SLAVE
STORIES
Submitted by Martha J. Kounse
FUGITIVE SLAVES
DROWNED
On Sunday night, the 16th inst.,
as we learn from the Maysville Eagle, seven slaves, three men,
three women, and a child, left Millersburg, Bourbon Co., KY.
under the charge of a white man, in the family carriage of
their masters. They made their way toward Maysville, and in
passing the toll-gates on the pike, the white man who drove,
represented the inmate4s of the carriage as a runaway match
bound for Aberdeen to get married. They left the carriage at
Washington, four miles back of Maysville. About daylight two
men on the Ohio shore getting out logs heard cries of distress
from some one in the river; they took a skiff and went through
the dense fog in the direction of the sound, and when near the
KY shore found a bundle floating on the water, and a skiff
bottom upwards, and on landing they found two of the Negro men
who had swan ashore. It appeared that these two men, tow of
the women, and the child, had attempted to cross the river in
the skiff, got lost in the fog, in the alarm upset the skiff,
and the two women and the child were drowned. The two Negroes
who swam ashore were taken to jail in Maysville, together with
the other woman afterwards found. The white man and the other
Negro man, a free Negro, made their escape.
December 27, 1855, Ironton Register
ESCAPE OF SLAVES
Six slaves belonging to
Mr. Levi DOUGHERTY, who lives on Fourth street, between
Madison and Russell, Covington, KY, together with two
belonging to Mr. GAGE, residing in the same neighborhood, made
their escape from bondage on Sunday night. They crossed the
river about 11:00 and are this are far on their way towards
Canada. Their aggregate value to their owners was about eight
thousand dollars. ---Cin. Com. Jan. 29th
ANOTHER ESCAPE OF SLAVES
Eight slaves made their
escape from Kentucky night before last; among them was four
more belonging to Mr. Archibald K. GAINES, of Boone Co., KY. a
claimant in the fugitive slave case at present before US
Commissioner Pendery. They are ere this beyond the reach of a
capture. --Cin. Com. Feb 2nd.
February 7, 1856,
Ironton Register
FUGITIVES
The Fugitives of the
late Cincinnati slave cases, on being delivered up to their KY
Claimants, were immediately hurried off South, except the
mother who cut the throat of her child to save it from
slavery, was placed at the disposal of the Governor of KY, to
be delivered to the Ohio authorities should Gov. Chase make a
requisition.
March 13, 1856 Ironton
Register
A
MEETING IN QUAKER BOTTOM
On Friday evening,
February 22, 1856, a large meeting of citizens of Union and
Rome assembled at Proctorville, and organized by making Wes?
Reckard, Chairman, and Isaac Miller, Sec'y.
A.S. Proctor stated the
object of the meeting to consider the condition of the people
of Kansas and our duties in relation thereto and to express
our sympathies in their behalf.
On motion of J. Kimball,
A.S. Proctor was appointed a committee to present Resolutions
for the consideration of the meeting, who reported a series of
Resolutions, which after being discussed pro and con by A.S.
Proctor, J. Kimball. H.E. Adams, B. Smith, and C.M. Pease, and
after being variously amended, were adopted without a
dissenting voice, as follows:
Resolved, That it is the
opinion of this meeting---
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On motion, Resolved,
that the Resolutions and proceedings of this meeting be
forwarded to the county papers for publication. Adjourned.
Wm. Reckard, Chairman
Isaac Miller, Sec'y.
February 28, 1856
Ironton Register
THE
FUGITIVE SLAVE CASE AT CINCINNATI - PART ONE
On the 20th,
inst., in response to the copies issued for the arrest of
Margaret Garner, Simon Garner, Sen. Simon Gerner, Jr., and
Mary Garner, charged with murder of the child of Margaret
Garner, one of the defendants, the Sheriff returned that he
found the defendants in jail where they were put by a US
Deputy Marshal, who holds them by virtue of a writ issued by a
US Commissioner, J.L. Pendery, (awaiting Pendery's degree) and
that he did not "feel authorized under this writ to take hem
into custody." The State's Attorney asked that the Sheriff be
ordered to amend his return SAYING THAT HE HOLDS THE
DEFENDANTS IN CUSTODY UNDER THE COPIAS. The Court Judge Carter
said that they did not recognize the paper put in by the
Sheriff as any return at all; that the responsibility was on
the Sheriff to perform his duties according to law. The
Sheriff subsequently made a return on the back of the writ
that he had the defendants in his custody.
February 28, 1856,
Ironton Register
THE
FUGITIVE SLAVE CASE AT CINCINNATI - PART TWO
This remarkable case
came to a conclusion on Thursday afternoon of last week, Judge
Lesvitt, of the US District Court, in the application for
habeas corpus by the US Marshall t5o gain custody of the
slaves from the Sheriff, deciding in favor of the application
Commissioner Pendery had previously given his decree remanding
them back into Slavery. About 4:00, P.M., the slaves were
taken from the county jail, and conveyed to Kentucky, escorted
by a strong posse of officers.
