Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-11-16

rdes from lis columns every thing upon ths suojt
which i, is not compelled b. lis notoTety 70 ihse
wien all this is systematically done, its Editor mi !;
we'll ask himself II there i'd not reason TO o's"uS'
not to suspect hun. So. Sirs hY
have been led 10 this course OF reflection .;,.
the pcrusal OF recent article in your New bedford
zen OF Virginia. called Unexpectedly 70, f,har ,akes
Mass, by The alarming illness Of his female slave the
with him his wife, SICK child annh sd hi; destination:
cbd.s nnr.a Scarcely has he rfae"so mo
wh,e bending over the bed OF wv -, ,iI,r IN.
vorIng To solhe him by ~. .as sner,no by pre-.
nervous a tation under ;,co =, IN. ram his at.
serving ~ ~ y. The clamor OF an asseinbiage OIL ne
'eht''h 70 , zen, al The door. Upon enquiry ne
'oes anu he Sheriff is there with haDeas eoTPu. w
ia' ~" srse lie represents to them me ',"''o"
'r' tile extreme illness of MS aseu ia'i'e ,,'
OF le absolute necessity Of preserving que' IN 'e
Jaw, the sickness Of hs child and the absolute
Iv that hs wife occupied IN nursing her SICK ialhe
IcouId attend properly to her SICK cho, "'."ou' tue
aid Of It's nurse; he begs Tor oeiay OF d. ieasl o
night and offers ample pledges tiiat the nurse enAi
n. ,,,r,hcom;ny at the return of the writ the nurse
herself b.rs 10 be let alone, invokes his protection
ag,,ns, the violence that is offered to her, and even
hdes herself in order TO avoid it. All in vain The
sheriff is ordered to 60 on and with ciamorous shouts
which ring through the sick man chamber, The DIS
iressed negro is borne off against her WILL to Boston
This is brief abstract of the facts and they are not
SO strongly stated here they IN the simple nara
tive of the gentleman hImsef in his published letter
A nd now tur tile commentary.
The case naturally suggests the question: how DID "
happen that the habeas corpus was issued, at ALI
That writ s allowed for those who are illegally re-
strained ohcir LeTty that is restrained against their
,ciH. 1t necessarily supposes that 1t IS the party Nun
SELF who complains, for he alone has a right to say
whether he restrained ut his liberty, against ms
will This right part OF that very liberty when
the habeas corpus designed to assert But III the case
before u.s. the party docs not compton, On the contra
ry she expressly declares, that she is not restrained
against her WILL and entreats to be permitted TO remain
in her then condition What ground was there then,
Tor ISSUING habeaS corpus what function could that
writ periormo No wrong done, no right was as
sor,ei no complaint was made The slave was r0iuh-
tariy in the condition in which she was found aud DID
not ask to be relieved from it. What right had ano-
Their person to ask for her; This interference was
an INVASION Of her lbery the liberty TO choose her own
condition in life The very principle which authorized
her TO obtain habeas corpus forbade any other person
10 do il for her against her will fte parties proceed
ed upon the idea that she was slave, then she was not
entitled To the writ and II they proceeded upon the
idea that she free woman, then she had right 10
saw whether she would ask it or not The dilemma is
clear and whether you take the one horn OF 1t or the
other do not perceive how the proceeding in this case
can be justified. Such think, would be the conclu-
sion OF the Judges in Virginia. In Massachusetts the
law may be different and presume that It is so, or
else the learned judge who issued the writ, would not
have issued it, But is circumstance, TO be noted IN
tile the institutions, laws and practices OF the North
rrm States to The very existence Of ours.
Another circumstance 10 be noted ID that this whole
proceeding projected and carried out by Priests,
aided by mob Of negroes. | do not mean 10 attack
the priesthood as body; still less do design to cast
re proach upon that religion which hold in common
with them. believe that ministers OF the gospel ut
the South are for The most part, perfectly sound in
their views Of this subject and am incapable OF cay
ing, and still less of nsinuating, any thing to expose
them to suspicion. But do mean to say, that the
Abolition feeling, SO general at the North, embraces
thousands Of others, which prove it beyond all man
ner Of doubt. Let be known, then, to all South
ern men, that Religion has taken up the cause OF
the negro at the North. The pulpit, that most
powerful Of all moral agents, 10 enlisted against
u.s. Who can doubt the result Who does not
know how decisive is the influence of the spiritual
! pastor over the minds of his flock Who does not
know the force Of religious zeal, and how blind and
deaf It is all temporal consequences IL is vain to
reason it is TO demonstrate II is VAIN To appeal
ganst the fixed faith Of church, and the practices
which that faith is supposed TO enjon. The priesthood
a, the North regulates public opinion at the North
upon this subject, and just easily pull down
their churches and subvert Their religion, change
that opinion.
sirs, | wish that all who may read these remarks
may bear these facts in mind. Both the laws and the
reson OF the North opposed TO slavery, not merely
in the abstract, but is Il exists with us IL IS mol
enough for them 10 exclude slavery from their osn
bordcrs they dsalow il in other countries, and under
other forms of Government. Their judicial forms ar'
so eontrgcd defeat the masters rights and TO torct
the slave, against his w 10 take The freedom winch
they proclaim Religion stands up to sanction The vio
lence thus perperaed under the forms of law, and in
the name Of liberty.
Desiring that theae things may be horne in mind
ask leave TO pursue the subject in another essay.