National Republican., 1876-04-11
nc. WHITLEY, Or WHAT'S HIS NAME

The kind of man H. c. Whitley is
| (though We have been informed that this
is not his real baptismal name) may be
| gathered in some measure from the follow
ing extracts from letter written as far
back as July G, 1869:
i i July 6, 1867
During the years 1858, 80, go and '61, 1
| first heard of Whitley. He then claimed as
now to be from Massachusetts,. Whether he
was born there cannot tell. His principal
business at that time was catching fugitive
slaves, enforcing the Fugitive slave law as
he mildly expressed it. He was identified with
the principal slaye-owners and traders of
Northwestern Missouri, and spent a large
part of his time in that State. When he
visited Kansas he usually stopped in Law
renee. He was well known by all the old
settlers, and was both feared and hated by the
free State men as their enemy. He captured
large number of fugitive slaves, and thus
made money by obtaining the rewards offered
for their recapture. In the fall of 1853
Whitley had command of an organized
band Of negro catchers. These persons
were mostly Missourians and active
border rufiians. With this band he followed
DIR. John Doy, of Lawrence, who took
wagon load of fugitive slaves from Lawrence
northward on the L. G. K. r., intending to
leave them in Canada. Whitley and his
band overlook DR.. Doy, kidnapped him and
the fugitive slaves he had, took his wagon
and team, bound and gagged him and coun-
termarched into Missouri. The rewards were
paid Whitley for the recapture of these
slaves and for kidnapping DIR. Doy. DR.. Doy
was tried for aiding fugitive slaves to escape
before Missouri court, and, although on his
trial he clearly proved that he had never been
in the State OF Missouri, he was convicted
and sentenced for seven years to the peniten-
tfary. He was rescued from the Jail at st.
Joseph, Missouri, and carried back to his
home at Lawrence. Then the = Missouri
authorities offered s. 900 to recapture DR..
boy. Whitley, with his gang of negro
catchers, tried to recspture Doy at Lawrence.
They were fired upon and driven of. II. c.
Whitley was indicted by the grand jury of
Douglass county, Kansas, for horse stealing,
after which he disappeared from that part of
the country
DR.. Doy is now at Battle Creek, Michigan. If
you want names of competent witnesses to
these statements let me know"
For an ante Jellum record this is pretty
good. 1t furnishes very correct index to
the character which Whitley is now ex-
hibiting in this safe-burglary affair. On
Harrington's trial he proved an elegant
abb to discredit the testimony of Mike
Hays, which he now turns around and
swears was true. How much the evidence
of such person is worth we leave to the
public to judge. Secretary Bristow has in
no instance displayed better judgment and
discretion than in his summary dismissal
of Whitley, the indicted horse thief, from
the Office he held, and we fell assured that
no honest man will place the slightest re-
lance upon any statements which Whitley
may make affecting the good name of any
citizen. His whole life has been chapter of
fraud, crime and Justification, and his
actions and words of late are but in keep
ing with his record. We commend him
for all he is worth to tho Democracy, for
we are assured he is as open to "blood
money" al present as ever in the past.