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Shekels
having
testified
there
was
a
bill
of
sale
executed
,
Burch
was
called
upon
by
the
prosecution
to
produce
it
,
inasmuch
as
such
a
paper
would
corroborate
the
testimony
of
Thorn
and
Shekels
.
The
prisoner
's
counsel
saw
the
necessity
of
exhibiting
it
,
or
giving
some
reasonable
explanation
for
its
non-production
.
To
effect
the
latter
,
Burch
himself
was
offered
as
a
witness
in
his
own
behalf
.
It
was
contended
by
counsel
for
the
people
,
that
such
testimony
should
not
be
allowed
--
that
it
was
in
contravention
of
every
rule
of
evidence
,
and
if
permitted
would
defeat
the
ends
of
justice
.
His
testimony
,
however
,
was
received
by
the
court
!
He
made
oath
that
such
a
bill
of
sale
had
been
drawn
up
and
signed
,
but
he
had
lost
it
,
and
did
not
know
what
had
become
of
it
!
Thereupon
the
magistrate
was
requested
to
dispatch
a
police
officer
to
Burch
's
residence
,
with
directions
to
bring
his
books
,
containing
his
bills
of
sales
for
the
year
1841
.
The
request
was
granted
,
and
before
any
measure
could
be
taken
to
prevent
it
,
the
officer
had
obtained
possession
of
the
books
,
and
brought
them
into
court
.
The
sales
for
the
year
1841
were
found
,
and
carefully
examined
,
but
no
sale
of
myself
,
by
any
name
,
was
discovered
!
Upon
this
testimony
the
court
held
the
fact
to
be
established
,
that
Burch
came
innocently
and
honestly
by
me
,
and
accordingly
he
was
discharged
.
An
attempt
was
then
made
by
Burch
and
his
satellites
,
to
fasten
upon
me
the
charge
that
I
had
conspired
with
the
two
white
men
to
defraud
him
--
with
what
success
,
appears
in
an
extract
taken
from
an
article
in
the
New-York
Times
,
published
a
day
or
two
subsequent
to
the
trial
:
"
The
counsel
for
the
defendant
had
drawn
up
,
before
the
defendant
was
discharged
,
an
affidavit
,
signed
by
Burch
,
and
had
a
warrant
out
against
the
colored
man
for
a
conspiracy
with
the
two
white
men
before
referred
to
,
to
defraud
Burch
out
of
six
hundred
and
twenty-five
dollars
.
The
warrant
was
served
,
and
the
colored
man
arrested
and
brought
before
officer
Goddard
.
Burch
and
his
witnesses
appeared
in
court
,
and
H.
B.
Northup
appeared
as
counsel
for
the
colored
man
,
stating
he
was
ready
to
proceed
as
counsel
on
the
part
of
the
defendant
,
and
asking
no
delay
whatever
.
Burch
,
after
consulting
privately
a
short
time
with
Shekels
,
stated
to
the
magistrate
that
he
wished
him
to
dismiss
the
complaint
,
as
he
would
not
proceed
farther
with
it
.
Defendant
's
counsel
stated
to
the
magistrate
that
if
the
complaint
was
withdrawn
,
it
must
be
without
the
request
or
consent
of
the
defendant
.
Burch
then
asked
the
magistrate
to
let
him
have
the
complaint
and
the
warrant
,
and
he
took
them
.
The
counsel
for
the
defendant
objected
to
his
receiving
them
,
and
insisted
they
should
remain
as
part
of
the
records
of
the
court
,
and
that
the
court
should
endorse
the
proceedings
which
had
been
had
under
the
process
.
Burch
delivered
them
up
,
and
the
court
rendered
a
judgment
of
discontinuance
by
the
request
of
the
prosecutor
,
and
filed
it
in
his
office
.
"
*
*
*
There
may
be
those
who
will
affect
to
believe
the
statement
of
the
slave-trader
--
those
,
in
whose
minds
his
allegations
will
weigh
heavier
than
mine
.
I
am
a
poor
colored
man
--
one
of
a
down-trodden
and
degraded
race
,
whose
humble
voice
may
not
be
heeded
by
the
oppressor
--
but
knowing
the
truth
,
and
with
a
full
sense
of
my
accountability
,
I
do
solemnly
declare
before
men
,
and
before
God
,
that
any
charge
or
assertion
,
that
I
conspired
directly
or
indirectly
with
any
person
or
persons
to
sell
myself
;
that
any
other
account
of
my
visit
to
Washington
,
my
capture
and
imprisonment
in
Williams
'
slave
pen
,
than
is
contained
in
these
pages
,
is
utterly
and
absolutely
false
.
I
never
played
on
the
violin
in
Washington
.
I
never
was
in
the
Steamboat
Hotel
,
and
never
saw
Thorn
or
Shekels
,
to
my
knowledge
,
in
my
life
,
until
last
January
.
The
story
of
the
trio
of
slave-traders
is
a
fabrication
as
absurd
as
it
is
base
and
unfounded
.
Were
it
true
,
I
should
not
have
turned
aside
on
my
way
back
to
liberty
for
the
purpose
of
prosecuting
Burch
.
I
should
have
avoided
rather
than
sought
him
.
I
should
have
known
that
such
a
step
would
have
resulted
in
rendering
me
infamous
.
Under
the
circumstances
--
longing
as
I
did
to
behold
my
family
,
and
elated
with
the
prospect
of
returning
home
--
it
is
an
outrage
upon
probability
to
suppose
I
would
have
run
the
hazard
,
not
only
of
exposure
,
but
of
a
criminal
prosecution
and
conviction
,
by
voluntarily
placing
myself
in
the
position
I
did
,
if
the
statements
of
Burch
and
his
confederates
contain
a
particle
of
truth
.
I
took
pains
to
seek
him
out
,
to
confront
him
in
a
court
of
law
,
charging
him
with
the
crime
of
kidnapping
;
and
the
only
motive
that
impelled
me
to
this
step
,
was
a
burning
sense
of
the
wrong
he
had
inflicted
upon
me
,
and
a
desire
to
bring
him
to
justice
.
He
was
acquitted
,
in
the
manner
,
and
by
such
means
as
have
been
described
.
A
human
tribunal
has
permitted
him
to
escape
;
but
there
is
another
and
a
higher
tribunal
,
where
false
testimony
will
not
prevail
,
and
where
I
am
willing
,
so
far
at
least
as
these
statements
are
concerned
,
to
be
judged
at
last
.
*
*
*
