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Violation of the Fugitive Slave Law, by John Hossack

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Title: Speech of John Hossack, Convicted of a Violation of the Fugitive Slave Law
Before Judge Drummond, Of The United States District Court, Chicago, Ill.

Author: John Hossack

Release Date: November 9, 2004 [EBook #13987]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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SPEECH OF JOHN HOSSACK,

CONVICTED OF A

VIOLATION OF THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW,

BEFORE JUDGE DRUMMOND,

OF THE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT, CHICAGO, ILL.

NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY. 1860.

SPEECH OF JOHN HOSSACK.

[At the February term of the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Illinois, JOHN HOSSACK and JOSEPH STOUT,
of Ottawa, were convicted of having aided in rescuing a
fugitive slave from the custody of the U.S. Deputy Marshal at
Ottawa, Oct. 20, 1859, and sentenced by Judge Drummond to pay
a fine of one hundred dollars, and be imprisoned ten days.
Mr. HOSSACK is a Scotchman by birth, but spent many years of
his life in Quebec, following the occupation of a baker.
About twenty years since, he removed to Ottawa, Illinois, and
assisted in the construction of the Illinois and Michigan
Canal. He has been for some years past a prominent dealer in
grain, has acquired a competency by enterprise and industry,
and is considered one of the most upright and intelligent
citizens in the community. The following Plea, made by him
before the Court, evinces true nobility of soul, the highest
moral integrity, the most generous humanity, and genuine
manly eloquence. Let it be read in every household, so that
the execution of the infamous Fugitive Slave Act, in every
part of the North, shall be rendered impracticable by a
regenerated public sentiment.]

MAY IT PLEASE THE COURT:

I have a few words to say why sentence should not be pronounc