Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-01-31
WASHINGTON CRY, Die. 22d, 1860.

WASHINGTON CITY, DEc. I'D, 1861.
Hon. JOSEPH SEGAR.
addressed to Hon. r. Mallory, and myself aud contain
ing inquiries touching the relations existing between
KenuckaDs and their neghbors Of the Northern border
received this morning, and it affords great pleas
to have the opportunity afforded by reply to your
communication of correcting an erroneous impression
which by some means has been made upon the public
mind here in regard to the people of Kentucky's
sister States. notice in the declaration OF grievances
emanatng from the South Carolina Secession Conven-
tion aud also in Of the papers OF the South the
charge that Indiana and Illinois among the number
of States which by Legislative enactment have IN effect
nuifed and abrogated the Fugitive Slave Law This is
an entire mistake No such exists upon their stat
ute books On the contrary, up TO the time that the
Supreme Corut decided against the constitutional power
OF Saate to enact Fugitive Slave Law, Indiana bad
upon her statute book fugitive slave act even more
efficient in its provisions than the present law oil
the Federal Government and very recently Mr.. Hunt
ingdon, the Judge Of the United States Court for
the district of Indiana in of the most manly, bold
and profound addresses have read or heard ema
mating from court to jury, while he summed up in
mastery the grievances OF the South and de-
nounced the aggressive policy of the fanatics at the
North at the time Indignantly repealed this assault
upon the honor and fair Of his State and appealed
the Southern press to correct this statement and thus
this blot with which in the estimation OF the South
they have marred her escutcheonand that Grand Jurg
composed of men, some of whom are personally known
to me, and who are among the most enlightened and
best citizens of country in their response to that
address also repealed the charge and pledged all that they
held sacred to faithful enforcement OF the laws and the
rights of the South aud in doing declared they rep
resented the sentiments Of the State of Indiana.
The writer of this lives in the city of Henderson, in
Kentucky, twelve miles below the city of Evansville, in
Indiana. Ours il among the largest savehoding
counties in Kentucky. We have about seventy five miles
of river border Hundreds of slaves are worked on the
bank of and the islands Of the river and in tie four
years have been living at that point, escape of
slave has come to my knowledge, though several
have attempted it, and have been captured and returned
in many instances by the citizens of Indiana.
| have seen citizens visiting Indiana with their
slaves ladies unaccompaned by their husbands,
with their slave nurses and remain with them in perfect
security. Aud gentleman, in whose word have
fdencp recently informed me that he saw last fall a
gro trader with large number Of slaves for the South
ern market going from Louisville to st. Louis through
Indiana and Illinois, the Ohio and Mississippi Rail
road without any moestation or hndrance whatever
Nv knowledge of the feeling existing along the border,
ia confined to that portion lying between the falls of the
Ohio river and the Mississippi river distance of about
500 miles, and within that limit know that these,
border neighbors, kind towards and our insi-
lions to such an that they capture slaves with
out any legal process whatever and such is the state of
public sentiment that the capurers are never molested
for it. Indiana has a law, as has every other State,
against kidnapping; and their law il very similar in its
provisions to that OF Kentucky
In conclusion permit me to say, that from my knowl
edge of those people, | believe that fugitive slave
could with get from from the Gulf OF Mexico
to the Ohio River than no could pass through the South
ern parts of those States for they know the negroes
siding among them-and when they see one unknown
to hem, they regard him a fugitive and as such ar
rest him.
With great respect,
Your friend