AN

OF

TRIALS

THE

OF SUNDRY
WII'H JJN .,1TTE.H PT

NEGROES,

TO R.AJSE

IN THE STATE OF SOUTH:.CAROLINA:

PRECEJ)li:

. N'1'\lODUC'1'\0N

D DY A11'

.S\ND NaR.R.l\'1'\VE,
Al'D

IN AN APPENDIX,
A REPORT OF THE TRrALS OF

FOUR

ON

IXDICTMEN'!S

WHITE
FOR

ATTEMPTING

PERSONS,
r o

EXCITE

THE

SJ.AVES

'J' O

IN'Sl.iRRECTlON.

Preparerl and P11blisl1erl

at tlie request of tlte Court.

BYLIONEL 11. KENNEDY & THOl\IAS PARKER,

,liemhcN of tlie C/wrlesw Ba r, om/ the Presi,Eng Jl111git1
ateo of t/1,:;Court:

C/1.llRL~STO~V:
rRJNTED

Bl' J.'.~l&S

It.

SCHE;:S(;K0

182'.' -,

23,

BltOAllSTRf.ET

District

of Smith-Carolina.

BE IT REMEMBERED,
Tbat ou the twenty-sccoml day of
Oetober, Anno Domino 1822, and i,i the fo11y-se ,e11tbyear of
thr. Jndependl'flcr. of tJ,e Unitod StatP o f AmP.rica, J.1010:1 . H
I(~1111EDY and TeoH,U
P A1t10 : 11, Esquires, depo sited in this office th e title of a book, th e ri ght wher eof they d11in1 a, authol's
and propri etors, in the words {ollow ing , To wit :
AN Official Rep ort of the Trial, of Sundry N,grocs, chai !l"edwir.h nn attempt to raise au In sur rection in the state of Soutb-Caroliua:
Pr~ccdcd by ""
Introduction and Narrative ; aud in a.nAppe1uli x , a Report of the Trials of
four \Vhite Persons, on indictments for att.empti ng-1<>excite th e Slaves to Inarrection.
Prcpnred and publishod 111the reqn<>stof thr Court, by LTONEl . H.
K ENNED Y and T110MA S P Al<IICF.l\, Member! of the Churlcston
Bur, n.nd LIH,
pr esi ding Magistrate~ ef the Court.
Jn conformity lo the act of Congrcn of the United States, entitl ed," An Act
fo r the eacouragemcot of Jenrniog, by sec uring the copies oi mnp~, chnrt~,
and books, to the authors and prop dctors of such copic8, during the time '-'
therein mention ed ;u and also , an ;1d en,itkdt c~ An Act, supp lemc nr.ary to
an Act, -entitled,. An Act for the cacouragoment ofl (><&
rnin g, by 1<~c,1r1n,;thr

I,-

copj es of ma.ps, charts, aull book s to the uulhor:!t.nnU.proprit ~tor.s of sud1 co ...
pieij 1 during the time "' ther ein menti oned , ami extcndi11gthe ben~ftL~ tl1ereof
to the arts of designing, eugraYing, and etching hist oricaJ ~nd oth~r 11rln1~."

JAMES JERVEY, Disl>'l el Clerk.

(
(

WE, the subscribers, who, with L1oxn H. KrNNEDY and TuoEsquires, compost>clthe llr-'ltCourt organized for the

MAS PARKER,

trial of Slaves and other Persons of Colour, charged with attempting to raise an Insurrection, do hereby ee1tify, that the following
Introduction, Nanati\e and Rcpol't were prepared for publication
by request, at a meeting of the memhel's of the said Court; that
tlw same were submitted to us ind ividually for our approbation, and
that we unanimously approve of and sanction the publication of the
same. \Ve further certify, that the Report of the Trials contain~
the Evidence glven in each case.

WM. ORA YTON,

:\'ATHL.

HEYWARD,

J. R. PRINGLE,
.f AS. LEGARE,

ROIH;RT J . TURNBULL,
HENRY DEAS.

Tm: account published by the authori1y or the

City Council of Charleston, prcs('11ts the prominent
features of the lute contemplated insul'rectiou, but it.
docs nor profess to lie foll and com11lnc, and is ingenuously characterized, as furnishing " a very brief
ahst1act of the testimony offered fo the cases brought
before thr Court.'' As the public had not an opportunity of lvitnrssing these proceedings, in consequence
oft he pec11
lia1nature of the i nvesriga tions, w h.ich occu piecJthe attention of the Court, anrl as a very general
desire has been expressed to be informed of the detail
of the plot, as for, as it has been developed; the prefiiding Magistrates of the first Court, in whose possesion are all the original documents, at the request
and under the sanction of the whole Court, huve undertaken the present publkation. The whole evi~
dcncc has been given, in each particular case, in the
order of it's trial, and wherever any additional, or
incidf:'ntal testimony has been disclosed against any
criminal subsequently to his con v1ction, sentence or
execution, it has been duly noticed. The evidence is
.in most cases preserved, as it was odginaUy taken,
without even changing the phraseology, whil'b was
generally in the very ,,ords used by the witnesses.
8

lV

Ii
1,

'I

i
'II

Although a different style might have been more

agrecahlc to the ear, it was supposed, that this report
would be considered more authentic and satisfactory,
if this method were adopted.
It will be pcl'ccivcd,
in several instances, that hearsay communkations
have been recorded, and it may be imagined, that
thcv., had sumc influence on the minds of the Court .
S11C'hcommnnications were only admitted under the
belief, thar they might lead to further discovel'ies,
but they had no effect whatever on the decision of the
cases; and. being preserved, it was thought adviscable. to lay before the public, the whole Narrative,
as it was given by the witnesses, and not to suppress
any J}{tl't of it
It frequently happened, in the investigation of this
plot, that information was communicated, which, as
it did not involve the guilt or innocence of any of the
crimiuals, was uot recorded ; liut which in conjunction with various fac1s and anecdotes, uot com milted
to \vriting, and within the knowledge, perhaps, of the
Court alone, would be very interesting to the community. In addition therf'fore, to a me,e report of
the trials, and al the Sil g:ge stioH of many ; an histo1ical account of the iutendcd insurrection, embraring
all such informa1ion, is insel'ted in this publication,
under a separate article.
l On Tuesday, the 18th of .lune, the Intendant of
Charleston, informed the authors, that there we1e
several coloured persons, in confinement, charged
with an attempt '' to excite an insul'rection among the
blacks against the whites," and requested them to take
the necessary steps to organize a Court for the trial of
those criminals.
The Intendant at the same time,

v
suggested the names of five gentlemen, as freehoMrrs,
who, posspssiog in an ('mineut drgrcl', the confidence
of chc community,
an<l b(iug highly approved of,
were immediately summoned, iu the t~>l'mprescribed
by lavv, to assemble the next duy., at 12 oc.lt>ck. The
Freeholders co11\cned at the l'imc and place appoi med,
when the following; oath, containe<l in the act " for
the better ordering and govcrniug ncgrocs and other
slaves.,, was fast adrniniHterrd by the.Justices to each
other, and then to eaC'h FrechDldcr.-"
You do solemnly swear in the prescnee of Almighty Gorl, that
you will truly anrl impartially, try andjudge the prisoners who shaH be brought before you upon their
trials, and honestly aml duly, on your part, put in execution, on these tr .ials, an act, c11titlcrl Rn al'l for the
better ordering and governing of uP-grncs and other
slaves in this state, according to the best of your
skill and knowledge.
So help yon God." After the
Court bad been thus organized, the lutcndanl briefly
related the circumstances which led to the dctecrion
of the plot~ and the preliminary measures adopted ,
,xhit.h are dctaiJcd in the account published by the
authority of the City Council.
He at the same time
presented to the Court a callcndcr, rontaining the
names of all the criminals, then ascr,r1ained, the
charges oa which they had been committed, and the
witnesses against them. Before the Court proceeded
to any trial, they were engaged some time in examining an the lestimo11ythey could obtain, in ordel' to
ascertain how fur a conspiracy had really been formed~ being convinced by these means, of the existence
of a plot, they laid down the rules and principles, o~
which, the tl'ials should be conducuJd, As tile t;ourt - -

vi
bad bPen organizr:rl under a i.tfltnte of a peculiar and
locril character. anri intend ed lcJr the government of
a distinct dass of flf'rsons in the cornm nnity ~ they
were leonnd to conform their proceedin~s to its provisions, which depart in many essential features, from
the principles of the comrnon law, and some of the
settled rules ef evirlence. The Court however, determined to adopt those rul<'s, whenever they were not
repugnant to, nor expressl y excepted by that statute,
nor inconsistent with the Jocal situation and policy
of the state; and lairl f]mvn for their own governme11t
no slave
the following rC'gulations :-First-That
should be cried, excrpt in t.he presence of his owner,
or his counsel, and that notice should be givPn, in
every case, at leat-t one day befol'e thr trial :-Second-That
the testimony of one witness, unsup~
ported by additional cvideuce, or by circumstances,
should lead to no convic1inn of a crt.pitalnature :Third-That
the witnc sses shoul<l be rnnfronted with
the accused, and with each other, in evrry case, except where icstimony wasgiven umlera solemn pledge
that the names of the witnesses should not be divulged,
as they declared in some instances, that they apprehended being murdered by the hlarks, if it was known
that they had volunteered their evidence : Fourth- .
That the prisone1smight be represented by counsel,
whrnever this was ,n :qu:sted by the owners of the
sla\'es. or by the prisoners themselves, if free :-Fifth
That the statements or dcknccs of the accused should
be heard. in every case, and they b~ permitted them ..
selves to examine any witness they th,rngm proper.
The Court, on mature deliberation, determined
0

that the public gellenuly, 01 in other words th.ose

vii
who ha<l no particular int<'rest in the s1avf's accused.
should not be pr<'sent at dwir 1rials; but that the owners or ,ill 1he :-lavestrif'd, an<l thir counsd. as welt
a-. the owner~ of tho~f', who we1e11~d as witnes~cs,
should be admittrd, if they rlcilired it. The Court
also.extende<l the same permfasion to the Intendant
and Wardens of Charleston.
Among other rf'ason~

which jnducerl this course, were the following-Because sevf'ral whne~ses had voluntf'ered theh testimony, und,r a solemn pledge of secrecy, and because the further detection of lhe plot, would be
gr'a!ly impeded, if not rntin'l.v stopped, by the accusrd bei11gapprise<lof the information against themt
and being thus enabled to effect their escape before shey couJd be apprehended.
It was n11'omorally certain, that no coloured wit~
ness would nave ventured LO incm the resentment
of his comrarles, by voluntarily disclosing his testimouy in a public Court. The Court was likewise
anxious to prevent the public mind from bcina: excited by the exaggerated r epresentations of the testimony which might have been circulated by auditors
under the influence of misapprehension of terror.In the prngl'ess of these trirls, the propr iety of these
measures was completely VC'rified,and they were
also sanctioned by precedent, on a former occasion
under similar cil"cumstances, at Camden, 'in this

State.
In the ronspiracy ot the blacks, at Antigua, in
17~, the criminals were tried privately, and not even
their owners admitted; and in the Negm plot, at the
City of New-York, in 1741, the trials were in general conducted in a private mannel'.

Vlll

After thr execution of thP. first six criminals, anti

the conviction and passing i-cntence on fiyc more,
two of the laHcr made di-do sures, which ca11-;ed
the arrest of such considerable nurn bers, that the
Court were induced to 'lay down certain rules of discrimination, iu the guih of the parties, and to adopt
two classes of offences. U mkr die first class w, "rc
included those who atten{!cd the mee1ings al' Denmark Vcsey's, at Bu lkk y's Farm, or at iippointed
meetings in Monday GcU's shop, for the purpose of
obtaining and communicating
intdligpnce
of the
progress of the conspiracy;
all those, who aided antl
abetted in the contribution of money, rrrms or ammu11itio11; all 1lwsr, n:Jm per c,uaded or hers to Join ;
all those, who were employed us couriers, to communicate iutelligenci:.', or co11vey orders; and generally, those, who, from thcil' nets or declarations,
indicated a hearty concurrnwe
in the plot ; and all
those, who, after rhc condemuation of the first six,
endeavoured to keep np tlw spirit of insurrection, to
promote, oi endeavoured to promote or exci1e a party
to rescue 1hc prisoners to be executed.
Those who
were embraced i11this cla.~s wen, upon conviciion,
to be punished with death.
Undcr the second class
were included those, who had merely consented to
join in the plot, without taking any active part.Those, who wi~re induded uuder this class, were
to be transported
beyond tile limits of the U uited
States, not to retmu therein, uuder the penalty of
death.
As the Act of the Le~islamre, under which the
Court were or ganiz er!, may not he g~ne1ally known
abroad, it is deemed ad\liseablc to extract not only

such parts of it, as rt>latc immediatdy

to these trials,
but so much thereof, as rnay cxhibi1 its general out1-ines, With this view the following sections are in-

serted:
9. And wlwrcas natnral justice foruills, that any
person of whal co11<litiunsmver should be condemned
unheard, and the order of civil govrrnmcnt 1equircs,
that for the due arnl ('<Imllad1,iinisfration of jusricc,
some convenient method a11d form of lrial should be
establishrd, Be it therefore enacted, that all crimes
and offinces '"bich shall be committee! uy slaves in
this Province, and for which capital pUIJishmf'nt~
shall or lawfully may be iu:t1ictetl shall be heard,
examined tried, adjudged and finally tlcterminecl
by any two Ju!Stices ns::iig,wd to keep the peace. and
any number of l<'recholderwot less than three or more
than five, in the county \.\'here the offrnce shall he
committed, and cau be most conveniently as~embkd;
either of which Justices, on complaint made, or information received of any such offeuce commiucd
by a slave, shall commit the offender to the safe cus
tody of the Constable of tl1e Pa.rjsh where Stech offence shall be committed, and shall without delay,
by w1urant undcr ,his hand aud seal, call to his assistance, and request any one of tbc nearest Justices
of the Peace, to associate ,vith him; and shall by the
same wa1Tant summon such a number of the neigh
bouring Freeholders as aforesaid, to assemble and meet
together with Lhe said Justice~, at a certain day and
place not exceeding three days after the apprehending of such slave or slav:es i and the Justices and
Frechol<lel's beiug so assembled, shall en.use the slarc
accused or charged, to be brought before them, and

x
shall bf'al' the acru~atinn whiC'h s'rnll be brought
against s11chsla\ 'C, and his or her defonce, an : slrnll
proceed to thf' examination of witnesses and 01her
evidence, and shall finally hear and determine the
matter brou~ht before 1hcm, in the most summary
and cxpcdi1ious manner ; and in case the offenrler
shall be convicted of any cl'ime, for which by law
the offender ought to suffer death, the said J nstif'.CS
shall givejudgmcnt,
and award and cause execution
of their sentence to be done, by i11tlic1iugsuch man~
ne1of death, and at such time as the said Justices,
by and with the consent of the Freeholders, shall
direct, :md which they shall judge will be most cf ..
fectual to deter others from offending in the Uke
manner.
10. If any crime or offence not capital, shall be
committed by any slave, such slave shall be proceeded against and tried for snch offence, in the manner
herein before directed, by any one Justice of the
Peace, and any two Freeholders of the county where
the offence shall be committed, and can be most
conveniently assembled; and the said Justice and
Fl'eeholdms shall be summoned, assembled~ and
called together, and shall proceed upon the trial of
any slave who shall commit any offence, not capital,
in like manner as is herein before directed for trying
of capital cases : And in case any slave shall be convicted befo1e them of any offence not capital, the
said one .Justicc, by and with the consent of the said
Freeholders, shall give judgement, for the inflicting
any corporal punishment, not extending to the taking
away life or member, as he and they, in their discrc.
tiot1shall think fit ; and shall aw~rd aud cause exe-,

xi
cution to- be done accordingly.
Prouided, That if
the said one justice and two freeholders, upon ex~
aminatiou of any s~avc charged or accused beforethem, for an offence not capital, shaU find' the same
to be a greater offence, a:ad may deserve death, they
shall with all convenient speed, summons and request the assistauce of another ju stie, and one .oimore freeholders, not exc eeding thre 2"~ which said
justice and freeholders newly assembled, shall join
"'ith t'he justice and fred1olders first assembled, and
sha11proceed in the trial, and unto fina1judgmentnnd
execution, if the case shall so require, in manner as is
herein-above directed for the trial of capital offences .
11. And be it furtlter enaeted, That two justices
and one freeholder, or one justice and two freeholders of the said two justice s and three freeholders,
shall make a Quorum, and the conviction or ac~
quittal of any slave er slaves by such a Qnorum
of them, shall be final in all capilal cases ; bat on,
the trial of slaves fol offences not capital,, it sha:Jlt
and may ~e sufficient, if before sentence or- judgment shall be given, fm inflicting a corporal pun
ishment not extending to life or member, that one
justice and any one of tfae freeholders shalJ agree,
that the slave accused is guilty of the offence with
4

which he shaU be cha1gcd.

12. So soon as the ju stice or justices and frehoJ~.
de.rs shaU be assemb1ed as aforesaid, in pursuance o(
the direction of this act , the said justices shall administer to each other the follo,ving oath:
I, A. B. do solemnly swear in tlte presence, of Al
mighty God, That I will truly aud impartially try anit

aqjudge the prisone, orprisonfJ!t's

, who sltttll lJebr<n1gkt
c

xii

before me, upon his or their tried, and honestly a,ul.

d,ul!J,on m.ypltr t, pat in execution on tkis trial an act,
entitled, Au act for the !Jetter or<leriug and governing ncgroes and other slaves in this province, accord_
ing to tlte best of my skill and lmowledge; So help
me God .
. And the said justice or justices having taken the
a(orcsaid oarh, shall immediately administer die said
oath to every freeholder who shall be assembled as
aforesaid, and sha ll forndr.h proceed upon the trial of
such slave or slaves as shall be brought before them.
13. And for the preventing the concealment of
crimes and oftences committed by slaves, and for the
more effectual discovery and bringing slaves to condign punishment, Be it f.1utcted, That not only the
evidence of all free Indian s without oath, but the cvideuce of any sla\'e without oath shall be allowed and
admitted, in aH cases whatsoever, for or against
another slave accused of a11ycrime or offence whatsoever, the weight of which evidence being seriously
considered, and compared with all other circumstances attending the ca~e, shall be left to the conscience
of the justices and freeholders.
\
\

J4.. And whereas slaves may be harboured and encouraged to commit otlcnccs, and concealed and received by free uegroe:s; am.I such free ncgrocs may
escape the punisbtnf ':Ot due to their crimes, fo1want

of i;ufl~cieutand legal evidence against them; Be it

enacted, That the evidence of any free Indian or
slave without oath, shall in like manner be allowed
aud admitted in all cases, against any free negrocs,
Indians, (free Indians in amity with this government

ouly excepted) mulatto or mcstizo 1 and all crimes

xiii

ancl offences committed by free negroes, Indians,

( except us before excepted) mulattoes or mestjzos,
shall be proceeded in, heard, tried, adjudged and determined by the justices and freeholders appointed by
this act for the trial of slaves, in like manner, order
and form as is hereby directed and appointed for the
proceedings and trials of crimes and offences committed by s[a\'es, any law, statute, usage or custom to
the contrary notwithstanding.
15. If any slave in this Province shall commit any
ciime or offence whatsoever, which by the laws of
England, or of this Province, now in force, is or has
been made felony without benefit of the clergy, and
for which the offender hy law ought to suffer death;
every such slave, being duly convicted a:ccmding to
the directions of this act, shall suffer death, to be inflicted in such manner as tbe justices, by and with the
advice and consent of the frccho1ders, who shall give
judgment on the convict ion of such slave, shaU direct
and appoint.
17. Any sJan~who shall he guilty of homicide of
any sort, upon any white person, except by misadventure, or in defence nf his master or other person
under ' whose care at1d go\ -ernmcnt such slave shall
be, shall upon conviction thereof as aforesaid, suffet
death.
And every slave who sha ll rnise or atterript
to raise an insurrection in thi s Province, [ or shall en~
dcavour to de)nde or entice any slave to nm mvay
and leave this Province;]* every such slave andsluvcs,
and his and their accomplices, aiders and abettors,
shall upon conviction as aforesaid, suffer death. Pro~
Th at. part of this section altered by A. A. 17th May, 1751,
which is in brackets.

xiv
vide ,l alwa11s,TJiat it s1?a11
and may he lawful to a.nd
for tbej sticrs who shaJI pronounc e sentence against
such slaves, by and with tl1c advice and consent of
the freehol<lers as aforesaid, .if several slaves shall receive sent ence at one time, to mitigate and alter the
sentence of any slave, other than such as shall be
convicted of the homicide of a white person, who
they shall think may dcsC'rve mer<'y, and may inflict
such corpora) punishm ent (other than death) on any
snch slave, us they in tl1~ir discretion shall think fit,
any thing hcrcjn contained to the contrary thereofin
Providedt That one or
any wise notwithstanding.
more of the said slaves who shall he convicted of the
crimes or offences aforesaid, where several are concerned, shall be .executed foi example, to deter others
from offoucling in the like kind.
18. And to the end that owners of slaves may not
be tempted to cona.eal the crimes of th eir slaves, to
tl1e prejudice of the public 1 Be ii, enactt d, That in
case any sl,n c shall be put to death, in prnsuance of
;the sentence of thej astkes a nd freeholders aforesaid,
(except slaves guihy of murder, and slaves taken in
~ctual rcbcJlion) the said jvsticesr or one of them.
with the advice and cons ent of an y two of the freeholders, shall, before they. award and order th.cir sen
tcnce to be executed, appraise and value the said ne
groes so to be put to death, at any .sum not exceeding
200 current money, and sha]l certjfy snch apprajs~
ment to the public treasurer of tl1is Province, who is
hereby au thorised and required to pay the same ; one
moiety thereof at least to the o-wncr of such slaYe, or
to his order, and the other moiety, or such part thereof as suchjustices aud freeholders shall direct, to the

xv
person injured lJy such offence for which such sla'\"'e
shall suffer death.
19. And the said justices, or any offh em,are hereby
authorised, empnwercd and required to summons
and compel aH persons whatsoevr r , to appear and to
give evidence upon the trial of any sla, e; and if any
person shall neglect or ref ,is~to appear, or appearing,
shaH refuse to give evidence ; or if any master or
othe1 person who bas the care and government ofany
slave, shaU prevent or hinder any slave under bis
charge or government , from appearing or giving evidence in any matter depending before the justices
and freeholders aforesa id; the said justices may 1 and
they are hel'eby folly empowered and required to
bind every such person offending as afmesaid, by recogn izance, with one or more sutncicnt sureties, to
appear at the next general sessions, to answer sucll
their offences and contempt; and for default of finding sureties, to commit such offender to prison.
53. This act and alt clauses therein contained
shall be constmcd most largely and ben eficially for'
the promoting and carrying into execution this act,
and for the encouragement and justification of all
persons to be employed in the execution thereof, and
no record, warrant, precept or commitment, to be
made by virtue of this act, 01 the proreediugs there~
upon, shall be 1eversed, avoided or in any ways impeached by reason of any default in form.

.~

OF THE

Conspfracy and Intended .lnsurrect'ion,

AMONGST A PORTION
OF TUE

Ntntotrs tu tlJt St~tt of Sottt1J:::~,n:.olhu1t

\n the veai \82'!..

AT the head of this conspiracy stood Denmark

Vesey, a free uegro; with him the idea undoubtedly
originated. For several years before he disclosed
his intentions to any one, he appears to have been
constantly and assiduons]y engaged in endeavoring
to embitter the minds of the colored populatiou against
the white. He ten der ed himself perfectly familiar
with all those parts of die Scripturcst which he
thought he could perver t to his purpose; and would
readily quote them, to prove that slavery was con-
trary to the laws of God; tbn.t slaves were bound to
attempt their emancipation, however shock ing aml
bloody might be the consequences, nnd thut such
efforts would not only be pleasing to the Almighty,
but were absolutely enjoined, aud their success pre~

,lj

18

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1,
I

1:I
.

'

i I

I.1

dieted in the Scriptures.

His favorite texts wl1cn he
addressed his own color ,vete, '' Zechariah, chapter
14th, verses 1, 2 and 3*, and Joshua, chapter 4th,
verse 21 t ; and in all his conversations he identified
their situation with that of the Israelites. The number of inflamatmy pamphlets on slavery brought into
Charleston from some of our sister states 1 within the
last four years,+, (and once from Siera Leone) and
distributed amongst the colored population of the
city, for which there was a great facility, in conseqcncc of the unrestricted intercourse allowed to persons of color between the different States in the .
" Behold the day of the Lor d cometh, and thy spoil shall be
divided in the mirl1;tof rlire. For I w,11gatlwr all naiio1Js aguiust
Jerusalem to battle; and thr city shall be tukca, and tl1c women
ravished; and half of the tity shall go foi th iuto captivity; and tlte
residue of the people shall not he cut ofTfrom the city. Then shall
the Lord go forth , am! fight aguinst those 1mtions, as when he fought
in the <l.iy of battle.!'

t" And they utterly destroyed all tl1at was in the, city, both ma.n
.;id woman, youug and old, ani.l ox, and sheep, and as~, with the
edge oftl1e sw01J.''

f As far back as thn year 1 R09, !'e,eral hundred pamphlets of aR

insurrectionary character were hrought to Clrnrleston, in the slii11
Minerva, from N ew-Y wk, by her ~t!ward, wl10 wrui a black mnn.
A citizen of Charleston, a paSM>ngcr on board 1 imme<liatcly on her
arrival informed the Tn!en d:111t of the circumstance, who promrtly
repaired, with the City .Mnrshal, to th~ vtssd; but did not arrive
there in time to scb:e them before they were la11ded. The Steward
was, howe\-cr, committed to prisou for tri,i], and a few uf the pamphlets having been procured, he wou!u have been hied for bis lifo
had he not entered iuto au a.rra.ngcmeut with the civil authorities of
lhe city to leave tl1r state, nevtr to return 1herein; and what is a
little remarkal,le, his cmmsel on that o.c casion was oni, of the pre.
sidingmagistraleli of the late court.

Union; and the speeches in Congress of those op ..

posed to the admission of Missouri into the Uuion,
perhaps garbled and misrepresented, fumished him
with ample means for inflaming the minds of the
colored population of this state; and by distorting
certain parts of those speeches, or selecting from
them particular passages, be persunded but too many
that Congress had actually declared them free, and
that they were held in bondage contrary to tl1c laws
of the land. Even whilst walking through the streets
in company with another, he was not idle ; for if
his companion bowed to a white person he would
1ebukc him, and obsctvc that all men were born
equal, and that he was surprised that any one would
degrade himself by such conduct; that he would
never cringe to the whites, nor ought any one who
had the feelings of a man. When answered, We are
slaves, he would sarcastically and indignantly reply,
"You dcsene to remajn slaves;'' and if he were
further asked, What can we do, he would remark,
" Go and buy a spelling book and read the fable of
Hercules and the Waggoner;'' which he would then
repeat, and apply it to thei1 situation. He a]so
sought every opportunity of entering into conversation witb white t>ersonswhen they could be overheard by negroes near by, especially in gtog-shops ;
during which conversation he would artfully introduce some bold remark on slavery; and sometimes.,
when from the character he was conversing with he
found be might be still bolder, he ,vould go SO far,
that had not his declarations ln such situations been
cleal'ly proved, they would scarcely have : been c1e-dited. He continued this course, u.otil .. &ometi.
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20

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after the commencement of the Jast winter; by which

time he had not only obtained incredible influence
amongst persons of color, but many feared him more
than thPir owners, and one of them dedared, . even
more than his God.
At this pe1fod he soundcrl Rolla and Ned-, two
slaves of his ExccUency Thomas Bennett, and finding them ready to acquiesce in bis schemes, he made
the same proposals to Jack, belonging t<?Mr.'l. Purcell, and Peter, belonging to Mr. Poyas, who aJso
con..sentcd with equal promptness. These men were
l1isfirst four associates; three of ,vhom, viz : Rolla,
Ned and Peter, immediately became his most active
agents. Some time after Christmas he was also
joined -by Gullah Jack, Lclongiug to Mr. Pritchard,
and subseqently by Monday, belonging to Mr. Gel1 ;who soon proved lhcmselvcs to be as fit men for his

purpose, aud as active as Holla, Ned and Peter.These constituted his five principal officers, by whose
means, aided by some others ivhom he employed to
go about und travel the cou utry .acijacent to Charleston, and amongst the latter of whom the priucipal
agents were Lot Forrester and F'rank Ferguson, he
engaged great 11umbers to join in the iutcudc<l insur- _
rcctioIJ.. He also at his house held nocturnal meetings, for the purpos<~of interchanging opinions, maturing the plan, collcctiug and gidug information,
&c. ; at which meetings uumhcrs of the insurgents,
both from country and town attended ; and where
collections were made for the purpose of providiu
arms, ammunition, &c. mu.J for defraying such e~pences as might be indispcnsibly ucccssary. He o.lso
attended meetings at other places appointed by him:

at one place in particular on Charleston Neck, about

two miles and a half from the city. Besides his five
principal otlicers already mentioned, he had other
recruiting agents, though on a smaller scale, amongst
whom were William Palmer, Wrn. Garner, Charles
Drayton and Peirault Strohecker.
In order to induce the colored population to join t.hcm, every principle which could operate upon the mind of man was
artfully employed: Religion, Hope, Fear, Deception, were resorted to as occasion required. All
wel'C told, and many bclieveu, that God approved
of their designs; those whose fears would have restrained them, were forced to yir.lrl by threats of
death; those whose prudence and foresight induced
them to pause, were cheered with the assurance that
assistance from St. Domingo and Africa were at
hand; whilst those upon ,vhom none of these principles operated, were excited from despair on heing
_informed, that the whites, perceiving thcv were becoming too numerous, had resolved to create a false
alarm of fire, and as they came out in the dead of
the night to kill them, in order to thin their nnm
bers. And strange as it may appeai, yet vast numbcrs of ,the Africans firmJy believed that Gullah Jack
was a sorcerer ; that he could nejther be killccl nor
taken; and that whilst they retained the charms
which he had distributed they would themselves be
invulnerable.
Add to all this, their belief that Congress had emancipated them, and we may readily
Cledit the declaration of Monday Gell and Perault,
that they never spoke to any person of color on the
subject, or knew of any one who had been spoken I
to by the other leaders, who had withheld his as- /.;i

22
sent. Vesey being 11 free man encountered uone of
those obstac1es which would have been in the way of
a slave~ bis time was at his own disposal, and he
could go wherever he pleased, without interruption;
qualifications and advautages absolutely necessary
for the Chief in u Conspiracy, and which enabled
him to travel so much about the country as he

did.

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A part of the suburbs of Charleston.

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On perusing the testimony, the declaration of one

or two of the witnesses that this plot had been in agitation for four years will strike the observation of e,ery one ; but it must not be supposed the1efrom, that
recruiting or enlisting had bean progressing for that
time ; or that, for that time there existed any direct
proposal from Vesey or any one else for such a measure. Such was not. the case. No active measures
were taken until uear last Christmas.
In speaking
of this att~mpt being in agitariou fol' four years, allusion was had to Vesey's conduct and language durjng
that time; and to the dissatisfaction which appeared
since, to exist amongst the coloured population. This
was about the time that the African congregation, (so
called from its being composed wholly of persons of
colour and almost entirely of IJ]acks.) was formed,
and their Church built in Hampstead;* of which
- Vesey had been a membcrt and df which his principal associates, Gullah Jack, lVIonday, Ned and Peter,
were also members ; and the t,vo last, were class
leaders. It was also about this tiwc, that class me~tings of the coloured people had become so common
as they now are; each class ha,,ing a coloured prea-

cher or leader as they were termed, na01ed by the

Minister of the Churcb to which he belonged; at
which meetings, held usually at night in some r~tired
building, avowedly for religious instruction and worship, no white persun attended. That inflamator.y
and inslll'rectiouary doctrines, without any direct
proposal for such an attempt, were inculcated at
these meetings or some of them, was positively
proved; and further, that they were to be used as
places of rendezvous and rallying points, for communicating to all, the exact night and hour, on which tho
first blow was to be struck. The great imptopriety
of allowing meetings of any kind to be held solely by
slaves, and at such times and places, must fOl'cibly
strike every reflecting mind. The African co:vgrega
tiou above meationed was not only composed altogether of coloured persons, but their .Ministers were
also coloured ; and were stated ro have been regularly ordained Bishops aad Ministers of the Gospel.
The influence which such men and class leaders must
ucccssarily acquire ovcl' the minds of the ignorant
blacks is evident ; and if a d.isposition exists in them
;to obtain for theh own co]our and themselves, the
freedom .and privileges enjoyed by the whites, by enlisting into their cause perverted religion and fanaticism, that desperation is kindled in their bearers, the
consequences of which are but too wen known. Is
it to be wondered at that, under all the fOl'egoing cir-

cumstances, an attempt to create an insurrection

should be contemplated !
Vesey perceiving that so far every thing bad answered his most sanguine expectations, himself in
"poss.ession of vast influence over his own colow, and

24

their minds poisoned and rrnbittcrrcd against the

white population, began about Christmas 1821, to
probe those whom he had selected as leaders; and
found as be expected a ready acquiescence in his
measures by all of them except .Monuay GcH, who
wavered fot some time before hejoincrl.
In the sc~
: lection of his leaders, V cscy shewe<lgrC'at penetration
and sound judgment.
Rolla iva.s plausible, and pos~
sessed uncommon self-possession ; bold and ardent,
he \.Vasnot to be deterred from his purpose by <Ian~
ger. Ned's appearance indicated, that he was a man
of firm nerves, and desperate courage.
Peter was
intrepid an<l resolute, true to his engagements, and
caudons in observing secrecy where it was necessary;
he was not lo be daunted nor impc<led uydifficulties,
and though confident of success, was careful in providing against uny obstacles or casualties which might
arise, and intcm upon discovering every means which
might be in their power if thought of before hand.
GuJlah .Jack was regarded as a Smcerer, and as such
foarcd by the uati\.es of Africa, ,vho belie,e in ,vitchcraft. He was not only considered invulnerable, but
that he could make others so by his cluums; and
that he could and certainly would provide all his fol-
lowers with arms. He \Vas artful, cruel, bloody; his
disposition in short was cJiabollcal. His influence
amongst the Africans was inconccivcable.
l\fonday
was firm, resolute, discreet and intelligent.
With these men as his principal officers, amongst
whom Peter and Monday was certainly the most active, Vesey began to seduce others at the commencement of the present year. Peter am] Monday (and
probably the other leaders) kept lists of those who had

joined their company or band. As Monday did not

join until the business of enlisting had considerably
progressed, and proceeded very prudemly himself,
he had but few on his list, according to his own
confession only forty-two; but Jlctcr who had consented as soon as spoken to, and was bold and active in bis exertions, had six himdred names on his \ .
list; whom he had engaged in Charleston, from that
division of the city in which he resided, which ,vas
South-Bay.
Peter also had in his possession another
list of names, or as the witness afterwaids explained
bimsclf, a memorandum of the whole number engaged, and who amounted as the witness was told to
nine thousand, partly from the country and partly
from the city. It is tr.ue that the witness who made
these asscl'tions did not see the lists himself; but he
heard it from one who \Vas in dailv., communication
with Peter, and who was then endeavouring, an
succeeded in inducing the witness to join ; and as
Peter wrote a good hand and was active throughout
the whole aflair, it is impossible to doubt hut that he
had such lists; but ,vhether the numbers mentioned
were really engaged m not, there is no mode of ascertainirig ; and it is mme than probable that they
were greatly exaggerated, and perhaps designedly so. ,
That Peter was engaged in enlistin g, wa s positively
proved; but so scrupulously and resolutely to the last
did he obs.crvc his pledge of secre cy to his ass9ciatcst

that of the whole number arrested and tried, not ont:of ,

them belonged to Peter's company. Monday acknon :ledged tha.t he had kept a list, but had he not become
state's evidence, hut hcid diecl without disclosinp; as
Peter did, as well might we hayc <loubted that he

.kept a list." In the course of the trials it was also stated, that Vesey bud a variety of papers and books re_lating to this transaction, wlzich lte biirnt when the

discoveryof the intended attempt was rnade. Monday

also burnt his list, and probably so did Peter at the
same time.
As these Jeaders only communicated to each othel'
the numbers, and not the names of those whom they
had engaged, and who constituted their company ;
and as with the exception of Monday, none of them
betrayed their associates; the companies of Vesey,
Petel, Ned, Rolla and Gullah Jack have escaped detection ,and punishment; with the exception of afew
of Gullah Jack's band, who ,vere discovered in consequence of one of his men l,etraying such of his com' panions as he knew, together with his leader.

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In enlisting men the great cautjon observed by the

leaders was remarkable.
Few if any domestic servants were spoken to, as they were distrusted; and
aU who were consulted were told, that death would
~erta,inly await them if they informed; and Peter
whilst he urged one of his agents to speak to others
and solicit them to join, at the same time gave him
this charge, " but take care and don't mention it to
those waiting men who receive presents of old coats,
&c. from their masters, or they ' ll betray us; I will
spea/cto them." The enlistments appear to have been
principally confined to Negroes hired 01 workiug
out, such as Carters, Draymen, Sa,vycrs 1 Porters,
Labourers, Ste, idores, Mechanics, those employed in
- lumber yards, and in short to those who had certain
allottc<l hours at their own disposal, and to the neighbouring country ncgrocs. When the proposal was

'27
marle to any one to join, such argmnent!I or t11real8
were made nse of as would ensure success, and which
the leaders had been cautious to prepare before hand,
Ewd s:1it to the diffe1cnttempers and dispositions they
wou! d have to deal with.
,h Vesey, from whom all orders emanated, and
pl'rhaps to whom only all important information was
ceinveyed, <lied without confessing any thing; any
opinion formed a~ to the numbers actually engaged in
the plot, must be altogether conjectural ; but enough
has been disclosed to satisfy every reasonable mind,
that considerable numbers were concerned. Indeed
the plan of attack, which embraced so many points
to be assailed at the same instant, affords sufficient
evidence of the fact.
The extent of country around Charle ston which
was embraced in this attempt, has not been so precisely ascertained as to be traced on a map with as
much certainty as a div ision liue between t\.vo states;
but enough has been discovc1 ;cd, to induce a belief,
that it extended to the North of Charleston many
miles towards Santee, and unquestionably into St .
John's Parish; to the South to James' and John's
lslan<is; and to the West bcyoud Baron's Bddge
over Ashleymver. That aH who inhabited this extent of country wer e enga ged in the plot, will not be
pretended ; it was not neccssat'y or perhaps advisea.,.
blc; for at the season of the year in \Vhich the at~
tempt was to be made, all the plamer s and their families are compelled to be absent from their plantations. If therefore a small number ou a plantation
or in the neighbourhood ,vere enga~ed in the plot,
and acquainted with the prcci :~e _night and hour of i~

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28

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execution, it would be an easy matter for them in the

cour se of the preceding day, or within a few hours
of their taking their own departure, to induce many
others whose minds were already poisoned to proceed with them. In St. John's Parish fom entire
plantations of ncgtocs were engaged uy Frank Fcrgu.son, as he declared to one of the witoesses; and
his statement l'Cccives great strength, from the lette1
of his owner to one of the authors, in reply to one
from him requesting certain informat ion in writing.i(
Conclt1sionof Thomas Parker's letter of 15th September, 1822 1
addresse<I to.James .F .erguson, esq.

If in this statement I am incorrect, <lo furnish me with a full one

of what 1t wa.s you did, especially a~ Ir, what pttssed be tween the
Governor , am! yourself, in relation to the negroes in St. John's.

ClwAeston, 16tlt September, 1822,

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To TrrontAs

Sir-As

PARK.En,

Esq.

l !]crceive by your leller of yesterday, that your mem

ory is not altogether correct witlt regard to my going 11pto my pla..ntaticm on the h:isin cs:, connccteci with the late attempt at insurrcctio 11, I slrnll rndeavo11r to comply with you!' request , by relating

transaction s as they occurred .

About '21:ithor 271.hJune, M.r. \Vesner, one of the committee of

vigilf'nce, had th() politeness to commllnicute to me, that he had re-

ceiveil information that my scrHmls Frank und A<lam, were concerned in the imurrei.:lion; and a~ki:d me whether I had a fcllo\V
named John, a!l(I un.-;namc<l Pompey in the country!
He then took
me w the \Vork-[lous(" to Pxamioc J<~se lllarkwood [then under
sent enc1~of de-.th,:i from whom the inforlllntion was rtcceivcd: imincdii1tdy upon hiav ing thi room 1 tr,ld .Mr. \Vesuer I was sati.s/icil
ofth ,1 trnth of Jess fl1s Pvillci:c:e. l t.lircrtly trou,;ht Frank ond Ad11m
before the -Court; y ou rccullect that Frank was useuas state's e-vi..

den~e an~ Ada1u discharged.

29
It was principally for the attempt of Jesse, (one of
the conspirators) to go to Mr . Ferguson's plantation
in St. John's, to inform t.he negrnes of the night and
Jesse's evidtnce as regards 1.hecountry negroes, wn,; ; that he was
lo have gone to 1mmmon them down; that ~11 his anival he was to
have asked for John and Pompey, that John wa~ cull~d John 0and that one was a cooper; and that he wa, not to be ~cen by the
drive l'; t!wse directions were givoJn l1i1u by Fl'ank. Upun examin
ing Frank a <lay or two after, he confi rnicd what J csse ha.d ~aid ; and
said that John and Pompey and Sl.'wral othe1s had ;;greed to come
to t:01vnjn case ttu~ insurrec tion b,1gan, or as he cxpres:sed it, " in
case such th ings Wok place."
Thinking it my duty tu inform the proper public autl1oritics of my
knowledge of the in surgents, nnd IJcing anxious that if my negroes
were to be tried, they should hav~ the benefit or such a CJurt as was
then organi1.ed; on Fri day, 28th June, I wrtited on the Governor
and informed him that the in~urrPctirm had extrn ded to my plantation, that two fellows weic parl:ictibrly namerl, :i.n<lthat i.fhe thou ght
proper to have them appl'ehended, I woulrl ,1.ssist pcrsorn1lly any of
ficers he mig-ht clwose to send: he said it would bl' ~ great ity those
poor wretches should suffl'r upon sligh t evidence: I then stated to
him the evidence of Jesse and Fmnk ; lie said there was a Court or~
ganized which with the committees appointed, ap11ea.red to take the
entire management of the l.msi11cs:;. _ He expressed sqme regret at
a misunderst an ding with the. Court, by which he had bePn at first
preventer!, having such communicati(ln with some of 1l1e criminals
as he could have wished. Afiet thi1sshort <'.onvcrsation, I .said ex
plicitly to him, then , Sil', you rlo not inwnd to apprehend tl1ose uegroes. He replied he would not like to take upon himself the res
From the Governor's hot1seI went im mediately to the
ponsibility.
Court Room, and formally ga.ve to the Cour t and Intendan t the S[lffie
information I had given to the Governor, they declined their interference only upon tlie ground that my phmt[ltion was heyond their
j~iction.

J':n~~

Saturday, 29th June, I went into the country and had John

Poml">''""''Y

comcted iu the pre,enc, of the other Degl<l

$0
hour they wr.re to be in Charleston, that he was executed; though tbe declarations made by him independently of this act, shewed that he had heartily em-

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men on the plantation ; but neither from them, nor from thl' otl1crs
could I get any confession th ,tt they \Vere at :tll cof!nizant of the intended plot. 1 gave or<lers to my driver to preM on the m the iuutil
ity of denying what wc111 HofuUy proveda gafost them; und to inform
me of any confeasion they mighL make. I returned to towu the next
day, and fol' tJ1efour succeeding weeks, tu my gre,1t ..1.~tnnishment l
,could getc.n_oac k 1ww!edgme nt through the mef>,Pngcrwho came to
me weekly. ' I then sent up a confirlcntial old ncgro who rct um cd
and told me, th11.t,the ncgroes were rcw:Jy to confess 1tll to me, ,md
bad been so for some time past, but were prc,. enteil [.)y Lite driw!r
who was as much concerned as any of them. The 1wxt <lay (30lh
July,] I went into tl1e touritry and scut the ti.river tu !01111 tu !Je com.
mitted to the Wurk-llou..~e,when; 11,l!isnow in eo11
finement.

The confession of the negroes ,vent to say, tlwt when Frank drove
me from Georgetown to Lliepla.ntation, which was ab ou t 10th June,
be told them Denmark Ve,Py's stories, and said they must come to
town and assist. And although they would no&-,rnknowledge tliat
they had actually consented to conw, yet I am of opinion, that they
were so thoroughly con ..iueed that the negro es WOllld succeed in their
attempt, that they did intend to obey the summons of any nlt"i;senger
that should have roached them.
From the time I first heard that Frank had spoken of the intended
insurrection 1 at my planta tion, an<l from my knowledge of the means
ordinari ly used by negroes in communicating intelligence from OJ1e
plantation to another; I was of opinion that it was well known
through the neighbourhood, and my visit of t"'o ~layson SOi and
Slst July, gave me an opportunity of being confirmed in rny opin
ion-and if it would not l'xcced the limits of n letter, I would willingly detatl the minutire by which I was so confirmed ,.

By the confession of some of my most inteJljgent negroes, it ap.

pears that reports of their ('mancipation had of late years been n,.ucb
in eireulation; but they saili, that until Frank told them, they ha<J
2!0 idea it wa~to be effected in the maDnerproposed by Dennwls,
,

31
bniked in the plot. It was in testimony thnMhe In
surgents " were trying all round thP country, frmn
Georgetown and Santee, ro'l,l,nd about to Conibahee
to get people,'1 an<l subsequent to the detcnni nation
of the trials, it has been distinctly asccrtaincfl, that
Vesey had been in the country as far North as South
Santee; and Southwardly from Charleston ns fas as
the Euhaws; which is between seventy and eighty
miles from the city.
During the period that these enlistments were car
1yingon, Vcsey held frequent meet ings of the conspi1ators at his house ; and as arms ,.vere necessary to
their success , each nigbt, a hat was handed round -,
and collccti.ons made, for the purpose of purchasing
them, and also to defray other necessary expenses.
A negro, who was a blacksmith, and had been accustomed to make edged tools, was employed to make
pike h.cacls and bayonets with sockets, to be fix._1
;;d at
the ends of long poles and used as pikes. Of these
Vesey. In vario\ls conversation s with Fronk he always persisted
in saying he had no know\cdgu of Denmark V esey' s plot until 1st
May, 1822; which assertion I could not reconcile with several conversations of his on freedom, whh:h l had traced lmck to nine months
before that time; but he e; plained it by 8tating that Dilly Palm er
was the first who told him uf the rights of the Llacks, two summeni
ago.
'.rhc ord erly conduct of the negroes in 11nydistridof country within
40 miles of Charl est<in, is no evidenc e tha t they were ignorant of the
ly gan g than my own is not to be
intended atlem1}t. A more ord<>1
found in this st ate- and one of Denmark. Ve~efs directions was, that
they should a.~sun)c the nloSt implicit obc<litmcc.

