us wherein we have abused our friends down South.” “I’ll tell you,” said he, “here’s this State of New York; finding the climate and other things unfavorable to slavery, they passed a law abolishing it, to take effect in twenty years, for the purpose of giving time to run off' all the slaves and sell them, so that when the time arrived, the slaves had all been sold, and now we are demanding the liberation of the slaves for which we have pocketed the money.” Samuel had stopped there for the night and sat by the table apparently reading, while he listened to the conversation. As the Vermonter made no answer, Samuel turned his face towards the reverend gentleman and said, “Are you not mistaken in relation to this matter?” The reverend looked at him scornfully, as if he would decline talking with a black man, but as he liked to dispute better than he liked anything else except money and aristocracy, and no doubt expecting to wipe out the black spot, he said, “What do you know about it?” “I know,” replied Sam, “that not a slave was ever legally sold to be taken out of this State, or taken out of the State to be sold, after the passage of the law abolishing slavery. The law itself made it a penal offense to do so, and even a Congressman could not take his slave servant to Washington without giving bonds of $1,000 to return him to this State. No, sir, the slaves were not sold out of the State!” The statement was made in such a prompt, downright manner, that Rev.—— dared not dispute it, but went on to say that “Massachusetts was less particular in her legislation. After realizing cash for every slave owned in the State, they are arrogantly demanding freedom for the same and all the rest of the slaves, and making more disturbance than all the other States put together.”
“Begging your pardon,” said Sam, “I wish to say that you were pointed out to me as the man who owns the
