New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-02
SLAVERY IN A FREE STATE.
Ecclesiastical and Political Servilitv
ANOTHER GREAT OUTRAGE

SIR: | have DO smbton 10 obtIu'e my per,cnaJ
history or the attention of your readers, but q. my
reme las already, without any desire OF my par.
been placed before the public avail N, sslf-by ad-
vice Of friends-of my brief soiourn 10 yolr city 10
offer you such saieInen, Of facts 81 may place
in III bit position teiere the public; an hope the
narrative may serve 70 illustrate the bearings Of
Slavery upon the personal security of the citizen of
free State and upon he civil AMI religious liberties Of
he American people.
am nstve OF Kentucky and wss eiu ,..ed there,
but to the honor Of ms parents who wcfe not slave
holders, my education was such as % incline me-
sgsius: Slavery. About tsen'y Yeas since became
a minister in the "Cumberland Prssb,te,,o church -
Th: ecc esiasicel body is located At the S,,,h
e,d its embeis have been. from the b,,i,n,n, with
few exceptions, deci1edly in favor Of Slavery Their
General assembly REUSE 10 legisa ate OF the subs.
on the plea that ~ spiritual body, Gey have no
ocenizsIce of civl matters. Daring the six years
CT my ministerial LAB, - in Kentucky. was known to
re uiioncy TO Slave Y, though layoling The scheme
Ct ColoLiz ston. S0m-nmes presched "a TIE cub
sct which ma e me 81 ohiec' Of suspicion and sub
eced me TO rom. oblrquy, but net win no serious
moi,staton. Yet my pmoval from my native State
was owing 10 my aversion 10 the practice OF slave
holdug During my fourteen years ministry in
Princeton indiana, issd my libsrty 20 preach more
freely egsins. Slavery then had done previously. |
encountered 10 serious opposition from my brethren,
Until TIE rise OF the excitement growing Of the Ne.
brssks question Then they began 10 c.y out hst il
was political question, which ought ne. 10 come into
the pulpit II was rot uItil after this lime that the
events took place which have involved me ia trouble.
IL May, 1854, Thomss Brown of Henderson Ken.
tUoky was arrested aud Imprisoned ON suspicion Of
aiding two female slsyes with their children, to es-
cape from Uuien county, Ky, int Cslada. An
inclination meeting was then held, and committee
eppoirt to notify his wife, with her II title dsugh
teIs TO l,ave the Sot5 wshin few days which were
specified, abide ~ consequences She accordingly
removed with her children 20 Iaciinl, sni came to
Princeton the place Of my residence She was then
stranger to me, but of course l befriended her. A
knoweC ge of this f. was conveyed TO Union county
where | had formerly resided, aud where Brown was
imprisoned. This, as l soon learned, o. 'ssioned a
suspicion tia. was somehow connected with the
escape Of the slaves.
The arrest of Brown though Of coursc il had taken
place in Kentucky, hal been effected BY a dr Gavt
q sheriff of Irdians, without any legal authority to do
so. To this person the following note was now sd-
dressed:
Henderson, Juns g. 1854
"MR. CAN'T: The citizens here have rails cd for you
and these who assisted you one hundred dollars, for
the apprehension and lodging in the Union county JAIL
BrowD, charged with Stealing negroes The citizens
here and in MorgantcG authorized MIR. Harris to say
to you that for the apprehension and sending to the
penltertiary of Brown, who is thus ch>rged, they
would that five hundred dollars would be- paid you.
Stould you produce against Brown such testimony a.
will convict him of stealing slaves from this side Of
the river you may rely on getting This sum from the
ciizens-say five hundred dollars less the hundred
dollars rclosed to you. Please scknosledye the
one hundred dollars inclOsed. Yours respectfully,
"a j. ANDERSON"
This Arch Dixon vas formerly Governor Of Ken
tucky, and was sfterward the successor of Henry
CLAW in the Senate of the United States.
This reward for testimony being offered, Mr.. Gs-
Wits associate, John Ward, Marshal of Evansville,
Indiana succeeded in recurring q witness, one James
Steele who went to Kentucky aud gave tbe only tee
timony upon which Brown convicted, though his
testimony in reality, amounted to nothing, az there
fore wss never published.
At the request of Mrs. Brown, previous TO his
(Steeles going to Kentucky on this business, l
waited on him and endesyOred 10 dissUade him from
going. This was another ground Of suspicion against
me.
Another circumstance was the following: Some .
tine in the ensuing autumn 1854 citizen Of Eveus
yile Ind, Eli Bryant, native of Kentucky being 10
Henderson, KY, was arrested, and without even the
fornality Of affidavit thrown into prison. and
detained there for more than half year, without
right or justice merely on suspicion, and then dis
charged without trial, on his signing bond under
penalty Of two thousand dollars, never during life, TO
core into the Stse again where his relatives reside.
While in confinement no wrote letter 10 his WIFE in
which he advised her TO consult with me- in respect TO
obtaining assistance for the family they were poor.
This letter was intercepted, broken open and copied,
and furnished the ual ground of proceedings against
me. A reward OF one Thousand dollars wa thereupOn
Immediately offered, In private, to any person who
would either decoy Inc into Kentucky or take me
there by force.
little before this time the Indiana presbytery Of
the Cumberland Presbyterian church. to which be-
longed, while in session at Washington, Davies
county, Indiana, resolved That it is not expedent
to discuss the subject Of American Slavery from the
pulpit Tie resolution was passed by vote Of
seventeen 10 three. This imme iiatey after had
preached sermon agalnst Slavery before the presby-
terry. Psyir no regard to this action, proceeded to
preach aterward as hat formerly DONE
Tie pnsbytery met again at Mount Moriab, Gibson
county, last April. A resolution was introduced by
one of the members and seconded 10y myself as
follows:
Whereas, 1t is the duty Of every Christian and
ecclesiastical body, az su:h, TO bear their testimony
against all evil and ubereas, American Slavery Ia a
Pre- at moral evil;
Resolred Therefore h at it is the aenso Of this pres
byttry that American Slavery is grsa. moral evil
contrary TO the spirit Of the Gospel Of our Lord Jesus
Cbrist.
This resolution with the preamble was rejected By
the pesby,ery in lie adoption Of substitute indsrsng