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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

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"You don't know where he went to from here, I suppose?"

"No, sah, dat not my compartment. Perhaps de outside porter will
know. Like enough he take his tings in hand-truck to station. You
like to see him, sab?"

"Yes, I should like to have a minute's talk with him. Here is your
dollar."

The waiter rang a bell, and a minute later the outdoor porter
presented himself.

"You recomember taking some tings to station for a tall man wid
gray goatee, Pomp?" the waiter asked. "It was more dan tree
weeks ago. I tink he went before it was light in de morning. Me
seem to remember dat."

The negro nodded.

"Me remember him bery well, sah. Tree heavy boxes and one bag,
and he only give me quarter dollar for taking dem to de station.
Mighty mean man dat."

"Do you know what train he went by?"

"Yes, sah, it was de six o'clock train for de souf."

"You can't find out wher his luggage was checked for?"

"I can go down to station, sab, and see if I can find out. Some of de
men thar may remember."

"Here is a dollar for yourself," Vincent said, "and another to give
to any of the men who can give you the news. When you have
found out come and tell me. Here is my card and address."

"Bery well, sah. Next time me go up to station me find about it,
for sure, if any one remember dat fellow."

In the evening the negro called at the house and told Vincent that
he had ascertained that a man answering to his description and
having luggage similar to that of Pearson had had it checked to
Florence in South Carolina.

Vincent now called Dan into his counsel and told him what he had
discovered. The young negro had already given proof of such
intelligence that he felt sure his opinion would be of value.

"Dat all bery plain, sah," Dan said when Vincent finished his story.
"Me do doubt dat old rascal Jackson give money to Pearson to
carry off do gal. Oh course he did it just to take revenge upon
Tony. Pearson he go into de plot, because, in de fust place, it vex
Missy Wingfield and you bery much; in do second place, because
Jackson gib him money; in do third place, because he get hold of
negro slave worf a thousand dollar. Dat all quite clear. He notdo it
himself, but arrange wid oder fellows, and he stop quiet at de
hotel for two days after she gone so dat no one can 'spect his
having hand in do affair."

"That is just how I make it out, Dan; and now he has gone off to
join them."

Dan thought for some time.

"Perhaps dey join him thar, sab, perhaps not; perhaps him send
him baggage on there and get out somewhere on do road and meet
them."

"That is likely enough, Dan. No doubt Dinah was taken away in a
cart or buggy. As she left two days before he did, they may have
gone from forty to sixty miles along the road, to some place where
he may have joined them. The men who carried her off may either
have come back or gone on with him. If they wanted to go south
they would go on; if they did not, he would probably have only
hired them to carry her off and hand her over to him when he
overtook them. I will look at the time.table and see where that
train stops. It is a fast train, I see," he said, after consulting it; it
stops at Petersburg, fifteen miles on, and at Hicks Ford, which is
about fifty miles. I should think the second place was most likely,
as the cart could easily have got there in two days. Now, Dan, you
had better start tomorrow morning, and spend two days there if
necessary; find out if you can if on the twentieth of last month any
one noticed a vehicle of any kind, with two rough men in it, and
with, perhaps, a negro woman. She might not have been noticed,
for she may have been lying tied up in the bottom of the cart,
although it is more likely they frightened her by threats into sitting
up quiet with them. They are sure not to have stopped at any
decout hotel, but will have gone to some small place, probably just
outside the town.

"I will go with you to Mr. Renfrew the first thing in the morning
and get him to draw up a paper testifying that you are engaged in
lawful business, and are making inquiries with a view to
discovering a crime which has been committed, and
recommending you to the assistance of the police in any town you
may go to. Then if you go with that to the head constable at Hicks
Ford he will tell you which are the places at which such fellows as
these would have been likely to put up for the night, and perhaps
send a policeman with you to make inquiries. If you get any news
telegraph to me at once. I will start by the six o'clock train on the
following morning. Do you be on the platform to meet me, and we
can then either go straight on to Florence, or, should there be any
occasion, I will get out there; but I don't think that is likely.
Pearson him self will, to a certainty, sooner or later, go to
Florence to get his luggage, and the only real advantage we shall
get if your inquiries are successful will be to find out for certain
whether he is concerned in the affair. We shall then only have to
follow his traces from Florence."

