The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-04-25
(FrorA the St. Louis News, April 81

(FrOlA tue Oh Louis news, ApIu o.
The Original bred Scott q Resident Of |
Sc. LOuis---Sketch of his History.
The dis ingnished colored individual who |
has made such a noise in the world in the |
case of Scott against Sanford, who has be-
come so tangled up with the Missouri Com
promise and other great subjects-Dred
Scott, is resident, not citizen, of st. Lou
is. lie is well known to many of our citi-
zens. and may frequently be seen passing
along Third street. lie is an old inhabitant,
having come to this city thirty years ago.
bred Scott was born in Virginia, where
he belonged to Capt. Peter Blow, the father
Of Henry G. Blow and Taylor Blow, of this
city. lie was brought by his master to St.
Louis about thirty years ago, and in the
course of time became the property of DR..
Emerson, surgeon in the army, whom he
accompanied on that trip to Rock Island and
Fort Smelling, on the ground of which he
based his claim to freedom. The wife of
DIR. Emerson was formerly Miss Sanford,
and is now Mrs. Chaffee, wife Of lion. Mr..
Chaffee, of Massachusetts,. He has been
married twice, his first wife, by whom he
had children, having been sold from him.
He had four children by his present wife
two boys, both dead, and two girls, both
living. bred was at Corpus Christi at the
breaking out of the Mexican war, as the
servant of Captain cambridge, whom he
speaks of as "good man."
On his return from. Mexico he applied to
| his mistress, Mrs. Emerson, then living near
St. Louis, for the purchase of himself and
family, offering to pay part of the money
down, and give an eminent citizen of St.
Louis, an officer in the army, as security for
the payment of the remainder. His mis-
tress refused the proposition. and bred be-
ing informed that he was entitled to his
freedom by the operation of the laws regu-
lating the Northwest Territory, forthwith
brought suit for it. The suit was common
ced about ten years ago, and has cost bred
$500 in cash, besides labor to nearly equal
amount. 1t has ven him a cheap Of troub-
| le," he says, and if he had known that sit
was going to last SO long, he would not have
brought it. The suit was defended by Mr..
John Sanford, as executor of DR.. Emerson's
will.
bred docs not appear at all discouraged
by the issue of the celebrated case, although
it dooms him to slavery. lie talks about
the affair with the ease of a veteran litigant,
though not exactly in technical language, and
is hugely tickled at the idea of finding him
self parsonage Of such Importance. He
does not take on airs, however, but laughs
heartily when talking of ''de fuss dey made
'dar in Washington bout de old niger"
He is about fifty years old, We should
think, though he does not know his own age
He is of unmixed African blood, and as
black as a piece of charcoal. For two or
three years past he has been running at
large, no one exercising ownership over him,
or putting any restraint upon his movements.
If he was disposed to make the attempt, lie
could gain his freedom at much less cost
than even one-tenth of the expense of the
famous suit He will not do so, however,
insisting on abiding by the principles involv-
ed in the decision of the suit. He declares
that lie will stick to his mistress so long as
he lives. His daughters, Eliza and Lucy,
less conscientious about the matter, took adj
vantage of the absence of restraint on Their
movements, year or two since, to disappear
and their Whereabouts remains mystery.
| bred, though ilterate, is not ignorant
| He has travelled considerably, and has inl-
proved his stock of strong common sense by
much information picked up in his journey
ings. He is anxious to know who owns
him, being ignorant whether he is the prop
erty of Mrs. Chaffee, Or Mr.. Sanford, though
we presume, there is no doubt that the for
mer is his real legal owner. He seems tired
of running about, with no one to look after
him, while at tie same time he is slave
He says, grnningly, that he could make
thousands of dollars, if allowed, by travel
ling over the country and telling who he is.
The Mr. Sanford spoken of above, is Ma
j)r John +. A. Sanford of New York City.
! He is the son-in-law of Pierre Chouteau, Jr.,
the distinguished millionaire of St. Louis,
and was one of the original incorporators of
the Illinois Central Railroad, and has been
one of the Directors and prominent mana
gers of the road till within a short time
since, when he became temporarily insane
| Ell. G0lenn Adc.