Freedom Seekers
Kentucky Gazette, Lexington Kentucky, Saturday, 9 May 1795
Reward for "Black Will" $5 offered for the return of Will, who is described as "Twenty years of age, five feet six inches high, heavy make". Advertisement placed by Robert Benham at the Mouth of the Licking, Newport, Campbell County, State of Kentucky.
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Western Spy and Hamilton Gazette, Cincinnati Ohio, Wednesday, 26 March 1800
Reward for the return of Edmund, who is around 23 years old, wears his "temple locks platted" and always carries a knife in his belt. Slaveholder Benjamin Beall, near Flagg Springs, offers $6 for this freedom seeker.
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The Whig, Wednesday, Wednesday, 7 March 1810
Charles, about 27 years old, escaped from Newport, March 4th, 1810. John Cleves Symmes Jr. offers $20 reward for him.
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Liberty Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday, 22 February 1844
Charles, described as wearing "a long blue coat with metal buttons, duck trousers, and jefferson shoes, with well nailed soles" took his freedom from slaveholder John Thomason of Newport Ky. on Feb 6th, 1814. A reward of $10 is offered for his return.
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Cincinnati Daily Republican, Cincinnati, Sunday, 25 January 1835
Slaveholder Thomas Bean offered a $100 reward for the return of Townley, who took his freedom while in Campbell County, one mile below Cincinnati. Townley, 21 years old was recently purchased from John I Estep of Maryland and it is suspected he may return there for family, or he may go to Ohio or Pennsylvania. The slaveholder resides in Prince George County, MD, though its not clear why Townley was in Kentucky when he escaped.
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Wilbur Siebert Collection, Hamilton Co Ohio, Friday, 1 January 1836
Fifteen enslaved people, led by Anthony Bingey, made arrangements to escape from Gen. Taylor’s house in Newport. Included in the group was Bingey, his father, his father’s wife, their three children, Horace Hawkins and his sister, and Wash Burgess. James Williams, FPOC in Cincinnati, was conductor. The freedom seekers had obtained a pass from Taylor to go to a “camp meeting up the Ohio”. Interview with Rev. Anthony Bingey of Windsor, Ontario. 1895.
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National Anti-Slavery Standard, Thursday, 17 February 1842
Seven freedom seekers, five women and two men, escaped from the Taylor family of Newport. The three women were “genteel waiting maids” held in special regard by Mrs. Taylor. $700 reward offered. The group made it to Canada.
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Licking Valley Register, Saturday, 18 May 1844, page 2
$20 Reward
Runaway on the 5th day of last February, a
negro woman named NELLY, about forty or forty-five years of age, of a copper
complexion, nearly black. She was heard of on the Grassy Creek Road
leading from Cincinnati, Covington or Newport. I hired said negro from B F
Fugate, Esq. administrator of H Maddox, deceased.
She had on when she left, a yellow flannel or linsey coat. I will give the
above reward if taken and secured in some jail so that I can get her, or
delivered to me at Downingsville, Grant Co. Ky. J H Downing
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Licking Valley Register, Saturday, 31 January 1846, page 2
$400 Reward-Two Negro slaves escaped-Jim and William
ABSCONDED from the farm of the subscriber, on the night of the 7th instant, two negro slaves; one called Jim, a light black about six feet in height, broad shoulders, about 24 years of age. The other called William, a house servant and coachman, a very light mulatto, about 5 feet 6 inches in height, slender in form about 30 years of age.
It is probable they will be seen together, having it is believed been skulking about Covington and the premises of their master since Saturday night, with the intention of decoying the wife of William. The above reward will be paid for the apprehension and delivery of said servants at the prison in Covington or one half the sum for either separately, by their owner.
GEO R KENNER, Covington Jan. 13, 1846
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Anti-Slavery Bugle, Friday, 7 July 1848, column 1
A KENTUCKY INVITATION
Some time since, five persons, residents of Campbell county, Ky. designated in law as slaves, started on a northern tour by way of the Ohio branch of the underground railroad. Their sorrowing masters followed after, but though unable to retake their fleeting property, they ascertained the names of fifteen of the railroad agents, whose business location was between Cincinnati and Sandusky. These were accordingly arrested upon a charge of Kentucky slave stealing, on a warrant issued by a justice of Warren county, and the enormous bail of $4000 dollars was required of them to await the action of the Executive of this State upon the demand of the Governor of Kentucky for their bodies.
