Page:Trials of the Slave Traders Samo, Peters and Tufft (1813).pdf/40

 This witness was an intelligent chief reigning in the Boolam country, he spoke English well; he was sworn on the Koran, with great solemnity: and proceeded to state, that he knew the prisoner at the bar personally. He then produced a letter signed by the prisoner, desiring the witness to catch the slaves who had run away from Tasso. The letter was dated in December, 1811. The letter was read, and the hand-writing of the prisoner proved. The prisoner also acknowledged the letter. Dallamoodoo declared further, that he had brought twenty-eight slaves to a place called Sery, a short distance above Bance Island, in the Sierra Leone river; the prisoner gave in payment for his trouble in causing the slaves to be hunted out, three women slaves, one man slave, and a child. The witness considered these persons given to him in payment, and he conceived them as his property, and that he might treat them in every way as the rest of his slaves. He said five slaves were given by the prisoner to King Murra Brimer, in payment for his causing the runaways from Tasso island to be caught, at the instance of the prisoner. These persons were given to be treated in the same manner Murra Brimer treats all his other slaves. The witness did not know of the prisoner's selling slaves in the Soosoo nor in the Boolam countries. Four of the black people whom he brought back were given to the witness, as payment, and one slave was given to him from Tasso. They were delivered to him at Sery. If the witness and Murra Brimer had not caused the slaves to have been caught, on the requisition of the prisoner, the runaway blacks would not have been detained by the native chiefs of the countries into which they fled.

Tom Krooman was sworn in the same way as Banta, the first witness heard in this case. He knew the prisoner, and knew of his sending the black people from Tasso; they did not return back while the witness was there.