The Fugitive Slave Law and Its Victims: Anti-Slavery Tracts No. 18 — John Shaqi
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)
"The murdered child was almost white, and was a little girl
of rare beauty."
The examination of witnesses was continued until Monday,
February 4, when the commissioner listened to the arguments
of counsel until February 7th. Messrs. Jolliffe and Gitchell
appeared for the fugitives, and Colonel Chambers, of
Cincinnati, and Mr. Finnell, of Covington, Kentucky, for the
claimants of the slaves. A great number of assistants,
(amounting very nearly to five hundred,) were employed by the
United States Marshal, H.H. Robinson, from the first, making
the expenses to the United States Government very large; for
their twenty-eight days' service alone, at $2.00 per day,
amounting to over $22,000. February 8th, the case was closed,
so far as related to the three slaves of Mr. Marshall, but
the decision was postponed. The examination in regard to
MARGARET and her children was farther continued. It was
publicly stated that Commissioner Pendery had declared that
he "would not send the woman back into slavery while a charge
or indictment for murder lay against her." Colonel Chambers,
counsel for the slave-claimants, in his argument, "read
long extracts from a pamphlet entitled, 'A Northern
Presbyter's Second Letter to Ministers of the Gospel of all
Denominations, on Slavery, by Nathan Lord, of Dartmouth
College,' approving and recommending Dr. Lord's views."
Colonel Chambers having alluded, in his remarks, to Mrs. Lucy
Stone Blackwell, and said that she had sought to give a knife
to Margaret Garner, the Court gave permission to Mrs.
Blackwell to reply to Colonel C. Mrs. B. preferred not to
speak at the bar, but addressed the crowded court-room
directly after the adjournment. Her eloquent remarks will be
found in the papers of the day. At the close of the hearing,
February 14th, the commissioner adjourned his court to the
21st, afterwards to the 26th, when, he said, he would give
his decision.
Meantime the case was making some progress in the State
courts. Sheriff Brashears having made return to the Common
Pleas Court that the fugitives were in the custody of the
United States Marshal, Judge Carter said this could not be
received as a true return, as they were in the County jail,
under the sheriff's control. The sheriff then amended his
return, so as to state that the prisoners were in his
custody, as required in the writ, and this was received by
the Court. The fugitives now came fully into the charge of
the State authorities. The sheriff held them "by virtue of a
_capias_ issued on an indictment by the grand jury for
murder."
The slaves declared they would go dancing to the gallows
rather than to be sent back into slavery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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