Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-03-05
Slave-CatchInS in Warrington.
A FREE COLORED WOMAN SEIZED AS


SLAVE.
The Washington Republican of Monday
evening publishes documentary evidence
bearing upon the case OF Julia Blackwell a
free colored woman, who was arrested in
Washington, last week, as a slave. The fol
lowing is the girls statement =
"My name is Julia Blackwell About half
past nine O'Clock on Tuesday night | was GO
ing on an errand to grocery Store l had
got but short distance from Dr. MuCounell's
door, vixen two men came up TO me, one OF
whom caught hold OF me and shook me-
threatening if l made noise to choke me TO
death. The man was the same one whom you
meaning the reporter saw with me in the OF
nee which was Reese OF Justice Dom. lie
SAID that he was going TO take me to Jail :; that
'cdS runatcay SiaUe l began to CRY, and told
HIM that | acaS u free iromdn, beqqinq him ali the
1chlle to let me go. He cursed and swore at me,
and again threatened to strangle me if | made
noise. then stopped crying.
Both OF the men were together. | was
then taken to magistrates office Tor as l first
supposed, from seeing bars at the window, to
the guard house.) They put me in a back
room, and Reese asked Inc where was born,
where my parents lived, and il | was free
woman. l told him that | was free He
(heese) then said II was a lie, that he knew
my master, and that he had sold NY brother
Daniel. l again began to cry, and begged him
for Gods sake to let me go. He then gave me
a Bible and told me that if | acogld S,ceur that
a0as SidUe, he pOuid set me free and couid gre
me free papers. refused to S,cear, ,chen he toid
me that l you'd haze to go 10 jail Several gem
tlemen then came into the office and asked
him what was the matter. l saw YOU (mean-
ing the reporter) look into the room. He re-
| fused to let any one come into the back room.
| Soon after the gentlemen had lett the office
| ! was taken, as supposed, 10 the Jail by the
two men. He (Keese) spoke to several men
inside of the Jail. They asked me if l was
free and where | lived ! told them that [
was free and lived with Dr.. Mcconnell, on
the avenue. One OF the men in the Jail said,
Il believe she tells the truth aid 10 IL Tree
girl The man who arrested me then told
me could 90 home, Tor hich | thanked
him. One OF the officers went with me as far
as Trinity Church, and asked me il l could
then find my way home. told him could,
and lie left me. l was very much frightened.
1t was near twelve O'Clock when | returned
home"
The statement of the girl was made in our
presence II. Il. Hawiey, w. II. Mitchell,
John IL. johnson, VIM. p. Mcconnell. Frank
Henry
A communication in the Republican, from
respectable resident of Washington, says =
The girl who is free, was sent Oh an err
rand by the persons with whom she lives, and
as she was returning home, was seized by this
ofncer and taken to what she calls the guard.
house, from there TO the magistrates office
and this officer kept alternately cursng and
threatening the girl to get her to say that she
was slave, telling her he knew her master.
her sister, and others, whom he did not, and
saying that he OILY wanted her to swear that
she was slave, and he would set her free ;
and when the girl would not, lie told her that
he would be id if he would not make her.
&c. The girl steadily refused, and to tins she
owes her escape nom Jail, as the justice re
fused to commit her, feeling satisfied that the
| girl was free, which she is and has been Tor
| years"