Very reS;pectfully, I have lhe honor to be, your most obedient

~rvant.

T1:10:...1Ail' A~1m,

Esq.

JAMES }'UllGUSON.

32
pike beads and bayonets, one hundred were said to
have been made at au early day, and by the 16th
June, as many as two or three hundred, and be~
tween tbrce and four hundred daggers. Atone timet
Gullah Jack \Vas seen by several ,vitncsscs with six
of the pike heads, which he safrl, he hadjn st brought
from the blacksmith's; and a buu<lie contai11ing up~
wards of twelve well seclected poles, neally trimmed
and smothcd off, and about nine or ten feet long,
were found concealed on the farm on ChnrJe ston
Neck, whcic sevc1al of their meetings were held;
and which were carried I.here to have the pike heads
and buyonets fixed on them. These were brought
before the Court: how many more may have been

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carried there, and were afterwan .ls removed, des

troyed, or effectually concealed; OJ' how many more
would have been carried there had the plot not been
discovered, jg a)rogr.ther a matter of conjecture; hut
certain it is, that twelve or twenty poles were more
than were requisiw for only six pike heads, and as those
six pike heads ba\.'Cnot been found, there is no reason
for disbeficving rhc testimony of there having been
many more made. To presun1c that the Jnsnrgents
had no arms because none were seized, would be
drawing au inferei1J~ein direct opposition to the whole
of the evidence. Besides the arms above-mentioned, it
wa s proved that Peter had a sword; that Clm's. Drayton had u gun & sword; lhat John Horry had a sword;
that Pharo Thompson harl a sythe converted into
s,vord; that Adam Yates had a knife, such as al'e used
by Rillemen as dirks, but ,vhirh from its length was
more propc~dy u ~word; that Monday had a sword ;

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!l

that Bacchus Hammett gave Pcirault a .swol'd and

33
carried another and a pistol to V csey, together with a
keg of powder, that was afterwards made up into
fixed ammunition, and which he had stolen from his
owner; and that some of the arms of the Revenue
Cutter had been stolen, yet none of these arms were
found. A dagger rudely mad e, \Vas found in Rolla's
truuk; a quantity of slow match which was supposed to
have been stolen out of the Arsenal by Lot was found
concealed on one of the wharves, with which the City
was to have been fired; and a very considerable number of mmiket balls were accidemly discovered. concealed under water in one of the docks. But the means
which the insurgents had in their power of mmiug
themscJves \Vere ample. On King-street road, beyond the limits of the city considerably, though
within the lines, in a common wooden store, unguarded, were deposited the arms of the Neck Company
of i'vlilitia, amounting to between two und tluce hundred muskets and bayonets, aod a few swords ; the
door of which store was to have been opened by
Bacchus Hammett immediately as the lnsurgrnts
appeared before it, which a party were to have done
at the appointed hour. Mr Duri~rcron's store on
King street road, also beyond the li-mits of the City,
and but a short distance below the lm1t mentioned
store, were deposite<l for sale about five hundred
muskets and ba:yoncts; to ,vhich store a body of tbe
same party were to have gone at the appointed hour
an<l secured those arms. To assist in effecting their
severnl purposes, Vesey had m adc a collection pmposely to purchase dark lanthoms. Mr.Schirei's
store in Queen -street, and the other stol'es with arms,
were noted by the chiefs as magazines of arms to

,t

1,

,,

34
which they could rcsmt; especially the stores of those
Gun -Smiths, with ,.vliom thr. arms of some of the
militia companies are depo.sited for the purpose cf
being kept in order.
B11tin a<l<litionto these merms,
the Arsenal in .Meeting-street oppo~i t~ St. Michael's
Church, in which tlic greatest proportion of the
arms of the State nre dcpositctI, . was to have been
forced and the arms sciz~:d. Let it be rcrncrnl.Jcrcd
-that this Al':-:cnalis on the public street, without even
a brick \Vall in front of it, with doors not stl'ongcr
than those of many dwelling houses, and the difficul-

ty of forcing it ,vjJl not Hppc<l.rvery great. The

slaves who iverc enlisted in Charleston were to en~

:t

deavour to purloin their mvncr's nrtiis, am) there appeared to bu a coufidencc in the leaders, that a sufficient number .in (;hal'l f:c:ton would from different
sources be prnvidc<l witil al'ms to cuublc them in tht.first moments of sLtrprise, and Lefore the whitei,;
.could possibly asscmblci cut11plc tf'ly w sunecc.J iu
their first attacks on the Guard House, and the unguarded Arsenals aud St.ores cun1ai11i11garms; 'aftet'
which they would Le at no loss for anus.
The negrocs from the country were also to bring with them
their hoes, hatchets, nxes and :-;pades, which might
either be used as otTcnsh-c weapons, or as instruments
to hrcak OJ>Cn(loors. Had the plot not been discovc1cd, aud the ]nsunecdon commenced at the appointed time, they would not have been found un-

armed.
Vcscy had originaHy fixc<l upon the niglH of thcsecond l\Ionclay in July fo1the attack, as about that
time the number of the whife inhal.Jitants in the dty
would be much diminfahcd ; those who arc either

going to the North, or to SuUivan's-Island, or into

the upper parts of the State to spend th.e summer,
generally before that time dcpm't; a circmnstauce
whkh had not escaped the obse1vation of Vesey.Howcvel', in consequen:cc of the discoveries made
on the 30th May, and the apprehem;ion of Peter and
Mingo Harth the day after, (but who afrer being examined were discharged) Vesey thought it prudent
to tix upon an earlier day for the attack, and changed
it some time after to the uight of Sunday the 16th of
June, which change, though he was able to communicate to his associates in the city, it would appear
from his sending messengers into the country for that
purpose, as late as the very day preceding the night
on which the attempt was to be made, that he had
not had sufficient time, or found some difficulty in
communicating to his followers in the country; which
accounts for their not generally appearing in the city
on the night of the 16th of June. Twenty or thirty
men however in a canoe did reach the city, and immediately had their arrival reported to Vcsey ~ and
with this view may many ofthosewho came into the
city on Saturday night and during Sunday have visited Chadeston, on which day, great numbers, (certainly above a thousana as wiH presently be shewn)
invariably repair to the city; but the preparations
made by the whites, and the number of troops on
duty that night, convinced him and l1is foHowers that
their plot was discovered and the whites Qn chek
guard ; and as their hope of success was founded on
effecting a supprise, Vesey sent them word to depart
from the city as soon as possible and wait for furthe1
Ji'

36

' I

,,I

orders ; " and the conspirators finding the whole

town encompassed at 10 o'clock by the most vigilant
patrols, did not dare to shew themselves, wha tever
might ha ,,e been their plans. In the progress of the
iincstigation, it was distinctly in proof, that but for
tl10se miHtary dP-monstrations, the effort would un
questionably have been made; and that a meeting
took place on Sundayafternoon,thc
16th at 4o'clock,
of several of the ringleaders at Denmark Vesey's, for
the purpose of making their preliminary arrangcments.n
l ' hc plan of attack as originally formed was still
adhered to, with the exception of the change of time
before mentioned. It was to commence precisely at
12 o'clock on the njght of Sunday the 16th of J nne;:
at ,vhich hour every one was to move, and the attack
at every point to be made at the sume moment.Peter was to lead a party which \\'as to assemble on
South *Bay, and to be joined by a force from James'
Island ; he was then to march up and seize the Arsenal and Guard House opposite St. .Michael's Church
and secure the arms. From this force, a party was to
be detatchcd, whose duty it would be to prevent the
Citizens from assembling at their alarm posts, by
cutting them off as they arrived. A second body consisting partly of negrocs from the country and from
the Neck, was to assemble on 1he Neck, under the'
command of Ned, and to seize the Arsenal there. A
third to assemble at Bennett''- Mills, to be headed by
RoUa, and, after murdering the Govcrno1 aud Inten
dant, to mar ch through the City, or take his station at
Cannon's Bridge, and dms prevent the inhabitants of
Cannonsborough from entering the City. A fourth,

37
partly from the country t and partly from that portio11
of the city, was to rendezvous on Gadsden's wharf,
march and attack the upper Guard~ House. A fifth, of
country and Neck negroe.; 1 for ,vhom in particular the
pikes which were made had been provided, was to as~
semble at Bulkley's farm, about two miles and a half
from the City, and seize the powder magazine, three
miles and a half from town , and then march into the
City ; and a sixth to assemble at Vesry ' s, and under
his command, to march dmvn to the Guard House.
Vv'hilst these attacks were going on, a number of them
on hmseback were to ride through the streets, and
kill C'\'ery person they might meet, and prevent them
rrom assembling, or exteudiug the alarm.
Battean
was to join andmarch down with Vesey; and Gullali
Jack with another body, which was to assemble in
Boundarystreet at the head of King-street, was to
take possession of the atms of the Neck Company,
,vhich were deposited in a store as before-mentioned,
and also those in Mr. Duquercron's store. Arms
being thus from these different source s provided, the
City was to have been fired> and an indiscriminate
slaughter of the whites to commence, and also of
those of their own colour who had notjoined them,
or did not immediat ely dQ so. It was determined
that no one should he neuter; " he that is not with
me is against me."* was their creed, The lead ers\
appeared to have no doubt but that those slaves who
to would join them,
had not been particularly spoke11
as soon as the Insurrection had fail'ly commenced,
and the most partial success had been attained. " Let
41

Pth Chapter of St. Luke, 23d verse.

IJ

11

38

us assemble a sufficient number to commence th6

work witb spirit and we'll not want men, they'll fall
in behind us fast enough.".
Amongst tho se unacqnai11ted with the employmentst
habits and customs of the inhabitants of Charleston
and the country and Islands immediately surl'ounding
it, a doubt might arise, how the Insurgents were to provMe themselves with horses in the City~ and how the
negrues from the Islands anrl the opposite sides of
Ashley and Cooper rivers would find a C"onveyance t.o
town. In neither of these respect s however, ,vas these
the least dilliculty. There were four sources from
which they intended to obtain horses~ the three first
not only feasible but certain, the last more dillicult, but
by no means i11surmountablc. }.'irst, numbers of the
draymen and carter s of rhe city, who are all persons
of colour, and many of whom have their horses
both day and night under tlwir contrnul, (those
who arc fr~ keeping them in thcil' own yards,
and many of the slaves keeping their horses out
of their owner's) were to act as horsemen ; so
were, secondly, some of the butcher's boy's, who
could ,vith ease provi(lc themselves wilh horses ;
thirdly, the slaves at some of the public livery stables
were engaged in the plot, and were a short time before the appointed hour to have the horses sad~
dlerl, and at the hour to open the stable doors,
and thus provide their comrades with horses ; and
fourthly, some of those whose owners were attached
to either of the corps of cavalry in the city, were to
endeavor to seize and bring of with them their owners horses. As to the means which those on the
ls1ands &c. would have to reach Charleston, they

were abunclont. The immense number of canoes

of various sizes 1 (many of whicb could transport upwards of one hundred men) employed in bringing to
the Charleston market, vegetables, stock of every
kind and the staple of the counny, would have afforded conveyance for thousands. As a matter of in
formation and precaution, the Intendant of Charles
ton during the aials, and investigations of the plot,
when negl'Ocs were rather fcru-ful of coming into
town, directed the numbers of those who came over
in such boats on Sundays from the Islands to be
counted, when even at that time, upwards of five
hundred entered the city on one Sunday. ]<'rom this
statement some estimate may be formed of the number of negroes who ordinarily come into Charleston
on Sunday from different parts of the country; of
the facility of transportation afforded by these canoes to those on the islands and rivers, and the foresight of Vcseyin fixing cm Sunday night for the attack, .
on that day the: slaves might leave their
owner's plantations and come into town ,vithout being particularly noticed, which would on any other
day be just the reverse.
Tb.e att_ention of the leaders to the most minute
particulars is 'worthy of observation.
ln order to

as

insure the assemblage of the Insurgents at the exact

moment, the negrocs \\'ho Jived neat the pla-ces of
meeting, were requested for that night to conceal in
their o,,,ner's premises one or more of their coml'ades;
at least Gullah Jack was pursuing this plan, and as
it was proved that the order emanated from Vesey,
the same Ol'ders were no doubt extended to the oth-

ers. A white man in this city who was a barbe1 and

4.,()

hair cfrcsscr, was employed to make a number of

wigs an<l false whiskers of the bah of white persons
for some of the Insurgents, with the assistance of
which, a]l(t by painting their faces, they hoped in
the darkm~ss of the night and in the confusion to
be mistaken for ,vhite men. Such a plan as this
would no doubt have assisted Peter in his bold determination to advance siugJy some distance ahead
of his party, anrl surprise and put to death the sentinel before the Guard House. These ,vigs and whiskers were the only things by means of which Vesey
was thrown off his guard <luring his imprisonment.
The hair dresser who had been employed was carried
by the Intendant into V cscy's cell, and Vesey was
asked if he knew that man. lVith the greatest cf..
frontery and composure he denied having ever seen
him; at which momeut, the Intendant took out of
his pocket the very w1g made for Vcsey himseJf,
which had such an effect upon hi1~1,that he c;xclaimcd "good G ocP'-rcmaincd silent a moment 01 two,
and then acknowledged ihat the wig was made for
him and that he knew 1he man.
The pt"incipal features in the plan of attack above
given were 1noved by most of the witnesses ; but
some of them omitted parts, and some stated other
particulars, which it would perhaps be tedious and
unnecessary to mention. In addition to the foregoing circumstances, it was proved and subsequently
acknowledgctl hy l\Ionda.y, that Vesey had written
two letters to St. Domingo on the subject of this plot;*
nlonday 11evcr acknuwh:J ~(:d lo the Cr;11rl 1hat he had 1vrittcn
lwo letter~ to St. Domin go, but s,lid that Ves('y had , ,ind that he in

1:otnpany wi1ltI'krnuii liar.!c:.rri'd the111on board a vessel there

I
I

41
but of the character, extent and importance of the,
correspondence, no satisfactory information has been
obtained, and perhaps by no other person but Vesey
could this have been given.
What were the views .ind plans of the Jnsurgents
after they bad taken Charleston, had they succeeded
in doing so, does not satisfuctOrily appear; aud it is
probable they had formed none, but intended to re
gulatc themselves according to circum stances; but
they appeared confident, that they would have been
jojned by such numbers from the country, as to have
been able, at that particular season of the year, and
with the fortifications on 'the N eek and around the
Harbour, to have retained possession of the city, as
long as they might deem it expedient. One or two
of the Insurgents said, that Vcscy, after robbing the
Banks of specie, and plundering the city of all that
was most valuable, intended to sail for St. Domingo
with bis ptincipal adherents ; but the informants
thcmsch ,cs spoke of it more as a suggestion, than a
fixed plan.
The character and condition of most of the Ins~1r-
gents were such, as rendered them ol~ects the least
liable to suspicion. It is a melancLoly truth, that
the general good conduct of all the leaders, except
Gullah Jack, had secured to them not only the unlimited confidence of their owners, but they had bceu
indulged in every comfort, and allowed every privi
Jcdge compatiuic with their situatfon in the comn;mnity; and although Gullah Jack ,vas not rerp.arkable
for the correctness of his deportment, he by no means
sustained a bad charactel'. Vescy himself was free,
and had amassed a considerable estate for one of his.

tolour; he was in good business as a carpc111e1,and

enjoJed so much the confidence of the whites, that
when he was accused, the charge ,vas not ouly discredited, but he was not even mrcsted for several
days after, and not until the proof of his guilt hatl become too strong to be doubted.* It is di1Ucult to
The following sketch of his life is copied from the ac crnmt of
the intended .insurrection published by the authority of the Cor p ora
tion of Charleston.

"As Denmark Vesey has occupied so large a place io the con

spiracy 1 a brief notice <>fhim wlH, perlrnps, be nut devoid of inter
est. Th e followiog a.necdOLe\viii shew how near he wa~ to the
chance of being distinguish ed in the hloorly events of San Domingo.

:~1

I:

I'' I

' DuriTig the rev olntion ilry wa r 7 Capta in Vesey, now ;m old r~itlcnt
of this city, commanded a ship that traded betw een St. 'fhorna~ ' and
Cape Francais ( San Domi11go.) He was engaged in supply ing the
French of that bland with Slaves. fo tl1e year I.781, ho too k on
board at 5t. Thomas' 3UO slaves and sailed fur the Crtpc ; on the
passage, he anrt his oi!Jccrs were struck with the beauty, alert1wss
and intc!lig cucc of a hoy about 14 years of age, whom they rna<le a
pet of, by taking him into the cabin, changing Ills ;1pp11l'el,and ca.II.
ing him by way of distinction 'J'efomarptc,(which a ppellation has
since, by gradual corruption, among the negroes, been changed to
Denmark, or sometimes 1.'elmak.) On the arrival, however, of Liie
ship at the Cape, Captaiu Vesey : lrn.ving 110 use for the hoy, sold
h1m among his other slave.~, anrt returned to St. Thomas 7 On his
next voyage to the Cape, he was surprised to fonrn from his consignee that Telemaque wm1ld be rt>tnrned on his h,Luds, as the plan
ter, who had purchased him, represented him unsouml, and subject
u,.epilec:tic fits. Acconliug to the custom of trade in that place, the
boy was placed i11 the hanrls of the king's physician, who decided
that he was unsound, and Captain Vesey was compelled to take him
back, of which he had no occasion to repent, as Denmark pro ved, for
20 years a most faithful slave. In 1800, Denmark drew a prize Of

11

iii

$1500 in the East-Bay-Street Lottery, with which he ptlrchased his

h~smaster 7 :i.t i.i.xhundi'eii dollar;S, much less tho.nh1s

.freedom from

wnc.ciYC \,;hat motive

he had to enter into such e.

plot.,(unles.', it was the one mentioned by one of the
witncsscs 1 who said, that Vesey had several children
who were slaves, aml that he said on one occasion he
wished to scethemfree;)as hehimselfartfully remarked
in his defence on his trial; yet with him it unquestio11ahlv oriainated and by him ,vas hraded.
Rolla

1:1
'
was the confidential servant of his ma sier; so much
so, that when his master's public duties rcquh~d his
nbsence from his family, they ,vere left under the
protection of that slave .; and yet that very man, undertook to head a party, whose first act was to be,
the murder of that master, who had reposed such con-

fidence in biIU, und had treated him with great kind

ness. Ned was also a confidential servant, and bis
general good condLLCt \Vas commendable. " Peter
real value. Frum that period to the (fay oi his apprehension he bas
been working us ii. carpenter in this ciry, distinguished for great
;;trcngth an<l uciivity. Among his colour he was always looked up
to with awe awl re~pect. His temp er was impetuous antl domin!?fr_
ing in the exll'cmc, qualifying him fur the despotic rnle, of which hr
was ambitious.
AU his p;i;i~iuus were ungo\"ernal>le and savage;
antl, to his numerous wives anrl <"hildrm, he displayed the haughty
and capriciow; cru elty of an E.nstcm B.i!l.h:iw. He had nearly ('ffce
led his escape, after information had b1.:l'nludgcll ag,1iust him. Fur
three days tho.i town was scardwd for him wi1hu11tsucci>~s. As
early rui .Mumlay, the 17ih, he had conce;ilrd himsdJ. It was not
until tlu: night of the 22d of J 1mc1 during a perfect tempest, that he
was found secreted in the housHof one of bi~ wive:;. It is to tbe Ull
common efforts and vigilance of Mr. \Vesner, and Capt. Dove, of
the City Guard, (the latter of whom seized him) that public justice
reOf'ive<l it~ necessary tribute, in the execution of this man. '1r the
pn.rty lrnd been one moment later, he would, in all probability, haYe
effected his escape the next day in i;ome outw;ud bound vessel.
()

was a sla:vc of great value, and for his colour, a first

1ate ship carpenter.
He possessed the confidence of
his master, in a remarkable degree, and had been
treated with indulgence, liberality and kinc.luess.n
"Monday enjoyed all the substantial comforts of a
free man ; (he was) much iuclulgcd and trusted by
his master; his time awl a large proportion of the
profits of his labour wc1c at his owJl disposal. He
even kept his m aster' s arms and sometimes his money.:' '' He is a most exccUcnt harness-maker, and
kepl his shop in Meeiing-strcet."
" l\Jomlay is an
Ebo, and is now in the prime oflife , having been in
the ('Ountry l.5or20 ycars.i'
But not only were the
leaders of good character and much indulged by
thrir owners, but this was vcty genera lly th e case
with aJl who ,vere convicted, many of the~ possess~
ing the highest confidence of their owners, and not
one C!fbad cltamctn .
~A not her charact er istic of this plot was, that a decided majority of the Insurgents, either did or had belonged to the African Congregation; amongst whom
tlic in!istmrnts Wcl'e prin<'ipally nnd succc ssfolly carried on. From the testimony, the presumptions of
innocence arc in favor of ihc Bishops and Ministers,
( as they sty led thcmsel ves,) of the Congregat.ion; but
two of ,hem havt~ left the state under strong suspicions of ha ring fa,onrccl the plot. The class leader.3
appni11.1<
:d by them, certainly did; two of whom were
principals, and Vesey their chief aucl a fourth leader
,hough not cla ss leaders, yet belonged to the congre
gation, Holla being the ouly excep tion .
The comlLlct and beha viom of V cscy and his five
leaders during their trial and imprisonment, may be

i'

45
interesting to ninny. When Vesey was tried, he folded his arms aud seemed to pay great attention to
the tcst1mony ginn against him, but with his eyes
fixed on the floor. Jn this situation hr re1m,incd immoveable, until the 1-vitncsseshad been exarniucd by
the Cou1t and cross-examined by his counsel; when
he requested to be allmved to examine the wi1ucsses
himself. H c at first questioned 11.J.cm
in the dictutorial1
despotic manner, in wliicb lw was probably accustom!!d to address them; but this not pro(lucing the
desired effect, hr question:;!d them ,vith afiectcd surpl'ise and concern for bearing false lCstimon)' against
him; still failing in bis purpose, he then examined
them strictly as to dates, but could not make them
contradict themselves. The evidence hcing closed,
he addressed the Court ut consi<lcrablc length, in
which his principal endcavom was, to impress them
wjth the idea, that as his situation . in life had been
su.
,ch that he could have had no inducement to join
in such an attempt, the charge against him must be
false; and he attributed it to tbc great hatred which
he alledged the blacks had against him ; but his allegations \\'ere unsupported by proof. lVhen he l'e
ceivcd his sentence, the tears trickled down his
cheeks; and it is not improbable if he hnd been placed
in a separate cell, he might have made important discoveries; but confined as four of the convicts were
in one room, they " mutua11y supported each other;
and died obedient to the stern and emphatic ii.tiunction of their comrade, (Peter Poyas.")
H Do not

open your lips.' Die silent, as yoit sludl see me do.'~_-:,

Rolla when arraigned, atfecte{I not to ull dcrstand the
charge against him 1 and when it was at his request

46
further explained to him, assumed with wonderful
adroitness, astonishment and surprise. Ile was remarkable thronghont hi~ trial, fot g1eat presrince c\ml
composure of mind.
\Yhcn he -..n1sinformed he '\<vas
convicted and ,vas ad\'ised to prepare for death,
though he had previously, (lmt after his trial 1) con-

fessed bis guiJt, he appcnrcu perfoct!y confounded;

bnt exhibited no signs of fear. In J\ crl's behaviour
there was norhing rcm.:irkablc;
but his couurcnancc
was stern and immorca!Jlr:. eycn ,vhilst he was receiving the sentence uf death: from hi:-.looks it was
impossible to discover or conj<'cturc what ,vcrc his
feelings.
Not so with Pc1c1, for in bis countenance

were strongly marked disappointed ~mbition, revenge, indignation,

and an anxiety to kumv how far

the discoveries had extruded, and the same Pmmious

were exhibited in his conduct.

Ile did not ::ipprArto

fear persorn-1]consequences, for his "holi! lH:liaviour

indicated the rev erse ; but cxhihitr :d an e\'idcnt anxiety fort.he success of their plan, in whieh his whole
soul was em harked. His countenance and belinvio111'
were the same when he received bis sroteucc, and
bis only words were on retiring, "1 snppose you'll let
me see my wife and family before I <lie?" and that
not in a supplicati11g tone. Wlum he was asked a
day or two after, if it was possible he could wish to
see his master and family murdered who had treated
bim so kindly! he only replied to the question by n.
smile. MondaJ's bclun:iour was not pc(:11]iar. When
he was before the Court his urms were fo1Jcd ; he
heard the testimony gi r<'a against him, and received
his sentence with the utmost firmness and composure.
" But no <lescription can accurately convey to others,
I

I'
'I
'i

41
the impl'ession which the trial, defence and appearau .ce of Gullah Jack made 011 those who witnessed
the workings of his cun ni ng and rude a<ldl'ess.",vhcn airesLed and brought befor e the Court in compan)'' with another African named Jack, the property
of the estate of P1itchard, he assumed so llllll'h ignorance, aud looked amlact ed the fool so wcll,tliat some
of the Court cou l<l not hclic, e that this was the Necromancer who was sought after. This conduct be
continued when on his trial , until he saw the w iiur sses
and heard the tcslirnrn1 y as it pro~1esseu against him;
\vhcn in an instant, his co1mteuance wa s liglir c] up
as if by lightniug, and "his wildness and vcl1crncncc
of gesture, and tbe malignant glnnce ~\ith \.vhich he
eyet1 the witnesses who appeared aga inst him, all indicated the sarag c, who i11dec<l
had been cauglit bat

r1ottanwd.'1 His courage, bo\\'evcr, soon forsook him.

,vhcu he received st11t
cnce of death, he earnestly
implored that a fo1tnight lon,a;er might be allowecl
him, awl thcu Lhat a ..vcek lo11ger, which he cominucd earnestly to solicit llntil he ,vas taken fron1 the.
Court Room to his cell i and when he was canicd to
executiou '~ he ga,e up his spirit without iirnmess or
composure._'.'! He was sentenced 011 the 9th July to -
be hung on lhe 12th.
The whole number arrested were one hundred and
thiity one, of whom sixty-seven were couvictcd.Fromaniongstthose
convicted, thirty-fivc,vcreexecu~
tcd; the remainder will be sent beyond the limits of
the U nitcd States, as we!l as sqmc of those, who
though not conviclcd, arc n1oralty guilly; and of
those ,vho suffer ed deuth, t\venty-two ,vcre executed
~t .the same time, 011 the same gaJlows. The object

:111

,f

I,

II.
1i

f
I

,'\

of punishment Lcing effectually altaincd by these examples, and rhc 1-ing-lcadcrs being convicted, the arrests stopped here.
One who '>ms not a member of the Court, cannot
well conceive the effect produced by the threats used,
in preventing a discovery of rhe plot. 'fhc culistmcnts had been going on nnd the preparations
making actively siuce Christmas, yet it was not until
the 30th May, that the least suspicion was cntcnaincd
by the whites. Had h not been that one, not authorised by Vesey or the othc1 leaders, and evidently
unfit for such a purpose, undr.nook to enlist, no discovery might have been made ; for though the information received ou 1he H,th J unc, was infinitely more
extensive and in detail, ttnd from a very diffcrellt
(Juartcr, yet the first com m1111icationand the excite~
ment it occasioned, might have had cousidernble effect in clkiting lhc olh er. Tile .information rccci\cd
on the 30th May, how ever, so far from leading to a
d;scovcry of the plot, \Vas ~vcntnally disbelieved; so
thac the detection was not ieally made, until two
ni;hts preceding the iotcndc<l exhibition of the dreadfol tragedy.
The discovery of the plot, however, in
sufficient time, in thi s, as in every other instance, enabled the constituted authorities to crush it in the
bud.
The information reccircd on the 30th of May,
was communicated to the lntendant of Charleston
ahom three o'clock in the afternoon, by a gentleman
of gre at respectability, who tliat morning had returned from the country.
This geutlcman stated,
" That a foyorite cmcl confidential slave of his had
cmmmunicatcd to him , on his arrival in town, a con

49
versation which had taken place at the market on
the Sat,mlay preceding, between 1ffimself and a black
man; which afforded strong reasons for believing
that a revolt aud insurrection were in contemplation
among a proportion at least of our black population.
The Corpora(ion was for1hwith summoned to meet
at 5 o'clock, for the purp :1~~ of hcuriug the narrative
of the slave who had gire11 this information to his
maste1, to which meeting the attendance of His Excellency the Govcrno1 was solicited; with which invitation he pmmptly complied. Between however,
the hours of Band 5 o'clock, the gentleman who had
conveyed the information lo the Jnten<lant, having
again examined his slave, was imluced to believe,
that the negro fellow ,vho had communicated the
inteHigence of the iutcudcd r evolt to the slave in
<]UCst
iou, belongeu to l\Jessrs. J. & D. Paul, Broadstl'cet, and resided in their premises.
Accordingly,
with a promptitude worthy of all praise, without
waiting for the interposition of the civil authority
he applied to the Messrs. Paul, and had the lvhole
oftheiimale servants committed tothe Guard-House,
until the individual who had accosted the slave of
this gcnt1eman, on the occasion previously mentioned, could be identified from amon ....them.
=On the assemh)ing of the Corporation at five, the
slave of this gentle man was brought before them,
having previously identified Mr. Paul's ,vitliam as
the man wJ10had accos 1ed him in the Market , he then
rclatetl the following circumstances:
H On Saturday
afternoon Jast (my master bdn g out
of to~vn) I went to mnrkct; after finishing my husi~
ness I strolled clown the wharf below the fisli mruket,

1'I1

from "hich I observed a small vc.;;1ielin 1he..s!rc-u1n

'I,:ll

wi th a singular .fh,g; whih;t looking at this oluect, a

black man, (J\"
Ir . Paul's ,Vil!iam) came up to me an<l
remarking tl1c SiJ ~jcct which cna;aged my attention
said, f have oft en St'CH a flag with the number 76 on
it, but never ~.,itl1 ~)G, befor e. Afrrr some trifling
convcrsnt ion on r his poin1, he rcn1arkcll with con
sidcrol)I' " carnc stn<'ss to me . Do yon know that
something scr;ou s is about to take place? To which
I replied no . \Vell, .~ai1I l1P, 1IHn~ is, and nmny of
us ar e determined to ri.::?;htour sdv r s ! I asked him
to expl ain him sclf-,...-h c11 he remar k crl, n:hy, we
arc determined to shake off our bon,lagc, and for
thi s purpo se w e Slane! 011 a good fournht1ion, many
have joined, and if you ,viii ;;o with me, I will show
yon the man, who lrns t\1i: li~l uf tlum es who w ill take
yours down.
I wa s so mueh astoui ~;hed and horror
struck at this iu fon nati on, thut it was a moment or
two before I conld eoll ect rny sc !f sul.1icie nt to t~ll him
I wonld have uothin g to do with th is b11sincss, that
I was sati sfied with my eomli1ion, 1hat l was grntefol to my ma ster for his k indness and ,vishcd no
change.
I lefr him insta111ly , le:-;r, if this fellow at:.
tcrwards got into troubl e, and l bud been seen conver sin g with him, in ~u public a place, I might be
I did not ho,v susp ected and thrown into dillicuhy.
cve r remain ca~y under the bur<len of such a secret,
and cons equ entl y t.lcterrnin ed to consult a fre e man of
colour 11arnccl -and to ask his advice. On conferring with this fricnu, he urgc<l me with great carM
ncstnes5 to commur:icatc what had pass ed between
l\Ir. Paul' ~ num antl my.'Sclfto my ma ster, and no t

.11

I
1'1

11
,:

lj

I
I

51

lose a moment in so doing.* I took his advice nnd

not waiting, eHn for the return of my must.er to
town, I mcntionc(l it to rny mistr ess and young mao;;ter
-On the arrival of my ma stc1, he examined me as
to what had passed, and I stated to him what I ha, 1 c
,
mentioned to yo11tsclres.
" On this witness being dismissc<I from the presencr
of Council, the pr.isoncr (William) was examined.
The mode resorted to in his cxaruinaLion wa s to affonl
him no intimation of the sul~cct of the infol'mation
which had been lodgerl against him. as it was ex~
trcmcly desirable in the first place, to have the testimony of .the other witness corroborated as to time
and place, that, from the confcs.s.ions of the prisoncl'
himself, it might appear that he was at the fish-market at the period stated, and that a singlllar flag, flying on board of a schooner, had formed the suluect
of his observation. After a vast deal of equivocation,
he admitted all these facts, but when the rest of his
mnversation was put home to him, he flatly denied it,
lmt with so many obvious indications of guilt, that it
was deemed unwise to discharg e him. He was remanded for tho night, to the Guard- House, it having
been decid~d to sul?ject him to solitary confinement
in the black hole of the Work - House, where, on the
succeeding morning, he was to be conveyed.
"On the morning of the 31st he ,vas again examined
by the att en ding Watden at the Guanl -House (having dudng the night, rnudesome disclosure s to Capt.

---

.....

It would be a libel on the libera lity ;ind gratitu de of this com( nunity to suppose that tJ1is man ~an be (Jt('~f~okecf r10ng those wh)
are to be rcw,irded for their fidr hty .iud principle .

II

I
!
~
'

r:
.,

l'I

'

JJ

52
Uove) on \vhich occ:asion hr, a,tmittrd all the conversation which he had held at the fish-market, with
the witness bef<wenwntioned, an,l st<1tcdthat he had
received his i11formation from I\Ungn Hanh, ,vho
was in possession of the muster-roll of the iusur-

gcnts.
'' With the hope of still further <lisdnsnres William

,,.

I, ;II

q
, ,1

,. '

'rl ,

. 'I
I

was conveyed to the \.Vork-House and pluccd in solitary confinement.

The individuals (!Vfoigo Harth
and Peter Poyas)af!;ainst whom be gave i11formation,
as thosr. who had communicated to him the intelligence of the plot for raising an insmrectfrm, were
fortlnvith taken up by the Wardens, and their truuks
examined.
These feHows behaved with so much
composure and coolness, and treated the charge, allcdged against them with so much levity-(no writings being found in their chests, containg the smallr:i;t
suspicion, excepting an c.11i~mat1calleitcr, which
was then too ouscure for explrmation, and to which

subsequent events only afforded a clue)-that

the
wardens (Mcss1s. '\''csner and Condy,) wcl'c completely deceived and had these men discharged ;" but
their movements were nevertheless watcl1cd, o.rnl
measures of precaution taken. " Things remained
in this state for six or seven days, until about the 8th
of June, when ,viliam, who had hcen a week in solitary confinerncnt, hegi nni 1111;
10 fear tlmt he ,votlld soon
be led fonh to the scaffold, for summury execution,
confessed, that he lmd for some time knovvn of the
plot, that it was very extcusive, crnbrach1g an indiscriminate massacre of the \.\'hitcs, and that the blacks
were to he headed by an individual, who carried

53

about him a charn'.I which rendered

hiin iuvulnera~
lifo."
" Three or four days now elapsed, and notwith~

stamling all our efforts, we could obtain no confirmation of the disclosures of William, on the contral'y,
they seemed to ha\ c susta ined some invalidation, from
the circ umstance, of one of the individuals (Ned
Bennett) whom he named as a p('rson who had information in relation to the insmTc c1ion, coming voluntarily to the Intendant, and solici cing an examination , if he was an object of suspicion. 1n this
stage of tbc busines s, it was not deemed advisable
prematurely to pre ss these examinations, as it might
have a tendency to arrest any forthel' devclopcments.
"On the night, howev er, of Friday the 14th, the
information of William was amply confirmed, and
details infinitely more abundant and interesting afforded. At 8 o'clock on this evening, the Intendant
received a visit from a gentleman, who is advantageously known in this community for his worth and
respectabil ity.
i This gentleman,
with an anxiety, which the oc
casion was well calculated to beget, stated to the In~
tcndaut, that~ hu, ,ing the most unbounded confidence
in a faithful slave belongi11g t o his family, who was
distinguished alike fol' his uncommon intelligence
_and Integrity, he was induced rn juform him 1 that
rumours were abroad of an intended insurrectfon of
the blacks, and that it was said, that this movement
had been traced to some of the coloured members of
Dr. Palmer's church, in which he was known to he
a class lcadcr.-On being strongly e11joincdto co1i,..

54,
ceal nothing, he, the next day, Friday the U.th, came
and infom1ed him, that the fact was
really so, that a pub]ic disturbance was contemplated
by the blacks, ancl not a moment should he lost in
informing the constituted authorities, as the succeeding Sunday, the 16th, at 12 o'clock, at night, was
the period fixed for the rising, which, if not prevented, woultl inevitably occm at that hmu-. This slave,
it appears, was in no degree connected with the plot,
but he ha<l an intimate friend, A- ( one of his class)
who had been trusted by the conspirators with the
secret, and ha<l been soliciicd by them to join their
association; to this A-first appeared to consent, but
at no period absolutely sent in his adhesion. According to 1hestatement which he afterwards made
himself to the Court, it wou ld seem that it was a
su4ject of great regret and conrrition with him, that
he had eyer appeared to lend his approbation to a
~chcme so wicked and attrocious, and that he sought
occasion to make atonement, by divulging the plot,
which on the 14th he did, to the slave of the gentleman in riuestion, his class leader.')*
As the account given by this slave was remarkably
coincicknc with the one giren by ,vrniam,
with whom
he had lrnd no communicntion, and also coincided
in its hlOSl material points whh the plan of attack
just ;:;ivcn ; such measutes were taken by his Excel~
lc1
.1cy the Governor, as the occasion reqired. On the
niglit appointed for the attack, the insurgents found

to his master,

:'I

1" 1

t
I

I JI

I
'1

,i
,II

,I
I

.;. ::Host ofth <' black rcliitioU$cmnmunitics in this place, arl' divicleJ iuto classt~s, over whicli a Leader is pl,tced, having the cm1fi
<lsnccu( lh! ; l 'aMor of tlie Clmr<:h.

a very strong guaul on duty, am! ,by 10 o'clock the

whole town was snrt'Ounded by the most vigilant patrols; they therefore dared not s.hew themselves.
Notwithstanding
the <liscovrry ,vliich had been
made, am l the complete frustration of their phrns,
vet so true we!'e they in o!Jsel'viug thefr pJe<lge of secrecy to cacli other, t1ut of u!J those mTcsted up to
the 22d June, only six ui : item ,vcre coll\'ictcd. The
discovery which had bcri i .;iadc aud the con,ictiou
of those six, 1:.uuongst whom ,vas their chic f\and three
of his principal leaders, together with Battcuu, who
though not as principal a: leader us the others, was
yet au otliccl', did not however induce them w Jay
aside their desig;n, for sulis cq uent to these arrests
aud com'k1ions, it was propns ed to make the attempt midy on the morning of the 2d July, immccUalcly afl er the nigl1tly Guards um\ Patl'Oles had been
discharged froru duty, and wh:cu. would he at the
beatiug of the lteville; and so:.:1e even had 1be boldness w propose a rescue and general attack, as the
convicts were carr ieu forth fur execution.
Thefr
reason for fixing on so early a day wa s, thei1 anx iety
to save thcil' Cbil!f an<l Leader s, who were ou !hat
day to be executed; but the time bctv.1 ecn the day
011 which
tho se six \\ ' Cn ! scuicuce d, urnl tlrnl uu
which they ,vcn.! to oe exec uted, was too short, to
enable them to concert propc1 meu!:i111cs; csi>eciull_y
as tile lvhites where 110\Von the alert an d watd1fuJ:
and morco,'cr, one of thcfr tn-o remu iuiug Lead ers
011 whom they priucipally d(~p cntl ed, \\ as r.rrcsted
the very day prc\ iou.s to the exccntion, a circumstaucc well calcuhtcd to <li.sconccrt: and dcl cr th c:n.
011 the 5 th .I ul v, fortlH .'l' information
was rC'ccivcd
~

I'
}

56

fiom the slnv<'of anotlH'r gPntleman, wlio ,~0J11ntnril5

"

,!
I

came fonvarJ and oitcrcd to reveal all the information he possessed, on condilion that his name should
11ever be dlsclosed. In addition to nami11g stivcral
of his associates, and describing the so1cerc1Gullah
.Jack, who was his leader, sons tu /earl to his appr<.'hcnsion, he mentioned that the Iusurgents had by no
means been induced to abandon their original de~
sign by tbc execution which had taken plfwe on the
2d instant; and that th.cir l'emaining leader UuHuh
Jack was actively cxwnding the infol'mation, that be
had resolved to rise a11d make the attack at day
dawn on the morning of the 6th. ,vant oJ' time to
concert measures for this attack also, would probably have prcvcntc<l its being made; but it ,ms cffec~
tuaHy stopped by the arrest of Gullah Jack on the
day pl'evious. 011 the 9th July, scmenee of death
was passed upon five more, trro of whom were Mondav., and c;uHah Jack, and a third, Charles, the slave
of the lforwraLJe J 01111 Drayton ; who though not a
leader, had taken so active a part in the business, as
to be J)l!J'haps as much knowu iu j1 as the leaders

,verc.

'

' I

It was now thirty-n111c days since the civil

authorities had received information of this plot, and

tweuty during which the Comt organized for the trial
of the Insurgents had been engaged (Sumlays except
ed ;) anrf yet, so true were they to each other, that
during all thut time only fifteen had bce11discovered
whosf! connection in thP. plot ,vas clear~ of w horn
four wrre used as witnesses. "Af!er 1\Jomlay Gell and
Chadcs Drayton were convicted thr1e uppcared to
be a pause in our further discovcricsi and some prospect oft.he iuvcstigation closing with their excc.ution

57
o.nrl that of John Horry, Harry Haig and Gullah

Jack.
"On the 9th of July, howt!\'Cr, tl:ec::efive men, were
caJled before the Court to receive SL'Htencc, and ofter it had been pronounced, with the most impl'essive
s lem,iity, they were ,vithdrawn to a common wal'd
in the WOlk-House, for half an hour, until separate
c< h co;1ld be provided for tbcm. It was at this
tn0 ;)1ent that Charles Drayton, overwhelmed
with
terror and guilt, went up to Mun.Jay and reproached
him with having induced him to join in a scheme
which had placed him in such a miserable and perilous
situation. To this appeal Monday not only confessed
his guilt, but observed co Charles-that their present
fate was justly and preci sely what they had a right
to expect, after the it detected and defeated project.
On which lhcre immediately ensued between them
a conversation on the extent of the guilt of others, iu
which Monday gave Charles the names of many uccompliccs whom he had 11ot pre, im:sly known in the
plot ; the arri ml of the black smith to iron the con vict~, and the turnkey to con\"cy them to separate
~ell~, interrupted the conversation.
uchal'les, dming the uigbt ot the 9th, sent for Mr.
Gonion, who has charge of the Work -House, and informed him that he was extremely anxious to see the
Intendant, as he had some important disclosures to
make. By day-light, on the morning of the 10th,
this message was conveyed to the person for whom it
was intended, and Charles was visited at sun-rise.
He was founcl, in a state of the most lamentable depression and pauic, and he seemed pieparcd to make
the most nmplc decla.rations from the fear of death

I
~,,
~f

"'

58
and the consequences of an herr:,ifta,if he went uut
that he knew, iu
of the world without l'C\'Caling
relation to the Conspiracy, in which he had been so
actfre an agent. Before his tHll-ra1ive,vas l'eceived,
be was most specially pnt on his guard, drnt no promises could be made to hjm of a rever sal of his fate, but
that he might rest satisfied, his condition could not
be \\.orsc by his coming out with a full disclosure of
all that he knew. He then stated mm1y paiticuia,~,
that had come to his own knovdedge, proving a much
wider diflbsion of the plot than, at that period, was
imagined; and, aftc1 giving up the nam es of several
ofhi9 comrades, he 1-pcntioncd the cotl\'ersalion which
had been commenced and b!'oken off, in the com mun
ward of the "\Vnrk-llouse, between Monday Gell arnl
himself. As Monday, at this period, did not seem
dispo sed to make any co11fessious to others, whatever
he might be inclined to do to his friend Charles, it
was considered important, that the conversation bctnTcn them, shoutd be rellcwcd, and they were
brought wgcthcr iu the same cell, and lc:ftt'or twenty
four horns alone ; but some little stratagem was cmpley<'d, to div ert the suspidons of Monday, that
Charles was confined with him, merely for the purpo~e of getting infonnation out of him.
"On the morning of the 10th, the Court were ap11riz.ed, generally, of these new disclosures, ,vhich
Charles had made, but as he was still closeted wirh
l\londay, he cm11d not be examined on that day, and
the Court met and adjourned from day to day until
the 13th; on ivhich day Monday GeU's own confcs
~ion was l1card by them. Between the 10th and 13th,
Charles and JJfonday were separated ( having been

aH

1. 1'

I,'

59
resp1tcd by His ExccUency, the Governor, at the rC:
,quest o[ the Court) and Charl es, on his re-examinat ion afforded mucl1 important information, which he
had dcTived from Monday.
On Monday's having
v, he coufcsscd his own
all this brought to his vie...
guilt, as well as rhe trnth of the statements which he
ha<l made to Charles. With the inform.ation obtained
from Charles, arrests recommenced on the 10th, in
the course of which day Peirault belonging to l\fr.
Strohecker ,vas arrested ; whose additional information, with some fitrthe, del'ails obtained from
Harry, belonging to Mr. Haig, in coi,junction with
the disclosures of Chades and Monday, caused the
arrest of upv,'ards of sixty slaves in the course of three
01 foul' days.
After the trial of these, and a few
more snbscqucntJy arrestecJ, the civil uuthorities con~
cejdng that enongh had been done to serve as an exnm ple, determined to pursue the investigation no
further; but should any fotthe1information be communicated to them r to bting to trial such only as had
taken an active part, and arrange with the owners of
the others to send them out of the state.
By the timely discovery of this plot, Carolina has
been rescued from the most horrible ca tastrophe with
which it has been threatened, since it has been an
independent state; for altho11gh success could not
possibly have attended the conspirators, yet before \ - \
their suppression, Charleston would probably have
been wrapped in flaiucs-many vuhrn.bJe lircs have
been sacrificed-and
an immense loss of property
sustained by the citizens, even though no other dis
tressing occurrences were experienced by them ;

60
whilst the plantations in the lo\.vcr country would
have been disorganized, and the agriculturul interest s
have sustained an enormous loss.

