— For m os t
t h e fact s d q u otat i o s co ta i e d i
t his sh ort s ket ch s ee W i ll i a m L l oyd G arr is o T h e S t ory of
”
h i L i fe t ol d b y his Chi l d re
G arr is o
d Hi T im e s
by
”
O l i ver J oh s o ; T h e G arr is o M ob e d ite d b y T h e od ore
”
Lyma 3 d d t h e M e m or i a l His tory of Bos to V ol
III
N
O TE
of
n
an
“
“
n
,
n
n
n
n
n :
,
s
n
“
n
s
an
n
,
,
‘
n
,
an
n,
CO PY
T Y PO G R A PH Y
R I G HT , 1 8 8 8
,
BY
J
.
S
.
BY
N
CUS H I N G
.
M
OO R E
Co
.
,
.
.
BOS T O N
.
.
W I L L I A M L L OY D GA R R I S O N
—
18 05 18 7 9
I
.
.
.
S E V E RA L years ago a n ew b ro n z e statu e was
pl aced i n t h e Commo n weal th A v e n u e Park i n
Bosto n
The u n v eil i ng of th e statue passed al most
u n n oti c ed Th ere was n o speec h maki n g no
gath eri ng of the c rowd
B u t a gro u p of l i ttl e gi rl s pl ayi ng th ere l ater
ran u p to th e s i tti ng figu re ; and o n e of them
cl i mbi ng upo n i ts kn ee ga v e i t a hea rty ki ss
Few of o u r stat u es h ave bee n wel comed i n
j us t th at way
Pe rh aps b ec au s e few of o u r
great m e n h a v e do n e anythi ng that a l i ttl e gi rl
c o ul d u nde rs tan d s o w ell as sh e can th e fact
th at M r Gar ri so n h el ped to free th e sl a v es
H e h elped to free the m b y s ayi n g agai n and
a g ai n i n wo rds th at forced peopl e to l iste n to
h i m th at sl avery was wro n g
,
.
-
,
.
.
,
,
,
,
.
.
.
.
,
,
.
\V I L L I A M
4
LLOYD G A RR I S ON
.
A stock of real P uri tan co urage en a b l ed h i m
to p ersist i n sayi ng th i s whe n oth ers tried to
stop hi m
A h abi t of self den i al gave h i m
power to end u re p overty for h i mself wh il e try
i ng to promote th e welfare of th e sl aves
H is cou rage was h anded down to h im per
h aps from h is fath er s moth er s fath e r D an iel
Pal mer ; h is self den i al h owe v er he l earn ed
d u ri ng t he h ardy tra i n i ng of h i s p en n i less
ch ildhood
H is mother was very poo r
L l oyd was
taught early th at h e m ust take c are of h i mself
W he n qu ite too you ng for th e tas k h e was to
attempt h e l eft h is home i n N e w b u ryp ort and
wen t as a sh oemaker s app ren tice to L yn n
Th ere th e l i ttl e b oy who w a s o nl y n i ne years
old and s o small th at h i s fellow workmen cal l ed
‘
h i m n ot m
uch b igger th an a l ast toil ed for
several mo nths u n til h e could make a tol erabl e
sh oe H e always retai n ed a v i vi d recol l ec ti o n
of th e h eavy l apston e on wh ich h e po u nded
many a sol e u ntil h is b ody ach ed and h is
k nees were sore and trem ul o us ; of th e th reads
-
.
.
,
’
’
,
,
-
,
,
.
.
.
,
’
.
“
,
-
,
’
,
,
.
W I LLI A M L L OYD G AR R I S ON
5
.
h e waxed and th e sore fi ngers h e e x pe ri enc ed
from sewi ng sh oes
Th e wo rk w a s m u ch too h ard for h i m : h e
left L yn n and w en t back to N ewb u rypo rt
A ltho ugh h i s yo uth was far from bei n g a
hol i day ti me we read that L l oyd was a th o r
o ugh b oy fo nd of games an d o f al l boyi s h
sports
Barefooted he trundl ed h i s h oop al l
ove r N ewbu rypo rt ; h e swa m the M erri m ac i n
s ummer and s kated o n i t i n wi n te r H e was
good at sc ull i ng a boat ; he pl ayed at bat an d
hal l and s now ball and so m eti m es led th e
S o uth end b oys agai nst th e N o rth en de rs i n th e
n ume ro us co n fl icts betwee n th e yo u ngsters o f
th e two secti o ns ; h e w as expert w ith m arbl es
O n ce wi th a pl aymate h e s wam ac ross th e
r i ver to Great R ock a d istan ce of th ree fo u rth s
of a mil e an d e ffected h i s ret urn agai n st th e
tide ; and on ce i n wi n ter h e n earl y l ost h i s
l ife by brea k i ng th ro ugh th e i ce on th e r i v er
an d reac h ed th e sh ore o nl y after a d esperate
stru g gl e th e i ce yi eld i ng as often as h e a t
”
tempted to cl i m b up o n i ts s u rf ac e
,
”
.
