Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-06-04
The Fugitive Slave case.


for the last several days, the particulars
of which, and disgraceful conduct of
the Abolitionists of Clark and Campaign
counties, we suppose all our readers are
familiar with before this time. We
shall not therefore, fill our columns with
the various lying statements which first
appeared and originated in the Adolf
ton papers in regard to the outrage on
the United States Marshals, by the Sher-
iff of Clark county and his Abolition
posse, but will be content to give what
the Cincinnati Enquirer of Tuesday
morning says of the case, which is not
yet closed, having on motion of the
counsel adjourned over until next We'd
nesday. The Enquirer says:-"There
has been no cxaggeration of the lagran-
cy of the assaults or indignity to the
authority of the United States, and of
the injuries and insults offered to the
men who were engaged in serving the
writs of the highest court in the land.
The testimony in the case shows that
the Sheriff of Clark County was fully
aware of the official character and au-
thority of the officers of the U. States,
who had arrested certain parties, against
whom there were warrants issued from
the United States Commissioner, iu-this
city, for a violation of the Fugitive slave
orr. +loE ho ol4,,n1 --,+ &C I~T.-,
corpus from a county court and, with a
desperate of a police officer, proceeded
to intercept the officers, and without
even exhibiting his authority, or declar-
ing his character, drew his pistol aud
endeavored to shoot the Deputy Mar
shals, while his assistants actually did
snap and fire his pistol twice at the of
fcers.
Fooled, however, in their efforts, the
cry went forth through the ~fanatical re-
gions of Greene, Champaign and Clark
"A cry invented and raised by the dem
agogues in hat region, that a gang of
Kentuckians were Kidnapping and car
rying off certain Of the citizens. The
object was to excite the passions of the
ignorant and violent, and instigatc them
to join in the foray against the authori-
ties Of the United States. The parties
who were active in overcoming the Mar
shals by their superior force, and re-
leasing the prisoners in their custody,
were fully cognizant Of the falschood Of
these prctcxts, and of the authority Of
the United States officers. They acted
knowingly in the matter, accompanying
their action by words and acts Of the
the most a~ggravating and insulting
character. Gathering in superior force,
they fell upon the Deputy Marshals
near Ncnia, armed with guns, swords
and pistols; arrested them, delivering
their prisoners to the Sheriff of Cam
paign County, and bearing the Deputy
Marshals to Springfield, where they
were incarceratcd literally in a dungeon
eight men, having the commission and
authority of the United States, the off
GERS of the highest judicial tribunal un-
the COnstitution-being crowded
one small, filthy room, in a base
and without windows or ventila-
ton and subjected to other outrages
would disgrace a semi -barbarous
While the Marshals were thus confn-
ed, their prisoners are hurried off to
Urbana, in Champaign County, and, on
bogus writ of habcas corpus against
:one Churchill, a United States Marsh
al," it is pretended, by a hypocritical,
traitorous and cowardly Sheriff and
] Judge, that the said Marshal has been
duly notified to attend and show cause
why the prisoner should not be discharg-
cd; that he has failed to appear; and the
Judge orders that his name be cried at
the door of the Court house, when he
and his Sheriff have been already instru-
in having the Deputy Marshals
imprisoned and detained by force in
Springfield, twenty miles off!
There is something more than the Or
lawlessncss and violence of Abo-
Iition treason in all this. 1t is a cold
base, cowardIy, fraudulent,
hypocritical conspiracy to dishonon de-
grade and trample upon the individuals
the employ of the Federal Govern
nCut, to bring the authority Of the
and its highest tribunals into
contempt, to render the laws of Con-
yress null and void within the State Of!
Ohio, and make her name odious thro'-
out the States, as the favorite arena Of
~lisunionism, lawlcssness and faithlcss-
ness to her obligations and duties as one
Of the confcdcracy.
Under these circumstances we are
glad to know that the defense of the au-
llrority of the Federal Court, in such
matters, is instructed to a firm and COM
officer, and that he has already