Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-09-28

at home. There is certain measured tone in
his language, certain caution and stiffness in
his movements, of which he would be heartily
ashamed among his neighbors and constituents.
| need not remind you of this. You have resi-
ded here, and can readily feel the point Of what
say. One is overawed by a ferocious, cor
fuPt public sentiment, dictated by the tyrant
caste. The voice of another is sthed by the
love OF place, or rather through the dread of
losing it.
A very remarkable scene has been witnessed
here within a few weeks past Such proceed
lngs have been had in the United States Crimi-
nal Courtfor the District, before Judge Crawford,
as it seems to me, will astonish thinking people,
dare say you have noticed the trial of Drayton
and Savers as reported in the papers. 1t is that
which | allude to. These two men were accus.
ed Of stealing certain persons who were found on
board the schooner Pearl. They are both of
them men Of fair and respectable standing a.
mong their acquaintance in Philadelphia. To
steal, carries in it the design to sell the property
taken to make gain or profit of it. So the Dis
trIct Attorney gets Grand Jury to find forty.one
indictments against each of these men and also
against English, young man, who was with
them, but was at last, fter four months UNI
UNSUITABLE Imprisonment, discharged without
trial. The persons claimed belonged to forty
one assumed owners-that is, there were alleged
torty-one distinct acts of stealing. But there
were in fact, seventy-four persons on the Pearl
claimed as slaves The District Attorney there
fore got the Grand Jury to indct each of the
the men-Drayton, Sayers and English-for the
distinct offence of aiding away each of these
seventy-four persons claimed as slaves. Thus
forty one indictments were found against each of
them for stealing-that is, one hundred and
twenty in all-grand total, three hundred and
forty-five. The penalty for stealing is ten years.
Imprisonment for each offence, and for aiding
away fine Of two hundred dollars in each case
of conviction. These indictments are found
under two distinct statutes, which are among the
laws Of Maryland Of long standing, and are
made applicable to this district, if at all, by an
act of Congress. English is discharged as |
said. Drayton is sentenced to twenty years in
the penitentlary. Savers, on precisely the same
state Of facts and showingby the prosecution, is
acquitted of stealing, and convicted of aiding
Both now lie in Jail, as an appeal is taken to the
Circuit Court which does not hold a term till
October 1t is not my purpose to pass crlt-
clsm upon the details Of this monstrous and pro-
iilgatc proceeding within the sacred precincts of
United States Court. That will soon be done,
and the whole record spread out for public in
spection, by IA far ADLER hand than mine. At
least hope it will and do not doubt it. | will
say, however, that the repeated outrages upon
common sense, common decency and the right
full forms of law, as they are conceived and
maintained throughout the bounds of the civil
lied world, committed in the progress of this
trial, by both the prosecuting officer and the
ID Il to, Il o,,l,
tinue to be so, till a reversal of the whole pro-
ceeding-till they are driven from the stations
which they occupy but to disgrace.
Let me state the case-thG whole of it-sim-
ply as may be: A numerous Mmily, supposed by
the best lawyers in Washington, and by the COM
munity to be fairly and legally entll,ad to their
favor-whst it was yet in controversy, applied,
through a colored man, to Drayton to take them
off Without knowing their names, or the cir.
cumstances further, he consented to do it, ifthey
could get on board his vessel AS was perhaps
inevitable other persons, who were actually sold,
or were liable to he every day, became acquaint-
ed with the fact, that the master of a vessel not
unfriendly to them was here, or would be here
at certain time In the depths of their distress
at the idea Of an immediate transportation to the
o horrors Of New Orleans slave m9rlet, they
T. rushed on board of a vessel, which they trusted
e in God might land them on friendly free soil
n Drayton never saw one of Them nor heard the
d name of one of them, till he was on his wa,
d down the Potomac, the day after they went on
d board. Nothing was proved against him on the
If trial. except that these persons were on the vesse
If with him-that is the whole Of it with every
Y, conceivable inference and impl cation on hi;
e side, that he intended 10 bring them to free
n State That was altogether sufficient to cleal
o him from the imputatlon of theft, or crime il
1t the rational construction Of the law as it is
Butt have said enough on this point; your re
II Elections will well supply the incidents and dra
IS perry.
+. Let me detail to you few facts connected
,s with this alIa, of the oohoncr PcdIl, and
few illustrations of slavery in our Federal Dis
trict
THE BELL FAMILY.
Daniel Bell is a robust, worthy, lndusrlou
II man, native of Prince Georges County, belo'
III Washington. He has worked most Of the tim
y, for twenty years past at the Navy Yard in th
II smiths shop, where heavy iron work is cast ant
9 moulded. Many years since, the master of Bell
y in rage because the owner Of his wife had Sc
! her free by deed, sold him to the spectators
70 They came into the shop while at his work
~ without warning, he was knocked flat to the foo
60 by them, ironcd and carried to the tradcr'S pen
y, then kept in Seventh street, on the Avenue
: Bell had friends, who pitcd him, and his dis
'' tressed wife and children. They induced Col
somebody of the marine corps to purchase him
and gave him chance to work out his freedom
he Bell was to pay thousand dollars for himself
= He had actually paid the amount, or near it
he when his owner, the Colonel, was ordered t
NJ Florida where he died. 1t was then fou nd tina
n he had mortgaged Bell to his sister-in.law, for
he thousand dollars, before leaving home. She de
n manded of Bell the whole sum, but he sunk il
n despair, and told her he must die slave, aite
ne all, for he never could raise that amount
" Through the intervention Of trusty friend
It. Thomas Blagden, who had from the first endors
s. ed Bells notes for him, he got the price finally
It's reduced to FIVE or six hundred dollars The sun
Is of the matter is, Bell has the receipts to sho,
d, that he has actually paid 81 $50 for HIMSELF
ut He got his freedom papers complete only las
FL year sometime. His wife, some years since, whe
&c she had six children, was made free by the ez
IF bop Oh