.
“
-
,
,
.
.
,
-
’
-
,
-
-
.
“
-
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
W I LLI AM LLOYD GA R RI S ON
6
.
H e w a s f o nd o f p ets and m ade t h e m f o n d
o f h i m O n e n igh t after co m i n g h ome fro m a
l o ng stay elsewhere h e was awa k ened b y th e
ru b b i ng o f soft f u r aga i nst h i s face and fo u nd
th at p uss [h is favori te cat ! h ad b ro u g h t h e r
l atest l i tter of k i tte ns b o rn wh i l e h e was away
an d had depos i ted th em o ne by o n e a b o ut h i s
,
,
.
“
,
,
,
,
,
h e ad f
,
’
For a n u m b er o f years n o n e o f th e ki nds o f
wo r k tri ed b y th e b oy seemed s u i ted to h i m
b u t i n th e year 1 8 1 8 h e d i s c overed h i s r ig h t
plac e i n a p ri n t i n g offi c e
,
-
.
W I LL IA M L L O YD G A R R IS O N
II
7
.
.
p rinte r s b oy L l oyd s et u p t yp e fo r t h e
\V h e n si x tee n ye a rs of
d
N ew bu ryp or t H er a /
age h e began to wri te fo r th e pape r and as
soo n as h is appre nti c esh i p was ove r u nd e rtoo k
h i msel f to ed i t a j o u rn al
I t was call ed th e
’
As
,
'
.
.
,
.
F ree P r ess
.
I n th e F r ee P r ess of j u n e 2 9 I 8 2 6 h e wrote
Th e re i s o n e th e me w h i c h sho ul d b e dwel t
u po n till o u r wh ol e co u n try is free from th e
c u rse : i t i s S L A V E R Y !
A t th e ti me wh e n M r G arri so n began to de
cl are h i s opi n i o n of sl a v e ry th ere was a ce rta i n
mo nth ly n ewspa pe r wh ic h was p rinted fo r th e
spe c i al p u rpo s e of co n v i n c i ng peopl e th at the
sl a v es sh o uld be set fre e I t was a ti ny sh e et
7 2 2?
T/
ze G e n iu s o
U
w ith a ve ry l arge n ame
f
/
z
z
t
z
n
I
ts
u
ak
er
ed
ito
r
E
m
m
e
a
o
ve r sa
!
p
Be nj am i n L u ndy saw th at Garriso n wo ul d
m ake a st ron g all y H e pe rs u aded h i m to g o
to Bal tim ore wh e re th e G e n iu s was p u b l ish ed
to wri te fo r th e paper s ed i to r i al c ol u m n s
,
,
,
“
”
.
.
.
l
,
'
'
,
,
.
,
,
’
.
8
W
I L LI A M LL O YD GARR I S ON
.
Wil l i am L l oyd Garr i so n d id w r i te !
L u ndy h ad said that th e sl aves o ugh t g rad u al ly
to b e freed ; Garris o n decl ared th at th e i r f ree
—
for
dom o u g ht not to b e de l ayed f o r a d a y
an h o u r
Of co u rse th i s b ro ugh t a s to rm a b o u t h i s h e ad
B al t i more was a g reat sl ave ce n tre
S l aves
were con stan tly sh ipped th e n ce to b e so l d i n
th e Ch arl es to n or S avan n ah o r N ew O rl e ans
m ar k ets M r Garr i s o n k n ew th at every se n
ten ce h e p repared p u t h i m i n p er i l b u t th e
k n owl ed g e d i d not s i le n ce h i m
W he n a vesse l b el o n gi n g to a M r Todd O f
N ew b uryport l eft Bal t i more f or N e w O rl eans
w i th n early n i n ety sl aves o n b o ard Garr i
so n s i ndi g n at i o n was stro n g
H e wro te a
st i n g i ng re b uke
H e s a i d th at if b r i n gi n g
sl a ves fro m A fr i ca was p i racy c arry i n g th em
from o ne port to an oth er was p i racy as well ;
an d th at me n wh o too k p art i n s uc h a trad e
”
were h ighway robbe rs an d m u rd erers
The
Bal t i more peop e and th e N ew b u ryp ort ow n er
w ere i n ce nsed
M r Todd an d th e Gran d
T h e n h ow
'
.
.
.
.
.
,
.
.
,
’
.
.
,
“
l
.
.
.
WI LLI A M L LOY D GA RR I SON
9
.