MEJ\IORA:\DU:Vf.

or

A Gentleman
re9pectabil ity, thl' owner or on~ of the Slfl.v~,
deeply engaged in the Conspira.cy, stated to the Court , prcyiou sly to
his Servant's guilt being ascertained, thnt he was a K1gro in whoi;e
honesty and veracity he confided, and whose attachment and fiddity
to him had been great. That this Negro had b!'en twic:e in the
Northern States vith him, where he had every re nson to hf'licvc tlm.t
attempts were made to indm:e this Slave not to rNnrn to Chark stun.
He further said he had owned him since l SOG or I S07 , d uring al!
which time he had behaved him self wc]I. It thus appears t.hat Hen
a Servant whose att achment to his owner w :1s so great, th a t he l'elli
sed to avail himself of the means of lawfully attaiuiu g his freedom',
(the laws of the State, or tuc frienu .ly feelings of its inlrnbit an1s,
where he then wa.sJ putting that in his power, ) could not resist the
arguments or threats of the Conspirators , even though he kn ew that
they aimed at nothing , less than the murder of his JU.toter aml family,

~1

THE
CouRT oro-anized.for the trial of sundry Negroes apprehende~l and charged " with attempting
to raise cm Insurl'ection amongst lhc Black.s against
1/ie Whites," and of such others as might be brought
before them on lhc sa me charge, met on ,vednesday,
the 19th June, 182'.2, and consisted of the following
Cendemen 1 viz:

L10NEL

TnolltAS
WILLIAM
NATHAN

H. K.::ernov,
PARKER,
J. r.
DRAYTON~
HE\ 'W ,\RD,

JA111~s

R.

lAJl[f,S

LEG.\RE,

TRIAL

of ROLLA,

u }

:Magi
strates.

~ Freeholders.

Ptt.INCLE,

RonE.RT J. Tu,,rnuLL,
T rrn

Q.

I
J

a ncgro man,

tI1e

slave

of His Excellency, Governor 13ennect-Jacob Axson,

sq. altcmling as Counsel for his owner.
EVIDENCE,

\VnN1~ss No. l*-A negro man testified as follows :-1 know HoJJa, belonging to Mr. Thomas
Benn ett, we arc intimat e friclld s; all that I know of
th e in tende d Insurrection rgo t from him. About lhree
ItlOJJthsago he asked me to join with him .in slaying
the wbitc s, I asked him to give me time to consider

This witness came forward voluntarily, a11di::ave i11lo1mationof

1iie iuwnc!cd Insurrection, an d of the pl.ice~ and th ose concl'rned, as
lilr as his infor matio11 exten ded, pn 1iousb; to lhe appoint~tl day,
and only asked that his 11a111c;wvuld not br. cievulgcd, which the
Court pll'dged tl1~msclve.sto coaccul a:; far as it rlependcd on them.
His name is therdore .suppressed-Ile i~ i,i ,w way inculpated.

62
of it; a week afrcr he p ut the same qnestion to me,
and at the end of ano ther \\'eek he ugai11 came to me
on the same sul~jcct. I told him " take care, God
says w e must uot kil] ;n you arc a coward he said
and laughed at me. Tlc said he would tell me how
it was to he douc. There urc said he, while meu who
ha vc comf' from off, nnd who say that St. Domingo
ancl Africa \Viii assist us to get our liberty if we will
only mnke 1hc motion first. I a.ddscd him to let it
aloue, and told him I would oppose them if they came
to kill my owner, ,vhcn he agaiu laughed at me as a
cowanl-Ile
summoned me to go to their mectinrrs
where sai d he you will licar what is going on and
better i11formcd; f told him HS, I would go-Friday
night about three weeks ago he appointed to take me
,vith him to their meeting; at that Hight he came to
m e and again summo ned me to go to the rneeting, I
wmna,, ay from him, J went out ofhis way. The next
lfaY he c.:une to me and said the meeting had been ex~
peering me and l must send my name to-he put clown
as one of the Band-This
thing has been g()it1g on
fot four months . He told me that at tbe meeting it

be

,vas .said that :,omewhiic men said Congressfwd set

1rsfree, 1trulthat ow white people here wonld not let
1ts be so, and that St. Domingo and Africa wouM
come over aJH] cut up the whitP people if \Ve o nly
made tile rnot:ion here tirst-dmt las t Satunla,v night
(the 15th .June,) might be 1he last he had to live, as
they were dNennined to break ope11 the thing on
Sunday nigh t (the Hith J tme)-I
told him it could
HOS h(: do11c, it ,vould 11ot Slll"t:ced,
that om parents
for generat ions buck bad been slaves, and we had
bettL'l' he contented-He
desitetl me to tcll-(\\ 'itJW"" No. 2) to go up to hiui, that he ,vishcd to see
him-No . '2 ,vent in the evening-Rolla told No. 2 in

my presence what he was going to <lo-No. 2 rold him

to let ir alo11e,he would 1101 ,.:uccccd,and then turnrc.1
away and wept-Hullo replied 'tis now gone toofar to
stop it-Ile told No. 2 to go out o/'town on Surnlay
night, as he di d not wish him to be hurt-I tolrl No .

G3
'2 to sound the ,tlarm. and if he did not I would-l
asked Holla what wa~ to be done with the women
and children ? he said, " 1vlun we have done will,
the j,:l/ows, we know what to do with the wenche..,,;_
He said t/Jcre <mJa [;reat uwuy involved iu ii in 1Ju:
cottutry; that l\iun~u from James' Island wa5 to
come over to Charleston with -1000 men, land ou
South-Bay, march up and i:;('i7.cthe Arsenal by the
Guai-rl- House and ki ll '.:ti the City Guard; that another body ,va:s to seize i,pnn tbc 1iowder Magazine~
and another hody to tak(: the Unitcd States' Arsenal
on the Ncck 1 then mai-ch LO town and destroy the Inhabitants , ,vho co11IJouly escnpc by jumping into the

rivet-il1j1 Anny Ju said wU.firstjix m:1J

old bucl;,and
then t!te lntendant-1 a~k.cd hini if he could bind his
master or kill him ; he lau~hed at me again ; I tl1e11
to1d him I would have notl~in~ to do with him-He
said he 1,vusgoiu_g to John's Island to hasten down the
country ne groc~, as he teared they would not come.
1 felt that it Yvas n bad thing lo disclose what a bosom Cdcud had confided to me , and Lhatit was vvid,cd
to Letray him, and l suffered a great deal before l
could bring my self to give information, but '"hen I
thought ou the other hand that by doing so I would
save so many lives and prev ent the lwrn:blc acts in
contnnplution, ~twas uvcrualc11ccd, and my duty was
to iuforrn-J rcfo.\iCllto go to the meetings as Rolla
wished, as I feared if l opposed them there, tl1el
might make away with me to prevent mr: fron:1bedo111t know \"Vhcre the m eet.in~
traying them-f
were held, hut !Jdievc 't1Vusin ilull-str cct, in \\-lfrt:Lt
street Denlllark Vescv livcs-Holfrt said that Ned
and Mathiu $ were co1{cerned-I am vvellacql!ajutctl
with Stephen, Mr. T. 1t. Smitli 's man; I believe him
lo be a worthy, good man, an<l in a convcr.sutimt
with him on this su l~jcct, he agreed with me tliauhis
,vas an abominable 101-l !mve not ~ec11 him foi
the Iast four wer:k s-l kJJo,v Denmark Vesey-I wa s
one day on horsc!mck going to i\Ia.rkct when I met
him on fvot; he asked me if 1 wos satisfied in nn -'

fl
! ',

,II
11

'I'

present situation ; if I remembered the fable of llcrculcs nnd the Wa~fToocr

whose wa~~on
was staJlcd,
0
..._
and he bc~an to pray,and Hrrcu_lcs ~uid, you fool put
vom shoulders to the wheel, whip up the horses arnl
your waggou wi ll be pulled out; !hat if wc diu not
put our hand to the \vork and dehvf'r ourselves, we
should ncnr come out of slavery: that Congress /tad
made usfra. l know rliat he is intimately ac(_Juainted
with Rolla-Rolla
told me that there had been a sort
of clisag1ccmcnt and confusion at their plac~ of meeting, and that they meant to meet at Vcsey's-Vesey
told me that a larg;c army from St. Dorn.ingo and
Africa were comin~ lo help us, and we must not
stand ,vith our hands in 0111 pockets ; he was bitter
Samho who live~ on 1\Irs. La
towards the whites.
Roache's plantation (on John's Island) sent word
down to Holla that he would be in town on Sunday
night last-HoHa said that they would han~ a countc1signto be known to their friends, and .in the action, those blacks who co uhl not give it wot1ld be
threats
kille<l ; that they wo11Mfire the tmvn-Rolla's
are that if any hlack person is found out giving information 01 eviclcncc against them 1 they would be
"'atched fol' day and night and be certainly killcdEven now the friends of those in prison arc try ing
about t!w str ee ts to find out \vho has given informamarion- lj ' my name '11.as
known I would certanly
be killed. I advised Holla to let it alone, but told
him that if the y pcrse,cred and commcnce<l it, I had
no arm s. but that us they passed by my house, l would
foll in behind with my fishing line and gra ins which
n:as a ll that l had. Hollu did not tell to No. 2, all
tile particular s, but to ld him of the intended rising
anrl the time.
Wn:-;i;:s s No. 2.* A ncgro man testified as fol~

I\

'II

lows :--The

I;.
'I

\,:as from witness No . lsuch was the idea of the co]ourcd

first I heard

hc told me that

" Tlii, w;(11cs, n.s re~:ntls the cr,ncr.almcnt of his nam<', stands
r.rC't:i,clv in th e :,~me , ;tu ation (l$ l\o. 1.

6&
people ; that 111.:wm, ask.ell to join hut tlmt he ask-

ed for time to con sider; that he \Vas told to tell

me t:o go out of town ; that at 12 o'clock on Sunday (the lGth June) the rising would take place.I told him I would t.cH rnv master and he said he
would do the same. On 1.\iday (the 14th of June)
,vitncss No. I, and myscJftold my master every thing.
I went up to Holla as he requested, and saw him,
who complained of his hard living; l found that he
wns at something wrong and my heart got so full
that I wept. Rolla never cold me in expre ss words
that he was going to join in the rising to kill 1he
whites. Witness No. l, ,vas present when Rolla and
myself wer e speaking and heard most of what pas-
scd ~ H.olfu's last words were 'ti:;g one too far now
to be stopprd." Thou,h Holla said uuthi11g;expressly
to me auont insurrection, yet we seemed to understand each other pcrfoctly,.and that such was in contemplation-Rolla
told me that un Suu<lay evening
I must go out of town as he did not wish me to he
hurt; he .said words to the effect tlrnt lie i,.va::.going
to join in the rising; he said that on Sunday niglit at
)2 o'clock such and s111..'h a thing would take place.
Witness No. I, said that Rolla had told him they
were to join and take the Powder 1\Iagazi nc un<l the
Arsenal on the Keck, and that an army of 1i.OOOmen
from James' Island would land at South-Bay, march
up and take the Laboratory in town andkiil all the
City Guard, all<l then they would kill the whites
&c. Wi111cssNo. 1, and Stcphell, Mr. T. H.. Smith's
inan al'C truly good men.
T11E ow:-.i1mOF ll'ITNF.SS, No. 2. testified as foJlows-,-What my servant has jnst said is substantially
what he told me some <laysago ; he is a servant of
the very best character, and, every word be says may
be relied on. I never heard a complaint against him
from white or ulack .
\i\Trnrnss No. 6, a negro man belonging to his Excellency Governor Bennett, gave the foHowing cvirlcncc-RolJa proposed to me to joiu with the blacks

G6

I:

i'

to rise against thC' whites, ' twas on l.tst Saturday ( Llic

2",tho(J 1111
c) ; he n:..kcd me to join him to raise an
a1111yagainst the whites; I rcfusctl and went away; ht:
said I ,vas a fool.
'\VrTN!l:SS
No. 7, a ncgrn man gave the followin g
evidencc-1 resitlc on John's Isl and. About a month
ago Holla advisc rl me to joi11 tlw blacks a:.;;ai11st
the
wltitcs, I told him it ,v,1s min ; he told me to come
to town on Saturday week last (ll1c 15th of June ).
Ue ~aid he would let me know what duv to be <lowu
aml sent me word last Friday week- not to come
down 011 the Saturday as the thing had been found
out. Ile said the plan was to take tlic G ual'<l Hou se
au<l the .i\Iugaziue and then get arms and ammunitiou: that a great many were concerned but nu name
was. mentioned to me ; I mentioned it to no one on

the hilaud.
Thevo]untary Co:'IFEssioNoF ' Ror. u.* to tlte Court,
made after all the evidence Juul bccu heard, but he
forehis conviction -I know Denmark Vcscv-011
one occu sjon be asked nlc what nc\VS, I told him
none; he replied we are free but the wl1itc people
htn: ,von 't let us be so, and the only way is to rise up
and fight the whit es. I wen t to his hou!:'e one night
to learn where the mectiu;s ,vcrc held. I ucvcr con nri;cd on this subject with Buttcau 01 Ned-Vesey
told m e he v,as the 1cndci- in this plot. l 11cvcr eon
nrsed either with PcLcr ot 1\lingo. Vesey induced
inc to join; when I wcut to Vesey\ house there was
a meeting thc te, the romn ,vas fuH of people, but
none of them white. That night at Vescy's we <lctcrmin cd to have arms made, and each man put in
121- 2 cents towards that purpose . Though Vescy's
room wa s full I did not kumv one indi\'idual there.
Ac this meeting Vesey said we were to take the

Gmml-Iluusc and .Magaziuc to get arms ; that we

" Ro!!a on l!is :1rrai~m11cnt and lhro u~ho L1l Iii, tl'ial, 11ntil a !"tPr
il,e cvi,kll ( l' ciosl:d ,kni,:d liis guilt, au cl pr etend ed Ulll'l" i 6 nonmcc of
lh{" i nt!'m lcd ins11rrect ion.

tii
oug!it to . rise up and fight against the whites for
our lilJe1'lits ; he wa s tl1e first to ri se up and 8peakt
and he 1eatl to nsfrmn the Bible, liow lite Ckildren of .

l,mel

Wt:r(!

delit~l!rPil
out <if Egyplfrom bonrfage. He

said that. the rhing ,vo u!d rake place, last Sunday night
week, (the luth Juue) and ,hat Peter Poyas was one.
ON BEIIALl' OF Hou.A, live lVitnes ses were incrod11ccd a 1nl examined prim to his conle1;$ion to the
Court , with a view tt>impeach d1,credibility of \dtnes s No. 1, but they rather stn11t~!liencd it. Tl :e
owner of that wi111ess,(No. 1,) who was introdnccd
as a witne:-is 011 beha lf of H.olln,mnoug;st other thin~s
creditable to that witness, srn1ed, that since he had
given i11forma1io11
against Holla, he had been distracted, 1hat being the first day he seemed composed ; that he thought and said he bad acted like a
trnitor to his friend.
Tm: CoUHT unanimm1,s/yfound Rolla GOILTVAflcr se ntenc e of IkA'J'tf"' had been pa ssed upon him,

he made a cor,;~Fs~10N in prison to 1/ieR ev IJr. Halt,

who f11rnishedthe Court with it in writing, and in the
following words: " I was invit ed by Denmark Vesey
to his house, where [ found N cd Bennett, Peter Poyas,
and others, some were strang ers to me, the!/ said tluy
were from 1/tecount ry. D enmark told us, it was high
time we had oar lib er ty, a:ud he could shew us how
we might ohtain it. He said, we must unite togcthm
as the .St. Domiugo people dici, never to betray one
another; and to die hefol'e we wonltl tell npon one
another.
He also said, he expcc1cd the St. Domingo
people would sen<! some troops to help us-The best
way, said he, for us to co111p1crth e whites, is to set
th e town on fire in several places, at t he Governor's
Mills, and near the Dock s, and for every ser vant in
the yards to be ready .vith axes anci knives and
dubs, to kill e,Te1yman, as he came out when the
hells began tu riug. li e then read in the Bible wliere
The mode of execution ordered in this and tlic subs~queut ca,.
:\es where th~ con victs were sentenced to dca( li, was the (j r1llr>w
~.
Ii:

fI

Oorlcommmul,:.rl,that fill should be cut op: both men,.

wonun and cftildrn1, and said, he believed, ii 1ws no
sin for H.<; lo do so, jrJr the Lord had cvmmwndcd us ta
do it. But if l had 1cad these Psalms, Doctor, ,vhich
} han~ read, since f have been in this prlso11, lhcy
wollld never have got me to join them-At
another
meeting, some of the company were opposed to killing the Ministers, and the ,vomcn and children, but
Denmark said, it wns not safo to keep one alive, but
to destroy them totally, for you sec, said he, the Lord
has commanded it-When I hcar<l this, master Halt,
my heart pained me within, and I said to myscll~ l
cannot kill 01\' master aud mistress, for they use me,
more like a :.un, than a slavc-1 then concluded iu
my mind, that l wouid go into the coumry, on Satur~
day evening, before they were to commcucc on Sunday, that I might noL 1,ec'. it-Some
of the company
asked, it'thcy were to stay in Clrnrlcrnm; he said no,
as soon as they could get the money from the l3anks,
and the ~oods from 1hcstorcs, th,iy .should hoistsail for
Saint Domingo, for he expected some armed vessels
,vould meet them to conduct and protect them.
[ .\i OTE.- :Every pos siulc care wa t= taken by the
Court throu g hout the ,ri.ab, to prevent collusion between the w.itnesscs, or either orthem knowing what
the other s had testified to. Those 111prism1 were
confin ed in differ ent rooms, or 1d1cn, from Lheir IJeiug
warne<l in Court it ,nis nce<.:~sary to bring rhcm iu
the ruom ac\joiniug 1hal iu whidt the Court was sitting, tlwy were p11Lwgcthcr in oue room, a contidcntial 11oncommi ssionccl officer of tl1e Ci1y Guard was
pla ced iu th e 1'0 0111 with r!iem .to pr event their ('OllJn11wit:uting wgP! :1cr. They were broug lit i11 and
cxa:uiu cd ~cparuldy, 1w1ir~ of tltt im kn0\vi11g against
whom tltey wcr<' cnlkd,

'I

..,

'.I

until 11.cyentered the Court

Uoo111; and the f'vid1~11c e ;in:11 in the! orw room
cou Id uor be heard in tlte tH :~ t. Th use \\' ho were not
arrested , as llwv could nnr k1ww who W( ! re to he the
\\'it11e:;s1s a ~~aiu~c n particn lar indi vidual, or what in
Ji vidual n ,is to !Jc tried, could not ,veil collude tO
:c;cdH;I'.

69
'fm;; TnrAL of BATTEAU, a Negro Man, th,>.
slave of His E:i.:cd1cucy Govcr11nr lle11ncn.-Jucob
i
Axson, E.-;q. atte11di11gas Counsel for the 1;wner.
,
EVIDENCE,

No. 3*-A
Negro, about 18 years of
WITNESS
age testified as folJuws :-f kuow Battcati, he belongs
to .Mr. Bennett-Sunday
before last he met me , stopped me and told me something very grc\'ious--l1c
asked me if l i,rnuld go as one of the anuy-1 told
:h:m I could not, as I was so bomul to myfather that
l could not go out withont his !cavc- notbing; more
tl1cn took place as I irnn1cdiatdy left him-I
have
not seen him si11cc-Crns:-;-Exumincd-.13attcau
told
m e this army 'tnl.s to rait-Je tl1c blacks against the
whites-he
said the arn1,v was to act last Sunday
uigbt (rhc 16th J unc)-beforc
lie c01mt1cnccd speaking to me be took me 011c shlc and th ,~n spoke low to
me - my brother (witness No . 4) U!Jd myself after-

,van.b spoke together on this hnsiness, aml he said

that Batrcau ha d likewise spoken tu him about it.
\V1TKl-:SS
No. 4t - A Negro about 20 years of age
gave the following cYhlcnce:-I know Batteau, hr,
belongs to Mr. Bennet, he once said to rnc that he
,vamerl me to agree to joill them with as many
hlal'ks as I could get to kill the wllitcs-This wns last
Sunday week in the afcenioon after Church-I
said
I could not attempt such a t.hing-hc t.l"ie d to J>1Hsua1k
me co join hut I l'efused---hc said he could raise armies dircrtly---that
he was one at the head---that
they would put one fo1ceat the Bridge and anoth~r
in town---that he cxpec1cd some aid from the coufl
t1y---the last time I saw witness, No. 3, was last Sfl,turday night --Batteau said the l'ising would be last

* Ag::tinst this witnes .~ there wa.~no chare:e in relation to the fo.

surrecti .on-~ecrery as to his name was pledged to him.
t This wime~s is in the precise situation, and had tilt' same plcdg"'
gi VCll him US .'.\"O. 3,

70
Sunday night (the 16th .June)- ,-Cl'oss-F:xamincd.--On the Sunday nfternoon I Sa\v Battcau, 'twas neai
the Hcv. Mr. Bachman':-: not far from Cannon's
Bridge, he was ta1king with a woman---hc ca lled to
me and took me one si'dc and bcg;a11the connrsation,
speaking lcnv so that no one could hear him---hesaid
if 1 could raise men cnou.:h 'twixt Saturday and
Sunday next to meet him to kill the white pcoplc--/tc said tluy could get. ,inns 1:nou.
~h--- he is called
B.ttteau and llottcau--My brother ( witness No. 3) and
myself afterward ..;;spoke to~ccher on this suqjcct, and
he said that Battcau had spoken to him too.
Tt-n.: Couwr mwninwus(IJ fou11d llattcau Gun.TY,
and on the 28th J u11epassed upon him the sentence

of Dt:,uH .
On die first day of .Tul.v, the follO\ving letter was
rcceivc<lfrom His .Excclkucy Governor Bennett:
Clutrleston, July J st. l B22.
L. H. KNNEDY, Esq . Q. U. i Presiding Ma:gistrat es
J. P.
5of the Court of Jnstices
Tuos. PARKJm,

und Freeholders Or,!.!:anizcd for the trial of slaves

charged with attempti ng to raise an insurrection:
GEi'iTLDrn'.'I,

,..
l''

After a very atlcntive consideration of the evidence

yesterday pre sented, permit me to rc<]ucst that the
case of Battcau mav be reviewed with a view to the
mitigation of his pui1ishmcnt; such a power is vested
~n the Court by the provisioJJs of lhc act for the better on.lcring and governing of slaves .
lf guihy of an attempt to raise an insurrection, it
docs not appea r from the ev idence to extend beyond
an invital'ion co two boys to join in the prl~jcct: from
no part of the ev idence does it appeal' that he is fur th er implicated.
It is known that one of the boys rcfe1tcd to, was
charged with using jmpropcr threats, and therefore
supposed to be involved in the gene ra l plot, for which
11e\.Vas arre sted. As he states that he had subse quently a communication with his brotllf'r, and they
~oth testify to a simple insolatcd fact) collusion may

71
hf' infor1cd. And even admitting the truth of tbeiF
evidence, it would not appear that-he is equally guiJty
with the others. Jr so the benignant provisions of
..........
that act would sanctfon the rcqucsr 1muk.
I ask this Gentlemen, as an irnljvidual inct1rring
a sc,'....erc
and <listr_cssin~ Joss.

i am very resp ~c.tfully,

Your obedient serv't,

THU:MAS BENNETT.
The Court agtccablc to the request contained in
the above letter, reviewed their decision, but after
having sent fur a11d again interrogated witness No 3
and 4,, came unanimously to 1hc conclusion they had
at first done. After his execution it was incidentally
prm,ed, in the cour se of tl1c subsequent trials, that he
attcmled the meeting::; of the conspfrators at V csey's.
~!@101~1=-

a negro man lJdong .ing to ]\fr. Thomas R. Smith, wa~ 11exl brought hcforc the Cou1t,
STEPHEN,

hut there

lwing no testimony against

immediately discharged.

bim, he was

----==1~14;1@1=-

of PETE[{ ., a ncg,o man the property

of :Mr. J arncs Povas.- i\Jr. Porng with Robert Bentham, Esq. as his' counsel atte11ding.
'fHE

TRIAL

EVIDENCE.

,v1TNr.:ss No. 5,* a negro man, gave the following

evidence :-I

know Peter, he belongs to .Mr. James

Poyas- in May last Peter and myself met in Leg:wc
street, at the corner of Lambol-strect, when the following conversation took phcc-:-he asked Ir!C the
news---1 repJied none that I know of-he said by
George we can~t live so--1 replied how will we do--hc sa1d we can do very \vcll ; if you ci:q1find any one
~ Against this witness the Court had not a tittle oftestiniony-ht
consented without hesirntion to become a witmss, and to give all the
information he poss!'ssi;d, a pledge having been previously given him
liy the Court tlrnt he u10uklnot !JcJ)l"Osecutcdor hi~ name rcv e~le<l.

1.1-

72

I
11

I
I
I

,1

to assist us wHl you join---1 oskcd him hmv do :you

mcan---he said, why to break the yokc----1 replied
I don't knmv---hc asked me suprosc you were to
hear that the whites were going to kill you would
you defend yourself'.---1 reply'd Pd try to cscapc--he Rsked have you lately seen Den.mark Vesey, and
has he spoken to you particularly-I
said no-"cll
then said he that's at! now, but call at the shop tomorrow after knocking off work and l will tell yon
more-we then parted.
I met him the next day according to appointment, when he said to me, ,~eintend t.o see ifwe can't (lo something for ourselves, we
can't live so-.J asked him where lie 1vould gl'.!tmen -he said we'll find them fast enough, ,ve have got
enough-Vile e'.\pect menfromcounl(y and town. Bnt
how said I will you nmnage it-why
we ,vill /;!:ivc
them notice said IH', and thev wiJl mat'ch down ~.nd
camp round the cicy---but ,,1har said I will they dll
for arms-he answered they will find arms enough,
they wilt bring down their lwcs, axes, &c.-1 said
that won't do to fight with here-he said stop; let us
~ct candidates from town n-irh arms, and we wHIthen
take the Gttard-Ilouse aud Ar scr1al in town, the Arsenal on the Ne ck and the upper Guard -House, and
supply the country people wiih arms-how
said I
will you approach these Arsc11als &c. for they arc
guarded-yes
said he, I know that, but what me
rhosc guards, one man here and one man there, we
won ' t let a man pass before us-\Vdl said l but how
will the black people from the country and those from
th!'! Islands know when you are to begin; or how
will you get the town people together-why
said he
we wi !l have prayer meetings al night and there nutify
them when to start and as the c!ork strikes 12 all must
rnovc--But said I, the whites in the back country, Vitginia, &c. ,vhcn t hf:y hear the nev.s wi IIturn to aml kilJ
you all, aud beflides you may be betraye<l---Well
said he what of that, if one gers hanged we will rise
at that minutc---We then left his .'ihop and \.va)kcd
w wards Broa<l-strecr, when he sai<l / wai~t you to

7'$

trike notia <if all the Shops and Stores -intown with
aims n Lltnn, lake doicn the numbers and gi ve lhein
tu me- --I i:;ai<l I will :sec to it a11tl t.hc11we pal'tcd-About tlie 1st J unc Isa win the pL1
blic papen; a statcu.1cntllmt 1hc w.hitc pcorle were g_oiul:!i
to bu_ildl\Iissionary Houses Jor tl1e blacks, which l earned and
shewed to Peter aud sajd to him, yoLl .see the go.od
they arc goiug to do for us---w!1cn he said, what of
that 1 have you not heard 1hu1 011 the 4th July the
, ...-hitcs arc going to create a fob ! alarm of tire, and
even, black that comes out will be kiUcd in order to
thin -them --Do vou think that thcv would be so barbarous said l---~rcs said be I do;~ l fear they have
knowledge of an nrmy from St. Domingo, and they
would be right to do it, to prevent us from joining
that army if it .shoul<lmarch towards this land---1
was then very much alannc<l- --wc then parted and
Isa w no more of him 'till the Guar<ls were verv strict
about a fonnight ago---at l'hat:time I saw Peter ancl
Ned Denneu stnrnliug and talking together at the
corner of Lamhol au<l Legare-strect---they
crossed
over and rnct me by iHrs. Myles, and Ned Dennet
said to me, <lid you hear what those boys ,.,.-eretaken
up for the other day-- J replied No> Lut some say
't-was for stealing --Ned asked me if I wa~ sute I had
never said anv thin~ to the whites about what Petet
Poyas had spokcu tome about---1 replied No---says
Peter you never did---No I answcrcd---says Ned to
me how do you stnnd---at which l struck the tree
box with my kuucklcs and said, os firrn as this box,
I'll never say 011e word agaiust you---N cd then smiled
and nodded his head and said, that \vill do, when we
all scparatcd---last Tuesday or Wcllncs<lay week Peter said to me you sec my lad how the wbitc pe.op!c
have got to windward of us--yon ,von't said I be able
to do any thing---0 yes said lie \Ve will, by licorge
We are obliged to-- -he said nil down th;s way ought
to meet and have a collection to purchase powtler--what said I i.-:;the nse ot' powder, tlie whites can fire
three times to our oucc---he said but 'twill be such

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a dead time qf ni:ahl they won 't know what is the

matter, and 011r HrJrse Comp anies '1!cillgo about the
Jtreets anti prevem the wkitesfrom assembli1l/],'
- l asked him where wjJJ you get horsc s-,vhy saia he there
are many lmtcher ho.vs with hors es, and there are
the public Livery Stables, whcrr we have several candidates and the waici11gmen belonging to the white
people of the Horse Compan ies will he told to take
away their maste1's horse s-he asked me if my master was not a horseman-I said yes-has he not got
:J,rms in bis house-1 answered yes--can't
they be
got at--I said yes-then
said he 'tis good to have
tl1cru--I a sked him what was the plan--why said he
after we have taken the A.r~cual and Guard Houses,
then we ,vill set the town on fire in cliOrl'<
:nt places.
and as tile white s come out we will slay them~ if
we were to set lil'c to the tovim fast, the man in
the steeple v. 011ldgive the a]ann too soon-/
a111,
the Capzain Mti'.dhe, to ta/cc the lower G'uardllouse and Arsenal-But,
1 replied , w-hen you are
comjug np the ccntinel will glve the alarm--he saidhe
would advance a little distanC'e ahead, and if he could
only get a grip at !tis tliroat lw 1.v1ts a gone man, for
his S\Vorclwas very sharp ; he had sharpened it and
had made it so sharp it had cut his finger, which be
shcm,c<lrnc-as to the Arsenal on the Neck he said
that is gone as sure as fate, Ned Bennett would num1

(t!fC

that u.:iththe peoplefrom the c, imlry, and the peo-

ple between .lli&ben's Ferry and Santee 'Woulaland an<l

take tlic upper Guard-l101ti.'e.-l lhcn said, then th is
thing seems true-.My man, said he, God has a hand
in it, ,vc have been meetit1g for four years and are
not yet betrayed-I
told him I was afraid after all of
the \.vhite people from th e hack country and Virginia,

&c.-Hc said that the black s would collect so numerous .fawn the country \\:C need not fcai- the ,.v!dtesfrom
other parts, for when we have once got the city we
0111 keep them all out-He
asked if I had told my
boys-I ~aid 110-tlicn suicl he you should do it, for
Ned .Drnu~tt has his prople pretty well ranged : but

75
said he take care and don't mention it to those wait ..
ing men who recein~ pre;;;enlsof old coats ,S,.c.j,om
their masters or they'll betray us; I will speak to them.
We the11 parted and l have not since conversed with

.him-he said the rising was to take place last Sund rty night ( l Gth June )-that qny of the coloured peop
pie who said a word aboul t!tis matter would be killed
b.lJthP others- 'J'lie little man who can't be killed, sltot
or taken is named Jack, a GuHah nc~ro-Peter
said
there was a French company in tuw11 of 300 menfully armt?d-tlmt he vvas to sec Muuday Gell about exp ed itin g the rising.
I know that .l\iiugo \\.'c nt often
to iV[r. Paul 's to see Edwin, Lrnt dou't knO\V if he
spoke with \,Villiam-Pt:t,:r said lie liad a sword and I
ought to get 011c-he saicl he hall <tletterfrom the
cou:nlr.lJ,
I think Jrmn St. 1'!wmas', jrom tt negio man
wh() belong ed to tlte Captai1~ Q/'a Militi<t Company,
who S(lid he could easily get lite key <?fthe hou se where
the Company's anns were put uf t.f.t muster, and
take t!teritall ou.t and help iu dmt way. This bu si
. ness origiuares altogether with the African Co11gre.~a1ion in which Peter is a leader. When Bennett's
Nell asked ahout those taken up, he alJuded particularly to Mr. Paul's \Villiam, and asked me if I had
said any thing to him abour it.
Tm: OwN EH.of WnNEss No. 5, testified as tollows:
Mysetvant bears a good chancter.
Jfis general
conduct is good. Be was raised up in ID)' family, and
f woula place my life in his hands.
W 1r.LLAM, a uegro man belonging to Mr. l)aul,
testified as follows :- M1,.Harth;s negro man Mingo
told me about the in sul'rrction and referred me to
Peter Po_yas for further information. who he said had
a list with 9,000 names upon it, and that he wus

still taking down name s. On the week l wos to see

Peter I was apprehended. Mingo said that 600 men
on the Bay were alr eady down on the list in Peter's
f)ossessiol'I.. I never bad any conversation with l)c~
ter. Peter, Ned Benn ett and Charles Shubrick arc
L

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class leaders in the African Cl~urch. The African

Association have also a Clrnr c h in Anson-street and
one in Cow-alley, where they ha ve service. Ming:o
sairl that Peter would tell me when the rising wouM
take place. He sai<I 1hat letters we1epassing between
Peter Poyns and Ned Bermett and Charles Shubrick,
am) that all the orders he got, he got from Peter.
My fellow St~tvant Edwin brought the first news of
3he ri f;ing into our yar<l. He has a wife at. Mr . Parkel''s near the" lines. One M ondav morning when he
came from his ,vife's he told me tliere woulll be something sho nJy 'twixt the blacks and th e whites-that
he k11<:w the r :wlics and that 1he thing was going on,
and all tlw African C/,.urrdi wn-e engaged -in it, am! ii!
panicular mcutioncd Peter Po yas a11J Ned Dennett.
Edwin to!.d 11ie geucrally about the muHcr-that
Peter-lrnew nil, aud that all who wants to know goes
w hlm.
RoLLA in hi s conf ess ion sa id, tltal Denmark Vesey
told him Peter was one-[TuE
Couirr unanhnou,sly
found Pet er Gu1LTr, and passed upon him the sentence of DATtt.]
Snl>scq11cutJyto Peter's trial , a good deal of testimony was given against him in tl1e course of the succeeding; trials.
Amongst others, witness No. 10 tcslificd that-Peter
Poy,t s was the first man ,vho spoke
10 me and asked me to join-!
aske d him what, the
Church-he
said no, ha\'C you not heard that the
blacks wercjoiniu~ to try to take the country--1 asked
him if he tl1uu gh t he had men enough to do it-he
~aid .,cs, a plClllT of m en and. the Soc iety will con tribute rnouc,r with which a white man would pur ~
chas e g 1111.s
a!ld puwdcr for them-H e said he wou]d
call back, aud I must consider if I would Jo in thcm-

He cnlled back and u~kcd meifI was willing now-why

Peter sa id l you ha ve not got force enough-he said
iJ I <lid not joju ho would turn all my country people
against mc--said 1, if so, Flljoin you, but you must
not put my name dow111 whcu you come out if I find
yon strong cum1;l1 i'll jom you-wcJI said he if you
don 't join you'll be killcd -- l )ctc r and Hurry Haig

77
,ailed on me aftenvards--I
was not at home. Peter
Poyas l'okt'me also that they had force enough, that
i-ome \Vould come from J amcs' lslaud a11d J olins'
Island 1 und some from Chri~l Church Pilri .sh, whe1t~
he generally went over to a meeling 10 h:1\c a talk,
and that he had some about aud nhout hi wwn , the
number of which he would shew me from the Society
llooks if I would ouly come to the Socicty--hc saii.l
they were to figl1t tl1c whites and keep on fighting
~till the English came to help them-Harry
llaig told
me the same thing. [Sec also Fruuk Ferguson's ccstimouy agninst Dc1n11ark Vc~ey,who told him that
"himself, Ned, Peter mid lVfonciay Gell were the
pr.incipal men, and him~clf tlic head man, &c. "J
--<~;>@+>-

Al\HIERST,
a Negro Man belonging to Mrs.
Linin~, was next tried. Tbc strongest part of the
tcstimouy against him was, his requesting his cluss
leader on Sunday, the J6th June to pn1y for him, as
it might be the last day he had to live. Amherst admitted that lie hud said ~o, and that he alluded to the
intended insurrection, whicb he had that <lav heard
of; but denied that be was ju any manner engaged ju
it, and only asked for the prayers of his class leader,
as in the confusion, he would be in clanger of losing
his lifo whether he was engaged in it or uot.
T1-1ECounT unanimously found him NoT G Uir,TY
and discharged him.
--==1@ 1e101=--

TnE TRIA~Lof NED, a N.egro .l\fan the Slav~ of

His .1!:xccllency,Governor .Bennett-Jacob
Axson,
Esq. attendiug as Counsel for his owner.
l,;fll)F;Nc.E,

WITNESS
No. 5, testified as fo!lovvs :-About
the
7th June I saw Peter and Ned llcnnett standing and
-talking together ut the corner of Lam ho) and Legarcstrect-thcy
crossed over and met me by Mrs. Myles,
and Ned Bennett said tome, did )'On hear what those

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boys were taken up for the other day-1 replied i\'o,

bnt some say 'twas for stealing-N ed askf'd me if 1
was sure I had never said any thin g co the whit es
about what Pct.er Poyas had ~pokcn Lto me aboutI replied No--says P etei you never tlid-No 1 an
sweted- savsNed to me how do you staud ---at which
I struck the "tree box vrith my k1;uckle s and suid, ns
firm as this box, I'll never say u11e,vord against you
-~ cd then s1niled and noi\ 1lefl hi~ head and said,
that will do, when \.V r all srparatcd . P eter tol<l me
that Neel Benne tt with the p<'ol-'lc fr om the count ry
would atta ck and take the Arsenal on the lS'f'ck. He
asked me if I had told my boys-I said no-then ~aid
]H' you should do it; for N eel BPnncn ha s bis people
pretty \.YCII rnnged. \\.'hen \cd Bennett ask ed about
those taken up, he alluded pa1ticul arly to }lr. Paul s'
"William,and asked me if I ha<l said any thing to him
about it.
W1LU AM, Mr. PauFs Sia ni t('sfrlied ns follows :Mingo Harth told me that Ned Benn ett knew all
about it, aqd told it all to Mr. De111wt
t' s ptiople, aud
that letters were passillg between l'cte1 J>oyas, f\cd
Bcunett, and Charles .'::Shuhdck,aud that Ned Ben nett and Charles Shubri ck, arc on1cers. My follow
servant Edwin told me he knclV the purti cs and that
the thing was going on well-that all the African
Con gre gation were engaged in it and Pct.er Poya s
and N cd Il en11ett.
-WITNESS No. 1, testified, that Rolla said, Ned and
Mathias were concerned.
FRANK a Ne gro Man, the slave of Mrs. Ferguson,
gave the following evidence :-Ve sey told me that
Ned Bennet and Pote r Poya s wer e conc erned with
him, and that th ey were to go abont and tell the
biacks that they wel'e free a n<l must ri se and fight for
themselves. He said that. himself, Ned Benner, Peter Poyas and Monday Gell, were tbe p1-incipnlmen,
and himself the head man -that they were the prinejpaI men to go about and iuform the people, and fix
"1iem I hav~ seen Ned l}ennett at Vcscy's-1
met

Ned Bennett, :Monday Gell and others at Vesey)st

Where they were tnlkfog about this bu~iness.
THE
CouR'r u.nanim,.Yusly
found Ned Uu1LTY,and
passed upon him the sentence of D r,:ATH
.
.h::ssE in his confession to the Hev. Dr. Hall said,
"at another meeting at Denmark Vesey's 1 Ned Ben~
nett and Peter Poyas and several others were " presei1t, and in conversation" about this business, &c.
--=le!ti@IC:S--

TnE TnrAt, of JESSE, a N~gro Man, the Slav~

of ]\fr. Thomas Blackwood .=-His owner attending. '
./

EVlllE.'/CE.

SALLY, n Negro Womm, the Sluve of Mr. Alexanckr Howard, gave the follmviui:?; evidence ;-I
know Jesse and heard him speak scverci.ltimes about
it----One day in particular he was anxious to see his
broth"r who has my mother for his wife, and wafr ed
until he came, when rhcy conv ersed tog ether-Je ss(!
said he had got a hor,;e to g o into r!t11country to
bring down men to fight the white pPople ; that he was
nllowcrl to pass by two parr.ic.s of the patrole on the
road, but that a 1hinl party had brought him back
and that if thP.rc wele bnt five men like him lhey
would destroy th e r.ity- rhis was on las t Sunday
weck 1 (the 16th .June)-he said that before 3 o'clock
on that night all the whit.:: people would be kiHcdthat if any pcrsotl informed or would not jom in the
fig ht, such person would be killed or poisoned_..,;hc
frequently came into the yard to sec his brother, and
I threatened to inform if he came there, and spoke in
that way to get us all into troubl e-W e nev er had
ooy quarrel.
Lo'r, a Negro Man, the Slave of l\fr. Forr ester,

testified as foilows :-l

know Jesse-he met me last

Sunday week (16th June) at the corner ofBoundarystreet, as I was coming i11to town-he said be wa s
going to get a horse to !{O into the co1mtr11-From

\'drnt my master had told me the Thur sday before I

80
distrusted his errand and ~ave him somctl1ing of a
caution when us l was :oing:down into town towards
Mr. lliLbcn's Ferry Slip, an<l coll\ersiug wi1h him,
he said yon i;)udlsee to n(ght w!tf.n I come down what
I am going up fbr, and if my own fr,thn docs not assi.~t I will cut <?ff!tis head-fle
said he was going as
fi1r as Goose Crel'k Bri1~[{e, and would ger him a
horse if it ('.ost him nine dollars-rl1e
church bells

I
J.

werr then rin_!:!;ing,

and at half past IO o'clock the same
understood from S,dty tlwt he had set <dffur the country nnd hml bee,, brou,[!,ht dow n by lhc J>[ltrule.
Snrn, a Negro Man, the Slave of Mr. V{arinrr,
ga\ 'C the following testimony :-Jesse
asked me tn
Sunday week last, \ l Gth .June) before breakfast,
where he could get a horse to gn a little way into
the country with-I told bim l did not kaow-he
then went away and did not rct11rn before 9 o'clock
that niglit -- hc had a ,vifo at Mr. Waring's .
.FRANK,
;\Irs. li'crguson)s slave, testified as follows:
On the !.Stu of June, Vesey gave to Jesse 1'>2 to hire
a horse tu go into lke country to my llfi.stre:;s'plantatan- in St. John's, to iufunn tht people tu be down on
the night of the 16th. Mysr[f and Adarn put in 25
cents cachfor it. Vesey told Jesse, if i1c could not
go, ht~ must send some one dse.

dav J saw hint at-i\1r. Howard 's, and aficnvanis

The

vohrntar_y Col\ 'FESSIOK OF J Essi-~to

t!tc Court,

made after all the c\idcncc had been heard, hut before his conviction.
I huvc had several cotn 'Crsalions with Denmark
Vesey, the first about four week::; ago (ahout 1st .June)
he askc<l me J had heard aboUl the rising, &c. and
did [ k11mv that the coloured people were going to
try to get their liberty-I
tlien could stop no lunger
and he asked me to calJ and sec him-1 aftcnvm :ds
met him on Wednesday prcviuus tu the Sunday (16th
of J unc) that the ri sing was to tnke place-we walked up St . JJhillip-strcct and were joinc<l by Frnnk

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81
:Ferguson opposite Liberty-street, and u/e an three
"'alkcd up to Vesey's house. Says !<'rank I am just
from the country-well says V csey alld wh.1t success-says Frank I bavc !!Ot two fine men for our pmpose
on my Misucss' plantation, who must be sclll up to
aud informed wlH'u th e people are wanted in tm:vnVesey asked me it' I ,vould t,P.the man to go-I said
ye~. bllt I don't know the ,vay-8ays Vesey, F1ank
w ill tell yon-Fran I, thrn toi cl 111chow to go to l\Jrs.
Fergusou's plantation, anrl thar I must ask for John O
and Pompey aud ;ave me other rlirectlons-Vesey
1.hcu gave me $'2 to hire a horse am..tFrank and Adam
threw tlown on the rnblc 'tiJ cent~ ca('h, l dont know
what for-this was about l o'clock P. M. on Saturday hcfi:Jrc last (l 5rl I J u11c)-I prom ised to go that
night. On S!lnday I met Loe who betl'aycd me;
lhe sam<: dav I wld Vr sev J had lstarted but that the
patrol t.um eZI me ha ck ; in fa.ct I haci not started and
only to lo him so 10 dceei, e him-- -the same day I
met Charles Drayton at Vesey\ who said the business wns postponed---\ ' cscy asked CJiarles how he
knew the business was postponcd --Charlcs said Ned
Bennett and l\foudav Gell told him so. But said
Vesey, how could tlicy k11o w it ,nts postponed as
they have llOt i;ccn mc---Says Charles they said they
vou had told them so. Now,
ha(! seen ,ou aud 1lt.-1c
said I to Vesey, you !SCC there, suppose I had gone
into the country and brought those prople down to
night, we should riil have bcrn destroyed.
As for as
1 lZnow,I believe lJemnad~ Vcse!Jand _MondayGell
were the chief men.
'I'1-1ECouwr unanimousl!Jfound Jesse Gu1Ln', aud
passed upon him die se111r.11ecof DisAn-L
Snbsequcmly to his comktion, he made .the following cor;FJ:s s 10N in pri1,on to the R er. Dr. Hali--l was invited to Uenrn:uk Vcsey 's hou se, and when
1 wcut, J fou n<l ~,vcrnJ men nict tngcthcl', among
whom was NLd Beuncn, Peter Poyas, and other s,
whom I <lidnut k.11ow. Dcunrnrk PJ)c1wd the meet-

82

1'11

ing by saying, he had an important secret to communicate to us, which we must not c.li:;closeto any one,
and if we did, we should be put to instant deatl1. He
said, we wete deprivtd of our rights aml privileges
by the white people, aml that om Church was shut
up, so that we could not use it, aud that it ,~.,as high
time for us to seek for our rights, and that we were
fully able to conquer the whites, if we were only
unanimous und courageous, as the St. Domingo people ,vcre~~ He then proceeded to explain his plan, by
sayi11g,that th'y intended lo make the attack hy setting the Gmcrnor 1s Mills on fire, a11dnlso i,;omc hou~
se:i:ucar the warcr, aud as soo11as the IJi::llsLegan to
J'ing for fire, that 1hcy should kill every man as he
came out of Iii~ door, and that the servants in the
yard should do it, and that it should be done with
axes and clubs, and afterwards they should murder
the women and children, for he s~id, God had so
comrnuu<lcd it in the scripturcs---At u11other meeting
at Denmark's, Ned Bemiett and. Peter Poyas, und
several others were present, iu conversation, some
said they thought it was crnel to kill the ministers,
ancJ the ,vomcu a11dchildren 1 llut Denmark Vesey
said, he thought -itwa~~for ou,r Mljfty not to liJ)Me one
while .~kin t4lh,-,,,f()r this was the plan they pursued in
St. Domingo---He lhen said to me, Jesse, I want ymi
to go into the country to enlist ns many of the coun-

uy negrncs as possible, to be in readiness to com~

down to assist us- -I tokl him I hml no horse and no
money lO hire one; lw then lOok.out two dollars, and
gave them to me to hire a horse, and told me tu enlist as many as possilJlc. I got the horse the next Sabbath, and started, b11t 1he guard was so stl'ict, I
could not pass tlwm will10ur being taken up; so l rcrurned, and told D fmmark, at which he expressed his
sorrow, and said, the business was urgent, for they
wanted the country people to be armed, that they
might attack the Forts 1 ut the same time, and also to
take every ship and vessel in tlie l.J.arbour, and to put
.I

,;

'

i-nry miu11.0 dl'ath, except the Captains.