Two days later Mr. Renfrew received a telegram from the head
constable at Hicks Ford: "The two men with cart spent day here,
20th ult. Were joined that morning by another man-negro says
Pearson. One man returned afternoon, Richmond. Pearson and
the other drove off in buggy. A young negress and child were with
them. Is there anything I can do?"

Mr. Renfrew telegraphed back to request that the men, who were
kidnaping the female slave, should if possible be traced and the
direction they took ascertained. He then sent the message across
to Vincent, who at once went to his office.

"Now," the lawyer said, "you must do nothing rashly in this
business, Vincent. They are at the best of time a pretty rough lot
at the edge of these Carolina swamps, and at present things are
likely to be worse than usual. If you were to go alone on such an
errand you would almost certainly be shot. In the first place, these
fellows would not give up a valuable slave without a struggle; and
in the next place, they have committed a very serious crime.
Therefore it is absolutely necessary that you should go armed with
legal powers and backed by the force of the law. In the first place,
I will draw up an affidavit and sign it myself, to the effect that a
female slave, the property of Vincent Wingfield, has, with her
male child, been kidnaped and stolen by Jonas Pearson and others
acting in association with him, and that we have reason to know
that she hasbeen conveyed into South Carolina. This I will get
witnessed by ajustice of the peace, and will then take it up to
Government House. There I wifl get the usual official request to
the governor of South Carolina to issue orders that the aid of the
law shall be given to you in recovering the said Dinah Morris and
her child and arresting her abductors. You will obtain an order to
this effect from the governor, and armed with it you will, as soon
as you have discovered where the woman is, call upon the sheriff
of the county to aid you in recovering her, and in arresting Pearson
and his associates."

"Thank you, sir. That will certainly be the best way. I run plenty of
risk in doing my duty as an officer of the state, and I have no
desire whatever to throw my life away at the hands of ruffians such
as Pearson and his allies."

Two hours later Vincent received from Mr. Renfrew the official
letter to the governor of South Carolina, and at six o'clock next
morning started for Florence. On the platform of the station at
Hicks Ford Dan was waiting for him.

"Jump into the car at the end, Dan; I will come to you there, and
you can tell me all the news. We are going straight on to
Columbia. Now, Dan," Vincent went on when he joined him-for
in no part of the United States were negroes allowed to travel in
any but the cars set apart for them-" what is your news? The chief
constable telegraphed that they had, as we expected, been joined
by Pearson here."

"Yes, sah, dey war here for sure. When I get here I go straight to
de constable and tell him dat I was in search of two men who had
kidnaped Captain Wingfield's slave. De head constable he
Richmond man, and oh course knew all about de family; so he
take de matter up at once and send constable wid me to seberal
places where it likely dat the fellows had put up, but we couldn't
find nuffin about dem. Den next morning we go out again to
village four mile out of de town on de north road, and dere we
found sure 'nough dat two men, wid negro wench and chile, had
stopped dere. She seem bery unhappy and cry all do time. De men
say dey bought her at Richmond, and show do constable of de
village do paper dat dey had bought a female slabe Sally Moore
and her chile. Do constable speak to woman, but she seem fright
cued out of her life and no say anything. Dey drive off wid her
early in do morning. Den we make inquiries again at do town and
at do station. We find dat a man like Pearson get out. He had only
little hand-bag with him. He ask one of do men at do station
which was do way to do norf road. Den we find dat one of do
constables hab seen a horse and cart wid two men in it, with negro
woman and child. One of do men look like Yankee-dat what make
him take notice of it. We s'pose dat odor man went back to
Richmond again."

"That is all right, Dan, and you have done capitally. Now at
Florence we will take up the hunt. It is a long way down there;
and if they drive all the way, as I hope they will, it will take them a
fortnight, so that we shall have gained a good deal of time on
them. The people at the station are sure to remember the three
boxes that lay there for so long without being claimed. Of course
they may have driven only till they got fairly out of reach. Then
they may either have sold the horse and trap, or the fellow Pearson
has with him may have driven it back. But I should think they
would most likely sell it. In that case they would not be more than
a week from the time they left Richmond to the time they took
train again for the south. However, whether they have got a
fort-night or three weeks' start of us will not make much
difference. With the description we can give of Pearson, and the
fact that there was a negress and child, and those three boxes, we
ought to be able to trace him."

