The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-09-19

H'8"s iEsS 70 Nu5sStiAnp near LancaMt6r, Penn.
accompanied BY All otiicsr, with = proper war
rant according to the act Of Congress- " reclaim
two fugitive slaves Ta.r coming was expect
cd by tho negroes, who assembled to resist the
law aud defend the freedom OF their bsuti.rup.
A bloody afffay ensned, Ia which Dir. Gorsuch
the master was killed, aud bis son, who was
with him, seriously wounded. The slaves were
not t'ken, but since then several arrests have
been made on The charge OF murder
/ IL nh, been asaertet that the AbuIitionixts Ia
that y'ciniIy, when consulted beforehand. ad-
vlsed The negroes 10 arm themselves and shoot
down the slave catchers- This. however, il d.
MED on the best authority. letter which Va
published on Saturday, from a source surc % bs
accurately informed in this respect, says that
exactly the contrary advice was given them. and
THAI they were explicitly told that 1t was bettsr
to flee than fight. We nave no doubt this is
the truth especially as the Abollion;sts there
about are Friends 1t was good counsel, and il
is 70 be deplored that the negroes did not fol-
low it. 81
tits also asserted that the blacks were the first
10 tire. il that rendered their act more heinous:
bat this is also denied on their part At any
rate, it appears certain es,at Mr. Gorsuch was
bent on getting them TT whatever cost, and
warned that refusal to surrender would DO at.
tended by boodshed. Accordingly, il he did
not fire first, il was not from any intention to
spare life on his part; and the negroes in firing
did no more tllan they knew would be- done to
them.
A great deal of horror is expressed at the re-
suit, because white men persisted attempting 10
execute a law Of the United States Had tivo
Of the resisting negroes fallen inst cad, compar.
atlveiy little would have been thought of It. and
we presume no arrests would have been deemed
necessary.
For our part we are as deeply shocked at the
bloodshed which has taken place Us any one, but
we cannot hold the negroes guilty Of the crime
OF murder. They acted against one law it is
true, but they had another on their side, and that
law august and divine In origin, namely, the
law Of nature They defended an inslienable
right, namely, the right to their own persons.
When that right is assaed, no hu MN decree or
enactment can annu the authority Of the jndi-
vidual to defend it, and to defend it. il he think
advisable, to the last. No ct Of Congress n
make it right for one man to convert another
into his personal property or sorong for that
other to refuse to be so treated No statnte Of
mans making can abrogate the fest and man
lest instinct OF mans nature, for that is the crea-
ton or the higher power. 1t is not sufficient
for legislature to declare that certain indi
tain Others, for slavery is not matter Of law
in the pure and elev I I'd sense Of that term. ut
of violence; and by violence they that it laws
hands ON are, in the eye of impartial and un-
sophisticated justice, authorized to resist it.
Woul it not in truth have been worse MUIR
der had the negroes been shot down Ia de.
tending their freedom!
But whatever be the absolute natural yiehk in
this case, it is plain that the blacks fell into
laEentable error They ought to have followed
the advice of their friends and escaped from the
country. No doub. that mi lht have been done
even after the warrant was out for their arrest,
for on all sides they would have found aid AMI
comfort as they fled. Even those who are now
loud in proclaiming the necessity of sustaining
the odous, the infamous law for slave catching.
would then have helped them in their strait -
Now, by their act, they have changed the case
and m ide Themselves to be regarded rs aggre.-
sors instead of sufferers 1t is out Of the ques.
ton for fugitives to think of forcibly resisting
the authorities, and being so, it is wrong for
them to undertake it. 1t is wrong to seek and
defy martyrdom, where nothing is to be gained
thereby. The only safety for such persons il
to get out OF this land of liberty as fast as they
can. le'
We trust that this melancholy event may not
be without its use in fixing upon this enactment
among US the Character that it bears in other
civilized countries Let it be seen as il is, shame
ful and nhuman. For, as We have said before,
this aiiray Is one of its Legitimate fruits. In the
Southern States, where slavery is at home,
bloodshed isa frequent circumstance in attempts
at recaptnre. In bringing the fac. upon our
soil it is not surprising that it's most horrd nc.
cessores should come with it, But for slavery
such things would not be; but for the fugitive
slave law they would not be in the free States.
IN y. Tribune