New-York tribune., 1903-05-10
S4LEM and THE OU4KERS.
Statue offered to the T0zcn Recall
ing Prosecutions.

- erect a monument in the Salem common IN
memory Of two OF his ancestors who were, after
f-irbtfll persecution, driven into exile and death
ly the PUritans
L Is uroposed to show in marble or bronze a
,7a~.z niger III deadly struggle with and
Woman The tiger is to typify the ferocity of
,7,lr55ed superstition and the religious intoler-
sncs Of the early days The human figures
stand for Lawrence and Cassandra Southwick'
Who's fate fn 1869 is historic. That the fight
,s.-r.r AGAINST them is indicated 10y the tigers
claws buried in the woman's hack
In salem there are two factions. The members
,r one say that such d monument would be a re-
tie.-5en on the city. and that they should com
,.ersora1e what proud of in the past,
ro- what We are ashamed OF. Our monuments
should l.e raised TO noble deeds. not to ignobe
errors
The other party. and among its members are
soae If Puritan descent say there could not be
q. better subject for a statue than the heroism
cf the Quasers IN the hour Of persecution 1t
would remind therl. they say. that their fathers
were mistaken but honest men. who did what
they did under the finn conviction that they
were serving God They also point out that the
r.e.s--1rion of the Friends not confined 10
salem aIoEe uut that Boston was almost as bad
ara even Ney,-YorR contributed her share 10 the
troubles Of The devoted reEionists.
Tl- story Of Lawrence and Cassandra South
wick Is q vathetic one They were among the
f.r-r To become Quakers in this country. and al
most the first TO suffer martyrdom. Lawrence
MS "a slasrlraker and settled with his family in
Salem about lC1.o. The town gave him land on
which TO locate a glass factory, and for time
H. was a pro-perou- and respected citizen
When he adopted tn new religion troubles be
gan for him and his wife
Their q hsence from The First Church Of Salem
the regular INDEPENDENT church, was noticed.
and they were arrested. Not only the husband
and wife but their children, We're repeatedly
whipped imprisoned, starved and almost de
spoiled OF property Two Of their children were
ordered by the town authorities to be sold into
slavery. They ESCAPED the fate because no ship
r,tI5rsiEl could be found whose heart was hard
enough 10 take them away. Finally. as last
punishment and after many warnings, Lawrence
and Cassandra were hanished.
They fled in midUiuter 10 Shelter Island, They
found friend there jn Nathaniel sylvester, who
r-o-e-ted thern. j, was not for long, however,
1nar he could minister to them Exposure in
fri-htfuI weather and their previous punish
.7l-nrs together with advancing age. brought on
1ha md. and they met the death they had fed to
escape IN 1860.
The Southwicks We're not the only ones to suf-
ea- year after their trouble began two /
Friends attempted &c -peak in church after the
regular minister had finished his address. They
were arrested and sent 10 Boston, where trlal
resulted IN sentence Of fogging and imprison-
rnenr The laws against the Quakers III Salem
were made more rigid, and another devoted palr'
Daniel and Provided Southwick, were arrested
and ordered into slavery. Others were banIshed
on pain Of death If they remained longer.
4 --ear after the death II Lawrence and cas-
sandra Southwick Shelter Island JOSIAH
So1I-hvriclz returt ed tc Salem without pernls-
sion He was seized, stripped TO the waist tied
10 The rear Of q cart and whipped through the
streets OF Salem and the surrounding villages
d. stood the ordeal and returned to Salem
whore he was permitted 10 live
After q time the prosecutions became so severe
that news Of them reached the mother country,
and the Crown authorities called halt. An or
der was sent 10 the colony that all persons ar
rested for being Quakers should be sent home
for trial The prosecutions did not finally cease
until I72s
Cough IL his History Of the Quakers says:
y know Of no instance Of more perseVeriIlS
malice and cruelty than that wherewith they
prosecuted the aforesaid Lawrence and Cas-
sandra Southwick and their family. Despolled ,
Of their property, deprived Of their liberty :
driven into banishment and in jeopardy OF their
lives for no other crime than meeting apart ana
dissenting from the established worship, the
sunerirgs Of this inofensive aged couple ended
ov1-