J u ry o f M a ryl and b ro u g h t s ui ts a g a i nst M r
G a rr i so n f o r l i be l
H e was se n
T h e t r i a l we n t a g a i n s t h i m
t e n c e d to p a y a fi n e of fif t y d oll ars and n early
fif ty m ore f o r c ost s 8 0 large a s u m was n ot
to be f o u nd lyi ng i dl e i n the p o ck et O f an
ed
i
to
r
M
r
G
ar
ri so n h ad n o t t h e
a n t i s a ve r
y
m o n ey and w as th rown i n to j ail
B ut eve n i n j ai l the re w as wo rk to be do n e
M r Ga rriso n writes :
D u r i n g m y l ate i n c arc e rat i o n i n Bal t i m o re
p ri so n f o u r m e n came to o b tai n a ru n away
s l ave H e w as b ro u g h t o ut of h is c ell to co n
f ro n t h i s m as te r b ut p rete nd ed n ot to k now
h i m d id n ot k n ow t hat h e h ad e v e r see n h i m
be f o re c o uld n o t recol l ect h i s name
O f c o u rs e th e m a s te r w as e x ceed i ngl y i rr i
.
.
.
.
.
l
v
.
.
.
,
.
.
“
,
.
.
,
.
.
t a te d
.
‘
’
'
D o n t yo u remem be r sai d h e whe n I
g a ve yo u n ot l o n g s i n c e th i rty n i n e l ash es
?
u nd e r th e a ppl e t ree
A n oth e r ti me wh e n I
?
An
g ave yo u a so u nd fl o ggi n g i n the b arn
othe r t i me wh e n y o u we re sc o u rg ed fo r gi vi n g
,
,
,
.
-
-
,
,
W
I O
I L L I A M L LOYD GA R RI S ON
.
m e th e li e by sa y i n g th at th e hors e was i n
g ood con d itio n ?
‘
Y e s rep i e d t h e sl a ve w h os e m e m ory was
‘
th us q ui c k e n e d I d o recoll ec t Y ou h ave
b eaten m e cr u ell y wi t h out a c ause ; yo u h ave
n ot g i ven m e en o ugh to eat a n d d r i n k ; an d I
do n t wan t t o go bac k a g a i n I w i sh you to
sell me to an ot h er m aster I h ad r a t h er eve n
go to Geo rg i a th an to ret u rn h ome
‘
I ll l et yo u k n ow yo u vil l ai n s aid th e
‘
m as ter th at m
wi
sh
es
an
d
n
ot
ou r s are to
y
y
be cons ul ted I l l l earn yo u h ow to ru n away
agai n
Th e other m en ad v ised h i m to take th e
b l ack h ome and c u t h i m up i n i n ch p i eces fo r
h is imp uden ce o b s ti n acy and d es erti o n swear
i n g trem en do usl y al l the w h i l e Th e sl ave was
o rdered b ac k to h is cell
I h ad stood speechl ess d u ri ng th is s i ngul ar
d i alogue my blood b o i l i ng i n my vei ns an d
m y l i mbs trembl i n g w i th em oti o n
I n ow
wal ked up to th e gang an d add ressi ng th e
m aste r as cal ml y as poss i b le s aid :
,
’
l
’
,
,
.
,
’
.
.
’
.
’
“
’
,
,
,
,
,
’
.
’
.
“
,
,
,
,
.
.
“
,
,
.
,
,
WI LLIA M LLOYD G A R RIS ON
11
.
‘
S i r wh at righ t h a v e yo u to th at poo r
c reat u re ?
H e l ooked up i n to my fac e ve ry i n noc en tl y
and repl ied :
My fathe r l eft h im to me
‘
sai d I yo u r fath er h ad bro ke n
i nto a b an k and stol en te n tho us an d d ol lars
and safel y beq u eath ed th e s um as a l e g ac y
co ul d yo u c on sc i en ti ousl y k eep th e m o n ey ?
Fo r mysel f I h ad rathe r rob an y ban k to an
i ndefin i te amo u n t th an k id n a p a f ell ow bei n g
o r h old h i m i n bo nd a ge ; the c rim e wo ul d be
l ess i nj u ri o u s t o so ci ety and l ess s i nful i n th e
1
sigh t O f G O d
M an y w e eks we n t by wh il e Garriso n wai ted
i n th at j ail b u t h i s co urage n e v e r fl agged
“
,
,
’
.
,
,
,
,
-
,
,
,
’
"
.
,
.
wa lls d h ug e t h e b od y my c o fi e
A d i r o g ate s obs tr uc t the p r is on er s g a e
a ssi ve b ol t s m a y b a ffl e h is de sig
An d m
A d vigil a t kee p ers wat ch h is de vi ous wa ys
Y e t sc or s t h i m m orta l m i d th is bas e c o tr ol ;
bi d i t n d n o c e ll e cl os e
N o c h ai s
H igh
an
n
n
a
n
n
,
’
r
z
,
n,
n
n
’
n
n
1
.
n
can
a
n
l
i mLl
W il
yd G rri o
a
o
n
a
s n,
n
l
I p
Vo
.
.
,
.
17
5
.
.
