A warrant was issued in
Boston, January 10, 1855, by United States
Commissioner Charles Levi Woodbury, for the
arrest of John Jackson, as a fugitive from
service and labor in Georgia. Mr. Jackson,
who had been for some time in the city, was
nowhere to be found.
Rosetta Armstead,
a colored girl, was taken by writ of habeas
corpus before Judge Jamison, at Columbus,
Ohio. Rosetta formerly belonged to
Ex-President John Tyler, who gave her to his
daughter, the wife of Rev. Henry M.
Dennison, an Episcopal clergyman of
Louisville, Kentucky. Mrs. D. having
deceased, Rosetta was to be sent back to
Virginia in care of an infant child, both
being placed in charge of a Dr. Miller, a
friend of Mr. Dennison. Passing through
Ohio, the above writ was obtained. Rosetta
expressed her desire to remain in freedom in
Ohio. The case was removed to Cincinnati,
and was delayed until Mr. Dennison could
arrive from Louisville. (Ohio State Journal,
March 12, 1855.) The girl was set free; "but
was again arrested by the United States
Marshal upon the same warrant which Judge
Parker had declared illegal; thereupon
another habeas corpus was issued, which the
Marshal refused to obey; when he was fined
$50, and imprisoned for contempt." Even
United States Commissioner Pendery, before
whom the case was brought as that of a
fugitive slave, pronounced the girl free,
and she was placed in the care of a
guardian. The United States Marshal being
taken by habeas corpus before Judge McLean,
of the United States Supreme Court, was set
at liberty, Judge McL. alleging that the
proceedings in the State Court were null and
void!
George Clark, a
colored boy, eighteen years of age, in
Pennsylvania, was decoyed into the house of
one Thompson, (February 23, 1855,) where he
was seized by three men, one of whom was
Solomon Snyders, a well known ruffian and
kidnapper in the neighborhood, who said to
him, "Now, George, I am going to take you to
your master." The screams of George
fortunately brought deliverance to him. The
three men were arrested, tried, and
sentenced to imprisonment for kidnapping, by
the Court of Dauphin County.—Norristown
(Penn.) Olive Branch.
The Norristown (Penn.) Olive Branch, (in
connection with the last named case,) speaks
of a case which had occurred a short time
before, under the Fugitive Law, before
United States Commissioner McAllister, at
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and which has not
yet been mentioned in this record. A colored
man and his wife, with their infant child,
were taken, "one morning, very early,"
before Commissioner Richard McAllister, and
before any counsel could reach the spot the
case had been decided against the man and
woman; but the babe, having been born in
Pennsylvania, they did not "dare to send
that" into slavery; "so the only alternative
was to take it away from its mother," which
was done, and that evening the man and woman
were taken South. No time had been allowed
to bring forward witnesses in their behalf,
and there was only a single witness against
them, and he a boy about seventeen years
old, and a relative of the slave-claimant.
The woman's sufferings, on account of the
separation from her child, seemed greater
than for her own fate. The article from the
Norristown paper is in the National
Anti-Slavery Standard, June 2, 1855.
George Mitchell,
a young colored man, at San Jose,
California, arrested and taken before
Justice Allen, April, 1855, "charged with
owing service and labor to one Jesse C.
Cooper, of Tennessee." Mitchell was brought
into California by his then owner, in 1849,
the year before the enactment of the
Fugitive Slave Law. His arrest was made,
under a Fugitive Slave Law of California. By
habeas corpus the case was carried before
Judge C.P. Hester, of the District Court.
Mitchell was discharged on the ground (we
believe) that the California Law was
unconstitutional; also that the proceedings
were "absolutely void." On the 21st April
(or May) "another attempt was made to reduce
George to slavery at San Francisco." He was
brought before the United States District
Court, Judge Hoffman presiding, claimed
under the United States Fugitive Law as the
property of the above-named Cooper. [The
result of the trial not known.]—San Jose
Telegraph.
At Dayville, Connecticut, June 13, 1855, an
attempt was made to seize a fugitive slave;
"but the citizens interfered and the
fugitive escaped." He was claimed by a
resident of Pomfret, who said he had bought
him in Cuba.—Hartford Religious Herald.
At Burlington, Iowa, a colored man, called
Dick, was arrested
and taken before United States Commissioner
Frazee. "Much excitement was caused." He was
claimed as belonging to Thomas Ruthford,
Clark County, Missouri. Dick was discharged
as not being the man claimed. (June, 1855.)
