Sarah Shaw, wife of abolitionist Frances G. Shaw, wrote to Wendell Phillips cautioning him to tone down his remarks to the Staten Island audience who she believed was not ready to hear the fiery remarks of that particular abolitionist speaker.
Nevertheless, Wendell Phillips delivered a lyceum style lecture at Park Baptist Church in Port Richmond, Staten Island, on abolition. For two weeks controversy raged about the speech and threats were made. Phillips was forced to evade a mob intent on lynching him.
“An attempt to mob Wendell Phillips was made at Staten Island on the 4th inst. It was made a failure owing to the want of mob material.” Janesville Daily Gazette, Nov 1859.
Read about Wendell Phillips at: https://tinyurl.com/yyuvsk28.