The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-04-29
Il III II III u IAN BONES ON THI
CORNER OF FEST AND CARY
STREETS.
Whose They May Have Been.
TIE GABRIEL NEGRO LHSURREC7Y0

A week or two ago some negroes, exca.
waiting the foundation for the new residence
of Capt. John A. Coke. on the corner OF
ID and Cary streets, came across quantity
of human bones. The fact was mentioned
in the papers Of the day, and there has
since been considerable speculation on the
part Of antiquarians and the Coolest inbab-
ltants' as to how the bones came there, and
to whose flesh they belonged. Yesterday 4
reporter Of the Dispatch had an interview
on the subject with Or. John Dove, who,
although as hale and hearty rs most men a
| score Of years younger, is the oldest native
of Richmond now living.
DR.. Dove very plausibly suggests that the
bones found. as we have stated, may be the
remains Of Gabriel, Solomon. and Peter,
rin9leaders in the famous Gabriel negro
insnrrection, who were executed in Sep
TENDER, 1900, whose gallows stood near
what is now the corner of 1st and Canal
ity of the site OF Captain Cokc's new res
| idence. Whether these were the bones OF
Gabriel, Solomon, and Peter, we do not
propose to consider, but the idea suggested
| to DR.. Dove some "reminiscences of the in
surrection in which those fellows figured,
which, together with other information
| that we have been enabled to CLEAN in refer
encc to it, are worth putting in print as
| contribution to history.
The uprising to which reference has
been made took place one night in August,
1900. The preceding day was bright and
beautiful one, and the sun set fair. Just
before dusk, Mr.. Thomas Prosser, who
lived at Brookticld, in Hcnrico, noS far
number of slaves, was waited upon by
his ho1r 1,,mn1 Pharaoh
who informed him that the negroes
in all this part of the State had
agreed to rise against their masters on the
night now only IN hour or two off. Their
plan included arson, rape, murder. and
any other crime necessary to the overthrow
of the white race and the accom- li>hmCnt
Of their own freedom. Their leader was to
be one Gabriel, also a slave Of Mr.. Pros
ser's, who was Il ful-blooded negro of great
stature and bodily strength. Among his
fellow slaves he was known as "General
Gabriel.'
Convinced of the truth of Pharoah's
statement, Mr.. Prosser at once had his
horse ordered, and came Immediately to
Richmond, accompanied by the faithful
slave, to whom it was death to remain.
Arrived at Richmond, they spread the news
on all sides, and also made point of COM
municating all they knew to Governor
Monroe. That official at once ordered odt
the military. The drums were beat, and
soon three companies were under arms
| the cavalry under Captain Austin, the
Blues under Captain Richardson, and the
artillery under Or. Dove thinks Captain
John Watson. These, reinforced by nearly
all the white males in the town able TO bear
arms, started out towards Brookheld TO
| meet the insurgents.
| Meantime The NEGROES ut pr0SSpr and IN
that vicinity, hearing of the flight Of Phs-
! roah and his master, FASTENED the cNccu-
| ton of their plans, and, armed with rude
weapons previously provided. pursued the
| fugitivcs towards Richmond. Had they
gone further they would have met the vo-
lunteers and although they would hardly
| have reached the town, most San9ulnary
conflict must have taken place. But Proyl-
dcnce stood in the path OF the insurgents, for
hardly had darkness fallen upon the Garth
when storm suddenly came up, and the
rain poured down in torrents. when
the enraged negroes arrived at Brook
| Run they found it swollen far beyond It's
| usual banks, and such was the raging OF the
| elements, and such the violence of the tor
! rent, that but one dared attempt to cross
! il. He was drowned in the rash attempt.
! The others stood on the bank all night.
! while on the opposite side were arraycd
! the Richmond volunteers even more eager
| for the charge. Before the sun rose the
! rain ceased, and the stream began 10 fall
, When il was clear day the volunteers passed
over. anticipatinga battle, but according TO
the old saying current in those days that
/ ga negro cannot fight a white mall
| in the dly.time,' the insurgents were
seized with panic. threw away their
scytheS and clubs, and beat preclpi-
! l. ,t,.,,,, Il
| with the fu@itivcS, and the avcnging whites
| following close upon their track, slew them
without mercy wherever found. Some
were dragged from their quarters and some
| were shot in the WoodS-Only fcm that
we're caught were brought us prisoners to
f, town. The ringleaders, and among them
/ Gabriel, the Chief, and Solomon his lieuten-
ant, escaped for the time, but afterwards Il
reward being offered by the Governor Tor
their apprehension, they were arrested,
tried, and brought to justice.
| The scene in Richmond, then town
! of 1900 inhabitants, on that evcnIful
night, is described by DR.. Dove, and
; was by old citizens now deceased as
one never to be forgotten. Nearly ill
the men having left town to meet the
NEGROES, the women and children. in
| great CONSERVATION, gathered together ut
the houses of prominent citizens, and spent
! the long hours of that stormy night in an
AGONY of fear. When the storm was ut its
height one of the public buildings was
struck by lightning and burst into flames.
The bells rang out an alarm OF lire, and this
added to the panic; for it had been stated
that the burning OF the town was part OF
the plan of the insurgents. Fire was to be
applied to several houses, and while the
men were engaged in Subduing the flames,
the negroes had agreed to rise, and ravish
the women and murder the men and chill
! drcn. The ire referred to, however, was
! quickly cXtinguished, and that part OF the
! panic was but of short duration. A num-
! Der of women and children were congre-
! gated ut the house of DIR. Doves father-ln-
law, Major David Holloway, on the cor
| ncr of I'll and Grace streets. where the resi-
dcnce of Mr.. james Thomas, Jr., now
! stands, and the Doctor well remembers the
scene the terrified group presented.
Having been arrested, tired, and con-
yicted, Gabriel, Solomon, and Peter were
hanged early in Sertember, somewhere on
the level in front of the hill upon which
the house of Mr.. John II. knowles is now
erected. The mode of hanging was OF
course different from that now in vogue.
The condemned persons were placed III a
cart with the tail-board out, and driven,
securely bound, under the galows. The
ropes we're then tied about their necks, and
the cart driven from under them. Death
was generally caused by sutlocatioD, not by
the breaking of the neck, as now.
Extending back from the place OF eXecu-
tion towards Main street was piece OF
wooded land, attached to the old Baptist
church in which the senior Father Court,
ney preached. This land was 4 kind OF
pottcrs' field, used principally for the burial
of negroes, but unencoscd.. Here, were
inferred the bodies of Gabriel, Solomon,
and Peter, and others who suffered death