THE KIDNAPPING CASE. - - #■- Narrative of the Seizure and Recovery of Solomon Northrup. '■ ' ■ INTERESTING DISCLOSURES. —' ■ ' • ■■ — We have obtained from Washington the i subjoined statement of the circumstances at¬ tending the seizure and recovery of the negro man Solomon Northrop, whose caseiiao ex¬ cited so high a degree of interest. The ma¬ terial /acts in the history of the transaction have already been given, but this narrative will be found a more complete and authentic record than has yet appeared : Solomon Northrop, the subject of the follow¬ ing narrative, is a free colored citizen of the United States ; waB born in Essex County, New- York, about the year 1808 ; became early a resi¬ dent of Washington County, and married there in 1820. His father and mother resided in th e County of Washington about fifty years, till their decease, ami were both free. With his wife and children he resided at Saratoga Springs in the Winter of 1841, and while there was employed by two gentlemen to drive a team South, at the rate of a dollars day. In fulfilment of his employ, ment he proceeded lo Ncw-York, and having tak¬ en out free papers, to show that he was a citizen, ho went on to Washington City, whore ho ar. rived the second day of April, the same year, and put up at Gadsby’s Hotel. Soon after ho arrived, he felt unwell and went to bed, While suffering with severe pain soino persona came in, and, seeing tho condition he was in, pro¬ posed to give him some medicine and did so. That is the last thing of which he had any recol¬ lection until he found himsolf chained to the floor of Williams’ slave pen in this City, and hand¬ cuffed. In the courso of a fmv hours, Jam as FI’ Burch, a slave dealer, came in, and the colored man asked him to take the irons off from him, and wanted to know why they woro put on. Burch told him it was none of his business. The colored man said he was free and told where he was born. Burch called in a man by the name of Edbnrzer Rolbury, and they two stripped tho man and laid him across a bench, Rodburv holding him dowa by his wrists. Bus on whippod him with a paddle until he broke that, and then with a cat-o’-nine tails, giving him a hundred lashos, and ho sworo he would kill him if ho ever stated to any ono that he was a free man. From that time forward tho man says ho did not communicate the fact from fear, cither that he was a free man, or what his namo was, until the last summer. He was kept in the slave pen about ten days, when ho, with others, was taken out of the pen in the night, by Bur <;ii, handcuffed and shackled, and taken down the river by a steamboat, and then to Richmond, whore he with forty-eight others | was put on board tho brig Orleans . There | Burch left them. The brig sailed for New Or- ! leans, and on arriving there, beforo she was fas¬ tened to the wharf, Thsopiiilus Freeman, an¬ other slave dealer, belonging in the city of Now- Orleans, and who in 1838 lmdboon a partner with Burch in the slave trade, came to the wharf and received the slaves as they were landed, under tils direction. This man was immediately taken by Freeman and shut up in his pen in that city. He was taken sick with the small pox immediately after getting there, and was sent to a Hospital where he lay two or three weeks. When ho had i sufficiently recovered to leave tho hospital, Free¬ man declined to sell him to any person in that vicinity, and sold him to a Mr. Ford, who resided in Rapides parish, in Louisiana, whore ho was taken and lived a kttle more than a year, and worked as a carpenter, working with Ford at that business. Ford became involved and bail to sell him. A Mr. Tibaut became the purchaser. Ho in a short time sold him to Edwin Kates in Bayou Beouf, about ono hundred aml^ thirty miles from tho mouth of Red River, whero Mites baa retained him on a Cotton plantation since tho year 1843. To go a back a step in the narrative, the man wrote a letter in June 1841 to IIbnry B North¬ rop, of the State of Ncw-York, dated and poet marked at Now-Orlcans, stating that ho had been kidnapped and was on board a vessel, but was un¬ able to state what his destination was; but re¬ questing Mr. N. to aid hirn in recovering his free¬ dom, if possible. Mr. N. was unable to do any¬ thing in his behalf in consequence of not know, ing where he had gone, and not being able to find any trace of hirn. His place of residence re mained unknown until the month of Soptombor last, when the following letter was received by his fiicnd8: Bayou Beouf, August, 1852. Mr. Wm. Pexy, 07 Mr. Lewis Parker : Gentlemen : It having been a long time since I have seen or heard from you, and not knowing that you are living, it is with uncertainty that l write to you; but the necessity of tho case must ho my excuse. Having beon born free just across the river from you, I am certain you must know me ; and I am hore now a slave'. I wish jou to obtain Dree papers for me, and forward thorn to me at MarksvHIo, La., Parish of Avovolles, and oblige Youra, SOLOMON NORTHROP. On receiving tho above letter, Mr. N. applied to Governor Hunt, of New-York, for such authority as was necessary for him to proceed to Louisiana, as an agent to procure the liberation of Solomon» Proof of his freedom was furnished to Governor Hunt, by affidavits of several gentlemen, General Clarke among others. Accordingly, in purauanco of the laws of Ncw-York, Henry B. Northrop was constituted an agent to take such steps, by procuring evidence, retaining counsel, &c., aa were necessary to secure the freedom of Solomon. and to execute all tho duties of his agency. Ho left Sandy Hill, in New-York, on tho 14th of December last, and came to tho city