HK University of California Berkeley THE EISING SON; OR, THE ANTECEDENTS AND ADVANCEMENT OF THE COLORED RACE. BY WM. WELLS BROWN, M. D. AUTHOR OF "SKETCHES OP PLACES AND PEOPLE ABROAD, "THE BLACK MAN," "THE NEGRO IN THE REBELLION," " CLOTELLE," ETC. Tenth Thousand. BOSTON: A. G. BROWN & CO., PUBLISHERS 140 COURT STREET. 1874. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, BY A. G. BROWN in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. PREFACE. AFTER availing himself of all the reliable information obtainable, the author is compelled to acknowledge the scantiness of materials for a history of the African race. He has throughout endeavored to give a faith ful account of the people and their customs, without concealing their faults. Several of the biographical sketches are necessarily brief, owing to the difficulty in getting correct infor mation in regard to the subjects treated upon. Some have been omitted on account of the same cause. WM. WELLS BROWN. Carnbridgeport, Mass. WELCOME TO "THE EISING SON." BY ELIJAH W. SMITH. COME forth, historian of our race, And with the pen of Truth Bring to our claim to Manhood's rights, The strength of written proof ; Draw back the curtain of the past, And lift the ages' pall, That we may view the portraits grand That hang on History's wall ! Tell of a race whose onward tide Was often swelled with tears ; In whose hearts bondage has not quenched The fire of former years "When Hannibal's resistless hosts Wrought his imperial will, And brave Toussaint to freedom called, From Hayti's vine-clad hill. Write when, in these, our later days, Earth's noble ones are named, We have a roll of honor, too, Of which we're not ashamed ; If, for the errors of the past, In chains did we atone, God, from our race's sepulchre, Hath rolled away the stone. And our dear land, that long hath slept Beneath oppression's spell, Welcomes the manly fortitude That stood the test so well ; Bearing the record, blazoned o'er With deeds of valor done, Up to the Future's golden door He comes, the " Rising Son." WELCOME TO "THE RISING SON."* The battle's din hath passad away, And o'er the furrowed plain Spring, fresh and green, the tender blades Of Freedom's golden grain ; But eagle eyes must watch the field, Lest the fell foe should dare To scatter, while the sowers sleep, Proscription's noxious snare. Lo ! shadowy 'mid the forest-trees Their demon forms are seen, And lurid light of baleful eyes Flash through the foliage green ; And till completed is the work So gloriously begun, A sentry true on Freedom's walls Stand thou, O " Rising Son ! " Go forth ! the harbinger of days More glorious than the past ; Hushed is the clash of hostile steel, The bugle's battle-blast ; Go, herald of the promised time, When men of every land Shall hasten joyfully to grasp The Ethiope's outstretched hand ! CONTENTS. PAGE MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR 9 CHAPTER I. THE ETHIOPIANS AND EGYPTIANS .... 36 CHAPTER II. THE CARTHAGINIANS .49 CHAPTER III. EASTERN AFRICA 65 CHAPTER IV. CAUSES OF COLOR 78 CHAPTER V. CAUSES OF THE DIFFERENCE IN FEATURES ... 84 CHAPTER VI. CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES .... 90 CHAPTER VII. THE ABTSSINIANS 97 CHAPTER VIII. WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA . . . .101 Vi CONTENTS. PAGB CHAPTER IX. THE SLAVE-TRADE 118 CHAPTER X. THE REPUBLIC OP LIBERIA . . . .129 CHAPTER XI. PROGRESS IN CIVILIZATION 135 CHAPTER XII. HAYTI 140 CHAPTER XIII. SUCCESS OF TOUISSANT 150 CHAPTER XIV. CAPTURE OP TOUISSANT 159 CHAPTER XV. TOUISSANT A PRISONER IN FRANCE . . . .168 CHAPTER XVI. DESSALINES AS EMPEROR OF HAYTI . . . .173 CHAPTER XVII. WAR BETWEEN THE BLACKS AND MULATTOES OF HAYTI 185 CHAPTER XVIII. CHRISTOPHE AS KING, AND PETION AS PRESIDENT OP HAYTI 201 CHAPTER XIX. PEACE IN HAYTI, AND DEATH OF PETION . . . 209 CHAPTER XX. BOYER THE SUCCESSOR OF PETION IN HAYTI . . 218 CONTENTS. Vll PAGB CHAPTER XXI. INSURRECTION, AND DEATH OF CHRISTOPHE . . 222 CHAPTER XXII. UNION OF HATTI AND SANTO DOMINGO . . . 229 CHAPTER XXIII. SOULOUQUE AS EMPEROR OF HATTI .... 234 CHAPTER XXIV. GEFFRARD AS PRESIDENT OF HAYTI . . . .236 CHAPTER XXV. SALNAVE AS PRESIDENT OF HAYTI .... 241 CHAPTER XXVI. JAMAICA 243 CHAPTER XXVII. SOUTH AMERICA 255 CHAPTER XXVIII. CUBA AND PORTO Rico 258 CHAPTER XXIX. SANTO DOMINGO 262 CHAPTER XXX. INTRODUCTION OF BLACKS INTO AMERICAN COLONIES . 265 CHAPTER XXXI. SLAVES IN THE NORTHERN COLONIES .... 270 CHAPTER XXXII. COLORED INSURRECTIONS IN THE COLONIES . . . 276 CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER XXXIII. BLACK MEN IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR . . 282 CHAPTER XXXIV. BLACKS IN THE WAR OF 1812 286 CHAPTER XXXV. THE CURSE OF SLAVERY CHAPTER XXXVI. DISCONTENT AND INSURRECTION .... 296 CHAPTER XXXVII. GROWING OPPOSITION TO SLAVERY .... 319 CHAPTER XXXVIII. MOB LAW TRIUMPHANT 322 CHAPTER XXXIX. HEROISM AT SEA 325 CHAPTER XL. THE IRON AGE . 329 CHAPTER XLI. RELIGIOUS STRUGGLES 336 CHAPTER XLII. JOHN BROWN'S RAID ON HARPER'S FERRY . . .340 CHAPTER XLIII. LOYALTY AND BRAVERY OF THE BLACKS * . . . 342 CHAPTER XLIV. THE PROCLAMATION OF FREEDOM 347 CONTENTS. IX PAGE CHAPTER XLV. BLACKS ENLISTED, AND IN BATTLE . . . .352 CHAPTER XLVI. NEGRO HATRED AT THE NORTH 382 CHAPTER XLVII. CASTE AND PROGRESS . . . . . .387 CHAPTER XLVIII. THE ABOLITIONISTS 393 CHAPTER XLIX. THE NEW ERA 413 CHAPTER L. REPRESENTATIVE MEN AND WOMEN . . . .418 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. BY ALONZO D. MOORE. THIRTY years ago, a young colored man came to my father's house at Aurora, Erie County, New York, to deliver a lecture on the subject of American Slavery, and the following morning I sat upon his knee while he told me the story of his life and escape from the South. Although a boy of eight years, I still remember the main features of the narrative, and the impression it made upon my mind, and the talk the lecture of the previous night created in our little quiet town. That man was William Wells Brown, now so widely-known, both at home and abroad. It is therefore with no little hesi tancy that I consent to pen this sketch of one whose name has for many years been a household word in our land. 9 10 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. "William "VYells BroWn was bom in Lexington, Ky., in the year 1816. His mother was a slave, his father a slaveholder. The boy was taken to the State of Missouri in infancy, and spent his boyhood in St. Louis. At the age of ten years he was hired out to a captain of a steamboat running between St. Louis and New Orleans, where he remained a year or two, and was then employed as office boy by Elijah P. Love joy, who was at that time editor of the St. Louis Times. Here William first began the groundwork of his education. After one year spent in the printing office, the object of our sketch was again let out to a captain of one of the steamboats plying on the river. In the year 1834 William made his escape from the boat, and came North. He at once obtained a situation on a steamer on Lake Erie, where, in the position of steward, he was of great service to fugitive slaves making their way to Canada. In a single year he gave a free pas sage across the lake to sixty-five fugitives. Making his home in Buffalo, Mr. Brown organized a vigi lance committee whose duties were to protect and aid slaves, while passing through that city on their way to the "Land of the free," or to the eastern States. As chairman of that committee, Mr. Brown was of great assistance to the fleeing bondmen. The Asso ciation kept a fund on hand to employ counsel in case of capture of a fugitive, besides furnishing all with MEMOIK OF THE AUTHOR. 11 clothing, shoes, and whatever was needed by those who were in want. Escaping from the South without education, the subject of our sketch spent the winter nights in an evening school and availed himself of pri vate instructions to gain what had been denied him in his younger days. In the autumn of 1843, he accepted an agency to lecture for the Anti-slavery Society, and continued his labors in connection with that movement until 1849; when he accepted an invitation to visit England. As soon as it was understood that the fugitive slave was going abroad, the American Peace Society elected him as a delegate to represent them at the Peace Con gress at Paris. Without any solicitation, the Executive Committee of the American Anti-slavery Society strongly recom mended Mr. Brown to the friends of freedom in Great Britain. The President of the above Society gave him private letters to. some of the leading men and women in Europe. In addition to these, the colored citizens of Boston held a meeting the evening previous to his departure, and gave Mr. Brown a public farewell, and passed resolutions commending him to the confi dence and hospitality of all lovers of liberty in the mother-land. Such was the auspices under which this self-educated man sailed for England on the 18th of July, 1849. Mr. Brown arrived in Liverpool, and proceeded at 12 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. once to Dublin, where warm friends of the cause of freedom greeted him. The laud of Burke, Sheridan, and O'Conuell would not permit the American to leave without giving him a public welcome. A large and enthusiastic meeting held in the Eotunda, and pre sided over by JAMES HAUGHTOX, Esq., gave Mr. Brown the first reception which he had in the Old World. After a sojourn of twenty days in the Emerald Isle, the fugitive started for the Peace Congress which was to assemble at Paris. The Peace Congress, and espe cially the French who weie in attendance at the great meeting, most of whom had never seen a colored per son, were somewhat taken by surprise on the last day, when Mr. Brown made a speech. "His reception, " said La Presse, "was most flattering. He admirably sustained his reputation as a public speaker. His ad dress produced a profound sensation. At its conclu sion, the speaker was warmly greeted by Victor Hugo, President of the Congress, Richard Cobden, Esq., and other distinguished men on the platform. At the soiree given by M. de Tocqueville, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the American slave