The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-19
THE NEGRO NsURRECTIoN OF 1855.

There few Of readers who will have recol
lection of the excitement that prevailed In the Southern
States in the summer Of 1855, growing out of the defiant
and hostile attitude Of the negro population in
Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and other Southern
States Disclosures Ct plots, having for design
rising upon and numbering the white population were
made and terrible apprehensions caused thereby. Ne
groes free well slave, seized and put to the
torture, and in some instances confessions were wrung
from them duplicating others. In the village Of Muir
freesboro in Tennessee, the white inhabitants assem-
bed and drove out the free negroes the ground that
their depredatons property had become nsuerable
In Union county, Arkansas the citizens seized upon an
abolionist named Hancock suspicion of tampering
with the slaves. After making CONFESSIONS he man
aged to escape but he recapured carried to tho
town of Fl Dorado, and there tried. He not found
guilty however; but az he boosted that he knew all
about the matter and would not tell the citizens took him
out to the woods and shot hi-a rather summary pro
ceeding. truly.
Another person named Martini who supposed TO be
engaged in the same plot was also seized by the
parties brought to Fl Dorado tried, adudgcd guilty. and
was hung The idea that there vas TO be .nera
concentration of negroes the 14h of October, at
given point who to be led by Hancock and others,
that they intended to attack the town. murder all the
white inhabitants possess themselves of whatever pro
Visions ana tney Coulu
then start or for Kansas The execution of Hancock and
Martin prevented the working out of the plot if indeed it
ever existed.
About the time there intense excitement in
the region around Nashville Tenn where there at
tempted instruction Of the blacks. Six Of the ring
leaders seized and executed at Dover for being i'm
pcated in the conspiracy Three Of these preach
ers and it said that all the negro preachers and
tive members Of the church found to be most ell
Gent and jealous in the nsurrecton
The lash was freely applied to extort confessions
newspaper correspondent who present at the
cuton list of the negroes that had been whipped and
told what they all had stated and then he witnessed
the examination Of the rest, taking five hun
bred ashes before they would tell the tale One of the
negroes died from the whipping The substance Of their
confession was that they to "rse the night OF
Christmas murder the manager Of the furnace works
and his family reserving his wife for of the negroes
named shmael Then they to murder several other
white people, and make attack Dover where they
expected to help themselves with arms, ammunition and
everything else they wanted After that they were to
scatter themselves the country Several masters
lung their own slaves and 1t believed that the CON
spracy general one over all the Southern States
In South Carolina muskets and ammunition had been
found in the hands Of slaves and less than thirty five
negroes hung there Escapes Of slaves were very
numerous, and the white population in the most in
tense alarm
The scourgrg and the hanging and the shooting proved
ebcacious preventves and after all turned out that
the white population Of the Southern States were moro
frightened than hurt by the serve instruction of 1856