We understand, however, that Governor Bibb, who
seems to have less horror of slave stealing than with the Warren count justice
or the Kentucky Executive, has politely declined using any compulsion to induce
the fifteen to visit the Court of Common Please of Campbell county, Ky. there to
plead guilty or not guilty to the charge preferred against them. The slave
claimants will therefore have no redress unless they resort the law of '93, and
invoke the power of "our glorious Union" to punish the men who are accused of
being guilty of showing mercy.
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Cincinnati Herald, Friday, 14 July 1848
SLAVERY
Escaped Slaves from General Taylor of Newport
Requisition on Ohio for Persons Aiding Slaves to Escape-We learn that fifteen citizens of this State have been arrested on a warrant issued by a Justice of Warren County, and held to bail in the sum of $4000 apiece, to await the answer of the Governor of Ohio to the requisition of the Governor of Kentucky, for their presence at the court of Common Pleas of Campbell County. Ky. to answer the charge of stealing five slaves, the property of the citizens of that county.
The affidavit upon which this warrant was issued, was made by General Taylor, of Newport. If we mistake not, everything now depends on Gov Bibb. They cannot be compelled to appear in Kentucky, but upon his answer to the requisition. Will he give them up? They cannot be charged with having committed the crime in Kentucky, except constructively, by aiding and abetting, after the escape of the slaves. The example of Gov Shunk will recur to everyone. He refused to comply with the requisition of the Governor of Maryland, founded on an indictment, for the reason that so such constructive presence could be admitted in law. We do not think Gov Bibb would deliver them up even if they really had been in Kentucky.
We understand that Corwin and Giddings have been retained to manage the suit. The arrested persons are residents in various parts of the State, on the line from here to Sandusky City and are all of them of high respectability.
Since the above was written, we learn that Gov Bibb has begged to be excused from complying with the polite request of the Governor of Kentucky, on the ground that Ohio laws don't recognize property in man.
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Louisville Morning Courier, Wednesday, 19 June 1850, page 3
SUICIDE BY DROWNING
We learn that a likely young negro man, of medium size, drowned himself at Newport, near Cincinnati, last Monday morning about day light. The circumstances of the case, which are very singular, are as follows: Captain Haldeman, of the Yorktown, put a negro man on the mail boat Telegraph Sunday morning, giving the captain the assurance that the man was free. Before the boat reached Cincinnati, the negro went to Captain McClellan and remarked to him that as he did not wish to see either him or Captain Haldeman get into difficulty, he would inform him that there was another colored man on board the boat besides himself, who was not vouched for by Capt. Haldemann.
The captain proceeded to the lower deck and found the negro man, who upon being interrogated, refused to give any account whatever of himself. When or how he got on the boat could not be ascertained. The Captain called the mate and two of the crew, and placing the negro in their charge, ordered them into the yawl, with the design of lodging the negro in the jail at Newport, Ky. The boat was stopped and the negro, who made no attempt to reside, got into the yawl with the mate and the yawl was rowed to the shore. Just as the bow of the boat reached the Kentucky shore, the negro man jumped headlong into the river and disappear under water. The mate and one of the men immediately plunged in after him, but could neither see nor hear him. He never arose to the surface of the water and evidently drowned himself in preference to being captured.
The officers of the mail boat are of opion that the negro man got on the boat here at Louisville and secreted himself in the boat. From as imperfect description of his appearance, it is thought that he was a runaway slave of Mr. O'Bannon of this county.
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SANDFORD, Joseph Sanford was a "trusted slave" in
Campbell County. In the early 1850s, after being mistreated by an
overseer, Sanford, his wife and four children, and eight others from the
immediate vicinity resolved "to break and run away, hit or miss, live or die."
One went to Covington and "made arrangements."
The party crossed the Ohio to Cincinnati in a
skiff. There were nearly captured in Michigan, but were released by a
judge and finally crossed the border into Canada.
