Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-01-28
The kidnapping Case.
NARRATIVE OF THE SEIZURE OF SOLOMON
NoRTHRoP.
INTERESTING DISCLOSURES.

States he was born ia Essex county, New York,
about The year 1908; became early resident of
Washington county, and married there IN 1923
His father and mother both free. With his
wife and children he resided Saratoga Springs in
the winter of 1871, and while there, was employed
by Two gentlemen to drive team South. In fulfil
ment of his employment, he proceeded 10 New York,
and having taken out free papers, he went to
Washington city, where he arrived the second day
of April the same year, and put up Cash, 5 Ho.
tel. Soon after he arrived, he felt unwel and went
to bed.
While suffering with severe Iain, some persons
came in, and proposed to give him some medicine,
and did SO. That is the last thing Of which he had
any recollection, until he found himself chained to
the floor OF W illia,ns's slave pen in this city, and
handcufed. In the course Of al few hours, James
Burch, save-dealer, came in, and the coGred man
asked hun take the irons of from him, and want
ed to know why they were put on. Burch told him
it was none of his husiness. The colored said
he was free, and told where he born. Burch
called in man by the name of Ebenezer Rodbury
and they stripped the man and laid him
BENCH I(odbury holding HIM down by his wrists.
| Burch whipped him with paddle until he broke
that, and then with cat. o'-nine tails, giving HIM
hundred lashes, and he swore he would kill him if
he ever stated TO any one that he was a free man.
From that time forward Il e man says he did not
communicate The fact from fear, either that he was
a free man, or what his name was, until the last
summer. lie was kept in the slave pen about ten
days, when he, with others, was taken ont of the pen
in the night, by Burch handcufed and shacked, and
taken down the river by steamboat, and then to
Richmond, where he, with forty eight Others was
put on board the brig Orleans. There Bmch left
them. The brig sailed Tor New Orleans and on ar
irving there, Theophius Freeman, another slave
dealer, belonging in the city Of New Orleans, and
who, in 1888, had been partner with Burch in the
slave trade received the slaves they we've landed,
under his direction This man was Immediately
taken by freeman, and shut up in his pen in thai
city. he was taken sick with the small pOx imme.
dIately after getting there, and was sent to hosp-
tai. where he lay two or three weeks. When he
had sufficiently recovered to leave the hospital Free
man declined to sell him any person in that vcin-
ily, and sold>. to MIR. Ford, who resides in
Rapldes Parish, in louisiana where he was taken
and lived more than year, and worked as a car.
pener, working with Ford at that business
Ford became involved and had to sell him. A
! Mr.. Tlbaut became the purchaser. He in short
time sold him to Edwin Eppes, in Bayou Beoui,
about one hundred and thirty miles from the mouth
OF Red River where Eppes has retained him on a
cotton plantation since the year 1913.
To go back step in The narrative, the man wrote
letter in June, 1911, 10 Henry B. Northrop of the
State OF New York, dgted and post marked at New
! Orleans. stating that he had been kidnapped and
was or board vessel but was unable to state what
his destination was: but requesting Mr. ~ TO aid him
| IN recovering his freedom, If possible Mr. N was
!
OF not knowing where he had gone, and not being
! able to find any trace OF him. His place of resi-
dence remained unknown until the the month Of Sep
TENDER last, when the following letter vas received
| by his friends:
BAYOU BEoUf, August, 1852.
! MIR William Peny, Mr. Lewis Parker:
Geatlemen:-it having been a long time since
have seer. or heard from yen and not knowing that
! you are living, it is with uncertainty that |
write you; but the necessity OF the case must be nv
excuse Having been born free Just across the river
from you, | am certain you know me; and | am
here no" slave. wish You 10 obtain f zee papers
for me, and forward them To me at Marksy,lle iou
isiana, Parish Of Ayoyeles, and oblige,
Yours, SOLOMON NORTHROP.
| On receiving the above letter, Mr. N. applied to
| Gov. Hunt, Of New York, Tor such authority as was
necessary for him to proceed TO Louisiana as an
agent to prqcure he Liberation Of Solomon. Proof
! oil his freedom was furnished to Gov Hunt Ac-
cordIngiy, IA pursuance of the laws of New York
Henry b. Norhrop constituted an agent to take
such steps we've necessary to serure the freedom
OF Solomon. lie left Sandy Hill, IN New York on
the l4th oi December last, came to Washington
and presented letters to gentlemen residing Louis
lana, urging th'sE'saes stance in accomplishing the
! object OF restoring the man to freedom
From Washington, Nit NJ went To the mouth Of
the Red River, the parish of Avoyeles Bayou
Be0uf, the place where the letter vas dated was %
miles DISTANT at It's nearest point and is 10 miles in
| length For reasons which it is unnecessary TO give
the very provldential manner in which the residence
OF the man was ascertalned, cannot now be given,
although the circumstance would add much 10 the
interest of the narrative. But he was found with
out great difficulty and ega proceedings commenced
| process was placed in the hands of IA Sheriff. di.
! rectIng him TO proceed to Bayou }eouf and take The
coore1 man into his possession, and wait the order
OF the Court in regard to his rig hit of freedom The
next day, the owner with his counsel ,caine to Marks
/ lie md COLL Had, L
the commission which he had received from he
! Governor of New York, and the evidence in his
possession relating TO the mans being free citizen
Of New York.
Eppes' counsel stated 10 his client that the ey.
idence was ample and satisfactory; that il was
perfectly useless 10 litigae the question further,
and advised him by all means to deliver the col
ored man up. Having settled everything salts
! iactorliy, the agent and The rescued man started
! Tor New Orleans, apd Oh arriving there, traced
the titles of the col5fed man from 'libaut to Eppes
from Ford to Tibaut, and from Freeman to Ford
ali the fltles being recorded in the proper books
kept for that purpose
Having traced the titles back as far as possible
IN New Orleans, the party proceeded TO the City
OF Washington, where Burch lived, and found
VINO was keeper of the slave pen in that City, in
1871; and also ascertained from the keeper npon
the colored man Solomon N. } being pointed out
10 MN, That he was placed in that pen in the
Spring OF lS4l, and then kept fer short period
by Burch
Complaint then made against Burcb. for
kidnapping and selling this free coored man.
Burch was arrested and held to bail in the sum of
S3Ooo, shekes, a slave-trader of seventeen years
standing, going his bail.
Ii is but justice to say, that the authorities of
Avoyelles, and indeed at New Orleans, rendered
all The assistance in their power to secure the es
Enlistment Of the freedom Of this unfortunate
man, who had been snatched so vlllainously from
the land of freedom, and compelled to undergo
sufferings almost inconceivable in this land of
heathenlsm, where slavery exists with features
more revolving, even, than those described in
"Unce Toms Cabin.''
On the 18th instant, at 10 o'clock. both parties
appeared before he magistrate Senator Chase
from Ohio, Gen. Clark aud Henry b. Northrup,
being counsel for the plaintiff, and j. H. Brady
Tor the defendant. Gen. Clark and +. II. North
rup, were sworn as Witnesses on the part of the
prosecution, and established the foregoing facts.