Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-11-05
THE BOSTON SLAVE HUNT AND THE vIGILANC
COMMITTEE
Correspondence OF the New York Tribune

BOSTON lhGtsiav, Oct. 81.
The slave hunters, knight and Huahcs ef, the cir,
Yesterday o'clock p ~, fully pes.aiei utter weeks
trial. that all attempts Mary md en Cats in III,
City of Boston, were worse than useless Vet blow
has been struck, act of violence d,ncl
As soon as Il was known that they about take on
warrant the Vigilance Committee WINS called together am
various subcommittee appointed Among these
mtee Of legal gentlemen, whose duty it To give Craft
the benefit of every legal weapon of offence and de
fence His committee consisted of S. G. Sewall Cha,
Sumner, Il. Fl. Dana, j., John c. Park md Gcorg
Mnot. In addition these gentlemen, Charles G. Lo
ring, Esq, of the most distinguished lawyers il
the State, volunteered his services After full debsra
ton, this committee notified tho commissioners TIM
if they acted under the law they would be sued the
ground of the unconslu,ionay of their appointment
that would be taken with the Marshal
his deputies any other persons who should under thu
direction of The commissioners. The ground was asen thu
the process under this law s civil process and that the ont
Of house cannot be broken for the purpose of
wing it, ard the Marshal notified accordingly. Crafts
moved his beds and clothing into his shop and made m
domcic-his CASTLE
In the meantime Crafts on his own responsibility, with
out advice from any parties, determined resistance He
armed himself fully md made up his mind 10 sell his free
dom with his c His shop is in the midst of the negro 20
pulaon who arc in state OF intense excitement armed and
determined upon resistance No could approach within
hundred yards Of Crafts shop without being by hun
dred eyes, and signal would Gull powerful body a
ments warming The Mashas assistants made reconnois
ances and were perfectly satisfied that the
doctrine prevailed the process could not be served 81 all
and that doctrine adhered the process could
only be served with boodshed
Ii must be distinctly understood thai this forcblc resist
was matter with which the committees had con-
whatever They confined themselves TO legal
solely.
AS an offset the Roman simplicity and grandeur Of this
poor man. seated calmly work his sadders bench in an
upper chamber the Sparacus Of his race there wa nd
crous side of the picture Knight and Hughes were them.
selves held bail in $4,000 enc on charr.
of SANDER After difficulty they found bail The next
day they arrested charge Of conspiracy kidnap
William Crafts, and again in the afternoon q similar
charge rs Ellen Crafts.
Two arrests a day their smallest allowance. Alter
the last he excited crowd Of negroes followed knights
carriage and he took fgh, through Court and Leverct
East Cambridge bridge running tolls to Eas,
Cambridge and thence Porer The mob overlook and
threatened him. and il with difficulty that of them
kept from violence but actual violence inct-
ed. knight thoroughly alarmed portion Of vi
giance Committee waited upon him and Hughes and told
Them that they had intention threaten hem but that
own lives They promised 10 leave the city the
ing; but when the morning they gone Seve
ra complaints were made against the and prepared be
sersod-one for carrying concealed weapons another for
smoking in tho Streets contrary TO the City Ordnance
another under the statute against one cursng and
lng plenty OF which they dd) another for mssingyto
over the Ddge and still another for drrng through the
town OF cambridge Truly the Bosionians abiding
people. Ihe combination OF the tragica and the comca
the serious and the udc,ous with the harnssmen of hand
bills arrests and crowds their heels wherever they went
and the certainty that their process could NOT be with
boodshed their obstnacy and thev oor ths
express train for the South waited upon by arge and re-
spectacle committee
knight and Hughes ore said TO be men OF low descr;p
ton hrengs or SPECTATORS deserving no better trent
men than they received These various arre.ts however
made by tbs legal committee but were The yolun
'ary suggestions Of parties taking the responsibility upon