The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-02-25
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROA
Owen Lovejoy. as an Aboiitionist.
The Negro Jim Escapsde.

The Negro Jim Escapsdc.
Following upon the escape of Berkeley
came the still more exciting and famous
case of" Negro jim" In which DR.. Joseph
stout, John Hossack and James Stout and
other citizens OF Ottawa figured prominent
ly. Sept 4th, of 1859, negro by the name
Of James Gray and two other slaves es
capped from Richard Phillips, planter
living near New Madrid, Mo, and on their
way north, In Union county, Ill.,, Jim was
seized under provision of the Black
Laws" of this state. A man by the name
Of nj. Is. Root Of that region interested
himself In the colored mans behalf and
applied for writ of hobeas carpus to test
the prisoners right to liberty under that
law, which had been recently declared I'M
constitutional by our Supreme court, but
he failed TO get the writ, the court of that
county being "agin him" He then came
on TO Ottawa and by the advice of Glover
d Cook, applied directly to Hon. John ID.
Cation, the then Chief Justice of the Su.
preme court, who promptly issued the writ,
commanding the sheriff of Union county
u appear here within ten days, with the
prisoner. In the mean time, Jim g master,
AR, Phillips, had appeared upon the
scene in Union county, and finding his
slave In Jail, came to Springfield and got
out a warrant for his possession from the
United States Marshal and both papers
we're served upon the sheriff, Mr.. Albright,
about the same time. He was in diem
ma. One writ commanded him to bring
the negro to Ottawa, and the other to take
him before the u. =. Marshal, at Spring
ield. He took his prisoner to Springfield,
where he made known his perpleXity, and
the lawyers relieved him by getting him
appointed deputy u. s. marshal, so that he
could hold his man under both writs, and
by appearing before Judge Cation, prevent
Punishment for contempt of court He
came on with his prisoner and arrived here
in due time. This Is the FREE TRADERS
v-rson of 1t and doubtless the correct one,
Us Mr.. Osmaa, the editor was In u position
u know all the facts But, to show how
good men will differ, we give Mr.. Hamp.
iJa's. or
TUE REPUBLICANS STATEMENT.
A few weeks ago, gang of kidnappers,
Knocked down a cOlored man In Perry
cJunty, In this state, and started him for
Missouri. M. b. Root, of that section, a
man OF too humane a character to permit
such an outrage TO go unpublished, inter
eoted himself In the poor colored mans
behalf, and pursued them so closely that
they, fearing an arrest, surrendered the
negro to the county judge of Union coun.
~, who committed him to jail under the
old black laws of 1915, at Jonesboro, where
Lincoln and Douglas held one of their
joint debates year ago. After presum.
ing that Douglas and his friends had a
hand In, and approved Of the outrage, II
resumes:l The black laws had been held
unconstitutional, but Roots application
which he made before the court of tina,
county for release OF the negro, was re-
fused, and he went TO Chicago and consul
ted eminent counsel, and finally applied to
Glover * Cook, who drew up petition "a
Judge Cation of the Supreme bench, at OF
ta1a. He issued an order commanding
the sheriff of Union Co., to appear at Otta'
VA with the colored prisoner within ten
days. The sheriff Of that county, at first,
was highly indignant and said: he would
see Cation In h firstr But on taking le-
gal advice, concluded to obey. But he
took care TO let the gang know of his move
ments, and gave them time TO hunt up
some pretended owner Of the negro who
got out some sort Of warrant TO hold him
at Springfield. The sheriff arrived here
with posse of ten men, and they had the
negro's arms pinioned and led him by a
rope OF the Geiger House, where they
stopped. They were accompanied by an
old man named Phillips, from Cape Girar-