Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-03-14
From ne .durara
THE CASE OFOLMSrEAD

From she aurora
The CASE OF OLMo fEAD.
1t seems as if infatuarion and folly
had become epidemic at Boston, and
mad spread to congress, and commu-
nicated It's infection TO Lancaster.
The following message, il is said,
has been communicated to the STATE Ie-
gis,ature. Fhe governor, no doubt, is
sworn TO obey and support the laws OF
snls commonwealth, and there is a law
on this special subject, which au,hori-
ses the executlvc 70 call out the mill
ua and protect the parties.
but ther. there is this iafeciliry in
the case, that the Iaws OF the Unitro
States are also parr OF the laws oil tins
coE.monweast:i and the decisions o..
rs supreme Court OF the u. States a.e,
and must be paramount. authority to
any such law.
The law OF this com monwealth is in
realty an exPost iacto Law, produced
by iItrig..e e. cover iniusIce, and to
Violate INC hrst princ.Pies OF human
righIa III human society.
II is idtrAcr aggravated by The facts,
that the raoney, walch IS the naru
earns aad sole Piopetty OF GIDEON
OimsLea.., is now inths state treasury
OF flnhsJ wanna; ana tnal the sIale
mas he:taer III law nor IN equity, any
lien, nor IS the.-e any Pce,en-e OF claim
on .-.e i5a--' u the sta.c, ~ che money
OF TINS lnjo,edmah.
Gideon C.mstesd, CO .nmanded an
American -rnea vessel during the re-
v1iullon, lie WAS captured auu carried
into Jam!ca, and 0ru.aiiy iHcarcerated
IN dungeon for several months; Win
one or two olners ne was put on board
vessel to be sent to N. York, and OH
the passage, by an enterprise, the spl-
rit, intrepldlty, numanl,y and effect oil
which ousnt TO nave obtained tor him
q staiue, and In Greece or Rome he
would have obtained one he, WIN ~ O
other persons anda boy, seized the
vessel, Win twelve or fourteen men
on board, & brought her in.o the De
laware. The vessel was condemned,
aud the property has been hung up
now so years iii law suits the man mas
grown mo years and into want he
has had decisions OF the old Congress
and OF the state courts, and ultimately
oi the supreme court in MS favor, ana
now rather than renAer this veteran of
the revolution justice, or pay the man
ms money who. is his own-the mi
litia Is to be called forth! Lamenta.
bic indeed is the state of morals and
justice III society, when such TRANSACT
ons as have been exhibited in Massa-
chusctts, IN Connecticut, and now IN
the case OF Olmstead, can occur.
From the Democratic Press.
MESSAGE FROM l'HE GOVERNOR.
10 the Sena,e and House OF Repre-
sentatives of the Commonwealth oil
Pennsylvania.
GENTLEMEN,
have received information that
the Supreme Court of the L.. States
hath ordered peremtory mandamus
TO DC issued in the suit of Gideon
Olmstead and others, versus Elizabeth
Sergeant and Esther Waters, Execu.
trlxes OF the late Mr.. Rittenhouse, and
that immediate application will be
made to Richard Peters, Judge of the
District court of Pennsylvania, for an
execution against the persons and eff
fects OF Mrs. Sergeant & Mr.. Waters,
or that rather as it is an admiralty pro.
ceeding, an attachment against their
persons will be the compulsory process
adopted on the occasion.
BY the act of the I'd Of April, 1903,
Mrs, Sergeant and Mrs. Waters are
directed to pay sum of money ari.
sing out ct the sale of the British slooE
Active, captured during the late re-
Evolutionary war into the state treasu'