The Morning herald., 1877-08-27
NEGRO RIOTS IN NEW YORK CITY
IN THE OLDEN TIME.

extended above Wall street. About quar-.
ter of the inhabitants were slaves, and q
considerable number more were free ne
groes. These people were kept under strict
surveillance, and severe p,lnishments were
given for slight offenses. But they were
badly Influenced by the crews of vessels
frequenting the port, and always ripe for
mischief. On the 7th of April, 1872, at 1
o'clock in the morning, the house of Peter
Van Tilburgh was fired by negroes, and the
fire was the signal for revolt. The white
men who hurried to put out the fire were
met by mob of negroes, and several whites
were killed. The rest fled and alarmed
the fort, cannon was fred as signal, and
the British troops quickly turned out. The
sight Of bayonets was too much for the ne
groes, and they fled to the woods and
swamps in the region of tie present City
Hall Park and Canal street. Eight or 10
whites were killed, as were many negroes.
The number of the latter can only be in
ferred from the statement of historian,
who incidentally remarks: During the
day 10 more were taken, tried, and executed.
Some that turned States evidence were
transported" For the period and the
whole number of Inhabitants, the riot was
a great one, and the loss of life equal to a
loss of 5, 900 lives to-day.
After the riot just noted the white popula-
ton of the City were in constant dread of
a negro outbreak, but none happened or
was suspected until l74l. In the Winter
of that year Spanish vessel arrived with q
cargo of negroes, who were sold for slaves.
These wild Africans were very turbulent,
and doubtless disaffected the native slaves.
Early in the Spring fires began to break out,
and the negroes were suspected of incen-
diarism. No real testimony could be got,
though the authorities offered pardon and
a reward of f1OO to any one who would
turn States evidence. But among many
arrests the Judges got an ignorant servant,
one Mary Burton, who to save herself
from going to Jail, implicated three or four
negroes in an evidently false story of athreat
to burn the City. The Judges-one of whom
was the notorious Horsmanden-then tor
mented wretched woman of the town, an
Irish girl known as Peggy, the Newfoundland
Beauty, until she satisfied them with long
story duplicating many other negroes.
Twenty days afterward, though there had
been no riot nor any serious fires, the exc
cution of negroes began. Caesar and
Prince, implicated by Mary Burton, were
executed, not for arson, but for theft. The
next thing in order was day of fasting and
prayer, not only in view of impending
calamity, hut because of the declaration of
war by England against Spain.
After praying the executions went on.
One Hughson, the keeper of a low negro
groggery, was hanged in chains and left to
rot. But such punishment was thought too
lenient, and the insane and cowardly Judges
began to sentence negroesto be burned alive.
Cuffee and Quacko, negroes, were brought
out to be burned, but the sight of the stake
Mortified them, and they made apretended
confession in hope to save their lives; but
now the crowd insisted upon seeing the poor
wretches roasted, and the Sheriff lacked the
power or the will to refuse. They, were
burned amid the howlings Of mob whose
hearts were, for the moment, blacker than
the skins of the victims.
The fright and the persecution continued
from March until August. More than $50
negroes and number of whites were i'm
prisoned. For three months the sentences
to punishment of various degrees averaged
one day. There was not lawyer in the
City manly enough to undertake the defense
of the victims, but every limb of the law
hastened to volunteer for their prosecution.
Among the last of the victims was school
master named John Ury, who was accused
Of being or having been a Catholic priest.
This allegation was worked upon by the At
torncy General, who dragged up the Massa-
ere Of st. Bartholomew, and SO dwolt upon
Romanist persecution that the charge Of
conspiracy was forgotten, and Ury was
found guilty because he was presumed to be
u Catholic. He was duly murdered by
Horsmanden and an obsequious court Of
frightened fools and bigots.
At last there came a sudden change.
The miserable and abandoned woman Mary
,;urton, whose manifestly lying testimony