The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-06-18
A Negro in his own Defense.

Fugitive slave, ls himself negro and The son
Of a slave, The address he made 10 the court
when called up 10 receive his sentence, was
admirably reasoned and forcible. IL would
have done credit to an educated white man.
The opening and closing paragraphs Of the
speech will give an idea Of its scope and
spiriii-
"Some days prior 20 the 18Th Of September,
1903, happening 10 be- in Oberlin on visit,
found the country round about there, aud
the village itself filled With alarming fumOfk
as 10 the fact that slaye-catchers, kidmppefs,
negro stealers, we're lying hidden and skulk-
ing about waiting some opportunity % get
their bloody hands on some helpless creature
20 drug him back-o for the first time into
helplesa aud lifelong bondage, These reports
becoming current hll over that neighborhOOd,
old men and innocent women and children
became exceedingly alarmed Tor their safety
IL was not uncommon 10 hear mothers say
that they dared not send their children 10
school for fear they would be caught and
carried of by the way. Some Of these pen-
pie had become free by long and patient toll
at night, after working the long, long day for
cruel masters, and then At length getting
money enough % buy their liberty. Others
had become Tree by means of the good will
OF their masters. And there we're others who
had become irre-to their ever lasting honor
! say it-h, the intenscst exercise of their
own God given powers by escaping from
the plantations Of thcir masters, cluding the
blood thirsty patrols and srnuntlA 80 thickly
scattered all along their path, outrunniug
blood hounds and horses, swimming rivers
aud fording STAMPS, and reaching NJ last
through incredible difficulties, what they in
q FN...UH Il.
These three classts we're in ObeIlin, trem.
bling alike Gr their safety. brcauae they well
knew their fate should those mcn-hunters
get their hands on them. In the midst Of
such excitement, the 18Th day Of September
vas ushcrcd in-a day ever 20 be remember,
ed in the history Of that place, aud / pre-.
sumo no less 10 the history oflhis court
--on which those men by lymg devices, de.
coycd into q place whore thct could get their
hands on him-l will not SAY a slave, Tor do
not know that-but man, a Lrofher who
had right TO his liberty under the laws of
God, under tho laws Of Nature, and under
the declaration Of American Independence.
In the midst Of all this excitement, the news
e'#'e t. 'gs like q Gush of lightning TINT an
actual seizure under the means Of fraudulent
prcIonses had been made Being identified
with that man 10y color, by race. by manhood
'fN NNiIfN'itfHH HHAl hH AANN nus lNlnlhlAfN lil
nv all, fclt 1t my duty 90 go aud do what
could toward libcrating him. had been
taught 10y my revolutionary hther-aud hy
his honorcd associates, that the Fundamental
doctrine 81 this government was that all me1
haze hight. ln life and libcfii. and coming
from the Old Dominion brought into Ohio
these sentiments, deeply impressed upon my
hcarti ! went 10 Wellington, and hearing
from the parties themselves by what authori-
" The boy was held in custody, / conceived
from what little knowledge had OF Law, that
they had no right 20 hold him. -
"Sume may say thcrcais no danger Of free
persons being seized and catiied of M slaves.
No one need labor under such delusion.-
Sir. foW Of the eight prisoners who were first
carried back under the act Of 1850. we're af-
forwards proved TO be free men. They we're
free persons, but wholly n the mercy of the
oath Of one man. And but last Sabbath n
iernoon letter came 10 me from gentle
man IN 81. Louis, informing me that a young
azis tf tsas formerly tiflslzr iffAtfHetiep
~ Columbus. free person, is now living in
the jail at that place, claimed ns the slave of
some wretch who never saw her before, and
waiting for testimony from relatives AZ Colum-
bus to establish her freedom. l could stand
here by the hour and relate such instances
In the nature Of the case they must be con-
sianty occurring. A letter was not long
since found on the person Of countcrfeilcr
when arrested, addressed TO him by some
southern gentleman, in which the writer says
Go among the n'ggtrsi find out their
marks and scars; make good descriptions
and send to me and I'lI find masters for EN-"
That is the way men are carried "back" TO
slavery.
But in view Of all the facts, I say, that, if
ever again man is seized near me, and is
about TO he carried southwark as a slave be.
fore any legal investigation has been had,
shall hold II 20 be my duty, as I held IL that
day, to secure for him il possible legal in
quiry into the character Of the claim By which
he is held. And 60 further I Say that If
Il is adiudged illegal to procure even such an
then we are thrown back upon
those last defenses of our rights Which can
not be taken from US, aud which God gave
us that we need not be slaves. ask your
honor, while say this, TO place yourself in
my situation, and you will say with me, that
IT your brother, if your friend, If your wife,
If your child, had been seized by men who
claimed them as fugitiyes, and the law of the
land forbade you TO ask any investigation,
and precluded the possibility Of any legal pro-
lection or redress-then you will say with
me, that you would not only demand the
protection Of the law, but you would call in
your neighbors and your friends, and would
ask them TO say win you, that these your
friends could not be taken into slavery.
"And now thank you for this leniency,
this indulgence, in giving man unjustiy
by tribunal before which he is
declared to have no rights, the privilege Of
speaking in his own behalf know that il
will do nothing toward mitigating your SEN
tence, but it is privilege to be allowed to
speak, and thank you for it. shall sub
NIT to the penalty, be it what it may. But
stand up here to say, that il for doing what
did on that day at Wellington, an, to go in
jail six months, and pay a fine of a thousand
dollars, according to the fugitive slave law,
and such is the protection the laws Of this
country afford me, must take upon myself
the responsibility Of selEprotection when |
come TO be claimed by some penured wretch
as his slave, shall never be taken into slave
ry. And as in that trying hour l would have