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Slave Case At Washington

Slave Case At Washington image
Parent Issue
Day
25
Month
December
Year
1847
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Otar readers will recollect the case of o Slave mother ond her diughters, ?ol I sorue time since, at Washington citv, lo satNfy a claim of ihe National Government. It w;is stated at ihe time that some humane individuals had purchased the slaesat auction, nnd g;ver, thpm iheir liberty. Tne fMlowing p.xtrect from a leiter written by n gentleman of Valington explains the case fully ; and, nithough not designed fbr i uMication, we Transfer it lo our columns, as it will no doubt interest oiir reader. The letter explains itsolf, and wns sent es a circular to some friends, to proc-ure Pmds lo aid In ihe liberauon of otie f the slaves nlluded to. Afier some introdjotory remirkf, the writer continúes as folio ws -.-Mercer Lum. 'Elizibetli Ilerliprt, the mothfr, and Carolinp.her daughter,be!nged tn G"rgp Miller, of thiscity, served hlm faiilifully, and were ivell (rented by hitn vvhile he had the mea ns. In the latier ppriod of his life, he had difficuliies with his f;imily, and iorsook and was forsnken ly them. As he advanced in years, liis infirmiiies ncrcnsed, and he becaine unable lo lab:r, rnuch reduced n circumsrances, nhd finally bed-ridden. In this conditiuti, forsnken fay his family.these negrees look hitn to the best house they could obl.iin, - nursed and tended hiin as a mother would a sick child ; for he was whoüy unnble to sit up,- tíhielly if not eniirely, minisered tohis support, supplying liim with medicines and what litlle lu.xuries Ihey could procure, - humored his every whirn, - faithfully tniniatered to a!l his wants till life's lamp ceased to burn. Touched bv their conduct, he detrrmined !o confer on ihetn the only boon in his power, find one they had riohly enrned : uid on consultation ivith one of our best ! and kindest ciüzensj resolved to expcute a deed maniimiiting thpm, nnd he did so. Hesurvived tl.is act for sorae time, nnd when after his deaih, mi attempt was made to record t!n's deecJ, 't was fbuñd i ..s! t..o s;x hidiitiis in wiitcii toe iaw requires such instrumenis to be reco ded, had ehpsed. The son of Miller beearne of the estáte, nnd though awaro of the execmion of said deed i claimed these women a-f his father's property. Generous and noble hearied I lawyers promptly stood foith and, not hoping reward, manfully battleJ ibr these hapless onss. The circuí: court and jury decidod ih;it the müster's n!ent;on being clearly shown n ïhe d cá, t could bo recorded and the negrnes wore cntitled to freedom. The son appealed to the ünited St.-ites Supreme courf, wliich in substance decided that this deed being str'civ a Irgal instrument, and not atiende) by the equities attacliing to a-i ordinary deed ol' purchase, it cou] J noi be rworded af er ■ ihe la)se of the six nrnths nllowcd hy Inw, and was theroforo itivnlid j nnd re mnnded the cafe to the circuit ro;j-t. for proerpdirig nrcofJing to this der-ision." The ngroes thus being given up to thp son, he put them in the negro denWs prn, in this city. to be s..]J. The Disnic; Attorney hovins had his fepünes enl stpd. i wiih manv othert, in belinll'of thcie unförtunnles, determine:! lo examine tlie dourt records, f hap.ilv an unsntisfiei judgment could be fouüd nganst Al 1 er's pstate; nnl on piiq liiy. Iparnt t'iat, i. 1834, I think, the U. S. hád .btained judgement agiinst the on, for moneys advanccd on n mnil contract in whteh be was n somo way mixed tip ba security, nnd which had not been expcuiftd. Accordingly he hadan exrcution isued, under wliich they we-a seized and put in jnl for safe keeping. Aftcr every nthvr means had fnlel, they wero aJvertiei and sald under this judgement ; and an individual of ihis city, influenceJ bv hia own feelings, and at the request uf tl, e District Atlorney, bough! the nr'ihcr for two hundredandten, and the daughter lor three huudred and tiftv-five tJollnr.s the negro traders having bid them up to thesa primes. The ndorstanding was tlial he houid raise thn rnoney to pay for the former. and certnin othors thnt to pny for tho daughter, when both should be {ree. Through your kind nssistance and iiat of a few otlier friends, the m ther has been paid for, and received her cenificate 'of freedom, and n happier creature does no: live. The on!y diaw-back on this happiness 16 thal her daughter is r.ot free. Tlie gfntleman ,vho took in hand tha (fnufhter's case, and paia for her, bscame dssalisfied with the transnction, and resolved to seli her, even to the slave trader, unleïs he could othorwise ingiantly dis. pose of hor. Before tnking this course, however, he cal'ed on the person who had dispo?ed of the mother, and he, as a ■ ia.{ter of principie, and tb.it two bings devotedly arfachod !o a-h Uthtr as rnothernnd child could be, should not be separated, gnve his note for the whoie amount, (3,)5) pnyable in ninrty dayp, one tliird of wlrch tme lias now pl.npsed, Kncourdged l,y your pnt kindness, thnt individual again invokc your kind and liberal ossistance, and thus ïubmits the case.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News