The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1920-10-02
'TERR0RIZEDBY=
SLAVE PLOT
New York HystericaI 1855 Years AGO
/. Many Suspects Put to Daath.
Thirteen Burned at the Stake.

many suspects Put to Daath.
Thirteen Burned at the Stake.
While the American colonists in
:variably exercised much common
sense in dealing with any subject, q
tragedy occurred in New York city,
which went far to prove that there
>stifI existed in their minds a certain
amount Sef inherited superstition and
frenzy This is known in history as
the negro plot" of 1741, and started
on March IS of that year, when a
fire occurred in the chapel and bar
racks at Fort George, on the Battery,
in New York. '.'.-
It was generally believed to be &C.
cidental, but charges were made that
the places had been set afire by COL
cred persons. The slaves, who consti-
'tated one-fifth of the population of
New York city at the time, had, for
the most part, been caught wild in
Africa. The laws for these savages,
who appeared to have no conception
OF law, were ferocious in the extreme.
Between March 10 and April 6 eight
other fires of mysterious character
startled the entire community, and a
colored man was detected escaping
from near the last fame. Belief in
plot by colored persons to burn the
town seized upon the population gen.
orally.
!, :. Servant Tells Of Plot.
: robbery committed February %
was traced to the house of a person
OF low character, named John Hugh.
son, who was known to harbor colored
people who drank, gambled and made
the place the depository of goods they
had stolen. Hughson had an linden.
tured servant, named Mary Burton.
He and his wife and Mary were ar
rested on account of the robbery,
and later as witnesses. When some
fires occurred in March, Mary gave
the authorities a story which seemed
to clinch as facts the rumors of a
negro" conspiracy.
In fact, Mary averred that the whole
thing had been arranged at the house
OF Hughson. The plot, she said, was
to destroy. all white persons, except
a few who were in league with the
conspirators. Hughson was to be king
and Caesar, a colored man, was to be
governor. She added day by day to
her story, duplicating more people.
Arthur Price, a servant, held on a
larceny charge, also gave testimony
which seemed to corroborate the Bur-
ton woman, as did Peggy Salinburgh,
a courtesan. The tales told by these
reformers increased in luridity, until
the town and the magistrates were
wrought up by them.
Mary Burton had at first said that
Hughson, his wife and Peggy were
the only white persons at the meet
ings of the conspirators, but she added
the name Of John Try, a teacher, who.
being a nonjuring clergyman of the
Church Of England, was suspected of
Romanist tendencies. She declared
mat Mr.. Ury was Jesuit and later
confessed" that Curry, a dancing
master. was also in the plot.
Many Were Put to Death.
SO many arrests were made that
the jail was full and several apart.
ments in the city hall were also used
FOR detention purposes. Mary Burton
received the $500 reward offered for
PROOF OF the plot. Twenty.six white
persons were arrested and of these.
Hughson, his wife, the maid and John
Ory, were executed, the latter solemn
~ declaring his innocence; and of the
LOU colored persons arrested, 10 were
burned at the stake, Is hanged. 2,
transported and the remainder dis
charged.
Mary continued her confessions"
which soon began to take in peonle
OF unquestionable reputation. Al.
though at the time the best peonle in
the community firmly believed in the
existence of plot and the Judges
were doubtless sincere, there ia 1ittle
oouDt mat the whole of the evidence
IN the case was manufactured. and
tnat the poor wretches who were exc.
cutea were, In fact, the victims of
popular hysteria. =. -
Ine common council of the city met
ana onered freedom to every. slave.
WIN @1OO reward, and to every white
person 5000 for the conviction of anv
mcendiary. A day of thanksgiving
1of denverance from the plot was an,
pointed and duly observed on NAV
From this on, all the colored neon,e
were put under surveillance, and thus
every household which kept a slave
mao the terror at his own hearth.
Every lawyer in the city was enlisted
Ior the prosecution, and the colored
people were tried without counsel to
defend them. y ~
100000 Women Voters.
Figures compiled by the census bu.
reau and other government depart
ments indicate that the number of
women In the United States over 81
years Of age is 28,0S5, 900, Of whom
approximately 26,500,O0O are eligible
to vote at the Novnnnhar o1no+3,,s