Charles E. Stuart

The Jackson Patriot has nn explnnation of ihe connection of Mr. Stuart with the Sl.ive catchers, which we publish, as we wish to do exact justice to every one. Thnt paper says : " A few weeks since, several men frocn Keniucky ap pea red in Cass County, and claimed tbieeor fjtir negroes, vvliicli they found there, as slaves belonging to them. They had them arrested under the laws of the U. S. for the pui-pose of reclaiming them, when they we re taken on a writ of habcas corpus before the circuit court coinmissioner, and dischnrged. The Kentuckians werc immediately arrested on a charge of kidnapping, nnd, under theadvice of an attorney who had been nssisüng them, despatched a messenger to Mr. Stuart to act as their counsel. Mr. Stuart got into his buggy, went over to Cassopolis, ascertained the situation of things in a few tnoments,held a con.sultation with the Pmseouting Attorney, who aciedagainst ihe Kentuckians, and the compaint of kidnapping was dismissed, it appearing to be certain that the Kentuckians acted nccording to the U.S. laws, nnd that the negroes were in fact their slnves. At this stage f tlie proceedings, Mr. Stuart, h.-iving been paid for his services, immediately relurned home." The reader will therel'ore please notice, that Mr. Stuart was not counsel for the Slave catchers in hclping them get their prey: no; at al1: he only counsel]ed in screenirg them from the consequences of their doings! A charge for kidnapping was pending for tlieir outrnges on the colored propte, which,if.sustained, would send them to State Prison for a term of years. From this dnngerous position Mr. Stuart, by his influence with the Prosecuting Attornev, relieved them. How much does ihis explanntion help the case ? We suppose there is gooci reason to believe that the Kentuckians had not comolied with the U. S. Laws, and had, therefore rendered themselves liable under the State statute, for if the slaves really belongecl to the claimants, ana they had prosecuted their claims legally, why were the slaves discharged from the custody of the claimants by the Circuit Court Commissioner1? Can the Patriot teil us? We are glad to see Mr. Stuart and his friends endeavoring to juslify him before the public: for it is a sign of the advancing state of public sentiment: bilt we think the defence a poor one. By the showing of his own friends, Mr. Sluart aided and counselled the Slave catchers n escaping the consequences of carrying on their abominable business. By so doing, he encournged them to continue their prowling expeditions through our State, and also held out inducements to other Slave catchers to make Michigan íñeir hunting ground. - We should prefer a candidate for Congress who would take a different course.