The Yazoo City Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1843-11-10

or The communication on the Prince
ton fugitive slave case fuIlYand accurately
expounds the law appertaining to fugitive
slaves. 1t is a subject which ought to be bet
ter understood in every part Of the country,
and especially in the free States, and, though
the communication is long, we know not
that we could better occupy our columns.
Louisville Journal.
The late Princeton Fugitive |
Slave Case.
The undersigned, late Of the State of
Maryland, but now citizen of Yazoo coun-
ty, Mississippi, having been the owner of
the fugitive slave, James, Collins, lately re-
covered at Princeton, New Jersey, and erro-
neously stated in the newspapers as the
property ola "Mr. Thomas, of Mississippi,n
feels il his duty to those Of his felloW-cfti-5
zens in the South who are interested, like
himself, in the security of slave property, to
make known to them, for their guidance,
! the existence and enforcement of laws in
the State of New Jersey, which are repug.
nant TO tho Constitution of the u. States,
and utterly in violation of all the rights Sc
cured by that instrument to the slaVehold-
ling portions of the Union, An expression
of Southern opinion upon the subject may,
perhaps, have the happy effect Of procuring
the repeal Of the obnoxious statutes; it may,
perhaps, suggest right views Of duty and
obligation from one sister Commonwealth to
another; but it will, at all events, circulate
among those States which it imports TO be
we'll Informed upon the subject, knowledge
Of what they must be prepared to expect, as
~. .e
!. their rights, at any time, bring them in col
!. lsion with Abolition legislation in the North
. ern State referred to.
The slave Jim was born and raised in my
family, and e ped in the summer of 1899,
from my farm, in Queen Anne's county. Md.
: He was strongly marked, peculiar in appear
5 aRce, and easily identified, both by these
} means, and habit Ofstuttering upon all oc.
3 casions. During the winter or spring o
> lS43, he was recognized at Princeton, by Z
y Young gentleman from Maryland, then a.
u college, who had resided in the neighbor
9 hood of my farm, and was familiar with hi.
appearance and manners Upon the receipt
of proper information, / executed power OIL
attorney to Mr.. Madison LETTERS, of the DO.
lice Of Baltimore, which / forwarded from
,f Mississippi, with an affidavit, giving full
70 description ofthe negroes appearance, marks
n and the time and place of his escape, in de
Il tail. On July 26lh, Mr. LETTERS succeeded
4 in arfesting Jim, under a warrant from Judge
+. Lowry, Of Princeton. The marks upon H..
IN person, and his whole appearance, coincide,
in SO entirely with my affidavit, that there coult
be be no doubt as to his identity; but he posi-
lively denied my claim, demanded trial b
Jury, and his case was postponed until tn
following Tuesday, August lst. In tn
: mean time he was committed to Trento
Jail, and U6nire>was issued for a Jury, a
well as process for his Witnesses.
1t may be proper, here, to state that til
T. provision, embodied in the Constitution
- the United States, and bearing upon ca
tsubject, is as follows.
''No person held to service or labor in on
ca State, underline laws thereof, escaping I'M
RAJ another, shall, in consequences of any law
ich or regulation therein, DO discharged frol
such service or labor but shall be delivered
the upon claim of the party, to whom such Sc
1es vice or labor may be due.9 -
Eo , The act of 793, passed by Congress,
bis carry this constitutional provision into effec
) 0 authorizes the sDayesOwner 10 arrest his slal
IN anywhere, TO carry him before a Unite
OF States circuitoF district JUDGE, or before al
aIiudge or magistrate.ei the particular Stat
lin and for the town, &c, where the neg
-, may be; and directs said judicial Office
=. whoever he may be, upon proof to his sat-
en- faction, Of the right Of ownership, TO issl
tory a certificate thereof to the owner, for /
I Of protection, &c. There is further sectic
O ooa which imposes fine Of FIVE hundred dollG
fs' on any person who may knowingly, &c. {
nent slructthe owner OF bis agent, or harboI d
fail conceal the negro, after notice, which ID
the altyls to be recovered, for the beneft Of /
anu owner, in addition to bis ordinary action
VI damages.
: The Legislature OF New Jersey. about
arce. year 1926, passed an act which, with
: Of supplements, amounts at present, in 81
il Of stance, Ia the following:
nails Ii authorizes certain Of the JUDGES Or !
anu tees, !. g. any one Of hem, upon the 4
able dnction Of an afTidafit from ths owner 3
s5- slave, and power 81 attorney, If he acts
10 agent, together with the afida Of 81
i ihe agent, according tOeerlain forms prescrih
80 and rigidly ADHERED %, to issue a warraI.
{ he. the arrest Of the negro fugitive claimed.
'RInE the negro desires . trial By jury, Ii Ii clc
ed with the right to. demand iii Ifhe d
oTz. not, the Judge .or justice il directed TO-,
y. no other Justices to bis aid, and the Ii
are then authorized to decide the issue