Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-05-18
OBERLIN RESCUE CASE,
Speech of Charles Iangton.

, of . violation OF the criminal laws OF III
! United States. Have you or your couu
sci anything to say why the sentence {
the law should not now be pronounce
, upon you?
Mr.. LANGsT1N.-I am for the frs
time in my life before a court of Justice
charged with the violation of law, an
am now about TO be sentenced. But be
!, fore receiving that sentence | propose I
say one or two words in regard to tn
mitigation of that sentence, if it may b
so construed. / cannot of course, and d
not expect hat which | may say will il
any way change your predetermined lin
of action. | ask no such favor of you
hands.
know that the courts of this country
that the laws of this country, that tn,
governmental machinery of this country
are so constituted as 10 Cypress and out
rage colored men, men of my complexion
cannot then, of course expect, judein.
from the past history of the country, any
mercy from the laws, from the constitu
ton, or from the courts of the country.
Some days prior 10 the 18th of Sep
TENDER, 1858, happening 10 tie in OberliI
on a visit, | found the country rounC
about there, and the village itself, filled
with alarming rumors as 10 The fact lha
slave-caichers, kidnappers, negro-steal
ers, were lying hidden and skulking
about, waiting some opportunity 10 gej
their bloody hands on some helpless crea.
ture 10 drag him back-or for the frs
time into helpless and lifelong bondage
These reports becoming current all owe
that neighborhood, old men ana women
and innocent children became exceeding
u alarmed for their safety. Ii was not I'm
common to hear mothers say that they
dare not send their children 10 school.
for fear they would be caught up end
carried eff by the way. Some of these
people had become free by long and pa
iient toll at night, after working the long,
long day for cruel masters, aud thus al
length getting money enough 10 buy their
liberty. Others had become free BY
means of the good viii of their masters.
And there were others who had become
free-to their everlasting honor | say it
by the in,ensest exercise of their own
| God-given powerS;-bv escaping from
The plantations Of their masters, eluding
the blood thirsty patrols and sentinels so
thickly scattered all along their path, out
turning blood hounds and horses, swim
ming rivers and fording swamps, and
reaching at last, through incredible diff
c%ullies, what they in their delusion sup
posed 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.
Ia the midst of such excitement, the
18Th day of September was ushered n
a day ever 10 be remembered in the his
tory CT 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 him will not say a slave, for | do
not know ihat-but a man, a brother, who
had a right 10 his liberty under the laws
of God, under the laws of Nature, and
under the Declaration Of American Inde-
pendence.
In the midst of all Ibis excitement, the
news came to us like a flash Of lightning
that an actual seizure under ami by
means of fraudulent preiences had been
made.
Being identified with that nan by color,
by race, by manhood, by symPathies,
such as God has implanted in US all, !
felt it nv duty 10 go and do what | could
toward liberaling him. | had been
taught by my Revolutionary father-and
| 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, 10 life and
liberty. and coming from the Old Domin-
ion | brought into Ohio these sentiments,
deeply impressed upon my heart; | went
TO Wellington, and hearing from the par
ties themselves by what authority the
boy was held in custody, | conceived from
what little | had oflaw, that they had no
right to hold him. And as your Honor
has repeatedly laid down the law in this
Court, a man is free until he is proven to
he legally restrained of his liberty, and
l believed that upon that principle oflaw
those men were bound TO take their pr s.
oner before the very first magistrate they
found, and there establishth the factsset forth
i'm their warrant, and that until they did
this every man should presume that their
claim was u~nfounded, and institute such
proceedings for the purpose of invesiigs-
ton as they might find warranted by the
laws of this State. Now, sir, if that is
not the plain, common sense and correct
view of The law, then | have been misles
both by your Honor, and by the preva-
lent received opinion.
Il is said that they had a warrant
Why then should they not establish lis
validity before the proper officers? And
I stand here to-day, sir, 10 say that with
an exception of ~hich | shall soon speak.
10 procure such a ldyfUL inUest;gation of
Me authority under whichtie claiD1ed 10
act. Oos tie part Itook in that days pro-
ceedings and tie only part. l supposed
it to be my duty as a citizen OF Ohio
excuse me for saying that, sir as an
ouilaas of tie United States, (much SEN
s%aiion) to do what | could 10 secure at
least this form Of Justice 10 my brother
whose liberty was in peril. Whdtever
more than that has been sUora to on this
trial, as act Of mine, is talse. ridiculOusly
false. When | found these men refusing
to 90, according to the law, as aPPre-
hended it, and subject their claim 10 an
official inspection, and that nothing short
of a ha5eas corpus would oblige such an
inspection; | was willing 10 80 even thus
far, supposing in that county a Sheriff,
might, perhaps, be found with nerve
enough to serve il. In this | again failed.
Nothing hen was left to &c, nothing 10
The boy in custody, but ths Confirmation