The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-03-21
THE COPPOC CASE.
GOV. KIRKwooD's MESSAGE.

Executive OFFICE, March 8, 1860
Gentlemen of the House of Rep:
have received your resolution of yes.
terday. requesting me to communicate to
you all the facts and correspondence con.
nected with or in any way growing out
of the demand made upon me for the
arrest Of Barclay Coppoc, and his sur
render to the State Of Virginia, as fu.
gitive from justice. and my reasons for
refusing that demand.
The Special Message of the Governor
Of Virginia referred to in the preamble
to your resolution. is of such extraordi.
nary character as in my judgment to rem
der proper the publicity of the informa-
ton asked for by your resolution. All
the papers and correspondence connected
with, or in any way growing out Of this
matter, are the acquisitions of the Gov
ernor of Virginia. a copy of which
transmit, marked A.; the affidavit upon
which said requisilion is based. which j
l copy in the body Of this communica-
ton ; my letter to the Governor of Vir.
ginia. dated January 2sd. 1860, copy
Of which l transmit, marked G. l have
not received from the Governor Of Vir.
ginia reply to either of my letters to
him, and | have not had correspondence
upon this subject with any other person
The facts touching that requis!tion are
these On the Esd day Of January last,
an agent of Virginia called upon me and
presented his commission from tue Gov.
srno- Of tlat State, as such agent, to re
ceive Coppoc. who was depAnded in the
same commission as 9 fugitive from jus.
tice, as appeared By an annexed docu.
ment. Of which the following is an exac,
copy:
" City Of Richmond. and State of Eir-
ginia, TO ssa
Andrew Hunter maketh oath and
saith. that from information received from
several Of the prisoners recently con.
demned and executed at Charleston, JEFF
ferson county, Virginia, and from other
facts which have come to his knowledge,
he verify believes that certain Barclay
Coppoe was aiding and abetting certain
John Brown, and others. who on the six
teenth and seventeenth days of October,
in the year 1859, did feloniously and
reasonably rebel and commit treason
against the commonwealth of Virginia,
at a certain place called Harper's Ferry.
in said county Of Jefferson. and who did
then and there feloniously conspire with
and advise certain slaves in the county
aforesaid to rebel and make insurrec ton
against their masters, and against the au :
thority Of the laws Of said Commonwealth
of Virginia-and who did then and there
feloniously kill and murder certain Hay
ward Sheppard. = free negro. and George
w. Turner. Fontaine Beckham, and
Thomas Barclay-and affianl further
states that from information recently re.
Gently received. he verify believes that
said Barclay Coppoc is fugitive from
justice. now escaping in the State of
Iowa.
"Sworn to before me, Notary Puf.
lie in and for the City of Richmond. an
the State Of Virginia, this ninth day of
January, 1860.
IS. H. BOYKIN, N. p"
Upon examination OF this paper. 1 de.
cllnsd to issue my warrant for the arrest
OF the alleged fugitive. because. in my
Judgment. no authority so to do was con-
ferred upon me by law 10 case resting
on such a basis.
IL is high prerogstive Of official pow
er in any case. to seize citizen Of the
State and send him upon an exparte state
mont. and without any preliminary ex.
animation. aud without confronting him
with a single witness. to distant State
for trial, il is prerogatiss 50 high ths,