Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-09-06


sion offered. When the work was done, they
called for drink, and food, and becoming nice,
damned the brandy as vile stuff.
The scene at Vaughan's may suffice to give al
idea Of what was done at the other houses. A
bloodler and more accursed tragedy was never
acted, even by the agency Of the tOmahawk ana
scalping knife. Interesting details will be evo'v-
ed in the progress Of the trials and made known
to the public.
1t is with pain we speak of another feature OF
the Southampton Rebellion; for we have been most
unwilling to have our svmpathies for the sufferers.
diminished or affected BY their misconduct We
alude TO the slaughter of many blacks, without
trial, aud under circumstances of great barbarity
How many have thus been put to death general
y by decapitation or shootlngl reports vary; pro-
badly however some five and twenty and from
that to 40; possibly yet larger number. 10 The
great honor of General Eppes, he used every pre-
Icauton in his power, and we hope and believe
with success, to put stop to the dissraceiul pro-
cedure. We met with an individual OF intelll-
g.nce. who stated that he himself had killed be-
tween 10 and Is He justified himself on the
ground of the ba,barltes committed on the whites;
and that he thought himself right, is certain from
the fact Of his having narrowly escaped losing his
own life in an attempt to save negro woman
whom he thought innocent, but who was shot by
the multitude in despite of his exertlons. We
| the Richmond Troop witnessed with surPrize,
the sanguinary temper of the population, wh"
evinced strong disposition to infct immediate
death, upon every prisoner. Not having witness
ed the horrors committed by the blacks, or seen
the unburried s. disfgured remains OF their wives
and children, we were unprepared to understand
their feelings, aud could not at first admit OF that
extenuation, which closer observation at tho
| atrocities of the insurgents suggested. now
however, we individually, feel compelled to offer
an apology for the people OF Southampton, while
we deeply deplore that human nature urged them
to such extremitles. Let the TACT not lie doubt
ed by those whom it most concerns. that another
such insurrection will be the signal for the extir-
patton of the whole black population in the quar-
ter of the State where it occurs.
The numbers engaged in the instruction are
variousy reported. They probably did not ex-
coed 40 or so, and were f1uctuatng from deser-
| tons. and new recruits About Fifty arc IN South
amptun JAIL some Of them upon suspicion only.
We trust and believe that the intelligent mags-
tracy of that county, will have the frmness to op
nose the popular passion, should il be disposed
r. in,ove the lnocent with the guilty, and to
take suspicion for proof
The presence of the troops frnm Surfolk and
Richmond, alone prevented retaliation from being
carried much farther
At the date of Capt Harrison's departure from
Jerusalem, Gen. Nat. had not been taken. On
that morning however. bred, another insurgent
chief, was brought to jerusalem. hiving surren-
dered himself to his master, in the apprehension
no doubt of starving in the swamps, or being shot
by the numerous parties of local militia who were
in pursuit Nat had not been certainly heard OF
since the sSirmish in Parkers-Darnfc!d, which
was in fact, the termination Of the insurrection,
the negroes after that, dispensing themselves, and
making no farther attempt. He is represented
as shrewd fellow, reads, writes, and breaches;
and by various articles had acquired great nf1u-
ence over the minds of the wretched beings whom
he has led into destruction. j, is supposed that
he induced them to believe there were only 80, 900
whites in the country, who being exterminaSed
| the blacks might take possession. Various of his
tricks to acquire and preserve influence have
been mentioned, but they are not worth repeating.
Ii there was any Interior purpose, he probably
| alone knows it. For our own part, We still be-
leve there was none; and if he be the intelligent
man represented, we are incapable of concerning
the arguments by which he persuaded his own
mind of the feasibility of his attempt, or how it
could possibly end but in certain destruction. -
| We therefore incline to the belief that he acted
upon no higher principle than the impulse of re-
self and his race that being fanatic
he possibly persuaded himself that heaven would
interfere; aud that he may have convinced him
self, as he certainly did his deluded followers to
some extent, that the appearance of the sun some
weeks ago, prognostcated something favorable
to their cause. We are inclined to think that the
solar phenomenon exercised considerable intlu-
ence in promoting the iusurrcction; calculated
as it was, to impress the Imagination Of the iguo
rant
more important enquiry remains-whether
the conspiracy was circumscrlbed to the neghbor-
hood in which it broke out, or had its ramifcations
through other counties. We, at first. adopted the
first opinion; but there are several circumstances
which favor the latter. We understand that the
confessions of all the prisoners. 20 to show that
the instruction broke out ton soOn as it is sup
posed. in consequence OF the last day of July,
being Sunday, and not as the negroes in South
ampton believed the Saturday before. The report
is that the rising fixed for the fourth Sunday in
August, and that surprising Sunday, the 5lst July,
to be the first Sunday in August, they were betray-
ed into The rot considering the Sd Sunday as
the 1th 'H1Is IL the pnpulnr i'm al