of freedom. The youngest of a
family distinguished for their devotion to freedom, he was
without superiors in the trying hour of battle. Like John Brown,
he often discarded theories, but was eminently practical. He has
passed to another sphere. Peace to his ashes! I honor his name
as a hero, and friend of man. I loved him for the noble
characteristics of his nature, and above all for his noble
daring in defense of the right. As a friend I admired him, and
owe his memory this tribute to departed worth.

At this point a conscientious regard for truth dictates that I
should state that my disposition to make a sacrifice for the
removal of Dorsey and some other leading spirits was aided by my
own desire for _self-preservation._

I knew that it had been asserted, far down in the slave region,
that Smith & Whipper, the negro lumber merchants, were engaged
in secreting fugitive slaves. And on two occasions attempts had
been made to set fire to their yard for the purpose of punishing
them for such illegal acts. And I felt that if a collision took
place, we should not only be made to suffer the penalty, but the
most valuable property in the village be destroyed, besides a
prodigal waste of human life be the consequence. In such an
event I felt that I should not only lose all I had ever earned,
but peril the hopes and property of others, so that I would have
freely given one thousand dollars to have been insured against
the consequences of such a riot. I then borrowed fourteen
hundred dollars on my own individual account, and assisted many
others to go to a land where the virgin soil was not polluted by
the foot-prints of a slave.

The colored population of the Borough of Columbia, in 1850, was
nine hundred and forty-three, about one-fifth the whole
population, and in five years they were reduced to four hundred
and eighty-seven by emigration to Canada.

In the summer of 1853, I visited Canada for the purpose of
ascertaining the actual condition of many of those I had
assisted in reaching a land of freedom; and I was much gratified
to find them contented, prosperous, and happy. I was induced by
the prospects of the new emigrants to purchase lands on the
Sydenham River, with the intention of making it my future home.

In the spring of 1861, when I was preparing to leave, the