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
The _Atlantic Monthly_ article, Part II, March, 1866, to which
attention has been given, presupposes a previous account of Parker’s
early life, the escape of the Gorsuch slaves, the warrants for their
recapture, the departure of Deputy Marshal Kline to execute them and
“Sam Williams’s” mission to Lancaster County to warn them and their
friends of the impending raid upon them, substantially as they have
been told already. Parker then proceeds:
The information brought by Mr. Williams spread through the vicinity
like a fire in the prairies; and when I went home from my work in
the evening, I found Pinckney (whom I should have said before was my
brother-in-law), Abraham Johnson, Samuel Thompson and Joshua Kite at
my house, all of them excited about the rumor. I laughed at them,
and said it was all talk. This was the 10th of September, 1851. They
stopped for the night with us, and we went to bed as usual. Before
daylight, Joshua Kite rose, and started for his home. Directly, he ran
back to the house, burst open the door, crying, “O William! kidnappers!
kidnappers!”
He said that, when he was just beyond the yard, two men crossed before
him, as if to stop him, and others came up on either side. As he said
this, they had reached the door. Joshua ran up stairs (we slept up
stairs), and they followed him; but I met them at the landing, and
asked, “Who are you?”
The leader, Kline, replied, “I am the United States Marshal.”
I then told him to take another step and I would break his neck.
He again said, “I am the United States Marshal.”
I told him I did not care for him nor the United States. At that he
turned and went down stairs.
Pinckney said, as he turned to go down,--“Where is the use in fighting?
They will take us.”
Kline heard him, and said, “Yes, give up, for we can and will take you
anyhow.”
I told them all not to be afraid, nor to give up to any slaveholder,
but to fight until death.
“Yes,” said Kline, “I have heard many a negro talk as big as you, and
then have taken him; and I’ll take you.”
“You have not taken me yet,” I replied; “and if you undertake it you
will have your name recorded in history for this day’s work.”
Mr. Gorsuch then spoke, and said,--“Come, Mr. Kline, let’s go up
stairs and take them. We _can_ take them. Come, follow me. I’ll go up
and get my property. What’s in the way? The law is in my favor, and the
people are in my favor.”
At that he began to ascend the stair; but I said to him,--“See here,
old man, you can come up, but you can’t go down again. Once up here,
you are mine.”
Kline then said--“Stop, Mr. Gorsuch. I will read the warrant, and then,
I think, they will give up.”
He then read the warrant, and said,--“Now, you see, we are commanded to
take you, dead or alive; so you may as well give up at once.”
“Go up, Mr. Kline,” then said Gorsuch, “you are the Marshal.”
Kline started, and when a little way up said, “I am coming.”
I said, “Well, come on.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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