Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-21
RECOLLECTIoNs OF DOUGLASS.
Stories Touching Different Points Oi
His Remarkable Career.

HIS KemarkuDle career.
Several persons have claimed the credit
of bringing Frederick Douglass into public
prominence. One Of these was the Rev.
Thomas James. pastor of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church at Lockport.
NY, who was himself born slave in
New York while human bondage still ex-
listed in that state. He said, few years
ago: Il was preaching In New Bedford,
Mass, in 1871. Douglass had recently es-
capped from slavery, and was working in
a brass foundry in the town. One evening
1 induced him, by much pleading and per-
SuaSion, TO tell my congregation about the
wrongs of slavery and his personal expe-
rience. His remarks made a great I'M
preston, and soon afterward l licensed
him to preach the Gospel. He preached
about a year. and then started on that
famous lecture tour with Parker P1llsbury,
Abby Kelley Foster and other pioneer abo-
HtlonisIs. Douglass atterward renounced
his religion, because, as he wrote me, he
had found that the Bible was pro-slavery
book and he would have nothing more to
do with ii. At first Douglass believed that
slavery was recognized by the Constitu-
ton, but L convinced him that such was
not the case.
Edwin Thompson, however, in an article
describing his early work in the abolition
| cause once wrote to the Boston Traveller
In the year 1889 / labored in the anti
slavery cause in Plymouth and Bristol
counties 1 remember, when l spoke in
New Bedford and vicinity, a large number
of colored people attended my meeting.
= . / did not know until some twenty
years after that MIR. Douglass had attended
| any of my meetings.
AT convention held In fremont Tenn
/ pie some time after the election of Abra-
| ham Lincoln, at which meeting George
| Thompson, Wendell Phillips. Garrison and
others of the great speakers were present.
Mr. Douglass stated that 1T was MIR.
| Thompson who first walked him up on the
subject, and made him feel that he was a
man. 1 looked 1T oEce at George Thomp-
| son, who was sitting near me on the plat
form, and Mr.. Douglass noticed 1t and said:
| You need not look that way. Edwin, you
are the one l mean. Your address at New
Bedford and the way you quoted Whit
/ never more surprised in my life.
| After hearing this statement by Mr..
| Douglass 1 felt well paid for any gratui-
| tous labors in Bristol and Plymouth coun-
| ties during the year. Although
! L spoke in many hard places, l was never
| mobbed, though L was the only frequent
| anti-sIavery speaker who could say that.
| Wendell Phillips said that was owing to
my everlasting storytelling 1 we'll re-
| member the treatment colored people re-
| ceived in churches, as well as in cars. 1
| saw several thrown out OF the cars In one
| day. at Taunton. Colored people were
| Obliged to travel in what was called the
| Jim Crow Car which was a rough car
| with hard seats. Mr.. Douglass was fire.
4 Quently thrown lTOEl the cars. AL one
! time in Lynn four seats were broken in
| irving to get him out, as he did not try to
| helm himself out. The people of Lynn, my
| native town. were so much opposed to this
| treatment of the colored people that it
| was very difficult to keep that class of
| citizens out of the regular cars when trains
| stopped at Lynn, as the white citizens
were 50 much in their favor; so for some
| time the cars on the Eastern railroad
| would not stop at the Lynn depot. In fact,
| LYNN was the battle-ground for freedom
| of the cars
| "Tbe next year after Mr.. Douglass heard
| me speak at New Bedford, he. in company
\ with Messrs Garrison, Quincy and others,
| attended a meeting at Nantucket, which
| seams TO have been the commencement of
! his great work as an orator. So strong
| was the prejudice, even in Quaker Nam
! tucket that a member of the Society of
| Friends. an abolitionist too. did not know
| what to do with Mr.. Douglass over night
Douglass and John Brown.
John W. Hurn of Vineland, NJ. said to
| a newspaper correspondent about a dozen
| years ago:
Il am the man who saved Fred Douglass
from being hanged when Old John Brown
was captured at Harper's Ferry. 1 sup
pressed a dispatch addressed to the sheriff
of Philadelphia, instructing him to arrest
Douglass who was in that city, proofs
of his completely in the memorable raid
were discovered when John Brown was
taken into custody.
located in Philadelphia, and when 1 re-
cefyed the dispatch L was frightened nearly
out OF my wits.
"AsI was an ardent admirer of the great
ex-slave, who was doing all that mortal
could TO agitate the anti-slavery question: