The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-05-12
[From the Nasty lille Amrrican,1

DELL PHILLIPS DHVEAS tu\TNuN ER>Y,
ANn THE FACTS IN TIE CASE.
From the Nashville American.
Very soon after Mr.. Hayes ap.
poiutment of Gen. DevrnS, of Mas.
sarhu>rttS, as attorney general of the
Cnited States was announced, it was
brought ont as part Of the latter's
record that, while serving as United
States marshal, in 1851, he had as
sisted in the return to bondage Of Il
, fugitive slave named Thomas SimmS,
wlIo escaped from his master in Gror-
gja, and was cAptnrrh IN Boston.
Wendell Phillips took up the cry, de-
nounciny Drvcns as "sIavc-hound
cahinrt.' An extract from Phillips
fierce attack was given in the Inner
icun one day last week. Gen. Dew
ems friends came to his defense, and
the chief roiu, they urged in cxtcn.
ua,ion of his official action of twenty
six years ago was that, although as
/ United States marshal he Was com
PEELED to hold the fugitive in custody,
aud see that he WAS sent back to his
mastrr, the duty WAS SO di>ta>!cful
that, after great personal cXr1tion,
he raised sufficient money to purchase
i Simms from lis owner, and made
him a free man.
This statement is denied by Phil
lips in his most vigorous English.
and his second onslaught upon De.
vens is even mole savage than the
first. Now it happens that SimmS
is living, and that he is resident of
Nashville, aud acting upon the idea
that he, Of course, ought to he able
to settle definitely the point in dis
putr. he was sought ont and inter-
viewed yesterday by an American
reporter.
:;imn,s said he had read everything
that had been printed here on the
subject, and had intended making a
full statement, but thought he would
not he able to do so before the latter
uart OF this week. lie desired to re-
fresh his memory and to give the
facts as accurately a possible, so that
Injustice should be- done to no one.
He started out with denying that
James Potter, his tnrnIv: master, had
>rratc, him with cruelty.
On the cunt,Hrv, he was uniformly
kind. and went so far rs to put |,
nominal price on Sinus mother and
children that they might he enabled,
through friends. to purchase their
fn,,Xu ,1 ASKED Potter to sell HIM. ont
Potter declared that no man should
have him for less than $500, whIch
was equivalent to no sale. Slmm>
finally offered to fluid II man who
would purchase him for SISOo, hn'
puttrr refused to entertain The prop
o>itiun. giving as IL reason that '''
did not want to part with 50 good {;
, brick mason.
, One day Simms saw his mastcc ii
the act of stepping into carriage
| with view to taking a tip to New
J York, and said h" need 10 he sur
i r,isrd if he found him in New I"'I
! Shortly after his Arrival there. It
this Potter made u" reply. the drive
> cracked his whip over his horses, an'
e tn. carriage rolled away.
e It was not long before Sinus him
self was Oh his way, in Il steamer, T.
New York. The man VIII" atrrstc'
him in Boston was named ASA q
It Butnnn. lie supposed it VAS d
: United States Marshal Devens' order
who was acting in his official capaclt
under the then existing law. Tina
Il he might do no injustice to Att"rne
o General Devcns, Simms said he dt
q sired TO wait until this week befor
+, making any detailed statement wit
" regard to his arrest and detention i
ID Rnston. Tie had been CONSTANT
!. thinking over the matter and cndg(
is ling his memory to bring out all til
., facts connected with that cvcntt'
" period of his life as accurately ats W;
possible. He desired to say n"thlll
J. calculated to in any manner w"n'1
|. the feelings If eithc, Gen. Drvrns {
70. Mr.. Philips, but would have bee
willing to leave the book Of hlSto'
j. closed SO far as it's pages related
5, HIM.
is Had Potter consulted his own fee
70 Jugs, he would have allowed Sim'
" to lrmain in Boston, notwithstand''
rd the fact of his refusal to sell him.
in was because Of the ctam"r III Il
70 Soutl, for his return that he W
~ brought back. The people there d
w mand.d that the laws be enforced
"t rs to intimidatc the slaves, VIII" OF
he wise might have determined to f'
low Simms' example. Pot'crs broth
;; Thomas was opposed to SimmS' !
u turn and on account of James P'
as ter having asscnted to it did II
:ry sneak to James for several years ;
X ter. The Potter's had never ill tie;
! ell him. lie had been well used
." them. While in Jail at Savanna
o. Poland, James Pottcr's son.ln la
came to him and advised him to
1cd a short distance up in the count'
,s that all excitement concerning II
''' might I've alIayed. 1t was SnhS'q"e'
ia " arranged that Si'nms should be Sc
fiji to any man whom Slmm> hlmS
Mt. might select This coming t" the "a
la of a man named Mordcrai, Mordr
''' represented to one Wyl)y. to VIII
e" Simms sale had been entrusted: Il
er- Simms had expressed IA desire to
we purchased by him, which $imn> |
,,,o not done at al| 1t was under III
~ circumstances that he WAS Sc
"'' When James Potter hcmd ut
act deception practiccd by Mordrra'.
nus was very angty ; bat the transact
., had been made and WAS irrcvoca'
" Simms was finally sent to New
icy leans, where he remained f'' Sc
vet time, and was sold to Il man III