The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-09-14

.IhF'A 'eN'7N 4''NN's 'Ne II - y
necessary to better understand
the cause of such outbreaks
against the government and
bonds of society. to give both
sides of the question when it can
be far better explained and better
understood hy the community.
The slavery question had some
time prior to this event assumed
portentious proportions; it be
came leading topic in both
houses of Congress, distracted
State Legislatures, became the
leading theme of discu >Sion by
all parties at the North; ministers
of the gospel Numbered forth its
denunciation from their pulpits;
particularly was this 40 at the
North, aud to such an extent that
the Northern people became i'm
bued with hatred OF their
Southern brethren, seeming to
regard them as not being of the
same order of human beings, but
as brutes for allowing such an
abOminable institution to exist in
their midst.
The Southern people aroused to
a sense of defence for what they
considered their legal rights,
replied to the taunts of the North
with vigor, and a controversy of
such nature was created be
tween the two sections of the
country as to threaten at one
time the tearing in twain of the
Union, and did finally result in
the secession of the Southern
States thirty years later.
Is it to be wondered at there
fore that the prevailing excite
ment of the time had its dis
quoting effect upon the slave
population of the country, and
produced state of Ominous rest.
lesSness among them. In the
Immediate neighbOrhood of the
outbreak, everything upon the
surface of Aociety wore IA calm
and peaceful aspect; no notes of
preparation was heard to warn
the devoted inhabitants of the
deadly nature Of the danger that
menaced them, being plotted by
a gloomy fanatic in the receSses
of his dark, bewildered and over.
wrought mind, plots of massacre
and indiScriminate onslaught OF
the whites.
Plots, too, iearfully executed,
as far as his tiendish band pene-
trated in their march of death.
No cry of mercy penetrated their
tlinty boSoms. No act of remem-
bered kindness made the least i'm
preston upon these ruthless muir
derers. Men, women and chill.
dren, from hoary age to helpless
infancy, shared the same cruel
fate. Never did a band of
ApacheS or Sioux Dc their work
more uusparingly.
Appreciation for their own per
sonal safety appears to have been
the only restraint in the whole
course of their bloody career.
Aud it is not remarkable feature
IN this transaction, that a band
actuated by such bloody notions,
should have resisted so feebly
when met by the whites in arms.
More than twenty of them at
tackled DR.. Blunt's house on
Tuesday morning, little before
daybreak. 1t was only defended
by about half a dozen men and
boys. The negroes fed precip-
ltately at the first fire, and their
future plans of mischief were
completely broken up. Escaping
from here, each individual sought
his own safeey in flight or by re-
turning home, with the hope of
escaping detection, and all were
shot down or captured in the
course of few days, their leader
being the last to be taken.
If Nat Turner's statement can
be relied upon, the instruction
was purely local in its character,
and confined to Southamntor
County, Virgir:e.. IL was not
iac';Gatcd by motives of revenge
or sudden anger, but the result
of long deliberation and settled
purpose of mind. The offspring
OF gloomy fanaticism. acting
upon materials but too we'll pre-
pared for such impressions, it will
long be remembered In the his
tory of our country as the out.
growth of the banefnl influence
of the institution of slavery,
which happily for the benefit of
our commonwealth has been ban
lshed nevermore to return.
This instruction of Turner's
spread such dismay throughout
Virginia as to almost cause that
State to abolish slavery within
its borders. Only three votes
stood between the negative and
affirmative of a Constitutional
Convention that had been called
to consider Slavarv ond othor