WI LLI A M LLOYD G ARR I SON
I 2
S
.
w ifter tha light i t fl i e s fromp ol e t o p ol e
A d i a fl a sh fr omheave t o earth i t g oe s
n
n
l
=
‘
,
n
n
l
l
it
= =
= <
”
.
k
=
This h e wrote upo n th e wall s O f h is cell
Th e world i n gen eral gave hi m l i ttle sympa
”
thy
S erved h i m righ t was th e ge neral
commen t O nly a few kn ew better Th ere
was a poet who k new b etter M r W h itti er
wrot e to H en ry Cl ay ask i ng th at M r Garriso n
migh t b e se t at l i berty M r W h ittier wo uld
h ave b een h eeded too h ad n ot anoth er fri end
M r A rth u r Tappan O f N ew Y o rk come fo r
ward a t th e same time to res cu e h i m
Mr
Tappan paid th e fin e and rel eased M r Garr i
so n fro m h is d u ranc e O f forty n i n e da y s
.
“
.
.
.
.
.
.
,
.
,
.
.
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
-
.
.
’
WI LLI AM LL O YD G A RR I SON
III
I
.
3
.
GA RR I S O N d id n ot go O n wi th th e B al ti
more paper H e c ame to Boston and b egan
to p u b l ish anoth er an ti sl a v ery newsp aper cal led
‘
th e L z é er a zor
H ard n ames had been fl ung at him H e
had bee n called bi tter severe h ars h u n c om
prom isi ng
th at madcap Garriso n
I n th e
fi rst n umber O f th e L z é e r a or h e wrote : I will
be as h arsh as truth an d a s u ncompromisi ng
as j usti ce
I am i n earnest ; I wil l n ot
equi v ocate ; I will not exc use ; I will n ot re
”
treat a si ngl e i nch ; and I wi ll be h eard !
H e was h eard ; th ere was n o clos i ng th e ears
to wh at h e s aid ; bu t for years me n tri ed to
d rown h is vo ice wi th v ol leys O f abuse
Th e p ubl i sh i ng of the L z é er a f or rai sed a h u e
and cry
A t th e S o ut h l aws were mad e forbiddi ng
th e passi ng O f th e pap er th ro ugh th e m ails
Garriso n wo uld h ave bee n th rown i n to p ri so n
M
R
.
,
.
-
’
.
.
,
,
,
“
l
,
,
’
,
.
.
'
.
,
.
I
WI LLIA M LLOYD
4
G
A R RI SON
.
agai n i f N orth C arol i n a S o uth Carol i n a o r
Georgi a co uld have l ai d h ands o n h i m
A reward O f
was O ff ered b y th e S tate
O f Georgi a to any perso n w h o sho ul d bri ng
W ill i am L loyd Garriso n to t ri al wi th i n i ts
l i mits
B u t M r Garriso n w a s u ndau n ted H e wrote
i n answer to the threats th at pou red upo n h i m :
! now that a h u ndred men stand ready
to fill o ur p l ace as soo n as i t i s m ade vac ant
b y viol ence
Fo r every h air of o u r h ead
wh ich yo u touch th ere sh all sp ri ng up an as
se rt e r O f th e rights O f yo u r b o ndsmen and an
”
upbraider O f y o u r cri m es
S ome Boston men h eari ng th at a dangero us
p aper was bei ng pri n ted i n thei r ci ty we n t to
th e O ffi ce of i ts ed itor to l earn wh at th ey co u ld
of h is dangero us ways
Th ey cl im bed to th e upper sto ry of a b uil d
i ng call ed M erch an ts H all opened th e doo r of
a great d i ngy room and gl an ced wi th i n
A p ress s tood i n on e corn er b y th e i n k b e
s p attered wi ndows ; a f ew compos i n g s tands
,
,
.
.
.
.
.
,
,
.
,
,
,
.
’
,
,
.
-
-
WI LLIA M LLOYD G A RRI SON
15
.
were n ear ; th ere was a lo ng tabl e o n wh ich th e
copi es of th e [ z é e r a t or co uld be folded for th e
mail A tall sl igh t yo ung man and a We g ro
—
b oy
these were Garriso n and h i s ass istan t
were b usily at work Co n tras t th is wi th any
of th e great p ri nti n g roo ms of Bos ton th e n o r
at the presen t day
A sort of bed was upon th e fl o or
D id th e
edito r sl eep i n th i s forl orn pl ace ? I ndeed h e
d id and often ate th ere too
H e and I saac
! n app h is fellow p ubl ish er h ad s aid that th ey
wo uld pri n t th e
as long as th ey coul d
do so by l i v ing o n bread and water ; and for
more th an a year a bakery was the i r only
k i tch e n and th e o ffice th ei r only di ni n g hall
Th e men w h o s aw Garrison s po v erty were
bl ind to th e mean i ng of h is de v oti o n
They
tur n ed away ass u red th at noth i ng of momen t
”
co uld come from th at obsc u re h ol e
Th e ckm
is fi n n ou s no un Tk) it
c u re
ufl e
we n t th ose wh o were to be t h e leaders of th ei r
ti me From Garrison th ey gai ned fresh i nsigh t
and zeal
'
.
