Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1856-11-29
INSURRECTIONs, sc.

vi ldLO LAClO law C1SN
| tons among the negroes in various parts OF the
| country, and various strangers have been ar
| rested in different sections for tampering with
slaves. This is a deeply interesting subject
the sIave-holding community, and in fact to
| all who live in the South; and while it calls
| for unwearied vigilance on the part of our
planters and their overseers, and the authors
ties Of our towns, that no underground, rail-
road operations are being concocted, or other
matters still more heinous, the duty becomes
equally imperative on the part of our LegisIa-
ture to enact such laws as will protect to the
fullest extent the safety and interests OF its
| citizens; and we think that body always errs
| when it lessons the difficulty for slaves to be
made free, and aims to intiict a severe injury
on the slaye-holding population when it suffers
those slaves made free TO remain in the State !;
in fact we consider it q bad public or political
policy to allow any description of free negroes
to live in any one of the thirty~one States,
even should that be a non~slaveholdjng State.
If their residence in States of this character
should be thought injurious (and the edicts OF
several of them prove that such a belief is en-
tertained) how much more pernicious is their
residence in a slave State, where they can live
better and make their money easier than in n
free State, and in time serve to poison the
minds of the slaves, either by the contrast pre-
scented or their influence in empIanting in the
= . - =. Gsoo1-. ,,t-L - H. Fsoo.
like themselves; hence, causing disquietude,
negligence of duty, and at last mutiny or in
surrection. While such, to our mind, would
be the result of an overgrown free negro pop.
ulation in slave State, it does not contradict
the fact that in almost every community their
are free negroes who are the very patterns OF
industry, sobriety and good conduct generally,
with a correct knowledge of their social posi-
ton. But even among such as these, cases
will often arise which have deleterious bears
ing upon the interests Of shareholders and up.
on the public and society generally.
First let US do away with all outside infu-
ence before we proceed to inquire into the los
cal causes Of insurrectionary movements among
our slaves. Those localcauses, we think, arise
more from the good treatment and indulgence
of masters than the hard work o. ill-usage i'm
posed on them by others. We feel assured
that it would be found on investigation that
at least two thirds Of the masters Of runaway
negroes are extremely kind and lenient 10
their slaves. A strict, punctilious course with
reference to slaves, is the only way to treat
them. The moment you relax the reins by
which you hold them in discipline, or soften
toward them the usual rigidity Of your fea-
lures, the Rubicon is passed, the wand Of sub
lection falls from your grasp, and your slaves
become fractions, disrespectful and lazy.
The instructions re ferred to above occur.
red first in Tennessee, secondly in Texas, and
lastly in the parish Of St. Mary in our own
State. We have not heard the extent Of this
last instruction, but from rumors that have
come to our ears, we would suppose that the
citizens Of that parish had cause for serious
appFehensions. The last franklin Jou' nal
thus speaks about it:
sThe excitement in our parish which gave
rise to a public meeting, and the formation of
Vigilance Committees for the various wards,
has partially subsidized. The committees APP
pointed still keep up their organization, and
are nightly on the alert. 1t were well TO be
watchful, as by supipeness serious consequent
ces may follow. "
This last remark is very true, and it applies
with equal force to the parish of Iberville as
to the parish of st. Mary.
Since the above was in type, we have receive
ed the Anakapas Register, from which we ex-
tract the following:
Great Excitement In ST. MartinsuiUe.-We
learn from a letter now before US, dated st.
Martinsville, the 18Th, inst, that The town of
st. Maatinsville has been thrown in great CON-
motion by the Intelligence that a serviIe insur4
rection had been detected, the object of which
was murder and rapine. The day on which
this nefarious project was to be put in execution
was fixed for Christmas. The ringleaders, fa-
vorite family servants, have been arrested, viz:
a mulatto boy belonging to E. BFoussard, an
other to J. A. Bonnafon, and third to Alci.
blade Deblanc, Esq, besides many others in
other sections Of the parish. Strenuous efforts
are being made to sift the whole plot and to
bring the offenders to Justice,