The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1845-05-17
pERSONAL INpENTIlY.

uNt--'llS lUu ulay Itly upuu'
ssa.asg4srssHssas'sa
PERSONAL lNDENTIIY
1t hos oiOtn been remarked how easi.
y one my be mistaken in affirming
,he lndeu,uy Of person Men have
been huog, and suffered other penalties
OF tie law, llom near resemblance 10
other meo, aud from being mistaken
by witness lol them.
] a receht and slri iing case Of this
sort is recorded in the Fayetteville
North Carolinion, as having occurred
IN Orange Co., n, c., short time ago
A free negro was arragned for an al
tempt at rape A married woman
whose husband was of at work about
Thirty miles, was attacked one night by
a negro man, who attempted rape on
her. but succeeded no further than to
Ilrghlen her very much. She forth.
with gave information and had lIe9
negro in The nelghbofhood arrested.
The trial came on and she swore posil.
lively that the free negro wat the man,
! Another witness, an old man who was
passing by The house just before the ac
was committed, also swore that he me-
his free negro spoke 10 him (at some
dislauce) and asked him if the man who
lived a that house was home, and il
there were any dogs there. The old
man told him that lhs man was not o.
home and that there were 40 dogs there
The free negro proved, by Two highly
respectable young gentlemen that he
was al their fathers house on the very
might, and at the very hour when the
acl was said TO be committed. Wha'
would have been done with the free
negro il is hard 10 say, under The cir
cumStances, had not the matter taken
quite new turn.
1t so happened as many other strange
hings happen, that there was slave
man or boy in the reigborhood, the We.
ry counterpart of the free negro as 10
color, face and form, and belonging TO
the father Of The young gent 'emen who
lestif d that the free negro was at lhei
house on the night of the crime. This
slave boy conf ssed that il was him
hat committed The crime and not the
free negro. The confession was made
10 lh- Clerk of the Court anil also to
one Of the counsel. OF course he wa,
Immediately arrested.-This put new
-specl on the matter, and The two pris.
|1ners nIr, were brought into Court The
IWOmun uPV" -
mlled, was then directed to poin, out
he man, and she slll declared it wa,
he free negro. The old man
was then called on and he decided i,
was the free negro; such is the ,anacDy
with which some people cling to frs
impressions, and originally expressed
,Ioplnions. But what is stranger than al
the very counsellor to whom The slave
man made The conlessson, when asked
as 10 The man that made the confession
POINTED TO THE FREE NEGRO! Bu
} The Clerk of the Court, 10 whom alsr
he confessed. knew The slave perfectly
we'll, and had known him from a boy
he very readily corrected the niSIak,
made by tbs counsellor.
AootheI singular circumstance is
that the woman should make such
mis'rke, when The free negro had beet
5 employed abou; the premises for day
or two in pIoughing, which circumslanC
also proved something in his favor
from The fact that he knew The woman.
husband was not at home, and that
here were no dogs there, and
consequently would not have asked
The old man The questions which were
asked by The slave. Al the same time
such knowledge might also be made tt
operate against him.
The slave confessed that he deceived
The old man 10 this way; he hallowed
o the old man aud asked him how he
p was; and the old fellow returned the
) ssIootion and asked if that was Ben,
1.-THE free ncgro.) The boy, fading he
was not known, did not discover him
self, but carried out the deception by
answering in the affirmative. The boy
also said, (and as he was naturally !
wild boy, many believed it to be true
'ha, he had no intention of doing any
harm; only intended 10 frighlen The wo.
man; that he did not start from home
with any intention of such thing, bu
Just as he gol Tear the house, the dev
seemed TO pat ii into his head TO dc
some mischief and led him 10 the oom
} mission oil the crime.
The free negro WIS released, and tn
; slave boy was hung. The evidence 0
iihe woman and iha old man rooJa eroI