was received with marked attention." Having spent a fortnight in Paris and vicinity, view ing the sights, he returned to London. GEORGE THOMPSON, Esq., was among the first to meet the fu gitive on his arrival at the English metropolis. A few days after, a very large meeting, held in the spa- MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOE. 13 cious Music Hall, Bedford Square, and presided over by Sir Francis Knowles, Bart., welcomed Mr. Brown to England. Many of Britain's distinguished public speakers spoke on the occasion. George Thompson made one of his most brilliant efforts. This flat tering reception gained for the fugitive pressing invi tations from nearly all parts of the United Kingdom. He narrates in his " Three Years in Europe," many humorous incidents that occurred in his travels, and of which is the following: . "On a cold winter's evening, I found myself seated before the fire, and alone, in the principal hotel in the ancient and beautiful town of Ludlow, and within a few minutes' walk of the famous old castle from which the place derives its name. A long ride by coach had so completely chilled me, that I remained by the fire to a later hour than I otherwise would have. " 'Did you ring, sir?' asked the waiter, as the clock struck twelve. " *Xo,' I replied; 'but you may give me a light, and I will retire.' "I was shown to my chamber, and was soon in bed. From the weight of the covering, I felt sure that the extra blanket which I had requested to be put on was there; yet I was shivering with cold. As the sheets began to get warm, I discovered, to my astonishment, that they were clamp indeed, wet. My first thought 14 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. was to ring the bell for the servant, and have them changed; but, after a moment's consideration, I resolved to adopt a different course. I got out of bed, pulled the sheets off, rolled them up, raised the win dow, and threw them into the street. After disposing of the wet sheets, I returned to bed, and got in between the blankets, and lay there trembling with cold till Morpheus came to my relief. "The next morning I said nothing about the sheets, feeling sure that the discovery of their loss would be made by the chambermaid in due time. Breakfast over, I visited the ruins of the old castle, and then returned to the hotel, to await the coach for Hereford. As the hour drew near for me to leave, I called the waiter, and ordered my bill. 'Yes, sir, in a moment,' he re plied, and left in haste. Ten or fifteen minutes passed away, and the servant once more came in, walked to the window, pulled up the blinds, and then went out. "I .saw that something was afloat; and it occurred to me that they had discovered the loss of the sheets, at which I was pleased; for the London newspapers were, at that time, discussing the merits and the demerits of the hotel accommodations of the kingdom, and no let ters found a more ready reception in their columns than one on that subject. I had, therefore, made up my mind to have the wet sheets put in the bill, pay for them, and send the bill to the Times. "The waiter soon returned again, and,- in rather an MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 15 agitated manner, said, 'I beg your pardon, sir, but the landlady is in the hall, and would like to speak to you.' Out I went, and found the finest specimen of an English landlady that I had seen for many a day. There she stood, nearly as thick as she was tall, with a red face garnished around with curls, that seemed to say, 'I have just been oiled and brushed.' A neat apron covered a black alpaca dress that swept the floor with modesty, and a bunch of keys hung at her side. O, that smile! such a smile as none but an adept could put on. However, I had studied human nature too successfully not to know that thunder and lightning were concealed under that smile, and I nerved myself for the occasion. " 'I am sorry to have to name it, sir,' said she; 'but the sheets are missing off your bed.' " 'O, yes,' I replied; 'I took them off last night.' " 'Indeed!' exclaimed she; 'and what did you do with them?' " 'I threw them out of the window,' said I. " 'What! into the street?' " 'Yes; into the street,' I said. " 'What did you do that for?' " 'They were wet; ^and I was afraid that if I left them in the room they would be put on at night, and give somebody else a cold.' " 'Then, sir,' said she, 'you'll have to pay for them.' 16 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. " 'Make out your bill, madam,' I replied, 'and put the price of the wet sheets in it, and I will send it to the Times, and let the public know how much you charge for wet sheets.' "I turned upon my heel, and went back to the sitting-room. A moment more, and my bill was brought in; but nothing said about the sheets, and no charge made for them. The coach came to the door: o and as I passed through the hall leaving the house, the landlady met me, but with a different smile. " 'I hope, sir,' said she, 'that you will never men tion the little incident about the sheets. I am very sorry for it. It would