r, on South
St. We are not informed why he was in Georgia, from which he
took such an extraordinary means to effect his escape. If the
above assertion be true, we apprehend little trouble in
restoring the man to his former home. The claim of the captain
to take him back to Savannah, will not be listened to for a
moment by any court. The only claim the owners of the "Keystone
State" or the captain can have on salt water Davis, is for half
passenger fare; he came half the way as a fish. A gentleman who
came from Wilmington yesterday, assures us that the case is in
good hands at Newcastle.
FULL PARTICULARS OF THE ABDUCTION, ENSLAVING AND ESCAPE OF DAVIS.
ATTEMPT TO SEDUCE HIM TO SLAVERY AGAIN.
The case of the colored man Davis, who made such a bold stroke
to regain his liberty, by periling his life on board the steamer
Keystone State, has excited very general attention. He has given
a detailed account of his abduction and sale as a slave in the
State of Maryland and Georgia, and some of his adventures up to
the time of reaching Delaware. His own story is substantially as
follows:
He left Philadelphia on the 15th of September, 1851, and went to
Harrisburg, intending to go to Hollidaysburg; took a canal boat
for Havre de Grace, where he arrived next day. There he hired on
board the schooner Thomas and Edward (oyster boat), of
Baltimore. Went from Havre de Grace to St. Michael's, for
oysters, thence to Baltimore, and thence to Havre de Grace
again.
He then hired to a Mr. Sullivan, who kept a grocery store, to do
jobs. While there, a constable, named Smith, took him before a
magistrate named Graham, who fined him fifteen or twenty dollars
for violating the law in relation to free negroes coming into
the State. This fine he was not able to pay, and Smith took him
to Bell Air prison. Sheriff Gaw wrote to Mr. Maitland in
Philadelphia, to whom he referred, and received an answer that
Mr. Maitland was dead and none of the family knew him. He
remained in that prison nearly two months. He then had a trial
in court before a Judge Grier (most unfortunate name), who
sentenced him to be sold to pay his fine and expenses, amounting
to fifty dollars.
After a few days and _without being offered at public sale_, he
was taken out of jail at two o'clock in the morning and
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