.
,
.
-
,
.
.
,
.
-
,
,
-
.
,
’
.
,
l
'
.
.
“
.
WI LLI A M LLOYD GA RR I S O N
16
Un der h i s gui dan c e
.
ant i sl avery m eet i n g s
w ere h e l d ant i sl aver y soc i et i es were fo rmed
W h at th es e s oc i eti es worked fo r h as l ong s i nc e
b een b ro ugh t to p ass ; b u t i t was an uph i l l p ull
and th e ci ty wh i ch rai s es a stat ue to W i ll i am
L l oyd Garrison to day mob b ed h i m fifty years
ago
S l avery h ad grown to b e th e n ati on s darl i n g
I t was a pro b l em wi th wh ich th e N orth
sin
I f th e S o uthern ers wo ul d
w a s a f rai d to d eal
n ot l isten to a word agai nst i t N o rth ern fri ends
were as p rom p t i n h us h i ng advers e sp eech
A b ol itio n ists were oo k ed upo n as fi re b rands
th e S o uth as an expl os i ve ; th e Un io n i t was
tho ught wo uld b e sh attered i f th e fi re we re n ot
s tamp ed o u t T h e meeti ngs of th e A b ol i ti o n
ist s th erefo re i n di ffe re n t p arts of the co u n try
were b roken up th ei r sp ea k ers ro ugh ly h an
d e d th ei r defenders p ut t o th e t es t of r i di c ul e
-
-
.
,
,
-
.
’
.
.
,
l
.
-
,
,
,
.
,
,
l
,
,
a n d sc orn
.
.
I n O cto b er 1 8 3 5 an ant i s l avery so c i ety c ar
ri ed o n b y some of th e l adi es of Bosto n tri ed
to hold a meet i n g i n th e b u i ld i n g Where th e
-
,
,
,
,
I
WI LLI AM LLOYD GA RRIS ON
8
.
h as b ee n r ais ed by a n u m
b er of p atr i ot ic ci t i e s t o
reward the i d ivi d u a l w h o s ha ll fi r s t l a y vi ol e t h a d s o
o th a t h e m a y b e b r oug ht t o t h e tar kett l e b e
T h omps o
fore d a rk Fr i e d s of t h e Un i o b e vigil a n t 1
$ 1 00
z
n
n
n, s
n
n
-
n
.
“
n
Bost on , W ed
d ay ,
n es
12
’
l
o c oc k
n,
”
.
O n e of th e men wh o c arri ed th e h and b ill
a b ou t th e c i ty says : I l eft a bil l at a f amo us
oi l store an d i t was caugh t up b y o n e of th e
firm w h o read i t an d lo udly sho u ted fo r J oh n
to get h i m a b ucket of gree n tar and b e ready
”
to tar and feather th e A bol i ti o n ist
A rid an u ns ign ed p aper sen t to M r Garri
son ,i nformed h i m that certai n yo u ng men were
p rep ared to go fu rth er yet
Th e paper ran :
A barrel of tar a corrosive l i qu or an d a qu an
ti ty of i ndel i bl e i n k was proc u red and i n re a d i
ness
The pl an was to take yo u and M r
Thompso n to the Commo n tar and feather yo u
and th en dye you r face and h an ds bl ack i n a
man n er th at wo ul d n ever change fro m a n igh t
”
n egro col or
A t th ree o clock o n th at W ed nesd ay after
n oon th e 2 I s t of O cto b er th e c rowd b egan to
-
“
,
,
.
.
,
.
“
,
,
.
,
.
’
,
,
,
WI LLI A M LLOYD G ARRISON
19
.
fil l th e streets The l adi es comi ng to th e h all
fo u nd th e en trance bloc k ed by j eeri ng men
A bo ut th i rty of them passed i n however and
took th ei r pl aces foll owed by a n u mber of
yo u ng fell ows Wh o kep t up a l o ud hooti ng
stampi ng and wh istl i ng
S oo n a well k n own figu re mo u nted th e stai rs
and made i ts way i nto th e h all
”
Th at s Garri son ran th e commen t M r
Garriso n sat down b ut ri s i n g agai n came back
to th e c rowd at th e l ower end of th e room and
said : Gentl eme n perh aps yo u are not aware
th at th i s i s a meeti ng for l ad i es an d those who
”
h a v e b ee n i n v i ted to add ress them
Then
wi th a sm il e I f g e n e/
of yo u are
m
u m an y
a d ies i n d isguise Why o nl y app ri ze me of th e
fact gi v e me you r names and I will i n trod uce
yo u to the res t of yo ur s ex and yo u can take
”
s eats among th em
Pl easan t ry never comes am iss wi th a crowd :
for a wh il e th e noise was checked but i t broke
o ut afresh as n ew comers packed the stai rway
and p ush ed thei r way i nto th e h all
.
,
,
.
,
,
,
,
,
.
-
.
’
“
.
,
.
,
,
“
,
.
l
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
-
.