For said
iw, ii will not b,_.safe to stay in Charleston, for as
soon, as 1hey had got all the money out of the Banks,
and the goorls om of the stores on board, they intended to sail for Saint Domingo, fo1he had a promise
lhat they would rccci vc and protect them. This
J cssc as;crtcd to me, was the truth. whilst the tears
were nrnning dmvn his checks, a11d he appeared truly
peui{c11t, and 1 have rcGsou to hope, that he obtain{'d pardu11 from God, through the nwrits of Christ,
,w<l was prepared to meet bis fate wi:h confidence
a11d that lw was accepted of GorI-A t 4 o'clock, on
the morning of t!w execution, I visited aJJ the prisonirs coudernncd, and foU11dJ es:-1cat prnycrs-he
told
me, his mind was placid and calm ; he then assured
me, that what lie had told me ,vas the truth, and.
that he was prepared to meet his U-od.

I,

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;
TttE TruH, of SAMUEL GUIFFORD,
Negroe, and ROBERT
BAUD.EN,
lattoc ; hod1 of them boys .

a free
a free l\fu ..

.EVIDENCI::,

.JoHN ,voonwoRTH, a wlJitc hoy, testifie<l a~ foIlows:-1 am l i :years old. About a week ago, (subse'[uent to the 1tilh June) I heard Hobert Hadden say
to Samuel Guiflbrd, he was going to join to set fire
to die Town, take the .Magazine, and kill C\'cry
White .Mau who did not give up t!1c country.
I do
not think he meant me to hear him. Hobert Hcnon,
Jeffcrsm1 CampucH, aud Henry \Voodworth, were
;;ilsopresent.
Ro BERT B ERR ON, a white hoy lleposcd as follows:J am 12 years old. I heard Robert Hadden say, tha.:
on tbc night they raised they would kill the Governor,
fire the Magazine, and kill every damn white man
who would not gh'c up the countl') ' to the BlacksHe spoke moderately loud, and did not seem to cme
!If

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.,,
. 'I

who heard him. Samuel Guifford afterwards rc-peated to me what Hadden had said .
THE
CouRT were satisfied that the expressions
charged had been used by the prisoners, but from
their youth and other circumstances, they considered
them as rather the effect of puerile boasting, than as
evidencing a conspiracy on their part. The prison~
ers were therefore unanimously.found N oT Gu IL TY ,but
ordered to be retained in custody charged with a minor
offence. They were afterwards whipped in the Work
House and discharged.
-=\0l~!Ol=--

MATHIAS,the Slave of Governor Bennett; i\foNuo

the Slave of Mr . James Poyas; R.1c11AROan<l JoHN,
the Slaves of l\'Jr. I. Lucas ; and SAND v, belonging
IO Mr. Holmes, were discharged by the Court as not
Guilty. JIM, belonging to l\fr. Ancrum ; antf Fm
DA,
the property of Mr. Rout, were found NoT
Gu rLTY, and discharged-Against
them there was
little or no testimony.

TttE
TRIAL of ABRAHAM, a Negro Man, the
Slave of D1.Poyas-His ~_wne.~attending.
EVIDENCE.

The following LETnm, found in the trnnk of Peter

Poyas, was acknowledged by Al.iram, to have been
written L>yhimself-:-

" Dear Sir-With pleasure I give you an answer.

I will endeavour to do it. Hoping that God will be
in the midst to help his own. Be particular nnd make
a sure remark. Fear not, the Lord God that delivered Daniel is able to deliver us. AHthat I inform
agreed. I am gone up to llcach-Hill."
(Signed)
" I

AilRAHAl\f POY AS.:i

85
Abraham

for several days denied that the folio,.,..

lng words in that letter, viz :-"fear

noi"-" All
that I ,infonn agreP-d"-were written by him, saying, that they must have been added by some one-Thi s, however, wa s evidently false, as he himsdt"in a
day ot two afterwards admitted, but not befor e Peter Poyas had stated to the Court that every word in
the letter was there when he received it. On Peter 'i:;
being asked to explain the meaning of the letter, he
said, it alluded to the Negroes in Abraham's neighbourhood, n..-!10had all a:rced that Abraham should
be permitted to change liis Church and join theirsAbl'aham, how ever, gave a difforcnt meaning to it,
and said, it related to his having two wives. Dr.
Poya s, however, stated to the Court, that Abraham
had s11bse11uently giv en fo him the same cxplanatjou
of the letter that Peter had done. Althou;h this 1etter taken in connertion wjth his conduct was extremely suspicious, yet there heiug no other 1cstin10ny against .Abraham, he was found NoT GutLTY,
THF. TRIAL of DENMARK VESEY, a free black
man- Col. G. W. Crnss attending as _his Counsel.
F.VlDENCE,

the Slave of Mr. Paul, testified as folWn,LIAM,

lows :-.Mingo Harth told me that Denmarlc Vesey
was the cliitfest man, and more concerned than an.11
one else-Denmark Vesey is an old man in whose
yard my master's ncgro woman Sarah cooks-he
was her fathcl' in law, haYing married her mother
J3eck, and though they hav e been parted some time,
yet he visited her at her house near the Intendant's,
(M~jor Ham ilr.on) where I have often heard him

speak of the rising-He

said he would not like to

have fl white rnan in his presence-that he had a great
hatred for tlie whites, an<l that if all were like him
they would resist the whites-he
studies all he can to
put it into the heads of the blacks to have a rising

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against the whites, and tried to imluce me to _Jomhe tries to induce all hisacqunintances--this
has been
his chief study and delight fot'a consi<lcrnulc timc--my
Jast conversation with hin1 was iu April--hc studies
the Bible a gn~at deal and tries to prove from it that
slavery atHl bo11dage is against the Bible. I am pcrsuadc<l that Denmark Vesey was chiefly concerned jn
business.
WITNESS No. 1, gave the follmving testimony:I know Denmark Ve sey-[ ,vas one day on horseback going to Markel, when I met him on friot-he
asked me if I was sati~(ied in my pres~nt ~jtuationif l remembered the .fable of Hercules a11dthe Waggoner whose wag gon

\Ya s

stallccl, and he begun to

pray, and Hercules sai<l, you fool JHlt ymtr shoulders

to the wheel, whip up the horses, and vonr wi:i~~on
will be pulled out-that if we did not pLitour liaiidto
the work and dr.livei- ourscl vcs we slrnll ncvC'r cornc

out of slavery-that
l'oi.grcss Juul made 1ts .free-I
know that he is inlimatcly acquulutcd with HollaHolla told me that there Imel bec11 a :sort of d isagrcemcut and confusion at their place ol' rncctin1!:, nud
that they meant to meet at Yc!lcy's-Ve.sy told n1c that
a large army from Sr. Doillingo al](I Africa \Y<' JT
coming to help us, and we 11111srnot sta11d wiilt oar
hands in our pockc1s-he
was !Jiu.er tm,.,an!s tlH~
whites.
Sec the CoNFESS!ON of RoLLA in page 66, 6'i, 6H.
:FRAtrn,Mrs. Ferguson's slave gave the foilmving
evidence---! know Denmark Vesey and have been to
bis house---1 ha\'e heard him say that che ncgroe's
situation was so had he did not know how thcv could
endure it, um! was astouished th ey did not rlsc and
feud for themselv es, and he adriscd me to juju and
rjse -~-hc said he was going aboot w sec djfforcrn peoJJlc, aud mentioned the names of Ned Ilennett and
Peter Poyas as concerned \Vith him-that he had
spoken to Ned aad Peter on this subject; and that
they were to go about and tell the blacks that they
rise and fight for themsefres-
were free, and 11:3ust

87
that they would take the Magazines and GuardHouscs, nnd the city and hr. free-that he was ~oing
to send into tlw cu1rntryto inform the pcop)c there too he said he wanted me to join them-I suid l could not
answer-he
said H" I wottld uot go into the country
for him he could get otlwrs---he said himself, Ned
and Monday GcH were the prinBennet, Peter
cipal men and himself the head man. He said they
were the principal m en to go about and inform the
poopl e and Cix:1hem, &c. that o,w pnrty would land
on South -R,ty, uru: abont W(t]'J!00 1 tmd nbout the.farms
-that the party which was rn land 011 South-Bay
was to take th e Guard-f-lonse and ge1 arms and then
they would be able to go 011-that tlw ~lltack wa,;; to
co111mcuce abont 1':!. o'clock at night-tlwt great
numbers 'IOOuldcomejimn alt rrfJOut, and it must succeed as 50 many were cugage d in i r-that they would
kill alJ the whites-that
thev would leave their master' s houses and ass11nble 'toge lhc~r near the lines,
march clown and nwet the party which would land
on Soutli-Bay-tbat
lie wa s going to send a rnan into
the cou.ntry ou n horse to brin,J{ down lite country people und t.hat he vvonld pay for I he horse. J-Je gave
S':2
to J cscc to get th e hor :scon Saturday week last;
(15th June) about 1 o'clock in the day, and myself
nntl No. 8, also put in 25 ccncs a piece, and he told
J cssc, if he could not go he 111usl semi som e one else.
J have seen Ned Be1111ettat Vcscy's-l one night
m et at Vesey's a great number of men , and as they
came in each handed him some money. Vesey said
there \vas a little num named lu ck, ,vlw ('ould not be
killed, an<l who wonld furni sh tlwm witl1 arms, he
hat! a charm and he wunld lead 1hem-tbat Charks
Dmyton liad promised to he engaged wi1 h thentVesey said rhe ncgroes were livillg ~uch an abomina
hie life, they ought to rise. I sai<I I was Iivi ng "vdl--hc said thou .~h I was, oth ers were not and that 'twas
such fooJs us 1, that were in the wny and would
nut help them, and that after all things ,vcre well he
would mark me. He said he did not go with Creigh-

Po.yus

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88

ton to Africa, becausehe had not a will, he u;a.ntedto

stay anJ sec ~vhatlwcoul,l do for his follow- creatures-I met Ned, .Monday and others m Denmark Vesey's
,vhcrc they were talking about the lrnsi11css. The
first iimc I spoke with Monday Gell 'twas one night
at Denmal'k Vescy's house, wlwre I herird Vesey tell
Monday that he must send .~mneone into the country
Jo bring the people dow11- _;_
\fo11rlnysairl /u had sent up
.faclt and told him to tell ihe people lo comr. down and
y"oinin the.fight aga1n1st the whites and also to ascertain
and inform him how manv people he coulrl get. A few
davs after I met Vesev, "Monday and Jack, in the
streets, under Mr. D~ncan's trees at night, where
Jack slated that he had b,:rn into the c01u1try round by
Goose-Creelcand Dorchester,and that he had spoken
to 6,600 persons l\ ho had agreed to join. Monday
said to Vesey, that if Jack had so many men they
had bctlcr wait no longer bm begin the business at
once, and others would join.
The first time I saw
Monday at Vesey\,, he was going a,vay early, \,hen
Vc.scy asked him lo s1ay, to which Monday replied,
h Gexpected that night a meeting at his house to fix
upon and matur e the pkm, &.c.an<l tl1at he could stay
no longer-I aftenvnrd:,; conversnl wi1h l\londay in
his shop, where he askerl me if I had hemd that
.Bennett's and Poyas' people were taken up, that 'twas
a great pity-he said he hadjoincd in the business( tofd him to take care he was not taken up. \iVhcnevcr I talked with Vesey, he always spoke ot Monday Gell us being his principal and acti,e man in the
business.
ADAM a ~eg ro Man belonging to M:r. Ferguson
te.o;tifiedUf, follows :-Denmark Vcsvy one day asked
me to walk to hi~ house, ancl 1here asked me for 25
c~enrsto hire a horse to SPIHI up into the country-I
put down 1he money on the table mid asked wha! lw
wasgoingrn send jnro thP. country for- -he said 'twoufd
he for mv b<>nrlit-as he \,.:ould tell me 110 more I took
up the n1011ryand put ic hack into my pocket again

-1 afternards met the man who ,vas to go into the

countrv, who told me he had set off, but had been

hl'ougl;t back by the pacrole ; that !tf'. was going up
zo bring domt t/ie black 7>eoplelo ia&e lkis country
from the wkite1>-I have been at Vesey's house and
there it was l met the man .vho was to go into the
country, he was a yellowish man-the witness pointing at Jesse said, that is the man who was to go iuto

the country.

,
n,, .Tr.ssi::to the Court in p. $0
Bc1~jamin Ford, a ':hilt: fad, about 15 or 16 years
of age, deposed as Julluws :-Denmark
Vesey freSee the

CoNF1::ss10N

quently came into our shop which is near his house,

and a l wuys e.unpluiucd of the hardships of the blacks
-he sa.id the laws ,vc1cvery rigid and strict and that
the blacks had nut 1hcir l'ights-lhat
every 011e h?d
his time, and that his would come l'OLttHI too-/tis

gen,eral c,nversalionwaliabouereligion whichhe would

apply to sliwery, as fol' instance, he would speak o(
the creation of the world, iu \.\.hichhe \.vould say aU
men had e(Jnal rights, blacks as well as \\'hires, &c.

all !tis religiuu.,remllrks were mingled witlt slavery.

Tim Co owr unan.im01tsly found Denmark 'Vesey
GutLTv, and pmscd upon him the sentence of DEATH.
After his co11viction 1 a good deal of test1mony was
given against h1rn during the succeeding trial:s.Amongst others
W1~ss No. 9. a ucgro mau testified as follows:Denmark Vesey has frequently spoken lo me about
the intended insurrection, antl endeavoured to pt!rsuade me to join them-He
e11quircd of me if 'Jil'!f
maste1lwd not iir-ms fn kis house, an,l tried topersuade
me to get them Joi him. The blacks stand in great
ftar of him, and I so much so, that [ always endeavoured to avoid him .
EDWIN, a ncgro man belonging co l\fr. Paul, guvc
the following evide11ce:-Charles
Drayton told me
that Denmark Vc~cv anrl l\fouday Gell knew about
tbc insurrection of the h!acks, n1:Hlthat my follow
servant William, in cunsequenceqf iv/wt he fwd said.

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90
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run great risque of his

fifeif

he

out-I

'WOllld

have heard every body, evcu the womcu 1:iay,when

several were apprehended al first, that !ht'y wondered Denmark Vesey and 1\louduy Gell were uot taken

up.
Sec CoNFESSlON
inpagc 81.

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m ,11{

of hssc to the He\', Dr. Ha.11,

THE
TRrAr, of MOf\DA Y, a Negro Man, the S luve
of M1.John Gell. Col. \Y m. House as his friend,
~uulJ acob Axon, Esq. Counsel for his mvncr attendrng.

l:VIDENCE.

Frank, belonging to l\lrs. Ferguson, testified as

follows :-T'hc lirst time I spoke \Villi Mo11day Gell,
was one night at Vest~y's l1ouse, where I heard vcsey
tell Monduy
'I

he musl send some one into the coun-

try to bring lhe people dow1i- l\lo11day said he lwd

sent itp Jack, flud told him to oriug the people
dowu, and t:::11them to co1m down and join in the
fight against tlie whi1es, aud to asceriain and in~
form hi~u Jiow many people he could get. ~\ few
days alter I met \ csey, I\londay an<l Jack m tile
street, und er Mr Dnncan)s trees at night, where
Jack sta ted that he had been i n Ll1c country, round
by Goose-Creel~and Dorchester, aud that he had

spoken to 6,600 persons who lw.d agrccJ tojoin-At

Vesey's the iirst time 1 saw ]\1ouday, be was going
away, Vesey asked him to stay, when ]\londay sa id
he e.lpccted that 11ight a meeting: at his house to {ix
upon anti mature the plan, &c. and he could not stuy.
l aftcnrnrds
roiwcr:,e<l with 1\.1.ondayin his shop,
where he asked rnc if [ had heard that Bcunc1t's and

Poya s' people were taken up, 1hat 'twas a grcal _pity-
he mid dmt he hall joiued i11 the 1.rnsiue:,;s.,-1
told
.I,

him to take care he was not tak<!n up.

Whenever

taJked whh Vesey he ahvays spoke of Monday Gell

as being his; principa l and activcJ man in this b11si-

91
ness. J heard Gullah Jack say, he n,oulcl pay no
more wages, he was too busy in seeing about this ini11surrection; besides what would the whhc people
waut with wa;cs they woul<lsoon benomore--Monday
Gell snid to Vesey, chat if Jack had so many men
they had better woit no longer, but begin the business at ~:nee a:1d ot~crs would joJ191.
See r.OWl.'I s testimony, page J .
W1TNl!:SS
No. 10, a Negl'o Man e,:avethe evidence
following:-(
saw Charles Draycuu bcforn the 16th
at Mouduy Ge!l's-1 was going to Mmkct and
Charles called to me-as I was crossing the street
.Joe whn has a wife at .Mr. Hcmoussin's, asked me if
I did not know that Monday was at the head of the
Ebo Company ,.,ho arc going tu fight the white people-Monday is an Eb o-I a:sk~rlJoe if he was one
of that Company-he said yes he was-I asked him
said he
what he could do as he was an invalid-he
would take Hcmonssin's sword aud gun and tell him
to lay down in hb bed and be quiet-WTe parte<l..Previous to l'hc 16th of.June, Monday Gell called me
into his shop-I weut in and said to him, I heard
he was Captain of his countrymen's
company
the Ebo's-lie said he was a sort of a. one-I bid

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him good morning, whett he said wlten you want to

hear the news come here-I nc,er saw him aftetwards,:--1\fonday aud Charles were very often to~
gether.
See the latter part of .TEssE's CONFESSION, p. 81.
W1TNss No . 5, testilicrl as follO\vs:-Pete r Poyas

ij

told me about the 10th of June, that he \Vas to sec

Monday Gell about cxpcditin~ the rising.
TnE CouRT unanimously found Monday GmLTY,
nnd passed upon him' the scntcnc,c of DEATH ; after
which he made the following Confession :Confession of i\lomlay G dl.-1 come out as a man
who knows be is about to dk-somc
time after
Christmas Vcscy pruiscd my dool', he called in and
said to H', !'hat he was trying to gather the blacks to
try and see if any thing could be clone to overcome

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the whites; he asked me to .iom; I asked him his

plan aud his numbers; he sai<l !le ha<l Peter Poyas,
N cd Bennett, and Jack Purcell; he asked me to join;
T said no; he left me and t: saw him not for sometime
-About four or five weeks ago as J went up Wentworth-street, frank I'ergusou met me, and saitl he
had fou1 plantation's of pPoplc who he v.-as to go for
on Saturday, 15th June. How, said f, will you hdng
them dovvn ; he said 1hrough the woo<ls ; he asked
me if I was going towards Vescy's to ask Vcscy to he
at home that cvcning, and he would be there to iel1
me his success. I asked Jack Purcell to carry this
message, he said he would ; that same evening at my
house I met Vesey\; mulatto boy, lie tohl me Vesey
,vished to see me, I went with him ; wheu I went into Vesey's I met Ned .Bennett, Peter Poyas and Frank
.Ferguson, and Adam, and Gullah Jack; they were
consuhi11gabout the plan; Frank told Vesey on Sa
tunlay 15th, he would go and briug down the people
and lodge them neai town in the \VOorls ~ the plan
was to \'l,l'lllthemselves by breaking open the storeiwith arms. I then told Vesey I would join them,
after sometime I told them I had some business of
my own anti asked them to excuse me, I went away,
and only then was I ever there. One evening, Pcm.ult Strohecker, and Bacchus Hammet brought to
my shop a keg, and asked me to let jt stay there till
they sent for it; I said yes, but did not know the
contems; the next evening Gullah .Tack came and
took away the keg, this ,vas before the 16th June;
since I have been in rwison [ learnt that the keg con
taincd pow1ler.
Pharo T'hornpsou is concerned, and he told me a

day or cwn after Nt<l nnd Peter wen' taken up, if he

could get a Jifry dollar bill, he would run away; about
two Sunday's befol'e I was brought here, he asked
me, i11 Archrlale~strcct, when shall we be like those
,, ..hitc people in chc Church ; I said when it 'pleased
God; Sunday br~fore I was taken up, he met me as I
came out of Archdale Church, n11d took me into a
~taule in said streer, and told me he told his master,

93
who had asked him, that he haJ nothing t.odo in this
affair; vvhich was a lie. \iViJliam Colcock ,ame to
my shop once and said a brother told him !hat fiyc
hundred !11enwere making up for the sam~ p,.rpose.
Frank saul he was to send to Hcll-Ilole !:;wamp to
get men.
Perault Strohecker is engaged; he used to go of a
Sunday on horse back up the road to a man he knows
on the same crraml. One Sunday he asked me to
go with him; I ,ve11tand Smart Ander.'<on;we wen~
to a small house a little way from the road after yoq
turn into the ship yatd road, 011 its left hand ; they
hvo went into tile stable with an old man that Jived
there, I remained in the yard; they remained in the
stable about half an hour; as soon as they came out,
I and Peirault started to town ro go to Church, and
Jett Smart there ; I was told by DeDbow Marlin,
who has a wife in Mr. Sm1th's house1 that Stephen
Smith belonged to some of the gangs.
Saby Gnilliard is concerned, he met me on the Bay,
before thr: 16th .June aud gave me a piece of paper
from his pock.et ; this paper was about the battle that
Boyer had in St. Domingo; in a <la)' or two he called on me and asked if I had read ir, anti sa1d jf he
had as many men he would do the same too, as he
could whip ten white men himself; he freqnently
came to me to speak about thi~ matler, and at last J
1md to insult him out of the shop; he and Paris Ball
was often together.
A week before I was taken up,
Patis told me that my name was called.
, Billy Palmer and Vesey were constantly together;
there was once in my shop a long talk between them
about this same matter; r begged them to stop it ;
V csey told him to try to get as rn.any as he coiild; he
said he would.
John Vincent told me that Edward Johnson, a
free man, had said, us he was a free man he would
have nothing to do with slaves, but the njght they
began he would join them.

,;

I told Charles Drayton what uproar there was

about this busines!<, anrl since we Jnvc been here we
have talked together.
Albert .Inglis came to mr. and askf'd if T krww any
thing about it ; l said yes. He asked me if 1 had
joined; I said yes i he said he was one also: he said
Adam, a free man wanted to sec mc,J went wi1h him
one night ; Adam asked me how many me11 had join ..
ed; I told him what Frank Ferguson had said ; he
asked me if I bcliev()d it; I said yes ; he snid if he
could only find tllCll bchinr\ him
WOUid go l>rfore.
Jlrcvious to the 1Gth, Albert said to me q11itthe business; I told him I was too fr1ri11toit, so I must stick
tok
1 never ,vrntc to St. Domingo or any \\'here d'ic on
this su~ jcct, nor kept a list m book"', nor saw any
such things, but heard thflt Paul's Willimn had a list~
nor did J hear any thing about arms being in posse s~
sion of the blacks. l don't know that Tom J{usscll
made pikes, nor that Gullah Jack had any of rhcm.
Lewis Remoussin called at my shop a11d asked me
to calf at his house, he bad something to 1dl me, hut
I did not go; Jack Glen told me lie was ,mgaged.
I met Scipio Sims one Sunday, coming from the
country, who said he bad been near the Savannah 's
to Mr. Middleton's place ; I heard afterwards that
1
his errand was on this business.
I know John the cooper, wl10 said he was engaged
too in this business.
William Garne1 said he was Qngagcd in it and had
got twelve or thirteen draymcn to join.
Sandy Vesey told me he belon ged to it too.
At Vesey's house, Frank told Ci ullah Jack, to put
one ba11and three buck shot in each cnrtrid gc.
Mingo Hanh acknowledged
to me thut. he had
joined, and Peter Poyas told me so too; he, Mingo,
told me so several times; Mingo ),,aid he ,vas to have
his master's horse on the night of the lGth .
Lot Forl'estcr told me frequently that he was one

lie

of the company, and l lrnow that he lmdjoincd in

the business myself. Isaac Harth told me once that

he ha<ljoined, he knew l was in the business.
Jl\forris llrown knew nothing of ir, and we agreed
not lo let him, Harry Drayton, or Chr,rles Corr,know
any thin:!!;about it. --told 111ein my sto1e
that he ~~as to get some powder from his master and
~ive it to Peter Poyas; he seemed to have been a
loug time cngngcd in it, and to know a great rlealJ oe Jore acknowledged t0 me once or twice that he
had joined, he said he knew some of the F1enchmcn
co11cerncd; he knew l was in it.
Subsetpicntly to thi,; co11fcssion, .i\Jon<laywas examined as a wjtncss in a m1mbcr of cases, dudng
which, he stated many thitrgs he had not menr.ioncd
in his confession.
The Collrt t.'.onceivin!!:it all im-

portant to obtoin from Monday, all the it-1fr1rmation

he posses~c<l, (bclicdn .~ him to po~sc1>smore inforrna~
t.io11Oll this SUQjcctthan any man then alive) offel'ed
to recommend him to the Governor for a conditional
pardon, or commutation of his punishmen t to bani .~h~
menr, if he would 1cvea! all he knew in relation to
this plot. He prumise<l to do so, and ma.de this 81:coNll

Co:-.FE5SWN

The first time I heardof the intchcicd insurrection,

was about last Christrnas, from Denmark Vescv, who
called at my shop, aud informed me of it. Vesey
said he was satisfied wilh his own condition, being
free, but as all his children were slpvcs, he wished
to see what could be done for them. He asked me to
join, hut I then po~itive1y refused to do so-I inquirrrl of him, how many he had enlisted, amf he

mentioned the names of Peter Povas, Nod Bennett, Holla Bennett, am! Jack Purcell:
I inquired if
1hose were all and he replied '' yes" He then departed, and hatl no further correspondence with me
1mtil about three months ago--l was then walking in
VVcnt WOl'th-strcet on my wuy to a man named Peet
Smith, up King-street, and was accosted by Frank
Ferguson, who told me, he had just returned fron,

the cotmuy, and had collectedfour plantations of Ne-

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troes.

He requested me to inform Vcscy, that

lie would call on him that evening, and gh'e
l1irn un account of his opr.rations in the counfr.1J,-l
went to Jack Purcell and requested him to carry the
message for me, being busy-On
my return l;ome,
iu the evening, I met Vcsey1s Son-in-law, at my
door, who said, that V esc.r wished to see me-I accompanied him to Vesef s, and there found Peter
Pova:s, Ned Bennett, Gullah Jack, Frank and his
fellow servant, Adam Ferguson.
Frank then informed Vesey , he had collected four plnntarions ofnegroes, and said he would start on Saturday the 15th
of .Jur1e, to bring them to town, on the JG1h. He
~<lid, he would conduct them into the woods, and
place them, About three milrs from town, until Snnday night. Vesey then again urged me to join, and
I consented.
This was about three months prior to
the 16th of June. Vesey, from that time conlinucd
to "isit the shop, in wfrich I worked.
Peter, Ned,
Vesey~Frank, Rolla, Adam, Gullah Jark, Jack Purcell and myself were the party at Vesey'.s, and thcro
agreed to enlist as many men as we C0! .1ld. Vesey
eten ceased working lumsclj'at his trade, and employed
himself ccclusivccyin enlisting men, and continued to

do so until he was apprehended. Shortly afterwards

Vesey said he would endeavour to open a correspondence with Port-au- Prince, in St. Domingo, to ascertain ,vhether the inhabitants there nould assist us.
He said he would send letters there and I advised him to do so, if he could. Some time after
this he brought a letter to me, which was directed to

Pl'esident Boyer, and wa s enclosed in a cover, which

was dircctecl to the uutlc of the cook of the Yessel
by which jt was sent. The name of this cook
was William-His
uncle was to open the envelope,
and prescut the letter to Boyer--this vessel, a schooner,. had been repaired at the ship-yard, at Gadsden's
Wharf, and was aftenvards brought to Vandcrhm-.~t's
wharf~ where she was then lying-I \H iked with Vesey to the wharf-Pierault was 1n company with us,
II

ii,
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9'i

at the time--V csev asked William the cook, if he

would curry the fottcl' for hirn, aud he consented to
<lo so--\Ve then retnmed, each of us to his respective
home-nothing
extraordinary took place after this,
and I met no other band or association after this
time, but Vescy's particular company-Bacckus
Hammett brought a keg qf Poicder to my sltop, 1uid
said he would pmcure j ive hundred (600) mnskets
from his master's store on the n(ght of the 16tlt JuneBacchllS also tolri me, that he could prncure nwre
Powder, but did not say wlicrc-the plan was to
urcak open all the Stores where Arms were dcposi
ted, and seize them, aftc1 they had procured the five
hundred muskets above mcntioned-Vcsev
said he
would appoint his leaders, and places of" meeting,
about one week before the 16th of J nnc, but the
meeting for this purpose was prc\'cutcd by the capture of some of the principals before that per.io<lVcsey determined to kill both women and children,
but I oppos~d him aml offended him in doing so-Peter and the rest agreed to the opinion of Vesey in the
numler uf all-some
time before any discoveries or
apprehensions ,vere made, myself and PieraulL wished to drop the businesii, but rho11ghtwe had gone too
far to retreat-I knew personally of no arms, except
six pikP-s, shewn to me by Gullah Jack, which were
made by Tom RusscH-1 knew of no lists except the
one which I kept, containing about forty uames,
and which~ I destroyed after the first interruption and
alarm-It \Vas said that \Villiam Paul bad a list, but
I 11cvcrsaw it-William Garner told me that he was
to command the Draymcn, and that he had procured
twelve or thirteen ltorscs--Jack Purcell told me that
Scipio Sims fwd been at the Savannah's, in the neiglibourliood of Bacon's Brid[!e, lo obtain men-Denbo
Martin be.longed to the party, and informed me that
Stephen Smith acknowledged lhat he was one.
Charles Drayton and Perault have both seen Denbo at. my shop-Vese!.f originaily proposed tlte second
8 unday, or the l lltlt o.fJuly, as the day for rising, but

j
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98
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uticrwnrds changed it to the 1G1hof .Tune. Afrer the

plot was uiscovered, V cscy said, it was all orcr unless
an attempt was made to rescue those who 1niglttbe
rnndemned; hy rushing 011 the people, and sa\iug the
pti.soners, or all dyiog rogechcr. Vesey said, that as
Petel' and Nc<l were accustomed to go into t he cou11try they must go there and t'f.(Tilit men. Vesey was
in the habit of going ro Bulkley's farm- i'Villiam
Palmer and Vesey were very intiillate-.lack Purcell
knew of this con spii-acy before rnyscJf-l do not re-

Ii

~I

collect any pP-rsou who refused when I nppliedtohirn.

SomP took time w consider, b11tthey all finally agreed.
Vesey was considered by rhc whole party, as a mun
of great capacity, and was also 1hought to possess a
bloody disposition-He
bad, l am told, in the cour&c
of his lifo, seven wiYes, and had travelled tl1ro1Jgh
almost every part of the world, with his former muster Captain Vesey, a11d spoke French with fluencyMorris J1rown) Hurry Dru yto11, and Charles Corr,
and other iutlucntial leaders o f the African Church,
were never consulted on this sul1jcct, for fear they
would betray us to the wi..Jitcs-Vcsey
had many
years ago a pampl1lct on the slave tradc-V cscy said
ti.mt bi~ eldest S!cp- son was engaged iu th is affair.
The Coun had, previously to this coufcssion, twice
applietl for am! obtai1Jcd from the Governor a respite
for Mondav.... ' Charles Dravtou and Harry Hai(J'
~,with
,.;

a view lu obtain from them the testimony and information chey appeared willing 10 g1re. On rhe 2,itll

day of July, after l\foncla y had nuu.le his last confcs~

sion, they nddr es~cd the following letter to the Gon:mo1.
Clittrleston, 2-~tlt .luly, 1822.

SIR.,

,,I
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" We recommend that l\fonday Gell, Charles

Drayton, and Harry Haig should be pardoned upon
rondftion that they be sent om of the limits of the
lJ nitcd States. ,,vc foci it our duJy to state to :your
:h:xccllency the reasons which have influenced us in
this measure.
These men arc unquestionably guilty

99
of the offences with whirh thev have been P.hm'!(eil:
but undel' the impression thnt "they w. ,1tld ultim~ rp]y
have their lives spared, they have mad e to us disdosures not ouly important in the dct l'ctioH of thP
genernl plan of the conspiracy, but enabl ing the
Court to convict a uumbet of the principal offenders.
Having used these i"ndiddu~ls as witnesi;es and obtained from them the knowJedge
they could eommuuicate, we deemed it unccssarily
harsh and amounting almost to treachery, afterwards
to sacrifice their Iives. l II add it ion to this inducement, we regard it to he politic that I.he N cgroes
sho11l<lknow that en~n their principal advisers nncl
l'ing-leadcrs cannot be confided in, and that undet
the temptation of exemption from cflpital punishment
they will betray the commm1 canse."
On the next day they received an arrswer, in which
the Governor dccl i nes pardon i ug <.:ondi t.ionall y, M 011d ay, Charles and I-Jarry, and .says, "tl1e case.'l of
Monday Gell, Charles Drayton and Marry . Haig,
lvonld produce me considerable crnburrassmcnt, were
you not cJothcd with anthority co carry your rccommc11datio11into foll elfoct."
T11E Co u RT the11 l'csolvcd to reconsider the sentence
they had passed on MutHlay, Charles and Harry,
unanimo1.tsly altered tlwir senrence, ancl passed upoti
them the following-" That 1hey be impri soned in
the ,vork-House of Charle$ton, until their masters,
under the direction of the City Cllllncil of Charleston,
shall send them out of the llrnits of the [ :nited States,
in to which they are not to return under penalty of

death."
Tim

TnuL

of CHARLES,

a Negrn

Man, be-

longing to the Honorable Johu Drayton-His

owner

attending.
E\'lDENCE.

Enw1N, Mr. Paul's Slave-For

p.ige 89.
0

his ~testimony see

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100

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PATRICK, a Negro Man bclo11giug to Miss Datty,

testified as follO\vs :_.._Jknow Charles Drayton, who
asked me in the streets about five months ago if
I would join with him-I asketl him what-He~ said
we want to make up a conipany-I
asked for what
--he said for some respectable brown n:ian coming
here from abroad--) :mid I <li<lnot want death to
take me yet.
WnNESs No. 10, gave the following t('.i;;tfrnony:-I met Cbal'lcs Dra}ton before the I Gth .Junc at Monday Gell's shop ; I was going to Market and Charles
called to me. I afterwards rnet him on Ist July in
the streets, when he said now get ready, we must.
break out at once, for we will nor lee ~ix lives be taken-I asked him whc:c they would LrgiH--H e said
at Boundary-street directly as the Patrolc and LightHorse turned in-1 said had you not better wait 'till
after the 4th July--he said no, because in the mean
time the people will be hanged-Charles
said they
l1ad force enough and \Ve parted--] met him in Mar ket, 'twixt 8, and 9 o'clock on 2d July and said to
him, now the people arc hanged l suppose you arc
sorry you joined in the business-He said yes and we
parted. Monday ancl Charles were very great together. On Monday, 1st .July, Charles Drayton told
me that there would be an Insurrection on the morning of the 6th July as soon as the Guard turned

in-lte said lte conunandful the country born company. Charles Drayton said he had prepared for
himself a gtln and a ~word.
GEORGE, a Negro Man belonging to Mr. Vanderhorst, testified as follows :--Gullah Jack is an enemy
of the white people- - Charles Drayton told me that
he would die with Gullah Jack, this was about the
tlme of the execution-I was in the company of Witness No. 10, who askt>d me to join, aud carried me to
Jack's house, where they met, and which is next to
Monday GeJl's-hc saicl he was ready to join, and
asked me to join -Th ere I met Gullah Jack , Witness
No. 10, John Horry1 Harry Haig, Julius Fonest, anEi

r
101
Charles Drnywn, nm! gthcl's whose names I don't
recollect or irnn'\!v-dlis was after cbe 16th Junethcre 'twas said they would come against the white
people.
J Essc's CoNFF.SSioN* see latter part of it~ p. 81.
T1rn Co urn unani11wuslyfound Charles GUILTY,
and passed upon him the sentence ofDATH.
Subsequently to his conviction he nrnde the folfowing CoNF .Ess10;,. :-1 have seen Pieruult Strohcker talking with 1\fonday Gdl in his sbop-J ack PurcelJ saicl to me just befure I was taken up, that he
had gone into the country to gather the people's mind
on this subject, but the overseer was so watchful that
Jae had no chance of speaking to the people.
I heard William Palmer say in Monday Gell'sshop,
that he was one. 1 met Pharo Thompson at Monday GcU's-hc said what he would do when they
commenced-that
he had no si..vord, but that he had
a part of a saw which he would have ground into a
sword-that
be was one-he bragged of what he
would do with his :;word. Mingo Harth came once
to .Monday Gcll's wheu I was there, and he then
spoke to the effect that he was one of them, but I
can't rP.collect his words-his brother also told me
that Mingo had joined.
Lewis the mattrass maker
suid to me one day that he had somethint; particular
to say to me, of what was going to happen here, but
that as he was a country born they did not choose

him-I

took his meaning.

Lewis Rewuussin tuld me one day, that \\'hen if

The Court consi1lered Jesse's conff'ssion good evidence, because.
it wits voluntarily made uncle1th<' ronviction of approaching df'ath,
and because tht>court did not think th e principle of the common law
relative to the testimony of a convicted prisoner to be applicable to
an individual in the silualion of this witness. Mol'eover, tbe con
Cession of Jesse and Rollu to the Cott were made befor~ tonvic;,tion.

102

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broke out he would be one, and in the mean time he

would be leagued in it-this was before the IGth of
June.
Sandy Vesey said he knew as much about this bu. sincss as any 011c, and was engaged in it-this was
after Jesse was taken up.
Miss Dattv'.s cook, a Ercnchman, said to me, as l
,vas a count;y born, I should not know any thing of
what was going on till tbc horn blew and it broke
out.
I heard Tom Russel say in Monday Gcll's shop
that he was to make the pikes-Monday
al the same
time was wol'ki ng, anrl may or may not have heard
him.

The same reasons which induced the Court to alter Monday's sentcucc to tnwsporto.tion, induced
tl1em to alter C 1.iarlcs' to the sarne.
- Tm ~ TRrAL of JOHN,

of Elias Horry.-His

a Negro Man, the property'

owner attending.

EVIDENCE.

..

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Wl'rN1,:ss No. 10. te..,tified as fo\lows:-John, Mr.

Eltias HmTy 's coachman, came to me one day and
askerl me what I thought; every one is rec:1,dysaid
John to forht the whi fes are vou ready? He said" 1 am
ready"-ri1is look pla('(' ~on1elimc befort' the 16th of
.font', and eH'l'.Y day he a.4.:ed me the same questions.
H(' came to me YE>ryofcen, and once said he had a
sword, and that as soou as it bl'ok.e out lie would go
up sta ir s aml kill hi~ ma ster and famil~'-011 the
17th of J 11rw, ott his cnrriag, i hox he expr esstid himself to me iu the same n1111merthat he had done previous to the l l>tll.
a~:onGE, Mr. Vanderhorst's 11C'groman slave gave
the following cvirlmce :- John (-lorry anrl myself
have conversed on 1his su!\jcc:r-hc said he would be
ready with the1-c men whe11evc1 they were ready 1
and spoke much agaiust th e ,..vhices,saying that he

103
woulrl sb u-o:
'.,tcr them and. what and what lie would
<lo. I h,t'., mctJohn 1-lorry with mhcrsat the meetings at Gullah Jack's.
TnE CounT wwnimously found John GutLTY, and
passed upon him the sentence of DEATH,
THE
Trt1AL
of GlJ LLAH .l \CK a Negro Man,
bclongi11g 10 iWr. Pritchard-1--l 1.-: ownel' atteuding.

Er In F..\CE.
WITNESS No. 10, testified as follows:-Jack
Pritch
ard also called on me aliout 1his hus111ess-he i~ sometinies called GuHah Jack. sometime~ Coo,er Jadi ..;
he gave me some dry food, consisting of parclic<l
corn and ground nuts, nntl saicl eat that and nothing
else on the morning it. break,; ont, a1id when you
join us as we pass put into your mot,tb thi.s crnb-daw

aud you cau't then be wo111Hkd, ancl said lte, I give

the :-;allH::
to tht rest uf my troops- if you dl'l)p the
larg e crnlJ-da.w out of your mon1.h, then put in the

small one-said I, wl.icn clo you break out and have

you got arms-he
said a plenty, but they are over
Bouudary-srrcet,
\\ I C cau 1t grt at them
nmv, but as
soon as the patrol was slack they could get thcmthis was prc\lious 10 the 16th June, on which day he
said they were to break out-On that duy he came
to me and said they \\'ould not break out that uight
us the patrol was too strnng-he
said he would let
me know when they wen: rcadv-that
Sunday fort-

ni~ht, the 30th J unc, he came t~ me and said i must

lay by still, tbey would uot brea k uut then, that he
had been round to all his company and found them
cowards.
I said thank Gori then:__hc said !!;iYc me
back my corn and cullah (that is crab-claw) I said

f
r;

111

l
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II;
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I would uot aud upbraided him frw huvinl,!;deluded

so many.
He said nil hi.s country Lorn promised to
joiA because Lie was adoctor( thut is a cm~jurcr)-Hc
said the \vhitc people were l0ok iug for him and he

was afraid of being taken ; that nm men came to his

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master's whnrf and asked him if he knew Gullah

Jack, and th.at he told them no-he said his clwrms
'I.Oou
,ld not protP.Clhim from the treacltrry of !tis own
colour.-Hc went away and [ have not seen him
since. On the 1Gth J uue, .hck requested me to let
twc]vc men sleep at my wife's~ as they were to break.
out that nia:htanrl he \Yanted them to be near Bountfa
ry-street, 1{earto which in King-srreet my HdfeJivcson being rcfu-.e<lhe departed in angct an<l rcproacherl
me. Geo. Vanderhorst called on me )'C.~te1claymorning and asked if I knew that Clmrlc:i Drayron was
taken u1>,anti said he was afraid Charks would name
him, not because he was 011 his list 1 for he bad joined
Jack's Company, but because Charlcshad met him
at Gullah Jack's when they wer~ consulting on the
subject-that ifhc co11ldhear that Charles bad named
him he would run off-ou Monday, l st July, Charles
Drayton told me that there would be an Insurrection
on the morning; rif the 6th July, as soun as the Guards
turned, in-he said he commanded the country born
company-.fack told me on the 1st JuJy tbc same
thing, and in addition that they were to rush with
their tlirks, guns and swords , &c. they had got, kill
tl1c City Guard, and take all the arms in the Arsenal
--he atso said the.re were some arms in Kingstl'CCt
beyond Boundary-stl'ect, in the possession of a white
man which they intended to take-(alluding to the
a1ms ofthe Charleston Neck Company, deposited at
Mr. Wharton's in King-street.)
The blacks wouln have risen on the night :f the
16t!t June, had lite Guanls not been so strong--this I
know from GulJah Jack and Harry Haig, who said,
that if the Guards were not too strong they would get
the arms near the Lines, but if the Guards we1e out,
they could not get them to break out with-(" Jack
is a little man, a Gullah Negro, with small hands
and foN and lal'gc whiskers, and belongs to Mr. Prit~
chard," was the <liscription given of him bv this wit~
ness 1 awl by which Jack n,,.as apprehended .)