A white girl, fourteen years of age,
daughter of Mr. Samuel
Godshall, of Downingtown, Chester
County, Pennsylvania, while walking upon the
road, was seized by two men, a plaster put
upon her mouth, and she taken in a close
carriage in the direction of Maryland. After
going twelve miles, they put her out of the
carriage, "in a secluded and woody portion
of the country, threatening to kill her if
she made any alarm, when they drove away as
fast as they could." Some colored people met
her, got the plaster off her mouth, and
aided her home. It was supposed the
kidnappers mistook her for a mulatto girl;
but discovering their blunder dismissed
her.—Philadelphia Ledger, July 9, 1855.
The Norristown (Penn.) Herald relates a case
similar to the preceding. Benjamin Johnson,
a white lad of fifteen, on his way from his
father's, at Evansburg, to S. Jarrett's,
near Jeffersonville, was invited to ride by
a man in a carriage. The man took him by an
unusual route; night coming on, the boy was
alarmed and attempted to escape, "when the
villain caught him and drove off at full
speed, and by threats and blows prevented
him from making any alarm." He drove to a
distance of fifteen miles beyond
Jeffersonville, when the boy succeeded in
making his escape. (July, 1855.)
Jane Johnson,
and her two sons, (colored,) brought into
Philadelphia (on their way to New York and
thence to Nicaragua) by John H. Wheeler.
Stopped to dine at Bloodgood's Hotel. Jane
there made known her desire to be free.
Information of the same was conveyed to
Passmore Williamson, Secretary of the
Pennsylvania Abolition Society, an old
association founded by Benjamin Franklin,
Benjamin Rush, and others. Mr. Williamson
went to the hotel, and found that the party
had gone to the steamboat, at the foot of
Walnut Street. He proceeded thither, found
them, and told the mother that she and her
sons had been legally made free by being
brought by their master into a free State.
After some delay, Jane rose to leave the
boat. Wheeler endeavored to detain her.
Williamson held Wheeler back, and the woman
went on shore, a number of colored persons
taking up the boys and carrying them from
the boat. They were enabled to escape. (July
18, 1855.)
The celebrated case of Passmore
Williamson
followed, before Judge Kane, of the United
States District Court. (See "Case of
Passmore Williamson," reported in full, and
published in Philadelphia, by Uriah Hunt &
Son, 1856.) On the 27th July, Mr. Williamson
was committed to Moyamensing Prison, by
Judge Kane, "for a contempt of the court in
refusing to answer to the writ of habeas
corpus;" Mr. W. having answered that he had
not, and never had had, the custody of the
three alleged slaves, and therefore could
not produce them in court. Mr. Williamson
was kept in prison until November 3d, when
he was discharged by Judge Kane, the
technical "contempt" having been removed.
Celeste, a
mulatto woman, claimed as a slave, before
Judge Burgoyne, Cincinnati, Ohio. It
appeared that she was brought to Cincinnati
by her master, and she was set
free.—Cincinnati Gazette, July 7, 1855.
Two fugitives, in Indiana, (September,
1855,) requested aid of the conductor of the
Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. The aid
given was to take them back to Madison,
whence they were conveyed over the river to
Kentucky. Before leaving that State they had
been hunted and attacked by dogs. These they
had dispatched with their knives. The
conductor was dismissed from his position.
An agent of the express company was said to
have aided him in the surrender of the
men.—Madison Courier.
Jack, a colored
boy, nine years of age, "claimed by Joseph
Tucker, of Mobile, as his slave, was sent
back to his master from Boston, in the brig
Selma, Captain Rogers, on the 18th inst."
(October, 1855.)—Boston Times.
Jacob Green, a
colored man, was seized near Hollidaysburg,
Pennsylvania, by one Parsons, as a fugitive
slave. Parsons could show no authority for
detaining Green, who, with the help of some
bystanders, released himself and
escaped.—Hollidaysburg Standard, October 24,
1855.
Four men indicted for kidnapping at
Greensburg, Indiana, in the Spring of 1855.
Their names—David and Thomas Maple,
Morrison, and McCloskey. Charged with
kidnapping two men, whom they conveyed to a
slave state, and sold as slaves. The two
Maples, fearing the indictment, absconded.
The other two were arrested, and brought to
trial in October, 1855, at the State Court,
before Judge Logan. "Defendants' counsel
moved to quash the indictment, for the
reason that the section of the statute of
Indiana against kidnapping was in violation
of the acts of Congress, and, therefore,
void; and the Court accordingly quashed the
indictment"—Indianapolis Journal.
