Men of Our Times; Or, Leading Patriots of the Day: Being narratives of the lives and deeds of statesmen, generals, and orators. Including biographical sketches and anecdotes of Lincoln, Grant, Garrison, Sumner, Chase, Wilson, Greeley, Farragut, Andrew, Colfax, Stanton, Douglass, Buckingham, Sherman, Sheridan, Howard, Phillips and Beecher.Stowe, Harriet Beecher
History
Men of Our Times; Or, Leading Patriots of the Day: Being narratives of the lives and deeds of statesmen, generals, and orators. Including biographical sketches and anecdotes of Lincoln, Grant, Garrison, Sumner, Chase, Wilson, Greeley, Farragut, Andrew, Colfax, Stanton, Douglass, Buckingham, Sherman, Sheridan, Howard, Phillips and Beecher.
Stowe, Harriet Beecher
United States -- Biography; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Biography
Preceded by my faithful and beloved friend Mr. J----R----C----, I
dropped from a back window on to a shed, and narrowly escaped falling
headlong to the ground. We entered into a carpenter's shop, through
which we attempted to get into Wilson's Lane, but found our retreat
cut off by the mob. They raised a shout as soon as we came in sight,
but the proprietor promptly closed the door of his shop, kept them at
bay for a time, and thus kindly afforded me an opportunity to find
some other passage. I told Mr. C. it would be futile to attempt to
escape--I would go out to the mob, and let them deal with me as they
might elect; but he thought it was my duty to avoid them as long as
possible. We then went up stairs, and finding a vacancy in one corner
of the room, I got into it, and he and a young lad piled up some
boards in front of me, to shield me from observation. In a few minutes
several ruffians broke into the chamber, who seized Mr. C. in a rough
manner, and led him out to the view of the mob, saying, 'This is not
Garrison, but Garrison's and Thompson's friend, and he says he knows
where Garrison is, but won't tell.' Then a shout of exultation was
raised by the mob, and what became of him I do not know; though, as
I was immediately discovered, I presume he escaped without material
injury. On seeing me, three or four of the rioters, uttering a yell,
furiously dragged me to the window, with the intention of hurling me
from that height to the ground; but one of them relented, and said,
'Don't let us kill him outright.' So they drew me back, and coiled a
rope about my body--probably to drag me through the streets. I bowed to
the mob, and requesting them to wait patiently until I could descend,
went down upon a ladder that was raised for that purpose. I fortunately
extricated myself from the rope, and was seized by two or three of
the leading rioters, powerful and athletic men, by whom I was dragged
along bare-headed, (for my hat had been knocked off and cut in pieces
on the spot,) a friendly voice in the crowd shouting, 'He shan't be
hurt! He is an American!' This seemed to excite sympathy in the breasts
of some others, and they reiterated the same cry. Blows, however, were
aimed at my head by such as were of a cruel spirit, and at last they
succeeded in tearing nearly all my clothes from my body. Thus was I
dragged through Wilson's Lane into State street, in the rear of the
City Hall, over the ground that was stained with the blood of the first
martyrs in the cause of LIBERTY and INDEPENDENCE, in the memorable
massacre of 1770; and upon which was proudly unfurled, only a few years
since, with joyous acclamations, the beautiful banner presented to
the gallant Poles by the young men of Boston! What a scandalous and
revolting contrast! My offence was in pleading for LIBERTY--liberty for
my enslaved countrymen, colored though they be--liberty of speech and
of the press for ALL! And upon that 'consecrated spot' I was made an
object of derision and scorn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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