The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-15
An AFFRAY The ARREST OF WILLIAM i
CHAPLIN.


munity:
@ARREsr OF RUNAWAY SLAvKs.-The police Of
this city succeeded on Thursday night, after a
severe conflict in arresting white man named
Wiiham L. Chopin, and a runaway slave named
Allen the former being in the act OF conveying the
slave who was captured, and another named Gar
land who made his escape, out Of the District and
the ownership Of their masters, towards free
State.
"The police officers having watched the move
ments of Chaplin, and seen him leave the city
about ten o'clock in carriage, which he drove
himself traced him to point on the Montgomery
road near the residence of Francis P. Blair, Esq.
Here the officers, Handy, Wollard, Davis, Cox,
and Captain Goddard, attempted TO stop the car
riage, in which were the two runaway negroes.
On the attempt being made by Mr.. w. Smithia,
who accompanied the officers, to seize the reins
held by Chaplin, the latter fired pistol ball at
Smiths, which passed through his hat, without
injurine him. With the aid Of Mr. Richard Butt,
who also accompanied the officers, Chaplin was
secured, after desperate resistance. The run
His - Ed S~4tc1c ho-csG Sahs revol$eya
fred several times at the officers, who also fired
- :. 60 NJ - 49, .-snnt>. aApan. sbnts
were fred and the fight continued for FIVE or SIX
minutes.
"The captured negro WAS slightly wounded in
the back, and would undoubtedly have been killed
had not the bullet lodged in his watch, and so
protected him from deadly shot. 1t is wonder
full that none of the officers were killed or serious
ly injured Mr.. Butt was slightly wounded In
the arm. Neither officers Wollard, Handy,
Davis, Cox, Captain Goddard was injured. The
firing was altogether in the dark there were,
however, nine bullet holes in the carriage. 1t was
supposed that Garland the negro who made his
all IaI. k..t
we learned at ten O'clock last night that he was
only wounded in the hand, and it was probable he
would give himself up In the course of last night
Allr and the abductOr, Chaplin, were both COM
mitted to Jail yesterday by Justice Goddard We
understand that Chaplin has resided in this city
for the last two years; he is man Of education,
and is said to be from the State of New York;
OF course, the truth cannot be ascertained, till
legal investigation be had
The Transaction, so soon as il became generally
knows, produced great excitement and rumor
was industriously circulated that Mr.. Chaplin
wy connected with the Maternal IS Sfsse, and
that We were in some way implicated in the affair.
Thrests of violence were openly denounced against
our Office and ourselves, and efforts were made to
get up a mob; but the friends Of order, who knew
us, soon corrected all Misrepresentation, and the
conduct Of the Mayor and intelligent citizens
generally convinced the disorderly that no out
break would be tolerated. The newspapers cir
culatng in the District, with an honorable regard
for order, contrsdictsd the false rumor to which
we have referred, and RETAINED from any COM
ment calculated to aggravate popular indigna-
ton While the excitement prevailed, although
urged to publish card disclaiming any connsc-
ton with the transaction, we did not choose to do
So as We are not accustomed to do anything under
compulsion. But as the storm has blown over,
and the community is now calm, it is right and
proper to state frankly our view Of the late de-
plorable event.
And first, we would do justice to Mr. Chaplin ::
He has been known to US, as to the Anti-Slavery
men throughout the country, for many years.
He IL brave, warm-hearted, sincere man, who
Slavery cause without reference to his own in
terests, entirely independent Of all sordid or
cenary motives His statement of the matter is
yet to be made.
In his views Of policy he has differed from the
great majority of the Abotionists of the country.
He dissented from the Liberty Men who nom-
mated John P. Hale for the Presidency, and from
the Free Soil men who sustained Martin Van
Buren,, and, as is well known in his own State,
has been identified with that class Of Abolitiouists
who hold that Couyfcs- uss CONGREGATIONAL power
to abolish slavery in the States.
Uyhav v;o;tad hv tha M oyor and Tuat;oa ~
dard, he stated to them that he had never Nd
any connection with the National Era ofic< or
the paper; that, while regarding me with friend
ly feelings he had always differed from me on
several points, especially in relation to transac-
tons like that in VI b he had just been engaged !;
that, in word, the Era did not 90 far enough for
him and his friends The statement thus gener-
ously made is true. We could wish it were
otherwise Would to God that he and his friends
had been able to concur in our views of the
to Slavery Had they done so, Charles T. Tor
rey would not have ended his days in peniten-
tiary, nor would William l.. Chaplin now be lying
in Jail but both might have been at this moment
engaged in q wide and an important field of
labor, where their intelligent and philanthropic
efforts, directed to the change of the great heart
of the nation, would have done far more to pro-
mote the emancipation Of the whole slave popula-
ton, than was ever done by all attempts to
secure the escape of few slaves-attempts which
cut one off in the prime Of his days, and which
may doom the other, in the maturity Of his years
10 Unemployment
We shall write no new article to define our po-
,ition. We do not manufacture opinions to suit an
occasion. Actively engaged as an editor in the
Anti. Slavery Cause for the last fifteen or sixteen
years, we entertain to-day the same views, sub
OF the mode Of action proper in rela-
ton to slavery, which we did when we became an
opponent of the evil.
In the year 1874, an Anti-Slavery Convention
1t Albany, New York, issued an address contain.
ng many excellent sentiments, and some things
which we deemed Objectionable; among the latter,
IN approval Of the conduct of certain citizens of
he North in going into slave States and run
hing of" slaves, as it is called. Being at that
line editor Of the Cincinnati Morning Herald, we
our dissent strongly, and gave our rea-
IONS therefor, as follows:
"The human mind is so constituted that it will
Ittach something dishonorable to that which has
o be done in the dark, or by stratagem, He who
'nters a slave State for the sake of helping off
lsves can scarcely avoid practicing deception,
md Of course becoming criminal in the pursuit Of
philanthropic object. At all events if detected,
10 matter whether he may have uttered a false
hood or not, he appears in the light d a man aim
ng to secure his object by sinister means, and
his of itself creates q strong prejudice against
him, reflects odium upon the party with which he
s identified, and embarrasses its operations"
Again: "The action of such persons can hardly
% preserved from stratagem it must always ap-
,ear sinister; 1t can do nothing towards the ex-