ABSTRACT
About the year 1804, Isaac Sherman went to Philadelphia, in consequence of having received information of several vessels belonging to merchants of that city being engaged in the African slave trade. He was recommended to the abolitionists of that place by some of the abolitionists of New-York. He called upon me, informed me of the object of his visit, and expressed a wish to have an interview with some members of the abolition society. Several of them being notified, met at my house, when Sherman explained the object of his visit. Shortly after, the society had a meeting, and appointed a committee, consisting, I think, of seven persons, to assist him in prosecuting the business. I do not, at this remote period, recollect all their names. Thomas Harrison, Samuel Harvey, and myself, were some of them. Sherman was a native of New England, a shrewd, plausible man, and made an impression on the committee, that his motives were purely benevolent and honorable. Divers persons who, from their character and standing in the world, we should not have suspected, were found to be engaged in the nefarious traffic; upon the enormity of which no man could expatiate more fluently than Sherman. He had been in Philadelphia but a short time, before he informed the committee that the brig Tryphenia, belonging to Maher & McDermot, had been employed in transporting slaves from the island of St. Thomas to Havana. It was determined to commence a prosecution, for the penalty prescribed by an act of Congress. Although the committee were unanimous as to the propriety of instituting legal proceedings, there was much difficulty in prevailing upon any of them to consent to permit their names to be used as plaintiff in the case. At length, rather than the culprits should be suffered to escape, I consented, and a suit was instituted in my name. The case was tried in the circuit court of the United States. Bushrod 338Washington presided. The law was as explicit as language could make it; that it should be unlawful for any vessel “to be employed, or made use of, in transporting or carrying slaves from one foreign country, or place, to another.” The judge, however, said that Congress could never be such knights-errant as to make a law to prevent a man from taking his property where he pleased; that it was the intention of the law to prohibit vessels from taking free people, and making slaves of them; of course, we were defeated. Lewis and Rawle, two eminent lawyers, advised an appeal; but as Maher & McDermot had failed, the case was abandoned. A suit was instituted by Sherman against a certain Captain Towers, which he commuted, as I was informed, by Towers paying seven hundred and fifty dollars. The committee discovered that Sherman’s views were entirely mercenary, and withdrew their countenance and support; but he still pursued the business on his own responsibility. He would take his seat in a sailor boarding-house, call for a glass of grog, and when a sailor came in, Sherman would treat him, enter into familiar conversation, and, without exciting suspicion of his object, would often contrive to elicit information sufficient to convict persons engaged in slave trade. He related to me the following circumstance: He had noticed in the newspapers the sailing of a ship, which he suspected was destined for a slaver. Some considerable time after, he saw, by the papers, that she had arrived in South America; I believe at Monte Video. He had no doubt that she had a cargo of slaves; he resorted to the following expedient to obtain proof of the fact. He took his seat in a sailor boarding-house, treated every sailor who happened to step in, and inquire of him where he was last from, what vessel he had sailed in, &c. After spending several days in this way, he happened to meet with one who had been in the suspected vessel. He took the sailor into a private room, and after prevailing upon him to promise secresy, he addressed him thus; I have very nearly his own words: “Well, now, sir, I rely upon your honor, that you will not betray me. I own a part of that ship, and am concerned in the voyage. I have always suspected that the captain made a false return as to the number of slaves, and by that means has cheated me out of a considerable sum of money. I want you to inform me how many you took on board, how many died on the passage, and 339how many you sold at Monte Video.” The sailor, not suspecting his object, gave him a full account of the whole voyage. Sherman then took him an attorney, had an affidavit drawn, proceeded to Richard Peters, judge of the district court of the United States, and the sailor swore to the facts. This was transmitted to New-York, where the vessel was libelled, and, by due process of law, was condemned, and sold.
