Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-06-03

TIE CASE OF MANUEL MAsoN--CoNvIcTIo
OF \ Man FOR HARBoRING His OwN CHILD.-
WASHINGTON, May 81, lS59.-Ihave alluded
once or twice to the hard case of Manuel Ma
son, colored man, in Washington. The
case has Just been opened afresh to me by
responsible parties, and ] have gathered the
following facts. which are SO startling that |
venture to send them to you al the risk OF
firing your readers with the case. Let me
premise by saying that the facts ran he proren
in any decent court.
Said Samuel Mason and his wife were
slaves of white woman, living few miles
out of the city: A few years ago Manuel
was taken sick with inAammatory rheuma-
tism, and was given up by the doctors as in
durable. Under these circumstances his
mistress offered to sell him for $500, No
body would touch him at that price. FL
nally she offered to give the cripple his free
dom for $500, he to pay her in instruments.
lie accepted the offer, and paid off the entire
sum in due course of time. He partially re-
covered his health and hired the nme Of has
,rve for so much a year that she might keep
house for him in Washington. They raised
large number of children at their own er-
pense, but invariably at the age of ten years
the mistress took away each child and sold
1t off or appropriated it to her own use.
At last only one child was left--"little
Ben" lie was, like all youngest children,
favorlte-the baby-the comfort of the old
man and woman.
In September last one of our new police
approached the small dwelling Of Manuel
Mason in search of 'little Ben for the lost
child must be taken to minister to the vora-
cious appetite of the monster Slavery. Ben
jamin was missing, however. The father
never had him in his power or possession for
one moment, yet he was suddenly arrested
for ''harboring slave" The law dates
1907, under which he was taken, and the
literal penalty is lone hundred pounds of
tobacco per hour for each hour of harbor-
err was simply guilty Of not finding his run
away boy. The officer told Mason to hunt
up his boy, and upon his neglecting to do
this he was thrown into Jail, Although no
evidence was offered against him, yet the
Justice would not let Mason out on any less
bail than SIS 90, which was furnished by a
kind hearted citizen of the district. A Jury
very quickly brought in verdict of guilty,
though with no more evidence of guilt than
is to be found in this letter. Mason was re-
manded to Jail, where for days he lay with
out bed, and all the time with scant cloth
ing. He lay in Jail forty nine days before
Judge Crawford would deign to sentence him.
The sentence was to pay fine of Sl66 &c,
being 81 &c "for every hour the slave was
harbored-one half of said amount to 20 to
the use of the owner of the slave, and the
other half to the United States" | quote
from the Judges sentence as reported in the
National lntellgencer. Mason was also
sentenced to pay all costs. and to remain in
Jail till the entire sum was paid The Dis
trict Attorney was at last prevailed upon to
consent, upon ample security that the money
will be paid at the end of three months, to
let the poor negro go, and he is at liberty
once more
In the meantime petition is circulating
asking the President to remit the fine but
without a shadow of hope for success. If
any one at the North wishes to help Mason
and freedom, the Era office will receive and
apply any such moneys.