New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-05-01
FACTS OF SLAVERY IN KENTUCKY
A CASE OF CRUELTY AND TORTURE.
Corr-.o,ne.,ee cf The " Y. Tribune

On h0yday the I'm OF Mtrcl 1857 Cl'cutS
Cou,t. for Bourbon County commenced. A
Grspo- jury of sixteen bousekeepers were em-
psppeled I'D sworn. Ga TUESDAY, At nboa, the
Jur, came from their room Into open Court, wien
ne following 1ss read: "An Indictment VS.. AL
"pbeus Lewis Jr. and Margaret his wife, for
"oIuel aud iabuman treatment of slayes A true
"bDl" Upon The reading of wbc ca the foreman
stated That 1t was the unanimous Wisb of the
Jury that, if the law authorized it. che Court
would proceed 80 take iumeoiae possession OF
she saves specified In the Indictment. Tbs caso
being something new uuder the sun" in this
latitude it wa h pit under sdusemeat uosll the
next morning, when an order vas abe b. JDdgs
Duyal directing the Sheriff to take p,sse 'sion of
said slaves, (Sslly, woman Of perhaps 81 or %
years and Martha girl 10 oc IL gears Of ase.)
ana 10 SUMMON the s,ij A. phea, Lewis, Je. aud
Margaret bis vie TO appeal IN 'b7 Bourbon Car
cuit Court, on Tuesday, TIE 2Osb of S'rco, 70
ansYer the said charge. Accordingly, the negroes
were taken possession OF, and placed IN the Gus
fody of Jos Porter, our jailOr, and the parties
summoned as directed.
The next day, n. Lewis came to Paris, saf
employed the best physician or physicians to ad-
mipi,ter to the wants Of bis pretesed SLAVES; but
notwithstanding their skill and the rapid improve
ment made upon them, they were not in coadi-
ton that their owner could bring them into
Court and disprove the allegations which were
made against hin, or rs.ner which we're inside
against his wife. But Oh tho contrary, wnen
tie case was called up in Court, the Hon. Gar
rett Davis, Mr.. Lewis's lawyer, remarked, IN
substance, that the slaves in question we're In the
possession Of the Court, and that the Attorney
for the Commonwealth could have such order
made in the case as he (the Attorney chose.
Nhereupon the attorney, Mr.. Dicserson, Of
GEORGETOWN asked for sn order to sell said slaves,
according to the statute, of which subjOin an
extract:
manly the opi of Jury to eedapgr the life
limb Of ps1 sa.e or sSe 70 Iu1 %. 10
shall be taken and sold ior the benefit Of the
On The presepmsnt Of Grand july setting italy
the testmen Of the sye the Court .h, Cause the owaer
the Sheriff other officer take Of th slave
ard hire bin out peUdns hs proeesonsi ana such ludm1at
sbs be given By tue Cont ths hnins o the
JvIy stall justify" Art 4. secs and Revised s'aiue''
vol 8, p tS4.
The Court then rendered decree to that effect,
appointing Thos. A. Taylor Commissioner, aud
directing him to advertise sod slaves for sale, on
Mepday the I'd day of Aprii, it being County
Court day for Bourbon County. They were adj
verified by sticking the following paper upon the
Court House door and In no other way, and at no
other place that the writer is aware OF:
s o. sh.yEs on, AS Sa sion gn
is IL we case n0 0 he cour aoa.- door 10 Pss
fhe of AurlI
on red u tour months two valuable slave 10 - neso
ssS Sn, sSSse said sSvs. by calling
ter bond with approved security will DC required having
'hs M.seh "a is5s Tiio3 TAYLOR oomm'ner
Notwithstanding we have two newspapers pub
ushed in Paris, and it is the cusSC N to advertise
valuable property sOd under decree of Court,
in the papers the Commissioner and both of
the editors, who are lawyers aud doubtless heard
of the case. for it produced more general excite
ment than any case that wac in Court, however
kept it out of the papers. Why is this sol For
answer, il may be ssid that the predecessor of
the editor of The Flag, for recent notice of the
passage of Matt +. Wsrd through our town, in
which De deDominated him as the great unhulg,"
was attacked shortly after ward in the City of
Lexington by the FlOurnoys, snd genteely caued;
and when re was afterward told that the -Four
roys were relatives Of the Wards, AMI that thoy
were Influential men too, whose politics were
with The Flag, aud therefore he oush. not to have
published such snotice he replied thst he did not
know they were relatives. In commenting uDon
this. the editor of The Citizen said MA the ed sor
who WAS caped ought to have known that w ard
was felat,d 10 some one. Both of our editors
know that "Alpheus Lewis aad Margaret his
"wife" have macy wealthy relations aud i! is
even VET true that " tIe rich hath many trteads'
II was evident, however, that the neighbors of
Mr.. Lewis intended to DO all that the law would
enable them 10 DO, 70 correct the evil complained
Of and i. is generally understood tnst if there is
arepetition Of suoh conduct as has been lately
perpetlated the law viii not be called into fequi-
sitiop, inasmuch as IT is very inefficient one, -
such conduct, they ssy, shall not again be known
- them and 90 UNPUBLISHED.
I. will be observed that our Law does not pro-
bibit our tyrants from resuQpiying themselves
with servants or rather slsve3; nor, indeed lies
II take from them, 81 only for time, those tqar
have been barbarOutly treated Mr.. Alexander,
a merchant OF Paris, after seeing these negroes,
became very sbxOus to purchase the elder one,
from the fact that be, about two years ago,
bought her father and mother at the sane tine
MIR. Lewis bought Sally, aud he had found them
to be good servsnts aud wished toh buy her, meas
uraby 10 crafty her parents, not d0ubting TIA.
she too was good servant, az she was 50 repre-
seutad CT Aha sale tu,o 81 an hax ANN