105
Gm.t.AHJACK when apprehender] denied to tbeCourt
that he ever wore whiskers, although the map of a
Ial'ge pair of them was plaiu ly disct;rnable on his face,
and continued to deny it stornly until confronted with
his ownel'-he
uh;o positi v<'ly denied that he ever
pretended to be a Doctor or Cmuurer.
deposed as follows :-1\Iy
Mr. PAUL PRLTCHARD
Slave Jack always wore a very large pail' of whiskers which he prized rel'y much, and which nothing
could induce him to cut oiT,and which I oflen thl'eatened to shave off as a punishment when he misbehaved-These whiskers ( found he had cut off to my
my great surprise about three days ago, and wondered at the cautie of it, lirtJe dreaming 1bat it was to
prevent his being apprehcuded by a description of
him-J did hear some ytars ago that .JaC'kwas a Doctor or Conjurer-he
is called Gullah Jack and Coottcr Jack.
G1,:01rnr::,Mr. Vauderl10rses slave, gave thetcstimoy
following;:- Gullah Jack is an e11emy of the white
people. l attended a meeti11guf sercral at his house,
and he was the head rnau thcrc---all present agreed
to join &-come against the white::;--Juck was ir1y leadcr--hc js the head of the Gullah Company---1 heard
that amongt them they had chainis---Jack said if any
man betrayed tbrm, the_y \.Vouldiqjure him, and I
was afraid to infonn---the little mau standiug before
me is Gullah Jack~ who had Ial'ge black whiskers,
\vhich he has cut since 1 saw him Jast---If I um accepted us a witness and my life sparer), I must be,g
the Court to send me mvuy from this place, as I con-_
sider my lifii in great dangerjiorn, having gfocn testi'J}Wny. I have heard it said all about tlic streets, generaHy, I can't 1rnme any one in particular, that whoever is the white man's friend, God help them ; from
which I understood they ,vould be killcd-I was afraid
of Gullah Jack as a conjurer."'\
,,,

*' \Vhen this wi1ness

was nbout to lhe examined in the presence

of Gullah Jack, it was not without considcniblc difficulty that the
(ourt satisfied liini lh;,,t lie I1c~tl n,:, l(mgcr ftar Judrn crJ11jmalio11s,

i'

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IOG
W1LLU\\l,
i\fr. Paul's Slave, gave the following
evidence :-l\li111);0 Harth tnld nH' that he krnm~ 1!1e
Jiule mnn who ca-n'L he shot, who c.olfllti111that there

v.ras a Gullah Society going on which met once a

month.
W1nn:ss 1 No .. 5, testifo~d that 1' the little man
who can't be killed, i;hot or 1ak.c11,
is "named Jack,
a Gullah Negro.
FRAr-K, J'v11s.
Fcrgusou's Slave testified as follows;
The first time l spoke with Monclay Gell 'twas one
night at Denmal'k Vesey's hous e, where l he ard Vcsey tell Monday that he must send one into lite country to bring tlte peo1ile duttn--1\looday said he luul
sent up Jack and told hi Ill to tell the p,:ople.to come
down andJoin in the _fight,aga:nst the whites, and also
to ascertain am] inform him how many people he

could get-A fow <lays after I met Vesey, .Monday

and Jack in the strcrt, uu<lcr i\1r, Duncan's trees, at
night, wh e re Jack stuted !te hctd becu into the country nmnd by Goose Creek and Dorchc.-ttr, and that
he had spCJken to 6,600 persons who had agreed to

join.
TuE CounT wumimmt111round Gullah Jack Gu1Land passed upon him tltc sentence of Dr.ATH.
Subsequent]y to his conviction, HARRYHAro, who
received sentence of death at the same time that he
TY,

did, made the following Co;,;rr.ss10.x:

"JuHus Forre st and myself always worked togeJack ca11shimself a Doctor Negro-he
induced Julius and myself to join at last, but at first
,ve rcfuscd--bcforc the 16th of Junc1, Jark appointe d
to meet us atBulkley1s farm-when
we gor.there .Jack
was not there, but Pet er Poyas came -w e broke up
at day light. Not quite a month hefore the 16th of
June, Jack met us and talked about ,var-I ask-

ther-Gullah

ed Jack how he would do for arms-bye

and bye,

( as he ca lied th em.) It wn~ in the cour :-e nf tlii~ witn ess' evidenc e
thm J ack laid a~idc the chara cter of the fool he wwscounterfeit ing;
.iud ~hewed hi~ real clmrac:tcr .

101
said.Jack, we will have arms-he said lie would have
some arms made at the blacksrnith'is~J ack was go-

ing to giYc me
:t

*
*

*
*

*
+',

I refused to do this as I considered it murder, and

that God \vould never pardo11 me fur it; 't\vas not
like fair figbtiug. Until Jack was taken lljl and con
dcmncd to death, I felt as if l was bound up, and
bad. not the power to speak one word about it-Jack
charmed Julius and myself at last, and we then con
scnted to join-Tom
Russel the .Blacksmith nnd
Jack arc partners, (in coDjuriug) Jack learnt him to
)Jc a Doctor. Tom talked to Jack about the flgh1ing
and agreed to join, and those two brought Julius and
myself to agree to it. Jack said Torn v. as his second
an<l " wlicn you 1lon't sec me, and .-;ee Tom, you sec
me." .lark said Tom wa~ makin~ arms for the blad~
peoplc-J ack said he could not llr. killed 1 nor con Id
a white man take him.n

THE

Trun

of HARRY, a Negro lHan belonging to

Mr David (-faig.-J amcs Haig,

Counsel for his owner.

Esq. attending

a1,

EVIl)ENCE,

WiTNESS No. 10, testified as follo\\lS :-After

Peter
Poyas had twice called on me about this businc.ss,
he and Hany Haig called on me. I was not at
home, but the next morning I met Harry who asked
me for my name-I
refused . it-he said I ,vould be
killed if I' did not.join-I
said I would join when
they came out, if they were stronger than the whitcs--H arry called on me again,andasked me if I was willing, lhat the thing ,vould hreak out soon--1 asked him
where he \.Ym1ldbegin---hesaid in Boundary-strcct--at wlmt hour---he said at 12 o'clock at ni~ht or ca~ly
J'

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in the morning as soon as the guard were dhwltargecl.
Harry Haig has since seen me several times, aud told
me to hold myself rcad)---1 said l 'm ready n hcu
called on. He saicl all the draymcu came to his master's Cooper-yard, and said they were ready, hut

he told them he ,vas waidng for Gullah Jack - he

said he woul.:I tell me when they were ready , that
they were only waiting for the head man, ,\ ho was
a white man ; but he, altho11guasked, would neither
tell me the white man's name, nor where the powder
and arms were-this
was last Tuesday, the very day
six negroes were hanged, about 6 o'clod,, /\. 1\t.This was the last time we spoke though 1 have seen

J1imsince.

G.cot:GJ<~,
Mr. Vanderhorst':-. .'ihne 1;avc the C\'idenc e
which follows :-[ have met Harry H uig at Gullah
Jack's, where he and al] agrcc<l to joiu and <'0111e
against the whites.
I cau't say he was afraid of
Gullah Jack as a Conjurer-I was-I hu,c oflcn seen
H al'ry with Julius J'orrcst.
THE
CouRT 'ltnanimously found Harry GutLTV,
aud passed upon him the sc11te11ccnf D.tAT11.
After his conviccjon, lie confessed his guilt-sec
pa ge 106.
The reasons which induced th e Court to oltcr the
senlcnces pas sed on Monday and Ccarlcs to transporlalion, inducecl 1hem to alter Harr}' 's to the same.
--==1ci101=e--

T,rn TRTAr. 01, JULIUS

Mr. T. H. Forrcst.-His

a ncgro mm1 Ldonging to

o,q1cr attcodiug.
EVIDENCE,

PrwoENCE:.,a NegrQ Woman, the propnty of Mr.

Ilussacrc, testified as follows :-The first 1imc J conversed with J u)ius Forrest 011 1Ns IJm,fricss was pre ..
vious to the ex ecution of the six ncgrocs-'twas
of a
Sunday uigbt about a fortnight ago, tlmt he c ailed
at my house and said hp had just coroe from the Island
-that he had been looking fo:rHurry Jla1g but could

1()9

tot fincl him-lie

snid that he and Harry were Lo
have ;one up !ht' road on Sunday the 16th June to
meet the black peopJ~ who were coming to fight in
town, hut that rhc white people having got wind of
it and turned out too strong, they were obliged to go
aivay-hc came again last Sunday night to my house
and said Harry Haig was taken up for the same thing
he had been talking to me about the Sllnday n ight,
and asked me if I had said any thing to any person
abom what he hatl been sp eaking; to 111c about that
Sunday night-as they have taken 11pHarry Haig,
said he, I .suppose my time will come nexr, but if
lJnnJ dou't call my name I shall be sare-this was
our last couvcrsatiun .
.Mr. T. H. Fo1tn1ssT, deposed that, Prudence is
like a kind of mother to Julius, haviug raised or
brought him up. Harry Haig and Julius al'e very
intimate and are together at her shop almost every
night.

Mr. VamJerhol"st's SlaH testified as fo1met.Julius at Gullah Jack's meeting, where

he, togct he1wWa all, agreed to join and come agai11st
GEORGE,

lows :-[

the white people. The man uow standing before me

is Julius I'orrcst, whom l have often seen with Harry

Haig.
HARRY II

Co~FESSION,sec in page 106.

'I'm: CouRT unanimiJusly fouucl Julius GvtLIY, and
passed upon him the sentence of DEATH.*
HG's

-==1e1~101=-

Tm: TRv.L of T01\'T, a Negro l\Jan, the Slave of

Gray t8<I attending for his

l\Jrs. Russel-James
ewner.

"' At the con~lus ion of this trial on th~ 13lh of J11ly,l\fr. Jo.mes
Legare, from feeble health arid gre~l exhaustion d11ri11g
the previous
:oittings of the Court, asked, and ul.Jtained , leave to withdraw ; where.
"llpon Mr. Henry Deas, w11~summon ed by 1.hc l\lai:,:istratrs, whu too&
lfo s"at and served until the aJJournment of the Coort.

110
l'.V IDENCJ:.

* JlERAULT, a Negro Man

bclon!!;in~ to Ml". .J. Stro-

hccker, testified as follows :-Torn laid me at his

shop that he hadjoincd Gullah Jack\ hand-I kno-.v
he belongs to this band-I beloug to Monday Gell's
-these

bands were to rise against the \\ hitcs, and

Tom told me himsc1f that he \\'ould rise with the

band against 1he whites-I saw six pike llC'adsat
i\fonday GclPs sl1op, three of lhcm were like spears,
and three like bavonets, with holes ju th em to fix iu
poles-I met Tc;m at V csey's house, where it was
agreed that th e 16th .Juue should be the day for the
rising, am] where was also Gullah Jack-Monday
h ad a list with forty-two numcs on it, mine was one
-be burnt his list ,d1eu Peter Poyas was taken up.
Cross-Examined hy 1\11.Gray, the Prisoner's

Counsel-The

first time l met Tom at Vesey's was

on the I Gtb June-when

"'

I went to Vesey's I met him

"' Upu11 the testimony of this witness, the Co1irt placed great l'C
lia11ce. llis 01wn, fr ank and blunt mmrn<'r conv incf'd every one
who heard him I.hat. h,~ was incapahle of utt ering 11 fal,ehood, and
that he p oss~.ss1:d many iinc trails t>f cliaracter.-Th e ivllo1Ving ac Perault was
mum of his lite was politf']y ful'llishrd by his owner.
hon, al . .il1111u
a in :\ fr il',t,a lJ011ta weeks 11
avd from Goree . .Mama ,lu
hi s father, who is wca ltl1y and o wns about GO working hand s, trades
to ll a ss, ou with '.l'olmccn and Salt, in excha nge for which he rece ive.,
Golil ; tu wliich place P1:rnult acco rup.mieo hit11~ix tim es . Peranh
was 0ni;age rl iu thr ee hattlc ., aga inst the p!op le of llassou, who d1J
Hot cultiv,1te their lanrh, but nrnke predat ory in curs inn:; int o the cultivHte d territories of the ir uci ghLJuurs. Peraul t abo fought twice
,1gaiust 1lte peopl e of I hm1h, Lut in th e secnn<l ba ttl e h ~ was take n
prisu ut:r aud carried to th at pl aee . H cni his lm itrH'r-in-law sa w
him, and olforcd to t!n' Capta in of a. Bri g thr ee sla ves for him if he
would wail his rc1urn frr"n Juml>a. Th e Captain, how ever, could
not dday hi :; vo., ag~, uud l' c:nu1lt was l,rou gh1 to C hurlestou iu tt
Brig llcliJ11
gi11g10 . .\ lr. Helair e, whu kept hi m for h i:; own scn ici,.
J II I.S L~, It(, was pu,cl1asl.'d liy his prese nt owner, wl10 is satiJ icd
with his ,:-,mduct siur r he houv,.,ht him. Hi s 1uas ter sta t<:d tl1af. h e is
very 11'11;1cirm~, wh enen ir hP con ceives th at he is right, and th at he
hf'iiens la.: 11o uld rntlu .:r wl!i.,r d!,;,th thau de viate from the tru 1hth nt tliu ,e ,d, ,, ar c not ar.customc,J to liis mo tle uf cxpre,s in!!:him~.elf would lie uITro11
l td by his 1,luntn es~, h11t ,hut he doc s no t mcnn
10 offen d.

l,

111
there-!
J ?~c,vhim Jong before-Tom was wHJing to
agree w t,!l that ,vas adopted there, but did not talk
himsclf - 1 met Chal'lcs Ora)'ton at Tom's shopSmart Anderson was present when the spears were
brough1 into Monday's shop.
He-Examined-I
saw Gullah Jack carry those
spears to Monday G elFs.
C'n ....R L ES g:mc the fullo\\ inj!; evidence :-Tom
to]d me himselfin l'llonday's shop ;,hat he was making
the pikes for Gullah Jack.
Cros s-Examincd-l
did not meet Pe irnnlt at
Tom's sliop, bm at J\londay's-1 ucver was in company wiLh Tom aml Picrault together on this busi

.ness.
l\fo;;,10,\ v, testified as follows :- Tom and Charles
Drayton talked together in my shop once. but I clid
not hear what they said-I
had frequent conversa tions with Picrault, bnt not ,vith Torn.

Mrs. MARK MARKS

<:cposed as follows :-Mrs.
Russell the prisoner's owner told m e that Gullah
Jack ,vas const.tn tly with Tom at breakfast, dinner
and supper, and that she cm1tioned Tom not to have
.so much to do i-, ith Jack or he ,vould be taken up.
[NOTE. l'\lr. Gray consented to this testimony be~
ing received instead of sending for Ml's. Russel.]
JAMES
MAu.,a White Lad, about 16or 17 years
of age, a witness on behalf of the prisoner, <leposed
as follows :-1 was working whh Tom in his shop
from February to la st of J\.:lareh--- l 1he11,vent into
the country and received a me ssage from him some
time after to cumc down amt work in his shop with
hirn again---} curne down about the last of May and
he refused to employ mc-- -one day when I went to
his shop l saw him making somelhing lik e a kuife a
foot long, out of a file which he had uot yet finished
---he makes edged tools.
Cross-Examined bv the Comt---\.vhcn I was working with Tom l <lid not cat any meals at the shop

112
lmt at home---Guilah Jack was frequently at Tom\;
shop, and they frequently talked togethel' in Gullah,
which I do not un<lerstaml---Tom sairl, after die people were taken up , that he would not do .as some luuJ
done, tell upon one another for money.
THE Coo1n unanimously found Tom G EILn,
and
passc<l upon him the scmcncc of DEATH,

T1-1F.TRIAL

of LOUIS REi\IOUSSIN,

:Man, the Slave of 1'Ir. Crnmwell---His

a Negro

owue-r auen-

ding.
F.VlnENCJ ,:.
PERAULT
testified as follorvs :---I know Louis--Louis and Jue and myself met in the street, and Joe
said to me Lo11is was one to join against the whites;
Louis did not deny it, this n:as on the 15th of June
---Louis said he ,ms ready to rlsc against the while
pcoplc---Joc said tbc French Band had been ready
a Jong tirnc-- -1his is all I know against Louis---thc
conversatiou wns in Creole French, I understand it.

( Tlte Court required Lous ltnd Perault to speak

together in Frend,,, whch tltey dhli and Perault
evidently undcrsLood t!tat lll11g1.uige.)
C1-1.\RLES tc~stifieu as foIJo,vs :---Loni~ met me one
day as he came out of tlic \Vork-llouse.
He one day
sai<lto rnc th at he had uot much to do \Vith the business, hut that on the night the attack commenced
aga in st the whites, he ,vou]d be ready, and he told
me to get rcady-r understood from his conversation
plain enough that he was one of them.
Cross-E.xamin ed-'This
was the Saturday before
the thing was to brC'ak out-I
met him at his own
honsc-hc tol<l me at 1VlondayGell's, to come to his
house to talk about this busiucss---1 have seen him
often at i\loncfay's.
MoNo.n' gave ,he follmving evidence :--I,ouis came
to my shop and told rnc to go to his house that ni~ht,

i
I

lit:!

1hal he wautccl to see me about something particu~

Jar- -I did not go though.
Tm: CnunT urwnimously found Louis R.cmoussin
Gu1LT\', and passed upon him thP sentence of 0:r.ATH,
but recommended to the G0Yc1nnr ru pan.Ion him
upon condition that he be trnusportcd out of the limits of the United States.
-.:=10J@J

Tm: Tnnr.

!=--

of JOE, a Negro l\fan belonging

Mr. Jorc---Jlis owner attemling.

I
to,

'

11
I

PERAULT
testified as follows :---I met Joe at the
corner of Boundary n11d Wall-streets; he said to me
how does this business stand now-this
affair-he
said I don't want to go home before 1 see how this

business, meaning the dsing aga;nst the whites terwas then a 1unaway and belonged to
minates-he

the man who keeps n !Shoe Shop in King-street, bv

l\1r. Hart's-we
parted, the next time we met lt was
at Monday Gell\;, when the spears were un the table-Joe saiJ to M.oudny Gell in iny prcscuce, that the
French

people ,voul<l be ready when they were

ready, and that he was one of them-the tl1ird time

I mer Joe was when we met Louis-aJ"wr Louis parted, Joe said that his master's store in Kiug-street was
not yet open, and that tliere ,verc plency of arms at
Thfr.DuJuercron's store, uear (he I nspcction, even to
bayoncts---he said that when m .! raised, we must all
run in there, bre~k the door open and get al'ms.
Cross-Examined by Mr. Jorc---IJe told me that
he had 1u1ian
ay, but I don't know it mysclf---this
,va:s about the ht J uuc---the scco11<ltime was before
any one was rnkcn up on this busi11ess--the third
time I met him was on 15th Juuc--our meetings were
accidental.
CHARLES gave the cvil]cnce following:---! met J oc
three or four times atMonday'.s---hc gcuen:tlly speaks

I1,

,I
1!

I
I

lH
like as in a pal'able---that is, gives hints., &c---he saic.1
the French Band was armed throughout, and were
ready, an<l he was ready; hut he d1<l
11otkno1, how
to trust country borus; this he said in l\londay's

presence.
:MuNDAYtestified as fol]mvs :---Joe hc.1sbeen ofren
at my shop, and I and he talking ol' t.his co11rern--he said he knew the French ,vho were tojoiu, but
as 1:bcydid not speak to hi rn he did not speak to
thcm---that he was oue of those who had joined
---this was better than a month ago.
C,o\l.is-F:xamined by Mr. Jore---Hc comes to my
shop as a friend to get me to do work for him---hc
insinuated that he \Vonld be an activf' man.
Mr. JORI;; and Col. GROSS testified that J oc's
general conduct was gootl.

Tm: CoURT unanimou sly foun<lJoe Gau.n.-, and

passed upon him the sentence of D ~; An-1.

---=01~:=1=--THET1

.\L

ofMJNGO, a Ncgrol\fan,the

of Mr. ,.1villiam Harlh--His

property
owner attcn<lii1g.

EVIUE;,,;ci,:,

MoNoA v testified as foHows :---l\fingo

told me in

my shop that Peter Po_yas had toltl him of this busi -

ness, and that he wa s to take his rrrn.swr's horse and

act as a horseman in the fight
Cross-Examined by .Mr. Harth-This , vas before
Peter was taken up on the 2d June-h e was often at
my shop, and knows me ,....-eli-he asked me if l knew
Pet er-I said JCS, and that he had spoken to me, he
said he had spoken to him too-1 sometimes visit the
society he belongs to-George
Wilson is his class.
leader.
0

CHA~Lr::sgaw the following testimony :---I have

seen ;\Jingo Hanh at Monday Gell 's---he was talking
about the rising-- -hc said expressly he was one.

115
Cross-examined by Mr. Harth-this
was after
William and Edwin were taken up.
IVilliarn, a ncgro man belonging to Mr. John Panl
.testified as follows :-1 have heard somcth in!:!;about
an insurrection of the blacks, hut ,vas not ronccrncct
in it-l\lr.
William Harth 1s Negro man 1\lin(.!;Otold
me about it, and referred me to l 1 eter Poyas for fur ther information, who he said had a list with 9,00(1
names upon it, and that he was still taki11g down
names-on the week I was to see Peter I was apprehended.
l\Iingo said that , ;oo men on the Bay
was already down on the list in Peter's possession1\:Iingowould not before the Wal'dcns own what he
told me-I never had any conversation with PeterMingo said his name \;as not yet down, and he
won Id not put it down 'till he knew all that was to
be done-that
Ned llenncu knew all about it, and
told it to all Mr. Bennett's people, and that letters
were passing_ between those concerned-[
can read
aml countpnntcd characters hut not nTitten. On a
Saturday night l\lingo told mP. as we were going toward3 his wife's house, that every day at 2 o'clock
Peter \.Vent to Ml'. Ilarth's lum bet yard and talked
to the other men about this matter, to make them
sensible of the plan. At Mingo's house I took up
the Bible and read two chapters from the prophet
Tobit-Mingo
said that all those belonging to the 4!rican Church are engaged iri th~ insu!rection,f,mn the
country to the town-that tl(ere is a lzttle rnan amongst
them who can't be shot, ldlled or cau.f(ht, u;/10 was to
be their general, and who would p;ovide them w-it/1,
arms-that some anns were pro11idedbut he d,id not
tell me where they were, and he also said that Ned
Bennett and, Charles Shubrick arc officers. Peter,
Ned and Charles I know to be class lead('rs in the
African Church-The African Association have also
a Church in Anson-street neat Boundary-street, and
one in Cow-alley, where they have service, I be..
)}eve that Mingo was endeavouring to get me to joi1.t
th~m in the rising, and from his conversation I have
(1

.,

t
,I

l ](j

no doubt I.Jutthat he was cn~aged in the ccm~pirncy~

I

:1

and that all he suiu to me 1,as to get me lo join them .

It was also told to me llw1 u11,1colour Jiom the J\ ortli.

lo the South hatl cumbinetl tup,t:1/ia lo fight. 11g<1in.'it

110 do11bt satislied that I
would join--1 neYer had any conversation wi1h any

New- Orleans. Mingo was

one about the l'ising L}ut with .!\:lingo and Col. Prioleau's man-Mingo
Sf.lid1hat Peter Poyas wou1d 1cll
me ,vhcn the risiog would to.kc plucc-ihat Mr. Bcn11ctt's Ned was one of tl1crn-that
Dcnmarle Vesey

'I

'I

'I

)fl
,I

I
I

.,.

II
'I

'I

was the chief man and more concerned thon ri.ny one
else. l beg you won ' t take up . Sarah, for no woman
knows any thing about it-l\'liugo :said that letters
were passing between Peter Po_yas, Ned Bennett aud
Charles Shubrick. I am 1wrsm1<lcdtha1 Drnmark
Vesey was chielly concerned in this bu sine:-;s-1\lingo said that the country places were engaged in the
plot, aml also the Islands -1 hat he knows the little
man who can't be shot, who tol<l him that there was
~ Gullah Socie(I/goin g on which met 011cc a mouthtbat nll the orders he ~ot ltc got from Pcter---M.iugo
always denied that he was c11
g uged, and yet always
talked to me as if he warned me to join .Mingo stiid
they would get horses, "liich w<Tc e11gng<'d
.:
al one,
two or thl'cc L ivuy 8tab!P,~.fwm tfu, Srnble .Roys; two
Stables he n1t,nf'diu 11t
trticular, vi :.,: .Mr. Uilli11g's and
the one behind the old Church---Mingo said a brown
ma111 the steward of the cutter, had stolen some of
the arms, and that Jim, a blacksmith of Mr. Bennett made arms.
GEORGF.,
a Negro man belongiug to M1. Wilson,
a witness on behalf of lite prisoner, testified as follows:
I never saw .Monday Gell at my Society --he would
not have been admitted, as he was a memher of the
African Association. Cro.r-s-examinccl----fl e might
have been there and I not ha\'e known it, as there
arc sometimes 60 or 100 persons piesent.
PETER PARLEH, a free black man,a witness on behalf of the pri.~oner,testified as follows :---1 have ne-

ver seen Monday Gell at my Society.

Cross-exa-

I
I.

117
mined-I

am grn crn lly at the meetings unless I am

~ick .
T1-rn CnuRT uwmimnnsly fomul i\fingo Gutt.TY,
a11d passed upon him the sentence of DEATH.
-...:~>e+->Tnc Tm .\L of .JACK, a Mulatto Man, belongin.Et
to Mrs. Purcell-Mr.
Thomas Smith, the brother of
his owner attending.
EV JD ENCE.

testified as follows:1 have seen Jack and Vesey talking together before

MoND\V

my door-he

tllld me that lie was ouc of those to rise

against tlie whites, au<l Vesey told me so before-the

message that Frank Fergu::;011gave to rue to gi,e to

Vesey, I gor Jack w c:any to Vesey for me-the message was, that he had ju st come from the country,
that he had there got four planta tions of men 10 join
~and to go to Vc:.cy and ask him to be at home to
!1ight, as he nrould call on bi111-J know he carried
it, because Vcse_v toJd me so that uight - hc came to
my shop aftrterwards und said to m e he was looking
for V csl"y, a ud be su rc th at I call cd no uamc.
FRANK
testified as liillows :- I know Jack Purc ell,
hut don't know that he is concerned in this business
-I did give to l\fomlay Gell a message for Vesey.
CHARU:S

gave the following eviden ce :-Jack

told

me he had been at his J\Iisrress' Plantation

and
tried to get down the people to join in this business
-but could uot go again-he
said he had joinC'd,
and asked me where Lor Forrester lived, thar he was
the prnper person to go into the country to bring the
people down.
THE

PRtSONER

asked pcnnission to cross -examine

Charles, which nas granted; but his qucst1ons were

such, that no one could well answer t hem but himself: Jo the course of this examiuation he admitted,
that a large mcet.iug had been called on Slono by Lot,

and that considerable preparations were made to re~

118

ceive him, hut that Lot did not nttend, and he was
rcq i;cst.cd to reprove him for not doing so.
Tn:E CounT unan-imously found Jack Gu1uv, and
pas8cd upon him the sentence of D.t::i\Ttt.-A few
moments preceding his execution, he made the following CONFESSION to the Intendant of Charleston:

If it had not been for the cunning of that old villain

Vesey, I shou1d not now be in my present situation.
He employed every straJngem to induce me to join
him. He was in the habit of reading t.o me all the
passngcs in the newspapers that related to St. Do~
mingo, and apparently every pamphlet he could lay
his hands on, that ha<l any couuection with slavery.
He one day brought me a speech \vhich he told me
h:1d been delivered in Congress by a Mr. King ou
the subject of slave ry; he told me this l\1r. King was
the black man's fricud, that he Mr. King had declared
he would continue to speak, write and publish pamphlets againt sfavcry the longest day he lived, untiJ
the Southern States consented to emancipate their
slaves, for that slavery was a disgrace to the country.
-...:~~>-

Tim TRBL of SMART, a Neg10 Man, the Slave

of ]\.fr. Hobert Andcrsuu-His
owner and M. King,
Esq. his Counsel attend ing.
EVIDENCE.

FnANK 1estified as follows :-I have seen the prisoner at Vesey is-he told me in the presence of Ve
.sey he hu<ljoinerl and would be ready whenever called
on-V esey sent him one evening to call me.
Cro ss-Examined b_yMr. King-I think nt Vesey's
there were then present, Monday and Charles ancl
urliers.
MoNDAY
gave the following evidence :-I
saw
Smart at VcsPy's iu the -day-Perault
and Peter
Cooper were also there-I have often conversed with

him on th.is business, and he seemed to be as much i11

I
.,

119
it a.s possible-I never asked this man to joiu-Vcscy brought all of us into it--he belongs to the same
gang that I did.
Cross-Examinrd by Mr. King-I was 11otthe first
man who spoke to him-I first saw him at Vesey'she was very 1m1ch attached to me and called me Pa,
and my wife Ma-I don't know that he ever got any
on~ to join, and think he would have told me if lie
had--he was just such a11llther as myself-I had a
list with about fo1ty on it, lJUtto-re it up on the first
discovery-he belongs to the African Church.
PicRAULT
gave the testimony following :-~Smart
is a Dray man, and engaged in this business and in the
same company, and confessed the same to mc--I
Jiave met him at Vcscy's and at Bulklcy's Farm- .;.I
met him at V cscy's on Sunday in the day, and there
was Monday Gell also, where we talked about the
rising---thc second time I met him at Bulklcy's Farm
where were thirteen in all---Smart and I have often
spoken and promised to fight by one another against
the white peoplc--On Saturday the 15th June, Smart
~ot two muskets fl'om iVlr. Fordham's shop to carry up
to Gadsden's Wlimj; they were shortly after taken
away fl'om Smart's dray, on which he was carrying
them---and he unu.le off with himself---( was present,
one wasfor me, onejor Sr1u1,rt-we borrowed the muskets from my brothe1.
Cross-Examined by Mr. King-I met him twice
at Vescy's-Smart
toJd me first and got me tojoiu.
THE CouR:r m11mimouslyfouncl Smart Gu1Ln,
and passed upon him the sentence of DEATH.
When Smart was arraigned he pleaded Guilty to
the charge, and his Counsel handed to the Comt his
confession in writing; bur the Court advising that the
plea of Guilty should ucwithdra,\ 'n) his Counsel did
so and pleaded Not Guilty. The CoNFEss 10N handed to the Court. was noc used against him, but is 110\\given to the public.

I,,

I,,

l;lO

" i\fonday Gell invited mr to ~o up the road to Mr ..

B ulklcy's Farm, on Suwl a y about three months ugot
where there were u1rn'ards ol thirty pr.rsons present,
und amoug them JJulkle.y's mun Billy-1 ,said I
would not trust couutrymcu-l be lien! Denmark Vc-

sey was there, but di<l not sec him.

About four

months ugo, or !!,:Oin~ on four mo1Jl h~, Vv'illium Garucr, drayumn, told me, lie npcctcd people from St.
Domingo; white people would kill as many us they
could. I call Monday Gell Pa, and hi8 wife :\fo-A!Jout thrcti weeks \Jeforc going up to the farin, Monday Gell a~kcd me to joiu him, liy telling nie that

they \Verein iservirnde, kicked mul 1;uffetland aLused,

&c. &c. Hr. spoke to me abm1t St. Domi11go people

r .~aid we l'an't clo

turn and tight the white people.
that, but Gell said we could make a comrivance to
<lo it. l\Iomlay Gell lold nie that Gllllah wanted
to begin when the Negroes of the African Clwrch
were taken lljl in 1813--that jf l mid any thing they
would kill me, and made me hold up my hand and
swear not to tell any thing.
I asked when thc_y intended

to

rise, he said on

Saturday night previous co the dcarh of Dr. l\i'CalJ.

Monday told me the old man said we must l>cgin to
night about 10 o'clock--I said to ]',,fonday, he must
stop it, that ]Honduy must send won.l to the olrl
man to stop it, that it was u great 8ill,
I meet at i\fom!ay Gd! n IJfack llHrn uamcd Jack
Glen, a painter.
When at the Fa I'm of .Mr. 13nlkley, we meet a snake
at the gate, which tlif: oltl man Vc&ey killed, and one
of them says, tllat';; lllfi way we would do them. I
st~cn l\fonday, nnd he ~ay~. tl1cy lmd betl'er begin
about eight o'clork, bt'.fr11ethe Guard meet, and if
they dnn't do that, meet nway on the Gree11, some
\vhere by -the li11es,mruch down through the streets,
come down to the Guard-Housr-~f\.fonday
told me
there were three or ftrnr gau~s-1 asked him some

questioHS ubont the mode of attack, which l conscn-

121

1.ed 10-iVfonrlav told me that thcv would have a

nn,erin~, or ~etti~g up at night, un<l 1;egi11thcu.
I did not agree to lrnvr n fite in the city-At
a nic,!ting at Monday G d l's house, Denniark Vesey pr~wllt, l asked !iiu1 it' hi> \\.'flS going to kill the
1v(Hnrn and chilclrr'n-Dr11111ark answered, what was
the use of killing the ln11:-.c
and leaving 1he nit. I said
m_yGoel whar a sin---Df'nmark Vesey to ld me 1 had
not a inan's hcrirt, and that f was a friend to Buck ..
ra-Afoncfay Gell told me that they sent to several
pla ces in tlw cormtry.
Jack Glen, a black man ,van1ed to bonow my
hur~ c to go lll) the country-I
said I had 1101 one to
Jend- he said he must go i11the country that day Sun~
day, to Goose Creek.
The time I was at the farm ti1cy told me they had
Jong things like my arm to put handles to, that they
wonld make contrivance.
Vesey lold me one day, aher they had taken the
place, they wou Id take tl1c money, aud he would go
i11 a \'Psscl and JHH as many as he could, and go back
to his own countl'y.
Vese y told me that all 1]1c pmnlr:1 was about three
miles ullt of town, and tlwy must take it-could
l'asily get ir; and they knew nbo11t a place in Queen~
..;trcct, opposite the Plmitf'rs' Hotel, \\here there was
arms, &c. The old man, Denmark Vesey, said that
they wercto atta ck the Guard House, in three or
fom ways, and then they v.rould gerall the arms.
I never heard about scncli11gthe two persons to St.

Domingo .
Monday told me they were about to engage some

dray men in it, but did not knmv how to trust then1.
1\fonday tol<l me that they rnr:ct every other night,
and he n ould to trll me more about it, ,vbcn he
1

saw me again.
The old man, (rncauiug Vesey) tol<l
me to get some dray men who bad horses, and if I Wa5i
u.good rider he would rnukc me a captain of a troo(,.
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When they meet they did not pray at the meeting in

the kitchen. I ,,,asonly at the Neek meeting about one
bour--Peter Poyas was uot al that mc et i ng. l told Monday not to put my name on th e list that they had - Peter
was not .at that meetin g, lmt was to go with us.Monday said he expected Peter rhcre. I have no
noknowlegc of any deposit of arms, ammunition or
powder-I <lid not promise to any particular act in
the business, or know of any other persons engaged in the business than those I have already mentioucd-l 11evcr asked any person to join.

,,

TnE TRIAL of PHARO, a Jllulatto Man, the pro of Mr. John N. Thompson.-His
mvne r and David

Ramsay, Esq, his counsel attending.

EVIDE..ISCE.

Cn,uu:s testified as follows:--Pharo told m e himself in Monday's shop that he was engaged in the
conspiracy- i met him one day with a scythe in his
cart, which he tok1 me he was carrying to a blacksmith's to have made into a sword. About a week
nflcr, and prev ious to the 16th Jun e, he said he ,vas
going to m eet some young men who could tell him
all about it-I have met him sc, eral tim es at .l\'louday' s.
Cross-examined by Mr. Ramsay-He bragged of
what he could and ,vould do with the white people.
l did not hear Pharo tell a man to make a candlestick
tor him.

1'fo NDAY testified as follows :--- I know from our
talk about it togcthn that Pharo was one-he
said
he was making ready fol' th e rising-t\vo days aftciPetcr was taken he told me , that if he could get a
ticket, and a fj5 0 bill he would take his hor se and
run away before he would be take n. On Sunday,
about two WCf !kS after Peter was taken up the first

iime (about 19 th June) he pointed to the Archdf\~C

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Chmch, wl1ere tht: white people were and said, when

:shallwe be likethrn1 , l said when God pleased--Sunclay hdi>re I was urought here he carried me to his
Stithlc, and said he had told his master he had nothiwr to uoin this business, which was a lie.
Cross-Examined
by l\1r. Ilamsay-Charles
told
me that Pharo had a scythe which he was going to
make i11toa sword.
PEruuLT gave the following evidence :---1 know
tha t Pharo is one-one day in the streets wr met and
conversed on this busjness, when he told me that he
had carried something to a Illack smith to have a
sword made for himsclf---1 know he was just as wilp
ling as myself to join.
THE
CouRT unanimously found Pharo GotLTY,
and passed upon him tin: semence of DEA TH.
~

TnE Tn1u. of SANDY VESEY, a Negro Man,

the property of J. J. Schnell---His owner attending.
EVIVENCE.

CHARLES testified as follows :---Sandy had a hand

in the risj11g-hc told me rhar a gentleman had taken
him up and asked him if he kne\v any thing auout
J csse 1 that he :mid no, as there was no occasion to inform---that .he knew how i-o make cartridges, and
wouM make some-he told rne in Monday's shop that
he was one of those who had joined and was ready.
Cross-Examined
by Mr . Schnell-He did not tell
me to what company he bclonged~he
never gave
his name to be put on a list that 1 know of.

Mol'mA v gave the following evidence :--Sandy has

been in my sbop, and he told me he had joined-he
said on Sunday t.he 16th June, in Archdale-street ,
t.hat he was waiting for .Jcsse vdio had gone to get a
horse to go into the country-he was frequently in
my shop, but only once ~poke about this busiJJ.essR

!,

1:24
he appeared to be anxious and zealous, about it---hc

belongs

to

EDWARD

rhe African Church.

P. Sr:\lo~s, Esq. deposed as follows:-

The day after Jes se was takeJJ up, I ex amined thi s

follow, who stated that .Jcsse had said to him, " Vesey 1hc Guard is too :;trnng to 11ig ht"-~andy
is a
peaccahle cliaractcr-J esse ancl hims elf rnanicd sisters.
THE
Co1 1RT unrmimonsly
found Sand_y . Vesey
G c, 1LT\ ' , and pa ssed upon him the sentence of DEA'rHi
bllt rec omm ended to tbc Gov ernor to pardon him

conrlilion that lie be transported

of the lh1ilcd Stat es.

11p011,

0 1lt

of the limit.'!

--=1~1~101=--

Tnr: TRJAr or PAHJS, a ncgro man Ldonging to

Miss Bull--Mr . l\linot as the friend of his own er

attcudiug.
E \i ID F.NCF..

MoNuAY tcs1ificd as follow s :---Paris and Saby

Gnillanl w ere frcq11t~111fy
i111uy shop-th e week after Pet er wa ,- t:ikcn 1tp he cam1' to me and said, your
name is called, be on yonr guard-H e ackno"vledged
tl .v came to know how the
he had join ed, an<i fr eq11<:n
thin g vvas go in g ou-hc
belong s to the Afri ca n
C!rnch.
P1rn.WLT restilied as follows :--- I knmv that Par is
knew of this (m.c;in css-1 :-aw him at Monday's, and
heard him speaking of the business-he was ns much
i n it as I am.
'f ur. Co vrn uncmimousl_i.ffound Paris GlitLTY, and
pa ssed upo n him !he sen tence of Du rn, but recommend ed 10 tht Govcrnnr to pardon him upon cmtdition that he be trnm,purtcd out ef the limits of the
United Stat es.

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Tw :

T R IAL

man-1\lr.
frjeud.

ofSABY

GAILLAHD,

vVcsHer a ttendiug

a free black

on his behalf as Ji.is

.:]

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EVIDENCE.

JVJoNtHYlcstified as follows :-Sah.v

frequPntly
came tu 1nv shop and talked on tliis hu~it1<'~.,- he und
Dt !nmark Ve,-.ey in 111y shop talked on 1l1isbusi1wss
-he wok out one day 0111 or his poeke1 011 the l\ay,
a piece of uews -pnper, and a,;knl me to n:ad it-I did
sn at my ~hop, and afrenvai-df> he asker! me if I fmcl
read it-I said ye.;;-'nva., al)Ot1t 1:3oypr's battle in

St. Domingo aga inst the Spaniards, and he said tq

me afterwards, if he had men hi' could do the same
as Boyer-and

that he could wbip ten white men

himself:

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1f,

Cross-Examined by Mr. ,vesner-he

agreed with
"'\7csey's discourse,
ivhich was to killed the whites.
Prn,U'LT gayc the evid ence following:---Saby said
to me one day after Petet wus taken np " 1 advise
you to have nothing to do with this affail\ let the
Lord finish it and leave it to those who began itMonday told me bcfoi c this that Saby was co1~cerncd,
and had gi vcn him a piece of paper to rc,1ll.

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THE CouRr found Saby Gaillard Guir:n,

and
passed upon him the sentence of DB.\lTI, but recommended to the Govcrnol' to pardon him 1.1pon condition that !te be tmnsportcd out qf the limit,, ofihc Uni-ted States.
--=
THE

TRHL

101@101==--

of WILLIAM, a Negro Man, the

Sla\ c of .Mrs. Colcock-Mr.

as the friend of his owner.

D. D. Bacot attending

EVJDENCE,

MoNDAY testified as follows :-William

has often
been at my shop and asked me what was going on1 did Hot tell him any thing-one
day he said to me
a brother told him, five hundred men were making
up for this purpose-he did not s37 that J1ewas one .

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CHARU:s' evidcn<".ewas as follows ;-I met WilJiam two or three times al Monday's,
buc did not
l1ear him say he ha d joined.
PERAULT
gave this testimony :-I
met Vt'illiam
several times at Monday's, but don 1t kuow tha t he
joined.
THE PRISONER in explanation of being so often at
Monday's,
stared to the Court, " whc-n l went to
Monday's it was to hear what was going 011 in Congress, as we expected that Congress was going to set
us free, and as what was going on wa s primed in all
the papel's, so tlmt black as \,vcll as while might re ad
it"-Tbe
prisoner had previously stated to Capt. T.
H. Jervey, who attended the trial, and one of ,>i
.:hose
wenches is the prisoner's ,vife , "Pompey Bryan !old
mission,
me that Mrs. Bryan's coachman held a <:'om
or was one of the oli1cers of Denmark Vesey-that
some hundred Dray men of this city WCl'C to act as
Tbis was about a month ago (early in
horsemen.
He also told me that I lcnmark Vesey had
June.)
ordered them all out so as to strike the first blow ou
Saturday njght tbc 15th June. 1 told him then that
I would have nothing to Jo with it and would go quiet1y to my bed ; he said the same and \YC partcdOne of Col. Cross' wenches about the house, a yellow
complection, \\'ith a small boy about four or five years
old, told me that .Joseph, (Joe Jore) the forme1 cook
of Col. Cross, said that lWorl'is Brown (the llishop of
the African Church) swore tbern 01, the Bil.lie never
to divulge the secret, even if they suffel'ed death-Henry Drayton (alias Hmry Bull, one o( lhe Bishops
Ministers of tile African Church) in crossi~1g
the Mall in front of Flinn's Church, told me on a
Sunday afternoon "that the 1vkitcs -wanted nothing
but a glod spanking with the sword." Pompey
Haig told me- that there were some FrcncLmcu,
blacks, very skilfuU in making swords and spears,
such as they used in Africa: this was about a month
~go. He also told me that then; were some Frc1:icll..,

or

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men determined if those men were hung, to rfse and

defend tbem, and that he heard t.herc was a regulai
army ready in the woods to defend them."
T11E
Gu1L1T,

Coun.T unanmousl_11
found William NoT
and discharged hirn.

,-ew,,o
Tm, TRIAL of POL YDORE, a Negro Man, the
property of Mrs. Fabcr---Mr. C. I-I. Faber, his owner's brother attending.
EVIDE:SCE,

BrLLY, a nrgro man belonging to Mr. Bulkley,

testified as follows :-Pollydore
met once at my
master's form, at ,vhich meeting Gullah Jack washc agreed with the rest to join aml raise against the
whites. One Sunday early in the morning, when
the people were to rise, Polydore hrouglii to the Jann
those 7rike poles (pointing to the bundle of pike poles
'fimnd concealed on thr. form und lhen in coun) and
told mr to let them smy there, that Robert was coming-Polydore belongs to the African Congregation
IIAtttt.r, 1\Ir. Haig's slave, gave the following cvi ..
dence :-Polydore was in .Jadi..1S company-1
met
him at the meeling at Du]klcy's fal'm, where they
were talkiug about risiug against the whites, and
Polydore agreed to join iu it.

Cross-examined by Mr. Faber-Jack

was there,
and when he made the proposition to join and raise
against the whites, all present gave him an answer
to join.
'fm: CouRT unanimously found Polyrlore Gmr:rv ~
and passed upon him the sentence of DEATH.
--=1s1~11@1=-

Tur: TnIAL of RO BERT, . a Negro Man, the property of .Johu Hobert:son-llis owner attending.

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EV ll)F,NCE,

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CH ,\ll.LES, testified as follows :-1

met Robert at
Tom Russel's, whel'e he went for the Pikes, and Tom
said to him, the pikes arc at your house. Tom Rnssel asked him if he was not to go into the country for
the peoplc---bc suid he Imel scn-t wol'<l,
Cross-t:xaminctl bv Mr. Robcr1son-l
saw him at
Tom's about dark_:it seemed lo me from the conversation that he was going to fix on the pikes to die
poles.
B1u ,v's teslimony was :-Robert belongs to Gullah .Jack's Company--he was at the meeting of Gullah Jack's par,y nt Bulkle)"s farm-He
was at two
meetings, and he tried 10 tire the pi.srol off but co11ld
riot. The same day the pike poles were hrnughr he
toJd me not to stir, that the whit<> people had heard
of this business-llolwrt told me that G111lal, Jack

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was the head man in this bu si ne ss-h e saicl Gullah

Jack went to Farher Morris Brown about this business, and that Father Morris said, I am going to the
North, but if you can get men you can uy this bu-

siness, but don't call my nam e-any

thing that
Jack wantecl he sent Robert for-if any thing
happeFJed to Jack, Robert. would be the next man.
When Polydore brought the poles, he said Robert
,von!d know what to do with the pole s, am\ wl1en
Robert came he said, Jet the poles lay there, the
whites have found oui the Jmi;i11c
ss.
Cross-examined hy .Mr. Robertson-There
v.:asno
dispute between me and tbc Ropcwalk people.
Tm: CouRT unan'imously found Robert GUILTY,
and passed upon him the sentence of D i: ATH.
--~101@!
~l@1e1~--

Tm~ Tn _IAL OF JACK, a Negro Man belonging to

.Mr. J. S. G Jenn.

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EVIDENCE,

CnAnr.Es testified as follows ;-Jack

this businesss-wc

is engaged in
have spoken toget her, and he told

Inc he hr h ,.c;cc\ to the horse company.

