Record Data
Transcription
An interesting trial came off last week in the Court of Common Please of this Country, in which the children of a Mr. Oliver, late of Arkansas, deceased, were the plaintiffs, and Daniel Kauffman, of South Middleton, in this County, defendant. It was an action on the case, to recover damages (laid at $35.00)-from the defendant, for enticing aiding and assisting the slaves of the plaintiffs to escape, whereby their services were entirely lost to the plaintiffs.
From the evidence it appeared that Mr. Oliver died in Arkansas, intestate; leaving among other personal property a number of slaves, which by proceedings in the Court in the State were divided between his widow and heirs (four children, the plaintiffs,) at a [illegible]. The widow and heirs removed to Maryland with these slaves, and in October, 1847, thirteen of them ran off and came into Pennsylvania. They consisted of two men, two women, and nine children, male and female of various ages. They arrived in Chambersburg, and as it appeared in evidence, were escorted from there by a colored man named George Cole, among the South Mountain to the Barn of Mr. Kauffman: in South Middleton. Here they remained a few hours, were led by Mr. Kauffman, and removed [illegible] on [illegible] his wagon. This is the substance of the evidence.
The case was argued by Messers. Watts and Biddle, for the plaintiffs, and by Messers. Ganllagher, [illegible] and [illegible], for the defendant. The ground taken by the defense was, first, that no evidence existed to prove Mr. Kauffman engaged in a combination with others, and second, that the case did not come within the jurisdiction of a State Court.
The trial occupied the whole day, and the jury after being out all night, rendered a verdict of $2000 damages for the plaintiffs.—A motion for a new trial was made by defendant’s Counsel, which is still pending.
