Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1806-08-11
Sellerk Dsboru's Case.
Mr. Lyndsn's Anfver to the 9nbhca-
tion Of Mr.. Of50rn. Z
TO THE PUBLIC

IlrleG the " w ffHeff, TOT TWO WSChS
paft, pretended aatements Of my
conduit as lfsriff, toward SELLECK
OSBORN, a pri(oner in the jail Of
this couHg-Thefc ffatements are
calculated to deitroy the confidence
of the public in me, as one of their
Officers, to induce belief that have
adopted courfe Of condutt towards
Osborn, entirely new, and unwarran-
ted by our Law, or the ulage Of
SheriFs in Gmilar cafes.
In March laf, S. Ofborn was
tried and convicted, by the Hon.
County Court, for Lisch6eld county,
for FULFILLING . falle and malicious
libel on the character Of julius De-
ming, Efq. and was by the Court
fentenced 70 ''find Band of 900
dollars to keep the peace and be Of
good behaviour to pay a Fine Of
100 dollars pay the Cot Of Profe-
cution, and ftand COMMITTED
until judgment zVaf complied zcifb." -
After confulration, Ofborn, by his
council, made the following motion
to the Court -" That if he was
obliged to be confined in Jail at that
time, for rot Complying with the
judgment Of the Court, and fhould at
any future time with TO give the Bond,
[ might be infru6ted by the Court
to take 1.-THE Court after heafing
the motion, unanimously decided,
+" that they could giue ne 10 ordert a.
bent il that | mutt know my duty,
and would DO i'll then notified
O. and his friends fMefrs M. Sey-
nour, jun. and z. Boardman) that
il they intended to give bail for O.
they mutt 40 it before he was COM
mittcd, and before the Eoart rofr !;
as il was the bufnels Of the Court
to fee the Bond properly taken, and
not thing within my province, as
Sheriff The Court rofe the day
that feutence was pafed upon o.
which was about II or IA O'Clock.
The friends of o. requefed that
he might not be committed until 4
O'clock, P. NJ. to which I agreed.
When taken to the Jail, he was
ihewn the various apartments, and
told that he might have his choice
of the rooms. Re made chaics of TIE
fSnfb rem ut5n TIE ioz0ey Jq0zUey, as be-
ing The bef lighted, and The ns9F acrsE
Ebie TO biz friend FROM WHICH
ROOM ne HAS NEVER BEEN Yem0Ved.
AT thai time there were no 6ebt0rS
confined in Jail, and but tqUo erimi-
naJ one of which, woman by
the nams Of Catherine Payne, was
confined for burning barn, in an
upper room T; the other man by
the name Of Bebee, who had been
tried on an indictment for murder,
and acquitted, but ordered by the
Court to pay the colt Of protection;
for which he is now holden in Jail.
The day following there was Ger
man brought to Jail, charged with
having committed rape, and put
into the room with Bebee. Not
many days after OlborR's coniine-
ment, debtor was brought to Jail,
and to fave 0. the inconvenience and
modification Of being confined with
other criminals, Mr.. Cook the jailor,
entered inro an agreement with the
debtor, that he would take no legal
advantage Of Mr.. Cook, if he was
committed with criminals prac-
tice contrary to the Statute Law of
this State, which is, " That no debt-
oy aall be lodged in the fame room
with feioa5, on penalty, &c" This
mode of combining debtor priloners,
was praefifeG, by content of debt
ors, al various times, until the 27th
Of June, lat, t5r The sxprel5 pu,b9ls gf
accommodating 0. when an unfortu-
nate young man, by the nane Of
Baldwin, who has been in fate Of
arrangement, for fome time paft,
was brought to the Jail by Mr.. N.
Robbins Deputy sheriff, charged
with having committed an afault and
battery upon the body of young wo-
man. ACCOMPANIED Mr.. Robbins
to the. jail, and as Mr.. Cook was
not at home amfed, in putting Bald /!