LS signed “L. W. Cass,” one page both sides, 7.5 x 12, March 31, 1860. Written from the State Department, a letter to Hamilton Cooper, the District Attorney of Savannah, Georgia, in full: "Since my letter to you of the 23'd instant, I have received from Lord Lyons, the British Minister here, a communication respecting the case of William Brodie, a copy of which I enclose. It is impossible for this Department, for the want of sufficient information, to give any specific instructions as to the course which it is proper to take, and I will thank you for any suggestions which may occur to you on the subject. From present appearances a great wrong has been done by the sale of Brodie and his deportation to an unknown place. The authors of the wrong, as I understand from your last letter, are likely to be dealt with under the laws of Georgia as they deserve, but in the mean time the unfortunate victim ought to be restored his rights. I hope you may be able to adopt or suggest some measures which will lead to his discovery and to such redress as he may be entitled to under the laws." In very good condition, with light toning and staining, and two small holes to the top edge.
Richard Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons, a day earlier sent to Cass a letter discussing British subject William Brodie, a native of the Bahama Islands and a seaman belonging to the American barque 'Overman' of New York, who was arrested for attempting to entice a slave to run away. Upon his conviction, Brodie was sentenced to pay a fine of five hundred dollars or to be sold into slavery. Unable to pay the fine, he was promptly sold and bought by a man named Striplan of Tatnall County, Georgia. Lyons here expresses to Cass that the sentence was one which no court in Georgia had authority to pronounce, and beyond bringing the perpetrators to justice, Lyons requests that Cass help him locate Brodie and to restore his freedom, beseeching him to contact the district attorney in an attempt to involve Federal authorities and induce the buyer, Striplan, to cooperate and disclose the new location of Brodie.
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