Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-05-27
Chas. Langstons Speech

VI 1.
slave.
Il am for the first time in my life before
court of justice, charged with the violation
law, and am now about to bc sentenced. Bl
before receiving that sentence propose to sa
one or two words in regard 10 the mitigation
that sentence, if it may be 50 construed. cal
not. of course. and do not expect that which
may say viii in any way change your predcte
mined line of action | ask 10 such favor a
your hands.
know that the courts Of this country, tha
the laws Of this country that the goyerumcl
tai machinery Of this country, are SO constitr
ted as to opprcss and outrage the c0lored mel
men of my complexion. L cannot then, {
course, expect, judging from the past histor
of the country, any nserry from the laws. fror
the constitution, or from the courts Of the coun
try.
Some days prior to the 18th of September
1855, happening to be in OberIin on visit,
found the country round about there and tn
village itself, filled with alarming rumors as It
the fact that slaye-catchers kitlnappers, negro
steaIers, were lying hidden aud skuikiug about
waiting some opportunity to get their bloody
hands on some helpless creature to drag hin
back-or for the first time into helpless anC
lifelong bondage. These reports becoming
current all over that nrighborhood, old incl
and women and innocent children became ex
coedinGly alarmed for their safety. 1t was not
uncommon to hear mothers say that they dared
not send their children to school, for fear thny
would be caught up and carried off by the way
/ Some of these people had become free by long
and patient toll at night after working the
long, long day for cruel masters, and thus at
length getting money enough to buy their lib
erty. Others had become free by means of the
good will of their masters. And there were
others who had become free-to their eycrast-
Ing honor l say thy the intensest exercise OF
their own God given powcrs-by escaping from
/ the plantations of their masters, euding the
blood thirsty patrols and sentinels so thickjy
scattered all along their path, outrunning blood
hounds and horses swimming rivers and ford
/ ing swamps, and reaching at last through H.
credible difficulties what thes- in their delusion
supposed to be free soil. These three classes
were in Oberiin, trembling alike for their safe
/ ty, because they well knew their fate should
these men hunters get their hands on them,
| In the midst of such excitement, the 18th day
of September was ushercd ina day ever to be
remembered in the history OF that place, and
presume no less in the history of this Court
on which those men by lying devices decoyed
into a place where they could get their hands
on hinl-I will not say slave, for do not
know that--but man, brother. who had a
right to bis liberty under the laws of God, un
der the laws Of Nature, and under the Decla
ration of Independence,
| In the midst of all this excitement, the news
came to us like flash Of lightning that an ac
tllal seizure under and by means OF fraudulent
pretenses had been made !!
Being identified with that man by color, by
race, by manhood, by svmpathies, such as Goo
has implanted in us all, felt it my duty TO GO
and do what | could toward Iiberating him.
had been taught by my Rev olutlonary father
and say it with due respect to hinl-and by
his honored associates, that tic fundamental
doctrine of this government was that all mer
have right to life and liberty, and coming
from the Old Dominion, brought into Ohl'
these sentiments deeply impressed upon ny
heart; l went to Welingtoni hearing from tn
parties themselves by what authority the bo,
was held in custody, conceived from what lii
| no RIGHT TO hold him. And as your Homo
has repeatedly lain down the law in this Court
a man is free until he Is proven TO be legally re
strained Of his liberty, and / believed that upo
! that principle of law those men were bound t
take their prisoner before the very first 'maglE
trate thev found, and there establish the fact
l set forth in their warrant, and that until the
did this every man should presume that thei
claim was unfounded and to institute such pre-
ceedings for the purpose Of securing an invest
S CATION as they might find warranted by tn
laws of this State. Now, sir, if this Is ne
y the plain, common sense and correct view
the law, then l have been mlsled both by yor
: Honor, and by the prevalent received opinion
It It is said that they had a warrant. VIII
, then should they not establish its validity b
q fore the proper officers? And | stand here t.
day, sir, to say that with an exception OF Whlc
1 shall soon speak, to procure such a ta'rfm Ii
e ieqieqtiora Of the authority under 1Ci,ich Tho
IS claimed to act, wnS the part took IN tn
dau's proceedings and the only part. L supp
K sed it to he my duty as a citizen of Ohlo-e
/ cr5e ma for saving that, sir AS an otdldW
the United States (much sensatiAnl t2d0 wh
could to secure at least this fern of TStl
h to nv brother whose liberty was in peril
9r Ithqtcucr more nm that has bec1' sWorIo TO
ttts trial. as an art of mnc, IS fnisc, Tid,c''io'
"a In fqlsc. When l found these men refusing
le so according to law, as ] apprehended IT, al
s. subject their claim to an official inspection, al
L that nothing short of hdb3as corpus Won
h oblige such an inspection, I was willing to
5, even thus far, supposing in that conntya 0he
IN iff might, perhaps, be found with nerve enou:
to serve it In this / again failed Nothl
~ then was left to me, nothing TO the boy IN c'
Y, todv, but the confirmation Of my first bel
k that the pretended authority was worthle
: . and the employment of those means which I
long to US. With regard to the part to-
in the forcihle rescue which followed / ha
nothing to say, further than l have alrea
cd said. The evidence l. before YOU. 1t Is alle,s
ov that 7 said tce will have him anyhow.
up Tins / NEVER sail. ] did say to Mr. Low
u What honestly believed 10 he the truth, tt
the crowd were very mncl excited, many
alb them avcrse to longer delay, and bent upon
rescue at all hazards; aud hat he being an
8, acquaintance and friend of min' was al
iors to cxtricatc him from the dangerous p'
at tion he occupied, and therefore advised that
urge Jennings to give the boy up. furi
he than this | did not say either to him or !
one else.
The law under which | am alrai9ncd is
re nui,st one. ono made 60 crush the coorcd II
he and ono that outrag6s every feeling Of hum
itv. as well as every rule Of right | have
her thing to d with its cousttut'onahiy; an
,,,., that care hut little. 7 have often heard
said by learned and good men that it was
hat constitutional; | remember the excitement
prevailed throughout all the free States whe
was passed. and remember how often 1t
been said by individuals, sonvenhoos' com
mites and legislatures, that it never could
kel never should be, and never was meant to