Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-02-21
groes to settle among us.

groes to settle among us.
ut is q burning shame that the citizens Of Port
Jcrvis should allow a citizen to remain in Jail sim.
ply because they are too penurious to come on and
! recognize him, and q damnablo shame that the
great State Of New York, after s~hrieking for ne.
gro freedom-voting for Fremont aud free negroes
should abandon one Of her citizens. You being
at the head OF your Republican party-a man Of
sense and cunning-is the reason why I address
you. Ii you ,ctH not help your friend, you must
call on your friend Horace Greedy. Had it not
been for Col. X. T. Paine. vLo is in the House
of Representatives, the negro would have been
sold long since. Call on Col. Paine for informa-
ton.
"Yours, &c, FRED L.. ROBERTS"
To this letter Mr.. Seward replied as follows:
"wAsnrScroN, Dec. 81, 1856.
"Dear Sir: Your letter of the 18th instant, in.
forming me That n black man, calling himself
Antony Adams, mailing from Port Jervis, New York
has been in Jail since the Goth of June last, at an
expense of thirty cents per day, and will be sold
If his identity cannot be established by some re-
spectacle white person'-That his friends have
been informed of his where.abouts, and that he
certainly will be sold for his Jail fees if some one
who knows him does not come on aud release him,
has Just been received.
1.-The subject is entirely new to me, and l thank
you. very sincerely, for the Information.
II have at once written to q discreet person al
Port Jervis, requiring tina. an agent, qualified
by the necessary personal acquaintance with the
person, may SO to your place and effect the re.
lease.
Meantime, l beg you to do me the favor to OBJ.
tain a statement of the Jail fees and other expens.
es required for his liberation, and to draw on me,
at sight, at this place. for the amount, and I will
pay the same on sight of your draft, so that the
danger which might result from delay at Port Jer-
Wis may be avoided
81 am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
civilian II. SEWARD.
FRIEDRICH r. RoDERTs, esq, Edenton, N. c."
Without waiting for an answer from tho Gov
ernor, as soon as the writer Of this received infor-
nation from Washington, requesting US to send
an agent to North Carolina to identify Adams, he
called upon the Hon James Bennett, and suggest
ed that he shouil proceed at once to Edenton, n.
c., and release Adams.
To this he finally consented, and on the Goth
December left Port Jervis on his mission.
just as he was leaving, however he received
the following letter from Albany:
"Sate Of NeO York, Executive Department,
ALBANY Dec. &c, 1856.
DEAR SIR: The Governor is very DESTROYS of
aiding you in tho reacue of the kidnapped AID.
ans, but he is advised that the law makes no pro-
vision fur Adams rescue by authority of the State.
He is therefore reluctantly compelled 30 return
you the papers.
Yours, respectfully.
GEO. E. BAKER, Private Sec.
JAMES BENNETT, esq"
Mr.. Bennett proceeded at first to Washington,
where he was introduced to Colonel Paine of the
House Of Representatives from North Carolina.
and from him learned the true history of Adams's
imprisonment, the interest that several OF the
most influential men of Edenton had manifested
to effect the release Of Adams, and the proper
course for him to pursue to effect Adams's release.
After various delays on the way, Mr.. Bennett
finally arrived at Edentnn; and. as the Hon. Mr.,
Pane had given him letters, and also had apprised
his friends that Mr.. Bennett was on his way to ideh-
tify Adams, no difficulty was interposed, and Mr..
Bennett. with Adams in charge, left Edenton, N.
c., with this pass:
personally appears before me, one Of the JUS
tees OF the Peace in and for the County of Cho-
wan, and State of North Carolina, the bearer, An.
thony Adams, and proves by james Bennett. esq,
that he, the said Adams, is a citizen OF the State
of New York. consequently entitled to all the
privileges of a free person Of color.-Jan. I, 1857
ALEXANDER CHESlNE, j. p.
estate Of North Carolina, Cho,oan County.-I
William K. Skinner, Clerk of the Court of Pleas
and Quarter Sessions of the County and State
aforesaid, do hereby certify that Alexander Chesine
whose genuine signature appears above, is an act
ing Justice of tho Peace in and for said County
duly commissioned and qualified.
.iGiven under my hand and seal of said Court
at Office in It.. s. Edenton, this 9TH day of Janua'
ry, 1851.
With this certificate Mr.. Bennett left Edenton,
under the impression that he and his charge would
have no further difficulty in passing through the
States on his journey toward the North Star.
But arriving at Portsmouth, Va he found n lotc
wing directly across his track, and was fatty told
by the captain of the steamboat upon which he
wished TO take passage to Baltimore that he could
--- -. f..l-. .,.tI tAna.a rnlaeo he IRnn
net could prove by some person in Portsmouth
that the colored man with him was a free man.
Mr.. Bennett in vain showed his pass from the Clerk
of Edentun-in vain offered to make affidavit
himself before the Mayor that Adams was a free
man. The oath of some person in Portsmouth,
that he believed Adams to be free, would alone
answer.
Mr.. Bennett recollected that while staying at
Portsmouth the Sunday previous, he had formed n
slight acquaintance with a gentleman stopping at
the public house, had told him his business iI go.
ing to North Carolina, and had also showed him
! the letter of Col. P"ine. 1t occurred to him that
this stranger would feel justified in going before
the Mayor and niakiog the required oath that he
believed Adams to be II freeman in the charge OF
Mr.. Bennett to convey him to the State Of New
York.
Mr.. Bennett found this gentleman Ito whom he
feels under many obligations) and having gone be-
fore the Mayor. secured the necessary papers to
enable him to proceed to Baltimore.
Arriving at Baltimore, Mr.. Bennett repaired a,
once to the railroad station ami asked for tickets
for himself and Adams. Who will be RESPONSE.
be for the celored man you have with your" in
ouired the ticket agent. Il am responsible foI
him" replied Mr.. Bennett. "Ah my dear Sir
that will net answer. We cannot take the color Cd
man unless pou give bonds to the amount Of ST.,
000." Remonstrance was all in vain. The bond
must be given by somebody who was known tt
the agent.
Mr.. Bennett did not know a single person in Bal
timcre, and Of course could not at once comply
with this requirement. Determined not to be foil
ed, he started for the Washington depot, aud tool
the cars for that city, taking Adams with him mo
daring to leave him in Baltimore, lest he nigh
be again kidnappedj, and the g~entlemanly agen
making not the least objection to his having a col
ored man with him, as he was going South. Dir
Bennett again called upon the Hon. AS. Mum.
E and the Hon. w. IL. Seward, and stated tn,
dilemma in which he found himself. The lat
ter gentleman gave MIR. Bennett a letter to tw
: gen ilemeu In Rnltimore. either Of whom wa