friends of the hunted fugitive. Any funds contributed to either
of them, or placed in the hands of their Treasurer, Charles
Wise, corner of Fifth and Market Streets, will be sure of a
faithful and judicious appropriation."

PORTRAITS AND SKETCHES.

ESTHER MOORE.

For many years no-woman living in Philadelphia was better known to the
colored people of the city generally, than Esther Moore. No woman, white
or colored, living in Philadelphia for the same number of years, left
her home oftener, especially to seek out and aid the weary travelers
escaping from bondage, than did this philanthropist. It is hardly too
much to say that with her own hand she administered to hundreds. She
begged of the Committee, as a special favor, that she might be duly
notified of every fugitive reaching Philadelphia, and actually felt hurt
if from any cause whatever this request was not complied with. For it
was her delight to see the fugitives individually, take them by the hand
and warmly welcome them to freedom. She literally wept with those who
wept, while in tones of peculiar love, sincerity, and firmness, she
lauded them for their noble daring, and freely expressed her entire
sympathy with them, and likewise with all in the prison-house. She
condemned Slavery in all its phases, as a "monster to be loathed as the
enemy of God and man."

Often after listening attentively for hours together to recitals of a
very harrowing nature, especially from females, her mind would seem to
be filled with the sufferings of the slave and it was hard for her to
withdraw from them even when they were on the eve of taking up their
march for a more distant station; and she never thought of parting with
them without showing her faith by her works putting a "gold dollar" in
the hand of each passenger, as she knew that it was not in the power of
the Committee to do much more than defray their expenses to the next
station, to New York sometimes, to Elmira at other times, and now and
then clear through to Canada. She desired that they should have at least
one dollar to fall back upon, independent of the Committee's aid. This
magnanimous rule of giving the gold dollar was adopted by her shortly
after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, which daily vexed her
righteous soul, and was kept up as long as she was able to leave her
house, which was within a short time of her death.

Not only did Esther Moore manifest such marked interest i