New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-10-23
slave Case in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF
the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF the Friends

the / usiiiFe--A Mt eTfcEcnce OF tue
Correspondence of The Tribune
FHG4DELFHIA, Monday, Oct Il
II GBEEtFI-1itc first sIaye case under the
new law came off here on the 18th inst. and the
result has heen announced by telegraph will
give You some Of the circumstances, which may
prove Interesting to your readers
The alleged fugitive was an Industrious, orderly
black man. engaged in the humble vocation Of
bod carrier He was arrested while going to his
work in the afternoon. and was secretly carried
of ITO tie Supreme Court room, after court hours,
where he was locked mp in company with the
Judge, Marshal, inferior officers. and three Mary
Ianders, who claimedhi asther property. For
tunately, his detection was made known by some
kind friend, to several gentlemen connected with
the Old Abolition Society, two OF whom being Qua
kers. Immediately went to the court room, and
obtained an entrance. They urged upon the Judge
the detenceiess condition of the poor black and
asked for a postponement OF the case until the
next morning, for the purpose OF providing counsel,
testimony &c. The Judge, thoughhe expressed
himself very severely against the AboIitionists,
agreed to this reasonable request, and the case
was accordingly postponed much to the disap-
pointment OF the claimants. On the following
morning the parties appeared under different cir
cumstances.
David Paul Brown and Charles Gibbons, Esqs.
two OF the best lawyers in Philadelphia, freely
rendered their services as counsel iOr the negro,
while some twenty ofour most respectable Quaker
citizens, mostly members OF the Old Abolition So
ciety, of which Won Will remember Benjamin
Franklin was the first Acknowledgements aud took
their seats within the bar of the court, to
that Justice was done. The grave and dig
ned department OF these gentlemen gave
tone to the proceedings which made the
s.d Tho IoLy-VprS
tested every inch of ground Ill the most ingenious
and mastery manner, They showed glaring in
fornalitvin the affdavitupon which the arrest was
made and scanned the evidence of the identity
of the man with critical acunen, until the
case was made to appear as lame and defect
i've. The Marylanders now begged for time to
make out a clearer case, which the Court refused,
On the ground that they had had time enough, and
moreover none OF the jails Of the State could re-
ceive the man, thus rendering the Marshal liable
for his safe keeping, a responsb llty which he was
not willing to tahe-fdf mar ir0S dcc0rdtHgLg dtS-
charged During the trial an immense crowd of
colored persons had assembled outside of the
building, (which. by-the-bye was the same from
winch the Declaration of Independence had is.
sued and had become deeply excited though they
had remained quiet The good news an
nomced to them by the waving of white hand
kerchiet from the window, upon which signal they
set up shout which was tremendous Some oil
the insiders thought that the noise betokened
riot and began to be alarmed, when David Paul
Brown quoted their fears by announcing in his
quaint way and with his siIvery voice. Your
honor, that shout is the sound of harmony and not
ofdiscord.'
Tie black was now borne off by the crowd to
the lower part of the city, scarcely knowing
whether he safe Or not-and so ended this
memorable trial.
You will see by this statement that it is not
so easy even under this stringent law, to carry OFT
man without fair and deliberate trial, and that
the sturdy Quakers of Philadelphia will, as in days
Of yore stand by the trembling fugitive. AMIcus,