Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-04-09
AFTERNOON SESSION

Chaanoey Waok on the stand Wien | frat
got INTO Wellington, ! called upon the mer.
chant and found out about the bank bill. In
Mr.. Whtney's grocery at Oberlin saw about
hat dozen colOred men loading guns One
OF these was q think) Mr.. Fox. / knew moth
ing about shakspeare's plan to get John away.
Furnished Jennings with a team to 90 To Wei
lington. On Saturday night previous, a barn
belonging TO a Mr. Warren was burned On
that night Jennings and Mitchell we're awav.--
The negro who had his throat cut few days
previous to the rescue, was engaged 10 fight
with another negro. According to my reeol
lection Mitchell and Davis did not come 10 my
house about mignight on Sunday night, bat on
Monday morning about half past eleven. Jen
nings and Mitchell were away two NIGHTS
OiiDeT WadSDorfh, s,eorn kept the hotel NJ
Wellington last September, at the time of this
rescue The crowd Of rescuers arrived at nv
house between three and four O'Clock Saw
Dir. watson, Mr. Patton and Mr. Scrimeper
was not IN the room up stairs where the negro
was kept. There were about 500 in the crowd.
SOME OF whom had guns and arms. Mr.. Lin.
coin told me that whatever was done must he
done before 8 o'cock-befcre the train arrived
from Cleveland. Mr. Gett of WELLINGTON told
me that the best thing l could do was to open
my house and let the crowd rush in and take
the negro, Or to have a committee appointed TO
go in aud consult with the Southerners and
arrange the matter He said they would
tear the house down if they could not have the
boy 10 appearance there was guard around
the house
w. b, Warden sioorn. Live at Oberlin Was
there at the time Of this rescue, and was there
On the return of the crowd that went to Wei
lngton. 1t was dark when they returned Saw
Bushnell among thom. They said they had
got the boy John. Bushnell was not then in
hearing. DON'T know what became of John.
John q. Bacon re called On Mr. Jennipps'
return from Oberlin the first tire he asked If
there was any reward offered for the nepro
Frank, who had run off with John. had of.
iered reward of half the value of my negro
Tor his recovery, and said to Jennings that that
offer was still open. There was no personal
contract made between myself and Jenninps
but 1t was the general understanding in the
vicinity that the finder who brought him back
should be entitled to one-half the value of the
negro.
Here the prosecution rested, all of their wit
nesses having testified. The cross examination
Of the witnesses for the prose e,ution was con
ducted by Mr. BAoKus MIR RIDDLE examines
the witnesses for the defense.
Gen IL: D. Boyaton, of the township of Rus
sll, was the first witness called for the defence
Was at home the day before this affair happen
cd Saw Mr.. Jennings for the first time on
Sunday, the 18th of September. He came
there the day before, but | was awav In
the morning Mr.. Lowe and Mr. Jennings came
uo"h stairs to breakfast. This wac Sunday
IuuL"g wds E,r NJ Ravwe Lowe spoke to me and agoI e
my cattle, the two gentlemen went with me-
Here Judge BELDEN objected to the conversa-
ton or arrangement made between Mr.. Boynton
and Jennings relative to the matter of obtaining
possession of the boy John, as being upon an
immaterial point, and not necessary to a
full understanding of the case against Bush
nell, notwithstanding it is brought to
counteract and lmpeaeh the testimony of
other witnesses. This objection was sus.
tained by the Court when Judge SPArLDING re.
marked that the Court was not probably
fully aware Of the stand point taken by the de-
fence They proposed to show that tile arrest
Of this boy John was made under fraudulent
and scandalously false pretenses, and that at
such time, the uplising Of the community
was to recover the boy who had been thus do
oeitlully taken away. They proposed to show
that the boy was taken, not upon power Of
attorney, nor upon warrant from Columbus,
but by sheer deceit and fraud Judge BLISS
replied that knowing the character of the vii
lage of Oberlin, which was the grand haven
and harbor Of fugitive slaves, no man from the
South would dare to go there and openly make
an arrest of fugitive slave when the brst-
ling guns would be brought out TO defend
the negro, To this Judge spaulding responded
that he was not before aware that there was to
be one law for oberlin, and another for the rest
of mankind and the rest of the world The
rules OF testimony and evidence, he had sup
posed, were universal, aud not to be one thing
for Oberlin and another for some other place,
The defendant Bushnell was charged with all
the offences which any one in the crowd com
mlttsd during the whole day, and it is a strapae
principle Of right and justice il we cannot
show the cause Of this crowd being gathered
together. They took the ground that had John
been taken legally this crowd might not have
assembled to rescue him, They should show
the cause which led Bushnell 70 commit this
offence, if any offence there be- Judge Belden
remarked that Judge Mclean had decided that
in such cases as this of Bacon aud Jennings,
the property could be recovered at any time
and any hour. Tho Court still sustained
the objection
Shakespeare BoyhtOn s,0Orn. Am l3 years
old Am the son Of Mr. l.. ID. Boynton, as
Suppose although it il hard telling who are
one'a parents now days. / was with John
when be was taken. lie was ia the buggy
with me. Mitchell, Lowe, and Davis overlook
me about one mile and three quarters from
Oberlin. Mr. Davis jumped ont Of his buggy
aud took hold Of John. John had in his hand a
jack knife, picking his teeth Mitchell took that
knife away. Mr. Davis took bold of him, aud
Mr.. Lowe said, "bring him along" They drove
up at the side Of the buggy where John was
drove slow TO let them overtake me. Davis
took hold of him first WLen asked for the
knife, John said "I'll take care Of it," Mitchell
put his hand TO his pocket and made John give
up the knife, Johu was some frightened, per
haps not very much had seen all these
gentlemen before. Went beck 10 Mr.. Wack's.
/ tried TO get John to dig potatoes that day
lie said he would direct me 10 another negro
who would work for me. We met the other
negro, and told John he had better take a
whole ride and not half Que, so we went On
got TO Oberlin that morning about q o'clock.
Jennings offered me $40, aud paid me after
got back He wanted should enquire-(testi-
money ruled out) was to have $50 more IL
could get big Frank" Lowe gave me a card
when they took the boy, with a direction on
= NNa1Na 4 - o. IL