Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1865-12-06
From the New York Times.
/. The Revolt in Jamaica.
KIHGsroN,, JAMAICA, Monday, Nov.

KINGSTON, j JAMAICA MONDAY, NOV. %. !.
The insurrcction which broke out feS
weeks since, in the Parish of St.. Thomas, il
the East has been put down. Most of tn
ripeleaders and chiefs of. the movement
Through whose guilty agency the black pea
SAINTS were melted to rise, have been captur
ed, tried, convicted and summarily executed
| MartialSlaw is still iu force, but all danger il
considered past. The insurgents have beer
put down, with short, sharp and decisive
I blows. and at least fifteen hundred of these
deluded wretchos have suffered the penalty
of outraged law s>'
It may interest your readers to have
| brief account of the circumstances undel
which the insurrection began. The first dis
turbance of the peace occurred on the Tn o
October last, in the Parish of ST. Thomas IL
the East, when prisoner was rescued from
the district Jail by q mob. This was follow.
ed by~a series of violent acts, and the nex'
dav the Governor, at Spanish Town; was
called upon by tho authorities to send troops
for their protection, as the movement was
likely 10 become formidable rebellion
These fears were we'll grounded It was we'll
known that ever since the beginning of last
wear set Of men have been at work sowing
the seeds of disaffection among the peasant
nv, using their prejudices, and their fancied
as we'll as their actual WrongJto excite them
AGAINST the authorities. Associations We're
formed in st. Thomas in the East, under the
direction of o malcontent named Grant, a
saddler by trade, man of considerable tact
and influence as local politician. Among
the principal leaders was the pastor of a ne
gro chapel at Stoney Gut named Paul Boyle,
at whose place of worship the association was
accustomed to hold their treasonable meet:
ings. From every one who became mem
ber Of this secret society; an oath of secrecy
was extorted, and a compliance with the
combination, under pain of immediate death.
It is generally believed that these misguided
people have been swearing in' their own
clsss all round the country for several months
past, and secretly taking the life Of every one
upon whom they had the slightest Suspicion
Of being inconstant.. Men we're sent for 10
attend their meetings at the chapel at Stoney
Gut. and were then and there required TO
take the oath that had been prepared for
them, or told that they would be killed if they
did not do SO at once.
According to the stories of prisoners tals0n
in the, rebellion, it would appear that the
10Th of October had been fixed upon by the
conspirators for general uprising of the
blacks. and the indiscriminate slaughter Of
the white population. The rescue of o pris-
oner, already alluded to, fastened the out
break, precipitated hostilities before the lead,
ers had completed their arrangements for q
simultaneous rising. The circumstances of
this reserve was as fellows: At the Court of
Petty Sessions, held at Morant Bay, October
I, man named George Geohegau was or
dered under arrest by the magistrates for
creating disturbance in the courtroom.
The officers were, however, set upon by Paul
Boele, and about hundred of his followers,
armed with sticks, and Geohegau was soon
.nlsced beyond their reach. The police were,
severely beaten, and were not strong enough
to enforce the orders of the court. A day or
two afterward, Boyle and Geohegan appear
ed in the COURTROOM, and attcmptedto brow
beat the magistrates, who forthwith ordered
their arrest. a force Of Seven policemen
and three constables were sent to make the
capture. On reaching Stony Gut the negro
settlement where Bogels chapel stands, they
exhibited their warrant to Boyle, and told
him he must 90 along with them. Instead
of compiling, Boyle blew she'll, which was
answered from three OR four directions, and
in o few moments the policemen were sur
rounded by mob Of two or three hundred
yelling, frantic negroes, by whom three Of
them were taken prisoners'and put in irons.
The negroes held their prisoners until they
gave sort of. parole, when they werc liberia
ted. No personal injury was inflicted.
During the next three days the excite
rment at Stoney Gut continued to increase.
Large numbers of negroes continued to flock
there. Il mixture Of rum and gun-powder
was handed about among them, and of this
they drank until madness overcame every
feeling of humanity and prudence. On the
lth, a force Of about five hundred rebels,
armed with rifles, cutlasses and clubs, under
command of Paul Boyle, made furious at
tack on the government buildings at Morant
Bay. A detachment of volunteers hastily
gathered to defend the place, were compell-
ed. after firing once or twice, to seek shelter
in the court. house, where they barricaded
themselves against the rebels. Finding them
selves unable to dislodge the military, the
insurgents began to plumber the private
houses. and attacked every citizen who ven
tured to show himself in the streets. -
On their way to the courthouse; they re-
leased some ffty-one prisoners from the Mo-
rant Bay, District prison, took the police
station, and seized the arms that were there,
and armed themselves with stones from the
prison ward, which prisoners had been en-
gagged in breaking there. They steadily ad-
y yya9ced on the volunteers; a man (whom 1
was not near enough to recognize) being in
front, dancing some African war dance, and
aourishing q stick. The Baron, by advice,
then read the Riot Act /; but while that was
poine. on the mob began TO- pepper the vol
1uteers with stones and bottles and brick
hats. It was not until then that the order
was given to fire, as the Baron exercised the
most extraordinary forbearance toward the
tumult.. The volunteers fired; numbers of
the mob were wounded and carried, off by
the rebels, while only three or four dead bod.
les were all that were left upon the ground
when the rebels had retreated. When the
first vollcy had been fred, veal retreated
within the court house, where we barricaded
ourselves for the time, We were here as
sailed by hundreds of stones and brick Ibats
that came showcring from the windo:ss. The
a - -;,I-oJ oR fror, tho rv,pdou,c