Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-04-08
The Fugitive slave Cass-Discharge Of the
Fugitive.

The Fugitive slave Cass-Discharge Of the
Fugitive.
PHILADELPHIA, April 6th.-The fugitive
slave Daniel Dangerfeld alias Webster, ar
rested at Harrisburg on the claim OF Mrs.
Elizabeth Simpson, of Loudoun county, Va
was set free this afternoon by L. S. Commits
sioncr Longstreth, on the testimony chiefly
of colored man named Jones. lie had tes-
tilted to seeing the fugitive in Harrisburg IN
March or April of 1858; that he himself was
65 years of age, and built "a house about
that time, but his memory as to dates was
poor. THE claimant conceded that the tu-
gitive had been absent about six years. a
colored man of this city, James ii. Smith,
however, volunteered to 60 further, and tes-
tilted that he saw Daniel in Baltimore, IN
1913, as a drayman, and then in Philadel-
phia in lS49 or 1850, when he went to Har-
risburg, where he saw him i'll 1875. Depul-
ty Marshal jenkins, however, rebutted TINS
in part, by testifying that Daniel had told
him, on his arrival here in custody, that ne
had never been in Philadelphia before, as
also did officer Logue.
One of the counsel for the claimant, In ms
/ speech on the testimony. pointed out the fact
! that they had proven by five or SIX witnesses
, from I.oudoun County, the identity OF the
/ fugitive; men, indeed who had known MIN
well-several of them from boyhood-and
none of the other testimony showed the con-
/ trary, or that he was not fugitive, yet on
! the confused memory, rs to bret interfai
! of date, the fugitive was discharged.
! The hearing was continued all last night;
( thus the commissioner sat from four O'Clock
Yesterday afternoon until six o'clock this
morning lie seemed to be perfectly paraly.
! sed mt times as To what his duties were, and
I the counsel for defence awaited themselves OF
all his weak points This il his first case as
! United States Commissioner.
/ Marshal Yost swore in fifty special mar
shals yesterday, the most OF whom were
men of nerve and prepared for any emergen-
cy Hundreds of negroes congreSated about
the Court House the first day of the trial,
but chief of police Ruggles summoned to his
aid four hundred police and drove the blacks
| out of the street
Lucretia Mott, the venerable of the abo!i,
/ tionists, sat beside the fugitive all the time
the court was in session. She threw her
! arms about his neck yesterday, ami SAID she
would rather give one hundred dollars IL
/ rescue him than one cent to purchase him.
! An officer removed Mrs. Mott from besides
the negro. but she went back and took her
oldseat, which she maintained.
This morning, the counsel for the defence
succeeded in getting the commissioner to re,
serve his decision until four o'clock this after,
noon. There were many surmlses at to what
this was done for, the principal OF which was
that it might enable the friends OF the negro
to assemble in & large number and effect a
rescue. Every precaution had been taken
however, to meet such an issue, but his dis
charge by the commissioner rendered all
/ nugatOry
While Marshal Yost was determined To
maintain the dignity of the law at ali hazards,
he had nevertheless made up his mind that
none should exceed him in charity. lie had
offered $50 towards the purchase money,
| $500 being the amount required to accom-
plish it, and 5000 if necessary.
The freedom-shreker however, could not
contribute, as they say their conscicnces dc
not permit them to throw money away III
that way.
The evidence for the defence was contra
dictory, and for the most part given by col
ored men of no character.
| Daniel, the discharged fugitive. was at 4
o'clock this evening placed in a carriage and
drawn through the streets by thousand
colored men. They stopped at the Court
room and groaned, but were driven off by
the police.