The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-24 00:00:00

AMERICA•

A SLAVE CASE.—A curious slave case occurred
lately in New York. Information was received at ihe
office of the National Anti- Slavery Slandard, on the 19th
of October, that a brig, called the Mobile, from Savan-
nah, and commanded by a Captain Buckley, had on board
a coloured man, who was supposed to be a slave; that
he was not allowed to leave the vessel, that the mate had
been seen to beat him, and that his cries had attracted
the attention of several persons in the neighbourhood, to
some of whom the man had declared himself to be a
slave. On the reception of this intelligence, Elias Smith.
who is an officer connected with the Anti-Slavery office,
immediately procured a writ of habeas corpus, and with
an officer proceeded to the Mobile. After a good deal
of altercation the poor fellow was brought from the ship
and taken on shore. He bore upon his face and person
evident marks of the ill treatment to which
he had been subjezted, and of the stout resistance he
had made before the officers of the Mobile had succeeded
in confining him in the irons which were found upon
him. According to the statement of Captain Buckley,
this person, George Kirk, concealed himself on board
the brig Mobile, at Savannah, and was not discovered
for several days atter she sailed from that port for New
York. She was then too far upon her voyage to return.
He acknowledged himself to be the slave of Mr. Chap-
man, of Bryan, Galveston, who had hired him to a Mr.
Warren, a stable-keeper in Savannah, in whose service
he was when he concealed himself on board the
Mobile, in the hope of reaching New York, and gaining
his fivedom. It was the purpose of Capt. Buckley to con
fine and conceal him till the brig returned, or some other
opportunity offered by which he could return him to Sa
vannah. This outrageous and inhuman purpose would, no
doubt, have been successful, but for the vigilance of Mr.
Lewis and the promptness and energy of Mr. Smith.
The case came before the court of oyer and terminer, and
the fact having become publicly known, the tour:-room
and the passages leading to it were crowded with people
of all complexions and classes, and of both sexes. The
City hall was surrounded by hundreds of,people, chiefly
coloured, who awaited in deep anxiety through the
whole day the decision of the court. On the following
day a decision was given by the presiding judge
(Judge Edmonds), and George was discharged from
the custody of the captain of the Mobile. George was
brought into court to hear the decision, and hardly lett
the court-room when officers arrived with a new process,
to take him before the Mayor, under an infamous law of
New Yurk, by which a right is given to the captain to
seize and return any fugitive who may be found on
board his vessel, on an order of the mayor or recorder.
George was out of the building but a moment before the
officers were in pursuit of him, and was taken, amid the
shouts of an excited multitude, to a place of conceal-
ment. He was subsequently found out, and brought
again to prison ; and this was done merely for the sake
of a reward of fifty dollars, offere4 by the captain of the
Mobile, instigated by which, and authorised by the chief
of the police, the whole police force of the city became
:lave hunters. Under a new writ of habeas corpus, the
case again came More Judge Edmonds this morning, but
what the result may be it is impossible to tell.