G. to Frederick Douglass, February 10, 1856

THE CINCINNATI SLAVE CASE---DESCRIPTION OF THE NOBLE HEROINE.

MY DEAR DOUGLASS:—The slave case is quietly progressing in our city, and it will, perhaps, come to an end this week, so far as the U. S. Commissioner is concerned. The people are intensely interested in the fate of the poor, unfortunate fugitives. How will the Commissioner decide? Is he Democratic? Is he Republican? Will he set them free? Will he separate the mother from her children, the husband from his wife, or the grand parents from their offspring? are questions that meet one on every corner of the streets. O, how cruel is the system of American Slavery!

Simon Garner, Simon Garner, Jr., and Simon's mother, who is now claimed by a Mr. Marshall, of Boone County, Ky., have had their trial, and the case has been taken under advisement by the Court. They are now in the Hamilton Co. jail, guarded by two hundred extra marshals, who receive, as a compensation for their labor out of Uncle Sam's pocket, (and he has, by the way, a big purse to catch runaway negroes) the snug sum of two dollars each every twenty-four hours, or four hundred dollars per day; and these hounds have been getting this for the last ten days, and, doubtless, will have the benefit of it for ten more to come. Verily, this is a great Republic! Hurrah for the negro-catching Administration! I saw yesterday, for the first time, the slave mother who cut her child's throat from ear to ear, and would have committed homicide on her other children, had not the dagger been wrested from her hands, rather than see it returned to bondage. I will give you a brief description of this heroine.

She is of medium size, hair short, complexion of a dark brown, nose flat, lips inclined to be heavy, cranium, and other peculiarities, of the pure negro type. So whatever of virtue, of intelligence, of a love of liberty, there may be in her, it must not, it cannot, without violence, be attributed to a preponderance of Caucassian blood flowing in her veins.

I observed her appearance in the Court, and it struck me with much force. The men seemed totally indifferent as regards the result. Now, one might be seen tying a handkerchief on his head—now, another, the strings of his shoes—and a third, chewing or whispering to a friend near by. Not so with the woman. She was as cold as ice, and not a ray of light flitted across her sullen countenance.

Her eye fell first upon the Judge, then upon the Attorney for the Government, and the upon the witness upon the stand, who had been imported from Kentucky to swear away her liberty. And as Col. Murphy testified against her, she shook her head, as if to give a negative, and then her eye-brows fell, and a big tear was seen stealing down her cheek. During the progress of the trial on Saturday, an incident occurred, which I deem worthy of note.

Archibald Gaines, the claimant of Margaret Garner and her three children, made an extraordinary demonstration of goodness. Perhaps he wished to make good certain statements of the Rev. Nehemiah Adams, of Boston, in his "South Side" view of the peculiar institution. He approached Margaret, and gave her babe, that was sucking at her breast, a bit of candy and a sugar cake, and performed the same ovation with the other two. He then took the tumbler which the Court was using filled it with clear water, and helped each of his infant chattels. But when he proffered his hypocritical kindness to Margaret, she turned her head from him with contempt, and refused the sweet-meats of her oppressor.

Noble hearted woman! Now, if the Spartan mother is worthy of all praise, who said to her son when he went to fight the battles of his country, "Bring home your shield, or be brought upon it," what ought posterity to say of the African mother?

The fugitives are under a double indictment—first, for owing service or labor to certain parties in Kentucky—and, secondly, for murder. It is claimed, that Margaret committed the deed, and that the others were accessories. In the event, therefore, of the Commissioner deciding against the defendants, and issuing a certificate of ownership, in obedience to the Fugitive Slave Act, every one of them, except the children, will be retained on a State writ, in spite of the Government. I hope they will be convicted, for I fear that it is the only chance to save them from Southern Slavery, which, in itself, is worse than death.

I am aware that it is the intention of the U. S. Marshal, in case of a favorable decision, to run the fugitives over into Kentucky; but he will be foiled in his object. The Sheriff will be on hand with a posse sufficiently strong to protect State sovereignty, and vindicate the laws of Ohio. I am glad to see the people spit upon the Fugitive Slave Act every where. I am glad that they regard it as the most abominable Bill that has been enacted by a legislative assembly, from the days of the notorious Jeffry of the King's bench, to the present hour; and the day is coming when it will be a moral impossibility to execute it in Cincinnati.

Yours, truly,

G.

CINCINNATI, Feb. 10th, 1856.