If the oppressor is struck down in the contest, his fall will be a just one, and all the world will applaud the act.
This is a new era, and we are in the midst of the most important crisis that our country has yet witnessed. And in the crisis the negro is an important item. Every eye is now turned towards the south, looking for another Nat Turner.
MADISON WASHINGTON.
Among the great number of fugitive slaves who
arrived in Canada towards the close of the year 1840,
was one whose tall figure, firm step, and piercing eye
attracted at once the attention of all who beheld him.
Nature had treated him as a favorite. His expressive
countenance painted and reflected every emotion of
his soul. There was a fascination in the gaze of his
finely-cut eyes that no one could withstand. Born of
African parentage, with no mixture in his blood, he
was one of the handsomest of his race. His dignified,
calm, and unaffected features announced at a glance
that he was one endowed with genius, and created to
guide his fellow-men. He called himself Madison
Washington, and said that his birthplace was in the
"Old Dominion." He might have seen twenty-five
years; but very few slaves have any correct idea of
their age. Madison was not poorly dressed, and had
some money at the end of his journey, which showed
that he was not from among the worst used slaves
of the south. He immediately sought employment at