Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-04-09
CITY & NEWS ITEMS.
SATURDAY mOgNING, APRIL 0, 1880
tReports for the Leador.l
UNITED STATES COURT
rrlal Of the wellInEton slave Ro.ons nn.n.
CLEvELANp, April 9Th. 1859.


Isaac Bennett, cross examined In the room
with the negro, Mr. Lowe gave me to read
! paper purporting to be a warrant from the Uni
ted States Commissioner at Columbus. Some
boly gave me a power of attorney TO read
which 1 ran over with my eye When
spoke to the crowd of the papers had exam
ineJ, | referred TO the warrant Mr. Low,
read some paper to the crowd, but was moi
near enough to know what it was. He said h,
was going to read the warrant | went into
the room at the request OF Mr. Meaoham. Went
there TO preserve the peace. Had a pistol
which think l pointed at the crowd to keet
them of the ladder. 1t was talked in the crowd
that the negro had been kidnapped Ii wa.
stated to the crowd that the man had papers,
Some insisted that the papers were spurious -
Some claimed to have the negro in his custody
Heard it said that the warrant had no sealupon
it-but this was after the crowd had dispersed
Direct examination, resumed Very soon ac
ter the warrant had been read, by MIR. Lowe a
rush was made toward the house IL was said
and repeated in the crowd that the boy was en-.
liced out Of Oberlin and brought away without
any legal authority. This was continued to be
talked OF among the crowd, those who came IN
strengthening this opinion
lE. ). hirRRey, SioOrR.--Was at Oberlin on
the day OF this rescue Live at Oborlin. Know
Bushnell Saw him walking about at Oberlin.
but not in any crowd After saw him and Mr..
Wall passing down Main street in a buggy To-
ward Wellington. Mr.. Wall had Il t6mk) a
gun. | went to Wellington in the afternoon
with some nine others one Of whom was MIR.
Lyman. Met Mr. Bushnell in buJgv lust
before got to Wellington. The colored bow
John was with him and man named Wind
sor. This was but short distance from Wads.
worth's tavern Bushnell was driving at a
rapid rate-the horse on a jump. John was
lying down, Windsor had gun in his hand,
swinging it. Heard him say "all right" Bush.
nell had charge OF the horse. Know nothing
more of John.
Cross eTGmiaed-There had been some ex.
citement at Oberliu within the week before. Ii
was reported that colOred family named Wag-
ner had been attempted to be kidnapped 1t
was said that some citizens had been carried of
to the South. 1t was generally supposed that
these Southeners were there for the purpose OF
kidnapping some colored people. Heard about
a week previous to the day of this rescue, in
the night a cry of murder" and there was a
good deal of excitement relative to the expected
seizure. Consequently when saw the crowd
gathering, l supposed it was the result of some
such attempt. The general talk was that the
boy John had been Kidnapped The general
understanding of the crowd in going off toward
Wellington in such numbers was that John had
been kidnapped and secretly and unlawfully
carried away. Bushnell was among the last
of the first crowd that went down to Yelling
ton. Atterward, word having come from Wei
hngton, another crowd went down The mes
sage which came back from Wellington was
that more men were wanted there, when 9th
ars vent down. some with guns. 1t was sup
posed by the people OF OD,.t;n thnt tb.sa
SOutherners might take away unlawfuiiv
some colorcd people who had never been slaves.
Mr.. John Lyon had expressed such fear 1t
was also supposed that fugtivcs who were
there might be taken. My purpose in going
down to wellington on that day was to put
myself in the way to do to others as | would be
done by. Involuntary applause in the Court
Room.) 1t was known among those who went
with me that John was a fugitive slave.
did not understand that John had been arrest.
cd with legal papers fugitive slave, but
thought ho had been unlawfully seized C"That
tests the truthfulness Of Oberlin" Judge Bliss }
Cross examination, resumed It was gener.
ally understood, aud understood that the cause
of the cry of "murder" at the residence Of the
of the Wagner family, about week before the
day of the rescue, was in consequence Of an at
tempt to kidnap that family by Southerners.-
IL was rumored and understood, when the call
for more men came from Wellington, that the
crowd had the alleged kidnappers in the tay
ern. Those in the wagon with me had no
knowledge that John was the slave Of John G
Bacon, nor did we know that the men who had
him, had any papers to entitle them TO take
him. My suppostion was that John had been
illegally arrested. 1t was not my intention
nor so far as l know, of those who were with
me, to offer any opposition to any legal capture
of John. SO far az ] know OF could Judge from
expressions made use Of in tho company at
Oberlin, or in the wagon in which was, there
was no intention TO oppose any legal proceed
ings
Charles d. Marks, slOoyn Resided in Obcr.
lin in September last. Was there on the day
of this rescue. went to Wellington that af
ternoon. Saw Bushnell at Wellington Drove
from Oberlin TO Wellington (nine mes) in
about 40 minutes. (FasI man and fast horse.
Saw Bushnell in tho buggy, but did not see
him drive away.
Cross e1rnliaed helped put up the second
ladder. Went into the crowd merely out o.
curiosity.
Chauncey Wack, siBorn. Before any inter
rogations we're put to Nj. Wack, Mr.. BAcKU'
remarked TO the Court that the defence wac
prepared to prove that this witness had repeat
edly been in the Court room, and heard the tes-
timony of the other witaessea contrary to the
rules ofthe Court, and therefore his testimony
was incompetent. The Court allowed the wit
ness TO answer for himself as to having been
present TO hear testimony of other witnesses-
On being questioned by Judge BELpEN, MIR
Wack swOre that he was not IN the room when
the order was givenhy the Count that all wit
nesses should withdraw. That he did not hear
the order of the Court, and was not Ia the room
az the time, and that be had not heard the 9th
er witnesses. Mr.. BAcKUs, on permission from
the Court, called Mr. A. W. Lyman, who upon
oath stated that he saw Mr.. Waek in the Court
room when the order was given. NOtwith
standing this, the witness was allowed to 90 Oh
aud testIfy) Am keeper Of the tavern at Ober.
lin Was at Oberlin on the day Of the rescue
and went TO Wellington with the crowd, Saw
man named Dickinson, who said he had OK
amined the papers under which these men held
the negro, and he thought they were all right
and legal Some Of the crowd said they did
not care for papers. Mr., Patt n, after Mr.
Dickinson had examined the papers, came out
upon the porch and tried 10 still the crowd, and
said that some legal course had better be taken
as he had seen the papers, and thought they
were legal IL was advised by the crowd e
make a rush upon the house, which was sooI
made. Did not see John driven Off in the
buggy. Heard some Of the crowd say they
would tear the house down, DC, and some ad
yised TO proceed more reasonably. Some SAID
they would sooner carry out the higher law
of God than the law Of man, The crowd al
one time stiled down, and from expressions
used, found they were expecting soldiers OF
militia from Cleveland by the evening train, u
enforce the law If these forces did not come
they would be all right, The train passed
about o'clock The rescue was made an hour