Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1855-04-21
Know-Nothineism va. the South

ern States in relation 10 their slave aud ioreign
pspolation 10 such, that every thing calculated
to ssYsesl to them plan for sstse, organization
and concerted, simultaneous and energetic ac-
,ion lshould be a. s,udiousiy avoided by livery
ono, US he values the lives and safety Of the
h~lp, s. aud nnsuspec,ing women and children
Of the South, and as he abhors and depreca,es
rapine, murder, fire and sword. vi hen Nat
Turner conceived the design OF exciting his
fellow servants 10 rebellion, and ,hs massacre Of
the white people. on the memorable nigh, of the
2isi Of August. 1881, in Southampton, " hen IS
men, women and children were murdered in
cold blood q. the deaf hour Of night; while
quietly sleeping without any apprchenslo.. q:
danger. he was totally ignorant Of any we'll con.
csrtst, secret and systematic p!.n Of operation.
Tie was left to devise his own p.Ar,, uuaJsi Nv
the example sf others. lie FIRE. communicated
his purposes. in the language Of his confession,
toitour, lin ~h..nn had hs:grsa,ss, confidence.
::.s"'y, Lark. Nelson and Sam. Many were
inc plans formed and rejected by US; and it
affected my mind 10 such a degree, tina, fell
sick, AMI the time passed with U, orr coming
~ any determination how TO commonwealth
forming new schemes and rejecting them, when
The sign appeared again, which determined mo
not TO wait longer" Nal Turner, with his
four counselmen, after taxing their ingenuity
TO its utmost tension, were not capable Of devils.
Ing ans thing batter than the shallow plan
which he disclosed in his confession, whsn he
said that, con Saturday evening. the goth Of
August, II was agreed bet ween Henry, Hark
and myself, 10 prepare a dinner Tho mex. day
Tor the men We expected, and then concrr.
plan, a. We had no, yet determined on any
fisrk, On tho following morning, brough, pig,
and Henry brandy, aad being joined by Sam,
Nelson, Will and Jack, they prepared IN the
woods dinner, where about three o'clock,
joined them. salu,ed them on coming up
and asked Will how he came there he an.
"ered, his !Its was worth more than Others
and his liberty az dear 10 him. Iasked him II
he thought 10 obtain i, +! lie said he would or
lose bis life. This Mas enough 10 put him in
full confidence. Jack, ! know, was only tool
ia the hands Of Hank. 1t wss quickly agreed
that VIC should commence a, hume, (Mr. J.
Travis ON tina, night. and Until We had arm.
ed and equipped ourselves, and gathered iutIi.
cisnt force, neither age nor sex were 10 be
spared, (which was invariably adhered to. ~
The infatuated negro, after The most intense
study AMI anxiety, was no, capable, unaidei
BY example, to devise any thing like general
and simultaneous uprising OF the whole negro
population, and yet, lie succeeded in biu,aily
numbering 55 IT en-, women and children. Tbs
The onl, secret meeting he was capable Of de-
vsing was the dinaer meeting Oh Sunday
The only guarantee of fidelity and secrecy that
Ma, Turner had. was the confidence " hich no
rsposed in Henry. liark, Nelson and Sam
When Will appeared a, the council on Sunday,
The only evidence which Ma, received Of hi,
sincerity were his dec lara,ions of devotion IN
the desperate cause involving life aud death.
Nat Turner had never heard that great sys.
TEN oil secret organizations may be held in a
community, without ally Que funding put who
| are tho membsrs Ut the or ganiza.ion, lis meet.
ings, ils objects or anything connected with i,
| lie did mol know that there could be formed
grsa, network ei SECRET councils and grand
couMcils, " hich might b. spssa,i ever The entire
South, By which there might be secured one
~ aIO 0Pt icluB OIL Inc same hi
throughout the entire Southern States. He iiJ
not know that there coald bs such thing de.
visec as secret slsns, grips, &c., 50 as 10 enable
oil VII" are into the seciet 10 recognise each
other ard give notice Of meetings, &C.. I'LL
were even III tbs presence OF the unsuspeclinp
master. Tie did not know thai there could bs
such thing devised a. systen. Of oa,bs. 10
be imposed upon every ono admitted into he
SECRET, enjoinins on him never 10 disclose his
connection with such an organization, Or thai
he knows oil tho existence d such an erRaniza.
lion, or that he knows Of any one rho belongs
10 II. Of 10 cut, carve or IN any way discloss
The sisns and passwords OF the order, and that.
in case he did dvugs. thai the hea West vene,. |
anee wouid 10 visited upon him. He did no,
know that general system Of taxation might
be levied 90 thai a. much material add % rosai
bic nigh, be collected. lie did no, know tina, ali
| could bu bound TO obey ons grand council. or
graud head, which 10 very essential in time Of
| war. How 10 secure all ihese impor,an, re-.
suits, in the dangerous crisis Of a rebellion. was
the quesiion which gave him - much anxiety
and Induced him 10 change his plans 90 ire
quenly. Had he lived 10 the present day, he
would have had the advantage Of learning
eon.ummaie and most cunLingly devised sys-
| lem. commensurate with the rxigencies OF The
most rsriIous enterprises Of rebellion, in.u,r,c.
,iou, treason and murder. Were he now living
he eouLi learn this siupendons devise, which
out.Herols Herod, in lis perfect, adsp,sduess 10
The CONTAMINATION OF any secret or wicked pur.
pose, BY refusing to stop hls ears, If he were
in the tavern, shop. store, field, barn, al the
fresde, OH the street, or almost any whore else,
where he would hear the whole machinery dis |
GUESSED and criticized. The press hasree emily scat.
tered the whole of il To the four winds. 90 tina,
all may tread ponder and inwardIy diges,"-
Had hs lived at The pressn, day hs nigh, have
had through the inslrumenla.iiy Of the northsrn
spies, who are travefsing the South. in various
capacities, the professional advise oi Joshua Gid
dinss, Of the Western Reserve, in Ohio, 10 aid
him in his operations.
Does any ono believe lha, there will be no
Nat Turner'S again, in the South! Can any
one be so blind as not TO see the da eerous ten
dsncy, TO say nothing more, Of the example OF
holdiHg MYSTERIOUS and profoundly secret meet.
ings in the slave States? Already, in Penn. |
sylvania, where The new, secIel political organi.
zailon has been all the rage, for the las, twelve
mouths, the negroes al Pn,sburg following the
example Of the whites, have formed themselves
into a secret society, binding ,hemsslves under
the most solemn oaths, Tor The purpose Of alb
Quoting colored servants from their masters in
travelling through the Tree States.
We make the following extract from the Val.
Icy Spi,n:
~