Maumee City express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1838-184?, 1839-11-23
From ths Notebook OF a Colonists.
CAPTAIN JACK,

In the year 1928 was employed as over
seer on sugar plantation, on the coast o.
the river Demerare, in South America. Ear.
ly in that year an insurrect;on broke ouI
among the negroes, and the white servant.
on the estates were assembled at Stabrock
the capital of the colony, embodied into 0
corps of rifemen, and brlgaded in different
parts of the country with the regular troops
1t so happened that l was stationed with
party Of the -th regiment commanded by
Colonel -, close to the property on
which | had for several years resided. Twas
thereby enabled to be of considerable use to
the military authorities on several occa
sions, from my intimate knowledge of the
localities of the neighborhood, and of the
character of the people by whom we were
surrounded.
The communications between the planta.
tions on the coast and the town Of Sta.
brock, is kept up by means of small schoon.
ers, which carry thither weekly the produce
ready for shipping on board the merchant
men IN the river, and return laden with
Goals provisions, and other necessary sup.
plies. These droghers, as they are called,
are manned and commanded by negroes: to
be boat captain is situation oftrust and
emolument, which is always filled by the
best men on each estate. The boat cap
tains contrive to pick up great deal OF
money by carrying letters and passengers,
the profits arising from which is their per-
quisite.
Whenever l had occasion to 60 to town,
l generally gave the preference to schoo-
ner belonging to Plantation Eugenia; she
was the fastest boat on the coast, and her
commander, Captain Jack, was a smart, ac-
tive, vel, behaved fellow, whose popularity,
with white and black, stood him in good
stead: for, whenever it was known that the
Eugenia schooner was to sail, the other
droghers had but small chance for passen-
gers.
On one unlucky evening, soon after the
insurrection broke out, Captain Jack re-
turned from Stabrock with his boat full of
strange negroes, who were cordially well
coined in the negro yard of the Eugenia.
That very night the dwelling house Of Mr..
Forester, the proprietor of the estate, was
attacked, and burnt to the ground, and he
himself only escaped at the time, to die
shortly afterwards of a fever brought on by
the hurdships he had been forced to under
90 in concealing himself from his quick
sighted enemies. For two days he lay
without food or shelter in the cane pieces,
exposed to scorchng SUI and heavy dews
I of a tropical climate, and at night waded
along the sea shore, up to his neck in mud
and water, until he reached the house of a
friend neer town, where he expired in few
days. Col. wished to send notice
Of this outrage to the officer commanding at
Stabrock; and, as Capt. Jacks character
was above suspicion, he selected him to con-
vey the express to town, and sent SER
geant on horseback to direct him to prepare
to weigh Immediately.
The man rode to the Eugenia, and went
on board the schooner, which was lying high
and dry on the sand. There was no body
on board of her; her sails and rigging were
cut to pieces, her rudder burnt, her anchor
and chain gone. Capt. Jack was nowhere
to be found. The sergeant returned to
Mahaica post, and made his report. Col
sent for me.--He told me that he
was aware was well acquainted with Jack;
and that he was informed a sort of friend
ship existed between us-if, indeed, in those
days, friendship could be said to exist be-
tween negro and white man; that
knew his haunts and connections; and that,
if any body could find him, | could. He
said that he was now convinced that Jack
was implicated in the crime committed on
Plantation Eugena, and that he would give
me fifty joes to secure him dead or alive,
before night.
At this period the very existence of the
colony was in most critical position; the
numerical odds against the whites was a
hundred to one; the negroes equalled US in
courage, and surpassed us in animal strength
and endurance; on the other hand we were
better armod, and possessed that confiden Q
in each other, SO essential in the hour Of
danger. We had also, In the colony, the
regiment which Col. command and
small detachment of artillery.
From circumstances which had occurred
during my residence on the east coast, ]
had acquired such a regard for my friend
Jack, that declare would sooner have
been instrumental in arresting any white
man in the colony, with the conviction,
which | had in this case, that his death
would be the inevitable consequence of his
apprehension. Still, this was no time for a
man to swerve from his duty, however pain
ful it might be; horrible atrocities had been
committed by the insurgent negroes, and
signal must be the punishment inflicted on
the perpetrators, whenever they could be
discovered. ], therefore, shouldered my
rifle, and sailed forth, determined to do my
best to apprehend Jack; rot without hope,
however, that his we'll known sagacity and
activity might render my exertions fruitless.
had hardly walked halfa mile when, at
an angle ofthe road, came full on the ve-
ry man ofwhom had been sent in quest.
Lat once sprang forward, and seized him by
the throat. His astonishment at this un-
fnendly greeting from me was SO great,
that he made no resistance whatever. My
uniform showed that was on duty, and his
conscience probably apprzed him Of the
cause Of this hostile proceeding on my part.
Colonel - has sent for you Jack"
sIsaid.-"I trust you will able to account
for the state in which your boat was found
when he wished you to take his dispatches
to town." :
Jack made no reply, but shook his head
mournfully. metioned him to walk on be-
fore me towards the military posi-. He did
SO. Presently he stopped, and turned4pund !;
seeing that unslung and cooked ny rifle,
he said
UMasso Edward. sunpose lack run away.