Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-04-20
For the Chronicle
The 0berlip Rescue Case.
Oberlin, April 18th, 1859.

OS$t Hfh 4OCCs
Messrs. Editors:
Falling a victim Of the popular excite
ment Of Oberlin, we took the 8 80 trair
+ Monday morning for Cleveland, whic!
landed US safe (not exactly sound. a
the foot of Superior Street. All Cleve,
land 10 US, was C, inferred in u. S. Cour
Room. From our landing place we
made tracks for the Custom House. Our
cramped limbs longed TO extend them.
selves, and our willing fee; kept time IL
our fast beating pulse. Soon the Cor
room was reached, that is the door, where
a compact mass, opposed further progress
However, your Correspondent, (being
rather slim and an Oberlinire) finely gol
within seeing distance of III. Judge, Jury
and Speaker; while pressing through the
crowd, We heard the high and vehement
tones of the speaker, Mr.. Riddle. His
appearance indicate a quick and active
mind. He is shoIt, straight and we'll
made, he speaks rapidly AM energetical.
ly at times becoming very vehement.
His gestures do not follow the rules Of
elocuiionisis, but seem 10 act as pump
handles, 10 force the ideas from his we'll
filled brain, words fjw from his lips in
uninterrupted streams. We did not re.
mark one hesitation in his speech, Of
which we is ened to above three hours.
HIS part Of the labor was 10 review the
testimony, and show wherein it was in
sufficient 10 convict the prisoner, Mr..
Bushnell, he being the first one arraigned.
He abounded in eloquence; we never so
fully f 1t the power Of e~loquence, as when
he, with upturned eyes and clenched
hands, said. al would moi go 10 Kentucky
to decoy negroes, woull not interfere
with such property there, but if a pant
ing fugitive came to my roof for shelter,
and clothing, and food, in the name OF
the Great God he should have it," A
thrill cf admiration and pleasure shot
through the whole audience, and burst
forth in long continued applause. His
examination of Tie testimony was lucid
: and searching, some of the absurdities in
it he wittily showed M, we can truly say,
he completely Riddle-ed it. After him
came Mr.. S~palding, whose duty it was
to enligh,en the jury, land perhaps the
judge) on the law. His first points were
upon the consiiiu:ionality of Slavery
In the opening of his argument he read
from newspaper scraps, some resolu-
lions upon the Fugitive slave la~, which
were passed at a meeting in Cleveland.
They were drafted by a committe of FIVE.
or six among whom was Judge Wilson.
They are as follows:
/. Rssoleed, Thai the passage Of the
Fugitive Law was IN acl unauthorized
by the constitution, hostile 10 every prin-
ciple of Justice and humanity, and if per-
severed in, fatal 10 Human Freedom.
3. Reso'ped, That that law strikes
down some oflhe dearest principles upon
which our fathers predicated their right
TO assert end maintain their independence,
and its char aclelized by The most tyran-
meal exercise of power; and that IL can
not be sustained without repudiating the
doctrines Of the d. claration of indePen-
dence, and the principles upon which all
fec governments rest.
8. Resolred, That tyranny consists in
the wiliully violating, by those IN power,
OF mans natural right TO the personal
security, personal liberty, and private
property; ans il matters not whether
the act is exercised by Il man or a
million Of men, it is equally upjus., un.
righteous, and destructive of the ends Of
all Just governments.
a. RESOLVED, That regarding some
portions of the Fugitive Law as nncon-
s,itutional, and the whole of it as oppres-
sive, unjust and unrighteous, we deem j,
the duty Of every good citizen t~odenounce,
oppose and resist, by all proper means,
the execution of said laws, and that we
demand its immediate and unconditional
repeal, and will not cease to agitate the
question, and use all our powers TO secure
that object, until i: is accomplished.
5, Resolved, That we recommend
that a meeting of the citizens OF this
county be held at Cleveland on the 26ih
day of October instant, u consider said
law, and take such action thereon as
may be beemed expedient.
Quite a sensation was produced among
the spectators. All eyes were turned to
The Judge, who, evidently, was somewhat
embarrassed. We could not hear but
two hours of his speech, as the train
started for Oberlin before the time Of
adjourning Court, yet judging from what
we heard of it, and Mr.. Riddles, we could
see how any jury, partialor impartial,
could convict Bushnell for violating any
law of these United States. We did not
in time TO hear Judge Bliss argu-
ment, nor remain long enough for Judge
B clden's, we have since heard that mJsl
of his ~(Belden'>) time was taken up
with raniing about things said by his
opponents, mostly personalities.
1t matters but little what the testimony,
arguraents or law may be, the U. S.
Court and an administration jury decide
the case. Reporters are in attendance
for the N. Y. Tribune, the Kentucky |
Free South. and other papers. The case
will be remarked upon through the whole
and bresdlh of The land. As We
write, a telegram IN that Judge VIII
son has given the charge TO the jury and
it has returned its verdict, Gully
No more than was expected, the deci-
sion might as well been given al once