy secretaries. The room bore the marks
of business, and the persons in 1t, the
President included, appeared to be much
coins brow. and his strong face, full of
was mentioned. As i approached and was
introduced to him, he rose and extended his
myself in the presence of an honest man
one whom / could love- honor and trust
without reserve or a doubt.
HIS PLEA TO LINCOLN,
The fairmindedness and humanity of
Abraham Lincoin's character were never
better shown than in this interview with
Douglass The latter came on behalf of
the colored troops He wanted more favors
for them He was not satisfied with the
entering of the wedge, but he wanted to
drive it up to the head with one blow.
First. he wanted them paid the same as
the white soldiers; second, he wanted a
Southern prisoner of war hanged for ev-
cry colored prisoner of war hanged in the
South, and, third, he wanted them to be
rewarded by promotion for bravery the
same as the white men Il Mr.. Lincoln
had granted his requests Jefferson Davis
| would have been the next President of
the United States, and there would have
been national riot, exceeding in it's hor-
rors the one in New York Here is AIr.
Lincoln's reply, as Douglass reports it:
HE began by saying that the employ
ment of colored troops at all was great
gain to the colored people; that the meas
ure could not have been successfully adopt
ed at the beginning of the war, and that
the wisdom of making colored men soldiers
was still doubted; that their enlistment was
they had larger motives for being soldiers
than white men; that they ought to be
willing to enter the service upon any con-
ditions; that the fact that they We're not
to receive the same pay as white soldiers
seemed a necessary concession to smooth
their way to the employment at all as sol
diers, but that ultimately they would re-
ceive the On the second point, in
respect to equal protection, he said the
| terrible remedy, and one which it was very
| difficult to apply-one which, if once be-
gun, there was telling where it would
! end; that if he could get hold of the con-
| federate soldiers who had been guilty of
treating colored soldiers felons he could
1 easily retaliate, but that the thought OF
| hanging men for crime perpetrated by
others was revolving to his feelings.
| On the third point he appeared to have
| lutely commit himself. He simply said that
| he would sign any commission to coiored
| soldiers whons his Secretary of War should
commend to him.
The colored people of America are now
| very thoroughly organized for the protec-
tion of their rights, and at their national
/ convention, in Louisville, KY, Frederick
| Douglass, the famous colored orator and
| journalist, was elected permanent chair
man.
i