Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-06-09
SLAVE CASE-AN0THER ASSERTION OF
FREEDOM ON OHIO SOIL.

On Sunday afternoon last, our colored friends
ever on the alert when they discover a chance to
rescue one of their number 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 procure an as
sertion of their freedom. In the course Of the
night, a writ of IIabeas Corpus was procured from
Judge Swan, of the Supreme Court, made return
able at 8 o'clock on the following morning. Sher-
iff T.. Miller promptly entered upon the discharge
Of his portion of the duties. and at 8 o'clock the
slaves, with their master and mistress, were be-
foro his Honor, at the room of the Probate
Court.
The result of the investigation showed that the
claimant was a Frenchman named EricOn, on his
way from New Orleans to Europe, by way of
New York, accompanied by his family and SER
wants. He exhibited passports from lhe Secretary
of State, for all his company, the slaves in
cluded.
The Court decided that they were free, and in
formed them that they could go with their master
or remain and be set free. 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 arrival in Europe. They
were accordingly, after some unnecessary admo
nitcn to the audience, allowed to depart with
their master and mistress, without interference.
Having on a former occasion censured Judge
Swan for what we deemed remissness or evasion
VI uuly l. IL lulllt CiSe, We TAKE pleasure III SAY
ing 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 were taxet
upon Mr.. Langston, on whose affidavit the wri
was issued. We do not question the correctness
of this, but we would be glad to be Informed wha
the decision should have been to have made tn,
costs taxable on the one who unlawfully held tn,
slaves in bondage. Or, are all the expenses, b,
the decisions what they may, to be borne by tn,
friends and asserters Of freedom? 1t seems so
Some six hundred dollars of costs in the Rosett;
case at Cincinnati, were drawn from the Treasur,
of the United States, und der an act framed under
Constitution established $50 secure the blessings o
Liberty" not of Slavery.
1t seems to us that one of our daily cotempora
ries, who makes great professions of love for free
dom nowadays, has given q studiedly inadequat
account of the above case-entirely covering NJ
the fact that the girls were declared free by Judg
swan-whieh was the point aimed at by tn
movers in the matier-and conveying the impres
sion that the friends of the slaves we're defeate,
in their purpose, by the choice Of the girls to 20 /
Europe and be free, rather than remain here anon
strangers. If eternal vigilance is the price G
liberty" the assertion of freedom cannot be too oil
ten made, especially while doubt remains in tn
minds of any, as to tenure by which the right
held by any class among us.
Our neighbor of the Statesman, true to the in
stincts OF hunkerism, regrets that STAKEHOLDER
cannot travel through Ohio with their slaves viii
out molestation. In his statement of the case h
too omits to detail the fact that the girls were d.
clared free, ard condescends to misrepresent tn
facts in the case AS we are informed, it is nc
true that the claimant Of the girls readily man
Tested o willingness to have the facts adj Indicated
1t ID not true that the girls were manumitted i
New Orleans; nor is it true that Judge Swan pull
licly censored the parties who bro1sht the suit.
5 Daniel ;. Dickinson once regretted that he wa
mot born in Virginia" The editor of the State,
e man seems to act es though he was troubled wit
. a similar regret. He is evidently on the wron
side Of Mason and DiTeo's line Columbian.