Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-11-04
From the Indiana Journal.
The New Albany Outrage.

marks its operations, informed us of q
gross outrage committed three days before
by squad of the Louisville police upon
Mr.. Horace Bell, an Indianian, whose dar-
ing rescue of his father and brother from
the jail at Brandenburg. Kentucky, we
noticed at the time it occurred. The
Louisville papers of Monday contained
quite detailed account of the affair, and
to do them justice, their comments by no
means justified the act, but we thought it
best to await the reports of the New Al
bany papers before publishing anything
beyond the tclegraphic report. To day we
have the New Albany papers, and as we
expected, they are blazing with wrath at
the gross violation of our laws. To un-
derstand fully the cause of the excitement
we must so back little. to the first step
in the path that has come very near, and
may yet prove to be, cause, of very ser-
Gus collision between the citizens of Ind-
ana and Kentucky.
Our readers will remember that about
year ago we published letter from cor
respondent in HARRISON county, 1.-THE first
public notice of the occurrence, J giving an
account of the forciblc and unwarantable
seizure, by parcel of kentuckians, of
respectable old gentleman named Bell,
who resided near the Bank of the Ohio
river, opposite Brandemburg, Kentucky.
and had been charged by notorious
wretch with aiding fugitive slaves to es-
cape. He was taken, without writ or war
rant, and dragged across the river, where
he was lodged in Jail, and his bail put at
the outrageous figure of $40 900, evidently
an act in conformity with an undcrstan-
ding among the Brandcnburgcrs to punish
him whether guilty or innocent. His son
was taken at the same time, or soon after,
if we rccollect correctly, through some
lying representations that induced him to
go over to Brandenburg. The original
outrage, aggravated by the palpablc deter
neutrality-suspicious. i'm the enormous bail re-
quired-to give him no show of Justice,
and in the deliberate murder of a Mr.
Marsh, of Harrison county, who had been
actively concerned in the effort to secure
the release of the Bells, coming to the ears
of Mr.. Horace Bell, and another brother,
John, who were in California, they return
ell home at once, and in few days after
wards (somc time last spring, we believe,
for we have forgotten the exact date, they,
alone, entered the Jail, took out the prison
ers and brought them home. Cur cores
pondent in Harrison, as in the case of the
arrest, gave the public the first account of
this daring rescue. The New Albany Ti-
bune adds the following interesting items:
"They were soon in their skilf and row.
ing for the Indiana shore. Before reaching
midway of the Ohio, the population of
Brandcnburg seemed to be in motion. and
rushing down towards the beach, Capt
Bell arose to his feet and gracefully salutel
them with a wave of his hat Those on
shore soon opened upon him furious fire
of pistols, shot guns, muskcts dc. This
was a compliment which the Captain well
knew how to return with interest, and he
opened upon them with his Dcringer pis-
tol-a six shooter, that will kill man at
half mile distance as easy as ten PAGES.
This had the effect to lispcrsc the crowd,
most of whom took shelter in a blacksmith
shop. the doors of which were pretty thor
oughly riddlcd by the discharges from
the skiff.'
This act of Horace Bell was clearly lille
gal. We do.Dot attempt to dispute that.
But as the arrest of his father was clearly
Illegal he had some justification, and filial
affection will furnish enough in addition to
exculpate him in the mind of an honest
man. He had repaid an illegal arrest by
an illegal rescue, and there the case should
have ended, unless the kentuckians chose
to take legal means to arrest and try old
Mr.. Dell for his alleged offence. But lc-
gal or illegal, these Brandcnbnrgers never
took any steps to bring Horace to account
for his act. No requisition was made on
our authorities, as we know, for we were
written to several times to inquire about it.
The Kentuckians knew they had little
claim to any legal redress, and SO they
asked none But they determined to take
a cowally and dishonorable vengeance by
capturing him whenever, and by whatever
means, they could. Some of them con
tributed money and offered reward for his
arrest. bnt they did no more. Out of thi,
reward grew the outrage which the tel
egraph reported, and which the New AL
bany Ledger, not at all likely to favor
anybody concerned in any degree with lu-
gitive slaves, or with anybody suspected
of feeling any sympathy for slave, thus
describes:
"Mr. Bell was in the city last week,
for the double purpose of attending the
fair and meeting his sister, who lives i'll
Louisville, he being about to return to
California His sister, and also his broth
er, came over on Saturday. AMI were
doubtless watched and followed by the
fellows who did the deed we arc about to
speak Of"
''Mr Bell had taken his relatives to tho
ferry boat, and was. on his return to the
DePaw House for the purpose of taking
the stage for Corydon, when, on arriving
near the corner of Main and Bank street;
he was assaulted by a gang of five mel
from Louisville, all armed to the teeth
who knocked off Bells hat, took away hi.
arms, and hurried him off to the ferry boat
which, the instant he was put on boare
was set i'm motion and left for the Kentuck,
shore. This was between and o clock
and when the streets were almost deserted
nearly all our citizens being in attendance