The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-09-11
THE WILLIAMSON CASE.


We are confident that could not lay before our read
ers ANYTHING more acceptable satisfactory than the
larned and able opnon delivered the 18th instant by
Mr. Justice Black of the supreme court OF Pennsylvania
IN uronouncin the decision Of that court on the petition
from Pssslnore Williamson. t
twin he remembered that williamson assisted by sew
eral negroes abducted from the Hon. john H. Wheeler
minister OF the United States to Nicaragua coored fe-
male servant with her children who were accompany
inc Mr. Wheeler on his way from Washington to New
York there 20 embark for San Juan del Norte The two
rngeaders Of the cooed engaged in this act OF vo
snee have since been indicted for assault and battery and
duly convicted before the proper court in Philadelphia
The abduction occurred tho 18th July. Mr. Wheeler,
on the same day applied the Hon John X Kane, judge
of The district court of the United States in and for
the eastern district of Pennsylvania, praying for
writ Of La5eas corpus against Williamson commanding
Williamson in ordinary form, to produce the bodies OF
tue charged being unawiuy detained in his
possession TO his writ Williamson made return which
return after hearing Of evidence and full discussion was
diudped by the court be untrue and thereupon Will
Hanson was committed for contempt 1t obvious that
tie writ Of ha5eqs erpushe object Of which is to inquire
summay into the OF any persons detention or inn
prisonaens absolutely good for nothing without this
ROVER Of q court to commit for contempt false re-
turn and If the persons detained in this had been
while men nobody would have dreamed of even crticising
the action Of Judge Kane But many people at the
North are stark med the subject OF negroes, and so
many other people find it convenient 10 keep at work on
this raw in the public mind means of personal notor
ETY. or political ADVANCEMENT that agitation has been
got up behalf Of the negroes convicted for assault
and OF Psssmore Willamsons false return to the writ
OF habeas corpus and in the midst of this agitation
we see multitude of persons ready to trample
npon all right and reason, and to disregard every
principle Of justice and law merely because two or three
negroes were the origin Of these legal proceedings Foru-
nately for the Of justice, however, and OF public
peace tho supreme court of Pennsylvania have not allow
ed themselves be frightened from their propriey, nor
their Judicial understanding TO be disturbed by mere abo-
Ion clainor Williamson, in the FIRST place applied to
Chief Justice Lewis Of the supreme court of Pennsylvania
for release by writ Of ha6eas corpus and that honorable
Judge locked the question, as he should have DONE as
simple question Of law and of the jurisdiction courts rs
to which it was perfectly mmateral whether negro
at The bottom Of It white man. and whether there
public excitement on The subject not and very prop
ery refused to grant the writ The question was then
newed before the whole bench Of the supreme court
sstns CT Chief Justice Lewis and Justices Lowre Wood
ward Knox and Black. We have the decision Of the
court in which all the judges but Judge Knox
firm the decision of Chief Justice Lewis.
emneny credable 70 the supreme court of Penn
sylvania that they nave not allowed their minds to be BIZ
ased by the Fictitious camor got up in behalf Of William
SON and his false RETURN suffered themselves to be
~ervea from the path Of duty by any ridiculous sympa
thy in behalf Of professional aboltonis who is making
pretended parade Of volunteer martyrdom in order to
lie elected canal commissioner We invite attention to the
manly lucid, and conclusive opinion of Judge Black
which does honor alike TO himself to the conrt of which he
is distinguished member and to the State Of Pennsy-
vana. s ls