The Christiana Riot and the Treason Trials of 1851: An Historical SketchHensel, W. U. (William Uhler)
History
The Christiana Riot and the Treason Trials of 1851: An Historical Sketch
Hensel, W. U. (William Uhler)
Christiana (Pa.) -- History; Riots -- Pennsylvania -- Christiana
They procured the indictment to the January Sessions, 1852, No. 38, in
Lancaster County, of Deputy Marshal Henry H. Kline, for perjury. It was
laid in this indictment that he had sworn falsely at the hearing before
Alderman Reigart, wherein he averred that he had shown his warrant to
Hanway, asked him and Lewis to spare his men, that they defied the
warrant and encouraged the rioters and in various other particulars.
Upon this bill of indictment appeared the names of a large number of
witnesses, and Kline was held in $1,000 bail before Charles G. Freeman,
alderman of Philadelphia, to answer at the Lancaster Court.
It appears from the subsequent history of the case that all parties
involved were by this time willing to have “somebody help them to
let go”; and accordingly at the January Sessions, Joseph McClure, of
Bart township, being foreman of the jury, this bill against Kline for
perjury, being No. 38, was ignored, and also the following, indictments
all to the same sessions and for Riot: No. 57, William Brown; No. 58,
Wm. Williams; No. 59, Henry Green; No. 60, William Brown, Jr.; No. 61,
Benjamin Johnson; No. 63, Daniel Caulsberry; No. 64, George Wells; No.
65, George Williams; No. 66, Alson Pernsley; No. 67, Lewis Gales; No.
68, Lewis Clarkson; No. 69, Chas. Hunter; No. 70, Nelson Carter; No.
71, Jacob Woods, a brother of Peter Woods; No. 72, Peter Woods; No.
73, Israel Clarkson; No. 74, John Williams; No. 75, John Jackson; No.
76, Castner Hanway; No. 77, Elijah Lewis; No. 78, John Morgan; No. 81,
Benjamin Pendergrass; No. 82, John Holliday; No. 83, Thomas Butler; No.
84, Elijah Clark; No. 85, Collister Wilson.
With this termination of the cases in the local courts all prosecutions
were finally ended except that of Samuel Williams, in the United States
District Court at Philadelphia. He was there charged with interfering
with the execution of warrants for the arrest of Noah Buley and Joshua
Hammond, runaway slaves. His case was first called for trial on
January 5, and continued until January 12. Mr. Ashmead and Messrs.
Ludlow appeared for the prosecution, and R. P. Kane, W. S. Pierce and
David Paul Brown for the defense. The following jury was empanelled to
try his case; the last name on the list will be recognized as that of
an estimable citizen of Lancaster County:
Pratt Roberts, Chester County; Thomas Vaughan, Philadelphia; Henry
McMahen, Philadelphia; Patrick McBride, Philadelphia; Michael Keenan,
Philadelphia; Fredk. Boley, Sr., Philadelphia; Joseph Dowden, Chester
County; Samuel Culp, Germantown; Minshall Painter, Delaware County;
Joseph Thornton, Philadelphia; Francis Parker, Chester County; Peter
McConomy, Lancaster.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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