Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-12-14
SLAVE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE
UNITED STATES.

One of the earliest plots discovered for
an insurrection among the slaves in the
Southern States, was that of 1922, which
was organized at Charleston, S. c., by a
mulatto named Denmark Vesey. He was
a man of shrewdness and tact, possessing
great influence over his agents and
remarkable degree ofenergy. His plan was
to murder the masters, seize the women,
set fire to the city, and then take possession
of the shipping in the harbor and escape to
ST. Domingo. The plot was discussed and
arranged in the religious and other meet
ings of the negroes, and one of the conspi-
rators became conscience striker and dis
closed it. A panic followed; the negroes
were every where arrested aud some thirty
or forty were tried, sentenced to death
and executed.
The next well organized and extensive
slave insurrection was that known as the
Southampton Massacre, which under the
lead of the notorious NAT Turner" spread
through some of the Southern Counties of
Virginia in 1881, and in which between
seventy-fve and hundred white persons
were murdered. Nat. Turner, the ring
leader of that conspiracy, was slave,
about thirty years of age, an ignorant, but
a bold and resolute fanatic who believed he
had been raised up by God to iberate his
companions in slavery. He was, perhaps,
something like John Brown in his natural
character, but inferior of course, in his in
telligcncc, and his command of resources.
His revolt broke out, without q word Of
warning; and frightful stories, may
times magnifed from the frightful truth
came up to Norfolk and Richmond, of the
general rising of the slaves, and their
marching in parties of hundreds. from
plantation to plantation. numbering men,
violating women, Draining infants, burning
houses. Companies of armed men were
hastily gathered and sent to the seat of war.
Rumors of every kind few thick and fast
sometimes the whites were oyerPowered
and hemmed in; sometimes Rew bands Of
negroes were discovered menacing new
points, and sometimes one or another gang
of negroes had been defeated The rebel
lion was soon checked, and it was found
that the insurgents did not number over
one or two hundred. though they had been
successful in achieving a horrid slaug Inter.
All the slaves concerned in the massacre
were shot. er executed after trial, though
Nat Turner, the head and front Of the con-
spiracy managed to elude pursuit for months,
living in holes excavatcd in the earth
He was at last discovered in his den, by
the bark ola dog, and surrendered without
resistance. He made no defence, but con-
fessed his agency in the whole matter and
avowed he received divine commission to
hberate slaves, and told the story of his
preparation for it, through several years,
with coolness and minuteness. He of
course, suffered death. The whole south
was thoroughly excited by this revolt, which,
however was purely local one; and the
insecurity of the white population in a slave
holding region was painfully impressed
upon people everywhere. That few igno-
rant slaves could massacre nearly one hun
dred whites and hold possession of the
country for weeks, was terrible evidence of
the danger which stalked before the hearth
of every planter.
Since that rebellion, no other occurred
to excite alarm or attract general at
tention till 1856. when the people along
the valley of the Cumberland in Ten
nessee. became greatly alarmed about
an anticipated uprising. The Democratic
politicians had asserted fran the stump,
: that should Fremont be elected, Gan army
Of Northern abolitionists would march into
the South and attempt to liberate the
slavos. The story soon got to the negroes
in the somewhat different version that Ere
mont was marching with an army from the
the North, to set them at liberty. OF
course the story created great ferment
and agitation, though there was not, we
believe, any outbreak. Many slaves were
arrested and whipped to extort confessions,
and, rumors of uprisings, being circulated,
preparations were made by the citizens Of
Tennessee and Kentucky, for defence and
attack. As they recovered from the panic,
it was generally conceded that there was no
ground to fear slave insurreetion, and the
subject was soon forgotten.
The recent capture of Harper's Ferry BY
John Brown, is peculiar, because it was
the work of whites-the first time that
professed abolitionists had dared to resort
to arms-and also, because of the wonder
full success which met the first efforts Of a
score of fanatical men, who without sup
port, had made demonstration in the
heart Of slayeholding country. and seized
the arsenal of the United States, under
almost the very caves of the Capitol. This
attempt will go still farther in illustrating
the insecurity of slavery, while its universal
condemnation will convince the finatie>
amoung US that they can expect no sympa-
: thy in their schemes from any portion OF
our people.
| MOUNTAINS ON FIRE-The mountains
to the north of Cumberland. Nd, have
been on fire for several days, presenting in