The Fugitive Slave Law and Its Victims: Anti-Slavery Tracts No. 18May, Samuel
History
The Fugitive Slave Law and Its Victims: Anti-Slavery Tracts No. 18
May, Samuel
Fugitive slaves -- United States; United States -- Fugitive slave law (1850)
At a subsequent trial, a number of persons (nearly forty)
were committed to take their trial for "treason against
the United States, by levying war against the same, in
resisting by force of arms the execution of the Fugitive
Slave Law." CASTNER HANWAY was of the number. After
suffering imprisonment and being subjected to great loss
of time and heavy expenses, they were all discharged.
_Syracuse, October 1, 1851._ JERRY, claimed as the slave of
John McReynolds, of Marion County, Missouri, was brought to
trial before Commissioner J.F. Sabine. He was rescued by a
large body of men from the officers who had him in custody,
and was next heard of in Canada.
_James R. Lawrence_, a lawyer of Syracuse, acted as counsel
for _James Lear_, attorney of McReynolds.
[N.B. Daniel Webster's prophecy was not fulfilled.]
_Columbia, Penn._, (fall of 1851.) Man named HENRY, arrested
as the slave of Dr. Duvall, of Prince George's County,
Maryland,--taken to _Harrisburg_, before United States
Commissioner McAllister and by him consigned to slavery.
_Judge Denning_, of Illinois, discharged a negro brought
before him as a fugitive slave, on the ground that the
Fugitive Slave Law was unconstitutional.
_Two alleged slaves arrested_ at _Columbia, Penn._, on
warrant of United States Commissioner McAllister,--claimed as
property of W.T. McDermott, of Baltimore. One was carried
into slavery, one escaped. (November, 1851.)
_Near New Philadelphia, Maryland_, a woman, married to a free
colored man, with whom she had lived ten years, was arrested
as the slave of a Mr. Shreve, of Louisville, Kentucky. She
was taken back to Kentucky.
RACHEL PARKER, free colored girl, kidnapped from house of
Joseph S. Miller, West Nottingham, Penn., by the "notorious
Elkton Kidnapper, McCreary," Dec. 31, 1851. Mr. Miller
tracked the kidnappers to Baltimore, and tried to recover the
girl, but in vain. On his way home, he was induced to leave
the cars, and was undoubtedly murdered,--it was supposed in
revenge of the death of Gorsuch at Christiana. Mr. Miller's
body was found suspended from a tree. A suit was brought in
the Circuit Court of Baltimore County, for the freedom of
Rachel Parker, Jan. 1853. Over sixty witnesses, from
Pennsylvania, attended to testify to her being free-born, and
that she was not the person she was claimed to be; although,
in great bodily terror, she had, after her capture, confessed
herself the alleged slave! So complete and strong was the
evidence in her favor, that, after an eight days' trial, the
claimants abandoned the case, and a verdict was rendered for
the freedom of Rachel, and also of her sister, Elizabeth
Parker, who had been previously kidnapped, and conveyed to
New Orleans.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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