,
WI LLIA M LLOYD GA R RI SON
20
.
The tum ul t b ecame more s er i o us M r Gar
r i son k now i ng th at i t was i nc re as ed b y h is a t
tendance asked the p res ide n t M iss Parker i f
h e sh ould go S h e b egged h i m to do s o Th e
crowd w a s n ot a crowd of idl ers alo ne Y o u ng
me n of better stand i ng h ad j o i ned i t an d older
c i tize ns were l ooki ng o n
n o t tak i ng p art
nor yet rebu k i ng th e res t L adi es wh i l e alo n e
i n s uch a mob migh t meet with n oth i ng wo rs e
than ruden ess b u t th e p resence of a man wo u ld
gi v e excuse for vi olen ce
A s he co ul d no t make h is w a y o ut of the
buildi ng M r Garriso n stepped i nto th e an ti
sl avery o ffice whi ch was s ep arated fro m the
h all by a board p arti ti o n H is f ri end M r B ur
l eigh was wi th h i m
Th e noi se i n the h all di d n ot c eas e I n th e
mi dst of i t M iss Parker ros e and as tho ugh
qu i te u ndistu rbed we n t th ro ugh th e for of
cal l ing th e meeti ng to order S h e read p as
sages from th e Bi bl e as was h er wo n t at every
m eeting and o ff ered a prayer
H er clear to n es still ed th e cl amo r n earest
.
.
,
,
,
,
.
.
.
,
,
,
.
,
,
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
.
.
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
m
WI LLI A M LLOYD G ARRI SON
2 1
.
h er bu t fresh o ut b ursts came from those who
were beyo nd th e reach of h er v oi ce
A rush was made upon th e doo r of the an ti
sl ave ry o ffice The panel spl i t M r Garriso n
wri ti ng at h is desk saw fl ush ed and angry
faces peeri ng th ro ugh th e break
There h e is ! that s Garriso n ! o u t wi th the
sco u ndrel h e heard the m c ry
Y ou may as well op en th e doo r h e said
qui etl y to M r B u rl e i g h
Fro m th e stree t bel ow came sho uts for
”
Thompso n ! Thompso n !
Th e mayo r h ad
come and was tell i ng them th at T hompso n was
n ot i n th e c ity H e als o urged th em to d is
pers e an d keep th e peace A fter th i s h e e n
t e re d th e bu ild i ng
Goi ng to the l ad ies h e tol d th em th at if they
wo ul d l ea v e th e h al l at o nce h e wo ul d p romis e
them p rotecti o n ; b u t if th e y l i ngered h e co uld
not answer fo r thei r s afety
M eanwh il e a mess age h ad come to th e so
from
M
r
Fran
c
is
ackso
n
H
e
i
n
v
ited
c ie t
J
y
th e members to co n ti n ue th ei r meeti ng at h i s
h o us e Th e a reed to acce t h is o ffer
,
.
.
.
.
,
,
.
’
.
”
“
,
,
.
.
“
'
.
.
.
,
,
,
.
.
.
g
.
WI LLI A M LLOYD GA RRI SON
2 2
.
’
Two and two to Fran ci s J ackso n s H oll is
”
S treet ran th e o rder ; and also the wh isper
E ach wi th a colo red fri e nd !
Two and two they fil ed ou t of th e h all e v ery
c olored woman mo v i ng by th e side of some
Wh i te m ember wh om th e mob wo ul d be forced
to respect
W h en we emerged i n to th e ope n d ayl igh t
wri tes on e of th ese l adi es th ere was a roar of
co n tempt and rage wh i c h i n creased wh e n they
saw th at we did not i n tend to sep arate but
wal ked i n reg u l ar p rocessio n
Th ey slowly
gave way as we came o ut
W e s aw the
faces of those we h ad till n ow tho ugh t fri e nds ;
me n wh om we n ever before met wi tho ut gi v i ng
”
th e h an d i n fri e ndly s al utatio n
W h en th ey were go ne th e cry broke o u t
with fury Garriso n Garrison ! we m ust h ave
Garrison ! out with h i m ! lynch h i m !
Th en the s ign o uts ide th e anti sl a v ery o ffic e
roused th ei r i re Th ey were eage r to tear i t
down
”
Th at s ign m ust an d sh al l come d own
,
,
,
“
,
.
”
,
“
,
,
,
.
.
.
,
“
,
,
”
-
.
.
“
,
WI LLI A M LLOYD G A RRI SON
.
2
3
sa i d two yo u ng me n to th e mayor T h e m ayo r
s ai d h e wo ul d h a v e i t take n i n ; bu t wi tho u t
wai ti ng for th is to be do ne by th e proper per
son o ne of th e yo un g men rush ed to th e wi n
dow tore th e sign from i ts faste n i ngs and fl ung
i t to th e c rowd I t was b rok en i n to fragme n ts
”
Th at over th e c ry for Garrison ! Garriso n !
rang o ut agai n
Th e m ayor we n t i n to th e an ti sl a v ery o ffic e
and b egged M r Garris o n to ma k e h is escape
.
