The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-02-19
rEor tho (nsDatch. !


pr.ru or A NOTED CuARACTER.-CaDisin
William u. Baylis, who die In wilmington Del,
on Monday, aged seventy. was iormery cap'h'n o,
hefoi ihe war he was captured by Virgini, cutter
for carrying of ates TO the NoriI. light sxses
were 70, nd on board his schooner, ana he Vas SEN
fenced 10 forty years imprisonment, five years Tor
each slave. After serving ten years me G,Vernof
Senators George II. Pendleton aud Jefferson DAVIS
HisNtssel was counScaied'
The above item from the Norfolk. Land
mark. white in the main correct, contains
some errors, and does not tell the whole
story. As the incidents OF this memorable
affair may be Of interest2 will give them to
YOU, as happened 10 be an eyewitness TO
most Of them.
II was early in the summer II 1858 that
Eaylis, who had just sailed from Petersburg
here the writer was temporarily sol0urn-
ingl in a little vessel called the keziah,
loaded with a cargo Of wheat, was suspected
OF having taken away five slaves -four men
snd one woman) who had mysterlously dis
sppeared on the day OF the Keziah's depar-
tue. II,
Pursuit was at once made "a small side
wheel steamboat having been chartered Tor
the purpose), and the vessel was Overhauled
some thirty miles below City Point. On
| boarding her no one was visible but the cap
| talt ana one Ulull. lDlS uliu DtiuE iIhAt "h'
all hands, Captain Baylis denied any
knowledge Of the runaWayS; but they were
all soon fosnd hidden below decks, par.
tally concealed by being buried i'll wheat.
The fugitive woman was clad in mems at
tire, but was at once identified.
Taking the KeZlab in tow, the steamer
returned to Petersburg, arriving there Just
before sunset. An immense thrOng greeted
her arrival. and the deepest excitement pre-
vailed. distinctly remember the late John
| Kevan and Henry Davis a. very active IN
preyeniing violence and persuadlng the
crowd to respect the law.
Bavlis was tried at the ensuing October
court, and although ably defended, was
| convicted aud sentenced TO forty years IN
prisonmen:-this being ten years less than
| the maximum allowed by the then exist
| ing law for stealing slaves.
The mate. an exceedingly ignorant feI.
low. as indeed BaylS himself appeared, was
DISCHARGED without formal trial.
There was every reason TO believe that
| Biylis was prompted solely by mcrcenary
motives, is on separate examination OF the
captured fuetiveS they testified 10 having
paid him from forty TO fifty dollars apiece.
| OF course their testimony was worthless IN
| law, and was not required.
The account given above states that BayiIS
served ten years OF his sentence in the Nlr'
| yiuia penitentary. This Is mistake. ~ Is
also another statement pubIished-that he
was liberated on the execution OF Rlch-
mond. April 8. 1860. Ii j. true that all the
prisoners left on that date, but they (unfor-
tunately for the good Of Ricbmond) llDe'
rated themselves many hours before me
entrance OF the Federal troops. Baylls,
however, was not there at the time, having
received pardon some two or three months
prt vious TO the " evacuation"
In the month OF February, 1860, ! hat
martial charge OF n lot OF Federal prisoners
homcwaId bound. having just been pafoled
| from the Libby Prison. Among these we
| had a nondcscrpt crowd from Castle Ihun-
der. Recognizing among them captain
Baylis, OF the late Keziah afterwards the
SOphie-a very slight improvement IN
naine). vcntured to congratulate him
on hi, release from confinement. HIS ap-
pearance was abiect aud miserable In TIE
extreme. He had. so he Informed me, re-
ceiyed pardon some three weeks pre-
yiouslv, and in the meanwhile had been
transferred TO Castle Thunder to await the
deparlure Of the first fl,g.Of-truce boat for
the North. This, OWING TO unusually cola
weather, had been delayed. The old fellow
spoke not ungratefullg OF his treatment
while in our penilentiiry. and avowed that
his sunerines for three weeks in Castle
Thunder were far greater than his six years
| in prison.
| was surprised to see notice OF the death
Of the venerable negrO-stcaler, for at the
time | hardly thought he could survive the
Journey hotne. A. to the exact date OF his
pardon, the records Of the prison viii no
doubt give correct testimony. But as to
who were the palties interesting themselves
TO procure the pardon am ignorant. hay-
ing failed to inquire. Hon. William smith
was Governor OF Virginia, and from him
alone could Blylis have received Executive
clemency. l. l.
PETERSBURG, February l6.