of Washing¬ ton, and stated the facts of the case to Hon, Pierre Soule, of Louisiana; Hon. Mr. Conrad, Secretary of War, from New-Orleans, and Judge Nelson, of the Supreme Court of the United States, and other gentlemen. They furnished Mr. N. with strong letters to gentlemen residing in Louisiana, urging their assistance in accom¬ plishing tho object of restoring the man to -free¬ dom. From Washington, Mr. N. went, by the way of Pittsburg and the Ohio and Missis¬ sippi rivers, to tho mouth of tho Red River, and thence up that river to Marksville, in the parish of Avoyelles, whore he employ¬ ed Hon. John P. Waddill, an eminent law¬ yer of that place, and consulted with him as to the best means of finding and obtaining pos¬ session of the man. He soon ascertained there was no such man at Marksville, nor in that vicin¬ ity. Bayou Beouf, the place where the letter was dated, was twenty-three miles distant, at its near¬ est point, and is seventy miles in length, .For reasons which it is unnecessary to give, the very providential manner in which tho residence of the man was ascertained, cannot now be* given, al¬ though tho circumstances would add much to the intercut of the narrative. But he was found with¬ out great difficulty, and legal proceedings com¬ menced. A process was placed in the hands or a Sheriff, directing him to proceed to Bayou Beouf and take the colored man into his possession, and wait the order of the Court in regard to his right to freedom. Tho next day, the owner, with his counsel, came to Marksville and called upon Mr. N m who exhibited to them the commission which he had received from tho Governor of New-York, and the evidonco in his possession relating to the man’s being a free citizen of New-York. Eppks’ counsel, after examining it, stated to his client, that the evidence was nmole and satis¬ factory ; that it was perfectly useless to litigate the question further, and advised him by all moms to deliver the colored man up, in order that ho might ho carried hack to the State of New-York, in pursuance of the Governor’s requisition. An article was drawn up between the claimant and Mr. Northrop, the counsel for tho colored man, and recoided in accordance with the laws of the place, showing that the colored man was free. Having settled everything satisfactorily, tho agent and the rescued man started for Now-Orloans on the 4th of January instant, and on arriving there, traced the titles of the colored man from Tihaut to Eppxs, from Lord to Tibaut, and from Free¬ man to Ford— all the titles being recorded in tho proper books kept for that purpose. Having traced the lilies back as far as possible in New Orleans, tho party then proceeded to the City of Washington, where Birch lived ; and on making inquiry, found who was the keeper of the slave pen in that City in 1841 ; and also ascertain¬ ed from the keeper, upoifHhe colored man (Solo non N.,) being pointed out to him—that he was placed in that pen in the Spring of 1811, and then kept for a f hurt period by Burch, Immediately upon the receipt of this information, complaint was made before the Police of Wash¬ ington ngainst Burch, for kidnapping and selling into hlavery this freo colored man, Tho warrant U r his arrest was issued on tho 17th instant by Jintice Goddard, and returned beforo Justice Mansell Burch was arrested and held to bail in the sum of S3,000, Shekels, a slave-trader of seventeen years standing, going his bail. It iB but justice to say that tho authorities of Avo)dies, and indeed at New.Orleans, rendered all the assistance in their power to secure the es¬ tablishment of tho freedom of this unfortunate man, who had been snatched so villainously from the land of freedom, and compelled to undergo suilcrings almost inconceivable in this land of innthenism, where slavery exists with features more revolting than those described in “ Uncle Tom's Cabin.” On the 18th instant, at 10 o’clock, both parties appeared before the magistrate. Senator Chase / rein Ohio,Gen. Clark and Henry B. Northrup, being counsel for tho plaintiff, and J, M. Biudlev for the cl* fondant. Gen. Clark and E H. North rut, who wore sworn as witnesses on tho part of the prosecution, and established the foregoing facte: On tho part of the defendant, Benjamin Shekels and B. A. Thorn were sworn. The prosecution offered tho colored man who hud been kidnapped, as a witnoes on tho part of thn prose¬ cution, but it was objected to, and tho Court de¬ cided that it was inadmissablo. Tho evidence of this colored man was absolutely necessary to prove e »u o facts on tho part of the prosecution, as ho a’ni o w as cognizant of thorn, Mr. Shekels, who had boon, as before-stated a slave trader in tho City af Washington seven¬ teen years, testified that some ten or twelvo years ago ho was keeping public house in this city ; that Burch boarded at tho house and carried on tho business of buying and soiling slaves \ that in that year, two while men came intohia barroom and stated that they had a slave for sale* Mr. Burch immediately entered into a negotia¬ tion for his purchsae. The whito men stated that they were from Georgia; had brought the negro with them from that State, and wished to sell him to be carried back to that State ; that tho negro expressed a willingness to be Bold in order to return to Georgia; Shekels, however, was unable to state the names of either of tho white men, or the namo of the colored man ; was un¬ acquainted with either of them previous to that time, and had never seen either sinco that trans¬ action ; that he saw them exeento a bill of sale to Burch, saw Burch pay him #G25 and take the bill of sale, and that ho read that bill, but could