0

I have met

him one <' :11. \.'cscy's at a meeting about this business;

Glenn there quoted 8crjpturc to prove he would not

be condemned for raising against the whites-he

read a cha1ltcr out of the .Bibi('~~I have of ten met him
at Monday 's, whel'C be was talking ofthjs business! have often con1.' erscd with bim, when he always
said he was one, and would ra t lwr be ahorscman-hc
belongs to the Alrkan C IHH'<'li.
]\for-LL\.
v's l.:viuc11cewas:-.Ja ck was engaged in it-he and I talked about ir, and he wc1.smakin: every
preparation as \HII as mvself alioul it-I u1iee saw
him ul Vesey\ when we \\'l'l'e Lalking of thf' plansHe said as he llacJ lame J~ec. he wouid rather uc a
hor~enrnu-Vesev looked 011 hi:n as one of his followers or men. 1 met him on the evening of the
15th June in l!w strc)f with .Be,~jamin Ca~i1pbellhc sai<l that lieu be!o11ge<l10 the hor~e after rhey had
parted-he
sai<l he wa~ prepariug to rist> 011 Sunday
the 16th Juuc-hc
,ms often at my shop-Charks
Drayton 1,,as sonictimes present.
PERAULT
gave the folJowing evidence :-Jack was
concerned as much as myself-[
met him at.Monday's first, when he said he was one, aud the third
time I met him at \icscy's, where we met purposcJy
on this aflair-Ncd l3ennctt and Peter Poyas were
there-Judi
agreed to go into the country to bring
down the people to fight against the whitcs--bcfore
the I 6tl1 J unc he 5eut his wife to me to sa v he wantc<l to p;ct my horse to go into tltc cotmtry- -at the

meeting at V csc_y's1 Jack can-jcd about a hat to get

money to pay a man to make pikcs---1 gave 12 1-2
ccnts---Jack put in the same ---thc second 1imc I met
him at the Battery, he sa id he was ~oing into the
country to bring the blacks down -he said be had joiucd as a horseman-at
the meeting at Vesey's bcsitlcs
N cd and Peter, Monday, Charles, llacchus, am]
Smart Anderson were present, and.John :Enslo\\: and
several others whose name:; I know 110t.

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BA.ccnus te~tified as follows :-1 saw Jack at Vesev's the first time I met there-he 'was the 111a11who
read che Bible-he passed the hat round that uighr
for the contribution---Monday, Charles, Pharo and
Smart, and others whom I knew not ,vere there.
THE CouRT unllnimously found Jack. Go1LTr, and
passed upon him the SCIJ!CllCC of DEATH,

[ Note. On the tria I of Charles Billings, it ,vas

prover!, that Jack Gknn intended to sleep at Mr.
Billing's Livery Stables on the night of the 16th
.Tune, for che purpose ofas:.-is1ingin saddling the horses for the coloureu people.]

THE

TRIAL

of LOT,

a Negro Man, the proper-

ty of Mr. F orrestcr-- -His owner attending.

EV I DENCE.

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Mo'.'mAv testified as follows :-Lot

and I have
been talking about this business, and he said he was
one engaged in lhis in:,urrection and was making
ready, this wa">at my shop where he frequently \\tas,
and always miking on this business-he was one of
the African Church, but l believe he had been turned
out.
FRANK'S

evidence was :-I

heard Lot tel1 Vesey

that he had gone up 10 Samec, but before he had got

there he met .c;omeblack person.'>who told birn that
the driver had heard it, and told the ovel'seer, and
had to make his escape.
that he is in conse11ue1we

J..o.cKbelonging to J\'frs. Purcell, gave the follO\ving

evidcuce :.-:.Lot was to ha re gone up to Stano, to a
large meeting where th:y made great preparations
for him, but he did not come-I was then up rhcre1 afterwards met him at Monday's and taxe<l him
about not fulfilling his promise-he sale] his business
prcycntcd liim.

131
JESSE before he acknowledged
his guih, requested
that Lot, who was not at that time suspected, might
be sent for and made to confront him. This being
done he first confessed bis own guilt, and then charged Lot with being an accomplice, and said in an impressive manner "I am guilty, and so is that umnhc is as deep in it as I am---if I am hung he ought
10 be hung, and if he is passed over 110 man ought to
be condemned by the Conrt ---Lot was the man \Vho
said to me on Gibb's & Harper's Wharf, that nothing could be done with.out fire, and that he bad the
.combustibles for ~t.*

A qrnmtity of slow ,match \vhich ,vas found on

Gibb's &. Harper's \Vharf~ and tl~en in Court, was
shewn to Captain C. L. B LACI<, Arsenal Keeper,
who tcstifj.ed tha.t the slow match produced to him
resembled that in the Arsenal preciseJy, a11dhe heJieved it to be a part of the same.

[Note. Lot was proved hy the 11cxtwitness to

have been in the employment of Mr. Peigne, \.vhois
often engaged in the Arsenal, an<l sometimes has set~
vants with him there.]_

NEV, a Negro Man belonging t!) Mr. ficgnr.,

a witness on behalf of the Prisoner, testified as follows :---1 was at work with Lot on a house in my
masler's yard,when V.eseyqune there-Lot told him
not to come in, tlmt his master would not allO\.Vit--this was about the :6rst of June.
THE CouRl' 'unanimously found Lot GurLH, and
passed upon hirn the scnte~1ce of DEATH,

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Lot dcuieq Jesse's accusations; nnd os no one at that time

but J css<J accused him, ag,Linst whoni Lot ,ol1111tf'en
:d his rvidenc '
,md was principally in~uumcntal in his comictiun, the Court dis
missed Lot. Aflcl' Mouday, fack (PuTccll,) and Frank had been
arrested, however, Lot. (fearing they would mculpate him) ahscon~
,ded, and was arrcstd through the vigilance and ctivity oi sever a.\
gentlemen, who plant in St. James' Santee, as he was attemp1ing t.o
ITecthi;; escape across IIiblJe n's Ferry, for the purJmSe(it is supp ":
::;ed) of getting beyond the limits of the State.
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Tm: TRJAL of ADAl\J, fl Negro Man, lido11g:i11~

to Mr. John Hobcrtson-- His owner a1tcnding.
E\'lDEf'iCE.

a,

HARR\'
testified as follows :-f met Adnm
lfolk }ey's Funn, al a mcctiug there fol' ril.;i11,g
H;;ai11sl the
whites-1 know that h~ liclo11gs 1o Gu11;i11.Jack's
compauy, aucl that he kue,v 1lw 111t>c1i11gs
\\ere for
cou.~ideri11gon this sul?jn :r-he
di,t llllt !di me that
he \I as 011e, hut 1 heard him agn ~e to lw u11c in 1his
purpose-I
hear<l him a<.kno.1leclg e tlial h11 was in
Gullah .Jack's compauy-lie
1vas 01ic or the African
Church.

B1 LLY ~an ~1hc evidence n-iiich follows :-Adam

was twice at Bulkley\ Farin, a11d once at Thayer's,
to attend the meetings there-he
liclongrd to the
Gullah Compauy, tu.rise riguiust tl1<1 v. hitcs-lic tol4
me so-I l1eanl hilll sny st, more tlia11 once.

THr:. CouRT unani111uus(11

fouud Adam Cu1T:n ,
and passed ':'POilhim the scutcnce of lJEAHJ.

Tm: TRIA L of JOHN, a Neg:o 1\fa11, llir property

of J\lr. John ltobcrtsoll-

His owner attending.

EYIDENCE,

testified as follo~Ys:-Johu wn.c,Cll_!:!/lt,?;rdin

belonged to Gullah .lac.k's ( 'ompany, and was at the same meeting with Adam - lie
acknowledged that be belonged to the same eompuny
that I did-I met him but once at Bu!kley's Funnhc belongs to the African Church.
IIAHRY

this business-he

B1LLY gave the following cvidencP :-John

belongs to the Gullah Cor:ipany-1
lwnrd him say s.o.
ouce-hc was t,vicc fi.t the meeting s at the .Fann.
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Tim CouRT unanimously found John Gm I.TV,

and passed upon him the sentence of Du Tu.

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'1"111:Trir,L

of HliTCUEH,

a Negro Mun, the

,'Slrnc of Mr. ,; :i:11>'

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C11.,R 1.r:s testified as follO\rS:-ButC'hcr

helongsto

tlie C 0111 pany, and is cngagerl in this bu si ness-1

met

hin1 at Bn lkley \, Farm-he is one ,v ho ,ukno\\ Iedged

iu rny presence that he w::is to ril:>eagainst the whhcs.
The ol!irct oi' the rneering at Bulkley's was to consider obom this business.-He
belong s ro the African
Chul'!_"h.
U11.1,,'s evidence was as folio,\ , :- ..Butcher
( ~ ilJl.,cs bef 1111
.~:s lo Peter Y"ard':s rdi!-!,ious class.
Charles lwing thcouJy witnessagainstllntchcr

witll-

o.uy eo1-robor~li11g circumstances;

THE CouRT
found him NoT (;tllLTI ' , lrnt su~gcstcd to his owner
11ut

die prnpricry of seuding him a way.

- ..~.-<>~>T1-:1E
Tt-tl-\L of SCJPTO, a N1~grn l\Jan, belonging
to Mr. Wm. Si1nrns-llis

owner ultctuling.

Prn .~CJLT tcs1ificd as follows :-Scipio

belongs to
th ose who al'c to rise agaiust the whites-he
hired
a horse from m e 011 Saturday ,. the 8th of Ju ne, to
go into the counlry, to get tht : ucgrucs tu co111edown
at the time the rising was to commence. I examined
him mvsclf, to sec if he \Vas ouc uf my friends to
fight agaiust. the whitcs--1 met him at l\'lr. Aiken\ iot,
afti:r tile Gth, \\'heu \\' C walk ed down tog.:crhcr, as
far as Si. Philips' autl 1Yen1n 1,rd1-strcc1s. We talked
a bout rhis hu~iuc ss-th c thlrd t iwc I 111cthim near
l\fr. l\forphy's iu Ki11g-slre!'t', 011 Sunday previous to
the execution of Peter Poyas-J the11said to Scipio,
this thing was alt up and 11ow dca<i; Scipio replied ,
that all th e people he had cngagc<l w~1T cowa rds and
.: wa~ willing to go on
hac l dran-n hack, but that 111
us much as I myself could Le.

Cross-E .rnrniue<lby lWr. Simms-Scipio

I
I

EVIOF.:"ICE,

horse , but another

hired the

uiuo took the horse wlto paid me

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134

i{:l. in part, and Adam a free man the remaining '/II,

the hil'c beil1g .$3-I don't know the man who took
the Lorset but I'd know him i fl saw him again.
Re-examined-Scipio
hired the horse and said he
would send for it, and wheu the man came for the
horse, he said Scipio had sent for the horse-when
my hor se was brought back the man was on my
boi-sc, and Scipio in company with him on another
horslil-my stable was near Flinn' s Church, and they
came from towards the lines, this was on Sunday
Even ing, 9th J unc.
He belongs to the African
Church.
l\foNoAY gave thD evidence following :-Jack
Pur cell told me that Scipio had gone into the country
to collect people to come dmvn.

CHARu~s testified as follows :-Monday told me

pr ett} much what he has himself stated to the Court.

Mr. W:1,1.S1MMS deposed as follmvs :-Scipio

is an
orderly, sober and indi1strious servant. I raised him,
and we have work ed tog clhcr.
l\frs. F1cK, a witnf!ss on behalf of the prisoner, testified as follmvs :-Scipio ncve1 garc to me any mms
to keep for him or any thing else- I have always
thoughthim a steady, sober ncgro , and never heard
any thing amiss of him.

Cross-examined by the- Court-I never said thatScipio had left a sword or pistol \.v.ithme*.
AGRIPPA,
a Negro 1\Ian belonging to Mrs. Perry,
a witn ess on behalf of the prisoner, testified as fo.l~
lows :- I reques ter! Scipio to hire a horse for me to
go into tlui country with, about the last day of the
canied
first week in June , mine being sick-Scipio
me to the man from whom the horse was hired, I

It wa, rrp ott cd that llrs. Fick said that Scipio had left a swol'd
~utl pistol with her tu h r p for him.

135
(irn 1't know the man--:-he an<l I went up on IiotseLacli. 10 my mistress' pJuntation, on H orse-Savaulluh, where ,vc went for my tools, and relllrned the
next day, Suuday-this
was all we ,vent for.

Cross-examined by the court :-The man's nam~

was Perault, who lives on l'he g1een-I paid $2, and
when I retllrned, paid hi in the $'1-v,,hen I received
the horse, Scipjo was not wi11l me-I had a pass--Scipio's name was not in my pass-I hrotight down my
mallet, chisel and axe-I
left town on Satunfay,
about IO o'clock-about
two weeks hdore this I n:as
in the couutry.
As soon us Agrippa's cxumination ceased, Perault
was brought into Court, and immediately recogniz.c1l
him to be the m,m who had hired his horse, though
he did not know his namc--Thc Iutendant then .committed Agrippa for trial. In consequeucc of this.
charge against Agrippa, whose testimony was so important to Scipio, l\Tr. Simms requested the Courl
not to decide upon Scipio's case until Agrippa was
tried, to which request the Court accccded. Agrippa
was not tried until five days after, as his owner asked
for time to send into the country and bring down
some of the Negroes as witnesses who were on the
}llantation when Agrippa and Scipio arrived there--Agrippa's trial therefore was not the next afi:cr
Scipio's; but as in forming their decision on Scipio's
case, the testimony given in Agrippa's was cousidend by the Court, it is thought ad viscabic, that, in
this publication, the 1eport of the one trial should
ime<liately succeed the other.

Tm; CoURl' unanimously found Scipio GotLTY,

and passed upon him the foHowing sentence: "That
he be imprisoned in the Work-House of Charlcstont
until his master, un<lcr the dfrec.tion of the Ciy
him out of the tiCouncil of CharJeston, shall 1ic1HI
mits of the U nitc<l Stutes, inco which he is not to return under penalty of <leall1.

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Tm: Tnui.

OF

AGRIPPA, a Nr.:.?;ro:\fan lwlon:!-

iu;:!;to Sirs. J,cn-y, Mr. Edward Prrry, rhc ~on uf !;is

o\, ;nc1i his Counsrl He1~jami11F. Dunkin, Esq. Air.
Bartlrnlomcv, ' CHrrol, the friend ut' his on ncr, aml

1'lr. William Simm-_;attcndiug.

PEK ..\l ' I.T tr:-lilicd as !i1llmv~ :---On thf' tlrh of Jum
abom 10 o\:ln ck , A. J\I. I 1111:1 tl11;prisoner, who suit.I
he wa,.; g;oing into tl11: country on 1-omc business.
whicl1 \vouhl b1~good to rne nnd goo(l to him. On
his rcwrn, I went lO hi 111,wlw11 af1rr some con, crsation, he i11forn1cd 111
c 1lrnt hC' had gone into the coun try 10 g(!I: uwn to join this in~unectiou,
and that he

had p1oc1wedsome nwn--lk hired a hOl'SCfrom rne,

for which he paid tnt ! two doll,us i11my hand, am!
got .security for the o1her dollar, ,1 hich he aHerwanls
paid through .\dam Creighton---thc
price of the
horse was three <loll:us.

Cross-examined by .Mr. Duukin- --I nc,cr saw tlie

prisoner before he crane for the horsc---l saw him
the sccoud time after he came from the country,
when ( examiucd bim particu!nl'ly, and he co11fcs~cd
that he lrnd got som c men to join in the insurn~ction.
Scipio Simms made the contract. about tl1c hnrtw,
and 110cthe priso!HT.
'\Ir. Eovv.uw Pi-:,rnr, a 1ci111c.~s
on bcftalf (:/' tlie
prisoner, deposr.d as follmYs :-- -;\ly motbcr nllmY.s
the prison er to ke(p a hol'!-(' lll the cotmtry where hi'
11sually recsidcs---my nwtlwr informed me ycsll'rday
thnt his horse is lanw, and lws hern go for some time.
(The general ticket to work 011t in town or country
fro rn his l\fo,tress was prod 11ecd in e \'jd en cc.) The
nmther and fathcr-i,i-law
of the prison er resides on
my p!aJJtatiou, wi11,rc the priso11tl' i~ in the hahir of
guing about once a. fur11iiglit-Tliere
we:'(~not more

1h,,n four or live a hie bu died nt:1;rncs on my plantation when tlH' prison,r ,, cnt for hi:; wob.
Cross-cxc1mi11eJ hv the Cuurt-J
have some ncflr
ncighboms in the country at whose plantations there
are man v nc"TOCSe,

1:37
KnT, a t; ,;ro man, belonging

to Mr. l'<'rry, u.

11it.wsson luhal/ oj the prisoner, t<'stilinl as follmvs:

I "as nn! pre~cm when A~rippu and Scipio arrived
a! 1he planu11io11-m1 my r<'iurn lu,ff1e in the c, ,cning
J met tl1c111-A:rippa's horse \\ a., so lame, that iw
0111.'.cretunu :d liunH~ 011 ruut-lw
returned ucxl thw
ID tmvu-1
dn 11ut know Scipio-there
were only

four or fi vc old person~ on the pla11tatio11, the prime

liamls bad CUlllC to lOW ll.
Romr-;, a Nc~rn l\lnn, belonging to Mr. Perry, a witon bcha({ uf lhc 11risoner, testified ns follo,vs :-

1w8;;

1 went into tile country wi1h S<ipioand Agrippa on

Saturday mornin;,!:-We arrived ;twi--.:tthree a11dfour
o'clock at. ~fr. Pcn-y's plan1u1ion-\, c stopped on 110
plunlatiou. uor to talk w.itii an.v i\c:ro Oil the way
up-When
on 1lic p!::mration, Agrippa \\-cut to his
house, and I to mv m0d1cr\-abo11t
eight o'clock
1-\i;rippa anrl Scipio' were in ucd- i\gripp'a answered
when I oum tu the duor , that he had gone to bed
......,....}
saw Agr.ippa auout scvcu o 'clock Hcxt day prcparilll; to :s1ar1---wc s!t1rlcrl for to.vu directly aftc1
lir~ukfast I a ud di<l uot stop on t!Jc nay lo ~peak to any
uuc, or n! any pla11tatiou, and arrin-'d in towu abom
three o'clock--\Vhcn we t!;ot down, I crtrricd mv horse
fio1n whence I got it---th ey net1t 10 canr tl;cir's to
di e pbce they got them from---\\ lieu on the plunra-

me

. I
I

1;ou no strange 1wgl'Ocs we,(' tlu:re , anrl I rlon't hclic\'c

Agrippa or Scipio went . off 1l1cpluutation---tbcy

were

working together in ton n, aud as ouc could not ~o

011 wi1hout tlw other, as ouc hntl to f.::U into the coun
irv fo1hi'.>tools, the other aeeompauicd him---thern
were 011Jy about fin~ lll('ll OJI th~ pJantatiun---1
was
1101

all 1l1etime with Agrippa amt Scipio

that they

were 011the plan1alio11.

Cross-Examined bv the Court---As soon as wearrived on tbc place, \\--"iiich ,rn., about three or fonr
o'clock, we separated, und I did 11(>f 1'CC the others
'till abot1t dght o'clock, wlicn 1 called al their house,
and fouud tlicm in Lied---from that time to '7 next
morning, I did not sec them.

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138

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Rc-Examined--1 saw their horses frequently to,.

gcthcr with rnjnc ou the place before 8 o'clock-I
i.;aw them together first about an hour aft el' we arrived, and before c.ight o'clock they were put up-The
ncarrst neighbour is about ouc mile and three
t]Uarters off.
Dou,

a Negro Woman 1Jdonging to Mr. Pcrl'y, a

witnc.;8 on bdw(f oj the 71risoner, gmc the fotlowiug evidence :-I was on the plantation when Scipio
and Agrippa came up-they came up about un hour
before sur1-down-l stayed at the big-house-Robin
swp't at the big house, and Agrippa aud Scipfo went
on to Agrippa's motlwr's house-I did not sec them
again till next mornin g-about dusk they sent to me
fo1some dauber-I
saw them turn out their horses
jn the plantation directly after they arrived-and
I
saw thei1 horses about sun-down-they
could not

hnve gone out. of the place without passing the I.Jig-

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house, unless they mde m walked through the field,

and I did not sec them pass-Mr. Singleton's is about
a quarter of a mile distant-(Mr . Carroll says about
a mite u11da half) the urivcr don't allow a horse to
go through the field-I saw them next day aftr1
breakfast-there
arc 110 prime meu ou the plantation
-all old or boys.
Cross Examined by the Coun - TllC're are about
four ta~kahle men on the plantation-Mr.
Lee's plan~
tation is not half as far a.s Singleton 's.

Lrnv, Agrippa 1s mother, testified as follows :-1

,,as at home when Agrippa and Scipio can1e to the
plantation, not long before sun-down-they
turned
theil' hotscs loose, then came in and sat down-they
did not Iea,e the house that night-Robin
came
there ofter they went to bed uml called them, but 110
answer was given bim-1
got up before either of
tlicn.1 next morning ,.--and then I saw them laying as
I left them at night---1 don't think they could have
ione ont of th e house and l not know it---they had
notalk with the people on the plan t atiou---they never
left the J1ouscfurther than the door.

11

J
Cross-Examined bv the Colll't-I ~lcpt but little
that night, my grai1rlchild kept me awake--they
carried away Agrippa 1s tools next day-Robin call~cl
three times, but 110answer 1vas given-they slep1 m
the Hall and I in my rqo11.1-the tools were some
.chis~cls and plains.

Mr. Ern~'ARD PErr _RY, again examinefl-The nearest plantatiou is about tllt'ee quarters of a mile, but
there is but one negro man on it, the next nearest
better than a ~nif.e.

11
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JACK belonging to I\.:frs.Purcell testified th~t .Scipio

had s1loken once to him abom th~ insmrcetion .
_
THECouR r unanimously found AgrippaGu11.Tv,and
passed upon him the following sentence:-"
That he
be hnprisoncd in the \Vork-Hi.mse of l:harleston until his owner, undr the directicn of the City Counrii

of Charleston shall send hirn out of the limits of the

United States, into which he is not to return under
penalty of death."

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-<~{t>)>i.THE

TRIAL

of DICK. a Negro J\4~n, t!Je Slave oi

}Ir. William Sii~ms--His owner attending.

EVIDENCE.
PERAULT
testified ns follows :---Dick and I met on
a Satul'day evcriing; in the Cablnct-l\fokcr 1s lac, next
to .Monday's, where were met oi1 this business, Gullah Jack, George Vandtrhorst alld Chades Drayton
-Jack said he was goiug iq bis canoe into the cou ntl'y to get people-Dick said he belonged to Gullah
.Jack's Baml, and saiu he was willing and ready like
1ne-thc second time we met at the cornet of Market-street, we walked upKing-street, arn] he told me
he was ready at any time-the third time I met him
between Craft's a11d Smith's Wharl~ and we sat dow1i
and conversed on this business-( again asked him,
and he again said, he was ready at any rime we
were ready-I 11evermet him any where else.

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HARRY\ evidence was as follows :-D.ick belonged
to Gullah Jack's Comp~ny-1 met iiirn at Bulkl(;y\
Farm, and he confessed he was ready an<l willing tu
join-the meeting was abouc this busiuess-lwjuined
before 1 did.
Cross-Examined by Mr. Simms---\Vc all consulted
together a.t the meeting, and all agrccd---this was a
little before this bQsiness broke out.
CHARLES tescified as follov.,s :-1 saw Dick in the
Lot of the Mahogany Shop near lVlonday's, attending
o.ne of the meetings-he -..vasone of Jack's Company
-this he said out of his own mouth, and that he was
ready.

[Note. The prisoner confessed he was at this

house, but said be went there to see some one.]
B1q.Y g?.vc the following evidence :-Dkk
,vas a.t
three of the meetings on this business ; once at Thay-
ers, and twice at Bulklcy's Farm-he
wus there when
they tried to fire off the pistol, am\ it went off in his

hand.

[Note. The prisoner confessed he was sometimes

Bulkley's l!'arro, but said he ,vent there to sec
BiUy ..]
Cross Examined by Mr. Simms-If I had not been
there l would not have known of this business.
he came,
Re-Exa,mined by the Court-Whenever
he came in company with Gullah Jack, they met at
the Farm to talk on this business.
TuE CouRT una:n-imonsly
found Dick Gul~TY,. and
passed upon him the sentence of OtA~u..

at

--=l~)@~~

Tm: Tn1i1L of BACCHUS, a Negro Man, helong"."

ing to Mr. Benjamin HnrnmN-Francis
S. Belzer,
.
Esq. his owner;s Counsel attending.
EVIDENCE,

:PERAULT testified as follows-I

engaged Ilacchus
myself to join in this business ; be was one of my
recruits-} carried him to Vcsry's niysclf-he was

141

'wi11ing to join--Ilacchus took one keg of powder

fro in his mas ter and gave it to Veseyt who carried
it to Monday's-he
promised to give me a sword but
did not do so.
Cross-examined by Mr. Belzer-Bacchus
that he had carried tile powdet to Vesey.
lV.[,JNDA
Y's evidence was
told me he was one in this
hr.en at my shop and I there
got by him. I saw him one

told

me

as follows :-Bacchus
business--he has often
had a keg of powder
night at Vesey's.

Cross -examined by Mr. Belzer-Bacchus

rault brought the powder to my shop.

and Pe~

CnARLS gave the following testimony :--I met

Bacchus at Monday's aud at Vesey's- l was present
when he brought the powder to Vcsey's--he told me
he had got three swords, one for hilnselt~ one for
Perault and one for Ned Bennett.
TnE CourtT unanimously founcl Bacchus
and passed upon him the sentence of DEU'H.

Gu1LTY,

Mr. l-Iammct, whilst he was not desirous that Bae

chus should esca pc pu nishmcn t, yet was anxious to
save his Jiff', and previously to his trial handed to the
Court in writing a co1.1fcssio11
which Bacchus had
made w him, and stated, that he came forward with
this candid confession of 13acchus, in hopes of savin his life thereby ; but that if the Court thought
hi; case did not admit of a less punishment than
death, he then requested that his confession should
not be used agaiust him. The Court after consultation determined to prncl:'ed to his trial.-Thc following CONFESSION though not used against .Bacchus is
now given to the public;

Perault, when hauling cotton from my master's store~

told me in the yard, secretly, that he wanted me to
go to Society with him. J asked what Society ?
He told me, never mind what Society, and said he
would call for me that night-he di.d call aud I went

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wirh him. Pmault carried me to Denmark Vese:f s

house, by Bennett 's mill-there
I met about twelve
men, among whom was 1'fonnay Gell, am! Smarr
Anderson. Aft er I got in they fastened the gate-it.
wa s before nine o-'clock--Denmark and Perault took
ine to one side, Perault told me they were going to
tell me something; this wa s in another room, not
before the gang-Denmark
and Perault said that
they were going to turn to and fight the white people, and take the country, and that New Orleans was
taken. 1 considered a long while, and they found me
considering, and ~t last I said to Perault I was very
sorry he brought me there, l did not wish to belong
to such a Society-Denmark
Vesey said to me bcfure Perault, that the one that ctitl not wish to join
the Society must be put to death as an encmy--he
told all the gan g so after he went back with me into
the room . Denmark told the gang, that they must meet
at his house that night next week. Perault told me
to try and get powder, chal the gang would throw in
and make it up to me. They all threw in the night of
meer ing 12 1-2 cents each, and l also. This money
was thrmvn in to give amanto go intotheco untryand
bring down the country negroc s when they were all
ready. Wh en I asked a oout arru s; and where they
wer e, Denmark recommended to them to look thro'
the tmvn for the stores that had the most guns. P e
rauh then jumped up and said 11 .Bacchus don't you
knmv where Capt. Martindale's arms is," I said, yes,
my man, but you can't get lhcm. and you had better
drop this thin g altogeth er. About two or thr ee days
afrer thi s last a:ffair. Pera ult cam e to me and told me
that th ey bad cau g ht Denmark, and carried me down
to Monday Gell. 1"1onday and P erault told me that
Denmark said that if they caught him, he would teU
no body's name, aud that I must not tell his, Pcraulf s uame, n01 .Monda y 's, and they ,vould not
me.nti on miu c. l took tlw keg of powder 011t of the
back stor e of my rnasteu, and carri ed it in a bag t(l)
-Denmark, with a man belongin~ to :Mr. Bennett

whid1 l lwlien is a l1lacksmith-llcnnett's

man
met me at my masteris gate-I suppose Pritchard's
Gullah .Jack an<l Perauh carrier) the powder to Monday from Denmark's house. In company with Denmark Vesey aml Perault, Denmark told me to get
what arms I could-I said l could get one horeman's
sword in a scabbard, whi ch- I took to Denmark's
house. I also said I could gt:t a pistol, but was afraid
my master would miss it--Pcrn 1dt told me never mmd
he could make me easy about i:t--1 did take the pistol to Denmark's house with the sword, on Sunday
night the 16th June. Deumark told me previously,
I roust not go home-this Denmark told at the meeting previous, and said they ,vcrc to go up the road
nnd meet the country ncgroes. Last night, when I
was put in the room in the Work-House with Perault, he told me Gullah Jack had buried the powder, and I think Perault knows where it is. All the
negroes engaged in the plot were ordered by Den
mark to leave their masters and go up the road.-The night they carried me to Denmark, I was so
frightened that l v.as obliged to say yes ; for they
thl'eatcned to kill every one that did not wish to join.
A large book like a Bible was open before them at
Denmark's house ; but l do not know w hcther it was
to sign names in, 01 what purpose. At the first
meeting at Denmark's, they askc.d me my name, and
Perault answered my no.me was Bacchus, belonging
to Mr. Hummct--Denmark
asked me which Hammet? I said Be1~janrinHammet, the gentleman who
sued Lorenzo Dow.
The week afrer Denrnm1k was dead, Perault told
me to mind and keep myself ready, that they intended to come up at the corner \vh c ie the anus of the
Ni?ck Company is kept ; and I said very weJJ ; they
were to take the arms, und 1 was to assist them,
they were to break open the door-l\fonday
Ge/J can
tefl who is at the head of this last arrangement-I
believe Perault knmvs all about it-Gullah Jack ,,vas
to distribute the !'owder amongst us-Perault
told

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144

me that they had a Blacksmith

to

make da_!!;gersfor

this party, aud that they had ma<lc some.

On Sunday, 16th June, he tol<l mC",t/1,eyJuul three or four
kundred <la.agers-he told me 011 the 1 lth July, the
nig;ht I was cornmittecl, that I must not tell his
na -mc or any thing aboul it-This
was the reason I
was al'raid to tell 01 make a nrnfes~i o11 to mv master,
Mr. Hammer, on this mor11i11g the 12th .Ji1ly-Perault is the fellow that hns brought me into this
scrHpe-A fellow about my size, a da1k black skin
negro, who I believe is called Clwde s, took nu~ up
the road just befo re you cnme to the fr,rks of the
road, on the Meeting-street
road, to a Farm-the
House on th e Farm !tas a Pi riz:a on the top; Chm les
1

wld the ncgro man on the Farm, mind next Sunday

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the business is to be done; mean ing to kill the white

people; and that 1henegroes from the country were
to stop at this Farm-Denmark
Vesey and his party
from town was to go there to tlw Farm to meet the
negroes from the coun1ry-I solemnly declare as to
being brought into this scrape; and that Perault is
the one who enticed 1ne into it-At
the first meeting
at Denmark Vesey's house, on the break ing up of th<!
meerilig !)en 111cwk
said-" Fril'nds you all tbro,v in
seven pence a piece, those who have got it, it is to
make Up for a friend !O pay his wages tOhis master,
before he went iuto tl1c country to bring the people
down.
At the meeting at Denmark Vescy's the first time I
was there, I ~aw a fat black fellow whom l think was

Denmark's son; as he looked very niuch like Denmark, had a full foce, that he could read, as he shewed J.\fonJay Gell the lar;e book on the table, and said
to :Monday, shewing him some of the leaf of the
book, "sec here, they a.re making real game at we"
and Monday looked at the book and said nothingl>rnm,ll'k took me a one side and said, " we shan't
be slaves to these damn rascals any longer.

,ve

must kill every one that we can get hold of, and drive
the rest out of the city." No one was with me when

J l1,[J

1 was rcq11P.stedby Charles (\\thom he calls Charles

Drayton now) to go to 1he Farm at the Forks of the
Roads ; when Charles set out to go there, he came
from Monday GeH's house, met mP, and carried me
to }Ionday's-Monday
was to go with Charles to
the Farm, but pm it off on uccoum of having a hog
to kill, and sai<l to Charles, let tliis friend go with
you; and I aud Charles wem to the Fann---whcn
wewent to the Farm, Chades asked a negro woman
on the Fann, if the old rlatldy was homl\ and she
t:allcd him- --thi s old tladdv is au African, marked on
botl1 si.rles of bis fo.ee--- l'liarlcs took him in the stable, and also mysel(, and told him about the countt y
negroes coming then~, &c. The fellow who helped
me to carry the powder bdong crl to 8ennctt l think ,
becau~e I have seen this man in Bennett's Dlacksm itb
shop at the mill, years before this; Pcmuft told rnc
that they had two or three lnmdr ed bayonets made al- '
ready-- - Pcrault is a Blacksrnilh-- - 1 bcJicvc Monday
knows ;1s wdl as }lcrault where the arms aud bayonets arc---l\fondfty said they were to have mounted
horscmcn---that many Drayrncn belonged to it who
h,ld horscs---at Dcmuurk\; house th~J all rose up and
sw ore, lifting up the ri~ht band, M1ying, " we will
not tell if we aic found out, and if they kill us we
will not tell on any 011c.i' Dcu1nark said they must
all say so, and that they did sny so. Denmark told
me that he gave the s word to Perault, and Pc1auh
gave it to a man named Ca :sar---1 know no other
Ctc.sar llut a D1,tymannamc<l Ca~sar---Smirh a tall
ncgro, an African, who jg an i111imateacquaintance
of l'crault' s, and who is of1cnat tlic stable where Perault keeps his horses --l>erault toltl me that French
ucgro cs were among st t lie In-- -Denmark said cm m try l>orn, Africans aud all kindsjoined---1\fonclay and
i>era ult appeared tu he the intimate friends of Den mark, he thought a ltcup of chem-- -Denmark took
the pist0l for hiinsell: it ,va s given to him in his own
meetings were licld at Denmark's
hand---Those
hou se, where he had a Lila.ck \'vifo---two ot three wo- .

meu were ut the house ironing.

,1

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JOHN, a Negro Man, the Slave of Mr. J. L. Ens low, pleaded Ciu1LT\I.-His ownf'r, who was presrnt ,
~tat,d to the Court, that Johu \Vas willing to n,akc
the only repararion in his po,\."Cr, for his conduct,
and would reveal all the information he was jn pos~csion ofrclativc to the insurrection. The Court in fon,1cd John that he might state whatever he had to
say, but as they ,vould uot make him any promise,
he must not make confessions in hope s of pardon.-John said he ,,votild state all he knew uf the intended
insurrection, and pwceede<l to make the followin~
CONFESSION

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Monday Gell lead me into it, and rook me to Vcscy1s--Thcrc vn1s a large mccti11g--Vesey told the
people, the meeting was to rise up and fight the white
people for their liberty--wc alwa ys went to .Monday's
house aftcrwards-l\fouday
did alJ the writing.
J
heard that they were tryin g all round tl1c cpuntry
fr01n Georgetownand Santee,round about to Combahee,
to get people. Peter Poyas \\ as also there, he wat,;
onc- .Pcter named Poya~' plantation where he went
to meet-Bellisle \'ates I have seen at the meetings ,
and Adam Yat~s, and Naphur Yates, and Dean
1Vlitchell, and Ca:sar Smith, and George a ~tevidore-At Vc~cy's they wanted to make -a collection
to make pikes for tl,e country people, but the men
had then no rnoney-1\fontlay Grll said Perault was
one to get horses to SPn<lmen into the country--- 1
heard that a Blacksmith was to make pikcs---.Jack
lWNcH is engag ed- -1 have seen them all at Monday's---Jack said he was one and would try to get
mcn---The plan was to take the Arsenal and Guard .
Hou ses for arm s, and not to fire th e tOlvn unless thcv
failed---Monday was writing a letter to S~. Doming~
to go by a vessel lyiug at Gibb's aml Harper's vVharf
---the letter \Vas about the sufferings of the blacks,
and to know if the people of St. Do1ningo would hclp
them if they made an effor t to free th emsdv cs---h e
was writing this letter in March , I am not certain or
the timc--~Pcrault was pre sent when Monday wrote

147
named Prince P.ig:111011
harc ',C('ll Pompey !Jaig at Mo11dais, but ht!
w:ilher assented or dissen1ed-:--Jerry Colwu wa~ HI.
Vesey's, and ~aid to n1e he was oiw-1 heard frrnu
Vesey and Monday that they had engaged mcu frnn1
the country-P<~ter
Poy:,ts .~uid he had sent into the
.cOlmtry to his brother 10 cngngc men who woul{J
$1~ncl him an answer-A
party was to attack the
the Arsenal \JU
Guard- House and Arsenal-another
the Neck-another
to attack 1.hc Nurnl Store on
Mey't:; Wharf-another
to atta~k 1hc Mugazi11e-an othcr to 1r1cctat Lightwood's
Alley, am! then ll'Y to
cut off the Compai1it !s from mcel'iug at their places
of rendezrnus-J
belong to tlie Afric-an Congrega tion-On Satunlay, the 15th J nne, a man \\'as co be
sent into the co1mtry to bring down the people, arn:f
Rolla was to command (the country j)coplc from
Ashley River) at the Bridge---N cd Bcuuctt and J olm
Horry to meet at Mr. Horry's corn er, u11d Battean
lo come down wit.h Vcscy's parry.
the fottcr, .-an<l also a Painter

-f

The Court Jun :ng u~ctl John as a wit11cssin the

subsequent trial~, passer.Iupon hini the following sentence. "That he be imprisoned in the \Vo1k-JJ011se
of Charleston, until his mast er, under th e dirccti tm
of the City Council of Charleston shall send him out
of the limits of the Unitcd States , into which he is no t
fo return under penalty of Death."

---=*l~s1=Tm: TnuL of WILLIAM,

pcrty of l\fr. Job Palmer-His
EVIDENq

a Ncf~rol\fon , the pro

owucr attending.
~.

TuloNOA
v t~stified as follows :---Willia11,1belong;;
an<!
to the association to rise against the whites-he
Vesey, and Jack GJen have been at my shop together
-they wer e talking on this business, and he said he
would do as much as any oth er man, and confessed
he hadjoincd-Vescy
!'ccmc,.:!to regard him as on e
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of his men, and to feel confid ence in him-he and I.

were to be in the same band under Vesey-he was
often .in my shop talkiug on this business, and never
~hewed any disposition to be off-this was before the
first f'Xccution.
Cross ..Examined hy .Mr. Palmer-The
time that
Vesey, Glen and William was at my shop, 'twas wheu
Vescv said there was but one Minister ,vlm Pr ,~acheil
the Gospel-sometimes he came to my shop a!oncthe first time he came in he asked for lhe newsfir.st convcrsal"ion he had was about the
paper-the

rbiug.

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CHART , ES gave the following evidence :-William

is eogaged in the Jnsunection-hc
said to Vcsey in
Monday's shop that Vesey must not think that he
wou ld not fight ; that he would fight as well an another-I
met him oppo site to the Circular Church,
on Dr. Simons' step, and he then said then it was a
shame they should allow the nrnn lo Liehanged ; that
he was ready t.o join in rescuing them fi'oni the gallows-this was the Sunday previous to Vescy's being
banged, abou t ~ o'clock ~ r. Jlt.

Cross-Examinecl by Mr. Palmer-I

knew him
long before-I met him just alter William Paul was
taken up at V csey 's.
See Mouday Gell's confession, in which he says,
that William promised Vesey to enlist as many men
as he could .
THE CouRT unanimously found William GolLTY>
and passed upon him the sentence of DEATH.

[Note. His Excellency the Go,1crnor has pardoned William, upon condition that his Master transports him beyond the limits of the United States.]
1'm;

TRIAL

01~

SEYMOUR, a Negro Man, belong-

ing to Mr, ,villiam F. Kunhardt---His owner atten<ling.

14!)
EVIDENCE,
PERAULT
tcstili erl as follows :---1 met Seymour
once at l\fonday's with Smart Anderson, whel"e he
acknowledged he was one to rise, and that he belon ged to Monday's Company---! met him afterwards
at the Exchange, where we talked of this business,
and he was as much one as myself.

:i\foNDAYgave the following evidence:---Seymour

is one in this business-- -he brought to my shop about
two months ago a racoon skin to make a rnp of, and
he then agreed to join us--hc and Joc Jore are particu~
lar friends- --I met him afterwards in Meeting-street,
where he apin said he was wil ling.
TnE CouRT itnttni1nously found
and passed upon him the sentence
commended to the Governor that
doned upon condition tliat he be

Seyn10ur GmLTY 7
of DEA T H; but rehe should be parl1 ansported out of

the limits of the United States.

THE

Tn1AL

ofNAPHUR ADAMand BELLISLE,

three Negro Men, belonging t.o the Estate of Joseph

Yates deceaseu--Jacob
Axson, Es11, attending a~

their Counsel.
EVIDENCEP.EnAULT testified as follows :-Bellisle
or Blarney
was engaged in this business. J met him at Crafts'
North wharf- this was the first meeting-the second
meetin g was at the comet of the scale house, on
Smith's wluuf-hc told me that the njght the hlack s
were to rise, he iYould engage t!Jc peopl e of Mr.
Yates to sJccp ,,vith himself at Mr. Mitchell' s, where
his people slept on Smith's wharf, whcl'c they would
commence the fight. Adam and Naphur met at Bulkley's fartn vvherc we met on this ousiness; n 1 hcrcwere Vesey, Monday, Chailcs and Smart-'
there
told them they had done the worst thing they could

L111j 1j

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l,lli,(,1
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uo to eugage these people, for that all Charleston

\vould know it next day-the ropc -,valk pcopJe got
f 1cm to join-Adam
and Naphur there acknowledged
tl1cy lmd joined-Ou
the 16th J saw Adam in the
street , when he said he was going up the road to
meel the Country and Neck people, where he inten ded to remain that nigl1t, and come down with those
people .
Bellisle belongs to the African Church ; they arr
all Africans.
Cro,1s-Examrnrcl by .l\:Tr. Axso-n-Naphm an<l
1-\dam came up to the Fann about 12 o'clock in the
day on Sunday, and stayed there 'till 4 o'clock.this was a :Sunday ill May-every
man in t~e house
agrccC: to joiu to rise against the whites-the meeting was for this express purpose-After
Peter Poya.s
and the others ,vere convicted, llcllislc and I came

ont of the shlJp together to talk on this business, and

J ,;aid we must rise and not let these people be hanged, and he sa id yes, we must do so; this was after

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he said to me he won Id get the people to sleep at Mr.

l\'focbelPs ~hop 011 16th .I une, \Vhen they were to
rise-Adam
told me that Ch.-irlcs Dravton had told
him to go up the road on the 16th June, and stay
there II nti I the alarm was given, thcu come clown
with the Neck and Country people-Adam and Na~
Sunday
phur came up to the Farm together-the
was about the middle of l\foy.
CHAr,LF.SgaYe the following C'vidcnce :-Nap hur i
Ariam and Bellisle arc a ll i II this busincss-l
met
Adam aud Naphur ut BuJ .,ley 1s Fannt where w e
met o n this husine~ s, and where they acknowledged
that tlH'ir hearts w, ' t'f! in this lmsincss-Bc!Hslc I met
in the strccb, were he told me he belonged to it-I
have also met him often at Monday's, where he talked of it, l1e said he was one of the army, and ready
and will i n.!Z;to go out.

Crnss-Examinr-d uy l.\fr. Axsou-Napurand Adam

at the l<'ann, said when the rising commenced they
were rcad_v- \ cscy was there and spc,kc to the whole,

151
tmd all who agreed to rise against the whites were to
hol<l up their hands, and Naphu1~and Adam held up
theirs with the others .
.JoHN, Mr. Enslow's Slave, testified as follows:I k11ow the prisoners; they are as much in the plot
as I am, and I am in the plot-I have met them aU
ktl

Monday's-Adam

gave to Monday a knife to

make a scabbard for it. which he int ended ro use as

a dagger, the knife ":: s such a onC' as the Hillemcn
wcm~~l hnn~ heard \aphur at Monday's agree to
join-I belong to Mond, ly's company-Ilelli :slc said
he>was jn it-Ad am and I have often spoken 011 the
same subject-we a1l ap/cCll to rise against the whites
and fight for our freedom.

Cross- Exa1:1ined-l saw Adam deliver the knife

to Monclay, mid ~mymake a scabbard if this will do
-we all agreed at Monday 's to joiu.
MoNDA v gave the testimony following :-The
pri soners were in the hab it of coming into my shop
to talk on this business-I
first met i ~ aphur and
Adam at l3utklcy's Farm-Adam
IJrouglu to me a
lon g knife to make a scabbard for it, which he inten-

ded to use in the lmsine~s- tlic_ybelonged to my side

which was Vescy's di vision-I delivered him after wards the knife.
Cross-Examined by Mr. Axson-Naplmr was but
cmce in my shop-Bellisle
and Adam often at the
.Farm-Denmark
Vesey explained his plan toalf present, and on the p1oposition to agree, all asscmc<ll met Naphur once at Bulkley's Farm, where as " ell
as at my shop he expres sly agreed to joill.

[Note. Two other \Vitncsses were ready to be produced against the prisoners, hut the Court tho11ght it
um1eccss~1yto examine them, a,:; they could not testify to any new facts.
THE
COURTunanimously found Naphnr, 1\nam ,
and BeliisJe

tcncc of

Gu1LTY',
Df: .,\'tH .

and pa~~rct npon them the srn -

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rim TRIAL or DUBLIN, a Negro Man, the pl'O'

pcrty of Mr. Tburnas Morris-Mr. C. G. Morris attending.
EVIDENCE,

as

PERAULT
testified
follows :-Dublin said to me
that \Vrn. Garner had engaged him to join against
the whites-he belongs to the African Church.

CH A ctLF. s testi fi eelas follows:-D ublin told me one

rlay he hea1<lof it but that was all.
Tm" CouRT imanimously found Dublin Gu1LTY,
and passed upon him the sentence of D F:ATll, but recommended to rhc Go~ernor to pardon him upon
cornlition that he be trau~portcd out of the limits of
the United States.
-<~>--

Tim TR1AL of CHARLES, a Negro l\Jan, belonging to l\1r. Samuel Billings-His owner attending.
E V(l)E:-,"Cf :.

