New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-12
,PUNNING THE GAUNTLET.
Professor Of Analytical Chemistry, Yale
N,sp. Harm. Conn. May O. ls57

On the Goth Of last July the steamer st. John, run
ming on the route between Savannah, Georgia, and
Jacksonville, Florida, took fire while lying at the latter
place and partially destroyed The stewardess a
free Mexican negress named Angelina Washington was
charged by the officers Of the boat with the arson and
she committed to jail TO await q trial As it
web known that this boat and others belonging to the
line, owing 10 the culpsble careessness Of her
offcers, had been on fire several times previously,
doubts to Angenss guilt created in the minds
of one or two gentlemen who took an interest in her
welfare, and upon investigating the circumstances
surrounding the matter, they became convinced o
her innocence After she had been kept in close
fDemert nine months, one Of these gentlemen having
succeeded in procuring counsel for her, urged the
10 trial. and in spite Ct perjury and most powerful in
fuence exerted against her by the parties anxious to
save themselves from merited disgrace through her
destruction, she acquitted. But she in safety
All no The chivarous Flordans, like the rest Of the
valiant natives of the Sunny South" deter
mined that free negrSs should not escape hanging,
if her hanging could by any method be accomplished
and the Regulators" were OF once put upon her
track. Her phanthropic friend happened TO be that
terror of the fesbdealers, ga shrewd yankee" and
after encounterng series Of dangers, which well
nigh resulted in his and her destruction, the
" Regulators" were baffied the negress was smugged
out of the SayeStates and brought in safety to this
city. She is now here in the house Of an eminent
clergyman.
The life Of this negress (whOis young intelligent and
worthy has been exceedingly evcntful She born
in Monterey, where she living at the time the
broke out between the United States and Mexico.
During the war she acted an interpreter for the
United States mounted rfcmen, and, of course, made
the acquaintance of many of officers. One of these
Lieut.. Clemens, at the conclusion Of the struggle,
brought her to this country family servant and
here she has remained, earning livelihood repuably
and ndustrously, and gaining right to the respect of
all with whom she came in contact. In travelling
through the Slave States with her, Lieut. Clemens
beset by great variety of difficulties in his endeavors
to save her from being enslaved The papers provided
to pass her chainess from place 10 place they now
in her possessiCn) are volumnous, and their written
contents pretentious and prox as the docu-
mens involving treaty between two great nstional
powers They prove the terrible opposition made and
felt down South to the freedom Of person with
comfort through the Southern country free black
human being. We have given but mere outline of
the most important of this Mexit girls experiences
in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
BY the way the girl was born free, on foreign SOIL
and in the service of country, she had earned
double claim to liberty; yet, albeit she legally aud
morally acquitted of all crimes, the Regulators"
Florida declared that she "shoud not live among
them. We hope she may be able henceforth to live
here.