Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1860-08-24
A Thrilling Story.

4
been given to the public. The Chicago
7irib,sas gives the whole story In the an
nexed statement: Il
Son Sunday, june 5, three colored
men living in or near Clifton--a village
near Ashkum, q station on the Illinois
Central road, about sixty miles from
Chicago--were enticed by seven or eight
whites into country store or grocery,
and when there were pounced upon by
their armed decoys, now turned assail-
ants, and under threat Of instant death l
from revolvers pointed at their breasts,
were compelled to submit to the COM
mands of those who by force and fraud |
had oyerpowered them. They were in
stantly hurried off to Askum, and their
captors, having timed their movements
to correspond with the motions of the
down train, thrust their prey, still guard
ed by an array of pistols and bowl e
knives, into the cars, and bore the poor
men of. All this was accomplished
without process of any sort--by brute
force alone, illegally and diabolically.
The indignation of the quiet community
in which this occurred was thoroughly
aroused by the outrage; but all parties,
the wronged and the wrong-doers. were
gone-hid in a slave State, under the
shadow of the institution that justifies
all such atrocities-and everybody de-
SPARED of being able to bring the cap
tives back, or the scoundrels to the pun
ishment that they had richly earned.
The kidnapped men were carried to
St. Louis as fast as steam could convey
them, jealousy guarded all the way. Ar
rived there, they were thrust into ne
gro pen which still disgraces that free
soil city, and the work, with view to
the profits of the great crime, was CON-
menced. In answer to the inquiry direc-
; ted to each, Who is your master?' one
ayerred that he was then, and always had
been, free man; another refused tC
answer: while the third, the man Jim
said he had been the property of Aimt
Penard, farmer, near Carondelet, sever
miles from the city. The man WHIT
claimed to be free, and his silent fellow
prisoner, scere tied APP and cruelty .taogg
ed, the one to refresh his recollection o
. the servitude that his captors suspects
and the other to a confession he woul,
q not make. Whipping proving of n
% avail, other forms of cruelty-hunge
Il the most potent-were tried, but with n
= better success. At last, both these me
= one torn ruthlessly from his wife an
children, and the other from neigh
borhood in which his industry had mad
:, him respected, and each from life
10 freedom and enjoyment-irere sent lSoua
., and sold. They were made prisoners
he war, and as such in this time of peac
n were compelled to submit to their ca
= tors will.
be While this whipping, shipping al
OF selling was going on, Anne Pernard, tt
rst owner of Jim, was visited by one of Il
tly kidnappers. He ,cent 10Th offers to b
at Jim, running-buy the chances of ca
OTIS ture after five years absence. One hu
len dred dollars was the sum named for tt
ae- fugitive piece of flesh and blood. B
it'll ii was Indignantly refused. The su
was doubled, trebled, quadrupled, and
last multiplied by ten; but all tempt
tons failed to get them legal title
-. their prey. They served this purpo
r. however: The owners suspicious We
,hb aroused by the amount offered by
seoundrels, and their eagerness to eff
a trade. On Saturday, then, we
:. after the capture, he sent a negro '
~. man into ST. Louis-the woman, by
way, the mother of Jim-to make
quiries that the case seemed to dema
OF Her mothers instinct led her to
right place. Admitted to the pen,
lick recognised her son. learned from his
that bis sufferings and danger; and then v
Bell such speed as she could command, b
eve ried back to the masters house.
was story sent him into the city and to
n OF slave pen direct. Jim's story was rep
u De ed with such emphasis and particula
'anA that every drop of that masters bl
ior tingled in his veins. His haggard
sess1ii- pearance, his wounds and MARKS of str
way attested to the masters sight the trut
con- the words that fell upen his ears.
sney called the keeper of the place, comm:
anu ed the humane treatment Of his pro
ou' ty, and left with the promise that
esi- would return and relieve him of
Germ. charge This was on Sunday morn
g the Bright and early on the day follow
When lime pernard annQared at fhe m