The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-05-30

slave or Not n AIave--~.rhaa,s the
Question:
| tFrom tho St. Joseph (No.) Free Democrat, 19h
/ One of those strange, but not VERY unfra
/ cuans, occurrences in the different phases uf
the 'specnliar institution,o happened in our
CITY last Saturday. Upon the evidence of
two very respectable and disinterested gen
temcn (?1 residents OF our CITY, a girl about
eighteen or twenty years OF age, and whom
oar neighbors of the Gazette say .'the beat
OF Judges might mistake for q white woman -
was arrested as o runaway slave. What
seems TO he a little strange in the case, is the
fact Of her having lived in our city for a
number of months in prominent citizens
family, as u free and white servant girl, and
no one ever suspecting or possibly thinking
her fugitive from bondage, and yet remain
ing In a Slave State. But, for some time
previous to her arrest, che had resided i'm
Balemont, Kansas, where she was taken for
a white woman, and treated with that same
difference shown TO oil other white women by
civilized people. However, upon the athia-
Wits of these two worthless, who, 1t seems,
were acquainted with herr in Lexington, where,
ii is alleged, she belonged to one Tut, the
officers OF our city proceeded TO make tho ar.
rest, and sent for the Marshal. lie, forced
by bis duty, performed the painful and hu.
initiating act We understand that she was
taken into safe keeping, and MIR. Tut tele-
graphed for, who Of course can claim *
her as his property, pa,a l.-o ~4va.44~.-sted
WORTHLESS who sho wed sach a disinterested
Kindness, and took her away quietly. OF
course it ia oil right, and even III the girl is
as white, intelligent and pretty as most OF
Young ladies, and even claimed to be from
pA rTy fara a
ever being a slave, what right had she 20 be
heard when two respectable, worthy pro
slavery men gay they know her to be slave?
OF course our Justice mnst remand her to
boadage and doom worse than death, be-
cause, forsooth, the slave oligarchy demand
it.
Whether she is slave or not we do not
know, but taking it for granted that she is,
We look upon il as an outrage upon the feel
ings of humanity and characteristic only of
barbarous age, and Of a more barbaroas
people. But the circumstance gives us view
of The beauieous system-the peculiar in
stitltion, (which we have never seen before,
and is that which gives men the privilege of
pandering in the traffic Of human flesh and
blood that stands pre- eminent TO their own
In every respect; In color, In intelligence,
In humanity, in soul. This 10 but one
instance Of thousands that occur in our
country, but il is sufficient of itself, when
caniidly viewed, TO nuke the soul sick with
the low depraved condition 10 which this
cursed system of oppression sinks the human
being who engages in is. We should like to
know the difference between taking free
white girl from Illinois, There this one
claimed TO be from, and doubtless was, and
oonsigning her to slavery upon the say 4 two
or thousand men, and the giving up of this
one, in moral point of view. OF course
the laws Of slavery make it right; the laws
| Of tod aud conscience tell us il 10 wrong
/ We refer to this merely as an instance show
| irg up the disgusting qualities OF this ineti.
I tuition, which, we contend, 10 curse to Us
and our oountry, socially, po!s caly, moral.
| y, and in this State, most certainly pccun-
arily.