Anti Slavery Bugle

The Sandusky Deliverance.

On the 20th, just as the steamboat Arrow was leaving the dock for Canada, two colored women and several children were forcibly dragged from the boat by Rice, the city marshal, and carried to the mayor's office, under direction of a man from Kentucky, who claimed to be their owner. A crowd of colored people and whites filled the office, but no steps were taken by the magistrate for a hearing. Forthwith; and after waiting about half an hour, B. B. Sloane, Esq., who had been retained as counsel for the prisoners, inquired of Rice if he had any warrant or writ to authorize their detention. Rice said he had not. Sloane then inquired if there was any paper or evidence under which they were detained. The Sandusky Commercial Register says:-

"To this demand also there was no reply. Mr. Sloane then turned to the colored people in the room and intimated that there appeared to be nothing which required their detention. Immediately the entire assembly rushed to the door, and, while crowding out, a man claiming to be the owner of the negresses, who had been standing near Mr. Sloane during the entire proceedings said to him: 'here are the papers--I own the negresses--I'll hold you individually responsible for their escape.' At the same time he said to Mr. Rice; 'I gave you the papers once, and will hold you, too, responsible, for you might have stopped them!'

"It is proper to add, that, in our opinion, the course pursued by Mr. Sloane, the counsel for the negroes, indicated no desire to violate the law or its provisions."

The fugitives of course escaped. The Sandusky Mirror says:-

"The fugitives meantime, it is said, took a mail boat for Canada, the evening steamboats having previously left. The slave-hunters were unable to find a sailor in the city, to their honor be it said, who would go himself or permit his vessel or boat to be used in pursuit."

The following incident illustrates the Roman heroism of the fugitives from slavery:-

"Last evening as the slave-hunters were arresting the fugitives from slavery, on the Mad River dock, one of them seized hold of a young woman with an infant child, eight or nine months old, in her arms. She jerked loose from him, ran some steps, threw the child upon the ground and returned toward the slave-catcher. She was seized and marched toward the mayor's office. The child was picked up by one of our citizens. One of the Kentuckians claimed to be the owner. Mr. B. refused to give up the child without evidence. The infant was taken to the mother, who, supposing herself doomed again to slavery, disowned it--denied in the most positive terms that it was her child. To own her offspring was to doom the child to slavery; to disown and desert it, she hoped, was to allow the dearest treasure of her heart to grow up, breathing the air of freedom. For this she stood nobly ready to dismember the ties of such affection as a mother only knows, and leave to chance, or other hands, the rearing of the infant, dearer than life itself."