ruin my house if it were known.' Thinking that she was punished enough in the loss of her property, I promised not to men tion the name of the house, if I ever did the incident. "The following week I returned to the hotel, when I learned the fact from the waiter that they had suspected that I had stolen the sheets, and that a police officer was concealed behind the hall door, on the day that I was talking with the landlady. When I retired to bed that night, I found two jugs of hot water in the bed, and the sheets thoroughly dried and aired. "I visited the same hotel several times afterwards, and was invariably treated with the greatest deference, which no doubt was the result of my night with the wet sheets." In 1852, Mr. Brown gave to the public his "Three MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 17 Years in Europe," a work which at once placed him high as an author, as will be seen by the following extracts from some of the English journals. The Ec lectic Review, edited by the venerable Dr. Price, one of the best critics in the realm, said, "Mr. Brown has produced a literary work not unworthy of a highly-cul tivated gentleman." Rev. Dr. Campbell, in the British Banner, re marked: "We have read Mr. Brown's book with an unusual measure of interest. Seldom, indeed, have we met with anything more captivating. A work more worthy of perusal has not, for a considerable time,, come into our hands." "Mr. Brown writes with ease and ability," said the Times, "and his intelligent observations upon the great question to which he has devoted and is devoting his life will command influence and respect." The Literary Gazette, an excellent authority, says of it, "The appearance of this book is too remarkable a literary event, to pass without a notice. At the moment when attention in this country is directed to the state of the colored people in America, the book appears with additional advantage: if nothing else were attained O *~~ ^J / by its publication, it is well to have another proof of the capability of the negro intellect. Altogether, Mr. Brown has written a pleasing and amusing volume, and we are glad to bear this testimony to the literary merit of a work by a negro author." 2 18 MEMOIil OF THE AUTHOR. The Glasgow Citizen, in its review, remarked, "W. Wells Brown is no ordinary man, or he could not have so remarkably surmounted the many difficul ties and impediments of his training as a slave. By dint of resolution, self-culture, and force of character, he has rendered himself a popular lecturer to a Brit ish audience, and a vigorous expositor of the evils and atrocities of that system whose chains he has shaken off so triumphantly and forever. We may safely pro nounce William Wells Brown a remarkable man, and a full refutation of the doctrine of the inferiority of the negro." The Glasgow Examiner said, "This is a thrilling book, independent of adventitious circumstances, which will enhance its popularity. The author of it is not a man, in America, but a chattel, a thing to be bought, and sold, and whipped; but in Europe, he is an au thor, and a successful one, too. He gives in this book an interesting and graphic description of a three years' residence in Europe. The book will no doubt obtain, as it well deserves, a rapid and wide popularity." In the spring of 1853, the fugitive brought out his work, "Clotelle ; or, the President's Daughter, ' ' a book of nearly three hundred pages, being a narrative of slave life in the Southern States. This work called forth new criticisms on the "Negro Author" and his literary efforts. The London Daily News pronounced it a book that would make a deep impression; while MEMOIH OF THE AUTHOR. 19 The Leader, edited by the SOD of Leigh Hunt, thought many parts of it "equal to anything which had ap peared on the slavery question." The above are only a few of the many encomiums bestowed upon our author. 'Besides writing his books, Mr. Brown was also a regular contributor to the columns of The London Daily News, The Liberator, Frederick Douglass' Paper, and The National Anti-sla very Standard. When we add, that in addition to his literary labors, Mr. Brown was busily engaged in the study of the medical profession, it will be admitted that he is one of the most industrious of men. After remain ing abroad nearly six years, and travelling extensively through Great Britain acd on the continent, he returned to the United States in 1854, landing at Philadelphia, where he was welcomed in a large public meeting presided over by Robert Purvis, Esq. On reaching Boston, a welcome meeting was held in Tremont Temple, with Francis Jackson, Esq., in the chair, and at which Wendell Phillips said, "I rejoice that our friend Brown went abroad; I rejoice still more that he has returned. The years any thoughtful man spends abroad must enlarge his mind and store it richly. But such a visit is to a colored man more than merely intellectual education. He lives for the first time free from the blighting chill of prejudice. He sees no society, no institution, no place of resort or means of comfort from which his color