The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-12-06
THE pARKE RsBUR G TRIALS.

We neglected to give, in our last paper, the re
suit Of the Parkersburg trials These trials of Obi
citizens indct ed for attempting to aid certain vir
ginia slaves 70 escape from Wood county. came OF
on Monday, the I7th November. The court sug
gested that the counsel should agree upon spe
cial verdict, which was done. The jury render.
ed the following:
"I That the defendants were citizens of the
State OF Ohio and entitled to the protection Of that
State.
"2. That atupon information that the slaves nam.
| ed were about to run away from their master IN
Wood county into the State of Ohio, several per-
sons crossed the river into this State and sheltered
themselves on the bank Of the river in order to ar
rest and take the slaves back should they cross
over. That late at night the slaves crossed in a
canoe, which was hailed from the Ohio bank and
responded to in the canoe, but the words not un-
derStood. That the Virginia party in ambush de.
seended to the river to apprehend the slaves, and
found between the bank and the canoe several
white men, and among them the three prisoners,
who went to the canoe, stepped into the water by
its side, and took from thence and conveyed up the
Ohio side several wallets containing the clothing
OF the slaves. The persons and slaves were then
seized, and taken over into Wood county, and the
slaves retuned to their owner.
"3. That on the Goth of July, Is45, when this
transaction took place, the water on the bars in the
channel of the Ohio River in that neighborbood
was 39 inches deep--that in an ordinary stage OF
low water, it was from II to 20 inches on those
bars and in the lowest stage of water eleven inches
but the water had been known to rise 55 feet in
that part of the river The water in good boating
condition was about feet on these bars, and IN
that stage would cover the beach where the canoe
was grounded, and the transaction with the slaves
took place; and that the bluff banks of the river
average about 40 feet in height.
"a The jury found the acts of Virginia and of
the United States for the cesson of the lands north
west OF the River Ohio-the ordinances l787--the
act establishing the State of Kentucky, and the
compact relating to the jurisdiction on the Ohio of
the States bordering thereon--the act of Congress
authorizing the people of Ohio to form constitu,
ton of State government, with the State constitu-
ton, in which the boundary of that State on the
South is defined TO be "by the Ohio River to the
mouth of the Great Miami River" and the act of
Congress admitting the State into the Union on the
footing of the original States.
And If upon these facts the Court shall be of
opinion. that by law the place where the acts of the
defendants were committed is within the iurisdic-
ton of the Commonwealth of Virginia, then the
jury find the defendants guilty, and assess their
term ofimprisonment at the period of three years
But If on the contrary the Court on thefacs found,
shall be of opinion that by law the place where the
acts of the defendants were committed is without
the territorial jurisdiction Of the Commonw wealth
of Virginia. then the jury find the defendants not
guilty.
"Ths verdict is recorded and adjourned to the
General Court which meets at Richmond, next
Monday, and will be there argued in full and deci
ded' And if the decision shall be against the pris-
oners on the only question in dispute, and fjuris-
dIction, the case may be removed to the Supreme
Court Of the United States"