not tell who was tho vondor nor who was the per¬ son sold, as appeared by tho bill of sale, Mr, Thorn was next called upon the stand, and testified that ho was in this tavern in the Spring of tho year 1841, and saw a whito man negotiating a trade with Burch for a colored man; but whether this was tho colored man or not, ho could not toll—for he never saw cither whito man or colored man but that once, and did not know whether or not Burch bought and paid for him. Burch himself was next offered as a witness iu bis own behalf, to prove tho loss of the bill of sale. His evidence was objected to by tho prose¬ cution, but was allowed by the Court. Ho testified that he had the bill of sale and had lost it, and did not know what had bocomo of it. Tho counsel for the prosecution requested the Court to send a police officer to bring tho books of Burch, con¬ taining hie bills of sales of negroos for tho year 1841 and previous years. They were fortunately procured, but no bill of salo was found of thin colored man by any name. Upon this positive evidence that tho man had been in the possession of Burch and that he had been in slavory for a period of more than eleven years, tho Court do* cided that tho testimony of the slave trader estab¬ lished the fact that Burch camo honestly by him, and consequently discharged the defondant. Tho counsel for tho defondant had drawn up, before tho defendant was discharged, an affidavit signed by Burch, and had a warrant out agrinst tho colored man, for a conspiracy with the two whito men before referred to, to defraud Burch out of $025, Tho warrant was served, and tho colored man arrested and brought beforo Officer Goddard. Burch and his witnesses ap¬ peared in Court, and H. B. Northrup appeared as counsel for the colored man, stating that he was ready to proceed as counsel on tho part of the defendant, and asking no delay whatever. Burch, after consulting privately for a short time with Shekels, stated to the Magistrate that he wished him to dismiss the complaint, as ho would not proceed further with it. Defendant’s counsol stated to the Magistrate that, If the complaint was withdrawn, it must be withdrawn without tho re¬ quest or consent of the defendant. Burch then asked the Magistrate to let him have the complaint and tho warrant, and he took them. The counsel for the defendant objected to 'his receiving thorn, a nd insisted that they should remain as a part of the records of the Court, and that the Court should indorse the proceedings which had been had no. der the process. Burch delivered them up, and- the Court rendered a judgment of discontinuance by the request of the prosecutor, and filed it in Ins office. The condition of this colored man during the Ebf JfeUr Jjjerk Ernice Published: January 20, 1853 Copyright © The New York Times nine years that he was in the handsof Eppes, was j of a character nearly approaching that described by Mrs. Stowe, as the condition of 11 Uncle Tom ” while in that region. During that whole period his hut contained neither a Hour, nor a chair, nor a bed, nor a mattraas, nor anything for him to lie upon except a board about twelve inch¬ es wide, with a block of wood for his pillow, and with a single blanket to cover him, while tho walls of his hut did not by any means protect him from the inclemency of the weather. He was sometimes compelled to perform acts revolting to humanity, and outrageous in the highest degree. On one occasion, a colored girl belonging to Eppes, about 17 years of age, went one Sunday without the permission of her master, to the near¬ est plantation, about half a mile distant, to visit another colored girl of her acquaintance, riho re¬ turned in the course of two or three hours, and for that offence she was called up tor punisnment, which Solomon was required to inflict. Eppes compelled him to drive four stakes into the ground at such distances that tho hands and ancles of the girl might be tied to them, as she lay wilh her face upon the ground ; and having thus fastened her down, be compelled him while standing by himself, to inflict eno hun¬ dred lashes upon her bare flesh, she being stripped naked. Having inflicted the hundred blow?, Solomon refused to proceed any further. Eppb» tried to compel him to go on, but he abiolufcely set him at defiance and refused to murder the girl. Epprs (hen seized tho whip and applied it until he was too weary to continue it. Blood flowed from her neck to her feet, and in this condition she w?8 compelled tho next day to go into tho field to woik as a field hand. She bears the marks still upon her body, although the punishment was in¬ flicted four years ago. When Solomon was about to leave, under tho care of Mr. Northrup. this girl came from be¬ hind her but, unseen by her master, and throwing her arms around the neck of Solomon congratu¬ lated him on his escape from slavery, and his re¬ turn to his family, at tho same time in language of despair exclaiming, But, Ob, God! what will become of me ?” These statements regarding tho condition of Solomon while with Eppbs, and the punishment and brutal treatment of the colored girl3, are taken from Solomon himself, It has been stated that the nearest plantation was distant from that of Eprssahuli mile, and of course there could bo no interference on tho part of neighbors in any punishment however cruel, or however well dis¬ posed to interfere they might be. By the laws of Louisiana no man can be pun- i-bn) there for having sold Solomon into slavery wrongfully, because more than two years had elapsed since ho was sold ; and no recovery can be had for his services, because ho was bought without the knowledge that he was a freo citizen.