Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 18.pdf/684

 THADDEUS STEVENS clothe her, until her arrival at sixteen years of age. Gilleland was an inhabitant of Mary land. A separation took place between Gil leland and his wife, and Mrs. Gilleland, being left destitute, was obliged to support herself and an infant child. She quitted housekeep ing, and went to reside with her mother in the house of Mrs. Patterson, who lived in Maryland, near the line between that state and Pennsylvania, taking Charity with her. She was a seamstress, and occasionally went into Pennsylvania to work, taking the child and Charity with her to nurse it. She re turned, at intervals, to her mother's in Maryland, which continued her domicile. Whether she ever remained with Charity, at any one time, for six months, was a fact left to the jury. She returned Charity to Norman Bruce, when she arrived at the age of eleven years. Mrs. Gilleland never was an inhabitant of this state, and never came into it, with an intention of residing."

months. If these successive sojournings were to be summed up, it would amount to a prohibition — a denial of the rights of hospitality. The York and Bedford Springs are watering places frequented principally, and in great numbers, by families from Maryland and Virginia, attended by their domestic slaves. The same families, with the same servants, return in each season. The construction contended for by the plain tiffs in error would be an exclusion of the citizens of our sister states from these foun tains of health, unwarranted by any prin ciple of humanity or policy, or the spirit and letter of the law."

In his Congressional reminiscences of Mr. Stevens the late Godlove S. Orth, of Indiana, who was a native of Pennsylvania, and spent his boyhood in this state, narrates the fol lowing incident of Mr. Stevens' early career at the Bar. It has been told elsewhere in Under the Abolition Act of 1780, and its somewhat different form and may be in the supplement of 1788, a residence in Pennsyl main accurate, though no relator seems to vania, for six months, with the consent of have altogether verified it : the owner, would have entitled Charity to "On one occasion, while journeying to her freedom, and her children born after such residence would follow their mother's condi Baltimore for the purpose of replenishing his law library, he stopped for the night at tion; but if she were a slave by being born a hotel in Maryland, kept by a man with in Maryland they were slaves also. Mr. whom he was well acquainted. Soon after Stevens successfully contended that a lease his arrival he discovered quite a commotion of land to cultivate it gave the lessee no among the servants at the hotel, and a right to carry away any of the slaves out of woman in tears approached him and im his assistance to prevent the con the state, and that, as to the continued resi plored templated sale of her husband, who was a dence for six months, a slave, who happened slave. On inquiring who and where her to come with his master into Pennsylvania husband was, she replied, 'Why, Massa on different visits, which may, on adding up Stevens, he is the boy who took your horse the time of their duration, exceed six months, to the stable.' Stevens knew the 'boy,' and at once went to his owner and expostu could not, therefore, claim freedom. Upon lated with him in reference to his sale, and this latter phase of the contention, it is not at length offered to pay him $150, half the without local and timely interest at this par price, if he would restore him to liberty. ticular meeting to quote the language of The landlord was inexorable, and Stevens, Mr. Justice Duncan in delivering the opin knowing the relations between the slave and his master, replied, 'Mr., are you ion of the court : not ashamed to sell your own flesh and "It was well known to the framers of our blood?' This stinging appeal only brought acts for the abolition of slavery that South forth the response, 'I must have money, ern gentlemen, with their families, were in andfjohn is cheap at $300.' Prompted by the habit of visiting this state, attended his generous nature Stevens purchased and with their domestic slaves, either for plea manumitted 'John,' and then retraced his sure, health, or business; year after year, steps to Gettysburg, without completing his passing the summer months with us, their journey to Baltimore. At that time $300 continuance scarcely ever amounting to six was a large sum of money for one who had