Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-04-08
slave Catching and slave Cntohers.

Slave Catching ana slave gAtoHoER
Free Ohio and Penusylvanis have just been
prohnod afresh BY being made Che hunting
ground Of the Southern nian-stealerS and their |
b. s. official hounds The kidnapping cases in
brief were these
In September, 1855, man named schetzer,
came TO the house Of ]. Robinson in Ross Co.,
with colored man named Lewis Early, who
Ind been slave Of G Kilgour, Of Gabell eOun-
", va. lie brought free papers, and Robinson,
being bfotherihiav Of Kilgour, and aware
Of his intention to emancipate Early, gave the
negro employment, who deposited his free pa
pers with Mfy r. tor safe keeping, 10 October,
1866, Robinson's house was burned and Early's
pa pers destroyed. Al the time Of the FIRE Ear
Iy remarked to one of the neighbOrs that his
free papers were gone, but be contioued to work
in the nephborhood without being molested un.
til March 25th, when he was seized by U. Of
6cials aud hurried to Cincinnati to have an e1
animation as a Fugitive Slave, before COmmis
sioner G @ Browne. J. Kilgour appeared as
agent and claimant for bis father, g. Kilgour
Messrs Jolffe and Caldwell appeared for Ear
", and eontendsd that he did not owe service or
labor to G. Kigour, having been freed by the act
of Kigour. The fact that free papers did ex
ist and were destroyed by FIRE, was proved by
Mr.. Robinson, and yet the U. s. Commissioner
who gets bigger fee for returning man to
slavery under the fugitive act than he does for
dscharging him, decided that the mans claim
t5 freeiou had not been established, and re
mauded him to the Marshal to be delivered to
Kiigour.
Upon the rendering Of this decision, the
counsel for Early applied TO Judge Lsavitt for
writ of habeas corpus to issue in behalf OF
Early While the Clerk was making out copies
Of the writ, requiring only eight minutes time,
the claimant and his Cabe,l county friends, and
the q. s. Marshal and his Deputy, took Early
through the hail of the Government Court
House, and own stairs, placed him in car
rage whic was in waiting, drove rapidly to the
river, and before the writ could be served got
into Kentucky, and consequently beyOnd the ju-
risdiction Of I ie Court
Mr.. Joli . as instituted suit in behalf Of the
kidnapped n a against Jas. Kilgour for false i'm.
prisOnment. The damages are laid at $1,000
The Gazette says:
This procedure is decidedly novel in fugitive
slave cases, aud evidently surprised the claim
ant and his attorney
The Pennsylvania outrage has been pretty
fully given by telegraph, A free cOlored citi,
zen of Harisburgb named Daniel Webster, who
had resided there some years, was seized ant
ironed in the street by the ruffan slave catch
ers, torn from his wife and children who cluni
) to him in despair, and hurried before o. S
Commissioner in Philadelphia. Aole eounse
volunteered, and after protracted exhmina
ton the pretended owner failed to suficientl
identify Webster, and he was discharged ami'
the acelamations Of the multitude.
Such are two specimens of kidnapping with
in few days No person of "reputed African
decent" is safe for an hour so long as knowI
mon-stealers are tolerated on free soil The at
mosphero ofour city is polluted by the presenc,
OF one Of the most despicable of the human
race, q Southern slaye-cateher. He testified OF
! on Wednesday in the u S. District Court un
der a law just fit to recognize such humal
: blOod.hounds as competent witnesses agains
men prompted by right and conscience to lit
eral observance of the Golden Rue, and pro
duced in Court ono of the revolvers he swor
he brought with him in his man and womal
hunts to Ohio, with as much coolness and un
r concern as he would his tobacco box The tes
timony of his Kentucky employee shows tina
he was slave-hunting on shares, and his yer,
appearance and manner of testifying bespOk
his trua 9L~--St-- NJ -~7tsd nn
with a sdddeh jerk to it, and humanity is out
ragged that the gun be testified punched his
head through a stove pipe hole at Wellington,
had not mad fixed bayonet on the end oft