The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-04-09

they had lived two or three years
They had one child, babe few
months old. Being frugal and indus
trious they had prospered, and wer,
much respected by their neighbors
The minister and his party approach
ed this cabin and tried to gain en-
trance at the only door, but it wa:
barred inside and resisted their efforts
They demanded entrance, but the
negro man recognized his masters
voice and refused to open the door,
The party seized an ak, battered
down the door, and entered. The
negro man made weapons of chairs OF
anything he could get hold Of anc
fought desperately, keeping them al
bay for some time, but was at last
wounded and overpowed. During
this conflict his wife, leaving her babe
in bed, crawled out Of small window
at the back Of the cabin and ran tc
Zachariah Shugart's. She gave the
alarm and then hid herself Zachariah
Shugart mounted his horse and rode
as fast as he could to the house Of his
nearest heighbor, Stephen Bogue, who
had very fleet saddle horse. As soon
as he heard the news, Stephen Bogue
mounted this horse and rode with all
possible speed to Cassopolis, the coun-
ty seat, three miles distant, to give
the alarm and to obtain a writ and to
have the kidnappers arrested.
1t was now daylight. A large COM
pany of men soon rallied and hastened
toward Young's Prairie to rescue the
fugitives. They were headed by a
resolute, brawny-armed blacksmith,
called Bill Jones, who assumed COM
mand Of the party. Their company
increased rapidly as they entered the
prairie, until it numbered two hundred
men. The whole neighborhood was
aroused, and hastened to the rescue.
Now to return to the cabin whence
the alarm originated. Zachariah
Shugart, after carrying the news to
Stephen Bogue, went to see what had
become of his tenants and to watch
the movements of the kidnappers.
The negro man, after his brave strug-
gle, had been knocked down, dragged
into the yard, securely bound, and
placed in the wagon. The preacher
then rushed into the cabin to secure
his other property, but the wife was
not to be found, having escaped as
mentioned, through back window
when the fight was in progress. The
child was crying, and the minister
took it up from the bed Although it
had been born in a free State, he
claimed it as his property, on the plea
that the child follows the condition of
the mother-the rule in slave States.
He carried it out, supposing that when
the mother heard its screams she
would come out Of her hiding-place
and run to her child-but no mother
came. Young children were worth
two hundred dollars in Kentucky-too
much to lose.
The minister mounted his horse
with the child in his arms, and they
moved toward the place Of rendezvous
in the main road, half mile distant.
About the time they reached the place
Bill Jones and his company arrived,
and the other companies of raiders
soon came up. The Kentuckians were
all well armed with revolvers and
bowie-knives, and thought to intimi-
date their assailants by threats and a
free display of their weapons. But
they were mistaken. On one side of
the road stood low stake fence, the
kind generally used on prairies. Bill
Jones and his company soon stripped
the fence Of its stakes, and with these
formidable weapons, the blacksmith
commanded his party to charge, telling
them not to leave a kidnapper alive.
But, fortunately for the Kentuckians,
there were several Friend Quakers
present, who stepped in between the
parties and prevented a collision.
The brave Kentucky slave catchers
were completely cowed, and agreed to
go quietly to Cassopolis, the county
seat, and prove their property before
the proper authorities, as the law re-
quired.
The negroes. who were bound, were
soon released, and Bill Jones, seeing
the Baptist minister on horseback
with the infant in his arms. compelled
him to dlsmount, and let the child's
father, who was bleeding from his
wounds, ride in his stead. The minis
ter he compelled to walk and carry the
child in his arms, and whenever they
passed a house, the people were called
out to look at that child-stealer,
preacher. When they reached Cas-
sopolis. Bill Jones further compelled
him to march up and down the street,
and called the attention of the people
to this divine, who had been stealing a
negro babe, and taunted him so much
that he actually cried Of vexation.
The raiders were here served with
writ by the sheriff, arresting them for
and were committed to
Jail. where they were kept for several
days-until the negroes were on their
way to Canada A fair trial was
promised to the prisoners, and they
were allowed to send to Niles for law
yers. When the time appointed came,
Il kind Of sham trial was held, and
they w-re dismissed without further
punishment than paying costs.
These amounted to a considerable
sum. ana DuU one ildn Ill Cne Coupdny
had money enough to pay the bill.
The main object to be gained was the
freedom Of the negroes. The kid
were glad to return to Ken
tucky without the fugitives, and there
was soon a general move of the latter
from Young's Prairie to Canada.
After awhile the owners of some of
these slaves brought suit for the
amount of their full value against
those persons who had befriended
them. The fugitive slave law visited
a heavy penalty on those who be-
friended slaves, not only fine and i'm
but sometimes the pay
ment of the full value of the slaves.
The case was tried in the Supreme
Court at Detroit. The trial was put
off from one session of the cOurt TO