Eight fugitives from Kentucky reached Adams
County, Ohio, closely followed by several
Kentuckians, who attempted to search the
houses of several of the citizens. "The
people, indignant at this outrage, assembled
with arms, and placed an injunction upon
these summary proceedings." "The men-hunters
then offered $2,000 to any traitor who would
betray the fugitives into their hands. But,
so far as we have learned, the bribe was as
unsuccessful as the attempted search."
(November, 1855.)—Carroll Free Press.
At Wilson's Corner, Bensalem, Buck's County,
Pa., Dec. 13, 1855, a colored man in the
employ of John Henderson was seized by three
men, who tied him, threw him into a wagon,
and drove off at full speed. They were seen,
and quickly followed by men on horseback.
After two hours' hard riding, the kidnappers
were overtaken. A fight ensued—the black man
was released; when three pistol-shots were
fired by the kidnappers, killing a horse,
and wounding one of the rescuing party
severely. A statement of the facts was
published, as an advertisement, in the
Philadelphia Ledger, signed by William
Williams and John Henderson.
"Two very bright mulatto girls," says the
Staunton (Va.) Spectator, "one belonging to
Mr. John Churchman, and the other to the
estate of Colonel Crawford, deceased, took
the cars at Staunton, on the morning of
December 30, 1855, and made their way
successfully to Baltimore, en route for a
free State. At Baltimore they were detected
just as they were about to take the train
for Philadelphia, and information of their
arrest was immediately forwarded to D.
Churchman, of this place." On the following
Friday they were taken back to Virginia.
"They were so nearly white that their
success in imposing upon the conductors of
the cars is not astonishing, and the only
wonder is that they were detected at all.
Since their return, the negro girls have
been sold—Mr. Churchman's for $1,050, and
the other for $950."
Fanny, a colored
child of fire years old, was taken from
Chicago, Illinois, into Tennessee, and sold
for $250. A man named F.M. Chapman, with his
servant William R. Tracy, were arrested as
the kidnappers, and taken before Justice
DeWolf. Chapman claimed to have owned the
child in Arkansas, and to have brought her
to Illinois [thereby making her free.] He
procured Tracy to take the child to
Tennessee and sell her. The result of the
case not known. (January, 1856.)
Two fugitives, passing through Ohio,
(January, 1856,) were closely pursued and
nearly overtaken at Columbus, Ohio. "Ten
minutes previous warning only saved the
fugitives from their pursuers." Deputy
Marshal J. Underwood, being called on to act
in the case, refused, and resigned his
office, saying, he did not expect to be
"called upon to help execute the odious
Fugitive Slave Law."—Cincinnati Commercial.
The following may, not improperly, find a
place here.
The House of Delegates of Virginia, early in
1856, adopted the following:—"Be it resolved
by the General Assembly, That our
Representatives in Congress are requested,
and our Senators be and are hereby
instructed, to secure the passage of a law
making full compensation to all owners whose
slaves have or may hereafter escape into any
of the non-slaveholding States of this
Union, and there be withheld from those to
whom such service or labor may be due."
Fourteen persons of color, held at Los
Angelos, California, early in 1856, as the
servants of one Robert Smith, were brought
before Judge Benjamin Hays, on a writ of
habeas corpus. Smith alleged that he
formerly resided in Mississippi, where he
owned these persons; was now about to remove
to Texas, and designed to take these persons
with him as his slaves. Judge Hays decided
that they were all free, and those under
twenty-one years of age were placed in the
charge of the sheriff, as their special
guardian.—Los Angelos Star. The opinion of
Judge Hays (who was said to be a native of
South Carolina,) is a very able one, and
under the circumstances, of much interest.
It may be found in the Standard, of April 5,
1856.
Two colored lads, named Ralls and
Logan, living in
Cincinnati, were kidnapped thence by two
men, named Orr and Simpkins, and taken to
St. Louis, Missouri, where the men tried to
sell them. The men were arrested as
kidnappers. (March, 1856.)
The Decatur (Illinois) Chronicle states that
"a man charged with being a fugitive slave
was recently arrested at that place and
carried off, no one knows where. The sheriff
of the county was the willing instrument in
the hands of the claimants; no attempt to
appeal to the law was made, the negro being
carried off as if he were a stray horse or
dog." The Chicago Tribune says: "If this is
a true statement of the affair, that sheriff
has laid himself liable to the charge of
kidnapping, and should at once be proceeded
against with such rigor as his offence
demands." (April, 1856.)
The Fugitive Slave Law, and its Victims, 1856