Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1853-06-30
THE NEGRO HUMBUG.


THE NEGRO HUMBUG.
We cannot term the reports Of what occurred
night before last anything else than bare, sheer.
unadulterated humbug, without one single atom
of common sense TO enliven, or give credulitv
to, its unutterable absurdity.
For the benefit Of the public, outside of Lon.
,sidnd, we will, very briefly, recspitulate III.
incidents, as reported, Of night before last, abou
which good deal of talk will be had at ii,
North, but the merest allusion 10 which caused
broad grin to mantle over the countenance,
of every acquaintance we met Yesterday
About IL o'clock on Tuesday evening, free
negro came TO the police office, and made the
awful revelation that the slaves of the city, and
of the neghboring parishes, were about 10 rise
in instruction in few hours. Shortly the
Chief Of Police came in, 10 whom the COMMUNE
cation of said negro was made known. He was
sensibly incredulous; but finally concluded to
accompany The negro TO a house where he al
i,ro- ne rugeader was TO be found.
/ nat negro was arrested, without trouble and
on MN were found big knife, revolver,
ssbre, bag Of bullets, about pound of pow.
der, TWO roXesfot percussion caps, two silver
watches and eighly-s,X dollars in money!
/ Wien g. kyn 70 The police office lie became thor.
ough,y scared, negro like, and commenced
making my amount Of eXtravagant confessions
! AS Wild aud incredible as any story in the
.4rdbidu Nights. He said that a grand plan Of
instruction was drawn out on paper; that
twenty five hundred negroes were engaged in il;
I that the city was to be attacked at three differ.
ent points that he was on his way to Carrolltor
to meet one party of the insurrectionists that
another party was to assemble below the city;
third somewhere between the city and the
lake; that they were TO take the Powder Mar.
azne on the other side of the river; attack The
!, United States Barracks; take all the arsenak;
seize the gun-smith shops; rifle the Mint; plum.
der the banks; raise the devil generally: and that
: the firing of the city IN different quarters, was
to be the signal Of universal saturnalia Of rU
d and massacre.
e From these wild stories, altogether destitute
S Of probability and possibility, q vast amount Of
7 gas will be expended; and we do not think much
popularity will be acquired. In the first place
G the whole affair bears on its face unnistakabls
e marks of absurdity, utter and unmitigated. In
e the second, there are only sixteen or eighteen
r thousand slaves in New orleans out Of popu.
S lation of one hundred and fifty thousand soils.
In the third, II is an insult 10 our people to sup
pose that much less than one seventh of negroes
r could scare, run, conquer and plumber city
: like ours. In the fourth place, where would b
: the United States soldiers when the neerOe,
e were taking the barracks and arsenals, with a
e DO vie knife, saber, a revolver, pound Of
i powder, bag of bullets, two silver watches,
d and two boxes of percussion caps9 Where
would be the citizens when they were firing
y, the city, and plunderng the mint and the bank,i
6 There are not three thousand able bodied negro
slaves in the city-seven-eights Of whom would
die by their masters and mistresses before they
. would see harm befall them-not one in twenty
. has the slightest knowledge of the use Of arms
a and yet these were to plumber = city, aaa
i massacre its citizens, who, in such an emerge.
= cy, could, in two hours, raise twelve thsuSsaA
70 armed men! more prepoSterous idea AsYR
y entered the minds Of grannies, either Of u
masculine or feminine gender.
T There was no danger; there has beeH ne In,
!; ger; there will be no danger nor can ,Asr. 4.
: any danger. The slaves Of New Orleans Hs
too we'll of, too happy and eontented to thnl 4
any other lot.
Ne Now, mark show plain tale" shall put q
10 this humbuggerry down. The negro man, OvSr
r. whose terrific declarations so much fuss hAs
n been made, was undoubtedly a suspicious Clsr'
es acter, deserved arrestng, and a most exemplary
IT, logging. That's all Like all petted and -
dulged negroes, he became spoiled, took Il
drinking gambling, and all other vices, disObsJ'
ID cd his master, pilfered from him and has ben
Ut for some time labOring under mania pStu, ~
as drunken negroes always do, he becane
-. black Boabdil, overnowing with pot vaor, an.
o' as great liar and coward. II is the emphsb'
opinion of those who know the negro well, thai
n his statements at the police Office were the inert
ut ebulitious of drunken delrium.
is What lame and mpOtent conclusion" 9
err what was intended 10 be a terrible afIair.-EN
lof o. Bulletin.
b, Missouri State Mutual Fire and Ma
+. | rina Insurance Hopnnon,, Of O. onis