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Selections: Lunsford Lane

Selections: Lunsford Lane image Selections: Lunsford Lane image
Parent Issue
Day
20
Month
June
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Imagine then a large ('hapel with the speakers stand towards the centre, and the seats of thft sinters rising in rows behind, the seats in front filled with u comp;tny gathered from a II parts of N. E. Up rises upon I he stand "Lunsford Lañe," and who is Lunsford Lar.e? A man ofabout forty - weli íbrmed a fu 11 circular crown tipon his head, shrewdand intelligent eye. Behinrl hira are his mother, his u-ifc - and seven childrcn, two of them twms - all smillinn-, briglit and happy. ''I was bom a sla ve,' saya Lañe, "in Uie city of RqJèigh, N. C. When I carne to be a man I thought much of having my frëedom, and wlien I morned and had a wife and children, I vvanted freedom for myself and for them. At first I afreed with my master for my own freedorn for $1,000- paying him 100 a year n nddition for the uso of myself, ivliflë I earned the money.'' Lane here went into a minute account of the manner in yvbich he contrived to earn the thousand dollars. This was earned and paid over. Then he began to t!iink more of ths freedom of his wil'e and children. The owner told Lane they were worth SSOOO, but if lie could make out to purchnse them he would sell them for S2500.- To this próposition Lane assented and went to work, body and soul to redeem the captives, - Ue labored on lili he had earned and paid over $1 100. Ue was ene day met by an officar in the street who served a precept upon liim, the purport of which was that he must leave (he city in Iwenty days, or he wouldjje seized and sold as a slave. He appliëd to a lawj'er who on examimtion of the case told him there was no safety for him but in flight. Tiiis was a death blow to all his hopes; He turned his bacje upoii the place of his birth - npon the wife of lus youth- upon the chüdien of his love- and sought an asylum in a Jand of strangéis. He carne to N. Y. and told his story - friends wcre interested und somethinij was done for the redemption of his family - he cahie '.o Boston and thcy "did a grcat deal more."1 In April, Wíl, Lnhe found himsclf in possession snflicient (unds to pay the balance for lii wife and children. His friends in Boston vrotf to Mr. Srnith. the owner of his wife and children, to know whether he could wi'h safety visit Raleigh and pay for and take away li ís wife and children. The ans'wer was an assurahce from Mr. Smith and other leading citizens, among1 them the Governor of the State, that he could comi with perfect safety. He accordingly went. Scarcely had he put hig Toot within the city, when lie was met by two oflicers who seized and carried him to the Conrt Room. Ilt-re a long indictment was read against hirn by the Judge, Mr Lorinp, charging him with preaChing' aboiition at the North. Lane replied that he had always wishea to spend his days in that city - that they as they well knew liad driven liimouc, while tnëy kept his wife and li'.tle ones - ihat he had goneNortli - had told. nis story nnd they had'given hini money to buy his wife and cbiidreri - if tli;it was pre;ichiug abolitionista he had preached it. The men of property and standing concluded thcro was noihing worthy of doath or bonds in the efforts of Lane to gct his fatnily, and resolved to let hnr. go. As he (ui ned to o out of the door, a friendly hand tnppcd Ijim upon the shouldor and told hun the mob were nround the house ready to tuke his blood. The agitators in the House were now ahnmed for the safety of their victim - they hr.d awakened a tumult, which they could not still. They concludeded to guard Lane to the cars and hnve thom start at full speed, and curry him beyond the reach of (he mob, promising to send his wife and ehildren öfter liim. No sooner was he placed in the cars than the whole Train and United States Mail were seized ly the many handed monster and stopped. Lane was re conducted lo the city and lodged in jail for sa fe keeping. At ten o'clock in the evcüing a single servant was sent wilii orders r.o the sheriff lo dismiss hiin and be would be sent forthwith from the city by his friends. Leaving at the back door, he liad passed only two or three rods, before he was seized by an enroged mob who rushedalong as they bore iiim aloft in the dirtction of the gallotes. (A gallows is kopt continually standing upon thecommon.) Then Lane eaid all hope di3 appcarcd. lic nevcr could teil hX)w he feit. -1 - - - - - - At Iength they eeemed to deviate a littlo toward the left nnd a liulc ray of hope sprang up. Theycarried him on till they carne to a.thick iorest; then they wanted to know what ho had done and .said at the North. He replied as in the Court Room. Tli& he added, that hè snpposed that according to their statements he ccnld not have been with abolititionisfa; for you say they wil) not give any money, they only talk, the peoplewhere T was gave monoy -you say they do not hold tobuying the slaves- and I preached that I wanted to buy my wife and children. They soon brought forward a bucket of Tar and a pillou - then Lane said ibr the first time he saw his fate and rejoiced - he hnd expected diath . They strippcd him, spread tbe tar all over him&, shook the contents of the pillow upon hitn fe told him to go. Then I tlio't said Lone, If I never have preached abolitinn, "I am anointcd to preacli it now, and I wi] pro.tcli itjcvcr ifreach theiand oflVcedorn." Wis money was paid, the wornan who ównéd lis mot her, consented that ahe should come too, &. Lun-sford Lane and his i cdeeuiüd and happy family are in Bosten. Wheh he first stepped his foot into Philadelphia with his wife and children by his èiife, he thought he said, he had got one foot into heavcn. Lunsford Lane will be a John Hawkins for Abolition. If every freeman could see and hear Lane it would "awaken Ihem to pledge themselvts in perpetual war upon slavery. To hoar him is worlh a journo.y to Boston We invited hira to come to Maine, and hope to meet him at Windham t.hisweek.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News