Page:The American Slave Trade (Spears).djvu/250

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
204
THE AMERICAN SLAVE TRADE

From a letter addressed to "Captain N. D. Brown," who was apparently one of the men under arrest, it appears that while in trouble himself, Lamar still stood by some of his crew, for he says:

Your attorneys will visit you before the trial. If a true bill be found against you by the grand jury, it will be done upon the evidence of Club and Harris, and of course they will — testify to the same thing. In that case I think you all ought to leave, and I will make arrangements for you to do so, if you agree with me. I have offered Club and Harris $5,000 not to testify; but the Government is also trying to buy them. . . . . I am afraid they will convict me, but my case is only seven years and a fine. If I find they are likely to do so, I shall go to Cuba until I make some compromise with the Government.

The distribution of the negroes was accomplished in the meantime. Captain Frazier, of the river-steamer Augusta, testified that he carried one hundred and seventy-two of the negroes from Jekyl Island to a plantation lying two miles below Augusta. It is likely that the ball mentioned by Captain McGhee was given when this cargo was taken up the river past Savannah to Augusta.

Meantime the news had created a deal of excitement in every part of the country. Congress took up the matter. On motion of Senator Henry Wilson the Senate called on President Buchanan for all the facts that the Government had. The document containing the President's reply is a leaflet. He said: "I concur with the Attorney-General [J. S. Black] in the opinion that it would be incompatible with the public interest at this time to communicate the correspondence with the officers of the Government at Savannah, or the