The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-10-28
The Abduction of Bell.


The Louisville Democrat comments in the
right spirit upon the outrage committed IN
the abduction Of Bell from New Albany.
The authorities of Kentucky should mani
fest their reputation and condemnation of
the act by ferreting out perpetrators and
delivering them up to the authorities of this
State for trial. The Democrat says:-
The men who arrested Bell had no more
authority in doing so, than Bells father and
1 brother had to come to this State and aid
and abet slaves to escape. The cases are
parallel, and the action of the parties in
each case was at once violatio. of the laws
of the separate States. and of the Constitu-
ton and laws of the United States.
The law of Indiana upon kidnapping is
clear and distinct. The crime itself is de-
| fined by the statute, and the limits of the
penalty affixed. But there was a reward of
| five hundred dollars for this man, and these
ruffians had no other end in view than to
earn it. If Bell had been guilty of a crime
and we believe he was-there was pro-
per way to arrest him. His crime, aiding an
escape from Jail, as defined in the statutes
of Kentucky, is felony-ArticlesAV Sec
| ton Sand the laws of the United States
| have provided means for arresting such
criminals. Article ", Section % of the
Constitution reads:
"a person charged with treason, felony,
or other crime, who shall flee from justice,
and be found in another State, shall, on de-
mand of the Executive authority of the
State from which he fed be delivered up,
to be removed to the State having juriSdic-
ton of the crime"
Was there any such demand from the ex-
ccutive authority of Kentucky /? Certainly
not. Had these men even a warrant from a
magistrate, as required by the late act OF
Congress of February, 1893, with the
authorization of the Executive Did
they have any authority, or any shadow OF
authority, to seize upon this man more than
any other man in Indiana? We have
heard none. 1t was gross violation OF
law, and one which has been strongly con-
demned throughout our city. In order to
place the principles in a light in which
the feelings, the natural feelings, to
great extent, of the citizens of New AL
, bany look upon it, we will suppose case
That a master having arrested his fugitive
slave in Indiana should, while conveying
him home, be- himself arrested and thrown
into Jail, upon the charge of having kid
mapped the slave that having escaped and
reached Kentucky, he should have been SCI
upon by half Il dozen ruffians without requi.
sition or warrant from Indiana, bound hanC
and foot, dragged from the presence of hi;
= sisters and thrown into an Indiana Jail
We can imagine burst of indignation
+ throughout our city, and if it was asserted
e in justification of the act, that the person
= whom he bad claimed as his slave, was no
his slave, the justification would be repealed
= as begging the question. IL is not an injury
to Bell that is complained of. He ma,
have deserved it. 1t is the insult to tn
: laws of Indiana which is loudly condemned
= by our citizens. 1t is the insult to the Con
: stitution of the United States, and the stail
which these men have put upon our city
We can assure the people of Indiana, tina
). it is as much condemned here as there, an,
we ask of them not to seek redress in turf
Y by violating our laws It the Constitution
il but to use the means they have to punisl
these men. Kentucky will condemn the &C
:, as they can, and the lawful means of redres
Il are open to them. We cannot see any pos
y sible means by which these men can escape
u and any effort to effect redress in anothe
q way will be futile, and will create mLre il
- feeling than it can ever benefit any one.
The chief of the police and the jaiier a
Louisville are charged with being the chic
instgators in the kidnapping of Bell, an
the immediate agents were six Louisvill
- poli emen. An Indignation meeting wa
> held in Louisville on Monday evening, t
), express the feelings of the ctizeus in regar
to the outrage. If Kentuckians wish t
preserve the mutual comfy and good ftit
that has always been observed between I'll
citizens on the opposite shores of the Obi
they must uot let this outrage so unrebukc,
is 1t is necessary to their own safety to pa
o. the severest censures upon the act and brin
s, the authors of it to punishment.