Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1853-09-16
LWSBURG, UNION COUNTY, PENN FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 49, 1853
Can a United States Marshal Kill a
Fugitive Slave?

Fugitive Slave?
l observe in the Register of today, :
particular stltement of the circumstance:
attending recent attempt to arrest flu
gitiye slave at Wikesbarre. 1t happens
but too often, that those concerned in sim
liar attempts, seem to consider themselve.
clothed with authority, which render.
them superior to the laws Of the State, and
allows them to violate the peace of the
community with entire impunity. They
are, perhaps, not the only'persons that la
| Dor under this mistake and it is certainly
time that it should be corrected, SO tina,
the people may know how to take proper
measures to protect themselves, and to
punish the lawlessness of the desperadoes,
who usually constitute marshaPs posse,
when engaged in slave hunt.
The warrant for the arrest of fugitive
slave is civil process, and is to be exc
cuted as any other process of a similar
character. The officer to whose hands it
is committed is authorized to use as much
force as is necessary to accomplish the OBJ
ject, and no more. If he beats, wounds,
or maltreats the fugitive unnecessarily, his
warrant is no justification. He is guilty
of a breach of the peace, and may be in
dicted, convicted, and punished for it.
Under no circumstances but those strictly
of self defence is lie at liberty to nse FIRE
arms, or other deadly weapons. lie can
not, lawfully, take the life of fugitive,
even to prevent his escape If he should
do so, the offence will be murder If he
attempts to do it ay firing upon the fugitive
flying or at bay, he is guilty of an assault
and battery, with intent to murder a
peaceful town is not liable, by law, to be
outraged by United States ofliccrs chasing
naked negroes through the streets, and
shooting after them, as if they We're wild
beasts. A negro, though slave, is under
the protection of the laws Of the State, and
his life is guarded with the same penalties
as that of the free white citizen. When
ever that life is taken or attempted, prompt
itudc in the arrest Of the offender is duty
which every citizen owes to society. The
shelter. Between it and the State law
there is no conflict The act protects him
only while in the proper execution of his
official duties; and the moment he steps
beyond his sphere, by the exhibition of a
violence not necessary to complete the ar
rest, he becomes Il criminal, aud amonablo
to punishment under the municipal law of
the State in which the offence is COM
mitted.
What would be the measure of the pun
ishment proper to be meted out to gang
of bloody minded man-hunters who should
be proved guilty of chasing human be-
ing by daylight through the streets of
dcnsely populated town, shooting rcvol
vers loaded with slugs and bullets after
him as he rar, and afterwards in the pres
ence Of an hundred citizens, standing at
ten PAGES distance, and deliberately firing
repeated ahots, with the avowcd determi
natiya of destroying his life, would be a
question for the judges Of the court trying
the offenders to resolve certain it is, how
ever, that offences of this kind are becom
ing SO common, as to require an example;
and if the general sense of the community,
already too often outraged, may be regard
ed as an indication of the nature of the
lesson that will be taught to the first off
cial that shall happen to come under SEN
tence for this species of outrage, it will be
severe one Five or ten years in the
State Penitcntiary, will not only give the
victim Of violated justice sufficient leisure
to repent of his misdeeds, but will furnish
to those disposed to commit the same bru-
talities, salutary admonition. L..