The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-04-28

tUelr saves. OuaTp GeXteEou-Iy tooh
advantage of these meetings, and pointed
out to the slaves, that if it were not true
that the British government were willing
to make them free, there would be no ne
cessity for such meetings and such publ,
cations as these. The Consequences was,
that about fifty thousund of these people
at the Christmas holidays, were In in
surrcctiou, and claimed their rights as
British subjects. and as free men, refusing
to go to work on any terms, except on The
payment OF their proper wages as free
worknen.
The insurrectioD was soon put down,
as you may imagine. Sharp really be-
iev.d that the British soldiers would not
act in opposition to the slaves, in claim.
ing their Freedom; be soon found his
mistake, however. A large body Of mil
itary was ordered to that part of the is
land. The com 60 msuder-in- was a
man who felt as a man ought to feel uu-
der such circumstances. and sought to do
everything he could to put an end to the
insurrection by leuient measures, and is
sued procla alton, promising that all
who would return to their duty within a
limited period should be pardoDed that
no notice should be taken of what they
bad done, unless they had been guilty Of
incendiarsm, OF bad com mitted personal
violence upon the opposite party. Par
ties we're seat out with the proclamation
and many of the slave, finding that their
atteupt to recover their freedom in this
way would be vain, came In, and resum-
ed their labors upon the estates.
The in-urrection would soon have been
put down, and very little loss of life
would have ensued, had not the militia of
the island. consisting of the planters, who
had manifested t6c greatest cowardice
when the insurreeton broke out, now re-
covered their bravery, and subjected
those who had taken part in it to every
indi, nifty and outrage | have seen men
and women who came in under the proc
lamstion, and the promise it contained
from the CON ommauder-iu-cbief taken out
of the field, with their hoes in their hands,
tied. and shot dead. used to see the
salows flied with insurgents from morn
ing to night / remem Der, on one occa-
sion, my attention was directed to an ex-
ecution which was about to take place
that of the principal leaders in the insur-
rection. A court-nartial was sitting in
; ontego Bay. aud about twenty or thirty
yards off, a galows had been erected, on
which five or six persons could be execu-
ted at once. Five men were hanging on
it, and five more were beneath it. and it
was rumored that Capt. Dehany, man
who had taken a leading part in the insur
rectioD, was to be executed in the next lot
The executiouer, who was brutal black
man, and one who had escaped the gall
lows OF condition that be should perform
these horrible duties, was leaning against
one of the posts of the gaIlows, eating
bis brea kiast,-a piece of salt fish in one
hand, aud a piece Of plautain in the
other. lie vas told his victims we're
ready. (They only allowed the doomed
ones half au hour after their conviction
to prepare for death Bacchus, : hat
was the name of the executioner,-put
down his food upon a projection of the
gsllows, walked up the ladder, and with
the kuiie With which be had been eating
his breakfast, severed the cords on " hich
tue victims on the gaiiows we're hanging,
aud down they fell, one after another,
upon the heap of deas below
Then be brought out Dehany and his
fellows. | knew him at once, though |
bad never seen biu before, by the de-
mcsDor of the man,-a fine, broad chest
ed, model maD.-a yellow-skipued negro,
as they called him there; but there rest
ed upon bis countenabce an angry frowD'
The mau walked out to meet bis doom
as if be were walking at the head of a
triumphal procession. A gentleman
stepped up to him and said, ehany,
what is troubling you at time like thisl
I"Mr. Manderson,' said be, "they want
me to 60 before God with lie in my
mouth. They want me to say thai
the missionaries put us up to it. They
know it is a lie" "Well never mind
said the gentleman; don't let that
trouble you now" The frown soor
passed of bis face, and they were march
ed up the platform aud tied up; sigma
was given. and the rope was cut. | look
ed, and only four of them hung upon the
gallows, and Dehsny was not among them
The rope had broken, and be had faller
to the ground. They picked him up
half strangled, and in state Of aneon
sciousness for a moment or two. l wen
up, in the midst of the crowd, to witness
bis demeanor. Still, sir, with all these
horrors about bin, the man was undaun
ted. could hear the whisper ofprayel
upon bis lips; there was nothing abou
him of braysdo, but every thing that in
dicated the manly courage of one who i
conscious he is dying in an honorable
cause.
So it was with Samuel Sharp. Ate
the instructions was put down, Sbarl
was taken, and be was the last man pu
to death in consequence of that insurrec
ton. About two thousand we're slain;
many of Yhom, of course, in encounters