New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-12-26
THE sLAvE TRADE IN NEw-YoRK.

Africa ard Cubs, and ore or two merssasilc e.
tab ishmenss here is sinews and strength. The
recent slsse trials sbOncsnty prove that Mo.
Crawford; the British Consul at Hssaas, was GER
rect in reporting en- the llth Of 0cscber, 1854, that
"sincsttal the .lsve expeditions for scmc time
past have been fitted out in the United States.
chiefly at New.York, where there must be some
estsb ishmtnt-shp or Quitting, carpenters o.
builders yard-specialy undertaking sach basi-
"Dsss fer the slavers." The number Of savers
dispatched fiom this port within the last three
years. though not easy to state with precision car
not fail .aort Of twenty five or thirty.
From the records Of the United States Courts il
sppesrs that DO vessel seized, and but Ave per-
sons arrested for yat;ons Of the laws a. ainss the
slave trade between the years lSs5 and 1854. I've
of tn. Sc parties forfeited their reeognixancs. one
turned Sia,e's evidence, and no steps were fnallS
TAKEN sgsinst the other two; one Of whom, Cspt
Theodore Canot, in whose ease q aol. pros. We
entered. has since amused himself with writing .
book, entitled Twenty Years on board an African
SLAYER" 1t is certain that the trade YVES BRISK
ope lcng before 1854, the year in which Mr.. Jsha
McKeon became United States District Attarney;
bu, opy then did the authorities begin TO opea theie
ewes al work with viii for the extrpation OF tho
gang Of pirates who infested the city. The success
which has attended these efforts is shown BY the
pregnant facts that though three slaver have bssa
seized and fortysix men held to answer under the
various statutes, two convictions only have taken
place; and the merchant who is all bu. known to b
at the bottom Of the whole business Is still at large.
there not being sufficient proof to warrant hs srrest
and continues to send az least one vessel moath 70
TIE coast of Africa. Why this il. where the blame
should be laid and what new steps must b. taksa
TO insure the punishment Of these pirates and put
an end to their busoess, a brief history Of the
Save cases nil tend to show.
The first person tried was Capt. James Smith Of
the julia Moulton, which was purchased in Boston.
fitted out in New.York aud ipally burnt at Cuba,
after Lac ding there some four ffths of her cargo oil
slaves. the residue having died on board. Capta,n
Smith was tried in November, 1854 under the act
of 1920 az master Of the Julia Moulton, and con-
ycted of the capital oflense Of having received
and conye,ed negroes on board his vessel, with
intent TO make them slayes. The case, how
ever, finally turned upon the point Of The
| captains citizenship la the case Of foreign
| vessel, which the Jul.a Moulton was proven
to be, the act only applies to those Of her
crew who are eitz,n Of the United States. Capt.
Smith was German by birth. But the Govern
| ment introduced his Custom House oath that hs
was On American citizen, which was held sufficient
for the purposes Of the prosecution, unil dsProved
A new trial was, however, subsequently granted,
ON tie ground that there was not sufficient owl
| dence of ciiiztpsbp to warrant conviction. Tha
Government then conseI ted TO Plea OF guilty Of
minor III. nee, and the captain was fined and sen'
te need to three years Imprisonment, which he y
Low serving out in Kings County Jail.
Another case growing out oil this successful
voyage was tried lAst May. Wni- C. Valentine. 81
the frm of cabbage & Valentine ship-chandcrs.
Was indicted for fitting out the Julia Moulton for
the slave trade 1t was scarcely denied that 10
furnished the vessel with most Of her stores, aud
there was testimony going to prove the guilty intent
The case turf ed, in good measure, upon the con-
structiou to be put On the statute under wh CD no
was indicted The sections in point are as follows;
"No citizen or ether person, shall, for himself Others
either build g. equip load OF ethes
Ppse vessel in any pl,ee whs "a, United state.
color oeg9II 70 be i..s.Do..sSs ..y g:ss
or to be held labor and such ve.e built lifted
out equpped ads otherwi.e prepared os such purpose
moey 70 the and the other to the q the
sueh vessel BE- ,ed prosecuted ana eos
any Court Of the United States having eo%Petens
Every person so builaps fitting Out. eauppins losns
be- done wfb intent 10 employ vessel IN
Who shall sny wise be aiding or seeos shs'sia shall %
dollars les than one thousand do0., one mo, 70 sse
poned for exceeding seven nor Ices than tire"
The Cour. held, Judges Nelson and Belts Coz
curing that no person was liable to the penalty d
the los, section quoted, "un,e" he acted In pre-
"paripg or fitting the guilty vessel out, or sidiss
Sin doing so ia the capacity Of master, owner OF
"fsctor, with intent to employ her in the sieve
"trade under bis own power or control" Under
this construction Of the statute, coupled With the
fact that the principal witness against the prisoner
was ore Wills, the first mate Of the vessel, and,
therefore, as participation in the criminal voyage.
obnoxious to great SUSPICION the Jury found little
difficulty IN rendering verdict Of acqaittaJ.
The rulirg made BY the Court in this case took
away oil the practical efficiency of those provisions
q The Inv which bear upon the parties most m
fault, as was abundaLtly proved 10 Lasss's Gaze.
which seems to have wholly turned on this point.
Rodoph L. Lassl. was indicted for fitting out tho
Horstio, which ssiled from this port in the year
Ie54, lsnded cargo Of slaves in Cuba, sad aftsr
being bafscrtt.ed by her crew, was taken
Iossession Of by the wrscksrs ID tie f'orha
coat, ard repaired at Key west, between which
| port and New-York she has since pied. IL was
shown on the part Of the Government that thsvei
eel was repaired for .ea uhder Ls'la's general so
p.rintendence ard that the title stood Ia bis nssas,