The Liberator

Arrest of Charles T. Torrey

The liberty of a citizen of this Commonwealth has been cloven down, and his life put in imminent peril, by the slaveholding banditti of Maryland! The facts in the case, so far as they have been received, are the following. At the opening of the present session of Congress, Mr. Torrey, in company with Mr. Leavitt of the Emancipator, went to Washington, to report the proceedings of that body for some of our northern papers. It having been advertised that a Convention of slaveholders would be held in Annapolis, last week, for the purpose of devising ways and means to strengthen and guard their villanous slave system, Mr. Torrey, wishing to hear all that could be said in defence of slavery, and to make report of their doings, went from Washington to Annapolis, and took a seat in the hall. Such freedom was not to be tolerated by the chivalry of Maryland. His presence was almost immediately detected, and the whole body of cowardly oppressors thrown into consternation

The thief doth fear each bush an officer.

Mr. Torrey quietly withdrew from the floor of the hall to the gallery, from which he was ejected, and would have been lynched on the spot, had he not been arrested as an abolition incendiary by the officers of justice, (!) and cast into prison, from whence the next day he was brought up under a writ of habeas corpus, and a very interesting examination was had before associate Judge Brewer, which lasted four hours—for the prisoner, Thos. S. Alexander, of Annapolis, and Mr. Palmer, of Frederick—for the prosecution, Mr. Causin of St. Mary's, and T. F. Bowie, Esq of Prince George. He was finally remanded for further examination on Monday last. His papers and effects were taken possession of, and it is impossible to predict what will be the result. No greater outrage can be committed upon the rights of an American citizen. The people of this Commonwealth should make common cause in a case like this. The insult, the outrage, is inflicted upon every one of them. In the person of Mr. Torrey, the State of Massachusetts is confined as a felon in the cell of a Maryland prison! Will not the Legislature of this State, now fortunately in session, take some prompt and decisive action on this subject?