Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-05-21
%LANGsTON's sPEECH.

- dEJf NHN VIZ VI " NlOluilOn Vi THE
criminal laws of the United States. Have ycu or
your counsel anything to cay why the sentence L!
tue law should not now be pronounced upon you |?
mr. Langston.-l am for the first time in my
lille before . court Of Justice, charged with the vi.
oiation OF law, an1 am nov about to DO senten ced
Bu' before receiving that sentence | propose to
say one or two words ia regard to the mitigation
OF that sentence. if it may be so construed. can.
not OF course, and do not expect that which | may
say will in any way change your predetermined
line Of action. / ask no such favor at your hands.
know that the courts Of this country, that the
laws of this country, that the governmental machi.
merry Of this country, are SO constituted as to op.
press and outrage colored men, men Ct my COM
rlexion. l cannot then, Of course, expect, judging
from the past history Of the country, any mercy
from the laws. from tho constitution, or from the
courts Of The country.
Some days prior to the 18th of September, 1858,
happening to be in OSerlin on a visit, | found The
country round about there, and the village itself
filled with alarming rumors as to the fact that
slave.catchers, kidnappers, negro stealers, were ly-
ing hidden and s~knlking about, waiting some op.
portunity to get their bloody hands on some help.
less creature to drag him bact-or for the first
I'M u u ntIIleS5 uHu lie loHb DUnllRc. InCSe
reports becoming current all over that ~neigLbor
hood, old men and women and innocent children
became exceedingly alarmed for their safety. 1t
was not uncommon to hear mothers say that they
dare not send their children to school, for fear
they would be caught up and carried off by the
way. Some of these people had become free by
long and patient tell at night, after working the
long, long day for cruel masters, and thus at length
getting money enough to buy their liberty. 9th.
ers had become free by means Of the good will of
their masters. And there were others who had
become free-to their everlasting honor | say it
by the intensest exercise Of their own God given
powers;-by escaping from the plantations of
their masters, GLIDING the blood thirsty patrols
and scn:inels so thickly scattered along their path,
outrunn!ng blocd hounds and horses, swimming
rivers and fording swamrs, and reaching at last,
through Incredible difficulties, what they in their
delusion supposed to be free soil. These three
classes were in Oberlin, trembling alike for their
safety, because they well knew their fate should
those men'hunters get their hands on them.
In the midst of such excitement, the 18th day of
September was ushered ina day ever to be re.
membered in the history of that place, and 1 pre-
sumo no less in the history of this Court-on
"h'Nn hNS uSh W iyHS ueNISee, utCOyeu lutO u
place where they could get their hands on him
! will not say a slave, for l do not know that-but
q man, a Jrodcr, who had a right to his liberty
under the laws of God, under the laws of Nature,
and under the Declaration of American Indepcn-
dence.
In the midst Of al this excitement, the news
came to US like a fash of lightning that an actual
seizure under and by means of fraudulent preten.
ces had been made
Being identified with that man by color, by
race, by manhood, by sympatbies, such as God
has implanted in us all. l felt it my duty to 90 and
do what / could toward liberating him. i had
been taught by my Revolutionary fatherLand I
say this with all due respect to him-and by his
honored associates, that the fundamental doctrine
of this government was that all men have a right,
to life and liberty, and coming from the Old Do
minion / brought into Ohio these sentiments, dee,
ply impressed upon my heart; I went to yelling.
ton, and hearing from the parties themselves by
what authority the boy was held in custody, l con-
ceived from what little knowledge l had of law, that
they had no right to hold him. And as your Hon
or has repeatedly laid down the law in this Court,
a man is free until ne is proven to be legally re.
strained of his liberty, and l believed that upon
thu piiuCI ple u INV nOee were DOunQ 10
take their prisoner before the very first magistrate
they found, and there establish the facts set forth
in their warrant, and that until they did this, eve.
ry man should presume that their claim was un-
founded, and to institute such proceedings for the
purpose Of securing an investigation as they might
find warranted by the laws OF the State. Now, sir,
if shat is not the plain, common sense and correct
view of the law, then l have been misled both by
your Honor. and by the prevalent received opin.
ion.
1t is said that they had q warrant. Why then
should they not establish its validity before the
proper officers? And | stand here to day, sir, to
say that with an exception of which l shall soon
speak, 10 procure such a lauful Investigation Of the
authority under phieh they claimed TO act, aas the
part 1 took in that days proceedings, and he only
part. / supposed it to be my duty as a citizen of
Ohio excuse me for saying that. sir, as an outla,p
OF tn United States, much sensation) to do what
l could to secure at least this form of Justice to
my brother whose liberty was in peril. Whatever
more than Mat.haS been SrO,n 10 on This trial, as act
Of mine, is false. ridicul0usly false. When | found
these men refusing to go, according to the law, as
j apprehended it, and subject their claim to an
official inspection, and that nothing short of habe.
as corpus would oblige such an inspection, | was
willing to 60 even thus far. supposing in that
county a Sheriff, might, perhaps, be found with
nerve enough to serve it. In this again failed.
Nothing then was left to me, nothing to the boy in
custody, but the confirmation OF my first belief that
the pretended authority was worthless, and the
Gle employment of those means of liberation which
belong to us. With regard to the part l took in
the foreible rescue, which followed, / have moth
ing to say, further than | have already said. The
evidence is before you. 1t is alledged that l said
'pe will have him anyhow" This / NEVER said.
did say to Mr.. Lowe, what l honestly believed
to be the truth, that the crowd were very much
excited, many of them averse. to longer delay and
bent upon a rescue at all hazards; and that he, be-
ing an old acquaintance and friend of mine, | was