It was twelve at night when the train arrived at Florence. As
nothing could be done until next morning Vincent went to an
hotel. As soon as the railway officials were likely to be at their
offices he was at the station again. The tip of a dollar secured the
attention of the man in the baggage-room.

"Three boxes and a black bag came on here a month ago, you say,
and lay here certainly four or five days-- perhaps a good deal
longer. Of course I remember them. Stood up in that corner there.
They had been checked right through. I will look at the hooks and
see what day they went. I don't remember what sort of men
fetched them away. Maybe I was busy at the time, and my mate
gave them out. However, I will look first and see when they went.
What day do you say they got here?"

"They came by the train that left Richmond at six o'clock on the
morning of the 20th."

"Then they got in late that night or early next morning. Ah, the
train was on time that day, and got in at half-past nine at night.
Here they are-three boxes and a bag, numbers 15020, went out on
the 28th. Yes, that's right enough. Now I will just ask my mate if
he remembers about their going out."

The other man was called. Oh, yes, he remembered quite well the
three boxes standing in the corner. They went out some time in
the afternoon. It was just after the train came in from Richmond.
He noticed the man that asked for them. He got him to help carry
out the boxes and put them into a cart. Yes, he remembered there
was another man with him, and a negress with a child. He
wondered at the time what they were up to, but supposed it was all
right. Yes, he didn't mind trying to find out who had hired out a
cart for the job. Dessay he could find out by to-morrow-at any rate
he would try. Five dollars are worth earning anyway.

Having put this matter in train, Vincent, leaving Dan at Florence,
went down at once to Charleston. Here, after twenty-four hours'
delay, he obtained a warrant for the arrest of Jonas Pearson and
others on the charge of kidnaping, and then returned to Florence.
He found that the railway man had failed in obtaining any
information as to the cart, and concluded it must have come in
from the country on purpose to meet the train.

"At any rate," Vincent said, "it must be within a pretty limited
range of country. The railway makes a bend from Wilmington to
this place and then down to Charleston, so this is really the nearest
station to only a small extent of country."

"That's so," the railway man said. He had heard from Dan a good
deal about the case, and had got thoroughly interested in it. "Either
Marion or Kingstree would he nearer, one way or the other, to
most of the swamp country. So it can't be as far as Conwayhorough
on the north or Georgetown on the south, and it must lie
somewhere between Jeifries' Creek and Lynch's Creek; anyhow it
would be in Marion County-that's pretty nigh sure. So if I were
you I would take rail back to Marion Court house, and see the
sheriff there and have a talk over the matter with him. You
haven't got much to go upon, because this man you are after has
been away from here a good many years and won't be known;
besides, likely enough he went by some other name down here.
Anyhow, the sheriff can put you up to the roads, and the best way
of going about the job."

"I think that would be the best way," Vincent said. "We shall be
able to see the county map too and to learn all the geography of the
place."

"You have got your six-shooters with you, I suppose, becanse you
are as likely as not to have to use them?"

"Yes, we have each got a Colt; and as I have had a good deal of
practice, it would be awkward for Pearson if he gives me occasion
to use it."

"After what I hear of the matter," the man said, "I should say your
best plan is just to shoot him at sight. It's what would serve him
right. You bet there will be no fuss over it. It will save you a lot
of trouble anyway."

Vincent laughed.

"My advice is good," the man went on earnestly. "They are a rough
lot down there, and hang together. You will have to do it sudden,
whatever you do, or you will get the hull neighborhood up agin
you."

On reaching Marion Courthouse they sought out the sheriff,
produced the warrant signed by the States' authority, and explained
the whole circumstances.

