Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-05-18
THE JAMAICA 1NsuRREcr1oN.

make what We suppose they would call
"capital" out Of the late insurrection at
Jamaica. A short and simple statement
of the facts of the case will suffice to illus
trate the folly of this characteristic effort
to misrepreseus and raise or foster preju-
dice against the negro race.
Jamaica is the most beautiful island of
the Antilles. She has unsurpassed fertil.
lty Of soil; mountains wooded and YER
dure-clad to their submits; two hundred
rivers; enjoying a variety Of climate from
the torrid to the temperate-as you ascend
from her plains to her mountain nights.
She has a population Of $4,000 negroes
and 10000 whites. It is authoritatively
declared that nine-tenths Of her proprie-
tors are absentees; and more than nine
tenths of her great estates are ruinously
mortgaged. Since slavery was abolished
the blacks have not forgotten the example
of their ancient task-masters, and they
have followed in their quondam masters
footsteps in adopting a sloshful life. 1.-THE
spirit Of caste is still restless. The white
man despises the black man, and. if he
can, cheats him and tramples upon him.
The black man, in return. suspects and
fears his old oppressor, and sometimes,
goaded to desperation, turns upon him."
The Government expenses in Jamaica are
a million dollars, or over, annually ; three
dollars for every man, woman and child
upon the island. The negro understands
that the white man, rho controls legislation,
so directs the levy Of assessments as to
relieve the rich and burden the poor. As
an instance of this: "The mule-c cart of the
petty land owner is subjected to eighteen
shillings license, while the great ox.cart
Of the thousand acre plantation goes IN.
taxed" An able-bodied negro, in Ja-
maica, receives from eighteen to thirty
cents per day. And this, where -four is
$50 u barrel, eggs so cents a dozen, butter
40 cents a pound, ham 25 cents per pound,
and all kinds Of fresh meat still higher.
And the laborer is very often cheated Of
his paltry stipend; and has no redress at
law, as the magistrates are planters or
their dependents.
On the east shore Of Jamaica, on a tract
Of country rs miles long and II miles
wide, hemmed in between the sea and the
Blue Mountains, occurred the "insurrec-
ton" "Morant Bay" is the name Of the
place where the outbreak commenced.
This is a place where no missionary to the
blacks has been permitted to live for IS
years. On the It'll of last October a ne
gro was arrested for picking two cocoa
nuts, value threepence, from a plantation
whose title was disputed, and upon which
the negros had squatted. The man was
fined four shillings. and twelve shillings
cost were added to the penalty. There
were murmurs of disapprobation among
friends Of the accused. but no violence
was attempted or threatened. But the
next day six constables, armed with a war
rant, proceeded to Stoney Gut to arrest
the rioters" of the day previous! The
constables were resisted. and-cuffed with
their W irons, and forced to 60 back to
Morant Bay. Some Of the arrests were
made, quietly, a little time afterwards.
On the 18th Of October commenced the
trial of the persons arrested. The Court
House at Morant Bay was guarded by
twenty armed volunteers, and q party Of
local militia. Four or FIVE hundred blacks
surrounded the House, armed with blud-
geons and grasping stones. 1t is con-
fessed that what led to q collision can
never be known. It may be that missiles
were thrown at the guard. At any rate.
the guard fred upon the crowd, and if
teen Of the rioters fell dead or wounded.
The negroes then drove the guard into the
Court House. summoned them to surren-
der, then set fire to the building, and afro
ciously murdered the inmates as they at
tempted to flee. Sixteen were killed and
eighteen wounded; some escaped unharm-
ed, by the aid Of the negroes themselves.
This, we are assured, was the beginning
and the end of the famous instruction, so
far ss it ever was an armed instruction.
From this the most exaggerated reports
obtained credence. But except q Mr..
Hine, who had been guilty of many acts
Of cruelty to the negroes, and who was
murdered on his plantation, not n white
man was killed in cold blood, not a single
white woman or child suffered violence Of
any sort. The conclusion is asserted to
be irresistible: that this was a riot and
not an instruction /; and that it began
and ended, so far as armed force was con-
cerned, on the 18th Of last October, at
Morant Bay.
Upon this followed an indiscriminate
massacre Of negro men, women and chill
dren in the entire eastern portion Of the
Island.
The negro has never astsined the right
to vote in Jamaica; for the qualification is
made so high that it is impossible that he
should vote. Nor has the Jamaica negro
been educated. So there is nothing what
ever in this whole affair which is service
able as a legitimate argument for the Cop.
perhesds; except they candidly come
forth to justify the Fort Pillow and An
jacksonville and Belle Island atrocities
by this latest illustration Of British bru-
tality.
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