Worcester daily spy., 1861-12-02
SeryiIe InsurrectIOns in South Carolina
Fearful Appehensions and Punishments.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer, 3Oth
We are permitted TO copy the following let
ter, written to lady in this city, from rela-
tive in Charleston, South Carolina The state
ments made therein may be relied upon as an
accurate description of affairs in that city at
the present time
"CnARLEsToN, S. C., Nov. %, 1861.
Disguise the truth us we may,
all thinking men here feel their position pc
cuiarlJ unsafe and those who are surround
ed by female relatives have their anxiety in
creased thousand fold. We do not tear tor
the clash OF contending armies, though that
is sufficiently terrible 10 excite much appre.
hension; but even amid the carnage OF war,
the veriest Doors within the armies would re,
spect women though traitors try 10 teach us
that the northern war cry is beauty and
booty : but we do dread lest at midnight the
fearful sounds of servile insurrectioD shall Sa-
lutte our ears. You know the negroes are far
superior in number to the whites and now
that SO many are absent in the army their ma
Jority is greatly increased If they rise we
are in their power. Do you know what that.
means Remember the history Of all servile
insurrectiJns, and recall the horrors enacted
by the race whom oppression has helped to
brutaliZe. OF course the masters would fight
OF male whites defend their helpless wives and
daughters against a tentold force of nIaddened
slaves, whose strength and ferocity are well
known!
No general insurrecton has taken place,
though several revolts have been attempted
hco quite recently and in these cases ochoie tamjiies
,cere murdered before the siques pere Subdued.
Then came retaliation Of The most fearful
character, AT any time where servants assail
or murder while persons, speedy and severe
punishment is administered but now they do
not wait for the action of the law lynch law
prevails. In these reyolls, which occurrtd in
the interior of the state, most OF the servants
who participated were either shot in the con-.
flct or as soon as captured, and Two OF them
were burned TO death.
To say they were burned TO death seems
simple sentence, devoid Of any special horror;
but the scene as described to me by witness
was too dreadful Tor mortal eyes. Imagine
the poor wretches, red with the blood OF their
masters, covering in the hands ut those from
whom they need not look for pity; not even
for time TO repent OF deeds which exclude
them from hope hereafter. They are logged
and defiant toward their captors, until their
doom is pr0nounced-a late OF which ,hey
have a special horror. Dragged to the place
Of execution, within sight OF their own houses,
surrounded by their fellow servants, who are
compelled To witness the sight, they are bound
to strong trees, with great heaps OF pine knots
piled close around their persons. Directly the
torch is applied, and The infammable pine
bursts into a vivid flame. When the blaze
reaches the bodies, and the sensitive flesh peels
and crackles, their cries are too fearful 10 be
heard by human ears. Nor is the torment
soon over. The flames scorch the upper part
OF the bodies, producing exquisite agony, but
slowly burn inlo the vilas, until the wrelched
sufferers 90 10 Judgment with all their crimes
upon their heads.
l undertook 10 say the apprehension Of ser
vile insurreclicn lost its power when, as time
passed. all seemed peaceful, so we easily fell
back into dreams OF security until these events
aroused us to watchfulness. This aeicS is sup
pressed as Jar as possible, and kept entirety from
the papers, for the negroes hear what is pub
lished, if they do not read ii, and such exam.
pies might produce disastrous consequences.