New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-08-14
THE WONG PARTIES INDICTED.

under the law oil Pennsylvdnla Dy MI wheeler
act, is the finding OF bills of indictment in the
Criminal Court of Philadelphia against the per-
sons who aided those manumitted slaves in
claiming and vindicating their rights to liberty.
This event will admit of several conjectural eI-
plantations.
1t may be-we are 10th to make such suppO.
sition-but still it may be-that the majority Of
the Grand Jury who have found these bills are
bloodhounds Of the Kane and Ingraham pack,
disappointed that a woman and two children
should have escaped their grip, and seeking to
console themselves as we'll as their masters by
barking and growing at Mr.. Williamson and
the other indicted parties; perhaps even enter
tanning hope that petit jury may be found
as ready as themselves to take the law of Penn
sylvania from Judge Kane, and to accept as
truth-a little eolOred perhaps, to suit the cir
cumstances, and perhaps little distorted by
fright but still as near enough to the truth for
the occasion (this being only case Of niggers
and Additionally -the testimony of Mr.. Wheel
er. What goes to strengthen the possibility
that such may be the fact is the circumstance
that Mr. Still has also been indicted, which
looks as though the intention was TO involve in
the accusation all those who might be witnesses
for the defendants, thus leaving the case to
stand upon the sole testimony of the frightened
and indignant ambassador to Central America.
Or it may be-still retaining this disagreeable
supposition that the majority Of the Grand Jury
belong to Kane's paek-it may be that these in
dictments are mere ruse to draw the woman to
Philadelphia in the character of a witness, there
by putting her within the grasp of Kane and his
brethren on the bench, the slavecatching Com
missioners. If so, however, this ruse will be
likely to fail. Nobody would advise the woman
under existing circumstances to visit Philadel-
pha in any character whatever. 1t is true that
as witness she is entitled to protection going
and coming; it is true that by the laws of Penn
sylyania she is free woman; but what care
Judge Kane and his slsvecatching colleagues for
the laws of Pennsylvania or the process of the
State courts And with Supreme Court so
much afraid of Judge Kane or in such secret
sympathy with him that it is not able to, or will
not, deliver Passmore Williamson from the false
Imprisonment in which he is held, what sane
person would voluntarily entrust his liberty to
the guardianship of the Pennsylvania tribunals ?
There are, however, other explanations of the
conduct of this Philadelphia Grand Jury in finding
these bills less inconsistent with their personal
and their official independence,
and which we would fain hope to be the true
ones 1t may be that seeing matters at
dead lock-the State of Pennsylvania disgraced
and her peace broken in the imprisonment of a
worthy citizen by a passionate, malicious and
Federal Judge on false pretenses,
against which (even though the Imprisonment
should be for liie) the Supreme Court of Penn
sylyania processes itself unable to afford any
remedy-it may be that seeing the Superior
and discredtable predcament-Judge Kane in
the act of taking upon himself the authority not
only of supreme Judge but of supreme dictator,
dsgracing his assumption ofpower bya malicious
and spiteful piece Of vengeance, and Chief JUS
tice Lewis equally disgracing his abdicaton Of
Office as a Judge of the Supreme Court by a
pitiable confession of weakness-it miy be
that in the patriotic hope to help the courts OF
law to escape out of this painful position, these
indictments have been found with the expecta-
tion that Passmore Williamson being brought
up for trial upon them, and thus being taken out
Of the custody of the Federal officers, these
officers being thus once relieved from this very
hot potato, some legal hOcus-pocus may be con-
jured up under which, without seeming to yield
anything, Judge Kane may suffer the imprison-
nent for contempt TO drop, and may thus per-
NIT the reign of the laws to commence once
more in Pennsylvania.
Another explanation of the finding of these
indictments lie, that the Grand Jury have re.
solved 10 bring forthwith to a judicial test the
new.fsngled doctrine started by Judge Kane as
to the right of holding slaves in Pennsylvania;
but if such was the intention of the Grand Jury,
it seems to US that they have made mistake in
the selection of parties to be indicted. 1t is
hardly to be supposed that any Pennsylvania
judge can be found who will venture to instruct
jury that Mr.. Wheeler could have any rights
as an owner over persons whom he had DELHI
erstely brought into that State; nor if such
crazy judge could be found, is it likely that
petit jury could pay any attention to his in
structions. The trial of Passmore Williamson
and the others can hardly fail TO result in an &C.
quitta by the jury-so that the point of law as to
the holding of slaves in Pennsylvania cannot be
raised in a shape to come before the Superior
Courts. If it is wished to raise that question,
the true process would seem to be to indict
Mr.. Wheeler; and that his own account of the
matter furnishes abundant ground to sustain