The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-05-28

The FUGITIVE SLAVE CAsE.-1he abolitonists
were ON the alert yesterday, deyising their schemes
fugitive slave. Mr.. Seth Webb, Jr., instituted an
action OF tort (fxing damages at $40 0OO) against
Charles +. Suttle, the claimant and William Brent;
for that the said Sute and Brent, the 24th day
OF May instant, well knowing the said Burns to be
free citizen of Massachusetts,, conspred together to
have the said Burns arrested and inpr soned as
slave OF the said Suttle and carried to Alexandria"
ETC., etc. Mr.. Lewis Hayden, on oath, testified be-
fore Mr.. Webb that he believed the " cause Of (this
actionl is true and just" Deputy Sheriff Neale
rested hessrs suttle and Brent the Revere House,
but they forthwith gave bail and were liberated.
Mr. Webb also brought an action against United
States Marshal Freeman. The following Is a copy
Of the writ Of repevin, issued by Chief Justice Wells
Commonwealth Of xaaacaxsetts Suffolk, s-Fo the
Sheriff Of our county Of suolk his Deputies either
Of the Coroners thereof, greeting:-We command you
that Justly aud without delay to be repevned
Antony Burns, who as 1t s sad is taken and detained
at Boston, within our said county by the duress OF
watson Freeman, that he the said Antony Burns may
appear at our Court OF Common Pleas to be holden
a, Boston, within county afosesaid, the first
luetcay OF July next then and there in said court
to demand right and justice against the said Watson
Freeman, for the duress and imprisonment aforesaid,
yioed the said Antony Burns shall before his deliver
ance, give bond to the said Watson Freeman in such
.aa ao
with condition to appear at our said court to prosecute
his repe,in against the said Watson Freeman and
have h body there ready to be delivered If thereto
deed by the court, and to pay all such damages and
costs shall be then and there awarded against him.
If the said Antony by you delivered at any day
before the sitting Of our said court you to summon
the said Watson Freeman by serving him with attest
cd copy Of this writ that he may appear at the said
court H,i to answer 70 the said Antony Burns.
Witness, Daniel Wells, Esquire, at Boston, the twenty
sixth day OF May in the year thousand eight hun
dred and ffty four. JOSEPH CLARK, Clerk.
The writ was served by Coroner Smith, to whom
the Marshal stated that he held Burns under an
der of the United States Commissioner and should
not surrender him. Thus the matter ended for the
present. Accompanying the writ was bond, in
which Messrs. Wendell Phillips, B. b. Mussey, Tmo-
ny Gilbert, Samuel 3. Sewal and B. E. Apthorp,
offered themselves sureties in the sum of IS 900,
for the appearance Of Burns at the Common Pleas
Court.
After these proceedings during the day, the abo-
itionists-men and women-met in large numbers
in Faneuil Hall, in the evening. The crowd was
immense, the excitement intense, and the speeches
were infiammatory to an extraordinary degree. Be-
fore the arrival OF the Committee of Arrangements,
Father Lamson exercised the "libety of speech" by
disjointed dissertation on the rights Of man gene
rally. He was, however, summarily elected from
the platform at hafpast seven o'clock, by DR.. S. G.
Howe, and Others OF the managing committee.
The opening address of the President, Mr.. Rus
sell, was comparatively moderate. Although he did
not conntenance open violence, he denominated the
officers OF the law mere slave catchers," and de-
clared that compromise s concession" and that
concession is degradation" He closed by introduce
ing Mr.. Francis w. Bird, Of Walpoe.
Mr.. BIRD denounced the United States Marshal in
u
one of the editors of the Tfarcier because he re-
fusedto adopt something which Mr.. Bird had writ
ten, with regard to the condition of Burns, as an
editorial He next proceeded to ask what this vast
meeting was going to do for Burns ? and some one
answered, Fight fight don't talk, but fghtr'
Mr.. Bird answered that there was time when that
word fight meant something; but it meant no
thing now Thus ne went on. In his feeble way, to
excite the worst passions of his hearers.
Mr.. JOHN l. SWIFT plainly advocated violence.
He, too, asked the meeting what it was going to do
| for Burns, and was answered "Fight' Eight" and
| thereuron he said--"That man has right to his
| liberty! Why should lie not be free? The people
Of the State sympathise with him-the people here
are with him, and thank God the city government
yer is Mayor lcheers) no longer neither is John p
Bigelow." (Renewed cheering) MIR. Swift, after
saying that there was no law to justify Burns de-
| tention in the Court House, hoped the word CON-
promise would no longer desecrate true Americans.
II had been once said, said he, that the Americans
were towards and the of towards; If we allow.
ed Marshal Freeman to carry of this man, we should
sSr 81 other e, He promised to 60
House) and hoped that at that time there would be
resurrection OF freedom. The present he describ-
ed as contest between slavery and liberty, and he
for one was enlisted and forever on the side of
liberty These exciting sentiments Of the young
orator were hailed with shouts of appreciation.
DR.. s. G. Howe (amid cries Of "Phillips'Y took
the PLATFORM and asked leave to submit series Of
resolutions The cries were still continued for
| "Phillips," and DR.. Howe said If they would hear
his resolutions-as sort of wadding-Mr. Phillips
would be forthcoming, and furnish the bullets.
This compromise was accepted, and the following
| resolutions were then read
l. Resolved That the people Of Massachusetts, having
declared, in the first article of their constitution that
a men are born free and equal and have certain
ral essential and nalienable rights among which may
be reckoned the right OF enjoying defending their
lives and liberties that Of acquiring possessing and
Ing their safety and hsppnsss and having sso de-
cared in the seventh article Of the instrument
for the protection safety prosperity and happiness Of
the peope-and not for the pre6t honor private in
terest Of any one man. family or any one elias. Of men)
what may by refusing to recognize the existence Of any
man as slave on the soil Of the old Bay State.
Burns, in this city, Wednesday evening last on the
lying pretence Of having committed crime against the
tive slave in the Court House under guard Of certain
slave catching rufansand his contemplated trial as
piece Of property tomorrow morningsre outrages never
Resolved, That, (in the language Of Algernon Sid
deyl that which l. not just not law and that which
g. Resolved That, leaving every to determine for
himself the mode Of resistance, united in the go
rous sentiment Of our revolutionary fathers" Resist
Resolved That Of all tyrants that have cursed
the earth they the most cruel and beastly who deny
the natural right Of to his body-of father
TO his child-of husband TO his own wife; whose
traffic is in human hesh and broken hearts who defend
chatrel slavery divine ipstution and who declare
TO lie their unaerabe purpose indefinitely to extend
ard fole to perpetune their internal oppression
a. Resolved, That the South has decree in the late
rsssage Of the Nebraska BILL that faith Il to be kept
with freedom in the name Of the living God and
the part Of the North, declare that henceforth and
forever no compromises should be made with slavery.
8. Resolved, That nothing well becomes Fsneuil
HAN the most determined resistance to bloody and
oversbadowiDg despotism.
o. Resol ed That II Is the will Of God that every
should be free-we will a. God ws-Gods win be DONE
TO- Resolved, That NO mans freedom IL safe unless all
free.
The following resolutions, which were intended
to form Nos and ii Of the series, suppressed
B. Resolved, That when this meeting adjourns Il ad
journ to meet in Court square, to morning at
o'clock to zee that justice done TO all PARTIES and the
honor Of Massachusetts, proudly vindicatsd.
H. Resolved, That the time has come to declare and
to demonstrate the fact that slave hunter can openly
carry his prey from the Of
Mr. PHILLIPS was the next speaker, and he began
"set free in the streets Of Boston. He assured the