Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1858-12-19
History OF TEE AnIsrAD CASE.

HISTORY OF TIE AMIsTAD CASE
Mr. BUCHANAN, in his message, repeats the
recommendation made IL his frstsHnual mes
sage 10 Congress, 10 favor Of an sppropriau'n
9 to be paid to the Spanish Government TOT ~
purpose Of distribution among he claimants u
he -s.aistaa case and declares hat be enter
t,ins no doubt hat indemnify lie fairy Que 70
49, sfnsr under our treaty with sPain'
tbs s7fb Of October, ITs5, As It Is pro-
bsble hat this case will be pressed upon inc
copsiderstion Of Congress, at its present SEES
siOa. fer the Information Of ouT readers, VINO
are not converssnt with its history, we publish
The subioiaed extrsci, from a late letter Of
IEw1s TArFAN, ia reference to It, which we
6nII IN The New York Ersnins Post:
/. FIfty-four recently imported negroes, held
ss slaves in Havana, were purchased there by
two Spauiards, Ruiz and Montez, and shipped
on beard the schooner II Hmisfad 70 Principe,
about one hundred Leagues distant, on The Is
land Of Cuba.
.. After being out four dsys the negroesEose
IN the night, killed the captain and cook,
plseed Mcutez, who bad been a sea captain, at
the helm, requiring BIN to steer the ship for
Africa. and confined Ruiz below.
3. Mon;ez stsered eastwsrdly in the daytime,
because the negroes could tell bis courses By
the sun, but put he vessel about ih The night.
They boxed about some days In the Bahama
channel, and AZ length came near the coast Of
the Uuitsd States.
4 In August, 1899, he .zmislad was near
he shore az Cnlioden Point, on The East end
ct Long Island, where . part OF the crew came
on shore Tor water and fresh provisions, for
which they paid literally.
;. On TIE zen Of August tie vessel was es-
pied By Captain Gsdney, United States navy
IL command Of the brig WGshingtOa, employees
on the coast survey, who dispatched an cticeI
% bosTdher. NOntez and Raiz announced bem'
selves as owners Of the negroes, aud claimed
Captain Gedhey's protection. hetook posses.
sion, and carried the schooner into tue port q
New London
6. The Judge Of the United States DstricI
Court (Juas0a) and the United States Marsha
were sent for BY express. Ahurred examina'
ton was held on board the WashfagioH, al
which the I've SPsniards and the cabin boy
Ant0nio, a creole negro, were examined % oatf
az to the facts in the case.
Z. Nc ptrson appeared on benalf II the AM
cans the JHtge had nO communication viii
them : but after DE examination, the aduils re-
naming alive, thirty-eight in number were
committed for trial for murder on the high
seas" The cabin boy; Antonio, and -four cht-
dreH, Uree girls and one boy, native Africans
were committed as witnesses. The whole wer'
5ben transferred to the jail at New Haven
aioutez and Ruiz went al large.
s. A few Of the friends Of freedom net u
the cib OF New York, and appointed s. 5
Jaceiyn, Joshua Lesvitt, and Lewis TappsH
a COMMITTEES to secure d~0hs0ons, employ coun.
sci ard act otherwise as circumstances NIGH
require.
y. The committee Immediately announced
their appointment, appealed to tie public foi
funds, employed as counsel Seth P staples
Roger 5. Baldwin, and Theodore Sedgwiek.
Esquircs; and, after repeated inquiries, found
an interpreted native AfHcan-who wal
able 10 co1vsrse with some Of the prisoners.
10. On request Of the committee at New
York, Rev. Leonard Bacon, Rev H G. Lsd'
low and amos Townsend, Jr, Of New Haven.
consented to act as a committee GO take meas
ures for giving intellectual end religious in-
siruction to thUse benightsd psgats.
II The prisnnsrs were tskentO Hartford
September. 1899, where JuiEs Thompson. Of
the Circuit Court, charged The Grad jury
that "ths court has no jsrisdiction Of The
ofeuse-if it was an ofsuse-commiited on
beard a Spanish vessel on he high seas" he
however denied the motion for he discharge
Of the Africans, and left the matter 10 litiga-
Gon in tie District Court, subject 10 appeal.
Z. Tie District Judge directed an Isqulry
10 ascertain where the seizure vas made, g.,
&c, and the prisoners were rcmadned 10 the
iail 70 New Haven. Afterwards the court
found. ia substance. that these Africans, when
seized, were ia the condition OK freemen; that
they were bora free; that they lad been kia-
narped in their native couuiTg, and fuTcl5ig
and ~unlaWfuily transported to C4ba that they
we're wrongfuily and frauduleltiy put on board
Of the schooner .Amistad by Ruiz aud Montez;
that after achieving their deiivsTaucs they
sought an asylum 10 the State Of New York,
by the laws Of which they were free; and that
while here they were illegally seized by Lieut.
Gsdney, and brought into the district Ct Con
necticut. The court decreed that the Africans
sbOuId be delivered 20 the Executive, to be sent
back to Africa
-. The Attorney Of toe United States, on
behalf OF the United States, entered an appeal,
f" claiming in pursuance Of the Queen Of
Spain.D sc.
a The case was argued before the Supreme
Court OF the Uaited States by the Hon. r. ;.
Baldwin and Hon. John Quincy Adams- The
Court did not sustain the appeal, and the
Africans were therefore left in charge Cf the
committee Ebo sent them 10 their native land
With a missionary.
These are The facts Of the .4misfad case, as
they ar, stated by Mr. TAFFAN. Frequent at
tsmpts have been nsse to induce Congress to
grant an appropriation fer the payment Of The
claimants in this case, bat they have always
heretofore failed, Mr.. POLK recommended
that they should be paid, and General PIECE
repeated the recommendation hut clear as is
their right 20 Indemnity, it has not been re-
cogBised, because its recognition involves a re-
eognition Of the right Of properly in slaves.
We trust that Congress will carry out The sug-
gssLion Of the message, and grant an aPpro-
priation which viii fully indemnify them for
the losses which thsT sustained twenty years
$50 IN being despoilsd OF their property, whilst
it was in transit from one point to another
upon the Island Of Cuba.