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Article MASONIC ANECDOTES. ← Page 2 of 6 →
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Masonic Anecdotes.
tivated and ignorant who adopt its principles . In the case I am about to relate , we find a man , ivhose trade it was to kidnap his fellow-creatures , flesh and blood like himself , for the purpose of selling them , ancl dooming them to the most miserable destiny for life , if they were so unfortunate as to survive the voyage across the wide ocean , in a slave-ship , ivhose very occupation must have made him brutal , if not ferocious , we find himI saypracticallacknowleding the force of his obligations
, , y g as a Freemason , ancl rendering clue homage to the great moral lessons he had learnt in that character . The two principal actors in the following scene , weie not only total strangers to each other , but each spoke a language of which the other knew nothing—ancl the Englishman was of a nation which the Spaniard , in common with all who employ themselves in the same inhuman ancl diabolical traffic , detested with a perfect hatred , as the most successful and determined opponent of those who send the African to wretched ancl
poor hopeless slavery for life . If the Spaniard in this instance professed Christianity , he certainly , by his deeds , gave the lie to his profession , by outraging its most valuable precepts . Buthe virtually acknowledged , by acting upon them , the important lessons he had received in a Freemasons' Loclge . The facts belonging to this interesting adventure , speak for themselves : I leave them , therefore , to make their own impression , ancl proceed to give the particulars , almost verbatim , as related to me by the principal actor in it .
Capt . D ., master of the brig E ., belonging to some eminent English merchants , who have long been engaged in the African trade , was , in June 1844 , at Camma , on the western coast of Africa , lying about 1 ^ ° S . lat . ancl about 10 ° E . long ., for the purpose of trading with the natives . Having disposed of his cargo , he was about breaking up the factory which he hacl established at that place ; and with that view , had taken the greater part of his purchases on board his vessel . Before the removal of the whole
was completed , the son of the king of a neighbouring tribe came up l and wantonly destroyed two jars . One of the lads attached to Capt . D . ' s factory ( a Gaboon boy ) , immediately asked the king ' s son the reason of his having broken the jars . The latter not only refused to give any reason , but struck the boy—who , with great spirit , returned the compliment , without loss of time . Thus simply was a disturbance caused—for the Camma peoplehaving seen the king ' struck b
, s son y the boy , immediately came up in great numbers , with fire-arms and other weapons ; being instigated to outrage on the Englishman , by some Spaniards , ( slave-dealers , ) who were stationed there . Capt . D . hacl none but natives with him at the time , ancl even of those , not more than half-a-dozen , his own crew having gone off to his vessel with goods . I wo of his men —( Africans , but , from the nei ghbourhood of Sierra Leone ) having been severely wounded , a hand of one of them being nearlsevered and
y remaining attached to his arm by merely a little skin and membrane , Capt . D . being the only ivhite man present , except the Spaniards , was about endeavouring to force a passage through the mob ; when he observed in the neckhandkerchief of one of the Spaniards who were urging on the attacking party , a Masonic emblem . In a case of such difficulty , requiring prompt decision ancl action , and where his life was not worth a minute ' s purchase , Capt . D ., on noticing this , gave the Spaniard a Masonic si gnal . It was promptly acknowledged ; the Spaniard instantly came up—proved himself on five points —put his cutlass into Capt . D ' s . hand—fetched another from his factory
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Anecdotes.
tivated and ignorant who adopt its principles . In the case I am about to relate , we find a man , ivhose trade it was to kidnap his fellow-creatures , flesh and blood like himself , for the purpose of selling them , ancl dooming them to the most miserable destiny for life , if they were so unfortunate as to survive the voyage across the wide ocean , in a slave-ship , ivhose very occupation must have made him brutal , if not ferocious , we find himI saypracticallacknowleding the force of his obligations
, , y g as a Freemason , ancl rendering clue homage to the great moral lessons he had learnt in that character . The two principal actors in the following scene , weie not only total strangers to each other , but each spoke a language of which the other knew nothing—ancl the Englishman was of a nation which the Spaniard , in common with all who employ themselves in the same inhuman ancl diabolical traffic , detested with a perfect hatred , as the most successful and determined opponent of those who send the African to wretched ancl
poor hopeless slavery for life . If the Spaniard in this instance professed Christianity , he certainly , by his deeds , gave the lie to his profession , by outraging its most valuable precepts . Buthe virtually acknowledged , by acting upon them , the important lessons he had received in a Freemasons' Loclge . The facts belonging to this interesting adventure , speak for themselves : I leave them , therefore , to make their own impression , ancl proceed to give the particulars , almost verbatim , as related to me by the principal actor in it .
Capt . D ., master of the brig E ., belonging to some eminent English merchants , who have long been engaged in the African trade , was , in June 1844 , at Camma , on the western coast of Africa , lying about 1 ^ ° S . lat . ancl about 10 ° E . long ., for the purpose of trading with the natives . Having disposed of his cargo , he was about breaking up the factory which he hacl established at that place ; and with that view , had taken the greater part of his purchases on board his vessel . Before the removal of the whole
was completed , the son of the king of a neighbouring tribe came up l and wantonly destroyed two jars . One of the lads attached to Capt . D . ' s factory ( a Gaboon boy ) , immediately asked the king ' s son the reason of his having broken the jars . The latter not only refused to give any reason , but struck the boy—who , with great spirit , returned the compliment , without loss of time . Thus simply was a disturbance caused—for the Camma peoplehaving seen the king ' struck b
, s son y the boy , immediately came up in great numbers , with fire-arms and other weapons ; being instigated to outrage on the Englishman , by some Spaniards , ( slave-dealers , ) who were stationed there . Capt . D . hacl none but natives with him at the time , ancl even of those , not more than half-a-dozen , his own crew having gone off to his vessel with goods . I wo of his men —( Africans , but , from the nei ghbourhood of Sierra Leone ) having been severely wounded , a hand of one of them being nearlsevered and
y remaining attached to his arm by merely a little skin and membrane , Capt . D . being the only ivhite man present , except the Spaniards , was about endeavouring to force a passage through the mob ; when he observed in the neckhandkerchief of one of the Spaniards who were urging on the attacking party , a Masonic emblem . In a case of such difficulty , requiring prompt decision ancl action , and where his life was not worth a minute ' s purchase , Capt . D ., on noticing this , gave the Spaniard a Masonic si gnal . It was promptly acknowledged ; the Spaniard instantly came up—proved himself on five points —put his cutlass into Capt . D ' s . hand—fetched another from his factory