The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-08-10
The so-Called kidnapping Case a
Scheme to Ext0rt Money.

L wv RASoSAsV WV 0VSSAAsS~SS ~SHO"S 1865
throw strange light upon the " kidnap.
ping !" Of HENRY SPARKS, the negro servant
of Mrs. PRINCE. The FIRST is letter from
Hon. JOHN 8. PRINCE, Mayor of st. Paul,
who, for his own personal satisfaction, en-
deavored by thorough Investigation of all
the sources of information at his command,
to arrive at the truth of the whole matter.
The other is letter from Col. e. W.
JACK, of New Orleans, Louisiana, detailing
an interview he had with SPARKS, while the
latter was en- route for the South, and which
gives the kidnapped negro's own &C.
count of his adventures. Col. j. we may
add, is we'll known in different parts of the
State; he has spent the summer months
here since 1856, and in connection with
Col. DAWSON, of Louisiana, was instrumen.
tai in first bringing Minnesota into notice
in the Southwest, as summer resort.
From the statements of these two gentle~
men, the reader will be able to gather the
lOHOWIuS IdCtS
Ftrst-The negro SPARKS was made
drunk, with drugged liquor, and while in
that state was forcibly prevented from re-
turning to his mistress, and was robbed of q
watch and considerable sum of money.
Second-SPARKs endeavored to escape
from his captors, and return to the Interna-
tional Hotel, but was not only prevented
from doing so, but was maltreated in the
attempt.
1hird-His captors, who prevented bis
voluntary return, made an application to
Mrs. PRINCE, by letter, profering to point
out his whereabouts for certain sum of
money.
Fourth-The negro was never taken by
force from the State, but willingly obeyed
the Instructions of his mistress, as to his
movements; he was willing to remain in
Minnesota, or 60 south, as she directed.
The following is the statement of Mayor
PRINCE:
SAINT PAUL, July 81, 1860.
| Editors of the Pioneer and Democrat:
As near as have been able to ascertain by
| personal inquiries, the following are the facts
| in the case of the negro, HENRY SPARKS. He
was first made drunk, and then enticed away
from his mistress, and when he became sober
| again, he attempted to return to the lnterna.
tional Hotel, when he was prevented from so
doing, and In the struggle roughly handled.
He then tried repeatedly to send word, to in.
form his friends where he was, in order that he
| might get away; and he once put his head out
of the window of the room in which he was
imprisoned, and called to stage driver, to 60
and tell his friends to come for him. He was
Immediately seized by his jailOrs, and club
raised over his head, with q threat that it
| would be used upon him if he did not keep
still. The sash of the window was then nailed
down, to prevent his repeating his efforts to
get back to the hotel His captors, finding
that they could not get him to consent to run
| OH with them, concluded to make something
out of him; and after getting what money he
had and his watch, they then went to his
friends and offered to give him up, upon being
paid reward. They received the money, and
then restored the negro to his mistress. He
was more than lejoiced to get back. The only
error committed by the negro's friends, in my
view of the matter, was in sending him home,
for he would willingly and gladly have re-
NAMED with his mistress, and under DO circum-
stances could have been prevailed upon to
leave her. Respectfully, &c.
JOHN S. PRINCE.
We may state, before giving the note Of
Col. JACK, that letter had been re-
ceived asking if $500 would be given for the
restoration of the negro; an interview was
had with the authors of the letter, and upon
the payment of a sum of money, they gave
information as to the negro's whereabouts
SPARKS, the negro, in his description of bis
captors, and of the men who held him in
custody, describes infinitely the very scoun
drels who obtained a considerable sum Of
money from his mistress, under pretense Of
delivering him up to his friends. The fol
lowing is Col. JACKS statement -
SAINT PAUL, 3lst July, 1860.
To the Editors of the Pioneer and Democrat:
desire to make the following statement o.
facts personally received directly from HENRI,
SPARKS.
On the 2lst of July, got on board the stea
mer Sucker State, for the purpose of proceed
ing to Red Wing. While on the boat, met the
negro, Henry Sparks, with whose escape from
his mistress, Mrs. Prince, had been made &C
quainted. saw Henry come on board the
boat, of his own free will. He tcame to me,
shook hands, and asked how his mistress ani
young master were. Up to the time of my
going off the boat, at 10 o'clock Saturday night
Sparks was under no restraint whatever. He
walked about as freely as other passengers
and conversed with wh0ms0ever he pleased.
HENRY seemed anxious to speak to me about
his leaving his mistress, evidently to induce
me to intervene for his forgiveness, and for 9
continuance of the confidence heretofore re-
posed in him. In regard to his movements, he
told me he was made drunk, and he believed
drugged, as no liquor he had ever before drank
had the same sleepifying effect upon him, ant
he had often drank more freely. The morning
after, he wanted to return to his mistress, bu
was prevented by force from so doing. He
was then confined in room up stairs; and
once he raised the window, and halloed for re
lief, to q stage driver passing, but was mo-
heard. The men who had charge of him ther
came up stairs, and threatened if he did moi
keep quiet they would break his head. They
then nailed the window down. The night be.
fore he was rescued, the white men aforesaid
came up to him, and said they were going to
take him ito st Anthony or devil of distance
beyond" He appealed to them not to do so
but was forced from the room down stairs
where carriage was waiting. (He (SPARKs
, did not tell me whether he was taken away Of
not.) The next morning, while his captor
were away, he was watched by two other men
. who were very much sun burnt, and wore some
thing like military CAPS When he was rescuct