A Baptist Fugitive

Aasr.s, íiged sixty-two yèars, wns bom n Prince Edworde, Virginia. She was raiscd - (the word is n vcry cxprcssive one, for we ccnnot sa; oía elavc that slie wns al 'u ca tal, or brong.l vp,) on a iI.-intatiüii where ihorc werenboul (JO slavcs SIig wns cmpluycd in spinning cotton and wool Whcn s!ic was thirty-one ycare of age, her maaier, whose name was Ilenry Holland, bccame iruch enibarrnsscd in his circumstances, on account of lanre aums lost by bottin'' on hotses. -In consequcnce, her five children, tfic oldost about twelve years of age. were taken away by the sheriff, and sold successivcly at public auction to pay her mastcr's debts. She has never seen them nor heard from them. save only shc has heard that two of them were taken by the purchaser to Alabama. Aenes was a meinbcr of the Baptist Church in Virginia ninc years, and attended 'he meetings of that denomination frequently. Her mistress was also a Baptist. After the death of her o!d mas'.er, t!ic slaves wcre divided among the heirs, and she fel] to the portion oí onc of his sons. - Some years sittce, he removed to Missouri, in hopes of bettering his condition. Buthe had the misfortuneto have liis bedding and clothing complctely wet on the passage, and upon opening tliem in Missouri, they were nenrly spoilsd. Jn order to rcplace them. he vías obliged to make largo purchases of a nieichant in St. Louis - He was unablc to meet his obligations as tlicy became due, and the sheriff' was directed by the creditor to attach property and sell it. Agnes was taken on execution and sold at publiction, at Kecsville, for two httndred dollars, to n man named Herrinan. This was about two yenrs since. Her new master was poor, having only one other slave, a female, and nbotu sixty acres of land, on which he raised chiefly corn and tobáceo. He did not work himseif, owing to some bodily inrirmity. He was mean, niggardly and cruel. Herc Agnes sufiered much for want of food and clothing. The other slave was kept chiefly in the house, while she was S2nt into the field to plough and hoe corn. Her ordinary day's work was to plough 2000 hills of corn with a horse. and hoc thetii the next cíuy. - I When she failed to accomplish her task, she was beaten by her master. Having come in at noon for dinner. she was often obliged to go back to her work almost as hungry as she carne. Therest of the family dined first, and she had only wliat luft. Her master promised her that if thcy had a good erop of corn she should have plenty of corn bread to eat; but after the erop was raised, there was no diflerence in her treatment. I On one or two occasions, where the neighbors had taken pity on her, and mended a pair of shoes aud given them to her, her master took them away, and wore them himself, sayingshe did not need them. This treatna ent seemed the more grievous to her, as in Virginia she had never wanted for necessary food and clothing. During the two years she lived with this man, ! slie attended meeting only twice. Every Sun day she was compelled to work in the field, in thebarn, or the house. Her condition was so intolerable, that she could nol endure it, and ran away, and was absent scveral weeks. After her return she was rigorously treated, and closely watched. Sometimc in November last, just at night, her mistress bade her mnke a goed fire, and she would get supper. Presently some of the house logs were on fire, and Heninan had much trquble to extinguish it, and bccame very angry with fier for making so great a fire. He sent her to the barn to get some corn to feed the horse, and hearing his loud and angry tones, she was afraid to come into the house, and hid behind the fence. This awakened his suspicion that she had run away, and he carne out and looked for her. He then ran down to a near ne ghbor's house, to get his dogs, declaring he would have her in ten minutes. She had hid herself behind an old chimney, waiting for an opportunity toget into the house, unperceived.'and get her dollies, as sho was very tlunly dressed. Hcrrinan soon returned with the dogs, and after searching for her near ïhe house, he left for the woods in that direction he supposed she had escaped. Despairing of obtaining her clothea, she entered the woods in an opposite direction. The night was very dark and rainy, and after walking about all night, she was much alarmed to find herself close to He;rinan's fence. She ran into the woods as fast as possible, and in the course of the day she heard the dogs approaching. - Worn down with fatigue, faint and hungry, sho could go no fanher, and having done she could, she