The slaves were lodged
in the Covington jail, and the owners, counsel, and others,
proceeded to the principal hotel in Covington to hold a -----.
Speeches were made, and --- Webb, of the Cincinnati Gazette,
was present as a reporter, and while taking his --- heard
himself called "abolitionist reporter," but apprehending no
trouble, when returning to Cincinnati, he was brutally
assaulted by a crown in the streets of Covington, knocked
down, kicked and seriously hurt. The US Marshals with their
arms, rescued him from the mod-with considerable difficulty,
and thus probably ended? His life. It was a cowardly and
brutal affair.
March 6, 1856,
Ironton Register
RUMORED NEGRO STAMPEDE
The Kentucky Whig of
December 23, printed at Mt. Sterling, Montgomery Co., KY,
says:
We understand from the
Sheriff of Bath co., that the Negroes from the Iron works have
made extensive preparations for an insurrection, and they
intend to steal some seventy horses and start for the Ohio
River. They say that they do not intend to hurt any one, but
if they are prevented, will fight to the point of the bayonet.
They are all armed with guns and pistols. The Judge of Bath
county has appointed two hundred and eighty patrols to protect
the people.
This is an extraordinary
story, and full of improbabilities, but is a fair specimen of
the exaggerated rumors that are shocking the nerves of persons
South of the Ohio River--Cincinnati Commercial
January 1, 1857,
Ironton Register
ANOTHER FUGITIVE SLAVE REMANDED TO BONDAGE
Deputy US Marshal, W.L.
Manson, arrived from Cleveland yesterday morning with Henry
Seaton, a fugitive slave whom he arrested in Cleveland on
Tuesday. US Commissioner Brown examined his master, John
Seaton, L.D. Ross, and J.M. Robb, all of Greensupburg, Greenup
co., KY. who testified positively that the prisoner escaped
from John Seaton, at Greenupsburg, on the 4th of
July last, and the fugitive confessing the fact, he was
remanded to the custody of his master and lodged in the
Covington jail. Henry is twenty three years old, six feet high
and very muscular--worth according to the nigger trading price
current, over $1,500. It begins to appear that Ohio is an
unsafe asylum for fugitives.
November 14--Cincinnati
Commercial
November 17, 1859,
Ironton Register
TRIBULATIONS OF A NEGRO CATCHER
The slave Henry Seaton
of our neighboring county of Greenup, who was recovered from
his "fugitive" freedom at Cleveland, week before last, by a US
Marshal from Cincinnati, it appears was decoyed on board the
café at Cleveland, by one Hartman, of that city. Hartman went
with him as far as Columbus, and perhaps Cincinnati. On his
return to Cleveland, he was arrested for kidnapping, and
lodged in jail, but the Grand Jury refused to indict him. Let
the Cleveland Review tell the rest:
"Mr. John Bennett, a
special deputy, went in the jail to notify him of the action
of the Grand Jury, and to have him released from custody. On
making his appearance into fresh air, Hartman found himself
surrounded by a large crown of angry colored men, who made
such demonstration of violence that he sought the protection
of Officer Bennett, and both in great haste made their way to
the Court House, where Hartman so frightened for his life that
he trembled like a leaf, threw himself for protection upon
Sheriff Wrightman. The latter asked the Court-Judge Bishop-
what he should do, and was answered that he was bound to
render the protection asked.
Either device or force,
or both seemed certainly necessary to be used to get Hartman
to the jail safely, and the following was the plan devised and
carried out:
Deputies Bennett and
Hight were stationed at the door to keep the Negroes from
going out, while Sheriff Wightman and marshal Craw hurried
Hartman down to jail. Hartman is now in jail and will remain
there till he thinks it safe to come out. We hear it said that
a near and dear friend of his is to take him from the jail
this afternoon, in a carriage, and put him on board a railroad
train."
November 24, 1859,
Ironton Register
FUGITIVE SLAVE CASE
On
Tuesday of last week, Deputy US Marshal Roadarnour, of
Ironton, arrested a young man and woman, brother and sister
fugitive slaves from Floyd Co, KY. The fugitives were under
the guidance of Jim Ditcher, a free mulatto, who has lived
about Ironton for several years, and as they were about to get
aboard of the cars a Washington Switch, on the Scioto and
Hocking Valley Railroad. Roadarmour, who was on board with the
owner of the fugitives, laid hands on them, and took them back
to Kentucky. Jim Ditcher made good his escape at "2:40?? Time"
and has not since been heard of hereabouts.
The
mother of these fugitives left with them and remains in this
county, the owner not choosing to take her back, on account of
her advanced years. The reclaimed fugitives are cousins of the
famous Polly Negroes, who right to freedom has been in
litigation now for some ten years, between Ohio and Virginia.
December 16, 1860, Ironton Register
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