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JoHN tcstil'icd as follows :-Charles belongs to this

business-,... ,c spoke on it at Monday's-he said that

when we were ready he would come out and join

us-I met him twice at Monday's, and both times he
said so-After Peter was taken up, I met him on
E<lrnonstou's Wharf, an<l he said the people were
beginning to be frightened, and we had better say as
little as possiule about it.
PE:RAUt:r's evidence was as follows :-I
met him
at lV.louday'swhere I heard him say he was a horseman-I beard him say he was ready und willing.

l\fo:rnAY g,wc the following c,idcnce :-He told

me once that William Garner had spoke to him about
a horse, but I don't know that he was one of us-he
was frequently at my shop to get han1ess mended,
and he th ere conversed on this subject, and he appeared ,villing to joi11,and said he had joined.

CHARu.:s testified as follows :-I have met him often, and he acknowledged he was one-Jack Glenn
he said was to have sl<>ptat his master 1s Livery Stables the. night of the rising, to a~sist in saddlincr the
t:o
horses for the company.

[Note. ~thcr wit~csses ,i,cre ready to testify to

the , same effect, but it was thought unnecessary to
examine them as they ,vould testily to no new fact.
i\'Ir. B1LL1:S:GS testified to Charles'
character.
TuE

general good

CouRT unanimously found Charles Gu1LT,

and passed upon him the sentence of DEATH.

Tm: TRlAL of PRINCE a Negro Man, the pro~

perty of ]\,fos Highton-1\tfr. Joseph Rigbton, attending.
EVIDENCE,

JoHN testified a's follows~- I have seen Prince in

Monday's shop when Monday was reading the letter
to St. Domingo---Hc must have heard l\.fonday--Thc brother of the steward of the vessel who was to
carry the letter to St. Domingo, was a General as I
understand in Sc. Domingo.

MoNDAy gave the evidence following;-[

can't
say that Prince was engaged-lie came once to my
shop and then agl'eed to join, but I have not seen him.
since, and as he did not come back to say wbcthel' he
would continue so or not, I therefore did not put his
num~ down to the list---This was long l>efore the
16th June---I then read the list of names to him, but
not the letter tu St. Domiugo---there
were three
other persons there.
Cross-Examined by l\fr. Righton---he came there
without any appointment.

--

---

CHAt!.u_s te~tified a.~ follows :-J saw him 011ceil1l

:Monday's shop, lrnt don'l hnow any thing against

hi 111.
HARRY stated that

he knew nothing against Princt ;'.

'l'HE CounT unanimously found Prince NOT Gm

---but sugg;cstc<l lo hi~ liWncr to send him away

LTY

Tm ~ TnIAL of PETER,
nn rlckrly N eg ro Man,
belonging to Mrs. Cooper---Capt. :::icars 1:1ubbell,

1,1.ttendiug.
EVIDENCE.

JoHN teslificd as follows :--I have met Peter at

Monday's, where he sig11iftcd liis coDsrnt, and ~aiu
he wa.s williug to join; this was fl.bout 1wo mouths
ago.
MmmA y gave the following evidence :---J)ctcr said

he would join---I met him once at Vcsey\; , and he

there said by word of mouth that he WiJS willing to
join; this was previous to lhe 16th J unc; (the prisoner i~ a GoiU( )U Negro)-- -he has passed my shop
driving his curt, but did nut come in.
P JrnAur.:r, testified as follows :---Vesey told me to

tcli Peter he \vanTt:d to sec him ; I told him and he

suid he ~vould go, aud did go; but 1 did not know
what passed there; I don'r know that he agreed ;
I came out of Vcscy's and left_hirn there ; Vesey sent
me to hin~ on this business ; 1 only delivered my

message.
Cross-Examined by Capt. HubbeH---At Ves~ys I
met Monday there too.
Mr. HuBnEr.L deposed that Peter has borne a good
character, and is an inoffensive man.

_,

THE

CouRT

unanirnow,lyfound Peter Gu1LTY, an<l

passed upon him the sentence of death ; but i-n con~

1sa
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.sitlerationof h:i.~
agr., rccommemled to the Governot
to pal'don him u1111ncondition that h~ be lranspor
ted out of the limit1, of the Un-ited States.

[J\'ok His Excellency the Governor has pardon

cd Petet on condition of his receivi1~g twenty lashes.
--~1e1
I~~ 1@10!4T HE TR1i\J. of GF.ORGF., a N~gro :\'Jan, the properly of j\fr, Dampfield---His owner attending.
o.VI ll t: :"-<
CE ,

Jou~ testified as follows :---l met George at l\.fonJay's, where lie said, thar if all the men in the room
was of. one mind, he would make a remark-- -they
~aid we -are ; he then said, l have spoken to two
men who agreed, and mcntiooed their names; wbcn
1\fonday said for G<;>dsake let them oJone or they will
betray us ; (the p1isoncr on being asked if he belonged to the African Church said, I did bdong to the
African Church, bul they r urned me out for keeping
a

girl.)

1\.-IoNoAv'sevidence wa.~ as fol1ows :--George

once in my shop; tile co11vcrsation r<'.la1ed by
Enslow did not take place ; enry day there
numbers in my shop on th is uusiness; he was

was
John
were
often

ju my shop.
PERAULT
tesiificcl as follmvs :-- I met George
c,nce at 1\.'Ionclay's; George did ugrc e to join as much
as I dirl; I did not hear him say any thing about
engaging t,vo men to joit ~; this mee liog wa s expressly
on this business ; I met him afterwards in th e Market,
\Vhen he said th e Gua1ds were too strong, let the
l.iusiness lay still ; I ha ve not talked to him since any
one was laken up on this business.
/

testified as foJ!ows :---1\londay told me

that George was one.
CHARLES

TuE CourrT unan irnousl!Jfound George Gu1LTv,

and passed upon him the sentence of Di.A'tH ; but re-

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156

commended to the Governor to pardon him upon

condition that he be sent out of the limits of the Unitcd States.
Tm: TRIAL of JE l\fMY, a Negro Man, belonging
to l\Irs. Clement-His two young .Masters present.
EVIDENCE,

MoNo,\v testified as follows :-Jemmy

is engaged
in this business; he belongs to my company, and he
agreed in my shop; he said he would like co know
when this business would begin, as he had engaged
some people in the country where his ,,,ife lived, and
he would have to bring them down ; he has often
come to my shop and held conversations on this subject, and confessed he was ,villing and had joined.
gave the following evidence :-1 saw
Monday 's- he knew of it before me, for
at that 1imc he was talking on this business, and it
was the first time I had heard of it-he was one-he
,ms wilJing-he belongs to the African Church.
PERAULT
at

Jemmy

CHARLES
te stHied as follows :-Jemmy
told me
him self in Monday's shop, that he was oue-he one
day broug ht to me on the Market Wharf two or
thl'ce men, who he said had agreed to join, and belonged to the country-these men said they had joined, and were to carry the news into the countrJ, (Jemmy has a wife at Mrs. Moore's, in St.
Thomas' Parish)-this
,ya s after Peter was taken
up, but before his execution.

' I~

Tm; CovRT un.nnimously found Jemmy GUILTY,

and passed upon him the sentence of DEATH,

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Tim TRIAL of JERRY , a Negro Man, the Slave

of Mr. 1\1.Cohen.
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157
EVIDENCE,

JoHN testifies as follows :-1 1net Jerry at Vesev,s,

"'nrl at i\fouday's-Lle agreed and saict' he wi:is <)11e,
and j oiue :I in the ol~ject of t:hc meeting, wliicl1 was
to plan measures agaiusl the whites-we hare oflCn
spoken on this business-at
Vesey':,; where we met.
were present, Monday, Charles, Holla, Ned, Perault,
Batteau, Smart, and J&ck Glenn, nm\ ucar 30 men in
-all they 1hen handed round the hat lO wake collections to purchase pikes; they were to l>e provided with
dark lanterns to enter stores for arms ;-Vesey
said one hundred. Pila'.s were made by a blade man
who worked by himself; lhey also wanted money
to pay that black man's wages to his mistress; after
Vesey was taken I was afraid to speak on the subject.
1\formAvgf:l.vethe evidence folloivjng ;---Jerry wasoften in my shop, an<l confessed he was one ; his
name was on mv list w ith his con~cm; I did not meet
him at Vescy's ; he sai(\ when we were consulting
who should take a Ieml, suid he would be a leader ;
he was not there when money was collected to pro ::.
cure lantern s; I did not go to the meeting chat night
'till eight o'clock.
PERA ULT testified as follm vs :---J crry ,vns at V r.sey>s \vhcn they made a collection; I am not certain,
but think that Monday was pre.sent ; he Monday
was there; John EnsJow ,vas 1so there; the collection was for purchasing spears ; J crry did say we
bod better stop this business, but still he was willing
to go on ifwc went on.
'fHE
CouRT unanimously found Jerry Go1LTY,
and passed upon him the sentence of DEATH,
THE

Mr.

TR1Ar,

OF

DEAN, a Negro Man belonging

owner attending.

t(.\

Ja~. Mitchell---His

EVIDENCE.
PERAULT

testified as foJJows :---1 have seen Deon

a,t Vcsey's1 wherehe agreed as much asmyself~--wi

.11,i ,:

Jiil,I'
th l
I

158

met pnrposely to make a cullt'cl'ionfor spnm;---I

heard him sav he had joined, urn] 110 one would be
allowed to enter that house if he was not 011e-- He
belongs to the African Chmch-

Cross-rxamined

hv Mr lVlitchel!---John

Enslow

summon~d him to <1ti~ndthe meeting.

John festi fic<las fo 1lmvs :
I first told Dean ahout it- --he told me nftcnrnrds
he saw the thing \\HS going on well, a11d lie ,vns
glad of it. I asked him if he wou!<i like to go to
Vesey'::,mC'etings, and he said yes, and ,:vent with me.
He put in money at Vcscy 's, [ saw him doh;
Jack
Glenu handed the hflt. ro1111d---wc afterwards con-versed, and he wa~ ah1 n) 'S of thC':-.arne mind. He
\\'as on the night of rhc ri .~iug to nH'et at Vesey's, and
march down with his JH11ty.
l\for,;oA r confirmed Joh11's testimony as fat as it
relates tu Dean's mcctinp; at Vcscy's and as to what
passed there.
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Tm;; Cou RT 1manJmously fonnd Dean Gu I LT y,

~ml pusscd upon die SCIIICllCC of D J:,\TH,
'

:l;
Ttrn Tn1AL of ISAAC, a Negro i\fou, the property uf Mr. Wm. Harth.
His owner attending.
l:\"lllENCE,

MoNDAY testified as follows :---Isaac

\V&s f'ngaged
in this business; he told me so himselJ: Aftrr Min~o was taken up, he told me, that Mingo would get

dear if Edwin Paul <lidnot testify against him. He

said also, that he hclonged to the horse compa11y.
Mingo told me that his brother was one too.
Cross-examined by Mr- Harth---T conversed with
him directly after ~:lingo was taken up.
W1LLTAM
testified that Ed win did positively say,
all Mr. Barth's people were engaged in it.
CHARLES

tngaged.

testifi~d that Monday told him Isaac was

.
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1.59

T1-rn CouR.t ttti(1nmou~l!J

found Isaac Gutr.TY, anr.l
pnsserl npun tlw semcncc of Death;
but recommended to 1he (lov ernor to 1nt'don him uponcondition that he be sc11l out of d1,: limits of the United
States .
TH1,: TntAL of JOllN

a N egro Man]Jr.longing to

l\f1s. Taylur.- --)Ir. James Drummond at t.cnlling.

EVIDENnl.

CHAin.i ; s

tcs1ific1las follow~ :-Johu

told me one

Monday rnor11i11g,
pnvim1.~ lo the IGd1 of Juue, that
aH 1hc horses were ready, 1>111the patrol was so vigilant, they {"oultl not come out.

Cross-c.xamincd by Mr. Drnmm ond--J understood

thr lwrses to !Jc iuteudC'd for the insurrection.
This
conversation took place at my ma5ter 1s gate- :.~he was
as willing as myself aml he c1id not refuse. I only
con,erset.1,vidl him bm mwe, and then he toln me
the horses were ready for the insurrection.
1Villiam
Gamer told me that .Jol111was engaged in this affair.
Tm: CouRT unanimously found John NoT Guu.rv,
!mt suggested to his own er to st:nd him ~way. Mr .
Prummoud gave John au excellent character.

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Tm:TRIAL
of PIERHh. Ll~WIS, a Negro .!Vfo.n
,
the Slare of Mr. Chuppcau--His owner attending.
EVIDENCE,

CnARu:s, testHiedas follows: On Sunrlay, when

the Guards were out, Pierre Lewis told me that
something serious wouJd happen, but that I was a
country born, anti he was afraid to trust me-~ This

was

onthe 1Gth June.

THE: CounT

unaniinouslyfound Pierre Lewis Not

GlllL n, am! discharged him.

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T,rn T1AL of JACK, a N~gro Man, belonging to
Mr. Neil l\l'Ncil.-.Mr.
M'Kcuzic his owner's Copartner, attending.
EVIDENCE.

MoNoi\Y testified as follow~ :---Jack

belongs to

this conspiracy, and with bis cousent I placc<l him on

m_ylist. He has been frequently at my shop, whC'rc
Denmark Vesey has often seen him ; but he was never at my sho1; at any appoimed mcctiug---he came
here about 7 years of age from Africa, and belongs
to the African Clrnrch---I-le is one of rny company.
CHARE ES testified as follows :~~-I have met Jack
at Monday's several times, a11d heard him in his presence acknowledge that he belonged to this conspiracy. After the execution of the first six, Jack appeared to bcalanncd, and to regret that he hadjoioed.
\Ve had several conversations and he always appeared to exhibit the same feelings.
PERA u LT said I know the prisoner, hut not that
he is cngage<l.
JoaN tcsti{icd as foHows : I have seen Jack often
in 1\'.londay's shop aml he has acknowledged in his
presence an rl rni ne, th at he had join cd ; he has spoken
m me ofren on the subject in the screels, and was al
ways willing.

Trrn CouRT
11nan.'irnouslyfound Jack G UILTY 1
and passed upon him the sentence of DEATH.
--=1e!dtl~1=--

TnE Tmn of CiESA H, a Negro Man belonging

to Mrs. Smith-Mr. M' Uow attcndiJ1g for his owner.
EVIDENCE.

J'?H:ste~tilicd as follows :-Cresar is engaged and

coniesscd n to me; I ha\e often ~ccn him at Monday1s --he is a nr.cive of Africa and bclon,,.s to the
African Church--he told me sometimes in ~he street

--

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161
he was engaged. After the execution of Vesey ht'!
appeared foarful of the consequences.
Cross-examined by Mi:. i\l'Dow-I saw him twice
at Monday's before the 16th of June and once after.
l\iloNoAY's ev iueu ce was as foJJows :-C&sar was
one of the party, a11d i placetl his name on my JistHe was always willing to join, there was 110 man
more so.
Cross -examined by Mr. :WDow--He engaged some
time before the affair was discovcl'ed - he was as
zealous as myself- he was at my shop often.
CHARLES
tesrificd as folio\\ s :-Crcsar acknowledged to me at Monday's, that he was eJ1gaged, and
also several times in the street.

Cross-examined by Mr. l\1'Dow-I saw him after

the execution of Vesey, and he appeared of the same
mind.
THE
PRISONER,
admitted, in his defence, that he
bad frequent conversations on this subject with the
witness, but denied rhat he had joined.

TH CouRT vn inimously found Cresar

nnd passed upon him the sentence of lJEATH,

Gu1LTY ,

Tui;: Tn1n of PRINCE GRAHAM, nfrcc black

man-Mr. Jones attending as his friend.
EVIDENCE,

MoNDAY testified as follo,vs :-Pl'ill<'C

Graham is
engaged in this conspiracy aud belongs to WiJiiam
Garner's compa11y- J1e ackno ..vle<lged he belonged
to it, but did not wish 10 have his name down, as
he was a free man. He confes~e<l he belonged to
William Garner's Company-he
was not at my
shop.
Cross-examined by M1.Jon es-he said he had
a long one, a horseman 's sword provided for this pur

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162
p()sc--Hc belonged to the cavalry anti was one of
the African Church.
He uover was wilh Denmark
Vcsey or aJtcnclcu any of the meetings-he
told
me he wa1;; to !)~ an oflicer, William Garner had
made him nnC'.
CnARLEs
p;ave the followin;:; evidence-Monday
anrl myself met Prince Graham one ni.ght corning
out of ik Hamsay's yard ,vith Qua sh HarlestonHe said that he wa s as willing as auy Lody. After
Morris Brown had returned from the North, he said
he did not wish much to do with it c.t!She was o. free
man, and liacl denied it t1l Morris Brown, who in
quired if he wa s one-this was after Peter \Vas taken up-Morris Brown returned before the 16th of
June.
FRA NI\

testified as follows :-Vesey

called at the

house of Prince Graha.Jn one clay in my company,

aml was informed by his ,vifo that he was not at
home. 1 afterwards met him and he asked why Vcsoy ha,d cftllc<I on him--1 sald to go i1Jto the country-he replied I cannoc gn, as I have nothing to do with

this conspiracy-thi.-,

was I chink before the 16th of

J uuc.
Pi,,:R,\UJ:revidence was . as follmYs ;- I only con
versed with Prince Grabu11on<'e in company with
Quash llarle s1ou, wl1c11he sa1d, if Mnnday had told'

him of it a liuJc soouer he would hare join ed ; but

now he hn,l not rimf' to prepare himself for it-thifi
wa s at Prll ca u's \Vhar(

Prince Graham's Stutement and Def ence.

I met William Garner who to?d me he held a c om mission iu the hor se, and if I would join, ho would
resign in my favour; which I refu:-.cd to do-whe11
in New-York, I first lcarn't that Dcnmmk Vesey aml

others were to Le hung for an attempt to rnisc on Insurrection.

As I ha<l I.wen spoken to and asked to
join in this before I left Charlcscou, I considered well
whether I had ever said or done ~ny thiug which

163

conld bring

m e into trouble if I returned;

but as I

coi1l<l 1101 reprnnch mysdf with huvi1.g <lone so, I

thought I need not li:ar to come on. As I was a free
mun, and could ha\'e :.tttyc<lin New-York ifl pleased,
I ccriainlv \\oul<l not have been such a fool as to run

inyself iuiu such <langer if I was in auy way engaged

in the plot.
THE
CourtT fount! Prince Graham
GutLTY, and
passed upon him the following sentence ;-" That
he be impl'i.soucd in the WorkHuuse
of Charleston
for one month, and then be transported by sea out
of the State of South-Carolina,
hy the first opportunity, into which he is nor to return undc1 penalty
of death."
The prisonel' at his own request, was transported
to Africa on board of a vessel which saile<l from
Charleston.

THE

TRIAL

.:aaams
of DILLY, a Negro Man, the propr-r-

ty of Mr. Robinson-William

Crafts, .b:sq. aneudiug

as his Counsel.

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EVID~NCE.

l'E1uo1.T, testified as follows :-~-Billy was engaged

in this business. On the 16th of June he and I \Vent
to Vesey's in the afternoon.
This day he said we _
must raise to day, notlii11g must put it back. \Ve
there met Gullah .Jack and Tom Russell--Smart An<lcrson got him to join.
I met him aflet'wards, on
8111Jdayat his own house. Billy agreed as much a~
rnyselt:
He, at his house, which ,vas after Vesey and others
were taken said, Jack would get more men, and
tl1cn we would rise. '\'Ve there spoke of rescuing
Vesey and the others, and .Billy agreed-he
is an

African.
Cross-examined by Mr. Crafls---We stopped first at
1\fonday's and then \"o'ent to Vesey's--on

the day of

the execut.ion, on the Bay, Billy asked me what I

y

\Vas

,. I

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doing thetc-whyf
was not on the green to get men
to rescue those to he hung.
The Priiioners Defence.-- -P..fr. Davenportt Mr.
Crafts, Mr. Tyler and Mr. Davis testified to Billy 's good characte1.
Mr. Tn.rn deposed as follows :--1 believe that Perault was one ofthose who \vere speaking with Billy
betiirC' my rloo!'. At another time, within a few days
P<'rault took away in his dray from before my store
some damaged com sold him by .Billy. J have powder in ~?nnistcrs in my store, whkh Billy might have
stolen it he choose so to do, but 1 have not missed
any.
Mrs . Miu .ER deposed as follows---[ live in a house
in Elliott-street, there arc two rnoms on a floor---thc
.first.occupied l>y Mr. Howe, th e back by me. Billy
occupies a room above my kitchen, and no one can
go into his room without pass-ing through my kitchen;
1 never saw Perault go into Billy's room, or in my
yard. Billy has lived in that room for three years.
Mr. l\Hllcr, Mr. J. W. Howe, T. Dexter and Mrs.
Mitchell, s,1y, says (:\fr. Crafts) that neither of them
ever saw Perault in Billy's house .
PJ :RAUI:r ,vas called back bv Mr. Crafts and examined as w Billy's reside)1ce, which he described exactly
as Mrs. Miller had done.
S .\1Ar..T, belonging to Mr. Anderson, was examined
on behalf of the Stute am\ testified as follows :--Bil ~
Icy was cugag;cd in this busitJess-C~sar
Smith said
to me iu Billy's presenee, that Billy hadjoined.
Bilky cold 111c that he was \\'illiug 1:0 take a part three
lH' foL1r days aflcr thi s--h c lold me after that, tlrnt he
was one.
Cros s-cxatuiuecl hy l\fr. Crafts-f did not tell Perault I had got Billy to join, but c:hat C~sar had.
Ih:-exaiui ned-1 have never been at Billy's house .
Tm: CouKT unanimously found Billy GulLTY, and
passed upon him the sentence of DEATH.

165

[Note.-His Excellency the Governor has pardoue<l ililly, upon condition, that his mast.er tl'auspur~
him beyond the Jiq1itsof the U nitcd States~

--- :o.---TuE TttrAi:, of JOHN VII\CENT, a Negro Man

belonging to Mr. Cntcksbauks-Afr.
Cornli i!I, ouc
of the firm of D. Parish & Co. which ha d for some
time hired hrm attending.
E\'IDENCE.

follows :-John told me himself he had joined in this business-this was in my

shop-I frequently conversed with him 011 this subject-he
once belonged to the African Church-before the 16th June he told me he had a mould, and
that he was making balls-this
was about th1ec
weeks before the l tith-afccr the I 6th he 1:>aidhe
was ready still.
MoNDAY testified as

Cross-Examined
by .Mr. Cornhill-lle
said lie
would give me some.bullets ; he said his muslcr,
that he was staying with, was going to the North on_
Monday, the 18th, and if he would go on Satu11day
bct'ore, 1twould be better.
CHARLES
gave the following evidence :-I have
often to)ked with John ill Monday's shop on this
subject, where h.e said he was wjlling; he was one ;
and belonged to the horse coinpaoy; I have seen him
at .Monday's tbree or four times; he said the gentleman he was staying with wamcd him to go to the
North, but he said he wanted to stay and see the
frolic over first.

CrossExamincd by Mr. CorohiU-1 think it was

in his own room in an Alley from Cburchstreet, viz.
Elliott-street, that he told me about bis master ; this
was the Sunday afternoon before Vesey was executed, (30th Junc)-- -Mr. Cornhill states that the pri: s9ncr did live in Elliott-street.

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lG6
iVIr. ConNmLL gave to the prisoner the very !Jcsi.
character.
1\fr. KER BovcE, df'poscd as follows :---Ker Boyce
sworn ; J went to D. Parish on Suturday, 1Sth J unc,
who was going to Lhc North on Monday ; Mr. Pur;sh
asked John what wus the matter, tlmt he looked w,
if he had Josscd his mother? John's looks then were

such, that after l J1card of this affafr next dav, I could

not but 1hi11k tliat John was coucerncd,
Mr. Parbh to quc::;1io11him auout it.
'l'ttE
GuiLTY,

I advised

Vi11ce11t

CouR'r iuwnfrnomly found John

and passed uon him the sentence of

DEATH.

[Note. His Excellency the Gmcrnor has pardoned Johu Vincent, upon condition that his .Master
transport him beyond the limits of the United
Stntcs.]

Tm; TRUL of JACOB STAGG, a l\folatto Man,

the slave of Mr. J. Lancastcr.-Uis
m, 11cr and
Joseph Clark, Esq. his Counsel, attending.
EVIIH'.NCB,
PERAULT

testified as follows :-Jacob

nnd I talked

together about April last in Monday's shop nn this

business, and I found tha .. he knew of it lwfore me ;

Smart Anderson and George Wr1lkcr were tlicre.

On )5th June, we talked togethct near Flinn's
Church ., where r told him that Vesey said, tu -rnorrnw the people would come from the country, and
we must rise; and he ngreed to do so; f haw met
llim frequently at J\Iouday\.
Cross-Examined
by Mr. Clark-At
:Monday's
shop on a rainy day he said he was engaged in th~
business, and belonged ro the foot company ; near
Flinn's Church he said he ,,,as ready. it was agree,l
to rise in July ai fir<;I,as at that tilne the ultitc peo-

167
plc f{O to the Nortli and to Sullivan's Island, and tlte
Cill/ would then b, th in of men ; but in consequence
of ihc first arrest of PNcr Pova~, it ,nts altered and
1ixcd for the JGth June; l\fouil.iy told me in his shop
ju Jacob's presence, that he J ac:ou had join ed.
evidence :-~J acol,
to join wici.J my company in my shop; he
asked me for a sword, mul when I said I had none

MoNDAY gave the following;

agreed

to give him, he said,. !hat I_IC would get a s~ythe and

make a sword out of 1t; Vesey had met hun at my
shop and talked with him un chis busines s i !1esome~
times came lO rny shop all(! always said lie ,:i.as r<1ady
and 1.villing ; lie fir st came to my shop about four
mo11d1
s ag;i> when ir was cold i.veather; one rainv
day he w';.s a long time iu my shop 1alking on this
business, wh en he said he was engaged in painting
the house ; there were there scvera I person,; preseut ;
he said he would lie ready when th ey rose. ,
Cross Ex amin ed by Mr. Clark - I don~t remcm Jwr that I mid any one thar he had joined; Vesey
mentioned his plan::; and arnrn~rmcnts, and what he
was going to do, &.c. in Jacob's presenc e; Jacob
frequented rny shop, and 1 have kuown him for four
0 r five years.
CHARLi.;:s
testified as foHows :-J have seen Jac,Jb
at l\'Iondav's when Vescv was th ere, but dou't know
rhat he had joined; l went out of the shop and left

them talking ; hr. sai<l he was tired of paying wage s.

Cross-Examined l>y Mr. Clark-I

thi s about ti, o mombs.

have known vf

Mr. LANCA STE R and Mr. \V1-11T.NEY gave Jacob a

good character, and so did Mr. STAGG.

Jacob had a wife at Dr. Rumsais, and \Vas alwaJ~

at home at night.

1h

Tim J->a1s0Ni::nstated that IVIondayread daily the

n ews paper s, and toJd him that' Congress was going .
to set them free ; alludi11gto the :i\Jissomi question he
said, to hear about that carried him to Mondays.

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168
THF. CounT unan.inwusly found Jacob Stagg
GotLTY, and passed upon him the senteuce of Du1 H.

THE

TRIAL

of SAM, a Negro

to Mr. Henry Bamstile-His

Wadsworth attending.

Man, belonging

owner's friend, Mr.

EV ID.ENCE,

PERAULT
testified that Sam agreed to join, and
we have often talked together about it ; he often said
he wns one and was ready.
TnE CounT, as they placed great reliance on Peraults veracity, urianimou,)y found Sam Gu11:n, and
passed upon him the following senrencP, 1' That he
be impriwned in the vVork.-Bouse of Charleston, until his master, under the direction of the City Council of Charleston, shall send him out of the limits of
the United States, into which he is not to return under penalty of Dear.h.

-=1e:01&1=--

Tm: TRrAr.. ofTOlVI, a Negro Man, the property of

Mr. Wm. i\1. .Scott-His owner attending.

};VCDENCR,

.MoNDAY test med as follovvs :---I told Tom of the

business, and hr joined ; he was often at my shop
talking on this business ; he was willing ; had joined,
and said he was making ready ; he was ~f the same
mind lfjler the 16th June; he belongs to the African
Church.

Cross-Examined by Mr. Scott---It is ,1bout th1ee

months since J spoke to him auollf. it; 1hc first time
it \Vas fixed l.o commence on the second Sundnv in
July, and Vesey afterwards altered it to the rnth

June.
PERAULT gave the following evidence :-Tom
toJd
me he was engaged in this busiucss with his O\vn

- --

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f:

169

'i'
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mouth, and was wil1ing; he told me the day that

Mo11day was taken of the circumstance and said,
the more we stand still, the more of us will be take11,;
lie belonged to Monday's company.
CttARf,ES
te stified as follows:--l have heard Tom and
Momlay often in Monday's shop talking on this business, and heard him assent to the busiucss; he spoke
boldly.
Mr. HARTH stated that the pri soner lia(f a wife in
his yard, and bpre a good clrnrac1er; I have examined his trunk but found no arms.
Tm s CouRT unanimously fouud Torn Gu1c..Tl',and

passed upon him the sentence of

i :i
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DEATH,
1

of DENBOW, a Negro Man, the slave

of Mr. J. N. Martin-His owner and Wm. Crafts,
THE

TRIAi

Esq. as his Counsel attending.

EVlPEKCF..

Mo;o;nA
Y testified as folio.vs :-Den how's uamc
was on my list; he agreed to join a bout three months
ago; Vesey has met him and spoke to him in my
shop as one of his men; he wa s often at my shop;
after Pc1er was tak e n up he said he was just as much
for it as ever ; he told me that St {'.phcn Smith told
l1im he belong ed to one of the party; none eve1
told me to put their names down on my list, but those
who positively agreed, I put their names down my~

seH:
Prisoner did belong to the African Church, but now
to the Luthrrnn .
PERAULT
testified a :; follows :-I
met Deubow at
Monday's, spe1kfog about this business, about two
or three months ugo,wh ere he said, that so many p!'rsons were knowing of this busin ess, we had better let
it alone.
testifiec) that he had met Denbow at i\fonday's, !Jut don ' t know auy thi11gagainst
him in reference to thi s husincs$.
CHARLES

DRAYTO N

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170
Mr.

M.rnn~ stated that Denbow bore n good cha-

racter.

CounT unanimously found Denbow Gun.n ,

passed upon him the following sentence:--
'' That be be imprisoned in the Work-House of
Charleston until his master, under th<-' direction of
the City Council of Charleston, shall send him out
<ifflit! limits vf ihe United States, into \vbich he is
uot to return irnder the pcualty of Death.
TIIE

and

Upon GEORGE, BILLY, PERAULT, FRANK,

and JOHN, who fwd plea.tied Gotr.TV, and had bem

11

uscd as wirnc sses, the Court pa~sed the following

sentence:-"
That they be imprisoned in the Work
House of Charleston until their masters, under the
direction of the City Council of Char)estoo shall send
them out of the limits of the lJniled Siates, into which
they urc uot to return under penalty of Death.
of B1LLY,
taken a day or two after
fil'st mectin~ was nt Mr. Thayer's
farm-one
Sun<lay mcrning I ,illincd them there, but
dirl not leorn what was done there, and I left them -After that, thev came to Mr. Bulkkv's farm--this \Vas
in April. At ihat mteting there were Adam Hol>crt~on, Hobert Ro!Jcrt:;011 and John Ilobcrtson, Dick
Simms, aml PoJlyrlor e FalJcr.-- :\t that meeting they
ExAMINATiON

h.is arrest-The

,vere cousulting; about the rnea11sof rising ngainst

the whites--Gullah
Jack
was prcsc111, he came in
company ,1-i1h Adam ancl Hoben--thcy roasted a
fcnvl, and ear ir half raw, as au evidence of m1ion- Hohcrt and G11llah .hwk were the principal men.One ,lay I me t Adam, 011 rny l'etnrn from Market,
and he req11PRtP-dnw to hide a jug of powder, and
f refused TOdo so. Al ~nol-lH:r meeting, before the
16th Ju_nc, at which the following pe1so11swere pre.sent, viz :--Adarn, Rohert, Polly<lore, John Robert.son, Dirk Simms, and Gullah Jack.
A pistol \\aS
cxhihitcd, and crel'y ouc tried to tire it, but no one

171

could discha1~c it, Ji.., Dick Simms. Those, in

\\ hose hands it could 11,t ~~o utl~ were considered us
safe. Charles Drnytu11 1i'1d rne, that the place of
rneetl1w for die drn.vrnrn was to be the farm of Mr.
Payue..:_awl Clwl'lcs also informed me, that the.y
wi~lwd lO put their horses in my master's farm, which
I refi1.,,ed--Clrn.rlcsaf1erw,1nls told me, that the
plot wns tli~CO\'ered, and that the blacks mt1st rci,iain
qu'1c!, 11111il
the whilf'.Swen off thei1 guard--Robert
calletl and gavr. rne the same eautiiln that Auarn had

doue. Pe1er Poyas urnl others, whom I knmv uot,

r:urne to tl1c farrn, on the ni~ltt of the 27th of April,
aho1.1tB o'dork, P l\l and~sung and prayed until
day liglit--bcfore this time, I asked Robert who was
the principal
man, he saic1 Uullah Jack-I
then
askrd him, . jf there were no 1Jtbers; he said that
Gul!uh Jack had gone to Father Morris, (Morris
BrmYn) to ask him, whether he would sanction the
insurrection, und MoRlllS Brown replied, if you can
get men go on, but don't mention my uamc.
I am

going shortly to tl1c North-and

I slmll hear there,
what you arc about.
\Viii Bee, wld Peter \Vard, who mentioned it to
mr., that aH the draytnrn, \vithout c:xccption, would
be light-horsemen. l'ullyt!ol'e lwlouging to Mrs.Faber,
hid more than twenty poles, about lU feet lung, on
Mr. Bulkley's farm, under the liou1,c, Poll_ydore said
tha Bubert would couw, aud I supposed, that he
was coming lO fix somethi11g at the end of the poles,
as Pollydore had said, 1hat Robert was coming.Hobert came in the af1ernoou and sai<l that it was
useless, as the lmsiuess was discovered.
There was a number of 01her persons charged with
the same offence and arraig11cd hy 1he Court, but
the evidence against them beil1g thought insutfideut
they were discharged without IJeiug put upon cheil'
trials,
On Friday the 25th July the Counr ADJOURNED,
sine diet having disposed of every case before them
ofter a session of nenrly six weeks.
7.

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1'hefollo/1Jing accau11tof tlw Trials {Jefore (hr/ second Court, wa.~
politely ji1l'l!isl1edby one ofit,; }{eml,eiw :-

J N CONSEQUENCE

of the DISSOLUTION

of the Court over which Lionel II. Kennet.ly, and

Thomas Parker, Esq'rs. Preside<l. A NEW Counl'
wAs oRGAN!ZBD
for the trial of \Vitliam Garner, who
Jrnd recently been apprehended in Columbia, and
brought to Charleston, and of such other slaves as
might be brought before them.
Tun CounT met accordingly,
foHowing G emlcmen, viz:

and consisted of the

i i'f . t
Charles.lli Pur,nan,J;P. 5 H agis rates,

Jacob A:rson, Q. U.
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Tlws. Rhett Smith,)

Joel R. Poim;ett,

Robert Y. flayne,
Tlwmas Roper,
John Gmdon,

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~ Frechoklcrs.

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After a free iatcrchangc of sentiments, the Members of this Coul't were unanimously
of opinion,
that with respect to capital punishments, enough had
beeo done by way of example, in relation to this con
spiracy, alld that where 1hc Court mlght feel themselves compelled Ly the weight of the evidence to
con\'ict, they ,vould punish the offenders by banishment, and that they would only inflict capital punishment where the rriminal should appear to have been
a leader, or where his case was distinguished by very
peculiar circumstances-Fourteen
persons were tried
by this Court-of
these six were acquitted, and eight
found Guilty-of
the latter se.-en ,.vcrr.sentenccd to
transportation beyond the limits of the United States,
and one (William (;arner) was sentenced to dcad1
and suffered accordiuglJ.
The case of William Garuer was one which, in the unanimous opinion of the
It
Court came within the rule established by them.
was folly proved that he wrts a leader, on whom
much rclianc c wus placed ; he wa:-.;to have headed a

173

party uf the horse, and agreed to enlist men for that

service a1n.ong the Oraymcn-He
stated to the ,:vit11essthat he had made some progl'ess in that senice,
and when his fears were excited on account of the
detection of the conspiracy, he did not seem disposed
to abandon the c11terprizc, though he offered to give
ur to auother his command in the horse. It was
fully proved that Garner had entered hca1tlly into
the scheme, aud was very earnest in his cnquir(s
The Court haabout the extent of the preparations.
ving resolved to put 110 questions to any of the prisoners which might induce them to criminate themselves, of course did 11otquestion Garner, !Jut on the
evidence against him being elo~ed, an<l on his counsel declaring thur he ha<l nothiug lO urg_e iu his de~
fence, the prisoner rcque:,tcd 1liat he might be permitted to speak for himself. This b{'fog grnntcd, he
spoke wilh great fluency for nearly half au hour, and
made a defence, which for ingenuity, . would ha\'e
done honor to an e<lucated man. Finding thutjour
witnesses,separati:lyexamined,had concuned j n csta blishi ng facts which must lead irresistibly to his con
vietion, he boldly admitted the whole of the facts
stated in evidence, and allcdgc<l that h.is intention
from the beginning; had been to possess himself ol'
full information conccrniug the details of the plot
-to discover the deposit of arms aud ammunition, and Lhen to betray the Conspirators to the
white people. He stated that tl1e premature discovery of the plut had alone prevented him from
execuring this purpose, and finally made an appeal
to I.he Court, and asked "whether a man situated as
he was-master
of his own time, as good as free,
( and as he emphatically expressed it,) " as happy as
the days were long," could have any motive to eu~age in such a schcme"-The
Court could not give
credit to these secret intentions of the prisoner, contradicted as thcv were I.Jy his acts; especially as it
would have been so easy for him to have given pri'Vate information to some white person, and thu~
have put hi.s intentions beyond a doubt. The cir -.

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cumstancc of his having fled from Charlc:;1011 also

weigbed against him ; and th o uf!h lie had a tidtet
from his indulg ent mistre ss, the Court W Pl'C nut on
that account the less conviueed, that Garner's jour-
itcy to Columbia was 11nd<:'rtahP11by him as the
iueans of escaping from punishment.
Ilis bei11g;detected and brought back to Charleston, was cerrainl_y
calculated to make u deep impl'ession 011 1he mimls of
the Slaves.
In every ,1iew of th e suluect, therefore
Garnc1's case se emed to llrmaud the utmost penally
of the Jaw, and it was inilict~d aceonlingly.

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ln the prog;re ss of the trials before this Court one

or two circumstances occmTcrl worthy of being noticed. The Coutt a t the commencement of their investigations determin ed thoroughly to examine into
the degree of credit to be att a cked to the ,,.,,itnrssc~i
and were very particular in their ('llqnirics in respect to the t\vo principal witnesse s, Munday G'cll
and Perault . Ir appeared 1hat the character of these
inen for veracity and ho11esty, had he ett unexceptional through life- Munday ind eed scenicd co have
been distinguished for the candour , sobriety, and intcgritv of his life, and of Perault, his master dcdurc<l that bis only fault ww, "that he ,Yas some~
times so blunt and free spo!,cn, as to approucl1 to
rudciles s." The Court were finally of opi11ion dmt entire reliance could !Jc placed on these two 1\ itnc"ses,
and that every word which came from MoTl(h1ycou td
be ii:nplicitly rdicd on-Scvei ttl circum stances occurred during the trials to confirm the favourable
impressions of lhe Court with respect to 1hcsc witnesses-one or two of them will be here stated. The
witnesses were not permitted to have any tum1mmicatio1,s with each other, and they were i1cver in for~
ined <if the particular prisoner agaiust "vhom thci
were to appear. They were brought forth scpantely
and examined. Their concuncnce,1111de1
such circlm1stances certainly afforded strong evidence of their truth
-On Monday Gills detailing a conversation he had
with ltliclww, (and which was favourable to the pri-

(!,ullet,) Mr. Milin wh<1was prri:;ent, F;tated promptly

10 the Couri, 1ha1 MiclHH\' him!-.cll'had ~tated to him
the same conversation, in nll partir.ulars, as soon as
he was m-i-rsred ; n 11d it appeared that no com ..
mtrnirntion had ~inre tukf'n place between the partit's. or scvernl ,,j Ill i lar circtrm!-'itances : but one other
will be here noiieed. ft appeared that Garner, Mon~
day , Perer Poyas, and others, had hel<l a meeting
at tbe hou~e of a hlind man named JJl1ilip-l-"londav star ed in his e vid ence ue:'nre the Crn1rt, concerniug Ilia t m eeting, tha t th is man addres sed Garner,
and asked hi1n, " why Julrmknf .,o linwrmu," and
q1101eda text of Scriprn1c, " Why shou1d thy ltean'
be l,oufilerl, &.:c.n It app enred so cxrmnrflinary, thai
a hliud man should i-peak of ffnotlH ' t'1s looks, that
some 1111spi
cion rested on l\.londay\ stat ement. The
uliud man wa~ sPnt for, and on bC'ing brought for\vanl,
( though roraHy ignoram of the statements
made lly Monday ,) slated the remark he had made
to Garner about"
k i.~timorrnrs looks, ~y
c. Garner in
his defen ce , adm lt tcd that this re mark had been made
and said it l1ad greallv
alarmed him at the time
kuo\Ying that the old m"an was blind.*
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ii The ua i,w of t),,, blind mm, had ncn ,r bcfurc be('n men!ion,ctl
in rbe c our sP nf t hP,C' trial~ , ,iml " h,n he was bro ught befcm>tlrn
Court he exh ihifed .[reat p cr turlmlio n. Tli c quc,;tio11put to him by
the Court sct:'mcd to imply a ti~,a !hilt lw wiis act uall y on trial for
hi~ lifo, ,111
ll it i~ prohBt,!c ii' it l111d l ll\fcn tk rnied ;idvi~P.n!J!eto invcs,i:!alc l,i,i d1.irackr :unl ~,.mcl1,c:t , tl1a 1 l,o.:wonld hav e betu fo111
d
dcq1ly cnnc.ern erl \11tlw Co nspirai-y. Jt nppe a rcrl th;ltsom P. of th e
Conspirators W(' !'t' in tile hahit of rE'~m ting to h is 1101.1,,c , tliat be w:is
tt T'readicr , said to ha,-c b<.Tll liorn with a arnl, a nd was s t1ppo$Cd to
foresee even1s. Hi s inf!uencT ov,;r llw mimls of hi~ folln,1E:rs \1'n S
n o <loul.>tI hn efore v ery ro:1si dcraLk, IL is prop ,1ble t liat the timi ri
and the wavering W(' l 'c brnng-ht l o this I li [!h Pri, s r of , c,litiou; tn 1,c
n ,nfirmed ln g,)Orl11't1J111tiow
; . This wo11Ma~rnunt li1r 1\w addres s
lo Garner about liis "lookin g friglitcncJ, ': ,m<l wouhl thc11 shew
l1ow appl icable the text wns ,i h:r not thy licarl be t l'onbled , 11citlwr
b<' a fraid."
Pete!" l' oyas pcrlmp~ h ild intimated to t he S car ti,~\
G~rncr was timid, amt hence the remark ;u1d the quohttion.
ilis
mrn accmmt nf th e ntfair, how0cv.-r, was som cwhflt <liff1cr
ent. H,;
said he posse~scd (! Gifl-n species l' f s~r:oml sight-which came

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Two cases were brought before this Court, whict1
furnished incidents worthy of remark.
In one of
thcrri it was proved that Vcsey had forbidden his followers to trust the prisoner, " because on one occa-

sion he /iad been setm in a state of into:cication.

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the other case; that.of George (slave of Snmucl Parker.)
It appeared that Vesey, Monday Gell and the
other leaders of the eon:~piracy came to a rcsolutiou
that the prisone1 should 11or be trusted.
Hr. was a11
Afr ican, but 1hey aHcdgedagainst him, that he did
not associate with !iis countrymen, and ,.,vas a babbling fellow, on whom no dependence could be
George had heard something about an in ..
placed.
surl'ection, and r esolved to have his hand in it. He
went about amoug the conspi1ators, declared himself one of them, and bo1h by actions and \\lords,
manifested a determination to t ake hrs part in the
contest.
He was (nohvithstanding
his unquestionable good will to the cause) unifo1mly rejecteci as a
Marplot who could not be trus ted. WhC'n brought
before the Court the levity of manner which dis tinguished this N cgro; conv inced the Court of the
wisdom and circumspection
displayed by the leaders of the conspiracy in excluding him from their
ranks.
to him r!fter prayPr or in d,, ,,mm-Tlmt the Insurrection !rad nev er
been mention ed to him, but that he had foreseen something of that
sort, ancl th!'re for!! had advised his visitor~, on one orcasi,m (as he
was proved t\l have done) - " to ghe up the busin ess," and had I.old
thein as 11 dissuasive " that the white people could fire five times
wl11lethey firrrl once." 1'lms sering Garncr'5 timid loofa-hc resolved (to use his own words) to comfort l.ti.mwith some scriplures."

177
T :11' 1hr;:,e following Sentences wer e pronounced by L10:;"Et. }I.
h.E:\/ioEnY,Esquire, the presiding Magistrale of the first Court,
organi:r.ed for the trial of Slaves and other persons of colour,
chmgcd witl1 attempting to raise an In,unec.tion in tl1is State.Severn! other sentences were <ldiHrcJ, but were not reduced into
writing:

Sentence on. \)onmaxk Vcsc1i a Free B.\ack

:,hll\.
DENMARK

Vr,:sEv--Thc

Court, on mature

<:ousidcration, have pronounced you Go1r:rv-'fou

have e1~joycd the a(hiantage of able Counsel, and
were also heard in your owu defence, in \vhich you
endeavored, with great art and plausibility, to hnpress a belief of _your illnorence.
Afrl'r the most
tient dcli!Jcrarion , h01veve1, the Court were not only satisfied of your guilt, but that yon were the author, ancl odginal instigator of this diabolical plot.
YotJr professed design was to trample on all laws,
human and divine; to riot in blood, outrage, rapine
phle and conflagration,
and to introduce anarchy
and confiision in their most horrid forms. Your lifchas become, therefore, a' just anrl necessary :;;acrifice, at the shrine of indignant J usticc. lt is difficult lO imagine ,vhat infiituation could have prnmptecl you to attempt an cntcrprize so wild and ,,isionary . You were a free man; were comparati\cly
wealthy; and enjoyed cwry comfort, compatible
with your situation,
You had, therefore, much to
risk, and little to gain, From your age and experience, yon ought to have known, that success was
impracticable.

