{"id":"01KG8AK7Y9WXDN417JDMQBAD7G","cid":"bafkreibrxenmajnolm5vqdhlecbwpsn4k7h2jfrnc6vpmnivns6oerm2km","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":748,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:57.722Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 3","source_file":"01KG89J1JMR8XVKPA0G8ADAPC4","start_line":678,"text":"But instinct, though knowing, is yet a teacher set below reason, which\r\nitself says, in the grave words of Lysander in the comedy, after Puck\r\nhas made a sage of him with his spell:--\r\n\r\n\"The will of man is by his reason swayed.\"\r\n\r\nSo that, suddenly change as people may, in their dispositions, it is not\r\nalways waywardness, but improved judgment, which, as in Lysander's case,\r\nor the present, operates with them.\r\n\r\nYes, they began to scrutinize the negro curiously enough; when,\r\nemboldened by this evidence of the efficacy of his words, the\r\nwooden-legged man hobbled up to the negro, and, with the air of a\r\nbeadle, would, to prove his alleged imposture on the spot, have stripped\r\nhim and then driven him away, but was prevented by the crowd's clamor,\r\nnow taking part with the poor fellow, against one who had just before\r\nturned nearly all minds the other way. So he with the wooden leg was\r\nforced to retire; when the rest, finding themselves left sole judges in\r\nthe case, could not resist the opportunity of acting the part: not\r\nbecause it is a human weakness to take pleasure in sitting in judgment\r\nupon one in a box, as surely this unfortunate negro now was, but that it\r\nstrangely sharpens human perceptions, when, instead of standing by and\r\nhaving their fellow-feelings touched by the sight of an alleged culprit\r\nseverely handled by some one justiciary, a crowd suddenly come to be all\r\njusticiaries in the same case themselves; as in Arkansas once, a man\r\nproved guilty, by law, of murder, but whose condemnation was deemed\r\nunjust by the people, so that they rescued him to try him themselves;\r\nwhereupon, they, as it turned out, found him even guiltier than the\r\ncourt had done, and forthwith proceeded to execution; so that the\r\ngallows presented the truly warning spectacle of a man hanged by his\r\nfriends.\r\n\r\nBut not to such extremities, or anything like them, did the present\r\ncrowd come; they, for the time, being content with putting the negro\r\nfairly and discreetly to the question; among other things, asking him,\r\nhad he any documentary proof, any plain paper about him, attesting that\r\nhis case was not a spurious one.\r\n\r\n\"No, no, dis poor ole darkie haint none o' dem waloable papers,\" he\r\nwailed.\r\n\r\n\"But is there not some one who can speak a good word for you?\" here said\r\na person newly arrived from another part of the boat, a young Episcopal\r\nclergyman, in a long, straight-bodied black coat; small in stature, but\r\nmanly; with a clear face and blue eye; innocence, tenderness, and good\r\nsense triumvirate in his air.\r\n\r\n\"Oh yes, oh yes, ge'mmen,\" he eagerly answered, as if his memory, before\r\nsuddenly frozen up by cold charity, as suddenly thawed back into\r\nfluidity at the first kindly word. \"Oh yes, oh yes, dar is aboard here a\r\nwerry nice, good ge'mman wid a weed, and a ge'mman in a gray coat and\r\nwhite tie, what knows all about me; and a ge'mman wid a big book, too;\r\nand a yarb-doctor; and a ge'mman in a yaller west; and a ge'mman wid a\r\nbrass plate; and a ge'mman in a wiolet robe; and a ge'mman as is a\r\nsodjer; and ever so many good, kind, honest ge'mmen more aboard what\r\nknows me and will speak for me, God bress 'em; yes, and what knows me as\r\nwell as dis poor old darkie knows hisself, God bress him! Oh, find 'em,\r\nfind 'em,\" he earnestly added, \"and let 'em come quick, and show you\r\nall, ge'mmen, dat dis poor ole darkie is werry well wordy of all you\r\nkind ge'mmen's kind confidence.\"\r\n\r\n\"But how are we to find all these people in this great crowd?\" was the\r\nquestion of a bystander, umbrella in hand; a middle-aged person, a\r\ncountry merchant apparently, whose natural good-feeling had been made at\r\nleast cautious by the unnatural ill-feeling of the discharged\r\ncustom-house officer.\r\n\r\n\"Where are we to find them?\" half-rebukefully echoed the young Episcopal\r\nclergymen. \"I will go find one to begin with,\" he quickly added, and,\r\nwith kind haste suiting the action to the word, away he went.\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 3"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJJRSNK48TP0DBRXSP9PH","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1JMR8XVKPA0G8ADAPC4","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AK7Y9PF30SWCPKGNHBCRG","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AK7YK8NQ6C6Z011H1DHD5","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:57.897Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:06.007Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}