debars him. 20 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. * "We have to thank our friend for the fidelity with which he has, amid many temptations, stood by thsse whose good name religious prejudice is trying to un dermine in Great Britain.. That land is not all Para dise to the colored 'man. Too many of them allow themselves to be made tools of the most subtle of their race. We recognize, to-night, the clear-sighted ness and fidelity of Mr. Brown's course abroad, not only to thank him, but to assure our friends there that this is what the Abolitionists of Boston endorse." Mr. Phillips proceeded: "I still more rejoice that Mr. Brown has returned. Returned to what? Not to what he can call his 'country.' The white man comes 'home.' When Milton heard, in Italy, the souuci of arms from England, he hastened back young, enthusiastic, and bathed in beautiful art as he was in Florence. 'I would not be away,' he said, 'when a blow was struck for liberty.' He came to a country where his manhood was recognized, to fight on equal footing. "The black man comes home to no liberty but the liberty of suffering to struggle in fetters for the wel fare of his race. It is a magnanimous sympathy with his blood that brings such a man back. I honor it. We meet to do it honor. Franklin's motto was, Ubi Libertas, ibi patria Where liberty is, there is my country. Had our friend adopted that for his rule, he would have stayed in Europe. Liberty for him ME3IOIK OF THE AUTHOR. 21 is there. The colored man who returns, like our friend, to labor, crushed and despised, for his race, sails under a higher flag. His motto is, 'Where my country is, there will I bring liberty!' Although Dr. Brown could have entered upon the practice of his profession, for which he was so well qualified, he nevertheless, with his accustomed zeal, continued with renewed vigor in the cause of the free*- dom of his race. In travelling through the country and facing the prejudice that met the colored man at every step, he saw more plainly the vast difference between this country and Europe. In giving an account of his passage on the little steamer that plies between Ithica and Cayuga Bridge, he says, "When the bell rang for breakfast, I went to the table, where I found some twenty or thirt}^ persons. I had scarcely taken my seat, when a rather snobby- appearing man, of dark complexion, looking as if a South Carolina* or Georgia sun had tanned him, began lubbing his hands, and, turning up his nose, called the steward, and said to him, 'Is it the custom on this boat to put niggers at the table with white f>eo- ple?' "The servant stood for a moment, as if uncertain what reply to make, when the passenger contin ued, 'Go tell the captain that I want him.' Away 22 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. went the steward. I had been too often insulted on account of my connection with the slave, not to know - for what the captain was wanted. However, as I was hungry, I commenced helping myself to what T saw before me, yet keeping an eye to the door, through which the captain was soon to make his appearance. As the steward returned, and I heard the heavy boots of the commander on the stairs, a happy thought struck me ; and I eagerly watched for the coming-in of the officer. "A moment more, and a strong voice called out, 'Who wants me?' "I answered at once, eing dragged along by the animal. Soon they turned to the right, and followed up what appeared to be a cow-path. "While on this road my hat fell off, and I called out to the man behind and said, 'I've lost my hat.' " 'You'll need no hat in half an hour's time,' he replied. As we were passing a log house on this road, a man came out and said, in a trembling voice, 'Jim's dying!' All the men now dismounted, and, with the exception of two, they went into the build ing. I distinctly heard the cries, groans, and ravings of the sick man, which satisfied me at once that it was an extreme case of delirium tremens; and as I treated the malady successfully by the hypodermic remedy, and having with me the little instrument, the thought flashed upon my mind that I might save my life by the trial. Consequently, I said to one of the men, 'I know what's the matter with that man, and I can re lieve him in ten minutes.' One of the men went into the house, related what I had said, and the company came out. The leader, whom they all addressed as 'Cap,' began to question me with regard to my skill in such complaints. He soon became satisfied, untied me, and we entered the 28 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. sick man's chamber. My hands were so numb from the tightness of the cord which bound my arms, that I walked up and down the room for some minutes, rubbing my hands, and contemplating the situation. The man lay ifpon a bed of straw, his arms' and legs bound to the bedstead to keep him from injuring him self and others. He had, in his agony, bitten his tongue and lips, and his mouth was covered with bloody froth, while the glare of his eyes was fearful. His 'wife, the only woman in the house, sat near the bed with