Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-11-17

. dom: the white man approached Mr.. W. and said
9 he desired TO tel! me my rights; Mr.. w. said, "My
S woman knows her rights" they told me to go witt
l. item: he held out his hand but did not touch min,
Il and Immediately erose 10 60 with him; | tool
n my Oldest boy by the hand; the youngest was pick
II cd up by some people and became very mucf
l. alarmed and proceeded off the boat rs quickly
e us ! could, being perfectly willing and dcsrou
= to go Mr.. Wheeler tried II stop me, one else
@ he tried to get before me as though he wanted t.
j talk to me- wanted TO get of the boat and didn'
( listen 10 what he had to say. did not say die
r not want my freedom have always wanted it
$ did not say / wanted to go with my master
d went very willingly to the carriage, was yer.
n glad to s.; the little boy said he wanted to g,
t to his massa he was frightened; | did not say
c wanted to 90 to Col. Wheeer there was NJ
outary of any kind my little boy made all the
= noise that was made"
The presentation Of Jane rs witness. in the
Courtroom, bold and perilous act on the
part of her friends, and in which they would
not have felt justified, had they not been assured
that strong force should be provided for her pro-
lection by the State authorities. Although they
had this assurance, ,serousapT enter
tanned for the result TheU nltedStates officers
here with extra force, evidently determined tc
arrest her. The officers Of the Court and the other
State officers were there to protect the witness and
vndcate the laws of the State. Nandyke, the
United States District Attorney be would
take her. The State officers swore he should not,
and for while it seemed that nothing could avert
a bloody scene. 1t was expected that the conflict
would take place outside Of the door when she
should leave the room, go that when she and her
friends wont out and FOR some time AFTER the most
intense anxiety prevadcd the Court-Room. The
way to the carriage lined by strong body of
policemen placed there by order of District Attor-
ney Mann and Judge Kelley.
I The courage of Vandyke and his allies seemed
to pale before the stern determination of Judge
Kelley and District Attorney Mann, to vindicnte
the dignity of the Courts and to enforce the laws
of pennsylvania and Jane johnson entered the
carriage which was in waiting for her without dis
turbance. She was accompanied by an intrepid
police officer, aHd the carriage borne away in
safety, and State sovereignty trumphed over the
insoent invasion Of usurped authority on the part
Of Federal officers.
Judge Kelley, in his charge to the Jury, =
document honorable to him us a man and us
Judge explicitly asserted that when Col Wheeler
and his servants crossed the border of Pennsylya
nia, Jane Johnson and her two sons became as free
as he."
! When Passmore Williamson was committed to
prison, every learned an upright lawyer OF our
city, and every citizen capable of approaching
and respecting the rights and true liberties of the
people under free government was shocked and
alarmed by the outrage upon the painest prnci-
! pie of law and of justice, Of which Judge Kane
had been guilty. But the people of Pennsylvania
never imagined that n sovereign State impo-
tenl 10 TeurcsS lne htOup anu pTOieCl hHdlHsIt
judicial error folly, wickedness, the personal
liberty of her citizens. Their thoughts
instantly and naturally turned to the habeas cor
puS: that dear-bought right of free people, that
sacred palladium of their liberty, in which our
nation gores. To this Passmore Williamson
might confidently appeal. The aid of this he
might demand, ~ undoubtcd right. lie did de-
mand it. Application was made by his counsel to
Chief Justice Lewis, of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, for writ of habeas corpus, with n
view to hiE liberation if the commitment of Judge
Kane should be found to be illegal. Judge Lewis,
though bound, by virtue of his Office to issue this
writ upon such application, assumed the RESPONSE
bility Of refusing to do So on the ground that one
Court should yield to another the respect which it
claim for its own adudcations
Failing to obtain justice where it should have
been promptly awarded him. Mr.. Williamson, by
his counsel, renewed his application to the Su-
preme Court in Janc, sitting at Bedford on the 18th
Of August. His application was fully and ably
argued by Messrs. Charles Gilpin and VIM. Nj.
Meredith. These gentlemen asserted the petition
er's right to the writ, and earnestly protested
against being called upon to argue the question: in
face Of the imperative requistion of the act OF
1885, that the writ shall be issued upon such
petition and its imposition of penalty upon any
judge who shall refuse to reward it. Mr.. Meredith
concluded his eloquent and impressive argument
with the following language:
GAS regards the proceedings of the District Court
l have argued tho question of jurisdiction only,
the errors in law In other respects OF these pro.
ceedinGs ! shall not enter upon. The odd use of
the writ of lIabeas Corpus in applying it to the
purpose of depriving a party of liberty, instead
Of restoring it the allowing n traverse of the
return, which can only be allowed by statute, and
which statute allows in the Courts of the United
Saes-the taking that traverse by par0l merely
the assuming to decide upon it the fact of abduc-
ton upon insufficient evidence, and from that to
deduce a continuance OF custody on no evidence at
all-the absolute inconsistency of the record which
after setting out full complete, and uneyasiVe re-
turn proceeds to commitment for a supposed re- }
fusal to make any return,-I do not know that all
these and other errors would of themselves enable
this Court to interfere, if the District Court had
no jurisdiction of the case. But as the Court had
no jurisdiction, the circumstances, all of the m
operating oppressively on citizen entitled to
your protection, do greatly aggrava!e the case, and
il that be possible, your just obligation
to ielieve him. They do indeed tend to show
want of jurisdiction for surely Proyidencel would
never have permitted a Court of competent juris-
diction to fall into so many errors in one case
II now leave the matter in the hands of the
Court 1t is impossible to conceal from ourselves
the fact that the essential rights of this Common
wealth are invaded, This condition Of things is
is nauspicious. To correct it, nothing is wanted
but the firm nd temperate discharge of your duties
as magistrates and ministers of the law"
"The question here has nothing to do with the
rights or wrongs, the conduct or misconduct OF the
North the South. 1t concerns principles on
which all are agreed. That each State has the i
,19 To regulate her domestic relations and in'
stitntans-tat the Courts Of the United States hare
no right 10 interfere oiM control Mem-that ct o
GenS Of other States that upon her soil are, hae
there bound to respect and obey her ld'cs :these
say are the principles involved here, and they
are quite as dear to the South as to the North !,
hey ought to be quite as dear to the North as to
the South. I
1t has come to the point that failing yonr aid, r
hey are no longer safe in Pennsylvania. invoke a
hat aid with confidence, and, if it be granted :
he rights of the Commonwealth win have been
and the affair from which these ques-
ions have orgnated-untowsrd in all its aspects ii
will be left to be determined by the the laws of
he State, in some appropriate FORM" F
Posterity will Ecarcely believe that Pennsylvania,
,oasting of her democracy, and her tenacious re. z
nect for Stata Rights could -. la n cunran,a N