Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-06-04
Rich M uSS!

Arrest and Release of II tsioners-Resist.
ance Of the Government Authorities
Springfield and Xenia Abolitiouisn i,
Arms United States Officials Impris-
oaed,
Some of our cotemporaries, here
and elsewhere, lately had an account,
more or less enormously detailed, of an
attempt that was made last week by
some Deputy United States Marshal
from this city, Hamilton and other towns
to arrest fugitive slave, owned in
Kentucky, and who had been harbored,
fed and employed near Johannesburg,
Champaign county. The attempt to ar
rest, We might as we'll here premise, was
then unsuccessful, the negro having re-
treated to the loft of the log cabin of his
harborer and employer, which owing to
its peculiar construction, was as good to
him as a fort, having entrance way only
to one head and body at a time, and
from which he bid defiance to the force
in pursuit of him-one of the Deputies
barely escaping being made a target for
n well aimed bullet, discharged from the
pistol of the fugitive.
Owing then to the danger which would
have to be encountered in an attempt to
dislodge the negro from his fastness, and
the threatened violent resistance which
his harborer had summoned to his aid,
in the presence of some dozen or more
of the neighbors and citizens of the vii
lage, pursuit was temporarily abandoned,
that a better organized plan might be
matured and put in execution. This
was done, and on Monday evening a
party of regular and especial deputies,
numbering some half dozen or more,
started upon the cars; not only in the
enterprise to pursue, and, if found,
arrest the fugitive slave, but also armed
with authority and process of law 10
arrest all who had been known as har-
borcrs and protectors of the negro and
resistants of the first attempt to secure
him.
This party of officials, as we have it
from verbal report, were not able to find
the negro-he having been smart enough
to take the Underground Railroad train;
but they took into custody, as we are
advised, some six of the aforesaid special
conductors of the Underground Express.
The officers and their prisoners, yester-
day morning, had safely progressed so
far on their way as to Xenia, when their
further progress was arrested by a local
official springing upon them with a writ
of habe0s corpus, issued by some State
Judge in Clark county.
This local official had for aid a large
gang of the Abolitionist, of Springfield
and Xonia; and sufficiently strong to
overpower the deputy Marshals; who
were there arrest and taken back to
Springfield. Thus the table were COM
plctely turned. The arrest parties were
discharged out of the custody of the de-
puties, and the latter were jagged, and
are now diving upon the vapors OF a
-
As this last phase in the matter is
only a fair beginning in another exciting
AID pcrp'exing niger Use, to bc followed
some time to come, no doubt by
other demonstrations, in which National Y
and State authorities will again be ,
brought into hazardous conflict, we shall !
ourselves of such opportunities as {
may be presented to keep our readers re- !
Ii ;bly posted. As judges Mclean and |
are both absent from the city at I
this time, there will be necessarily be Il
delay in the proceedings essential to de-
the deputies from the inequalities !
of the Springfield jailer. In the mean
We hope the no,c prisoners will bear
their honors with proper mcekness, and
join their friends down hear in good
spirits-GS soon as thly can get OWt-Cin.
enquirer. =,