Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-02-05
THE SLAVE sTAMpEDE AND

TRAGEDY IN CINCINNATI.
The Cincinnati Commercial gives long ac-
count of the escape Of party Of slaves from
Kentucky, and the subsequent tragedy, hereto
fore mentioned by telegraph. The Commercial
says
About ten o'clock on Sunday, aparty of eight
slaves, two men, two women, and four children,
belonging to Archibald K Gaines and John Mar
shall, of Redwood Station, Boone county, Ken
lucky, about sixteen miles from Covington, es-
capped from their owners. Three of the party are
father, mother and son; whose names are Simon,
Mary aud Robert; the others are Margaret wife
of Robert, and her four children. The three
first are the property of Marshall, and the 9th
ers of Gaines.
They took sleigh and two horses belonging
to Mr.. Marshall and drove to the river bank, OPP
posite the foot of Western Row, where they left
them standing in the road and crossed over to
this city on the ice. They were missed few
hours after their fight and Mr.. Gaines, spring
ing on a horse, followed in pursuit On reaching
the river shore, he learned that resident had
found the horses standing in the road as above
stated, nearly dead from the hard drive that they
had experienced and half frozen with the cold.
He then crossed over to this CITY. and after 8
few hours diligent inquiry, he learned that his
slaves were in house about aquarter of mile
below Mill Creek Bridge, on the River Road, oc-'
cupied by negro named Kite, a son of Joe Kite of
infamous notoriety. He proceeded 10 the Office
of United States Commissioner John l.. Penderv,
and, procuring the necessary warrants, with T.
S. Deputy Marshall Ellis, and large body of
assistants, went at once to the place, where his
fugitives were concealed. 1t is as well here 10
state that Kite had been formerly owned in the
neiShborhood of Redwood Station, and was pur-
chased from bondage by his father.
Onreaching the house, Major Murphy, neigh
Dor of Gaines, and who was acquainted with
Kite, called on him to open the door and said
that resistance would be useless. This Kite
agreed he would do, but delayed SO long that the
officers attempted to force it open, when win
dow was suddenly thrown up, and one of the
negro men, Robert, presented pistol and fired
The ball wounded Mr.. Patterson, resident of
the Fourth Ward, who had been deputised to as
sist in the arrest. He was standing in front of
the window, and observing the attention OF theme
gro, threw up his hand at the precise moment
the pistol was fired. The bullet cut off one of
his fingers and then struck him in the mouth, in
ficting a severe flesh wound A second party
of officers came up, and the doors were forced
open, and after short but desperate resistance,
the slaves were secured, but not until Robert had
fired three times, but without effect After the
conflict was over, bloody and melancholy spec
tacle presented itself One of the slave children
was discovered lying on the floor with its head
nearly severed from its body, two others, boys,
aged about four and five years, were bleeding
from wounds in the neck and head, and an in
FAINT in the arms of Margaret had its head much
swollen and was bleeding quite freely at the nose
The officers state that Simon and Mary, the eldest
Of the party, made no resistance, but that Robert
and Margaret fought with the ferocity of tigers,
and that during the atfray, she struck her infant
| Il 4
with the intention of taking its life.
During conversation with Margaret, sheStat-
ed tous thatshe was eating breakfast in company
with the other fugitives, when she heard some
one cry out, ''They are coming, they are coming.
They sprang up in alarm, but before they had
time to fly, their captors burst in upon them
She fought with all the strength with which she
was capable, and cannot tell how her child was
killed and the others wounded but only knows
that the death and the wounding occurred dur
ing the atfray This is her story, but it is evil
dent that the bloody tragedy was perpetrated
while the officers were seeking admittance, and
she is said to have acknowledged the fact of kill
ing her child and wounding the others during
the excitement incident to the arrest. The cor
oners inquest, which we give below, will throw
some further light upon the subject
The caphveS as soon as arrested, were placed
in express wagons, and driven rapidly to the
office of the United States Marshal, on Fourth
street, between Main and Walnut, followed by
large crowd of excited people. On'reaching the
MarShalS office, the wounds ofthe children were
examined, when it was found that one ofthe
children had received fleshwound on the neck,
about'three inches in length, but barely pene-
trating the Skin-the other scalp wound, about
! the same length. They are but little hurt, and
yesterday afternoon were playing about the Mar
shaPs Office, apparently unconcerned. On ques-
tioning the little fellows, they said that some
one in the house threw them down and attemp-
ted>to kill them, but they either did not know,
or would not reveal whoit was The slaves on
reaching the Marshal office seated themselves
around the stove with detected countenances,
and preserved moody silence, answering all
questions pronounced 10 them in monosylables,
or refusing to answer them at ALL Simon is ap-
parently about tifty.tiv years of age, and Mary
about fifty. The son of Mr.. Marshall, who is
here in order, ifpossiSle, to recover the proper
" of his father, says that they have always been
faithful servants, and have frequently been on
this side ofthe river He relates that they new
er expressed any dissatisfaction in regard to
their remaining in bondage.
Robert is a young man about twenty-five
years old, of very 1.-THE and active form, and
rather mild and pleasant countenance; he is al
so spoken of by his owner as being an. excellent
about the same age with her husband; her coun-
tenance is far from being vicious, and her senses,
yesterday, appeared partly stulifed from tho
exciting trials she had endured. After remain
ing about two hours at the Marshals' Office, Com
missionet Pendery announced that the slaves
would be removed to the custody of the United
States Marshal until o'clock this morning, when
the case would come up for examination.
The slaves were then taken down stairs to the
street door, when wild and excited scene pre-
sented itself-the sidewalks and the middle of
street were thronged with people, and couple
of coaches were at the door in order to convey
the captiyeS to the station house. The slaves
were guarded by strong posse of officers, and
as they made their appearance on the street, it
was evident that there was strong sympathy
in their favor. When they wereled to the car
riage doors, there were loud cries of ':driveon, "
don't take them" The coaehman, either from
alarm, or from sympathetic feeling, put the
whip to their horses and drove rapidly of, leav-
ing the officers with their fugitives on the side
walk. They started on foot with their charge,
to the Hammond street station house, which