Murder of slave, 1854

The Supposed Murder.

The last Chambersburg Repository and Whig contains the following particulars in regard to the death of Mr. Joseph Brumbaugh’s colored boy, a notice of which appeared in the last number of our paper—

“It seems that a party of Slaves belonging to Mr. Brumbaugh, of Washington county, Md., were permitted to visit Greencastle on Friday last, and on their departure for home one of them, from some cause unknown, was detained behind. The party had proceeded but a few miles from the town when the horse of the slave detained came up, but without his rider. This led the party to return to Greencastle, but they did not discover the whereabouts of the slave until they had again proceeded homeward, when he was found in a fence corner a short distance from the town, with his head dreadfully cut and in a dying condition. He survived, but a short time after the party reached him, and died without being able to communicate the manner in which he had been injured. An inquest was held on his body; but we have not learned the decision of the jury.

It was at first supposed that the horse had thrown the slave and that he was injured by the fall, but from some developments made, a black man named STEWART was arrested and brought to the county prison on Monday, charged with being implicated in some way in causing his death."