,
,
.
.
“
,
.
-
.
,
.
WI LLI AM LLOYD G A RRI S ON
24
IV
MR
.
G A R RI SON w i s h ed to app eal
.
.
th e mo b
to
h i mself
O h if th ey wo uld on ly h ear m
e for fi ve
”
m i nu tes ! h e s aid
B ut h i s fri en ds wo ul d n ot l et h i m go o u t to
th e crowd
T h ey j oi n ed th ei r e ntreati es to
th os e of th e m ayor an d M r G arriso n y i el ded
Fi ndi ng a wi n dow at th e rear of th e b u i ld i ng
h e sw un g h i ms elf o ut an d d ropped u po n a
sh ed b el ow From th e roof of th e sh ed h e
m ad e h is w a y i nto a c arp e n ter s sh op an d
then tr i ed to g et o ut i n to V Vi son s L an e
n ow D evo nsh i re S treet
Th e mo b s aw h i m th ere an d set up a sh o u t
R ush i n g to wards the e ntran ce th ey almost
captu red h i m b u t th e carpe n ter clos ed h i s
door i n the i r faces and sto u tly held th em off
A ga i n M r Garriso n w i shed to p ut h i ms el f
i n to th ei r h ands b u t agai n h e was b egg ed t o
avoid th em and o nce more o b ey i n g h i d h im
self in a room overhead
.
“
,
.
.
.
.
,
,
,
.
’
l
,
’
,
.
,
.
,
,
,
.
.
,
,
,
.
2
WI LLI A M LLOYD G A R R IS ON
6
.
h ouse H a v i ng cl i mbed o ut upon i t M r Garri
so n we n t do w n to th e s treet bel ow
A doz en hands stretch ed up to grasp h i m ; h is
h at w a s kn ocked from h is h ead and torn to
pi eces by th e crowd The rope was still abo u t
h im
Freeing h imself f rom th at h e fo un d that h e
was h eld by th r ee o r fou r powerful men who
h ad thrust th emselves i n fro nt of th e rest to
seiz e h im
Th ey kep t possessi o n of h im b ut h e soo n
s aw th at th ey mean t h im n o h arm I ndeed
they h ad u ndertaken to defen d h i m
O ne of them afterwards said th at h e h ad at
fi rst th ough t th e a ffai r good sport bu t now
con cl uded i t was goi ng too far S o h e s aid
”
to a fri end L et s go to the resc ue
S u rrou ndi ng M r Garrison th ey l ed h i m
al ong at th e h ead of th e mob sh outi ng H e
sh an t be h urt ! Y ou sh an t h urt him ! D o n t
”
h u rt h i m ; he i s an A meri can
S t ill th e mob swept o n ; and To th e Com
mo n was thei r coun ter c ry
.
,
.
.
,
.
.
,
,
.
,
.
,
.
,
.
’
,
.
.
,
“
,
’
’
’
.
-
.
WI LLIA M LLOYD GARR IS ON
7
2
.
They n eared th e City H all wh ich was th en
i n th e O ld S tate H o use
Th e m ayo r at that momen t was seen hasten
i n g toward them through S tate S treet
Men
meeti ng h i m h ad s aid They are goi n g to
”
h ang h im mean i ng Garrison
For God s
s ake s ave h i m
H e came upon the crowd at
th e corner of W ilso n s L an e
W i th th e sm all force of pol ice at h i s com
mand M ayor L ym an b ent al l h is energies
toward get t i ng M r Garriso n i nto th e City
H all
To th e Frog Pond
shouted th e mob
”
H elp the mayor ! cri ed th e pol ice and some
of th e bystanders rushed forward at the word
A t the south door of the Ci ty H all the two
p arti es had a sharp s truggl e Th e mayor was
v i ctorio us ; by a great e ffort M r Garrison s
sturdy ch amp io ns who h ad not loosened their
hold bore hi m i n th ro ugh th e door an d c ar
r i e d h i m up i nto th e mayor s room
,
.
,
.
“
,
’
“
.
,
’
.
,
.
.
.
,
.
.
’
.
,
!
,
,
’
.
WI LLI AM L L OYD GARR I S O N
28
V
.
.
THE
escape h ad b ee n a n arrow on e and
danger was not yet past Th e mo b grew co n
larger
I
t
was
beyo
nd
th
e
co
ntrol
of
st a n t
y
th e pol ice A s th e b ui ldi ng was the n both
Post O ffice and Ci ty H all th e mayor fel t a n x
ie t y for th e safety o f the mails as well as for
M r Garrison I t seemed to h i m necessary to
get M r Garriso n i n to some pl ace th at co uld
be better guarded
Th e j ail was th e o nl y stronghold i n th e ci ty ;
th e m ayo r urged Mr Garriso n to take refuge
there
W h il e th e papers were b ei ng made o u t
p apers commi tti n g M r Garriso n to j ai as a
disturber of th e peace s i n ce h e m ust be a c
c u se d of some cri me i n o rder to be p u t beh i nd
bol ts and bars
M r Garrison wh ose cl oth i ng
h ad been torn b y th e mo b dressed h i mself
an ew Th e young m an who h ad bee n first to
attemp t to s ave h i m ex ch anged coats w i t h
,
l
.