ihought she must submit to her fate. As a last resort, however,she crawlcd in between two old logs, and cevered herself, as well as she couid, with leaves. The dogs soon carne onin full career, and passed a few paces from her. - Two men on horseback followcd close behind, and one of ihem dashed his horsc over the logs under which she lay, so near that the horsesfeet parted the bushes that concealed her from view. Agnes said it seemed to her that her heart beat so Ioud that they tñust hear it, and thus discover her. But they were soon out of sight, and she once more renewed her exertions. She wandered about in the woods, having no particular object in view, except to avoid being ;aught by her master, subsistingon buds, and on winter grapes which she could find. On one occasion sho obtained three turnips from a farmer's field, which lasted her or a fortnight.For three weeks she livcd in continual fear of the dogs, which she could occasionally hcar, and of which she was very apprehensive, as she knew her ujasler would search for her thoroughly. These dogs when young, are traincd to hunt colored people. by making the slaves run, and then putting the dogs on the pursuit. Having once found the track ofan individual, they wifl follow it by the scent, distinguishing it froni the track oí any other person. Agnes adopted vanous methods to baftle them. She went around several time in a circle. She rubbed the soles of her ahoes with garlics,and on one occasion stood in a creek two days. After she had been out some time, she concluded to follow the north star, as shc kuew it would lead her to the free States. She was in he woods three months, without having entered a house, By this time the weather liad become inclement - her clothes were in rags. and sometimos were frozen stiff, so as o clatter against her ancles as she wulked- her hoes were worn out, and the snow had fallen ancle deep, and she could endure her snflerings no Jonger. Having procured a staff, she went toa house, and appeared before the inmafes as a i broken down, decrepid old woman. seeking her : I cliildren. They took pity on her, and gave her something to ent. On inquiry, she found she wns distant about a hnndred miles fioni lier mastor, nud fiky niilc3 from St. Louis. Thus she travelled from house to house, and where sheihought it would answer, she made them aequainted with her real hisiory. She crossed tlve Mississippi at Quincy, and is nosv in Canada, in hope of living her few remuining yenrs in frecdom - This is her onbj object. Ske has no friends or acquaintance there. Her children she will never sce again. She has no relativos except in Virginia. He must be base in heart. who will endeavor to disturb the remnant of her days. Wc would say one word to our Christiun readers. Agnes related ihese things to us, and ieelingly expressed the consoiations she had experienced in all her affliction.from the constderation thati Christ was ier fnend and Savior, and having gone to prepare a place for her, he will yet come and receive hcr to himself. We have rcason to believe that Acnés is beloved of God, and has boen 'trauslated into the kingdom of His dear Son,' and 'made a pa. taker of the divine nature.' Why, then, weask, is this aged, helpless, homejess, cliildless, iriendless individual - who has wronged no one. but has receivcd wrong through all her híe: why is shehunted like a partridge on the mountains, and chased by dogs and more ferocious men, from hill to hiíl, and town lo town. while guiltlessof crime? One prominent rcason is because ministers and deacons and elders and private church members, who da these things, and maíntain that the institution of mansteaüng with all its eíFects, is an ordijiíince of heaven, and a practical blessing. are in feHowship with xis, and are invited to íill our pulpits. and to surround the Table of the Lord, and ve thus countenance this great iniquity. h was only last year that Eider Davis, a Baptist clergymen. went through the North, publicly main'aining that mansteal-'ing and all iis accursed concomitants, as tliey ext8t at the Souih, are in accordance with the wiil of God. And he went home lo his fellow manslealers, boasting how well he had been recei ved a; the North! Now, Chnstian, your master, Christ, carne to set the captive ñee. Will you not be a co-worker together wnh bina, and by your prayers, your exertions and your votes, nianilest to all that you have sworn eternal hatkkd to the whole manstealing systeni, and while you live, no consistent efibrts oi yours, as a Christian or a citizens, shall bo wanting for its everlasting overthrow. -