The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1859-07-14
Correspondence of the Ohio Statesman.]
The Fugttiye slave LAVA Deputy U. q.
Marshal's Dcfences
the CASE OF MIR. EzEKiEL T. cox in ONO.
ZANEsyILLR, O., juno Is, 1859.


THE CASE or MIR. EZEKIEL T. cox IN OHIO.
ZANEsvILLE, O., June Is, 1859.
Ezekiel Il. Cox, (the father of the Ohio
representative commonly known as
"Sunset Cox'') has been for upwards OF
twenty years member Of good standing
in what is called the Market-street
Church, of GAINESVILLE, O., and has resided
upwards of forty years in and near that
city. He has been United States Depu-
ty Marshal for the Southern District of
Ohio for the last year or two, and had the
fugitive, Charley jackson, recently arres-
ted by virtue ofa warrant in his hands.
In consequence of Mr.. Cox's action in
this matter, the above Church resolved,
among other things, that he chad par
ticipated in the fugitive slave case in a
manner wholly unwarranted by the word
of God, and by so doing had grieved his
brethren in the church, and brought dis
honor on the cause Of Christ and the
Church of which he is member"
In their preamble, the church stated
that Mr. Cox, in acting as Deputy Mar
shall of the United States in this case, &C.
ted contrary to the spirit and teachings
of our holy religion, and the express CON-
mand of God himself, as recorded in Deu.
teronomy, 23d chapter, 18th and 10th
verses: "Thou shalt not deliver unto
his master the servant which is escaped
from his master unto thee" &c. This
was the only portion of the Scriptures
quoted, as we understand, to prove that
his proceedings under the Fugitive Slave
law was unwarranted by the Word Of
God. A special church meeting having
been appointed to trylhm for this offense,
he was requested by Committee of the
church to appear before it on the 9th
inst, and present his views of duty in re-
lation to the matter. He accordingly
appeared, and stated that he did not be-
lieve the church had any right to call him
to an account for his action under the
above law; that it had been in force
number of years, and if so iniquitious,
why had it not been repealed ! but as it
was not repealed it ought, In his opinion,
to be obeyed, and would be by every
good law-abiding citizen of the Union
Mr.. Cox stated to the church that it was
preposterOus to suppose that the above
passage from Deuteronomy, written some
thousands of years ago, had any applica-
bility to his proceedings under the Fugi-
tive Slave Law at all, and that the first
verse of the same chapter, and divers
others of the same book, might with as
much propriety have been cited by the
brethren to prove his conduct unwarran.
ted by the Word of God. DR.. Adam
Clarke, one of the most profound schol-
ars, said Cox, remarks in bis commenta-
ries, as to this 10th verse of Deuterono-
my, that it means, "a servant of an idol
atrous master, that he might join himself
to God and his people," "ln any other
case," continues this learned divine, "it
would have been injustice to harbor the
runaway" Mr.. Cox showed that this
fugitive, Charley, did not escape from
idolatry to join himself to God and bis
people but ran away from kind and
humane master, stole horse, saddle and
bride, and committed a criminal offence
besides of the most atrocious character,
with a poor, weak white girl. Yet, such
wretch, Mr.. Cox stated, appeared to
have enlisted the deepest sympathy of
many of the leading members of the
church, and that he was arraigned before
it for no other cause than having perform
ed his sworn duty as an officer of the
United States in arresting such miscre-
ant who, he stated, was not fit to run at.
large, or for any society, save practical
amalgamationists or ultra abolitionists.
Mr. Cox stated that he was cited to
The laws and ordinances under the Mosaic
dispensation, to prove his unwarrantable
conduct as a protesting Christian, and no
reference made to the New Testament to
prove it that he had been led to believe
that the old dispensation, With its rites
and ceremonies, and comparative dark
ness, had been somewhat superseded by
the light of The glorious Gospel of Christ,
and he thought it would be better to oh.
serve His precepts and instructions, and
those OF His inspired Apostles than the
ordinances of Moses enacted in those ear
ly days of the world, and which he had
shown were not at all applicable to this
enlightened age, under the Gospel dispen-
sation. Mr.. Cox said he had never been
slavery dropagandist, but that he had
always intended to be an advocate for
the maintenance of the Constitution and
laws of his country. Surely, said he, no
Christian of any pretensions to intelli-
gence will deny that Slavery was /,
at least recognized and tolerated when
Christ was on earth, and during apps
tolic times as we'll as under the Mo-
safe dispensation and referred to
Paul to Col: "Servants obey in all
things your masters according to the
fesh," &c. Also his directions to Titus |:
Exhort servants to be 6bedient to their
own masters. and to please them we'll in