Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-11-18
20, but lac wouldn't bu,Ise an inch.

r knew hr wouldn't, SAID the darky
Pleasurable sleam passing through his,
> eyes; dat sort doI't run: dey face de mu-
e sic
z Why don't they run; What do you
!. mean?
Muffin. mns-a.--only dey'd ruther
= stay har.'
= Come, Scip, you've played this game
y long enough. Tell me, now, what that
). look you gave each other when you shook
hands meant
What look, massa Oh | s'ppose
'tWar cause we'd both kserd ob each oder
n siore.'
G Twas more Ihan that, Scp. be frank;
= you know you can trust me-
t Wal, den, massa,' he replied, adding
e @iter q short pause, de ole woman called
< You Y~nkee,-you can guess
: If / should guess. 'twould be that it
) meant mischief
1t don't mean mischief, sar' sand the
d oarky, with tone and air that would
L not have disgraced Cabinet officer it
L mean only RIGHT and JUsTIcE.'
!, 1t means that there is some secret ua-
E deIstsnding between YOU
1 tole you, massa, he replied, relapsing
/ into his usual manner, dat the blacks
: am all Freemasons. gabe Jim de grip,
and he knowed ME. He'd ha known my
5 name eff you hadn't tole him.
2 Why would he have known YOUR
nsme?
Cause gabe de grip dat tole him."
|. Why did he call you Scipios | called
) you Sep
oh de darkies all do dat. Nobody
but the white folks call me ISciD. can't
say no more, massa | sHUD BREAK DE
| OATH EFF ! DID =
+ You have said enough, Scipio, to satisfy
me that there is secret league among
the blacks, and that you are u leader in
1t. Now, l tell you, you'll get yourself
into scrape. I've taken liking to you,
Scip, and | should be very sorry to see you
run yourself into danger
i tank yOu massa, from the bottom ob
my soul TANK you he said, as the tears
moistened hIs eyes. You berry kind,
nassa; ii do me good to talk wild you
But what am my life wuth What am
any SLAVES life wuth? Ef you war me,
you'd do like me-
could not deny IL, and made no reply.
The writer OF This article is aware that
ne is here making an important statement,
and one that Insy be called in question
by those persons who are accustomed to
regard the Southern blacks as only rea-
soning brutes. The great mass of them
are but little above the brutes in their !
habits and instincts, but large body are
fully on par, except in mere bookleaIn- /
ing, with their white masters.
The conversation above recorded is. rer-
batin et h.erat:m, TRUE. 1t took place at |
the time indicated, and was taken down. /
as were other conversations recorded in
these papers. within twenty four hours af-
ter its occurrence. The name and the To-
callty. only, | have, tor very evident req
sons, disguised.
From this conversation together with
previous ones, held with the same negro.
and from after Developments made to
me at various places, and at different
times, extending over period OF siI
weeks, | became acquainted with the fact
and kao,1 it to be fact-that there
exists among the blacks secret and
widespread organization of a Masonic
character, having its grip, password, and
oath. Ii has various grades of leaders, ]
who are competent and earnest men, and I
its ultimate object is FREEDOM. 1t is quite {
as widespread and much more secret than l
the knights of the Golden Circle" the :
kindred league among the whites. I
This latter organization, which was in I
stituted by John c. Calhoun, William L.
Porcher and others, as far back as 1885, Il
has for its sole object the dissolution of {
the Union, and the establishment of L
Southern Empire Empire is the word,
not Contederacy or Republic;-and it was j,
solely by means of its secret but powerful t
that the Southern States were 7
plunged into revolution, |, in defiance of the d
viii OF majority of their voting popula- f
lion.
Nearly every man of influence at the s.
south and many pretended Union man b
It the North) Is q member of this organi- q
:atlon, and sworn, under the penalty OF n
to labor, in season and out o
li season, by fair means and by foul, at IA
III times and on all OCCASIONS for the &C ri
of its object. The Diacks
re bound to together by similar oath. e
nd only bide heir time Il
The knowledge of the real state of po- tt
ltical affairs, which the negroes have ac- Il
uired through this organization, is aston b,
ngly accurate; their leaders possess every sy
ssential of neutrality-suspicious., it may
e military skill and they are fully able bl
o cope with the whites. as
The negro whom l call Scipio, on the c.
ay when Major Anderson evacuated VI
'ort Moultrie, and before he or knew of Is
hat event, which set all South Carolina II
a a blaze, foretold to me the breaking c.
ut of this war in Charleston hsrbor, and c.
5 confidently predicted that it would
esult in the freedom of the slavesl br
The knowledge of this organization | SIT
cquired by gaining the confidence of bI
ome OF the blacks, who knew me TO be re
Northern man, and supposed 1 sympa- Gt
lized with them. Having acquired it in ca
nat manner, | could not communicate it; tn
ut now, when our troops have landed in vi
outh Carolina, and its existence is sure tn
} be speedily developed, no harm can fo
ssult from this announcement nj
The TACT OF its existing Is not positively II
nown (tor the black is more crafty and
ibtle than anything human), but it is IA
lspected by many of the whites the we
lore moderate of whom are disposed to tn
ard off the impending blow by some sys- trC
IN of gradual emancipation,-dec lir
L black children born after a certain &c
ate free,-or by some other action that mi
ill pacify and keep down the slaves ar,
hese persons, however, are but small ba
lnority and possess no political power,
Id the South is rushing blindly on to a col
olltical catastrophe, which, if not avert pa
by the action of our government will rig
axe the horrors of San Domingo and an
e French Revolution grow pale in his bri
ry. val
say the action of our government, for II
th it rests the responsibility What the ~
ack wants is freedom. Give him that,
i'd he will have no incentive to insur- ira
ction. If emancipation is proclaimed po'
the head OF our RECOMMENDATION nle
r aH-confscation for the slaves of reb- sh6
), compensation for the slaves of loyal
tizens, s,-the blacks will rush to the aid the
our troops, the avenging angel will I'M NJ
IS over the homes of the many true =
d loyal men who are still left at the vii
nth, and the thunderbolts of this war my
n fall-wbere thew should faIl-o, The VOL