The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-01-20
KIDNAPPING.

The Baltimore papers contain the proceed
ings of the County Court, before Judge Consta-
ble on the petition Of Rachel Parker for her
freedom. The claimant of Rachel and her
sister Elizabeth had sent them to New Or
leans with a lot of slaves for sale, but was
that their claim for freedom might be tried be-
fore the County Court. The proceedings show
that the attorneys-of Ahe claimant of Rachel as
a slave gave up the case before all of her wit
nesses had been examined, and she and her
sister Elizabeth were declared to be entitled to
their freedom by an order of Court.
There are one or two facts respecting this
case which it may be we'll to refer to. These
girls had lived for years in Chester county, Pa,
and were free in law and in fact but those
despicable characters, the kidnappers, pounced
upon them and carried them of to slave Jail
in Baltimore, where they were imprisoned The
gentleman with whom Rachel lived in Chester
county, (Mr. Miller,) followed her to Baltimore
and endeavored to secure her release, but with
out success On his way home from Balt-
more, while standing on the platform of the
railroad car, he too was kidnapped, and his
dead body is the only evidence yet apparent of
the foul play practiced on him. Those inter-
ested in concealing their crime, started story
that he had committed suicide; but a post
norton examination, by competent physicians
showed that poison had been administered to
him, and that afterwards he was hanged to a
tree. Who his murderers were does not vet
appear. The case comes on for trial, and before
the testimony in relation to the death of Thos.
c. Miller is produced, it is abandoned ! Why
is this? To say that the proof that Rachel
Parker was a free girl was overwhelming, is
only to repeat what those who claimed her as
slave knew before the trial commenced Was
there not some Interior motive prompting them
to this course' Is it not probable that they
of Thomas c. Miller to come before the Court 2
Is it not possible that the testimony might
have implicated some who were accessory to
his murder His blood crieth from the ground,
anu VIC iuNSstiB6tNu suVuiu haNt Ruue On
Attorney General Campbell, of Pennsylva-
MIA, took occasion to glorify the Admlnistra-
ton which appointed him to his present station,
and to covertly attack the Abolitionists while
expressing his satisfacs;On that the claim that
Rachel Parker was u slave had been abandon
ed. Judge Bell, the other attorney employed
by Pennsylvania, resides in Chester county, and
was a neighbor of Mr.. Miller The published
proceedings do not show that he expressed his
acquiescence in the abandonment of the claim
Of Mrs Dkehut Was he satisfied that the
circumstances attending the death of his neigh.
Dor should not be investigated Curious ques-
tons sometimes suggest ugly answers. Until
an effort is made to punish the murderers of
Mr.. Miller, must be permitted to doubt the
much-lauded brotherly feeling of Marylanders
for Pennsylvanians, when the question of Sla.
very interteres to warp their feelings
1t is satisfactory to know that both Rachel
and Elizabeth are now free from the clutches
Of those who endeavored to consign them to in
termnablc bondage A PESSsYLvASns