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[Runaway Slave Adam]. Three letters with newspaper advertisement, from 1805, pertaining to a runaway slave owned by William Sims (1768-1853) of Union County, SC. Inventory# 20299 $2,500 .01a. [Reward Advertisement for Capture of Slave]. Original clipped newspaper advertisement from the Kentucky Gazette. From historical records, Warren Hall appears to be Sims’ brother-in-law. The ad is the only time that the “Negro” is named. His ill-health and poor care are readily apparent from the description. At this point, it is unclear if Adam was kidnapped or had willingly left Sims with the aid of Hall. This clipping was sent with the following letter: .01b. Benjamin Bayles (1774-1839), autograph letter signed as J.P. of Mason Co., Kentucky, July 28, 1805, Washington, Kentucky. To William Sims via Union Courthouse, S.C. 2 pp. With information from the above ad, Warren Hall is arrested and brought before Bayles; Adam escapes capture: “...enclosed I send you an Advertisement of yourin [sic] taken out of the Kentucky Gazette offering two Hundred dollars for apprehending Warren Hall and a Negro Man & Mare and Lodging them in any Jail, Hall was Brought Before me a Justice of the [Peace] of Mason the 27th Inst. and Confessed that he was the person Described in the Advertismt and the Negro & Mare, But that they were his own[.] the Negro Made his Escape from the Men that apprehended him & Hall yesterday; Hall I have committed to Jail the Mare is in safe Keeping, you will take such Steps as the Law of the United States Direct in the Business, I Expect the Negro will be had <p2> in a Day or two the more Speedy you are in the Business the Better…” .02. Moses Daulton (1760-1819), autograph letter signed as Postmaster of Maysville, Kentucky, October 24, 1805. To William Sims. 2 pp.
Hall’s arrest and Adam’s escape are recounted. Hall is brought before Bayles, but because of Sims’ delays, Hall is able to hire a lawyer to obtain his release. He rejoins Adam, and information on their latest whereabouts is given here:
“…the said Hall came to this place about 15 or 16 of July. Mr. Sanford Carrell…lives in this town and is an own Cousin to the said Hall. Immediately after his arrival at this place your advertisement was discovered in the Kentucky Gazette by the said Carrell…Carrell was own Cousin to Hall yet he was the cause of his been Apprehended…Hall at this time had the Negro and two mares at Carrells mothers about eight miles from this place...Carrell employed four men to go out to his fathers where the said Hall was...while they were securing him the Negro ran off. They took the said Hall before Benjamin Bayles a Justice of Mason County & State of Kentucky at which time the said Bayles committed him for further trial And as he could not give security he had to go to Jail, and as no person appeared to prosecute him he employed a lawer [sic] who took him out by a writ of Habeus [sic] Corpus, for which he gave his lawyer one of the mares he had with him…Hall and the Negro is now in the neighbourhood of George Town Kentucky, and might be taken with very little trouble. He says he did not steal the negro, he was met by him on the road. If you come you had better be as secret as possible....P.S. …Sanford Carrell…says…he will assist you in taken of Warren Hall. A brother of…Carrells is just from the neighborhood of Georgetown and says that Hall is there and goes armed with a large Knife…” .03. William Murphy, autograph letter signed as Postmaster of Washington, Kentucky, October 31, 1805, with his free frank. To William Sims. 2 pp.
[Hall’s appearance before Bayles and subsequent release is mentioned again:] “Warren Hall was committed to the person of this county at the time and under the circumstances mentioned... Hall was released by our Circuit Judge, on a Habeas Corpus and went off. The mare I am informed is in the possession of a Mr. Sanford Carrell at Maysville (otherwise Limestone) about four miles from here... I cannot inform you where Hall is now, he has however, not long since as I am told advertised the Circumstances of the Case and his imprisonment in one of your Kentucky papers…” The ultimate fate of Warren Hall and Adam is unknown. Information on the Sims family indicates that Hall had married Sims’ sister Mary. The Sims were children of Capt. Charles & Isabella Sims. Charles was a planter, settling in Union County, and a locally celebrated Revolutionary patriot. After the war, he was a delegate to the South Carolina Convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution, where he voted against it. William Sims apparently continued the plantation and remained in Union County.
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