Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-09-13
JOHN BoLDING.

Tho Anti-Slavery Standard gives detailed
account Of the trial of John Bolding, the un-
fortunate victim seized OF Poughkeepsie. For
the evidence VIC have not room, IL was given
mainly by northerners and two scotchmen who
have bee N morally acclimated at the South. One
of his claimants 10 resident Of N. Jersey, The
Com missioner in his decision after having laid
down the principles Of law said;
shall proceed to consideration of the
evidence on the part of the claimants before
they can entitle themselves to the certificate
which they seek.
| | consider IL incumbent upon the claim
ants TO establish the three following proPo-
sitions:
l. That John Bolding has African blood
in his veins, aud is therefore capable Of be-
ing slave.
II. That he was born of slave mother,
and, therefore, isa slave.
III. That he is the slave or property OF
the claimants, and escaped from their ser
vice.
The evidence Of Johns negro origin on
tue part of the claimants consists of the
testimony of eight or ten witnesses, who
have pissed years, or perhaps lifetime, in
the midst OF slaves, who profess to be fa-
mliar with the peculiar characteristics Of the
negro, and with all the various udmixtures
of his blood, all of whom testify, without
hesitation, that they see in the defendant the
distinct traces Of African blood, though all-l
consider that he is no; a full negro; and two
OF them testify, that when they knew him
in Columbia, when he took less core of his
hair than he does now, that il curled much
more after the negro fashion than at the
present time that from the time he was
eleven or twelve years Of age, which is as
far back as he has been to the trade, down
TO the time of his escape, a period of about
twenty years, he has been considered and
reported of African decent, recognised as
such, lived and brought up with negroes,
aud finally lived with mulatto girl as his
wife; and no pretcnce by himself or others,
that lie was free from the African taint, has
been heard of down to and until the time Of
his arrest. To rebut this evidence several
witnesses are called, on the part of the de-
| fendant. Doctor Post testifes that he be-
Iieves him to be half.hlood Indian, but does
not undertake to give it ash his opinion that he
has no African blood, Mr.. Waldo, the cler-
gyman from Poughkecpsie, then testifes
that knowing where he came from, he
thought that he had African blood, but af-
terwards, upon meeting him, the thought
occurred to him, that he must have Indian
blood in him. DIR. Smith expresses it as his
opinion, founded upon scientific principles,
that he is an Indian aud white, without any
adIDxture of the African. Mr.. Fowler,
distinguished phrenologist, infers from his
physiognomy and developments upon his
Uranium, that he has strong marks of the In
dian, and that he has not more than two
twentieths Of the African, il any at all. MIR.
GrinDell, clergyman, who Processes to
judge from physiognomy, pronounces him
full-blooded Indian, as also does MIR. Bailey,
Mr.. Wells, another phrenologist of dstinc-
ton, concurs in the testimony Of Mr. Fow-
Ter. erir r 0a
| We have then three witnesses, who give It
as their opinion, that the defendant has no
African blood in his veins,-Dr. Smith,
whose opinion is based upon scientific pri1-
ciples, and Mr. Grinnell and Mr.. Bailey
whose opinions are based upon observations
of the Indian race; but SO far as appears,
have no particular experience in the udmix-
ture of races, either Indian or'Negro.
That there is a marked distinction in the
physical conformation of the various races
Of men, is well established by science, at
tested by every ones observation. But
where the races are mixed and blended to-
gether the marked characteristics of each
become 80 shaded away, or so many excep-
lions 10 the general rule are discoverable,
that the opinions of men Of science become
too shadowy and uncertain to be the founda-
ton of Judicial action. And when two men
Of mixed races are contrasted together, il
seems too much for man to say that one
has none of the blood of the other, because
his head is trifle higher or larger or broad
err or because the bump of philoprogeni-
tiyencss is smaller and that of destructive
A ness larger. II would puzzle the most emf
nent phrenologist 10 tell, with precise accu-
racy, how much, phioprogenitivenes is ne
cessary to constitute negro, or how large
must be the bump Of destrnctiyeness duly 10
qualify and set out on indian.
| II seems TO me, therefore, that The testimo-
ny Of men Of Judgment, who have spent
their lives in daily contact with the various
shades and mixtures of negroes, md who
say that the defendant has African blood, be-
cause he resembles many whom they know
TO be Of the African race, is 10 be preferred
to any fhncilul opinions founded upon diff
fercnces in hight or breadth, or length, or
depth, hardly perceptible to ordinary eyes,
especially when the opinion Of tho former is
cOrroboratcd by the reputation and action OF
morethan twenty years; aud If the matter
is to be decided by personal inspection
cannot resist the conviction that the taint OF
the African coutaminates the blood of the
defendant. 5
Ihold, therefore, that the first proposition
I on the part Of the claimant is established,
} aud that the defendent has African blood in
! his veins, aud is consequently susceptible OF
! being slave. The next question--was he
/ born of slave mother, and therefore is, in
, fact slave? The evidence Of this is that
. he has been held as a slave, and dealt with
, as a slave, and transferred as slave for a
, period of more than 20 years from the lime
5 he was III or IL years, together with the
, fact that he has African blood in his veins
aud is therefore, capableof being a slave.
{ II il had not heen first proved that he had