Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-12-28
price Two cents.
OBJ Daily spp.
THURSDAY, DEC. Is. 1854.
Remarkable Facts Suggested by tho
Story of Ida May.

1 TO come Wllull IHe leSltAiHdtt SCOpC VI
| Those who urge this objection are of course
/ ignorant of the commonest facts OF slavery.
| They are ignorant of three things which have
been proven upon the system beyond the pos
sibility of denial or doubt-which are, trsts
that kidnapping free persons and selling them
to the shareholders is a crime oil frequent oc-
currence. Second, that whites, or persons
who cannot by their appearance be distinguish
ed from whites, are held as slaves and third
iy, that free white children have in several
instances been kidnapped and sold rs slaves.
Let us look at the facts. Judge Stroud, OF
Pennsylvania, i'll his work on the slave laws,
says:
" Remote as is the city OF Philadelphia
from those slayeholding States, IN which the
introduction of slaves from places within the
territory of the United States Is freely permit
ted, and where also the market Is tempting,
it has been Gscertained That more than thirty
free colored persons, mostly chlld'es', Aaue been
kidnapped here and carried G'oay 'oltt'n the last
tioo gears. Five of these, through the kind in
terpositon of several humane gentlemen,ha
been restored to their friends though not
without great expense and difficulty. The
others are still retained in bondage
This is pretty strong testimony. Thirty
free persons, mostly children, kidnapped from
the single city OF Philadelphia in the short
space of two years. This was several years
ago. llele is case Of later date On the
18th of December, 1851, young celored
woman, Mary E. Parker, residing in Chester
county, Pennsylvania, was seized in the eve
ming by two kidnappers, carried to baltimore
and sold, and transported to New Orleans A
fortnight later, Dec. 3Oth, her sister, Rachel
Parker, was forcibly taken from the house Of
Joseph G.. Miller by two men, who carried
her to Baltimore and sold her. BY the active
exertons of their friends i'll Chester county
these girls were recovered, and after legal in
vestgation, restored to freedom and their
homes in Penns yNania.
The case of solomon Northrop is so, well
known and so fresh in the public mind, that
it need not be detailed. He was free colored
citizen of Washington county, n. y, who
was kidnapped in 1871, and told south until
he reached plantation on Red River, from
which after twelve years OF bondage, he was
redeemed by the exertions of an agent sent
out for the purpose, by Gov. HINT, OF New .
York. His kidnappers have recently been
arrested, tried and convicted of their crime.
The latest case on record is related in the
Haysville (Ky.) Gazette, i'll November last
three brothers, Henry, Lewis, and Allen
Young, entered a house near Georgetown,
Ohio, at midnight, seized negro girl, carried
her over to Kentucky, and secreted her near
AaYSV1lle I'LL Jfley cOulu uuu all opportunity
o sell her. She managed to escape, and get
ing into Maysville, gave an account of the
utragG to some of the citizens, by whom the
idna5pers were arrested and delivered up to
he authorities of Ohio for trial.
1t may be said in reply, that these cases are
Il of blacks; that, granting that blacks are
ometimes kidnapped and sud, it does not
blow that white child could be, because its
solor would be prima facie evidence of free
,om. To set aside this objection, it is only
,ecessary to look into those faithful and un-
npeachable records of the condition of slaves,
he advertisement of fugitives which are SO
ommon in Southern journals.
In the Richmond Wing, January 6, 1896,
anderson Bowles offered one hundred dollars
eward for the apprehension of his runaway
lave, Edmund Kenney, who, he says, s'has
tyoight hair, and complexion so nearly ,ohite
hat it is believed stranger tcould suppose there
cas- no african blood IN him."
In the Nashville Wig, July IA, IS49, A.
", johnson offered two hundred dollars re-
ward for the apprehension of his fugitive slave
lula, whom he describes as ''of common size,
,eayly ,clite, and very likely. She MAY at
en,pt to pass for ,ohite.''
In the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Gazette, Oct.
), 1862, George 0. Ragland offers five hun
red dollars reward for his fugitive slave Wash,
Who ss1,tqht pass himself as tohite man, as
10 is very bright, has sandy hair, blue eyes,
md fine set of teeth
In Mobile, April %. 1897, Edwin Peck ad-
vertised ''a bright mulatto man slave named
SAM who, he says, ''hGs hight, srndy hair,