Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-12-13
Miss DELLA WEBSTER'S EXPERIENCES
-. In KENTUCKY,

Miss Della A. Webster teacher from Yer
mona, who. it will be remembered, was sentenced
to the to the Kentucky Pententiary for two
years, from Lexington, a few years since, on the
charge of aiding slaves to escape, and was par
doncd out by the Governor at the end OF six
weeks-writes long letter, which is published
| in the New York Independent 1t purports to
give her experiences in Kentucky since she re-
turned to the State the second time, a few months
after receiving the Gubernatorial pardon. She
states that she bought large farm in Trimble
county, on the river, opposite Madison, and
settled down upon it ; but that from being sus-
pected of still enticing slaves to escape, she was
ordered to leave the State, and when she refused
to do so, was arrested put in Jail, and treated
with great cruelty. Subsequently, she escaped
to Indiana, bnt was pursued there We copy
her own version Of the remainder of the story ::
My pursuers had among them q man who,
from certain resons of his own, was my PERSONAL
enemy. By his agency, Immediately after this,
through his intrigues three old indictments,
which the Commonwealth Attorney had stricken
from the docket ten years ago, by order of the
Court, were redocketed, and warrants issued
under them for my arrest Knowing that this
might appear an incredible thing in our coun
Tys L Holu III my HaluS pcTieCV uocumeuSAI y
evidence of the fact, which am able at any
time to exhibit. The Governor of Kentucky
on the strength of these indictments, sent to thu
Governor of Indiana, demanding me as fugi
tive from justise. Without any inquiries as tx
the merits of the case, the Governor delivered
meup
The Indianians, indignant at such an outrag
upon peaceable citizen, hid me from my pur.
suers. Sometimes they secreted me in the cit,
and sometimes in the country--in hay-mow
in the woods, under brush heaps, in the ry'
field, in the clefts of rocks-sometimes in on
place and sometimes in another, until was tot
feeble to be longer moved about
When | lay PROSTATE with sickness, afts
some twelve days search, the officers got track o
me, took me off from my bed, put me in an opel
buggy and drove me some fifteen miles under
scorching July sun, and after dark made dar
ing attempt to smuggle me across the river
, Here again they were defeated, and took me sc
cretly to Madison, where they confined me i
Jail to await the arrival of the Kentucky officers
, The vigilant lndianians determined shout
have the b. neft of !" habeas corpus" and larry
troop of volunteers stationed themselves aroun
r the Jail to prevent my being kidnapped by tt
| Kentuckians, and there lay in close Jail twen'
\ days before was able to be taken out for tria
a The evening prior to the trial, another requis
5 ton arrived demanding me upon another tie
s year old indictment.
! On the evening of the 2lst of July, 1885,
t both warrants having been tried, was dischar
ed from custody by the decision of Judge Wal
err, of Madison, Ind.
!. Again loiled, those slaveholding Kentuckia
Q return to plumber my premises and under ii
n guise of law my house is robbed of its emit
8 contents, my farming utensils are seized, II
!. grain, hay, ETC., are taken away, my cattle al
r other stock driven off, and am deprived Of Ii
;. entire personal property, even to my wardrob
: Nothing whatever is left upon the place save Il
70 growing crops, the property seized amounting
). $4,000.
!. At the next Circuit Court their writ Of attac
d ment is dismissed, and it becomes the duty of t
n officer to return the property to my possessio
It Instead of this, he secretly sells what had II
,, before been destroyed, and the Shareholders poe
If ct the money.
d Are they satisfied now! No. While on a vi
,e to my aged mother in Vermont, they take a
lie vantage of my absence, steal and sell my crol
IL pocket the money and when return to maxi
=, payment of $4,000 on my place, 10 . have moi
ing with which to make tam bereft of my Ii
dollar, the payment due, and penniless.
This last Spring, to prevent my sending
tenants to take care Of the place, they bro
open and demolished six Of my dwelling-hous
and burned the seventh.
My close confinement in the four differt
prisons amounts to 1913 days, and the loss
m property to $ll ,000.
lie You have here but the outline of my perse'
b. tons, and are at liberty to make such use
he them as your superior judgement shall dicta
Respectfully and truly yours,
H. DELLA A. WEBSTER
of Mrs. Stowe, of " Unclo Toms Cabin ial
", appends note to Mrs. Webster letter, stat
SO that she had examined the documents in the ca
ey and finds them perfectly to confirm the mar
Nv tive in all its points, She adds: l..
Miss W ebster's history shows that there
ed many individuals in Kentucky who are hi
he minded, gallant, and disposed to do what lii
lies in their power for the relief of such saf
- ing, but they are utterly powerless to stay
of hand of Injustice and so will all individu
gu ever bc in II State whose institutions recogn
W. and uphold the most arbitrary despotiam VIII
- is to be found on the face of the Garth
Nh II. B. STOWE
gu -------------
ut The GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA ON THE STA
nd Ry IssuE.-Governor Winston in his me