The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1851-08-21
From the Harrisburg Keystone.
Another Slave Case.

Loyer and John Sanders brought WIN. cmih
alias dictus, Bob Sterling, a negro, claimed
as a slave before United States Commission
er McAllister, for a hearing. The claimant
in the case was Mrs. Elizabeth ]. O'Neill, of
Havre de Grace, Hartford county, Maryland.
Her principal witness was also a woman
Upon Mrs. O'Neill's information, the warrant
was issued TO above named officers by Com
missioner McAllister and they arrested Smith
in Columbia abo1r O'Clock in the afternoon
while he was <Mgaged in unloading a coal
boat.
The slave was arrested and brought to
Harrisburg without difficulty or excitement.
A number of our most respectable citizens
were at the Commissioners Office and con-
versed with the prisoner and remained du-
ring the trial.-The hearing occupied about
1 hour. The news soon spread over town
and a number of negroes collected at and
near the Commissioners office.-The evil
dence is given below.
The proof is clear thai VIM. Smith, was
owned by VIM. O'Neill, Of Havre de Grace,
| Md, tina. lie inherited Smith from his faith
er John O'Neill, who died in the year 1888,
from which time Smith was in the posses
sion of VIM. O'Neill, known VIGOROUSLY as
his slave, that Smith escaped and fled from
Maryland in the Spring Of 1916, that tWni'
O'Neill died in the fall of that year and that
his widow, Mrs. Elizabeth J. O'Neill, was
soon after appointed the Administrative OF
her husband. She had therefore the right to
the custody and possession OF This slave as
part of the assets of her decedent's estate.
The Commissions gave judgment accord
ingly and made out a certificate Of removal.
As some excitement was manifested out oil
doors, Mrs. O'Neill made affidavit "that she
had reason 10 %upprehend that her fugitive
slave would be rescued by force from her
possession before he could be taken beyond
the limits of this staie'' according 10 the act
of Congress; wherefore the Commissions
remanded the fugitive to "the custody Of the
officer making the arrest" with instructions
to remove and safely deliver him 10 Mrs. o.
Neil i'll the state of Maryland.
As VIM. F. Johnston, our abolition Cover
no. has refused 10 sign the bill giving the
use of the goals of the state for The safe GUS
tody and detention Of lugitives from labor
during the time of their trial and removal,
the officers had very considerable difficulty
10 procure a proper place TO keep the Save
during the night. After considerable delay
they induced the keeper of one Of our hotels
10 afford the necessary accommodation
This, however, was the signal for a general
assembling of the negroes round the hotel
which proved quite a serious source of an
noyance and apprehension to its respectable
inmates. During the night some base abott-
ton incendiary set fire to the hotel in a place most
likely 10 accomplish the fell purpose Of the black
demon! The fire was discovered however
before it had time to gather force enough to
do any considerable damage, and promptly
extinguished.
1t seems however 10 be a Source Of secIe;
qualification TO our executive TO cooperate
with the abolition incendiaries, black and
white, in e~ndangerius the lives and property
of the citizens of Pennsylvania who have
the moral courage and patriotism 10 assist in
executing the provisions of the national con-
stitution. Shame upon such a Governor IN
good old law abiding, conservative Pennsy[
vania.
The people of this state, wings and demo-
Gratis, every man who loves the honor aud
national character of this great and growing
commonwealth, should rise up and say 10
this Governor Johnston, ''Sir, sign this bill
which you now keep in your pocket, giving
the use of our jails to citizens OF our sister
states for the reclamation Of their fugilives,
or we'll hurI you from the proud position
you are now attempting TO desecrate, with
scorn and %virtuous indignation"
Tho act of ls47, acts harshly upon The cit
liens of other states; assail rights guaran-
iced to them by the constitution and insults
them by the studied malignity of its provis-
ions. 1. is u~nneighborly, unconstitutional
and unkinj. Instead Of being a conservator
of the public peace, as its title very hypo-
critically processes, it has been the occasion
of bloodshed and riot and has been the pre-
tence for murder and treason.-The lament
ed Kennedy in Carlisle was the murdered
victim of its insane policy, and in our own
beautiful borough the heroic Taylor and nine
other respectable citizens Of Virginia, who
came here under the garantees of the con-
slitution, to claim their fugitive property,
barely escaped slaughter from an Infatuated
mob, who made the supposed violation of
| the provisions of the act Of 1847 the osien-
sible ground and occasion for The attempted
rescue and the outrageous assault upon Mr..
Taylor and his companions. Every citizen
| of Harrisburg knows this fact, and every
man conveIsant with the facts knows that If
Judge Pearson had no: been inhibited by the
provisions of the act of 1s47, from taking
cognisance of tue matter and deciding, as
was customary in Pennsylvania under the
act Of 1893 before the passage Of the act of
1917, the question whether the negroes ar
rested by Taylor were his slaves or not, that
they could have been removed to Virginia
without riot or bloodshed. But as it was,
the Judge had 10 say to Mr.. Taylor-"My
honda ,ra tied hu tho not IF IQ17.-I cannot