M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1857-06-11
The Fugitive Slave Case.


been given to the United States Mar,
shall to perform his duty with the as
surance that the Administration will
do the same. The case is even more
fragrant in character than we at first
supposed. Tie Cincinnati Enquirer
says:
The testimony in the case shows
that the Sheriff of Clark County was
fully aware of the official character
and authority of the officers of the
United States, who had arrested Ger,
tain parties, against whom there were
warrants issued from the United
States Commissioner, in this city, for
a violation Of the Fugitive-Slave Law;
that he obtained writ Of habeaS cOiput
from a county court and, with a des
perado of police officer, proceeded tC
intercept the officers, and without
even exhibiting his authority, or de
claring his character, drew O pisto.
and endeavored to shoot the Deputy
Marshals, while his Assistant actually
did snap and fire his pistol twice a
the officers.
Fooled, however, in their efforts, the
cry went forth through the fanaticaI
regions of Greene, Campaign and
Clark-a cry invented and raised by
the demagogues in that region, that a
gang Of Kentuckians were kidnapping
and carrying off certain of the citizens,
The object was to excite the passions
of the ignorant and violent, and in
stigate them to join in the foray a,
gainst the authorities Of the United
States. The parties who were active
in overcoming the Marshals by their
superior force, and releasing the priS-
oners in their custody, were fully cog
INFANT of the falsehood of these pre-
texts, and ofthe authority Of the Uni
ted States officers. They acted know
ingly in the matter, accompanying
their action by words and acts ofthe
most aggravating and insulting char
acter.
Gathering in superior force, they
fell upon the Deputy Marshals near
Xenia, armed with guns, swords and
pistols; arrested them, delivering their
prisoners to the Sheriff of Champaign
County, and bearing the Deputy Mar
shals to Springfield, where they were
i~ncarceratcd literally in q dungeon
men having the commission and
of the United States, the Of
licers of the highest judicial tribunal
under the Constitution-being crowd.
into one small, filthy room, in a base
ment and without windows or ventil-
alton, and subjected to other outrages
that would disgrace a semi,barbarous
people.
While the Marshals were thus con-
fined, their prisoners are hurried off
to Urbana,i in Champaign County, and,
OIL a bogus writ of haJeaS corpus
against "one Churchill, a United
States Marshal" it is pretended, by a
hypocritical, traitorous and cowardly
Sheriff and Judge, that the said Mar
shall has been duly notified to attend
and show cause why the prisoners
not be discharged; 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 instrument
al in having the Deputy Marshals i'm
prisoned and detained by force in
Springfield, twenty,miles off!
OfcourSe the prisoners were releas-
ed. The Enquirer further says:
"We need not inform our readers
that all the statements which have ap.
peared in regard to the outrage or
the United States Marshals, perpetra,
ted by the Sheriff of Clark coun.
ty and other parties, are incendiary.
The true history OF the case will be
presented by the proper parties in due
time, when it will be seen that the
Deputy Marshals acted in strict con.
formity with law and their duty; that
they demeaned themselves properly
and fi~rmly--first demonstrating with
the parties who intertered with them,
and only employing force to resist
force; that there were no Kentuckians
in the posse Or accompanying the Of
%icers; that the Deputies were per-
fectly sober and cool during all the in
suits and violence offered them; that
the parties arrested wore treated in
the kindest manner; that none were
arrested but those against whom the
warrants were issued; that the Sheriff
who was beaten got no more than he
deserved--not so much, indeed, as he
first assaulted the Marshals. All at
tempts to cloud ard complicate the mat
ter are vain. The question is simply
one of resistance to the laws Of the UE-
tied States. The humanity, constitu-
tionality and policy of those laws are
questions to predetermined by Congress
or the Courts OF the United States
not by the people of Clark, Champaign
md GrnnnE c%nnntins of 0hin Have