"I am ready to aid you in any way I can," the sheriff said when he
concluded; "but the question is, where has the fellow got to? You
see he may be anywhere in this tract;" and he pointed out a circle
on the map of the county that hung against the wall. "That is about
fifty mile across, and a pretty nasty spot, I can tell you. There are
wide swamps on both sides of the creek, and rice grounds and all
sorts. There ain't above three or four villages altogether, but there
may be two or three hundred little plantations scattered about,
some big and some little. We haven't got anything to guide us in
the slightest, not a thing, as I can see."

"The man who was working under Pearson, when he was with us,
told me he had got the notion that he had had to leave on account
of some trouble here. Possibly that might afford a clew."

"It might do so," the sheriff said. "When did he come to you?"

"I think it was when I was six or seven years old. That would be
about twelve or thirteen years ago; but, of course, he may not have
come direct to us after leaving here."

"We can look anyway," the sheriff said, and, opening a chest, he
took out a number of volumes containing the records of his
predecessors. "Twelve years ago! Well, this is the volume. Now,
Captain Wingfield, I have got some other business in hand that
will take me a couple of hours. I will leave you out this volume
and the one before it and the one after it, and if you like to go
through them you may come across the description of some man
wanted that agrees with that of the man you are in search of."

It took Vincent two hours and a half to go through the volume, but
he met with no description answering to that of Pearson.

"I will go through the first six months of the next year," he said to
himself, taking up that volume, "and the last six months of the
year before."

The second volume yielded no better result, and he then turned
back to the first of the three books. Beginning in July, he read
steadily on until he came to December. Scarcely had he begun the
record of that month than he uttered an exclamation of
satisfaction.

"December 2nd.-Information laid against gang at Porter's Station,
near Lynch's Creek. Charged with several robberies and murders
in different parts of the county. Long been suspected of having
stills in the swamps. Gang consists of four besides Porter himself.
Names of gang, Jack Haverley, Jim Corben, and John and James
Porter. Ordered out posse to start to-morrow

"December 5th. - Returned from Porter's Stakon. Surprised the
gang. They resisted. Ilaverley, Carbon, and James Porter shot.
John Porter escaped, and took to swamp. Four of posse wounded;
one, William Hannay, killed. Circulated description of John Porter
through the county. Tall and lean; when fifteen years old shot a
man in a brawl, and went north. Has been absent thirteen years.
Assumed the appearance of a northern man and speaks with
Yankee twang. Father was absent at the time of attsck. Captured
three hours after. Declares he knows nothing about doings of the
gang. Haverley and Corben were friends of his sons. Came and
went when they liked. Will be tried on the 15th."

On the 16th there was another entry:

"William Porter sentenced to three years' imprisonment for
giving shelter to gang of robbers. Evidence wanting to show he
took any actual part in their crimes."

The sheriff had been in and out several times during the five hours
that Vincent's search had taken up. When he returned again
Vincent pointed out the entry he had found.

"I should not be at all surprised if that's our man," the sheriff said.
"I know old Porter well, for he is still alive and bears a pretty bad
reputation still, though we have never been able to bring him to
book. I remember all the circumstances of that affair, for I served
upon the posse. While Porter was in prison his house was kept for
him by a married daughter and her husband. There was a strong
suspicion that the man was one of the gang too, but we couldn't
prove it. They have lived there ever since. They have got five or
six field hands, and are said to be well off. We have no doubt they
have got a still somewhere in the swamps, but we have never been
able to find it. I will send a man off to-morrow to make inquiries
whether any stranger has arrived there lately. Of course, Pearson
will not have kept that name, and he will not have appeared as
John Porter, for he would be arrested on a fresh warrant at once for
his share in that former business. I think, Captain Wingfield, you
had better register at the hotel here under some other name. I don't
suppose that he has any fear of being tracked here; still it is just
possible his father may have got somebody here and at Florence to
keep their eyes open and let him know if there are any inquiries
being made by strangers about a missing negress. One cannot be
too careful. If he got the least hint, his son and the woman would
be hidden away in the swamps before we could get there, and there
would be no saying when we could find him."

Vincent took the sheriff's advice, and entered his name in the hotel
book as Mr. Vincent. Late in the evening the sheriff came round
to him.

