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The Story of a Great Court

vitriolic than before. The inevitable conflict was approaching faster than any one knew and Booth was one of those who were hurrying it on.

In the spring of the year 1852 a negro slave named Glover ran away from his master, one Garland, who resided near St. Louis, and came to Wisconsin. He stopped at Racine and found employment in a mill about four miles from the city. Here he lived until March, 1854. In some manner Garland ascertained his whereabouts and came to Wisconsin early in March to reclaim his property. He made the requisite complaint before the late Winfield Smith, United States Court Commissioner at Milwaukee, and a warrant was issued for the arrest of the negro. A deputy marshal of the United States proceeded to Racine with Garland and several assistants and during the evening of March 10th forced an entrance to Glover's cabin, knocked him down, bound and handcuffed him and put him in a wagon, drove rapidly to Milwaukee and lodged him in the county jail. The news of the brutal arrest was not long in reaching Racine, and the excitement in that thriving city ran high. In those days the court house meeting was the universal remedy for every public ill. The use of the court house was free to all. Every man was an orator, and resolutions of mighty sound and startling import were easily drawn and enthusiastically passed. So in the early morning of Saturday, March 11th, the court house bell at Racine rang vociferously and the people hurried to the temple of justice. Fiery speeches were made and resolutions were passed. By these resolutions the arrest of Glover was denounced as a brutal outrage, and a fair and impartial jury trial of Glover in this State was demanded; the citizens also resolved that they would attend in person to secure Glover's release,