Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-04-09
TRIAL OF THE WELLINGTON REsCUERs

U. S. CoURr Room, CLEVELAND, April S.
DEAR BENZ. You know that we are often told
that we who are non jurors. and repudiate the Gov.
eminent, have Of right no claim under it, even to
live on its soil. But we never admit this. We
claim the right not only to live under it, but to
find fault with it, and labor diligently for its refor'
nation or overthrow. And believing that it ia our
special province 10 search out its errors, and wick.
cdness, and expose them, wo claim the right to
watch oil its proceedings with carefulness, and
give the public our views thereof. In pursuit Of
this laudable motive, l find myself in this Ccur;
Room to watch the proceedings Of the "Rcscue
Case" as c spectator only, not as a member or par
ty. As every citizen Of the United States are Of
necessity parties to this prosecution against these
citizens of Oberlin and Wellington, charged with
the offence of rescuiug with force and arms IN,
lawfully, knowingly and willingly, the said Negro
Slave, called John, then and there being pursued
and reclaimed, seized and arrested. ITO the great
danger of the said john G. Bacon, contrary to the
form of the Act OF Congress in such cases made
and provided. and against the power and dignity
of tho United States" Indeed these thirty eight
defendants are really parties against themselves,
iOi tuS1 nv v u POI s'ihChoB NOi"b
tary parties to the government, and by their own
hired and paid agents are prosecuting themselves
The Case is bsfprsr ths H. S. District Jnsge
Hiram ". Wilson Of this City. The prosecution
is sustained by the Distriel Attorney Judge q. W
Beldcn of Canton, Stark Co., aided by Judg'
George Bliss of this City.
The Defence is managed by Judge r.. P. Spaul
ding, F. T.. Backus, S. o. Griswold, and A. G
Riddle, all of Cleveland. A formidable corps.
The morning session was occupied mainly will
calling and empane!ing the Jury, and WITH calling
the witnesses. The Defendants have plumet
themselves somewhat upon the fact that the,
> amounts to nothing, as the Clerk of the Court. arc
The Marshall OF the District, both of course SOUND
Administration men. select forty men such n,
, they chose, and then The Defendants may Srik,
, of twelve Of the men, alternating with the Govern
ment who also strike of twelve names, thus leav
ing sixteen, from whom the necessary twelve ar,
empannelei for the Jury. Blessed privilege
The prosecution have selected in this case, forty
of the hardest shelled. unterrifed democrats in
northern Ohio, and give the defendants the poor
boon Of striking of twelve, while they do the
same, leaving n jury still as sound and hard on
the Democratic Goose rs any that have been struck
of.
The Jury and Witnesses were sworn, and Dis
trict Attorney Belden .old the Jury that he should
! attempt to prove all the Indictment charged, that
} these Defendants knew that John was = person
legally held to service, and that he was legally
arrested to be returned to tho man to whom the
service WAS due, and that they knew that the
. said John was willing and DESTROYS to 20 back.
Judge Spaulding, for the defence, stated that
they should claim that John owed no service or
labor to this claimant, or any one else, and that
no such claim could DO made under the C~unstitu,
t ton or laws Of the United States. And he then
0 gave somewhat Of an outline of the common Ger.
rit Smith argument against the Fugitive Slave
clause of tho Constitution, and said that they
. should claim that this defendant committed no
unlawful act, even if il could be proved that he
rescued John from the persons that illegally res.
trained him of his liberty.
The first witness called was John G.. Bacon. Of
8 Mason Co., KY, the claimant of Johns service,
=. lie appeared rather ~sheepish and did not look
round very maniully upon the packed court room,
but watched the floor closely and kept his voice
uoiOW htn thioht n . ho cotiuC tnht D6 was the
lawful owner of John. when he inherited from
his Father, to whom he was born, "to his owr
knowledge, and within his recollection" of a slave
s woman. That he ran away in Jan. 1856 with
other 'niggers" called Frank and Dick, taking al
e so two Of his horses, and although he recovered
q the horses, where they had been left, be had no,
seen the "niggers" since.
lie described John as S feet s or 10 inche.
= high. heavy built, copper colored. Is years old,
and with Dinah was the only slaves be owned
n Frank belonging to another man.
lie further testified that he employed Anderson
8 Jennings a neighbor, at his own offer, to ~recapture
!. John, whom Jennings had seen at Oberlin, agree
d ing to give him half the niger" would bring, a,
compensation for the recapture and return Of III,
c property.
r Robert A.. Cochrane testified that be was Clsrl
Of the Court for Mason county, Kentucky, apt
b that the Power Of Attorney that Bacon cav.
J Jennings to recover in his behalf bis property, wa,
sealed with the County Seal, but that the csr,iscs