Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-08-25
From the louisiana AdUsriisey, .ius. e.

From the louisiana .dd0tri'se', .1us. e.
+. T. "a well known that the African negro.,
hrou.ht to this port by the officers of the L. 5
so,r Grampus. were held by the u. S. MarsbA
by no other authority than the verbal direction Of
tho District Attorney; since their arrival, H..
m 4, ma who tore them from the bosom Of thei,
country have made several attempts to obta.
nossessiou of them. They tried to bond them.
but could not get any person to become their Sc.
rcur;t y: we wish New-Orleans may never find
within its bounds men base and mean enough
to lend their names in support Of such miscreani,
The limited States Marshal was somewhat
n,aceJ in ieopardy with regard to these negroes;
runnort;nS them without knowing who was t,
M = himSwhe,hcr the United States OF he span.
ards or whether he had right to lie paid at all.
An application was made to the Judge Of The
United States Court, by Alfred Hammer and
John Macready, Esquires, for writ of habea;
corpus in the name of these negroes, Tor the pur.
nose that the United States Court should fr.:
declare that these Africans being unjustly, lille
eally and oppressively dragged from their NJ.
five country, and their homes and their iresides,
by lawless ruifians, in open defiance Of the law
of civilized nations and Of humanity, should BE-
declared Eseme.a, and entitled to their tiahrigi.
rs such:-Secondy, that being declared Free.
men. then should be declared under the prO,ec.
tion of the government of the United States, an.
f., he disposed of as the law OF the United STATE;
should direct; and thereby, that for the linden.
niication of the United States Marshal, these
things were necessary, as we'll as they we're f.,
the interest Of the wfetched Africans.
The Judge delivered his opinion in which be
.tate,; the case, as it really was. with great clear.
ness and precision. He SAID amongst other
things that case Of this kind had scarcely eve.
before occurred, and that on this occasion The
proper officer Of the government had been ap.
piled to, aid as to the future disposal of the.s
persons, that he had no doubt the government
would dispose of them to the best advantage 10
themselves. That the Marshal had suihcien,
authority to detan these Africans, a. iiev
were delivered to him by an officer OF the Us.
Navy. A law was passed in 1908 which pro-
hibited the introduction of foreign negroes. aid
in case any should be introduced, gave the dr.
ferent states the power to dispose Of them as
seemed best to them. Louisiana had uniform.
ly sold them; but a law had been made sIb
scqucnty, taking from the states this power AMI
authorising the government OF the L. State: u
send all slch negroes to Africa
Since this was the case, he thought they could
not obtain their liberty at present. Ii they were
made free now by the United States Court, The
state of Louisiana would seize on them in pur
suance of the law passed at the last session Of
the Legislature, compelling all free people Of
color who have come into the state since 1926
leave, and they would be driven of perhaps H.
to another state which had similar laws: thus
these miserable beings would be hunted like
wild beasts from one state to another. They
were now protected by the United States and
their ultimate fate would depend upon The de.
terminate Of the Cabinet at Washington.