Slave Life in Georgia - African American History

Slave Life in Georgia 113
24.03.2006
was a tissue of falsehoods concocted for the occasion. Had he succeeded in
disappointing the malignity of the parties who, it is strongly suspected, set on
Taylor and Heckrotte, by proving the perjury of themselves and their witnesses,
a requisition from the State of Virginia itself impended over him, ready to be
enforced as soon as he was released from jail. This measure, however, became
unnecessary,
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for poor Torrey died. During his incarceration, and rather with a view to
terminate the severe privations he was designedly subjected to, than to evade a
trial, he sought to escape, but his attempt was frustrated, the plan having been
betrayed by a fellow prisoner of the name of Doyle, a notorious negro-trader. At
length he was brought up. The proceedings lasted three days; November 29th
and the two succeeding days. He was found guilty on the perjured testimony of
the witnesses suborned to establish the charge, and sentenced to six years'
imprisonment in the Penitentiary. In the autumn of 1845 his health began to fail,
and on the 9th May, 1846, he died, at the early age of thirty-three, a victim to
the intense malignity of the slave-power.
From the published reports of the proceedings, it would appear that every effort
was made to procure a conviction. In the case of Taylor, who had sworn to the
identity of Torrey, it subsequently came out that he had never set eyes on him
until after his arrest. In that of Heckrotte, whose accomplices swore that Torrey
had actually himself enticed the slaves away, it was satisfactorily established
that he had never seen them until they were thirty miles beyond Baltimore;
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and he might at any time have cleared himself from this second charge, by
giving up the name of the party (a lady) who planned their escape; but this he
refused to do. As, however, it was elicited that Torrey had really aided slaves in
running off, the establishment of the general fact was considered sufficient to
fix him with the guilt of the particular offences for which he was tried; hence his
condemnation. The whole affair created intense excitement; the sentence was
regarded as vindictive, and when Torrey died, the event shed a general gloom
over the circles that were familiar with him and his efforts in the anti-slavery
cause. A public ceremonial graced the passage of his remains to their last
resting-place at Mount Auburn, Boston, where a monument has since been
erected to his memory. The Committee of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery