THE VICTIMS OF PRO-SLAVERY JUDICIAL
VENGEANCE.

—

FRIEND DOUGLASS:—Again and again have
some of the earnest and self-sacrificing
friends of the slave been peculiarly ruined
by the vengeance of pro-slavery hearts, on
the charge of having assisted the fugitive on
his escape from the hands of the merciless
oppressor. At the present moment, persons
are under arrest for the performance of the
Christian deed of "entertaining strangers,"
and will, no doubt, like their heroic prede
cessors, meet with fines quite too large for
their own resources. And if not so, still
they should not be left to bear these sacri
fices alone. The friends of humanity, every
where, should deem it a privilege to share in
them. "Bear ye one another's burdens," is
alike the law of Christianity and of human
ity. Even the law of honor among associ
ates, in the same enterprise, would dictate
our making common cause with those who
are in the van of the battle, and forced, by
their position, into the deadly breach.

What, I think, justice and a generous sympathy demand is, that a permanent fund
should be established to meet the cost and
losses in all those cases where any of the

friends of humanity are persecuted and
plundered by piratical, slavery-supporting
courts, because they would not "bewray the
wanderer;" but, seeing him in distress, af
forded him the sympathy and assistance that
his forlorn condition seemed so sternly to
demand.

Already a proposition has been made to in
demnify to some extent, at least, Mr. Ste
phen Weakley, of Pennsylvania, for the loss
of some four thousand dollars which a vil
lanous court, at the bidding of the slave pow
er, so ruthlessly robbed him of.

I hope the necessary sum in this case will
be made up without delay. But I trust the
good work will not stop here. Let a suffi
cient fund be raised, from which money may
be drawn to cover all expenses of judicial
trials where the friends of the slave are ar
raigned for the acts of fealty to his cause
and the law of God. Will not some of our
men of money speak out on this subject, and
lead the way in some plan to carry the ob
ject into execution? D. PLUMB.

NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 1854.