Slave Case In Pennsylvania

An attempt to obtain a fugitive Slave in rather a novel manner, hasexciled great interest in Pennsylvania. The following from a Ballimore paper, gives an idea of tlie case. Im.mportant Legal Opinión. - Fugüines f rom Service in the Slave Stal es - Governor Shunk, of Pennsylvania, recently laid before the Attorney General of the Slate, B. Champneys, Esq., for his opinión of the law in the cuse, the facls, in relation to the npplication by the Govprnor of Mniyland to ihe Governor of tliat State, under the fourth article of the Constitution of the United States, and the act of Corngess of the 13th ofFebuary, 1793, requesting the nppreliension and delivery, ns fugitives from justice, of Jack Mack and Ellen Locliman, slaves forlife, who stand indicted, under a law of MarylanH, of the crime of running away and escnping from that Slate Oto ihe State of Pennsylvania, against the will and consent of their masters and owners, ivith a view to escape from the servitude of their said masters or owners. The Philadelphii; Ledger says: "The Attorney General, after due consideration, arrivés at the concluson thal the fugitives from service or labor are not embrnced, and cannot be demanded, under that clause of the Constilulion wliicli provides for delivering up fugitives from jiiitice. Tliat the rightful remedy of the owner is under that clause of the Constitution and the act ofCongress of 1793 which provides for delivering up persons held to service or labor; and that no act of Slate legislation can evade, alter, abridge, or enlarge the provisions and remedies contained in the Consiitution and laws of the United Stales relating to Ihis subject. This opinión, the Governor says, seemsto him to be sustained by the history of the Federal Government, and the exposition of that part of the Constitution now under consideraron, made cotemporaneously with its adoption, as well as by the curient cfour judicial decisions, especially by tliat of the Supreme Court of the United States, in the case of Prigg vs. Ihe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, reported in 16 Peters, page 539. The Governor therefore doclined issuing the warrant for the arrest."