.
.
,
.
.
.
.
.
.
l
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
WI LLI AM LLOYD GA RRI SON
29
.
h i m and other arti cl es of cloth i ng were s en t
u p from th e Post O ffice b elo w O ne man lent
a pai r of pantaloons ; anoth er a coat ; a th i rd
”
a stoc k ; a fo urth a cap ; etc
B ut th e mayo r kn ew that to get M r Garri
so n away h e m us t o utwi t th e crowd th at still
watched at the doors
H e dec ided upo n a ruse
Th e Ci ty H all
h ad two doors
By the mayo r s orders a car
ria e drove rapidly down the street and s top ed
p
g
at the so uth ern en trance Th e m en wh o h ad
b ee n h elp i ng h im gravely ranged th emsel v es
i n two l i nes maki ng a passage from the b u ild
i ng to the c arri age door
Th e crowd gathered there waiti ng to fall
upon M r Garri son
B ut j ust th en anoth er carri age dre w up b e
fore th e northern steps ; M r Garriso n u n re c
c ame
og n iz e d at first i n h is di ff eren t d ress
down from the m ayor s o ffice and took h is seat
i n th e veh icl e
Those of th e mob w h o h ad remai n ed o n th is
s ide of th e Ci ty H all ra i sed a great sho ut and
,
.
“
,
,
.
,
.
,
.
.
’
.
.
,
.
,
.
.
.
,
,
’
,
.
W
0
3
I LLI AM LLOYD GARR I S ON
.
rushed upo n th e carri age wi th cri es of C u t
”
th e traces ! c ut th e rei ns l
O n e drew a kn ife to cap th e word wi th th e
deed ; another fl u ng a rop e aro u nd th e body
of th e carriage to o v erturn i t w h il e a s core
cl u ng to th e wh eels o r fl u ng th ems el v es b efore
th e h orses h eads
A sto ut u mbrell a k ept th e kn ife at bay th e
dri v er s w h ip l ash ed thos e wh o h eld th e h it s ;
th e horses starti ng forward j ust as th e carri age
w a s tilti n g o v er o n on e s ide j erked the rop e
from th e rioters h ands a fri endly chais e d riv
i ng close to th e wh eels scrap ed O ff th e me n
cl i ngi ng th ere ; and th e bel eagu ered vehi cl e
th us resc ued dash ed O ff to th e j ail
\V h i e i t was taki ng a ro u ndabo ut co urse to
L e v erett S treet the m ayor proceeded th ith er
by a sh orter ro ute and b y ru n n i ng most of th e
way arri v ed i n time to see M r Garriso n al igh t
and enter u n d isturbed
Fri ends v i si ted M r Garri so n i n th e even i ng
fi nd i n g hi m w h oll y s eren e and h e writes th at
h e rested tranquilly th ro ugh th e n ight
B ut
“
,
,
,
’
.
,
’
,
,
’
,
l
.
,
,
,
,
,
.
.
.
,
,
.
W I LLI A M L LOYD G ARRI SON
3
.
1
’
W h at shame to Bosto n th at a n igh t s l odgi n g
i n a grated cell was the best hospi tal i ty sh e
c o ul d o ffe r to W ill i am L loyd Garriso n o n th e
z I st of O ctober
I 8 35 !
O n th e fol lowi ng morn i ng M r Garriso n was
p ut th ro ugh an exami n atio n befo re a j udge
merely fo r form s sake
an d the n rel eased
Tho ugh h e l eft th e c i ty for a fe w days h e
was soo n at h i s post agai n writi ng p u b l is hi ng
sp eaki ng
wo rki ng i n e v ery w a y fo r th e
caus e
Th ro ugh twen ty fi ve long years Opi n i o n slow
changed
i
n
Bosto
n
Th
e
mob
i
tself
gai
ned
y
fri ends fo r Garriso n I t roused to actio n the
eloqu ent orator W endell Ph ill ips
I t made
n ew co n v erts for th e A bol i ti o n ists Thei r n u m
ber grad ually i nc reased Bosto n b e c ame th ei r
strongh ol d ; a h idi ng pl ace for m any an escap
i n g sl a v e A nd at last th e caus e p re v ail ed
Th e Ci v il W ar bro ugh t o n by sl a v ery crush ed
ou t th e e v i l w h ich for th e sake of peace and
of th e Un io n me n h ad e n dured
I n 18 63
the P roclam ati on of E mancipatio n freed th e
,
.
,
’
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
l
-
.
.
.
.
.
-
.
.
,
,