The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-12-07

annie Ia assemble In numbers under the
nretext of holding feasts, or upon burial oc-
casions. were not allowed 10 carry hapitu
ally sclubs. STATES. guns, swords OF ny
other weapon Of defense or onense; cVuiu
moi leave the plantation or grounds OF tneir
owners without written permission defining
the cause OF their absence and the length OF
time they should be gone.
No master could permit the slave OF MS
ncighbor TO remain on his plantation mort
than four hours, except under speciai snu
nec,liar circumstances. In case OF any
breach of these and other snactmenis
slaves were punished by stripes wen
Iayed on but rarely exceeding tniity
lashes. In the trials for attempts ~ In-
snrrection or murder members Of their own
rsca might testiiy at their trials, and their
master, were allowed 10 defend them.
When convicted Of a capital onense the
op,nion of the Court was 10 be unanimous
and the execution. which was TO be WIN
ont the benefit OF clergy, was stayed AT ieas.
,en DAYS. in order that new evidence might
DE produced II possible.
APPREHENSION OF OUTBREAK.
TWAS not until early in the eighteenth
century and when the negroes formed
large part Of the population that there were
.ny serious apprehensi0ns OF outbreaks
against the whites. During Governor DIN
widdie's time the public mind appears 10
have been particularly excited on tnis nc
count. He himself in writing 10 MS irlehu,
Mr. Fox, father Of Charles ). fox, uses tne
following portentous words: we uale ny
venture 10 part with any OF our whlte men
anv distance. as we must have watchiul
eve over our negro slaves, who are upwards
| OF 100. OO0.r a little later on. apprenen-
| sions OF combined negro 0rsaniza-
tons for sinister purposes pc
came more and more frequent, Al
though we find no direct attempts at recov-
erjng their freedom or OF doing injury 10
their masters, excepting In numerous
cases OF poisoning. The latter, However
we're not always directed against the whites'
| This has always been favsrite moue
among the negroes Of wreaking vengeance
unon theis own race. 1t sometimes takes
| he slow form of what is described az trick
ing or the more direct plan of producing
death at once.
| CONTEMPLATING INSURRECIIONs.
| There can be no doubt that as the negroes
increased in numbers, became PETER IN
| formed and began TO estimate their power,
they seriously contemplated at some time
or other shaking off the shackles Of slavery.
| They saw how necessary they were 10 the
welfare of their masters; witnessed the &C
cumulation OF wealth and the luxurious
| lives of those made ricn by their labor.
| Here and there one more intelligent, more
self-reliant than his fellows. would stir up
among them = feeling of discomfort HIS
naturally ardent Imagination would picture
| 10 himself and few credulous ioilsweTs
| visions Of enjOymentco they but get ria OF
| their masters and possess themselves OF tnelr
| nronerty. When these empty hopes were
once entertained they grew by indulgence,
until n time would come when II seemed IN
possible 10 resist the temptings or OPP
| nortunity. The negro is by nature d0clle
and adectionate, but at the same time easl-
ly moved by passion. His dormant emo
| lions once reused. no estraint OF reason OF
morals stands between him and the execu'
uon of his will. Thus it was that ne
sometimes was betrayed into acts OF violence
against the whites, the folly and enormlty
OF which he had never seriously con.
sidered. and which he sincerely regretted
after their failure. The insurrsctloni
PLANNED against the whites were never from
personal hatred or the love Of killing. The
| body-servant of gentleman, who Ia
never thought be could do his master harm
might, under the circumstances described
above, be Induced to join in the plans u
murder him and his family, and afterwards
20 TO the gibbet admitting his folly and re
membering with tenderness the victims o
his passion.
Abundant proof exists to show how stead
ily the vague hope Of getting rid OF then
masters and possessing themselves OF thu
country grew among the blacks. Apprehen
sions on this subject were greater among TN
whites after the revolution OF 1I1S than
ever had been before. During Queen Anne
time, and, as stated above, when Dinwldd
was Governor, there seems 10 nave Deer
considerable apprehension on the snDJect
Instances occurred of outbreaks havin!
been prevented by slaves themselves. ii
1910 negro belonging TO Robert Kuihn, o
Surry, was emancipated and "granted al
the privileges of free citizen" for haVln.
discovered a conspiracy among the slave
of that county.
RUMORs OF CONSPIRACIEs.
For wears after the close Of the Revolu
tionary war the entire state was from time
TO time disturbed by rumOrs OF serVlle III
surrection. There was too much truth II
these reports. The negroes who had wit
messed the events of that struggle had learn
ed much that they would never had known
but for what they had then seen. They
had found out that they had friends in othel
countries: had seen their fellOw-slsyes car
ried on and liberated, and had heard OF thel
improved condition from those who had beer
fOrcibiy returned to their masters. y vague
idea OF future freedom seemed TO peryadi
, the entire slave community. Society was
for the time disorganized, license was rife
among the lower classes, and there was The
| general sense of irresp0nsiblllty so common
in country following closely after pro
tracted military campaigns. At one llmt
there was scarcely quarter OF the STATE
IN which there was not feeling OF in
security in regard to the negro population
They had been seen gathering at suspicious
places Of rendezvous; were heard talking
i'm a threatening wav. and had become In
| sOlent and truculent in their bearing TO
wards the whites. The country was in {
perfectly defenseless state. The arms useC
In the'late war had been gathered up frou
the battle-felds and garrisons 10 be repair
ed and stored in the arsenals, and the PEG
pie were too poor to provide themselves will
weapons Of any sort.
APPEALS FOR RELIEF.
Under these circumstances appeals 10 thu
public authorities from different points o
the country for relief from this unhapp!
state Of things were constantly received al
Il the capital. Indeed, Richmond Itself seemed
quaking with apprehension. At the yer,
time that the venerable William Nelson, Of
York, was writing letter 10 the Governor
enclosing ''plOt law TO the negroes for thu
destruction of the whites" of that town, an(
praying tor aid, Mr.. John Marshall, in the
former city, was obliged to let the Governor
know that, although Mr.. New, the captain
of the guard. had slew men and guns" h,
had not a "pound OF powder or shot in cas-,
of trouble in the town. He at the same tim,
informed His EIcellency that according I,
the latest information about three hundred
negroes had assembled In Powhatan at al
old scnool-hsuse; that the plantation heaC
men were running OF, and that he haC
.'little doubt OF the intended rising" In tina
county. Mr.. J. Randolph, also OF Richmond
upon an investigation Of the condition OF al
fairs in the town, deposed under oath B,
the fact that be had seen a number OF ne
groes assemble near his house; haC
listened to their talk from his uplifteC
window in the night; had heard some o
them telling the others that the black
were TO kill all the white people some tim,
between then and the 10Th Of October next
W hen asked why il could not be done sooner
the reply was that sit would take some tim,
10 yet ready" They then proceeded to par
eel out some Of the houses among them
selves. while the chief speaker gave a.
surance 10 some Of his doubling listener
by reminding them show the blacks ha,
; killed the whites in the French Island an,
took il a little while ago." While thes
things were taking place in Richmond.
demand OF the nature of that from lOrl