an infant upon her lap, her countenance pale and anxious, while the company of men seemed to be the most desperate set I had ever seen. 1 'I determined from the first to try to impress them with the idea that I had derived my power to relieve pain from some supernatural source. While I was thus thinking the matter over, 'Cap' was limping up and down the room, breathing an oath at nearly every step, and finally said to me, 'Come, come, old boy, take hold lively; I want to get home, for this d-r-d old hip of mine is raising h 1 with me.' I said to them, 'Now, gentlemen, I'll give this man com plete relief in less than ten minutes from the time I. lay my hands on him; but I must be permitted to retire to a room alone, for I confess that I have dealings o with the devil, and I must consult with him.' Noth ing so charms an ignorant people as something th,at has about it the appearance of superstition, and I did not MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 29 want these men to see the syringe, or to know of its existence. The woman at once lighted a tallow candle, handed it to 'Cap,' and pointed to a small room. The man led the way, set the light down, and left me alone. I now took out my case, adjusted the needle to the syringe, filled it with a solution of the acetate of morphia, put the little instrument into my vest pocket, and returned to the room. "After waving my hands in the air, I said, 'Gen tlemen, I want your aid; give it to me, and I'll per form a cure that you'll never forget. All of you look upon that man till I say, "Hold! " Look him right in the eye.' All eyes were immediately turned upon the invalid. Having already taken my stand at the foot of the bed, I took hold of the. right leg near the calf, pinched up the skin, inserted the needle, withdrew it after discharging the contents, slipped the syringe into my pocket, and cried at the top of my voice, 'Hold!' The men now turned to me, alternately viewing me and the sick man. From the moment that the injection took place, the ravings began to cease, and in less than ten minutes he was in perfect ease. I continued to wave my hands, and to tell the devils 'to depart and leave this man in peace.' 'Cap' was the first to break the silence, and he did it in an emphatic manner, for he gazed steadily at me, then at the sick man, and ex claimed, 'Big thing! big thing, boys, d d if it ain't!' 30 MEMOIIl OF THE AUTHOR. Another said, * A conjurer, by h 11! you heard him say he deals with the devil.' I now thought it time to try 'Cap,' for, from his limping, groaning, and swearing about his hip, it seemed to me a clear case of sciatica, and I thus informed him, giving him a description of its manner of attack and progress, detailing to him the different stages of suffering. ''I had early learned from the deference paid to the man by his associates, that he was their leader, and I was anxious to get my hands on him, for I had resolved that if ever I got him under the influence of the drug, he should never have an opportunity of putting a rope around my neck. 'Cap' was so pleased with my diagnosis of his complaint, that he said, 'Well, I'll give you a trial, d d if I don't!' I informed him that I must be with him alone. The woman remarked that we could go in the adjoining room. As we left the company, one of them said: 'You aint agoin' to kill "Cap," is you?' 'Oh, no!' I replied. I said, 'Now, "Cap," I'll cure you, but I need your aid.' 'Sir,' returned he, 'I'll do anything you tell me.' I told him to lay on the bed, shut his eyes, and count one hundred. He obeyed at once, and while he was counting, I was filling the syringe with the morphia. When he had finished counting, I informed him that I would have to pinch him on the lame leg, so as to get the devil out of it. 'Oh!' replied he, 'you may pinch as much as you d d please, for I've seen MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOK. 31 and felt h 11 with this old hip ! ' I injected the mor phia as I had done in the previous case, and began to sing a noted Methodist hymn as soon as I had fin ished. As the medicine took effect, the man went rapidly off into a slumber, from which he did not awake while I was there, for I had given him a double dose. "I will here remark", that while the morphia will give most instant relief in sciatica, it seldom performs a perfect cure. But in both cases I knew it would serve my purpose. As soon as 'Cap' was safe, I called in his companions, who appeared still more amazed than at first. They held their faces to his to see that he breathed, and would shake their heads and go out. I told them that I should have to remain with the man five or six hours. At this announce ment one of the company got furious, and said, 'It's all a trick to save his neck from the halter,' and concluded by saying at the top of his voice, 'Come to the tree, to the tree!' The men all left the room, assembled in the yard, and had a consultation. - It was now after eleven o'clock, and as they had a large flask of brandy with them they appeared to keep themselves well-filled, from the manner in which the