Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-10-28
0Qortester Daily Spg,
THE MAT MISREPRESENTATION OF 1881


1t is now some twenty eight years since the
people Of the southern tier of counties in Vir-
glnla were thrown into terrible CONSERVATION
and alarm by negro instruction or outbreak
which was inaugurated there under the most
brutal and bloody auspices The negroes
seem to select Sunday night as the best time
for commencing active measures. 1t was on
Sunday evening that the abolitionists ant ne
groes OF Harpers Ferry exposed their plans
by selzlng upon the armory and taking pos
session of the town, as it was also on Sabbath
evening that the negroes of Southampton Co.
commenced their demoniacal work.
Southampton County is on the frontier, be-
tween Virginia and North Carolina, and is dis
tant some eighty miles from Richmond. The
first intelligence that reached the capital of
Virginia, in regard to the outbreak Of 1881,
represented the existence of most frightful
condition of things in Southampton County.
One of the editors of the Norfolk Herald
writing on the 9th of August, thas tells the
story:
NORFOLK, oath August, 1881.
have a horrible and heartrending tale to
relate, and lest even its worst feature should
be distorted by rumor and eXaggeration,
have thought it proper to give you all and the
worst information that has as yet reached us
through the best sources of intelligence which
the nature of the case will admit.
A gentleman arrived here yesterday express
from Suffolk, with Intelligence from the upper
part of Southampton County, stating that a
band of insurgeHt slaves (some of them be.
heved to be runawayS, from the neighbOrng
swamps had turned out ON Sunday night last
and murdered several WHOLE families amount
ing to forty or fifty individuals. Some Of the
families were named, and among them was
that of Mrs Catharine Whitehead, sister of
our worthy townsman, DIR. N. G Whitehead,
who, with her son and five daughters fell a
sacrifice to the savage ferocity of these demons
in human shape
The Instruction was represented as one of a
most alarming character, though it Use believed
to have originated only in design to plumber,
and not with view TO a more important OBJ.
Ject-as Mrs Whitehead, being wealthy lady,
was supposed to have had large sum of mon
ey i'll her house. Unfortunately, large num-
Der of the effective male population was alb
sent at a camp meeting in Gates County, some
miles of-a circumstance which gave tenn
porary security to the brigands in the perpe-
tration of their butcheries and the panic
which they struck at the moment prevented
the assembling Of a force sufficient to check
their career.
AS soon as this Intelligence was received,
our authorities met and decided on making an
immediate application to Col House. com
manding at Fortress Monroe who at six
O'Clock this morning embarked on board the
steamboat Hampton, with three companies and
piece of artillery, for Suffolk. The troops
were reinforced in the Roads by detachments
from the United States ships Warren and
Natchez, the whole amounting to nearly 800
men.
To-day another express arrived from Suf
folk, confirming the disastrous news of the pre-
ceding one, and adding still more to the num-
Der Of the slain. The insurgents are believed
to have from 100 to $50 mounted men, and
about the same number on foot. They are
armed with towling pieces, clubs, &C., and
have had a rencontre with small number of
the militia, who killed six and took eight of
them prisoners They are said to be on their
way to South Quay probably making their
way for the Dismal Swamp, in which they will
be able TO remain for short time in security
For my part, | have no fears OF their doing
further mischief. There is very little disaf.
lection in the slaves generally, and they can
not muster force sufficient to effect any OBJ
ject of Importance. The few who have thus
rushed headlong into the arena will be shot
down like crows or captured and made exam
pies of. The militia are collecting in all the
neighboring counties, and the utmost vigi-
lance prevails. suboin list Of the victims
OF their savage vengeance =