The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1873-10-30
AN EARLY DAY INSURRECTION,
The Slaughter of Negroes in IDA
Page from History.


with the story of the plot. In HI, one
filth oil the Inhabitants Of the city, who
numbered about ten thousand, were negro
and Indian slaves The punishment to
which these slaves were subjected for the
most trivial offences were severe. Should
three or four of different owners be found
convcrsiog together they were liable to
receive thirty niue Ca favoFite number at
the whipping post) lashes upon the bare
back, and The same penalty if found alone
outside the masters grounds with a club
or other weapon without a written permit
to carry it. The leading merchants of
the city were engaged in the slave trade,
the policy OF the Government being to
encourage their importation Public sales
of slaves was weekly occurrence in the
market place at the oot of Wall street
\ number Of rubberies had occurred
In the city, aud many slaves were pun
ishei therefor. This was followed by
several inceudiary fires Suspicion was
fxei upon lot Of Spanish negroes,
formerly sailors on Spanish ship, which
had been taken as a prize and brought to
! New York, where the sailors were con
demncd and sold at auction as slaves.
! Having been frecmen, they murmured
| loudly at this hard usage, and rashly let
| fall threats which were now recalled as
words of oninous import
The Spanish negroes the Spanish
/ negroes. was the general cry, and the
city was aroused, aud The magistrates had
woman named Eary Burton brought
before them. She deposed. under promise
OF freedom, that Cc-ar Naarck, Prince
Amboyman and Cuff Philips used to meet
frequently at i!uyhsou's ard talk about
burning The city, aud that Uughson aud
his wife promised 10 assist them. That
Ii " hSan Was to be Governor, and Cuff
to he kag. but that she had never seen
any white person 10 their company when
such conversation took place. The in
formation was received with avidity by
the magistrates. Mary Burton became
the heroine of the day The accused
parties denied the charges, but many
negroes were arrested, and they, irighten-
e'i badly, began to accuse each other Of
the crimes. The Grst victims oil the
yalIows were Caesar aud Prince. who were
hanged Gu the llth of May, III, upon
sihbIt. erected Oh au island in the
Fresh Water Pond, where the present
Tombs prison now stands, aud where so
many have since paid the peua!iies Of
their crimes. They denied until the last
all knowledge OF the conspiracy. but
admitted stealing the goods of Hosg,
Hughson and his wife, with Peggy Carey,
we're hanged on gibbet erected on the
East River shore near the corner of the
present Cherry and CatharlDe streets.
Cuff Phillips aud Crack were tried
and sentenced to be burned at the stake
on the Both Of May, aud on the day ap
pointed the tagots were piled in a grassy
valley in the vicinity of the present Five
Pouts, and the wretched victims were
led out 10 execution. The grounds
adjacent were throDged with spectators,
eager TO witness the terrible tragedy
The poor wretcbes, terrified and tembling.
gladly availcd themselves of the last
chance of life, and, on being questioned
by their masters, confessed that the plot
had heen originated by Hughson, and
that Quack's wife had set fire TO the
Governors house and buildings, and that
Mary Burton had spoken the truth and
could name many more conspirators if
she pleased As reward they were lie
prieved until the further pleasure of the
Governor could be known But the
impatient crowd who came for spectacle
would not be so easily baked OF their
prey, and ominous mut'erincs were heard
around the pile, with threats of evil
- i
proceed with his duty. Scared by these
nenaces he dared not take the prisoners
back to the Jail, and the execution went
on. The funeral pile was lighted, and
the wretched negroes perished in the |
flames, knowing with their last breath
they had doomed their fellows to share
the same fate.
On the 9th of June six others shared
the like fate, aud on the llth three OF
the Spanish sailors were also burned at
the stake Five days after two others
were condemned to be burDed and three
to be hanged. and five more OF the
Spaniards convicted On the 18th of
June the Governor issued proclamation
of pardon to all who would confess and
reveal the names of their accompiices
before the lst Of July. Upon this ac
cusatious multiplied. and Mary Burton.
who at first denied all knowledge of any
white man, save Hushson, being i'm
plicated, suddenly reme mbered that John
TRY, a schoolmaster, had also been con
cerned in it, and he was hanged.
From the llth of May to the 29th Of
August, one hundred and fifty four pe
eroes were committed to prison, fourteen
of whom were burnt at the stake, eigh
teen hanged, seventy. one transported,
aud the rest pardoned or released for
want of evidence, while twenty four
whites were committed to prison, four Of
whom were executed 1t was a true
foreshadowing of the Reign of Terror.