Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-12-03
Correspondence Of tho New York Tribune.
F&5Gnnppels in Lancaster County, Penn
syiVnHia.

For some weeks past the south and their al.
lies in the north have been c!amoring for the
repeal of what they call personal liberty laws,
said to be in force il seven OF the northern
states, Pcnnsylva among others Although
no such law is in force in this state, il Is much
needed, especially for the county Of Lancas-
ter. Ever since the passage Ct the fugitive
slave law our county has been infested with
set OF villains, who steal and sell into slavery
free negroes whom they can, either by force
or some lying preteXt, Jecoy into their mesh
es. \ m0SJ villainous and desperate gang has
infested the neighborhood Of the Gap (long
celebrated as the harbor of ali manner OF des-
peradoes,) and when any OF our citizens had
the courage to prosecute any of them, the
torch was applied TO his house or barn, thus
keeping the neighborhooa in terror
Therefore they could commit crime with
impanty, for no one dare inform upon them
Two of them were convicted for kidnapping
free negro, at our court OF quarter sessions,
las. week, which may result in the utter ami
hilatiun Of the whole gang.
Before giving history of the case, permit
me to bring to your notice one or two others,
OF not SO recent date where the guilty par.
ties escaped punishment through the conniv.
ance of public officers i'll high places.
In the spring OF 1852, police officer named
Ridgely, OF Baltimore, Nd, and Sol. Snyder
,..rnn In Cnlnnbi, wirIout apv rarrant W bot.
aver arrested VIM smith = colnred man
while ut his work in one of tue lumber yards,
and because he made feeble effort 10 effect
his release from the prasp of these two men,
I}ii,,eIv dro,y ., rnvoivar md blo,y ont Sn,iiI,S
brains. Ridgely then fled to Baltimore.
John l.. Thompson, late district attorney of
this county, Immediately came to the scene of
fine murder. and prornrcd the offdavils Of
norsons who saw Snit, nurdurrd and nro.
cecled to HARRISBURG to law them before GOV.
William Binlpr fnr fIa ,,uTnosn nf nbtai,tin,ro
rcouisition on the aoytrn6r OF MARYLAND for
the rendition of Rii1,Iv Mr. rhomnson rs.
sured me at The time. hat Rirlcr wouId imn,e.
dlately grant a reouisifiop. lie huile1 Ia keen
his promise. but sent privately TO the governor
of SIarylond and rennnstnd him in se,d rnn.
nissloners Buchanan and Scott friends of fine
accu.eN to Columbia Thov came and Inv
ok Darte statements made to Them fbev vera
satisfied. and satisfied the governors Of Mary.
land and Pennsylvania and John l.. Tbomns9n
that no harm was intended that the act was
pur4lv accidental and there the affair tnrn,ina-
ted thry SCENE. to fhinl; fine pnilt ar iunn.
capre of This man could better bn tested ont
Of doors than bv the tiummerv of a trial hatore
twelve conscientious and honest mem mnder
oath who might nrobabIv think tbat killing
negro is murder because thew wonId he less
enlightened than the nnhlic officers
Encouraged by the success with which
Ridrely escaned \ numbnr If frnp nncrors
were snirited AWAY from Colnmbia in fine niubt
md onnvovod IN 'R,I+;,no., and tI,oro sr;lI ~
Sin,os anu '''e' '0'" "'
0rI,, o,,o Of tI ,,,,,,I,,, ,,,, ,,,,. 1,,.1. L.,
W: G"ON io'
PtnI nv u ''i0 nv
t,a ,i't, i.',. ~
brh has nor vot ay,,iroJ Soma Of tI,a ot%ar
narties r0nrerrad ~ tha o,,+ra,,o LII ,eia
nnder Riglar's aGri,,istrotion o7G io,,, rI.iJo
in tho stSto oF Nam,ia,I w.
trom anv n,oIostntiyn nn 81 ~ 49, ~,
thorities of that M, o,,r ,,nr,,1NnraoItt
S;nro ,han ,Iosa i|id,,a,l,,'Ys .o,', ., l,o,,o
made the sf;sn IN tbo oLi,or oo1.tion Of r
countv their headnnarters ''''
t'ir ,, ,'e'4 D''' 49,
dnrtnd fran tha decentralization and ,alIon ~
RaIiin,ore and SolJ 10 sJa,,or,, Nh 49,,
VIII ,o sLo ii,,I ,<,' 'n1 peisoi,
War,I.nd ,ybar i, '' ''ie r"' y ''''I
mnr3rrrd Ifis haii@vnd tlai tbn ,,or,'otrot,rs
NJ thn mr. ,vnre vol o, ~ ,,,
in Raltimorn bnt mo n4ort 80 t,r w. It,n,,
learn has evnr Loer nod +o h,;m,, tJ,o,, ~
usti4e ''-'e '''N"- ~
IN five ,ioI+ oe +l,o 81 ~ ,rau,l, I,,4 C,;u
mar un 49,, WI. " p 49, Nj HiI.'
clyo.to,, C!,;n,, o,,d Fn,l-l;,, D4;I 49,
r. tbe house of Jnhn Rrow,n a froo ,,,or nf
color Gving in salisbury townshin nv, tha l.1
10 60 thot tI,, ,,,,, li,,,r III, ~ -
,ina an IlogaJ i,r,,, .,,lo.1I ~ ~
IS ~ 49, . i 80 ~ ~ ~ NGoy 'S
manacled his limbs and drove off rgpid'v 10
McCali's Ferry. on fine Susouebanua river
some twenty miles distant.
Arriving there about daylioht. a confederate
named Fisher. who keeps \ low qroogerv 49,
erected them in his parret mill tie eypni,,,, of
the members OF the gau0 was oivcn and tho
marty proceeded to tI,e EaryI,nI shors Snf
ice it TO saw. Brown was taken to Baltimore
and placed in a slave pen. where he was recoo,
nized as a freeman. and returned TO his home
lie Immediately instituted suit against nil
persons concerned in his abdnrrion en- for ss
he knew them.
True bills Of Indictment vera G,,,rI f,,. l,id
naming At the romrt NJ narior sn.siors Ii1
in the month of AUGUST
Tho dnf,n1o,,t, 80, I,o;t :; a.. -. 70
$1,000 for their ap6rarp C,'' At tine c9"rr Of
quarter sessions to he heId in rho Iit,, ,f f.,,,
caster. on the third Monday of Novan,hs, inst
rbc narfies tort,.lIe HIN,
Gilmore Inn and Francis WIZ" SSn
tried convicted and sentenced Iast ,iooI. ~
nav fine of 5000 each onn LoII ,Gero,F ~ w
10 the prosecutor. John Rrown and IN ,ndeer
on an mnrisnnm.t .,.,,,,,'' -, w. .,'l;'..
eunfine,neut nr Lar1 l3to, Nv ~. .'',,y.
rountI n,i.nr far ~, ,,l;,,i - A.,
thrna montLs md r., w., 49,, a,1, '''',1
tion F' VI P'''NNN
The friends of tbn d,,f,,,dopts orc, ,,o.s,,.,,,1
of getl, ,yLi tI,,,, III '''e Po'ee'9eu
The prosecution was conducted with c5nsum.
mate tact and ability, but for which the de-
PENDANTS would have euded the requirements