The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-04-20
AT A SLAVE AUCTION.

OF the Abolition movement snail De
written, a prominent place must be
given to the life of Calvin Fairbank,
who, though he still lives in un-
pretentious farm house on the cut.
skirts of Angelica, N. Y, was as
true martyr to the cause of human
liberty as Elijah Parrish Lovejoy or
John Brown. The following is a
thrilling incident of his remarkable
career
Zone day in March, I843, while
looking through the jail at Lexing-
ton, Kentucky, my attention was at
tracted to one of the prisoners,
young woman of exquisite figure and
singular beauty. 1 asked the jailor
who she was, and, to my surprise,
for she was as white as lily, he told
me that she was a slave girl named
Eliza, the daughter Of her master
who few days later was to sell her
upon the block for the New Orleans
market, impelled by the jealousy of
his wife because the slave girl was
superior to her own daughters. Then
I talked with the girl. I found that
she was intelligent as well as beauti-
full and I resolved to exert every eff
fort to save so magnificent creature
from SO sad a fate. I told her that l
would, go to Cincinnati and do my
best to raise the money with which
to purchase her freedom.
81 hurried away and sought that
old hero and apostle of freedom, Levi
Cofiu. He gave me prompt and
generous assistance, and in short
time we raised 500. l then laid the
case before Salmon P. Chase, after
ward senator, secretary of the treasury
and chief justice, who gave me $500
more and went with me to see Mich
olas Longworth. The latter was
worth millions, but was never known
to give a dollor for anything. We
feared nothing would come of our
appeal to him, but decided to appeal
to him, as it cost us nothing.
"'Mr. Longworth,' said Chase,
after we were seated in the little crib
which the millionaire called his Of
fee, do you consider yourself a
Christian
"'I am not a very good one, was
the reply.
Well, we have got case here
that appeals to both humanity and
Christianity. Mr.. Fairbanks will
tell you about it.
81 told the story. Longworth
listened in silence, and when I was
through, hitched nervously in his
chair, drew his check-book from the
drawer and began filling out check.
While he was writing Chase whisper
ed, We will get about so from him.
A moment later Longworth wheeled
around and handed me a check it
was ST., 900. You see the miser, as
they called him, hadn't such stin-
ted nature after ALL A number OF
free colored people raised and gave
me 5000 more, and when went back
to Lexington the day before the time
appointed for the sale carried $2,-
276. Moreover, in my pocket-book,
was an agreement signed by Chase,
Longworth and William Howard,
another rich Cincinnatian, empower
ing me to draw upon them, if neces-
sary, to the extent of $4,000.
"The sale took place in the public
square and was attended by fully
2 1000 people, drawn there by de-
scriptions of the girls comeliness and
rumor of the effort that was to be
made to save her. The best people
of the town were there and number
of strangers from Boston, New York
and Philadelphia were also present,
curious and horror-stricken. But one
man appeared to bid against me, a
squat figured, broad.s b ouldered,
thick-necked, bullet-headed French
man from New Orleans, who, I was
told, made it his business to attend
to sales of young girls and purchase
them for a fate worse than death.
Eliza, when placed upon the block.
seemed ready to drop for fear and
shame. The auctioneer began his
work by pointing out her beauties,
concluding with: What am offer
ed for her 2"
Give hundred, I cried. The New
Orleans man raising my bid 500.
bid $500, he $500, 5000, he 81 900
l ST., 100, he Sc, 200. When / raised
his last bid to 81, 900 the LouisianiaI
turned to me with an ugly look and
said:
"How high are you going to bid?'
"'Higher than you do, monsieur,
replied.
"He turned away and bid 81 1926
1 raised the bid to $3.50, he, after
moments hesitation, made it $I,375
again went him one better and made
it 81 400. Once more he turned te
me and asked
"'How high are you going?
None of your business, sir, bu
you haven't money enough to buy
this girl.
"After my bid Of $1,000 both tn.
Frenchman and I bid slower, botl
being resolved to have the call whei
the hammer fell. The auctionee
grew impatient and raved and cursed
crying, Give, give Finally h'
dropped his hammer, and tearing
open Eliza's waist exposed bust a
perfect as even an artise sculptured
Look, gentlemen he criedd, VIII
is going to lose a chance like this
Here's girl fit to belong to a king
"'Too badl' what shame raj
through the crowd at sight ofthis in
dignity.
I'm the midst of the excitemen
the Freuchmen bid 81 ,45o and 81,
475. Then there was another lull
II seemed to madden the auctioneel
and exposed still more of the beautl
Ct - t,a oc1>ad 0Whaf'c tf