Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1836-07-21
From the Pennsylvania Advocate.
INTERESTING TRIAL.

INTERESTING TRIAL.
District Court u S, PittsbWg before
the Hon. T. Irlein, Esq Judge.
Thomas G. Baylor and Anna Maria
Baylor. by their guardian John Yates Esq
citizens of Virginia, against Eli ali Heath
James NJ. Steedman and Arod Pearsoll,
citizens Of Pennsylvania.
Stephen Dalgarn, a citizen of Virginia,
against the same, defendants.
The foregoing cases were severally tried
IN the District Court Of the United States
| for The Western District Of Pennsylvania,
at the late term Of said Court. holden at
PMsburg, on the first Monday Of May
last They occupied the time of the
| Court for above a week and as the prin
ciples Involved in them are deeply inter
esing to our Southern fellow citizens, the
following brief report OF the facts disclosed
on the trials, together with the Charge OF
the Court in the first mentioned case, has
been obtained for publication. The yer
| diets and Judgements rendered in both ca
SEES, evinced the determination of Penn.
| sylvania jnfies and of cur Courts TO pro
tect the constitutional rights Of citizens Of
| The slave holding states, 10 their negro pro
VtIi| uHIB ~ 10 ApiItl ltiG1 Will operate
as a warning TO all who may be dis posed
| To indulge mistaken notions of phianthro
! ply, 10 acts oil lawless outra se, like those
which, in this instance, have met so stem
rebuke.
The Plaintiffs reside in Jefferson coun
ty, Virginia, and were the owners Of two
negro slaves, who absconded some time in
July 1884, and came to Pennsylvania -
They were pursued by their owners-were
with much difficulty, traced from place to
place-and were finally apprehended in
Nenago county in this state. There, a
!aborIous and prolonged investigation of
the rights of the owners took place before
JUICE Shipper and the associate Judges
of that county. which resulted in the gran
ting of warrants for the removal of the
slaves TO the place whence they abscond-
ed. The plaintiffs on their way home with
their slaves, had TO pass through Brooke
vile, the county town of Jefferson, in ibis
state: at which place they arrived on the
evening of Sunday, 14,h of September,
1884, and. with the assent Of the High
Sheriff, they placed the negroes in the
county jail, for safe keeping over night,
The Sheriff refusing TO be accountable for
their secure custody, they were lightly
lroncd by their owners.
While the negroes were being placed
in the jail, large crowd collected around
it and IN IFS entry land amongst the crowd
were the defendants, Elijah Heath, then
an associate Judge, and James NJ. Steed
man, CONNECTED with him by marrage,)
justice of the peace. 1t was proved that
has la to
cite the multitude, and to induce them by
violence, or otherwise, TO release the ne
Sroes from the custody Of their masters.
Heath IN particular, who was proved to
be leading and Influential man, was
heard TO declare that sit was a christian
duty TO release the negroes from bondage"
that "they were flesh and blood like our
selves"-that II was a sin and a shame in
Tree country TO see them in hondage'-
that" those clauses Of the Constitution
which authorized slavery. should be multi
hed'-and that every effort should be
made TO procure the release OF the Two
negroes, then in Jail. before morning. -
II was proven that the excitement produ
ced by these declarations, amongst seve.
raj young, ardent aud imprudent men &
lads, who were present was very great,
and various means of etiecting the object
recommended by Heath, were discussed
Amongst others, ii was proposed that, to
prevent an immediate pursuit after the
negroes, when let loose, complaint should
he lodged against their owners before the
defendant Steedman, as a justice Of the
peace, for travelling on the Sabbath that
lawyer Of The name Of Brady should con
duct the prosecution, and make a long s,
elaborate speech, and that another lawyer
OF the name Of Prime, should tender his
services to the Virginia owners of slaves.
and be equally tedious in the defence II
was supposed that, in this way, the grea
ter part of the day would he consumed &
the negroes get beyond the reach Of their
masters.
1t was proved that files and other instru
ments were procured, and were given 10
a man Of the name Of Butler b. Amos,
then confined in jail. under sentence for
larceny, by whom the negroes were loos
encd from the chains which bound them,
and between II and IL O'Clock at night
they made their escape from jail. Two
Witnesses swore that lie defendants Heath
aud Pearsoll were cohversing with Butler
Is Amos at the jail window, a few minutes
before the release of the negroes, The |
slaves. though pursued by their owners
Tor several days, were never retaken.