room kept scented up. At this juncture one of the company, a tall, red-haired man, whose face was completely covered with beard, entered the room, took his seat at the table, drew out of his pocket a revolver, laid it on the table, 32 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. and began to fill his mouth with tobacco. The men outside mounted their horses and rode away, one of whom distinctly shouted, 'Remember, four o'clock.' I continued to visit one and then the other of the inva lids, feeling their pulse, and otherwise showing my interest in their recovery. *'The brandy appeared to have as salutary effect on the man at the table as the morphia had on the sick, for he was fast asleep in a few minutes. The only imped iment in the way of my escape now was a large dog, which it was difficult to keep from me when I first came to the house, and was now barking, snapping, and growling, as if he had been trained to it. "Many modes of escape suggested themselves to me while the time was thus passing, the most favored of which was to seize the revolver, rush out of the house, and run my chance with the dog. However, before I could put any of these suggestions into practice, the woman went out, called 'Lion, Lion/ and re turned, followed by the dog, which she made lie down by her as she reseated herself. In a low whis per, this woman, whose fate deserves to be a better one, said, 'They are going to hang you at four o'clock; now is your time to go.' The clock was just strik ing two when I arose, and with a grateful look, left the house. Taking the road that I had come, and fol lowing it down, I found my hat, and after walking some distance out of the way by mistake, I reached MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 33 the station, and took the morning train for Cincin nati.'' I cannot conclude this sketch of our author's life without alluding to an incident which occurred at Aurora, my native town, on a visit to that place in the winter of 1844. Dr. Brown was advertised to speak in the old church, which he found filled to overflowing, with an audience made up mostly of men who had previously determined that tl^e meeting should not be held. The time for opening the meeting had already ar rived, and the speaker was introduced by my father, who acted as chairman. The coughing, whistling, stamping of feet, and other noises made by the assemblage, showed the prejudice existing against the anti-slavery cause, the doctrines of which the speaker was there to advocate. This tumult lasted for half an hour or more, during which time unsalable eggs, peas, and other missiles were liberally thrown at the speaker. One of the e ^-- spattering over his nicely-ironed shirt bosom, and giv ing him a somewhat ungainly appearance, which kept the audience in roars of laughter at the expense of our fugitive friend. Becoming tired of this sort of fun, and getting his Southern blood fairly aroused, Dr. Brown, who, driven from the pulpit, was standing in front of the altar, 3 34 MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. nerved himself up, assumed a highly dramatic air, and said: "I shall not attempt to address you; no, I would not speak to you if you wanted me to. How ever, let me tell you one thing, and that is, if you had been in the South a slave as I was, none of you would ever have had the courage to escape; none but cowards would do as you have done here to-night." Dr. Brown gradually proceeded into a narrative of his own life and escape from the South. The intense interest, connected with the various incidents as he related them, chained the audience to their seats, and for an hour and a half he spoke, making one of the most eloquent appeals ever heard in that section in behalf of his race. I have often heard my father speak of it as an effort worthy of our greatest statesmen. Before the commencement of the meeting, the mob had obtained a bag of flour, taking it up into the belfry of the church, directly over the entrance door, with the in tention of throwing it over the speaker as he should pass out. One of the mob had been sent in with orders to keep as close to the doctor as he could, and who was to give the signal for the throwing of the flour. So great was the influence of the speaker on this man, that his opinions were changed, and instead of giving the word, he warned the doctor of the impending dan ger, saying, "When you hear the cry of 'let it slide,' MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 35 look out for the flour." The fugitive had no sooner learned these facts than he determined to have a lit tle fun at the expense of others. Pressing his way forward, and getting near a group of the most respectable of the company, including two clergymen, a physician, and a justice of the peace, he moved along with them, and as they passed under the belfry, the doctor cried out at the top of his voice, ''Let it slide ! ' ' when down came the flour upon the heads of some of our best citizens, which created the wildest excitement, and caused the arrest of those engaged in the disturbance. Everybody regarded