(From Fugitive Slaves and the Underground Railroad
in the Kentucky Borderland by J Blaine Hudson, page )
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Covington Journal, Monday, 1 March 1851 page 2, column 2
Four or five slaves escaped from Campbell county on Sunday last night. They crossed the Ohio River in a stolen skiff.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 February 1851 and Louisville Courier Journal, 14 February 1851, page 3
The mulatto woman whose arrest as a fugitive slave, we recorded yesterday, is called Fanny. She is claimed to have belonged to Mr. Hutchinson of Virginia, until his recent death, when she was willed by him to his daughter, Elizabeth Hutchinson, who resides in Todd County, Ky. Mr. William Hutchinson, brother to Elizabeth and also residing in Todd County, went to Virginia and took into his possession or custody this woman Fanny, and two or three other slaves for the purpose of conveying them to the home of himself and sister in Kentucky. He brought them by state to Kanawha Salines, and there took passage on the steamer Cumberland Valley for Nashville Tenn.
Soon after the boat arrived here the gentleman and his slave came up town to make some purchases and it seems attracted the attention of some of her colored brethren. When she returned to the boat she was enticed on board of the Lancaster, lying along side by some of the above friends, and the Lancaster left on an upward trip. She had not gone far however, when the Captain discovered the inveiglement. He stopped his boat and landed her on the Kentucky side, just above Newport. She subsequently gained the ferry boat at Newport and was landed on this side, and as soon as landed endeavored to make her way to the Cumberland Valley, where she expected to find her master.
Before reaching the boat she was met by a mob, her friends of course, in full view of her owner, and forced up the landing her owner in full pursuit. On reaching Lower Market on Sycamore st. the mob was met by two police officers, to whom Mr. Hutchinson appealed for the protection of his property. The officers arrested the woman and took her to the watch house. Not long after a writ of habeas corpus was issued by Judge Moore, by which she was released from the custody of the chief of police and lodged in jail.
Well, a special court was called yesterday morning by Judge Warren, and her right to freedom, according to our statues, was tried. The evidence adduced corroborated all we have states above; and after a speech or two on the part of the State and also by the defense, the Court adjourned at half past five o'clock in the afternoon. While the court was deliberating into whose charge to place the prisoner, she walked up to Judge Warren and said;
"Look heah, Judge, I
tinks this foolishness gone fur nuff; I'm gwine back with my massa." The Court
immediately gave her in charge of her master, and thus the grand farce ended.
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The American Telegraph, Tuesday, 30 December 1851, page 1
Several slaves escaped from Kentucky, by crossing the river on ice, on Saturday night above Newport.
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The largest escape from
Newport occurred in early 1853, when ten slaves (one of every six in town) left
the household of Colonel James Taylor, son of founder General James Taylor who
died in 1848; this included Robert C Todd, Mary Winston and Doctor Parker. "We are truly
happy," wrote Henry Bibb, another Kentucky runaway who edited The Voice of
the Fugitive, "to be able to inform Mr. Todd & Company that the above
refugees have arrived safely in Canada. They have only one thing to regret
and that is, that they might have been in Canada long ago."
(Quoted in J Winston Coleman Jr. Slavery Times in Kentucky
Chapel
Hill 1940 pages 243-244)
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Sunbury and American Shamokin Journal, January 1852
Several slaves escaped from Kentucky, by crossing the river on ice, on Saturday night above Newport.
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Louisville Daily Courier, Thursday, 14 April 1853, reprinting an article from the Cincinnati Gazette "of Tuesday."
A negro was seen to run down to the river on the Kentucky side, near Jamestown (an earlier name of Dayton) on Sunday morning, and jumping into the river, swim over to the Ohio side, landing near Pendleton. After resting himself (for he was very much fatigued) he started off over the hills. Shortly after two white men were seen to ride down to the edge of the river and cross over. They were in pursuit of the negro, who was a runaway slave. They had tracked him to the river and ascertained that he had crossed over. They had chased him from near Alexandria, the county seat of Campbell County. We have not learned whether the slave had yet been captured.
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Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Thursday, 23 June 1853, page 3
On Sunday night ten slaves, belonging to sundry citizens of Newport, effected their escape. How and by what means they crossed the river is not known. Several free colored persons left in company, one of them a woman whose two children would have been free when they attained the age of twenty-one. The owners of the fugitives represent their slaves had always been treated with kindness, and they cannot conceive why they left. No steps have been taken to recapture them.
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The Liberator (Boston Massachusetts) Friday, 19 August 1853, page 1
SAFE IN CANADA
On June 10th, ten slaves belonging to Robert C Todd, Colonel James Taylor, R Slaughter, Mrs. Mary Winston and Dr. Parker, citizens of Newport Ky. made their escape from that place.
