True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-06-06
Slave Case ---- Another Assertion Of
Freedom on Ohio Soil.

Slave Case ---- Another Assertion Of
Freedom on Ohio Soil.
On Sunday afternoon last, our colored
friends, ever on the alert when they dis
cover chance to rescue one of their num-
Der from bondage, saw two women taken
from the cars to the American House, who
were evidently held and treated as slaves.
They Immediately took measures to pro
cure an assertion Of their freedom. In
the coarse of the night, a writ Of Habeas
Corpus was procured from Judge Swan Of,
the Supreme Court, made returnable at s
O'Clock on the followingmorning Sheriff
7, MILLER promptly entered upon the
discharge Of his portion of the daty, and
at s o'clock the slaves, with their master
and mistress, were before His Honor, at
the room of the Probate. Court. y
The result of the investigation showed
that the claimantwas Frenchman named
Ericon, on his way from New Orleans to
Europe, BY way of New York, accornpa-
MED by his family and servants. He ex-
hibited passports from the Secretary of
State, for all his company, the slaves in
cluded .iL&E n IS '
The Court decided that they were free,
and Informed them that they could go with
their master, or remain and be free at their
option. Their counsel, Mr.. Darlington,
after conversing with them, stated that
they chose to go to Europe with their
mistress, and they seemed to understand
also that they would be free on their arri-
val in Europe. They we're accordingly,
after some unnecessary admonition to the
audience, allowed to depart with their mas
ter and mistress, without interference.
Having on a former occasion ccnsured
Judge Swan for what we deemed remiss-
ness or evasion Of duty in similar case.
we take pleasure in saying that on this
occasion he acted promptly and willingly,
and to the satisfaction Of the friends of
freedom.
We learn that the costs in the case we're
taxed upon Mr.. LangstCn, on ,ghose affida-
Wit the writ was issued. We do not uues-
tion the correctness of this, but we would
be glad to be informed whnt the decision
should have been, to have made the costs
taxable on the one who unlawfully held
the slaves in bondage. Or, are all the ex-
penses, be the decisions what they may, to
be borne by the friends and asserters of
freedom? 1t seems so. Scma six hun
dred dollars of costs in the Rosetta caas at
Cincinnati, were dravr frdn the Treasury
of the United States, under an act framed
under a Constitution established "to secure
the blessings of Liberty" not of Slavery.
1t seems to us that one of our daily CO.
temporaries, who makes great professions
of love for freedom nowadays, has given
a studiedly inadequate account of the
above case-entirely covering up the fact
that tue girls were declared free by Judge
Swan-which was the point aimed at by
the movers in the M tter-and conveying
the implication that the friends of the
slaves were defeated in their purpose, by
the choice of the girls to go with their
claimant to Europe and be free, rather
than remain here among strangers. If
"eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty"
the assertion of freedom cannot be too Of
ten made, especially while doubt remains
in the minds Of any, as to the tenure by
which the right is held by any class among
us.
Our neighbor of the Statesman, true to
the instincts of Hunkerism, regrets that
shareholders cannot travel through Ohio
with their slaves, without molestation. In
his statement of the case, he oriits to de-
tail the fact that the girls were declared
free, and condescends to misrepresent the
facts in the case. As we are informed, it
is not true that the claimant of the girls
"readily' manifested willingness to have
the facts adjudicated; it is not true that
the girls were manumitted in New Orleans;
nor is it true that Judge Swan publicly
censured the parties who brought the suit.
Daniel S. Dickinson once regretted that
he "was not born in Virginia" The ed.
itor Of the Statesman seems to act as
though he was troubled with similar re-
gret. He is evidently on the wrong side
Of Mason and Dixon's line Columbian.
->s0e<-
"SAM" IN KENTUoKY.-The Maysville
Eagle remarks that at the recent election
for county officers, the old 10th Congress
ional District gave a large majority in
every county but one for the American
candidates. In Campbell county, hereto.
fore Democratic by FIVE hundred, the A.