"I have just sent summonses to six men. I would rather have had
two or three more, but young men are very scarce around here
now; and as with you and myself that brings it up to eight that
ought to be sufficient, as these follows will have no time to
summon any of their friends to their assistance. Have you a rifle,
Captain Wingfield?"

"No; I have a brace of revolvers."

"They are useful enough for close work," the sheriff said, "but if
they see us coming, and barricade their house and open fire upon
us, you will want something that carries further than a revolver. I
can lend you a rifle as well as a horse if you will accept them."

Vincent accepted the offer with thanks. The next morning at
daylight ho went round to tho sheriff's house, where six
determined-looking men, belonging to the town or neighboring
farms, were assembled. Slinging the rifle that the sheriff handed
him across his back, Vincent at once mounted, and the party sot
off at a brisk trot.

"My man came back half an hour ago," the sheriff said to Vincent
as they rode along. "He found out that a man answering to your
description arrived with another at Porter's about a fortnight ago,
and is staying there still. Whether they brought a negress with
them or not no one seems to have noticed. However, there is not a
shadow of doubt that it is our man, and I shall be heartily glad to
lay hold of him; for a brother of mine was badly wounded in that
last affair, and though he lived some years afterward he was never
the same man again. So I have a personal interest in it, you see."

"How far is it to Porter's?"

"About thirty-five miles. We shall get there about two o'clock, I
reckon. We are all pretty well mounted and can keep at this pace,
with a break or two, till we get there. I propose that we dismount
when we get within half a mile of the place. We will try and get
hold of some one who knows the country well, and get him to load
three of us round through the edge of the swamp to the back of the
house. It stands within fifty yards of the swamp. I have no doubt
they put it there so that they might escape if pressed, and also to
prevent their being observed going backward and forward to that
still of theirs."

This plan was followed out. A negro lad was found who, on the
promise of a couple of dollars, agreed to act as guide Three of the
party were then told off to follow him, and the rest, after waiting
for half an hour to allow them to make the detour, mounted their
horses and rode down at a gallop to the house. When they were
within a short distance of it they heard a shout, and a man who was
lounging near the door ran inside. Almost instantly they saw the
shutters swing back across the windows, and when they drew up
fifty yards from the door the barrels of four rifles were pushed out
through slits in the shutters.

The sheriff held up his hand. "William Porter, I want a word with
you."

A shutter in an upper room opened, and an elderly man appeared
with a rifle in his hand.

"William Porter," the sheriff said, "I have a warrant for the arrest
of two men now in your house on the charge of kidnaping a female
slave, the property of Captain Wingfield here. I have no proof
that you had any share in the matter, or that you are aware that the
slave was not honestly obtained. In the second place, I have a
warrant for the arrest of your son John Porter, now in your house
and passing recently under the name of Jonas Pearson, on the
charge of resisting and killing the officers of the law on the 5th of
December, 1851. I counsel you to hand over these men to me
without resistance. You know what happened when your sons
defied the law before, and what will happen now if you refuse
compliance."

"Yah!" the old man shouted. "Do you suppose we are going to
give in to five mon? Not if we know it. Now, I warn you, move
yourself off while I let you, else you will get a bullet in you before
I count three."

"Very well, then. You must take the consequences," the sheriff
replied, and at once called the party to fall back.

"We must dismount," ho said in answer to Vincent's look of
surprise; "they would riddle us here on horseback in the open.
Besides we must dismount to break in the door."

They rode back a quarter of a mile, and then dismounted. The
sheriff took two heavy axes that hung from his saddle, and handed
them to two of the men.

"I reckoned we should have trouble," ho said. "However, I hope
we sha'n't have to use these. My idea is to crawl up through the
corn-field until we are within shooting distance, and then to open
fire at the loopholes. They have never taken the trouble to grub up
the stumps, and each man must look out for shelter. I want to
make it so hot for them that they will try to bolt to the swamp, and
in that case they will ho covered by the men there. I told them not
to fire until they got quite close; so they ought to dispose of three
of them, and as they have got pistols they will be able to master the
others; besides, directly we hear firing behind, we shall jump up
and make a rush round. Do you, sir, and James Wilkins here, stop
in front. Two of them might make a rush out behind, and the
others, when they have drawn us off, bolt in front."