We are truly happy to be able to inform Mr. Todd & Co that the above refugees have arrived safely in Canada, and that they came by way of the Underground rail road. They are all well and all likely to do well. They have only one thing to regret, and that is that they had not known of the Underground rail road before, so that they might have been in Canada long ago, working for themselves and having their children educated.
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The Ohio Star (Ravenna Oh) Wednesday, 23 November 1853, page 2
RUNAWAY SLAVES
The Voice of the Fugitive announces the arrival in Canada of fourteen slaves, by the Underground Railroad. Ten of the them belonged to the citizens of Newport Kentucky.
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From the Autobiography of Nathaniel Southgate Shaler, grandson of Richard Southgate
"Now and then negroes ran away. About 1857, those belonging to my grandfather, my aunts, and my mother, all household servants, some of them old people, decamped in one night. I remember the excitement when at dawn, a certain Sam Morton, who had also suffered from the exodus, roused the families. My grandfather at once ordered that they should not be pursued. In the course of three months, there came a letter from the party, then in Canada, begging that they be allowed to return. This he refused to grant, saying that they had broken the bond that bound him to look after them, and that he would have nothing further to do with them. By threatening to "sell them South" the ancient threat which he never would have executed, he kept them from returning."
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Tuesday, 1 December 1857, page 3
ANOTHER SLAVE EXCITEMENT IN KENTUCKY
ANOTHER SLAVE CASE AND ANOTHER-It is a palpable fact there is hardly a day transpires that we do not hear of the escape of slaves from our sister State across the river. In nine cases out of ten they are successful in the attempt, but it so happens that sometimes they are caught. On Saturday night last, three of the slaves of William Barston, residing in Bourbon County Ky. two men and a woman, left home and made a bee line for the Ohio River, intending to cross above Newport. Before leaving, the two men tried hard to persuade another man to join them, but he refused, and soon after the party had gone, that man informed his master of the escape.
Mr. Barston and his son immediately started in pursuit and overtook the party about eight miles from the homestead, and made an endeavor to stop their further progress. As they came up to the slaves, one of them made a break for the woods and escaped; the other struck Mr. Barston upon the shoulder with a club, which knocked him down, with prompted the son of Mr. Barston to fire a pistol at the offender. Fortunately the pistol shot did no harm and the party surrendered and were taken back.
Mr. Barston is a good
deal injured from the effects of the blow, and it is presumed he will not
recover from it for a considerable length of time.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Friday, 7 April 1859, page 7
NEWPORT NEWS
Another Fugitive Successful Escape-The city of Newport had a distinguished arrival on Saturday last in the person of a man slave, belonging to a gentle man, residing in or near Cynthiana. Some time ago Mr. Martin hired his services to a farmer in that region named Trimble, with whom he remained until Friday last, when he left for parts unknown, a district of country he was aware he could reach by the Underground Railroad at Cincinnati, and arrived here on the next day.
He was seen about the streets by Deputy Marshall Morton on Saturday, on Monday and up to Tuesday morning, and from the manner of unconcern he assumed, that officer had supposed he had been sent in from the country by some farmer on business. On Monday the runaway made an attempt to cross on the ferry boat and nearly accomplished it. He was discovered by Captain Air, who demanded his "pass". He showed one signed by his late employer Trimble, but that wouldn't suit the captain, he must have some reference residing in Newport, and was taken back for that purpose. Of course, he could not give and Captain Air refused to take him over.
Late on Tuesday evening,
Mr. Martin, the owner of the slave, arrived in the city and offered a reward of
$100 for his arrest. Officers Martin, of this city and Office Dickey of
Covington, immediately started to hunt the fugitive, searching every probable
place in the city and then scouring the region of the country along the Ohio
River, from Jamestown to the Licking, and that too with but poor success.
They did not find the one they were looking for. Mr. Martin the owner was not
aware that his slave had escaped until Tuesday morning, when he immediately took
the cars? and came down to our city, but he arrived too late. The bird had flown
having managed to cross the Ohio by other conveyance than the ferry boats and he
is doubtless now in a state of serenity on the safe side of the Niagara River.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Wednesday, 7 September 1859, page 3
NEWPORT NEWS
THAT SLAVE CASE-The negro in our city jail, supposed to be a runaway from a gentleman residing back of Maysville, was taken before Mayor Hawkins for examination. There was little more evidence added and as it was suggested that there was more that would soon be forthcoming, he was remanded to jail again for a further hearing.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Tuesday, 25 October 1859, page 3
NEWPORT NEWS
The fugitive slave confined in our jail has the satisfaction to know that the men whom he alleges kidnapped him from his master in Virginia are in the same fix. In other words, Michael Weaver and William Stewart were before the Police Court of Cincinnati yesterday on a charge of abducting the aforesaid slave, and held to bail each, in the sum of $2000.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Sunday, 20 May 1860, page 1
NEWPORT NEWS
WIFE AND CHILD TO SEE HIM-We met yesterday in our streets the wife and child of Icabod Brown, the supposed runaway slave arrested in our city on Thursday morning, and now incarcerated in our jail, who had come over to see their husband and parent.
The wife is indeed a white woman and seems possessed of ---- intelligence. She says that her husband is a free man that he was born free, and that he has lost his papers, but that she will soon adduce evidence that he is free. in a conversation we had with Ichabod, we were induced to believe from the versions and absurd stories he told that he was partially insane.
If his friends do not
bestir themselves he will most assuredly be sold, in accordance with the laws of
Kentucky.
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Cincinnati Daily Press, Saturday, 5 January 1861, page 4
On Thursday last, Harvey Britt received a note from a gentleman residing in Nicholasville, informing him that one of his slaves made his escape the day before and requesting that he would undertake his capture. Britt started in pursuit and about ten miles up the Ohio River, came upon his trail, but he was some three hours behind. He ascertained that the negro had crossed just above California and is now safe in the promised land.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Monday, 3 March 1863, page 3
NEWPORT NEWS
JAIL DELIVERY-All the prisoners confined in the Newport Jail, two white men and two negroes, escaped about four o'clock yesterday morning, by removing a few brick in the prison wall with a chisel. The names of the white men are Joseph Sterling and Thomas Stockwell. The former is charged with stealing and is a resident of this city. The latter is a resident of Covington and was in jail awaiting his trial for housebreaking.
The two negroes were fugitive slaves. They will probably be recaptured. The Newport Jail is a very insecure building for the confinement of criminals or others. The walls which are constructed of brick are so think that nay man can knock a hole through them in a short time, if he is provided with a bar of iron, chisel or any thing of that kind.
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Cincinnati
Enquirer, Thursday, October 29, 1863
Identified-The negro woman and children who were arrested in this town on
Monday evening, while endeavoring, under the guidance of a white woman, named
Nancy Miller, to get across the river into Ohio, were yesterday identified as
the property of a Mr. Northcutt, of Grant County, Kentucky. Mrs. Miller was
taken back to Williamstown, where the Grant Circuit Court is now in session,
before which she will be arraigned. The “chattels” were given over to the charge
of their master. We are informed that slave property is considered very insecure
in Grant County, it being well known that a regularly organized band of persons
consisting of both women and men, whose object is to aid negroes to escape,
exists in the region.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Thursday, 5 November 1863, page 3
SPEEDY JUSTICE
In the Grant Court Circuit of Williamstown, yesterday, the woman Nancy Miller, alias White, who was arrested in this city (Newport) on the charge of aiding slaves to escape was tried, convicted and sentenced to six years imprisonment in the Kentucky Penitentiary. Within two weeks from the time she committed the crime, She will be in the State's Prison. Pretty quick work that!
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Tuesday, 15 December 1863, page 3
NEWPORT NEWS
Run Off-Yesterday
morning early, a slave in the employment of Mr. M Betz, livery stable keeper on
York street, was sent with a pass to convey a couple of gentlemen to the Little
Miami Railroad Depot. Upon reaching the depot, the darkey left the vehicle
and stowed himself away in the cars. He is doubtless, ere this far on his way
northward.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Wednesday, 20 August 1862, page 3
The residence of Captain Robertson on the Alexandria Pike, five miles from Newport, was broken open open by a negro man on Monday night. The burglar was arrested yesterday by Marshal Bennett. He is a Tennessee "contraband" recently brought up the river Captain Robertson.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Monday 3 October 1864, page 3
On Friday evening a Negro named John Preston, who was recently drafted in Trimble County, Kentucky, jumped into the Ohio river, near the foot of York street, but was immediately pulled out. It is not known whether he intended to drown himself of escape to the Ohio side. His is now in jail in this city of Newport.
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Frank-Freedom Seeker from William S Grant of Alexandria
Rev H H Hawkins-Freedom Seeker from Gen Taylor of Newport-1848