Page:The Story of the House of Cassell (book).djvu/72

 time he was the guest of Henry Ward Beecher, and during his stay was introduced to Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe. The authoress gave him a copy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" to read, with a view to its publication in England. Cassell, with his anti-slavery opinions, was a sympathetic and interested reader, but he could not make up his mind how the classic of the anti-slavery campaign would strike the general reader in England. He hit upon the ingenious idea of testing the question through his own daughter. Having read the book, she pronounced it "splendid." That settled Cassell's doubts. He then and there determined to bring out an English edition with illustrations by George Cruikshank. It scored a huge success, and was followed by another bit of Abolitionist propaganda—the publication of an "Uncle Tom's Cabin Almanack," which adorned the walls of thousands of English homes the next year.

The slave controversy moved Cassell's warmest feelings. He went deeply into the case on each side, and from his notes on these inquiries compiled a series of articles which he published on his return. One characteristic incident came under his personal notice. It was concerned with the "underground railway" by which slaves escaped from their masters. In Cincinnati he called upon a leading citizen and found him enclosing a five-dollar bill in an envelope. "You could scarcely conjecture," said the citizen, "for what purpose this is intended. Well, I will tell you. This is a contribution towards helping a poor fellow along the underground railroad. The person to whom I send it will not know whence it comes. There will be no address on the envelope, nor will there be any name or sign to signify the sender. Why, my dear sir, if it could be proved that I had assisted this piece of property to carry itself off, the owner would at once sue me in the United States Circuit Court for the full value of his chattel." "And where is this poor fugitive?" Cassell inquired. "Oh, he is safe," was the reply, "but his owner is in the city, and he