The national Republican., 1862-02-28
slavc.catching In the District ~ Colual

WhtI0 0uth HOUSES OF ConSr6eb are u'sCusslnB
measures for the abolition Of slavery IN the
District Of Columbia, the business Of slave.
catching, fourishes In our midst as usual, and
persons are arrested. on the mere presumption
Of color, as being fugitives from labor. & a case
Donn's once. On the night In question, about
ton O'Clock. q county officer applied TO Justice
John II. johnson, Justice Donn not being In his
woman arrested by Officer A. e. l.. Reese, on
suspicion Of being \ runaway slave. That Jus.
tioe refused TO make out commitment. After
aoommitment was declined. the officer returned
To the oiiics Of Justice Johnson, and inquired
Of the Justice whether color was not prin,a
Idcie evidence Of slavery. The Justice replied
that he could not determine the question as TO
whether person was bond or free on the pre-.
sumption OF color, as i was well known that
there wero free mon Of color as well as slaves.
A gentleman (Others also being presenO who
was sitting In Justice Johnsons Office, hear.
Ing tho piteous cries Of the poor woman
went into Justice Donn's ONCE, for the purpose
woman In . little back room, and her cries
wore supposed TO have been oocasioned by the
odioer placing, handcufs upon her. The gen.
room, was met by Reese, who asked him in a
very insulting manner. what business he had
to come In and interfere with policeman in
the discharge Of hts duties, and refused to give
hin any satisfaction e hs. his intsrrosstory Of
.reosiving further abuse from Keese, left the
once.
A little while after. tho reporter of this pa.
per came into Justice Johnsop's Office, and
learning that something was going on in Jus.
tice Donn's ONCE, went and knocked at the
door, which was locked. An officer came to
the door and unlocked 1t, and he entered the
room. Upon attempting TO enter the back
admit him, coming out at the same time and
closing the door. Tho reporter asked him what
sort of case he had, whether II was 0rimi-
nal case. The officer replied that It was no
ton. pso%sns upon the next @ day A 70 give sH' HIM
the full partioul ars Of the case, and to him
alone. Our reporter, who knew we'll what
WAS going on, asked him what necessity there
Or 50 Ssn ss 70
then told Keese that he knew the facts OF the
case, and left the once. About an hour after,
tho negro woman was taken away from the
nn,s oiSs n Sy Ksss: but where to- our reporter
Thus, under the very nose Of Congress. al
midnight, are colOrod men and women Rrrested
BY constsblss and lodged In Jail on the mere
suspicion Of being runaway slaves; that suspi-
poor Creatures, once In jsil, are kept there for
months and In some cases for years.
Thirty OF these poor Creatures, who were
confined 10 the black hole I'm suspicion of being
refugees from the tyranny and iniquity Of sla-
very, were releaseda few weeks since BY order
Of the Secretary Of State. Some of them had
been confined In the loaihsOme place for over
year, and, could they have had an OppOrtu.
nifty TO prove their right to liberty, would have
been able to do 30. But that privilege was
denied them.
Several gentlemen who we're IN Justice
JOhnson's oiioe at the time. represent the cries
and imploratiOns Of the poor woman to have
been most piteOus and heartrend ng, and the
oarnestness with which she asserted to her
captor that she was free woman would at
once have convinced anybody but the brute
who had her In custody, that her assertion was