Where Did They Obtain The Signs?

"1 guesa tiiu never licard of how Je Eer nn Davis freed a lot of niggers : e oi e the thought of freeing tlo i Lu ks in ubis country was anything inore tlian a chimerical ilream in the m'inds o! snuif New Beagland Puritana, (íiil yon ?" inquired Major I.. H. CarBon of Ntisln ille, Tenn., of a St. Louis 'tor. "It auay be a fairy tale, or ii may not, liut, anyway, it v.iil bear reper.ting-'" "As I .vereived the story direct from uiy iii-aiHlfather, who clainifd to kuow a.11 the oiicumstancet-, it van about was '■ Vliile a young man and scon afber moving from his native home in Kentucky to hifi plantation in H) ' i']. Jeli Dis brougW a lacks, just brougtt over ii-íHii África by a siave trader, who lodk&de aml landed tliem in New OiImiip. While ihey were wo kbnjg i tte cotton field one day, Mr. i oteerved his ncw negroes makimg signa o( distress to the overseer. That individual not beLng a Masón, thought the negroes were carrytng oo a system oí signáis ppeparatory tu revolt, and was about to have them whipped. "Mr. Taris stopped this proceeding. He tested the negroes tlioroivghly, and, to liis aanazemeut, discoveied thiat they were third degree M i eme, tliough brought froin the very lieart oí África-. Being a Masón i hkaselí, you can iiiidcistand that he lost aio time in giving them their ïreedom and the choice of either returning to África or remiiining on liis estáte Uiiitil he could provide for them 11 :-ome other way. Most of them shipped to Afriea at Bavis' exprn.se, tliough soane of them remained with him uiitil the end. "Xow, if this story is trae- and I doin"t doubt it- how did Masonry íind its way into the heart oí Afriea? I hiave oíten thowght it strange that the Maseras have never investigated tliis matter."'-