Number of Fugitive Slave

NUMBER OF FUGITIVE SLAVES.

“Wonter Von Twiller,” the Washington Correspondent of the N.Y. Tribune write under date of March 15th, as follows: -

A very great degree of misunderstanding undoubtedly exist, with reference to the number of Fugitive Slaves escaping and remaining permanently at the North.  Through the polite permission of the gentlemanly and efficient superintendent of the Census, Hon. J. O. G. Kennedy, I was enabled to glace over the census returns for two or three hours today, for the purpose of ascertaining what figures they might show in reference to this particular.  The law requires a return of the number of absconding and not returning within a year; it also required a return the number manumitted within the same period.

There are appropriate columns, No. 6 and 7 of Schedule No. 2, headed Slave Population for both of these objexts.  In looking over several Districts of Maryland, Virginia, George and Florida, I found an aggregate of 33 runaways.  Of those 28 from Maryland, from Virginia 2, George 2, Florida 1, and Kentucky none.  In the same Districts I have found that 101 slaves had been manumitted with a year.  Out of this number set at liberty, 96 belonged to those Districts in Maryland which have lost nearly the whole number (28) of runaways which I was enabled to find.

IT must be understood that this was an examination of merely a few Districts, which however were fairly selected and would likely to present no very unfair sample of the whole.  The subject can and will be pursued further.  It is worth remark that in one County in George containing 2000more Slaves than free inhabitants of every descrip – there had been but a single runaway.  South Carolina had something like 100,000 more slaves than whites, and from the recollection of Clerks who have looked over the returns of that State it does not appear that they lose a runaway oftener than once in a little age.

The public impression as to the number of fugitives which may have been at any time or that now remain in the North, is undoubtedly immensely exaggerated.  That there are many free negroes in the Northern Cities who run at the sound of a Southern’s footstep for fear of being unable to prove their freedom, there cannot be a doubt, and to this circumstance is owing the erroneous impression which has got abroad.  The fact that scarce a dozen have been claimed under the law is strongly in proof of the influence to be drawn from these statements.