New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-22

The Palmy Days Of ''Long Ago."

A little history, q stroll along the "cor-
ridors of time" little retrospection just
now, when antecedents are in question, and
political prodigal sons escaping from their
swinish company and husks, are putting
clean garments over their unwashed frames
and "Goodness thinks no i'll where no i'll
seems"
An hours rambling through the files OF
newsdom of twenty years ago will repay
you; will fan the sparks of memory and
bring many hidden things to life.
In old Pennsylvania, no stories of my
childhood days touched my sense of romance
and quickened my desire for freedom more
keenly, and yet were more delightsome in
the evening-time, than the ones my father
used to tell about patrols, watchmen, and the
10 O'Clock law in Maryland, "for the better
conduct of free negroes and mulattoes."
The Daily Ereniay Star, of Washington,
dated April 10, 1853, contains an interesting
article on Free Negroes in the District, y
and since one of our most honorable citizens,
Isaac n. Cary, acts worthy part in the af-
fair alluded to, many Of our readers who know
him will read it with the zest Of friendship
and the interest of novel. The article is
quoted by extracts:
"FREE NEGROES IN THE DISTRICT.
1.-THE ordinances for the removal or the
better conduct of free negroes have long been
on the Corporation Of Washington. When
John W. Maury, Esq, came into the Office of
Mayor of the city, he Immediately deter
mined to see them all faithfully executed"
"The Republic, in noticing recent trial,
gives the following statement of facts:
In one case where the party was fined,
an appeal to the Circuit Court was taken by
the defendant, in order to test the po9er of
the corporation to enact and enforce such a
law.
"The defendant below was Isaac y. Cary,
a most respectable and orderly free man of
color, and he was fined by the justice of the
peace ten dollars, under the following provi-
sion of the 9th section of the city ordinance,
Of the 3lst May, 1927:
"'NO free black or mulatto person shall
be allowed to go at large through the city of
Washington, at a later hour than 10 O'Clock
at night, without pass from justice of the
peace, or a respectable citizen &C., &c.
"Caryowas fined for being out after 10
O'Clock at night without pass, &C., and APP
pealed. The case was very fully argued be-
fore the court upon the law (the facts being
ADMITTEDLY by Mr.. Carlisle for the corpora
ton, and Messrs. Lenox and Radcliffe for the
appellant"
Judge Dunlop, after stating the facts, and
quoting the ordinance of 1897, says:
ne Irst clause Is : To restrain and pro-
hibit the nightly and other disorderly meet
ings of slaves, free negroes and mulattoes, ,
&C.; and the second clause to prescribe the
terms and conditions upon which free negroes
and mulattoes may reside in the city,
"sUnder the first Of these clauses it is ar
gued that the city corporation cannot restrain
Q free negro from going out after 10 O'Clock
at night in all cases. 1t is said the purpose
may be entirely innocent-as to call physi
clan to his family, TO extinguish fire. &c.
"sHere nightly meetings of free negroes
are assumed to be disorderly; they are Sc
characterized and classed by Congress in the
very grant itself to the city.
.!Church nightly meetings are, by tho
appellants counsel, conceded to be subjec,
to prohibition by the corporation under this
clause in their charter, and in making tha
concession it seems to me the whole argu