The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-10-16
New HAMPSHIRE.
ENTERPRISE, LANCASTER Co. Pa
Cr,Jcmhey oS 1851.

/ MN. MARX TINS prediction.
New HAMPSHIRE
ENTERPRISE, LANCASTER Co. Pa
September 2S, 1851.
Though the newspapers, ere tins have III
formed you of the conclusion of the hearing o
those persons implicated in the Christlana al
fair. vet line from an eye witness may not Dc
undressing TO your readers.
You can have but a faint idea of the state o.
things in the vicinity of this fatal ARRAY ioI
several days after the occurrence. Parties o.
armed rulhans to the number OF fifteen u
twenty secured the country, arrcsting. without
warrant, persons entirely innocent OF any par,
ticpation i'm the disturbance entering ana
searching houses, without authority by threats
of violence in case of resistance. When the
news of the affair reached Lancaster. our deputy
prosecuting attorney left for the scene OF acton,
with Alderman Reigart-a man fitted Tor the
task-and accompanied by band OF men,
glad of the chance of harassing the colored
population. and committing all the violence IN
their power, under the protection OF the law.
The results were as have spoken of; and IT
| were upon my honor and my oath to try these
causes. | would say that the outrages commit
ted under the authority of law, and supposed
to be sanctioned by Mr. Marshal Roberts, Mr..
! Commissioner lngraham, and our county au-
! thorties were more lawleSs. more deserving OF
punishment. than anything which has diSgraced
! this county for wears. These desperate men,
aided and supported by band of marines
whose presence was wholly unnecessary, and
therefore an insult TO the people, did not seek
to support the law; their object was to arrest
as many colored people as possible hoping that
in the general rush Of kidnappers which was
expected to Lancaster and PHILADELPHIA a
heavy speculation would he made in finding
persons to swear TO them. And no sooner was
1t known that such n fine amount of prey was
on hand in our jail than claimants enough
were present to seize them. Fifteen arrests
were made Including few made by the town.
ship constable) Of cOlored men, and two white
men, Messrs, Elijah Lewis and Castrar Hama
way. who voluntarily surrendered themselves.
OF these the last named, and nine of the colOred
ZDen, were identified by Mr. Henry H. Kline,
the deputy of Mr., Commissioner lngraham,
who attempted the arrest Of tne mgityes. a. 1he
hrst instance. The evidence, as given by him
against Messrs Runaway and Lewis scarcely
amounted to more than proving refusal to as
sist in arresting the slaves. He swOre most
positively, and without reserve, to the identity
of nine Of the colOred men, and told severally
what part they performed in the battle.
The prosecution also produced a poor, hall
idiotic negro scarcely superior to the last-named
in intellect, who also swore most positively t.
the identity of two of the colored persons pres
ent one of whom he saw shoot Mr. Edward
Gorsuch the other cut him with corn-cutter
This poor fellow stood his csoss-examination
very poorly, but Mr. Kline went through his
like a man.
In regard 10 six of the colored men, no evil
dence appearing they were discharged In de-
fence, the nine identified colored persons proved
an dhbi by their neighbOrs and employers in
whose service they were at the time-nearly all
white persons-many of them us respectable
men as any in this county. These men, in al
most every instance, stood the most searching
cross-examination without faltering and the in
geniOus Attorney General of Maryland, who al
most entirely relieved our own attorneys, i'm vain
attempted TO foil them In fact, feel perfectly
certain that there was not one man of common
understanding, who listened attentvely to the
upon both sides, who had the least
idea from any evidence given, that any one of
the colOred men charged with being engaged in
this affair had had the least connection with it,
The testimony Of MIR. Kline was given in q
reckless and vindictive spirit, with an apparent
determination to convict the prisoners and az
to the negro witness, an abb was proved for
him. for it WIS conclusively shown that he was
not on the ground, nor near it. at the time
MIR. Editor, let me, through your columns,
congratulate the good and order-loving citizens
of this county, and our State, upon the success
of John L. Thompson, Deputy Attorney Cen
eral, J. Franklin Reigart, Alderman of Ian
caster city and their worthy associates, Mcssrs
Hitch. Bowman, Kaufman, and company, whom
Mr.. Thompson has iiattered in the columns of
the newspapers, who, after many days labor
and fatigue, in support Of the outraged laws,
finally succeeded in arresting fifteen harmless
negroes, not one of whom had any hand in the
outrage for which they were arrested Brave
men successful officers
Mr.. }. Franklin Reigart, having heard the
testimony or such of it az suited him, went de-
liberately tn work and committed Messrs. Han
away and Lewis and the nine colored men,
each Of the latter having proved an abb, to
MOyamensng Prison, in the county of Phila-
delpha, 10 answer the charge of high treason.
Will it be believed But such is the fact. And
! venture to assert that the annals of Ameri-
can jurisprudence do not contain greater out
rage than this petty Lord Jeffres has thus at
tempted to perpetrate upon the rights and lib
critics of the people. This result was early fore
seen, from the partial course of Alderman Rel
CART and our President Judge Lewis must
have known, and it is asserted did know, that
n writ of hdbeas corpus would be asked for, the
the prisoners were committed to the
custody of the marshal of the United States
hut about fifteen minutes before the commit
ments were made, and the writs could be asked
for, his Honor took the cars for Philadelphia,
and the ends of Justice were thus defeated, by II
man who aspires to the Supreme Bench at the
ensuing election. For one, ! say, devoutly, may
Heaven protect us from him.
Yours respectfully,
JOSEPH GIBBONS