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Man-stealing By Law

Man-stealing By Law image
Parent Issue
Day
11
Month
March
Year
1844
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The following instance of outrageous; atrocious legal oppressionr is from the Richmond Whig. What a revelation from the great prison-houso of woe! - Read it, and like Hannibal at the Altar, %wear eternal hatred to the institution, upheld though it be by a long catalogue of Reverend Doctors, and Honorable Statesmen, who despise Justice, and make the Truth of God into a lie! "Laws agaixst FreeNegroes. - We are induced to recur to this subject by a recital to us, yesterday, of a case which we feel sore will excite the sympathy of every reader who has a heart. We will premiso that the narrator is a gentleman occupying a very high official station in this bis native State, and that to secure entire credit to his narrative, it would ony be necessary to mention his name. Some time during the last summer, a coloredgirl, bornfrec, only 14 years old, and a resident pT the adjoining town of Manchester, paid a visit to a friend in his city. Either through choice or necessity she remained all night on this side of the river, without, however, the smallest intention of being a resident. During he night she was arrested by the pólice, and not having her free papers was lodged in rail, Being perfectly ignorant of the law, and having no one to counsel or advise ïer, the unfortunale creature wasdetaind in jail 45 days, and then, by order of Court, sold for jail fees! She was sold br the period of 45 years, to pay the sum f $45; was purchased by a negro trader, and carried into captivity in a strange and, where she was sold again. We are nformed that she is, if alive, at this monënt in Louisiana. We do not recollect ny case of oppression of the helplessthat ver wrought more powerfully on our celings.Our Legislatura will no doubt be astonished to learn that this glaring oppression fa poor and helpless föllow creature, was strictly legal. Not a form of law vas neglected throughout the whole proeeding. The girl had not her free pa)ers, she was, therefore, legally Iiable to rrest; she had no friend to interfere in ïer behalf, and, of course, had no opportunity to prove her frée birthj she had no money to pay her jail fees, and, therefore, t was strictly within the letter of the law o sell lier. It is probable that she would ot have brought the nmount of her exjenses had she been sold for a less period :ian she was, consequently it was necesary to sell her as she was. It is to the tatule book alone that we are to look for ajustification of this enormousinjustice." (t5 We cut the following from the Albany Patriot. What shall be done for St. Clair County? Will not our some 'riend cali on ihe Messrs. Goodwin, and give a few lectures arnong the "shingle weavers"! We trust our tract agents will also visit the county. On our part, the most we can do is to ofler the Signal in any quantities, at half price,according to our proposition. Let there ie ligïitl "ANOTHER FROM MICHIGAN. Extract of a letter from St. Clair Coun}y, Michigan: "I believe that this county would go abolition straight, if there could be proper efFort made by some good lecturer. - There has been no eñbrt nor even organization here yet, but I have talked with many who are warm friends, and are decided to act out their principies at the ballot box."This comes f rom the Lumbermen's County, where the Detroifr'papers boasted that the pernicious Liberty Party had not found any support. Last fall it gave two votes! These were the votes of Mr. Goodwin, the writer of the above, and his father. The Signal of Liberty, published at Ann Arbor, Michigan, held these two votes up before the pro-slavery Detroit papers, as a signal of what was coming in that county. Itsaid that these two votes would soon multiply themselves by hundreds, and from the extract above, we should think so. Cannot the friends in Michigan send a lecturer into St. Clair county. Meantime we would say to Mr. G. and the few friends go on, talk it up. Hold School House meetings; get contributions for tracts and send to us at the opening of navigation, and we will send them on; and scatter these silent messengers broad-cast over your county." Qr3 Hon. Mr. McLeod has favorecí usTvith a report of the Committee on Educalion, to whom was referred the petition of 150 citizens of Berrien county, setting forth that the University is of lit tle or no benefit to the State or the people generally, and praying that its fund be added to the common school fund. The Committee come to the conclusión, that "the object sought by the prayer of the petitioners is unnecessary , unprecedented, and unconslitutional; that there is no wisdom in the change desired, and no power in the people or legislature to comply with their wishes, and that, under this state of facts, no legislative action is either hecessury or practicable." ít?" Samuel Beardsley,M. C. has been confirmed by the Senate of New York, as a Justice of the6upreme Court, to supply the place of Judgo Covvcn, deceased.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News