Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-02-19
ALBANY, January 81, 1857.
CASE OF HENRY DIXON STATEMENTS OF
ASHLEY SAMPSON, OF ROCHESTER.

ALBANY, January 81, 1857.
CASE OF HENRY DIXON STATEMENTS OF
ASHLEY SAMPSON, OF ROCHESTER.
Henry Dixon was formerly free citizen
Of Rochester, well known from his child
hood as an honest, Industrious, intelligen,
and respectable man. His father was also
smith by trade, and the owner of his shop
and tools. He gave his children a good
common school educ atson, and among them
Henry was a universal favorite, both in this
city and in Auburn. where be lived for some
time. None of the family were ever slav es
until Henry was kidnapped.
Two letters have been received from him
since he has been in bondage, the last by
j. S. Seymour, Es :, Cashier Of the Bank
OF Auburn. In these letters he states that
while on his way homo from Washington,
where he had been employed, he stopped at
"a hotel between Washington and Baltimore,
where he was persuaded to lodge. During
The night he was seized by some ruffians
while he was asleep, and kept in place Of
confinement for two or three days. He
was then taken to slsvepen and sold to a
man named Dean, of Macon, Ga, where he
still remained in slavery at tbs date Of his
last letter.
His letters, with ufidavits, were, IS am
informed, laid before Gov. Clark, who ap-
pointed Austin as an agen. unuer The act
of May l4th, 1910, to proceed 10 Macon
and effect the restoration Of Henry to Free
dom.
Mr.. Austin, on his arrival at Macon,
learned that at or about the time of the
date of Ilenry's last letter, Dean his pre-
tended owner, had sold HIM and no longer
had him in his possession. Mr.. Austin's 5
efforts to find out 20 whom Henry had been
sold, or mis- whereabouts, were unsuccess-
iul. Mr. Austin employed legal counsel
(Messrs. Poe s. Grier) to aid him in the
m4tier. His counsel, alter dIligent exer-
tiIn to find Henry, advised Mr.. Austin to
return home. promising to continue their
efforts in the case. have since been i'll
correspondence with Messrs. Poe g. Grier,
Of Macon. They INFORM NE that the resul,
of their lnbors has been to obtain from
Dean an offer, ''if he ever owned the negro
in question, to surrender him to his friends
for seven hundred dollars" They further
advise me that this is the only way to Sc
cure Henrv's freedom, and also that early
action is ne ecessarys 10 prevent his being
sold into irretrievable slavery.
Signed, ASHLEY SAMPSON.
THE CASE OF CHARLES GRANBY-sTATE-
aENr OF JOSEPH coCRRAEE, OF RICH,
EsTER.
In the spring Of 1856, Mr. Chamber
lain, of Twinsburg, Summit county, Ohio,
wrote to Frederick Douglass, of Rochester,
that fugitive slave srOp piping at his house
had Informed him that young man, ma
tive OF Rochester, was held in slavery by a
Mr.. Hill, in the Parish Of Hayvile, Louis
lana, on The Mississippi river. thirty miles
from New Orleans.
About month after receiving this for
nation a colered mun named Reed, also a
native of Rochester, who knew the CRANKY
family, came to me and stated that the
young man described above and named
Charles CRANKY, desired me to use all nv
ppwer to effect his release from bondage. he
(Grarby) being well acquainted with me.
having been formerly in my employ. The
sai6 Reed further stated that he saw CRANKY
last winter al work on the dock in front Of
Mr.. Hills residence in Louisiana, and du-
ring conversation with him, the said
Granny urged him to see me and ntercede
with me in his behalf These statements.
with others describing the situation and
Reed verified by affidavit before Hen. WIN.
S. Bishop, OF Rochester.
Mr.. Bishop, the refore, prepared the ne
c"ssary papers for an application to 'he
Governor for commission, under the act
of May IA, 1910. to rescue the said CRANKY
from slavery. Having procured the proper
authority and appointment from G sv. CLARK
proceeded 10 New Orleans to search for
CRANKY. After procuring writ of habeas
corpus, in company with Sheriff, | visited
the plantation of Mr.. Hill and personally
examined all his slaves, some two hundred
in number, but found no one resembling the
said Charles CRANKY. Some of tire state
ments made by Reed differed from the facts
| found existing on the place where CRANKY
was said to be. The Christian name of
Hill, the rumber of his slaves. and the dis
tance Of his plantation from New Orleans,
were incorrectly given in the affidavit
Although the said CRANKY is undoubtedly
held in slavery IN some part of the South,
my utmost eXertions 10 discover him have
20 lar been unavailing.
JOSEPH COCHRANE.
Rochester, Dec. 27th, 1855.