New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-07-04
A WORD IN REPLY.

A correspondent, who wisely withholds his name,
fayors us with some structures on what be peases to
call the unnecessary severity OF our remarks on the
Dstlct-Attorney at Boston in connection with the
recent case of save-catchiDg in that city aud with
tie business Of slaye-driving in general. Though
We Usually Go not print the letters of anonymous
writer's, we mske exception in this case not out
of any respect for the person whose defense our cor
respondent has espoused, but because there mas be
some public profit in recalling a piece of history,
which the northern people may well mediate Apon as
involving scene of disgrace to them aud of shame
to sovereign State, such as had not before been
Witnessed since the organization of the Government.
We refer, of course to the recent conversion of
Boston into field for ave-catchng and the military
extraditiOn of the negro, Burns,-a prelude possibly,
il may be thought by some, to that roll-cs Of his
tlayos which Mr. Tocmbs intends yet to perform in
the shadow of the mOnumyt on Bunker Hill. We
90 not think our observation on Mr.. Attorney Hal
lett can require any other justification than will be
found in this melancholy ehapter of our recent his
tory in which he playedSn important, and indeed
controlling part. -
1t seems then, that Col Suttle, Burns's claimant
and pretended owner, native of New Hampshire
having removed to, settled and married in yir-
eina acquired by lis marriage such claim as he had
tie body, bones, muscles and services of Burns,
a native born Virgnian. But Burns being Of mgra-
tory disposition no less than Suttle and having seen
Low much his pretended owner had betered his con-
diton by change of residence disposed to try the
same experiment on his own accounts and as Suite
tie master, removing from New-England had sought
and found his fortune in Virginia by becoming slave
holder so Burns the resolved to remove from
Virginia to seek his fortune in New England in hopes
of becoming freeman. This preceding on the part
of Burns, Suttle disposed to submit TO with all
due resignation, being natural and proper enough
far Burns concerned, and indeed justified in
terms by tie Virginia Bill of Rights however ncon-
venient to Sutle himsef and we are assured BY his
sister, who afterward undertook his yndication al
Womsns Convention in Boston, that he did not make
any effort 10 trace out the fugitive. Burns however
committed the folly of writing by mail TO a relative in
Virginia, held in slavery there giving information of his
being in Boston and of the place where he was en-
poyed This letter falling into the hands of the mss
ter of tie person TO whom it addressed betrayed
tie Ldingpace of the fugitive; but We are assured
that after Sutte was thus informed of the place
where Burns 10 be found, he did not, of his own
accord, make any for a recapture Ii seems.
forbidden by law either TO teach them to read or
write, or TO manum;t them they are forbidden by
public opinion and the Vigilance Committees TO leave
them unmolested when their place of refuge in free
State becomes known. Suite, we are assured. con-
trary to his private nclnations was peremptori.
ly required by bis slaveholding neghbors to take
steps under the Fugitive Slave act for the recovery
Of Burns; and under this pressure he took out the
necessary papers and proceeded to Boston on this er
rand The fellow who came with him nominally as
witness was We msy reasonably conclude an agent of
the Shareholders Vigilance Committee, sent on. not
much to identify Burns as to watch Suttle.
and to drive him up to the performance OF the part
assigned to him. That preesution however would
seem to have been quite superfuous as the Virginia
Slave catching Vigilance Committee found in Benis
min f. Hallett, the United States Attorney for the
District of Massachusetts, resident volunteer agent
whose innate nsolenee and cruelty delighted to i'm.
prove the opportunity Of pushing to the most outra
gecus extreme all the humiutions which it was Dos
sible under tue Fugitive Slave set to inct upon the