Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-12-27

not possible for the Executive of the State r;,bo,,
an illegal assumption of authority, to coerce these
oihcers in the ful6lment Of so evident a duty. or to
hnd others willing and ready TO discharge it; but
IL Is unfortunate FOR the fair fame of Ohio that she
had not a Governor, who, in such q crisis, was rem.
ny 10 override, II necessary, oil forms Of law, and
assert the dignitysand rights Of the State. Tho
Governor, the Sheriff, and the Courts, however net.
ed, as we are sorry to be compelled to believe. the
authorities of any other Northern State would have
acted under similar circumstances. For four week,
the fugit;ves were detained'in Cincinnati on tr;,,
before Commissioner Pen1erry, 90 Fugitive Slaves,
ana were held, during that time, in the possession
OF the United States. Marshal. or subject to hi, au.
thoFity. Perhaps had they been brought to tris,
Tor an offence against the laws of Ohio. n iurv of
freemen would haze found q mitigation of tho
crime in the sudden frenzy Of the mother, who saw
Tho utter destruction Of her hopes of freedom, and
believed that there was no deliverance for her
child from slavery except in death. And to all tho
prisoners, undoubtedly, q Penitentiary would have
been a welcome exchange for . life of bondage.
But there was no trial except for the crime of being
fugl'ives from labor The defence was conducted
on behalf Of the prisoners, by Mr.. Jollife of Gin
cinnati, with great zeal and ability. lie claimed
and endeavored to show by a mass Of evidence. tia.
Mary Garner, Simon Garner, jr, and Margaret
Garner, had all. at a previous period, been volun.
tarily brought into Ohio by their masters, and that
they, therefore, as well as Margaret, children born
since that time, were entitled to their freedom uu.
der the laws of that State. lie relied however, far
more upon the Divine than the human law, in rela.
ton to Slavery, in his argument before the court.
but probably was not surprised to find that tho
Statutes OF the Almighty we're not recognized
IN the court OF MIR. Commissioner Penderry, who
Tell back upon certain presidents in the records Of
the Supreme Court Of the United States, and de-.
cided that, even if the Slayes had been entitled to
freedom at any former period, by being taken into
a Free State by their masters, they had forfeited
that right by voluntarily returning to a Slave
State. He therefore decided against the prisoners,
and remanded them into The custody Of the
clai nants.
1t was sal during the progress Of the trial, both
publicly and privately, on behalf of Gaines, the
alleged owner Of Margaret Garner, that there would
be no attempt on his part, to evade q requisition
from the Governor of Ohio upon the Governor Of
Kentucky. should one be mado for Margaret, as a
fugitive from justice. Faith seems to have been
given to this Shareholders promise, and the requisi-
ton was sent, and granted by the Kentucky Gov
ernor. But, as might have been expected, care
was taken by Gaines to render it futile. Margaret
and her children were on their way to a South
Western Statc-the dreaded down the river of
the Kentucky Slave-before the message from
Ohio could reach him.
But death came once more as an n,p ell of mercy.
An accident occurred to tho boat on which they
were embarked, and Margaret, with her infant
child in her arms, was either thrown or sprang
overheard. Tho child was lost. Whether the
mother WAS incapable of saving it, or whether she
chose to leave it to its fate, is known only to her
and to God. 1t is certain that she looked calmly
upon the waters that closed over it, and was heard
to. rejoice that is also was free.
And here ends all public knowledge of her and
her companions. No further attempt has ever
been made by the Executive Of Ohio to assert tho
.ovcreignty of that State and the dignity of her
laws. Margaret Garner and her surviving chill
dren, her husband and their parents have, ere this.
probably, been separated at the auction block, aud
are e~xpiating on some of tn. plantations of the
South where the average duration of the
life Ct n Slave is estimated to be but seven wears,
the crime Of an ATTEMPT to escape from bondage.