Dr. Brown's aptness in this matter as a splendid joke ; and for many days after, the watchword of the boys was, "Let it Slide I' 3 Dr. Brown wrote "The Negro in the Rebellion," in 1866, which had a rapid sale. THE RISING SON. CHAPTER I. THE ETHIOPIANS AND EGYPTIANS. THE origin of the African race has provoked more criticism than any other of the various races of man on the globe. Speculation has exhausted itself in try ing to account for the Negro's color, features, and hair, that distinguish him in such a marked manner from the rest of the human family. All reliable history, and all the facts which I have been able to gather upon this subject, show that the African race descended from the country of the Nile, and principally from Ethiopia. The early history of Ethiopia is involved in great obscurity. When invaded by the Egyptians, it was found to contain a large population, consisting of savages, hunting and fishing tribes, wandering herds men, shepherds, and lastly, a civilized class, dwelling in houses and in large cities, possessing a govern- (37) 38 THE RISING SON. meiit and laws, acquainted with the use of hieroglyph ics, the fame of whose progress in knowledge and the social arts had, in the remotest ages, spread over a considerable portion of the earth. Even at that early period, when all the nations were in their rudo and savage state, Ethiopia was full of historical mon uments, erected chiefly on the banks of the Nile. The earliest reliable information we have of Ethiopia, is (B. C. 971) when the rulers of that country assisted Shishank in his war against Judea, "with very many chariots and horsemen." Sixteen years later, we have an account of Judea being again invaded by an army of a million Ethiopians, unaccompanied by any Egyp tian force.* The Ethiopian power gradually increased until its monarchs were enabled t^o conquer Egypt, where three of them reigned in succession, Sab- backon, Sevechus, and Tarakus, the Tirhakah of Scripture, f Ssvechus, called so in Scripture, wa& so powerful a monarch that Hoshed, king of Israel, revolted against the Assyrians, relying on his assistance,! but was not supported by his ally. This indeed, was the imme diate cause of the captivity of the Ten Tribes; for "in the ninth year of Hoshed the king, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria," as a punishment for unsuccessful rebellion. Tirhakah was a more war-like prince; he led an * 2 Chron. xiv : 8-13. f Hawkins, in his work on Meroe, identifies Tirhakah with the priest Sethos, upon ground, we think, not tenable. | 2 Kings, xvii : 4. THE ETHIOPIANS AND EGYPTIANS. 39 army against Sennacherib,* king of Assyria, then besieging Jerusalem; ancl the Egyptian traditions, preserved in the age of Herodotus, give an accurate account of the providential interposition by which the pride of the Assyrians was humbled. It is said that the kings of Ethiopia were always elected from the priestly caste; and there was a strange custom for the electors, when weary of their sovereign, to send him a courier with orders to die. Ergamenes was the first monarch who ventured to resist this absurd custom; he lived in the reign of the second Ptolemy, and was instructed in Grecian philosophy. So far from yielding, he marched against the fortress of the priests, massacred most of them, and instituted a new religion. Queens frequently ruled in Ethiopia; one named Candace made war on Augustus Cyesar, about twenty years before the birth of Christ, and though not suc cessful, obtained peace on very favorable conditions. The pyramids of Ethiopia, though inferior in size to those in Egypt, are said to surpass them in archi tectural beauty, and the sepulchres evince the greatest purity of taste. ' But the most important and striking proof of the progress of the Ethiopians in the art of building, is their knowledge and employment of the arch. Hos- kins has stated that their pyramids are of superior antiquity to those of Egypt. The Ethiopian vases depicted on the monuments, though not richly orna mented, display a taste and elegance of form that has never been surpassed. In sculpture and coloring, * 2 Kings, xix : 9. 40 THE RISING SON. the edifices of Ethiopia, though not so profusely adorned, rival the choicest specimens of Egyptian art. Meroe was the entrepot of trade between the North and the South, between the East and the West, while its fertile soil enabled the Ethiopians to purchase for eign luxuries with native productions. It does not appear that fabrics were woven in Ethiopia so exten sively as in Egypt ; but the manufacture of metal must have been at least as flourishing. But Ethiopia owed its greatness less to the prod uce of its soil or its factories than to its position on the intersection of the leading caravan routes of ancient commerce. The Ethiopians were among the first nations that organized a regular army, and thus laid the foundation of the whole system of ancient warfare. A brief ac count of their military affairs will therefore illustrate not only their history, but that of the great Asiatic monarchies, and of the Greeks during the heroic a