The southern press., 1850-11-06
Correspondence Of the Tribune. I.


THE BosToN SLAvE-IIUNT AND THE ,VIGI-
LANCE CoMMITTEE.-The slaye-hunters, Knight
and Hughes, left the city yesterday at two
o'clock, p. m, fully persuaded, after a weeks
trial, that all attempts to arrest Mary and Ellen
Crafts in the city of Boston were worse than
useless Yet not a blow has been struck, or an
act Of violence done! . r -. ..
As soon as it was known that they were
about to take out a warrant, the vigilance COM
mittee was called together, and various sub
committees appointed. Among these was
committee Of legal gentlemen, whose duty il
was to give Crafts the benefit of every legal
weapon of offence or defence His committee
consisted of s. c. Sewall, Charles Sumner, r.
II. Dana, jr, John C, Park, and George Minot
In addition to these gentlemen, Charles G.
Loring, ESQ.,, one of the most distinguished
lawyers in the State, volunteered his services
After full deliheration, this committee notified
the commissioners that if they acted under tn,
unconstitutonaly of their appointment, and
marshal and His deputies, or any other persons
who should act under the direction of the COM
missioners. The ground was taken that the
process under this law is a civil process, and
that the outer door Of house cannot be broken in
for the purpose of serving it, and the marshal
was nptifed accordingly. Crafts moved his bed
and clothing into his shop, and made it his
domicil--h;s castle.
In the mean time, Crafts, on his own re-
sponsbility, without advice from any parties,
determined on resistance He armed himself
fully, and made up his mind to sell his freedom
with his life. His shop is in the midst of the
negro population, who were In state of intense
excitement, armed and determined upon resist
ance No man could approach within hundred
yards Of Crafts shop without being seen by a
hundred eyes, and signal would call power
full body at moments warning The marshas
assistance made recoanolssancesa and are perfectly
satisfied that, if the 'outer-door" doctrine pre-
vailed, the process could not be served at all,
and, if that doctrine was not adhered to, the
process could only be served with blooashed.
1t must be distinctly understood that this for
eible resistance was q matter with which the
committees had no npern whatever. They
confined themselves to legal measures solely.
AS an offset to the Roman simplicity and gran
deur of this poor man, seated calmly work at his
saddler's bench, in an upper chamber, the Spart-
aeus Of his race, there was a ludicrous side OF
the picture. knight and Hughes were, them
selves arrested, and held to bail in $4,000 each,
on charge of slander. After some difficulty
they found bail The next day they were arrest
ed on charge of conspiracy to kidnap William
Crafts, and again In the afternoon on a similar
charge as to Ellen Crafts. Two arrests day
was their smallest allowance. '" nn'f.rn.a y
After the last arrest, the excited crowd of ne
groes followed Knights carriage, and he took
fight through Court and Leveret streets, over
East Cambridge bridge, running tolls, to East
Cambridge, aud thence to Portep.s. The mpb
overlook and threatened him, and it was with
difficulty that some of them were kept from vio-
lence, but no actual VIOLENCE was inflicted,
Kuight was thoroughly alarmed. A portion of
the vigilance committee waited upon him and
Hughes, and told them that they had no intention
to threaten them, but that their presence perilled
the peace of the city as we'll as their own lives.
They pr proHlised TO leave the city the next morn
ing; but when tie morning came they were not
gone. Several complaints were made against
Them, aid prepared to be ser, cd--one for carry
ing eRnesidsd Wegions; another for smoking
in tte streets eontrary,to the city ordinance !;
another under the statute against .profane eurs-
ing and swearing" "a plenty of which they dd)
another for missing toll over the bridge; and
still another for fast drifting through the town
pf Cambridge, Truly the Bostonians are law
abiding people. The combination of the tragic
al and the comical, the serious and the ludic-
rous, with the larrassment Of handbills, arrests,
and Grow wds at their heels wherever they went,
and the certainty that their process could not be
served without bloodshcd, overcame their obsti-
macy, and they took the express train for the
South, waited upon BY large and respectable
committee.