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A momems reflection must liayc convinced you,

,that the ruin of your race, would have been the probable result, and that years' woul<l liave t'ollcd away,
'before they could ha\'C recovered that confidence,
which, they once e~j6ycd iii this cummunity. The only reparation in your power, is a foll disclosure of the
fl'uth. 1n addition to trea so11: you have committed

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the grossest impiety, in attemptiug

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sacl'ed words of God into a sanction for ctimes nf' tllf'

blackest hue. It is cvidcm, that you are totally in
sensib le of the divine inl111ence of that Gospel, " all
whose paths arc peace. n It was to reconcile us to
our dcstiuics 011 earth, and to c1mblc us to discharge
wirh fidelity, all the dut ics of life, tha t those holy precepts were impal'tcd L,y HcaYcn to fallen man.

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to pervert the

If you had searched them with sincerity, you

would have discovered instructions, iminmliatcly ap
plicable to the deluded vicrims of your artful wiJcs-
"Servrtntii' (sa.lJSSrtint Paul) obey i'.nall things your
masiers', according to theflesh, 11ot wiih eye-service,a.'>

1nen-plcaJJers,but
in siug/(;Jlessof hea1t,fcMing God."
.And again " Servants' (.~ays S<ti11t
Peter) be .mbjut to
vour 1itrt.~lers'with allfuir, nut only to lht good mut
gentle, but also to the.Jrowani."
On such texts comment is mrnccessa1y.

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Your "lamp ofJifol' is nearly exti nguish ed; your

rnce is run; aml you nrn~t sho11
ly pass " from timr

to c1crnity." Let me tlw11ccmjnt'eyou m devote the

rem11ant ofyour existence in solemn preparation for
the awful <loom, that awaits you. Your situation is

of

bnt not destillltc

spiri tua1 consolation.
To that Almighty Being alone, whose Holy Ordinan-

deplorable,

ces, you have trampled in the dllst, can you now look

fot mercy, and uithough " your sins be us scar let,"

the tears of sincere penitence may obtain forgiveness
o.t the "Throne
of Grace."
You caunot have for
gotte!1 the history of the malefacior on the Cros~.
who, like yourself, \Va~ die wretched and delmled
i icti m of off emkd just kc.
H is conscience was aw a-

kc ncll in the pangs of dis.~.olu1io11, and yet there is

reason to believe, tllat his spil' it was received into
the realms of bliss. 1'fay you imirate his example\
and may your l~st m9mcuts prQVGlilv.:hi$!

179

Sentence on JAcK, a Slave belonging to P aul P ritcltarrl, commonly calle<lG ULLAH JAcK, and sometimes
CouTER JACK,

G uLLAH JACK- The Court after deliberately con sidcrin~ all the circumstances of your ca se, are perfectly satisfied of your guilt. In the prosecution of
your wicked designs, you were uot satisfied with re-sorting to natural and ordinary means , but endeavoured to eolist on your beh~lf, all the powers of dark ness, &nd employed foi that purpose, the. mo st disgust YoL! represented
ing mummery and supcrstltion.
yourself as invulnerable; that yon could ne ither be
taken nor destroyed, and that all who fought under
your banners would ueinvincible While such wretch ed expedients are calculated to excite the confidence,
or to alnrrn the fears of the ignorant aud credulous,
they pr oduce no other emotion in the minds of
the intellig ent and culight cned, but colllclll pt and
disgui,;t. Your boa sted chrirms have not preserved
yourself, a~id of co11rsc coulcl not protec t othcr.s,-:
" Your Allars and your Gods have su.nk togethfr in
the dust. The airy specfrcs, conjured by you, have
been cha sed away by the superior light of Trnth,
and you stan d expo sed, the miserable and delndcd
vi ctim of offended Justice. Your days are lit erally
numbered. You will shortly be consigned to the ~ol<l
and sile11t grave ; and all the Powers of Darkness
cannot rescue you from your approaching Fate!Let me then, conjure you to devote the remna nt of
your miserable exist ence, in fleeing from the "w rath
to <;ome." This can only be doue by a full disclo sure
of the truth. Th~ 'Court ar e willing to afford _you
aH the aid in th eir power, and to permit any Mini ster of the Gospel, whom you may select to have frc<;
a~ccs~ to you. To him you may unburthen your
guiltyconscience. Neglect not the opportunit)\ (oi
there is H no device nor art in the grave," to whid! .
you must shortly be consigned .

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The Conrt, on mature deliberntion, ha.Ye pronounced you guilty ; the punisl11ne11tof that guilt is
]) f.ATJ-1, Your conducl:, 011 the pre.5ent occasion, exhiLits a degree of depravity and excravigancc, rarely
paralled. Your professed oltjects were to trample
not on]y on the laws of this state, but on those of
humanfty; to commit murder, outrage and pluncler,
alld to substitute fot the blessings we enjoy, anarchy
amt confusion in their most odious forms. The beauties of natme and of art, would have fallen Yiclims
to your relentless fury ; and even the decripitudc of
a~e and the innor.ence of childhood ., would have
found no other refuge than rhe grave!
Surely nothing but infatuation could have prompted you to enter into a plot so wild and diabolical.A moment's 1e1lcction wo11ld have convinced you,
that disgrnce and ruin must have been its consequence,
and that it would have probably resulted in lhe destruction and extPrmination of your race. But if,
even complete success had crowned your efforts, . what
were the golden visions which you anticipated?Such men as you, arc in general, as ignorant as you
are vicious, without any settled principles, and posiscssing Lut few of the \'il"lues of civilized life ; you
would soon, therefore, have degenerated into a horde
of barbarians, incapable of any government.
]3ut
admit.ting that a different 1esulc might have taken
place, it is natural to enquire, what arc the miseries
of which you complain ?-That we should all earn
our bread by the s,"eat of our brD\.\', is the decree
which God pronounced at the fall of man. lt extended alike to the master nnd the slave ; to tbe cottage aud the throne. EYcry one is more or less subjrct to controul; and the most exalted, as well.as the
humblest ind .ividual, mnst bow wlfh deffcrcnce to
the laws of that community, in which he is placed
by Providence. . Your situation, therefore, was neither extraordinary nor unnaturul.
Scl'vitude has

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t:xlste<lunder rarious fol'ms, from tl1c dcludi;c to the

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present time, and in no age or country has the con(foion of slaves been milder 01 more humane thau
your mvn. You are, with few exceptions, trcatc<l
with kindness, and enjoy every comfort compatible
with your situation.
You are exempt from many of
the miseries, to which l/,e poor are sul~ject throughout
the ,vorld. In many countries the life of the slave is
at the disposal of his master; here you have always
been under the pl'otection of the law.
The tribunal which now imposes this sence through
.its hum hie organ, affords a strong exarnplification of
[u the discharge of the
:the truth of these remarks.
painful duties which have devolved on them the members of this Court have been as an.~4ous to acquit the
innocent as determined to condemn the guilLy.
In addition to the crime of treason, you have on
the present occasion, displayed the vilest ing1atimde. It is a melancholy truth, that those servants
in whom was reposed the most unlimitted confidence,
have been the principal actors in this wicked scheme.

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Reared by the hand of kindness, and fostered hy a

mustc1 who assumed many of the duties of a parent-

you hnvc realized the fable of the Fl'07.en Serpent,

and attempted to destroy the bosom that sheltered
and protected you.
You have moreover committed the grossest impiety:
you have perverted the sacred words of God, and
attempted to torture them imo a sanction for crimes,
at the bare imagination of which, humanity shudders. Are you incapable of the Heavenly influence
of that Gospel, all whose " paths urc peace?"
It
was to reconcile us to our destiny on earth, and to
enable us to discharge with fidelity all Olll' duties,
whether as master or servant, that those inspired
precepts were i1npartcd by Heaven to fallen man.There is no condition of life which is not embraced
by them ; and if you had searched them, in the spirit of tmtA, yuu would have r.lilicov~rcuinsuuctious

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peculiarly applicable to :yourselves-" Servants (says

8t. Paul) be obedient to t!tcm that are your 11wsters
according to th<:,.fles!t,
11;ithfear and trembling, in singleness of your her1,
rt, as unto Christ ; not with eyeservice as men pleasr.rs, but as the servants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart." Had you listened with sincerity to such doctrines, you ,vould not
have been anested by an ignominious death.
Your days on eai'th are near their close and you
now srand upon the confin es of eternity. WhiJc you
linger on this side of the grave, permit me to ex]10rt you, in the name of the everliving God, whose
lioly ordinances you have violated ; to devote most
earnestly the remnant of your days, in penitence
and preparation foi- that tribunal, whose sente11ce,
whether pro11ounced in anger or in mercy, is eter-

nal."
The following were the Negroes on whom the
the above sentence was pronounced :-Dick, Bacchus, William, Naphur, Adam, Belisle, Charles, Jem my, Jerry and Dean,

183

A ~.&.~J!ll'mA~~
Comprsingthose Arrested, their owner's names, the
time of their commitment, and t!te manner in which
they ioere d~spo.vedof.

Class No. 1.
Comprises. those pris ont>rswho were found guilty and executed.

PrisonersNames.j Ou:n~r.~'N(lmes. [~:~:1: 1~{\

How Di11JJ01;ed
rif.

Adam
Polydore
Jfac chus
Di.ck
Pharoah
Jemmy
Jerry
Dean
,fack
Bellisle
Naphu,
Adam
.Jack
Charles
Jack

nmes .Poyas
June I 8 f
Gov. T. Ilennct
1lo
tHan~donTu1,_,;;day
do.
do
tbe 2d J 11Jy,1822
do.
do
on Blake's !ands,
A free black man
22
near Charleston.
Thos. llbckwood
23
~:Jia;; H orry
July 5 ( Do.on the lines near
S Ch.; Friday July 12
Paul Pritchard
do
\Vm. Harth
June 21 )
'2
Forrester
P. L. Jore
July (j
'I'hos . F orrcst
8
J\lrs. Russell
IO
Rob't. Anderson
do.
John Rob ertson
11
do.
do.
do.
do.
l\lr~. Falicr
do.
Hanged on the lints'
Benj. J-1.umnct
do.
n ea r Charl tston 1
Wm. Sims
13
on Friday. :2Gth,
Mrs. Thompson
July.
-'

do.
1\1
rs. Clenwnt
IS
i'\fonlecai Cohen
Jas. Mitchell
I.lo.
Mrs. Purcell
12
Est. of Jo ~. Yntes
18
<lu.
do.
do.
do .
16
John S. Glen
John Billings
N. Jlkl\"eill

Cresar

Miss Smi1h

Peter
Ned
Rolla
Batteau
Deumark V csey
Jessy
John
Gullah Jack
Mingo
Lot
Joe
Julius
Tom
Sma1"t
John

Robert

Jacob Stagg
Tom
' Willi am
,. Trjrd

J.1

1~)~D,). 'l'u e, ..luh '.iO.

do ,
acob Lan caster
23
Wm. l\l. Scott
~4
i\Irs. Gamer
, Aug. >

by the h~t Com_r..

Du . Fr iday Au::. 9

l
I

184,

Class No. 2.

l
'I

'I

Comprises those Prisoners who were found Guilty, alll l Senlence<l

to Death 1 but recommended by the Court of i\h gistrales a11dFreeholders, to the Governor to be pardoned upon condition that they
be sent out of tlte limits of tlw United States.
{17" They were respited to the 25th day of October, 1822, with
,t vielV to the commutation of their punishment
to banishment beyond the limits of the IJnited States ; but since the respite, the Governor has par doned Peter Cooper, upon condition of his receiving
tu:ent!I las !tes.

p risoners
.
Ncwies. I Oumc1.~
' 1I\'ame!!.I 'J.'i,i
w i1 11:1ow D.
Callwtit.
. 1~posc;;-/.
</
1
Louis

Seymour
Saby Gaillanl
Isaac
Paris
Pet er
r

Dubliu
Georgc

Sandy

jC101111vell

tKanhardt

IAfrcc black man

11[

July

do.

do.

IC.G. .l\lorri I

do.

Mrs. Hall
JMrs. Cooper

'l'hos. l~amplieltl

,Ja cob Scl1ndl

Respited until the

2:ith of October;
an J now rnnfinerl
in the Work}l ouse of Charles-

l :3

I\.Vm.lfa11h

l Gi

--

181

<lo.

I9 i J

ton.

Class 1Vo 3.
Comprises thosl' prisoners who were fount! ~11ilty aud seutcnccd
10 Death, but since respited by the E.xccutiYc, until the 25t h of Oct .
with a view to the commutation of their punisluu cn t, to banishment
beyouJ the limits of the United States.

Prisoners Names\ Owners' iVame1,. \ 'c.l:ime

f!/t, 1 How Dispo.~edor.
lnltll/1
:,
William

J~Jm Vin~cnt
Billy Rol.11nson

I.lobl'alrn cr

D. Crn~kslianks
r. l{obmson

July
do.

181 Respited

23

till Ooct.

25, . .nd i_,now in

the \VorkHouse .

185

Class No. 4.
Comprises those prisoners who were found guilty and sentenced
10 be transported,
beyond the limits of tlw United States, by theit
masters, under the direct ion of the City Cou1',d l,

1nsoners
'
~Nwiles.
l\lonuay

Charles
Harry
l~rank
George

Perault
Hilly

John
Scipio

Airrippa
"Pompey
Sam
Dembo

'~Nero

Jack

IOwners 'N ames. I 'l'ime

,r
Co//Wlof
i t. I uow D'lsposecl OJ.
1

Jo hu Gdl
Hon J. Drayton
David Haig

J. Ulle l7 ~- Confined in tile wnrk

July 2 house & sen.to d.-atb,
3
com. to,b;m. out U.5.

J~
i~t:g
l

J',lrsi Fe rguson
Mr. Vande rhorst,

Strohecker
S. llulkley
l\lr. Emlow
\Vm. Si111s
J\1rs. Perry
Rich. Lord

do.
do. 13

19

Aug. 5
Confined iu the
{lo.
( ,vork-Jlou se.
25

:\Ir. llarnstille
.I. '.\'. i\la.rtin
D,,vi1I Ha ig
\Vm . Cattell

Aug. g
5

I'

[\Jr.Evans
Mr.Ilt1tler
"H arry
c;eorge
Sam. Purker
"'Adom Bellamy .I. ll. J\lerritt
"'George

do.

d1,.
'

Class j\To. 5.

Compri~ es those wl10 wc1c found gu ilty nnd sentenced to be transported beyond the limits of the State of South-Carolina.

,
hr
'l'ime of
Prisoners
HWnes.
Oumt'rs Name.~ c
't
OIIUIU,

I Ho10Di sposed of.

Sentonced to be

imprisone<l one
Prin~e Cm ham

A free black mm1 July 21

month in the W.
House, and then
trn nsporte<l b~yonrt the limits of

ilu: State.
jj;

Trird by (he last Coun]

'

186

Class No. 6.
Comprises those prisoners who were ac(]11i1te<l
by the Court, their
guilt not hr.ing folly proved. The Court, however, have SU[)!t'S lc ,l
to their _mvncna, the propr~ety of tran~porting tlwrn beyond the limits
of the U mte<l States.

I'rilwncrs Names.I Owner;;'IVamcs. 'IC

'ime '!l j How Dfsm:m,d !{{
iluonapnrtc
Abrallilrn
Btnchcr
John
Prince
J::dwin
Quash

:l

r111mut.

IFrancis J\lulliga11 July 1 J

l)r. Povas
.lames L. Gibbs
M rn. Taylor
l'diss Higlnon
J. Paul

lJVlr.

Harry Purse
I)unza
Liverpool

/\Vm. Pur~e

\\' illiam

John Paul

2,1

~ ,'.-,:
_:: ~
'- g ,._

1\l r.

f\lild1el
c\lrs. Hunt

Acquitted b):t:otirt,
Jnnr 2'.:'1
master arh-1sc<l to
,July l J
transport, aml
J 3 J now in 11,,. Work19
Jiou_;e, Clmrl0cston.

JL1ly

ITarlcstonlA free black man

l\Iao 31

-Ry arr.rngcmcnl
with Council, gone
out of the U. S.
Arranged
with
o,-rut~r~
tub~ transported.
Confined in the
workhouse undrr
ru1 nrrnngemet by
Co,msel with 1,i,
m.i,ter to be trausportcd.

Comprises those rrisotwrs who were .ir:qnitted by the Cour ts of

i'fagistratC's and Frecho1,krs, and disd1argc,l.

Pri,w,i.cn;J',-rt111ts.
1Uu:111:rs'
!Ywm:i,.I 'Cl'im,:
'V1 1 Jluw Di,,posedof.

Class ]\To, 7.

omm1..

T. Rhett S!l)itb
.\1rs. Lin in~
A free bh,ck Lad
A frrc NIul. Boy
}Ir. Rout
..\ frn, black mm,
.f. ll. Annnm

\Villiarn

\ J ul.r l ~
}Ions. Llinppcanl
d11 I~

Louis
ifPompey
*Philm1der
"Erlw'<l .lohnsou
-iSt.ephcn \V ,1lker
*Jamf's
J'iPJTC

::uarry

JlrnCol?<Kk

20)

do

:.u
:20
:2:l

Acq.,tl!Pcl
and

Disehargrr!

Da, i<lllaii(
.lune :231
.\ free Col. l'll an j August 8
do
.\ frc,. black m,m
Mr . Walker
J
du :;
l>n
do 1
JJ.:\dl
do G

"" Tri~rl by the lfl.,t Crnirt, .

I .)uncdo 81 /I

Stcplicn
.!\ mlwrs!
:Sarni. Guilford
Robt. II add en
F riday
J,,my Gram
.linr

'-

187

Class No. S.
Co1nprisrs 1!.n:w p;;,.,on~ w ho Wl:'re dischargetl after heing arre&ttd,
the testimo11y agaiasl them llUL !Jcing :;ul1kiea r t1) Lring them to
trial.
N,am~s. I'l'ime
o;;; I
~,
P 1,.~onen1lv1t11!M.
< umers
.
jCom.m,t.
I

I ') ,

i\lnthias
.IHunl!o

Hran1'
Ridrnrd
John
lk rc 11)r,s
Sct1H
ly
r .~nion

Adam
Pompey

l larry
Rober! :'lcsl>itt
Patrk-k

Th orn,1s
Charle,;

\Villiam
Smart
Peter
Sandy
Isaac

Ch~rlcs
Cuffy
P.fongo

Thomas
Bob
Albert

Jim

John
Chu.des
James
Prince
Cwsa r

Billy
Ben

\V illi am
Stephen
Louis
Pompey

Th os. llennett
.lames Poyas
J onall1an Lucas
Do .
Do.
:\fr. Clark
H. l'. Holmes
Mr. 1-fou,ton
?.Jrn. F i:,r gru;un
John Bry.-in
\fr. lfarleston
A F rec l\fa.n
\liss !Jatty
S. :\lag-woo d
F. G. Dcliesscline
Ml'. Adger
Mn. Ward

Do.
fran ,:is Curtis
Paul 'I'rapier
Mrs. Shu!Jrick
Char les Gra, cs
'.Vm. Lowndes
A. Lo rd
Mr. Hibben
'f. Tnglis, a free
mullatto man.
Mt. Happoldt
Mr. Gate~
'.\Ir. 1-fasdl
Mr. Do wling
.Do.
Mrs. Parker
.\tr.Fordham
Mr . Cammer
Mr. Cromwell
.Mr. Harrier
John Ge l
1John Brya11

B2

']

rlo

'"'" 2

17
do

' 11.,'

11:

20
~5
1.S

~,

q~

28

July 3
,1

.'i
ti

10
do
do
11

(lo
do

do
do

do
13

1a
do

do

do
17
do

19
20

22
do

2ri/
Js
Aug .

111

I,,

!, ~

urn
RECAP ITU LAT ION.
;\umbel' of Prisoners executed-Sec Cl ass, No. 1.
"
"
resp ited with a view to theil' 1ra11,por- (
t.1tiun-scc Clit..,se~, !\o. 2 ,111J 3 .
\
sentenced to be tr~nsported hy tltc:1 )
owners, und er the di rect10n of du \
Cit y Council lcyo111tlic _limit s of (
t/ie U. Stutt.~-- sec C lass, '/\o. 4 ,
)
sentencctl to he trau :sporlcJ uut of tlic (
~
State-sec Class, .'.o. 5.
acquitted; but suggested to owne rs to (
"
tran sport, &c.-scc Class, No. G. 5
Acqu ittnl - s!'(" Class, l\o. 7,
" disch al'ged, &c- see Class, i\o. fo

"

\\'hole number arre5tcc1,

I'

I'

r:

l
I

.,....
1::

1'>

1J

r,
3S
13 1

---

--

- --

AT A COURT OF SESSIONS
Ileld at C harl cston, on the 7tl1 Octolw1, 1n'!.'?, before hb honor .Jud ~c Bay, li111r men we re tri r d a1ut

conv ictrd

or " rt !lli.wfrliif'ano,- iii

inciting S/cars to

J,w,rrrrtion 1 '

Tli h1 ! ra :-P.'l CtTa!rd mu ch interrst, in cnnSC(J!Wnc

c
of tlnii co t.me..:tion with !IH' lau a1t11npt rnad 0. hy the
sla ves, to rai~c a n ln 'lurrc:ctioni 11 this :;tmr . It di.d
11ot ,1pprar tlHH th,~ pri ~;oncrs IHT(, ,1ctually com'<' rnNl
in tlir insur1cctiou, auy fi1rrheor thnn i11 ,xci 1ing the
Slave .~. T he plot ccitainly <lid not orig,inatc \d1 h
wh:tc pr.r.~ous, 11o r wa s it ever comm1m icatr.d by any

c<i11er
rne1l in ir, to ,l -~ingT<: v.liite man, until
t Iw i 1:1;1rmatio n wa s given whi ch kd to the dcve lop enH'.IH 11l" the IH
.:\ir 111
e.
It h ,l,; <'lppeare d, howcve l', tl1at ns soon as n1111011r.,
o/ it Nc.,!.'roPlul 1.crnt abroud, surne "h it('. men of th e
lmve~t cl1arnetc rs, tleter111i11
ed to av ail th emsr ln::- (it'
dw orrn-io11, antl l>y exci1i11g1/ie .sla ves, to h a~lc'il ,Ill
,~vcJJt, ,: liich ho1,e\cr cabmiw us to rlu' re~t oC 1!1,:
c1Jmtrn111i
1y, they va i11ly irna gi11c d might hf' he11dir ia l
tll thc1u~cln: ...:. \Vlwthcr any of 1lwse m 1:11 wonk! ac 1rn1lly hav e t.ikc n part wirl1 th e slaves in lfw condu c t
ol the i usurrcc tion. and wb ether t lie sin vl's I hem s('h es
1,ould have permilt cd white IIH'll t1>ac1 i111!tcir rn uks
ca illlnt be now ascrr tai 11cr!. 11i :; pn s1111u'tl 1hat;ifunrf, T, cwd i11dcm11
i!!J to tlicii"011,1 j-'( 'l' ';'Oll s , ~H '.l'e I Le ob- . ...
.
pt 'l' :'iOl l

II.

'ij
I

I
I

11

1!
I

- --

--

-- -

APPI:'.'\DIX.

Ouly fo11rindh.iand hrougl!I 10 pu;ti,JrnH'llt

jccts sou~h! 'or by lhc~c uffcnchn.

duuls ban ;

ttL'(' fl

detected

for the crimt) of" inci t.in:.?:sla vcs tri imrnT1ttio11.:,_

Agaimit thc si, the tcstim~uy of white rcr sons was oh1aincd ; but when the naturr of tlic erirnc, the S('Cl"l'l'.Y
that would uaturnllv have hcell ob ~;en ccl; alld the it;_
competency

of s]UV('S to give cvidcllCC', ::l'c d1dy COll-

sidcrcd, thcr~ is cvcrv I cas011 to bdi cve ti 1ut 111am

othrr cases ,1crhaps n11Jr1! a~grn\'atcd) haw: c.\.is1eil~
and which :-till remain uudisco,: ' red. It c.:n111Hil be
doubted, th a.l thtr(' lilre 10 be fouud iu ti:c cit\ ut
Charleston, dPspcratc rnen, (m1tca :-ts frnu I C(H1 u t'ric~
from wbich they have been banished for cri1m:s,) \\ lio
hold themsdves in rcadi11ess at a moment's \\ uni ill" ,
to engage in any rntC'rprisr of blood and ruin, fro~;l
which plunder may be gained.
h will be the pnl'l oi
wisdom to mark and pn!fi.tby, every far.rand circuu1 stnucc connccrcd with the lntc Cou spiracy. The i11dirtment and conviction of the pcr.::onslwrci11a!irr named, is an incident in the late traus11ctim1.-, i11chis ri1_v,
too impm taut to be overlooked ; a brief rcpurl uf their
cases is therefore annexed.

'The State

ef Sou.th-Carolina,

ln<lictrnrnt for a Misdemeanor, in inci1ing

TVi!UmnAllen.
slavrsto insurrection.
Tnis was a tall, stout, fine Jookin; sailor, a Scotchman by birth, about forty-fin~ years of age, and who
had .recently arrived in Charlr~ton.
It apprarcd that
ha\in~ fallen in company with a [r('e man of co lor,
named Scott, at the time \Y hen the city ,vas mud1 agitated by tlw rumors of the late intended i11~urrcctinn,
he enquired of Scott concerning it; and 1101: only
urg;cd the ('Xccution nf the plan, hut ~tated his willi11gness to be concerned in it. Scott immediately gave
information to John Stoney, Esq. an eminent merchant of this city, ,vbo uirccte<l him to assmnc an apparent willingness to engage in the plot, and see to
what cxtcm .A.lkn wou ld go. 111order to ilknti(y
the man, Scott led him into the store of \rViHiam E.

vs.

--

---

-----

ii.:t
APPFNl)D~.

jjj
1

-~111>\\rlcn,T:sq. on lhc pntcucc of hu~inc~s, by whom

hi~ pcr"\lll w.i, 11rnrk<'d. Rcn-rul int crvicHs took
pLt<'<'between ::::coll aud _.\Jh-11,at al! of whkh lit
l:dd t lic sa1rn 1 hu1u.,ua;c; alll! it w~1s finally agreed hel~rcvn dHru, 1lia1 tiw\ ,,:lwulrl llll-'l'l nt night, at tlH
hotl .'i l! r,J' ,l free l"ll'~l'tl nl :tn lHl.nH'd
J OC, the fa1her i!l
Jn \\ or SC!l!l, \\" !1CJ'C tlie 1-,lll~jc'('I: \\ as to be fully considered. U idwrw tlu: c, id111l'.Ca~~
ain:--r Allen was
uot. ~nd1 U!I 1:ould haYc k:d w Iii" coinictinn; bnr arran~ :11:c11!s w,1-c1ww rnudc lo u!l1ai11 full i11frlrtlla tit1t;, nlld dcci~i\'!: cridl'lll'l' u!" t:,l' l~i\ttll'C arni C'X!C!lt
of !iis ~uilt.
!nli1nuali()ll li:t1 l::i: been '..!;ive
n to hi :
flonur. jurncs lLunillou. jw,. J :;1~; 1da11t ~:;t'
the City
uf Ch ,u-!t:,-toi1: oi" the (:,1i;,1:rnplat1'd uw<:ri11g,he ~nnimoiH:i! Eicimrd \\. Co g ddi, .Esq. one of ilic \Yardclls, Ill bi.~H.'>:-;ism11ec, a1:d 1iir:y;-, p,1ircd [O llic lto11,1
of the llCl!;J'O Joe, and !'.OlH'C ahd thc111~1 ']\'e~ !!l U .-,nn11J
11ppt'r rrn'i1n, 11hir::h \'\ ' ,l .S ~o d111l
,.!'11cd that they eonld
,1i~ti:1uly f'-'C ,;lid lH':ir t'\ ,ry tiiit: _i~ ,\ !:id1 p,\,,;cd below, withom lwi,1g dH1m,l'!vcsoli~(rncd. Alleu soon
a ii.er cn!en:d rvirii :':lcott1 and 11 as in troduccd to Joe.
No oth er pcrs11t1~ 11 ('!T present iu tl:c rrn1111 hdow .
tla : ruom , lie exprcs.,:lJ ap-.,'\s soon a.~ Alie11l'lltlT(:d
111clw11-;1cw;
!lint
he mi.'.J1t l:c O\'l'd it'~ll'd--exainincd
the ron m, n11dcau,cd t!ic 11 iuduws and dunr:-; to be
cal'cfolly duscd.
Uc :'tatcd abo, that he wa~ .1rn1eu.
and tlir<.ntc1wdn'11gcunce if Letray cd . Tlic .Ncgroc:-:.
soon ~ut:l:ccd('d, however, i11 1Tu10\iug his apprchcusiom-scuw
brnndy was produced, amJ tl1e thr ee mt
do1vn to;:t tber at a tab!.', and l'lltercd upou tl_1clll.l~iucss or lhc iucctiug. Dui i11g a eo11n1.satiouwhich
b.stcd ucnrly t110 hours, Ai'r!l t'XJH'tis,:;1.id l1is approbation of the schl'mc of atlf' :uptiug uu iusufl'cctiou-urged the usm1i ar~umcHh in ju~1ilicatio11oC :-;uch a
measure, awl explicitly dcdand diat he would take
part in ii. lk 1i.1rnjshnl r ea dy a11s1versto every objctlion tlmt was ur~;cu, and c11dt;i1orc<lto rernorc all
die 1lifrieultics that 1verc sug;1:.st<1I.In doin: this, he
cerw inly mmlc.f,ilsc stafl:mcnts, intern led, howt'\ n, to

gi,..c<:ontidc'ncl'to the bbek:-s. Ile pretrndt>d, for in-

1.1

I.'

11
1111

l,

'l11I

,1

I'

I,

II
1,,,
i

tf -

1,

'

~I
stri!H'r : to !w fl<'(jti::iintcd i',i:li t he pla n~. ,$., pnkf' 0!'1:11
:!e

p:irC'<
-l-, o r a rm s secret ed 1!\'ar the city . In s1wa!~in~
ot' the plan of <>p
l'ratio11~,l1c decla red " t hat it n (l ll!d
tak e ,'(.(JOm c 11to uiak.c th c ~~rand st:ui:l,' ) awl nd<kd,
, th :, l he wou ld head th e!u ,b SOIJII as 1hat 11u mlwr ,va s
ohwin (:d. lle adde d, l1m,n cr, that lie knew a C:1piai 1 ot' a vessel, wliotn he 1,,11w:d, (wl10 thr.11resirl<'rl
i n U !i,m-s1r1,1) nd1u ii.id IJ,11111
. l'in lf;, } ir l:J _1/
('tll's,
mi i \\ '"" i!I all l't:.,pt'C!~ (jl;,,Jifil'll 10 Iw th e ln11kr of
llH' t' .\ p t:d iti o ll."* lfr i1:'-;, i1ri tl1a1 1!1i-;man ~houlfl lln
o lita i11.d, rn 1d that IH (\ !11:n) wnuld :-P n, ;I' nndPr him.
lit~ ~pnkc freely oi' tin : npt'l'alion~, Rl Hl dtc!:m' d it to
he Iii~ opil!!ll,l, '' th,1.t, then ong ht to br:<m i;.'!Jiscri
mi11afr dr .1'/i' 1:cfi, u1 (1
/ rdl ti..: 1"11,i/ts,'/1"/f'n, wom.('n a11dr/iilArt:,1/
i1: tiw l' ; Jii1's('
1Jw i11ltT \'i 1w, ir WH<; ohjr ' t't1:d h.v th e i\"c!.;.rn,'~
, tlnl! iH' ( Alim) hein ~~;1 \\ hi1e irntll,
,.-nuld 11n1 br~;nrr"!virn~:,:d !iv 1licm. To thi s lie re p!i!d, tliat" 1lim,g l1 lw harl a wliire fa t'(' . lir wa.s a ncgni iii lwarL ;' i\ s lhc pa1tybclmr :,;tnirs r ontinu cd
io drink, A111:11,b cti1rc th : tnrl ot' th e inwnicw, be
am c s0 111
c 11hn!. i1l!n:;ica t<'d, 1ho11.~d 1 hr had beC'll soil<'!' at tllf: co111rnenani cnt. Thi' lut eud aut ni it! Mr.
( ngdd) 1 from tlwir plac e of C'.
nnc caln H'llt, had a dis
rinc -t view of cn :ry thin ~ wh:d1 wa ~ pus~i11rx in 11:c
roo m h!.low, and exp r.ctin~ oppo si1iun, aud fi ndill~
that Alk n 1n1s a ,;t r n;1g , s tollt m a n, a11d prob ably armed, they 111
ad c th ('ir aJT iUl :"~' ) l] W il 1S (i) l' OVCl'Cot11in ~
him. Allen (inallv rn ,t to d cp ,m , and lwiug imme{!ialely ful!mvcd by the gr Jll!clllt'l l ,:lJOvc nll'nt itJned,
wa~ sciu<l in the street by tihem , au d tnke 11 lo the
;;nard -hou~e . H e mad e llo rc ~i~tatJCf', an d seenw d
so co mpl r tdy 1mbdned by l1i,J tlar s, t Ital 110 dou h t
could be cn tcr ta iu l'd th at he was by rn1 1nca 11s qunlilit.'tl 0 11 tlw st'(ll"c of c ,;11rn!.!/\ to co11d11
et a dan gProus
cnlrrpri,<;c. J11tlic rni: rsc.o J' th e i11t1"1
dew, All en explicitly declared , th a t he look ed for a huuilso,1iep een0

or

"' Th e indivldnnl nanlf'd by Allen, wus kn own in this cily. Uc

was cc1t,1i1ily11'11
qual ilhd on 1lic scn r~ ot' c,11
1ra,~e ~nd talent, for
any tk ~pcr atc e11tcrprise ; nu r,:ason t.~ist:,, lww1ver, to rnppose
tk ,1 he wri.,ld Lal"l'!'TJg.ig
ccl i11lll c of a cri wi ,u l ualurt.

11

1,1

:!

APl'f'.i\l>!X.

;iian1 rr'INtnl for the service~ lie 1nl~ .to n'1idcr. anrl
hin,; :d drnr !h P (rePdom 1i{t!ui Macks 'i!:/ts an of~ject r!f

no im1u;rtrmN' iul,im.
From 1\ij~ cirent11s1,111ec,:rnd hi-: lllukiil '.! f;d,.;,' Hnlement<; in relation to 1hc ,1i111c;,
nnd pr<trndin;; that
lie wa-; one of' t!w i11i1ia
tl'll 1 it is 1h~r that. :'dlr :11\\',\~
not acrnally cn;ng<'d in tlw ,nuspirac.y;
1ltat Iii~ object wn<;mon ey, and lhat he \\ ouhl pn,.i :1li1y h:we
been crn1t1nt.in u rg in(! o n 1hr i.~n.wnnt black :, to an
attrm pt, whi eh in ~in.i"cn:nt, m'ibt ha 1'(\ prodncC'd the
rnost lamentable co11scrp{nccs. At his trial, Allr11
made no de!C'n,c, thou~h his ing !:lli()11scou 11s:cl
mged

some points oflaw to the court~ as to the lega l chnractcr of the offruec. Tbe.) 1!rV found hirn r;nilty without
hc :,itat ion.
He w as sentenced to he iniprisoncd
twchc months; to pay a fine of DllC thousand dolb. rs,
aml to fiml srcurity lor bis ~oo:l behavior fo1 fac
vears after lib liberation.
This sc1llcrn:c, unl ess mo
tlifkd by a pal'(lou, will doubtless aniount to impri
sonmeut for lil e, ~illce the circum stances and clrnrncter ol thr. Jll'isonrr, will cffix:ma\ly prcvcHt liirn frnm
payi11gt!ie fine, or gid11g the secnril y. Alil'l' the sentence was passed, Allen addressed the Court' in a clear .
distinct voicP, and with eonsi,lern hlc i 11~~enuity. He
gave a brid liisr.ory of hi;; li!i\ a1:ll statt'd that he had
sen:ed on board of two American privareel's during
the late war, and also in die na, y of the U. S.-that
he had been in several seve re actions, and was a pensioner of war in England.
P.is stron~ Scottish dialect, however, might leactw; to doubt his havmg been
so Jong in this country.
Certain it is, that he had never been a resident in Charlcsmn, und had very re-

cently arrived here before the discloswc of the late in surrcctiouary

movements.

1'he State,
vs.

~ This

man was iu dictc, 1 for die

sa me otience.

lk is a :-,;paninn.l,

John Ignesiiias.
a sea-faring man, abom :,my or
forty-five yPars of age, tall, very athletic, and of a

steady determined countenance.

He speaks brokci:i

1,

Ii

I:
1,
I
I

---~- - __ -

- -

------

--

F.11i.di
.~h. l1ut ,o a-. lo he ca:-ilv t111tkr;,t111)1l. Tl1e l' \ ' i-d,,;c<' ,;vai11-;rhim wa~. dmt lie \\ ' ii~ mr'rlward (iv
lllr. :1os/1:h
Hill, a11rl his sh!!T, :Vfr-,.~~ih en.) in C;ll;
_.
, :1,-q1jn11 wilh a ,la \'C, ,..;1:pposid 10 !,<:>rh1 Jli"llil!l'lj' (Jr
?,\1. ~ .a nee. 'l'lwre \\ ('\"'' scn-rnl odw r iH.:~nws, ho\V
1,-i'r, (fi,lwn,wn, ) prf'c.:111. In 1111
!1,:imc1<it1ion, (pun
or \.Ii;:,.:!\ \\ ' :iS I\H ' l"IH'lll"d ])_y' lhC \\'llll (' -CS\'S,) th e pri!,':l l'll'i"
h::2,1.i1hy (kcl .. r1 1E~ th at " he 1li~likcd P\ ' l'lT
"i1i\l" ' J tl I" :'r'ii,:,;+oq
l)"''e t 11; 1, Jl" <Y
r( J(' S " "! (11 tll<-'<c
1ilw..-;:;
, , ~i
TLe :-1:t'."('rq1!;C'd, "ih at lw li ked every rn~r ,, ho
11S(:d him ,vell. ! 1 'f hc pri sonrr 1h 111n~111
:..rk1:cl, " bow
c:m yon thi11k the n:iik pconlc i.sc you well bv kc cpin-.1;.{' OLI in slavP.ry ? ' and ac!dccl, ,; tt'you had \i favor
to.~,;!;;. \\ould YOll n~k it of a white mun or a black
m:rn, ':ind ,1 iii nnv ,ri1itc rn:rn tru .,t ,ou for n11y
thiug; ~11 The nq .!,;o,w!wsr. liddity wi~s not to l;t
s!iakcn, replied, ,; tb:1t he had rccein :d many favors
from tl1t~ white pcopfc,_t/wt tluy wo c his best/i'iends,"
and 1bcn specifi ed s,)rnc instances, particul<!rl}' one of
his liavinJ,1;J"CC('Jltly bou,)1t soruc ar tid cs on credit.
The patience of dw Spi;llial'd was HOW completely
<:xhaustcd, and he cxdaimed with anger, "damn
tl,cm, I \\'ould kill the1H all," alluding_, as the witness
e:xp!.iiurd it, to what die !legrncs ouglH to do towards
the whir1~~0n this i: vidcnce the pri!.oncr was found Guilty of
inciting :-;Ja ves to i usurrt'ccion, and \.vas sent enced to
tlinie months imprisrmment, to pay a fine of .$i00,
anrl to givc security for good beha, ,ior for five years.
The prisoner at his trial) and on receiving sentence,
addres sed 1he Court, and insisted that the witnesses
were mistaken as to his identity, and claimed for
himself the character of an honest and industrlous
man.
0

,,

ij
,,
i.'I

'

,--.

\, ..

,(,.

The State

.~ l

I T!tis

"

~-

,.

(t t

o... C

~ ~

man was indi cted for the

', same offence. He is a Germau,
.JacobDanders. ~ of low stature, and apparently of
dissipated habits ; about J..5or 50 years of age. The
d:arge ngaiu .,t him wa~, that he was heard by a n1os.t

vs.

.... <IS

,,

---

APPENDIX.

;:esp~c.table \\.itness (1\fr. I oscph Young,) speaking to

severa I negroes c1mcermng
t 1-ie exf'cuuou
of some o f
the slaves.
"Poor creatures," said he, B my lwart
b leeds for you ; the negtoes executed werr innocent,
and have been all tnurderrd, and you (acldrc:-:sing
himself to the negrocs), ought not to lutve pcrmiUc1lit,
and you must rescue tlios e v.-lm arr still to be hanged," and added, "that he was himself a Lawyer and
a Preacher."
On this evidence the prisoner was found Guilty.
The prison er addressed the Court very tlurntly in
broken German.
He did not attempt to ckny baviuo
spoken the words attributed to him, but said he n,:a~
:intoxicated at the time.
Mr. Youug, however, declared, that he mig;bt have been a 11ttle intoxicated,
but knew perfectly well what he was about.
()anders had been bnt a sho rt tim e iu Charkston ; had
bi:en engag ed as a pedlar, sclliug trillin g articles, auci
in his course of life ivas vcl'y irrnd1 of a vagabond.
He was seutenccd to three months imprisontn('nt, to
pay a fine of $100, allll to give sec uriLy for his good
behaviour for five year.s.

~ This was a tall~ fine lookin~ potl~

vs.
Iy man, about 50 yea1s of age,
Andrew S. R!wdes. with a fresh complexion, a11d
wearing a light colored wig.
He was wdl known
in Chal'leston, havin g been a few Courts agn convicted of swindling \'\fr.Foster Burnet, of this ciLy,
by means of a count erfeit lette1. Th e prisoner did
not state wh ere he was born and brou~ht up, but
said that he had been 30 years in this State, a part
of which time he kept a small shop in one of the
country parishes in the ncighbod1ood oi Charleston .
The testimony against Rhodes was certainly lf'ss
satisfactory than against either of the other prisoners.
A woman by the name of Mary Sh ievly stated that
Rhodes cnme to the house of Adam Garden (a free
man of color,) from whom the witness hires a l'<Jorn~

Tlte State,

(: ~

,,
1

111'

J.,

APPE~nrx.

imd there in the presence of said Garde 11, and of ! wo

other men of color, then in the house, cornmc 1ccd
speak.mg of Gu{lah Jade, who had becu sintluced to
be hanged
The prisoner, speaking of thut event, iutroduced the name of a rcspcctab!c g;cntlcinan, and
suid he ought to be hanged in the place of Gullall
Jack, and then audet.l, "the ncgrocs oug;lit to Hght for
their liberty ;'' " that they had as much right 10 li:,ht
for their liberty a~ the wl1i1e people"
rle s!at;d,
'' that he would head 1ht:m in the cmerprise, rmd that
.i_nthree weeks he would have 2000 men.n
The witness here add,,d, 1.hat Rhodes the11 said
that'' all the white wcmwn would soon have black
lrnshands."
The three colored nwn gave no encouragement to the prisoner, and sec111c,I HTY much
The witness 1cprnachcd the prisoner
frightened.
with holding such language. and he became very abusive. The free persons of color not being admissible
witnesses, were, of course, not examined.
Two of
the ci1cumstanccs stated by Mary Shively, wtire not
found in her affidavit b,forc the Magi~tmtes, viz: the
l'.itatement about the 2000 men and the women haviu~
negro huslmud..,;. Tbc ing;euious cuw1:,;d for 1!1epriso ricr, cmkanrnrccl on this ground, w di~<Tcdi1the
witness, and also suurnittcd ~omc poillts of la1v in defence of the prisoner.
The.Jury hov1;e~(T, Jouud Ii im
guilty, and he was sentenced to six n10nths imprisonment, to pay a fine ol ,B';j()O,and to timl se('urity for
his good behavior, for five yrars. A frf'r receiving his
sentence, Rhodes addressed the Court in a very clcnr
and ingenious speech, protcsti11g his inno<'en cc, and
insisting that his whole life had been otlc ofinnoccncc
and g;ood conduct, nom ithstandiug- ,Yliich, he had
constantly suffered opprc .-:;sionand injustice.
lt is certainly worthy of remark, lhat none of the
slaves or free persons of colour as :-;ai!cd by the se1li1ious
lan,guage of the prisoners: manifested any tfoposilion
to engage in the conspirac_y. Scott immediately g,nvc
information to Mr. Stoney.
l\fr. LancP's slave not
only r.ombatted the arguments of Jgneshias, but ac
knowledged his obligations to the white people.-.

APPENDIX .

iK

None of the nrgrocs to whom Danders addressed

hi HltiCI!~ ia\'C him the smallest encouragement., and it
wa .~ prm'Cd thal Hl10<lr:s' amlitors displayed great
alar111.-Tl:esc dcgc1wrate white men, pedmps, fell in
with li1itl1foJ Sl'rvants, not to be seduced into crimes;
or the proposilio11, coming from white men, excited
sn,.,pieion and distrust; m ,vii at is sti l1 mmr probable,
tlw pnnisfnnents rei-enll;IJinjlicced on ihe Conspimtors,
I!ad f!:rcited a salutary alarm.
[.Vote.-The Attorney -Gene ral indicted these men
for Misdemeanor al common law, bci11g,
of opinion that
tl1ril- cases were not embraced within the lttter of the
A f't nf A sse mhly of l 805, which inflicts capital puni~lmwnt on prrsons conncctPd with slaves in actual
insurreetion . The Act is in these words, viz. '' Be it
enacted, That from and immediately uftC'r the pas!ling
of tbis Act, every pcr:;on or persons, who shall, or
may be, either directly or indirectly, concerned OL'
connected with any slavr or slaves, in a state of actual insurrection within this state; or who shall , in any
manner, or to an.v e.\trnt, excite, counsel, advise, induce, aid, comfort or assist, any slave or slaves, to mi'se,
or attempt to rnLw;an insnrniction wir.hin th.is state, by
furnishing them witk any 1crittenor other prrssporl,with
any a,nu;or am.Hwnhion,or rn11nition of war, or knowing qf th eir assrmb!in!! /or an :~p111posetending to treason or insurrection, shall oJTorrt
to them shelter 01 protection, or shall permfr kis, her, or their house, or
houses, to be resorted to hy any slave or slaves, for any
purpo.~e tending to treason or insuncction, as aforesaid, shall on conviction thereof in any courl ha\'ing
jurisdiction thereof~ by confession in open court, or by
1.hctcstimon.v of two witnesses, Le adjudged guilty of
tr easo n against the state, and suffer Dra th."
On this Act it rn ust be obscr\'cd that the first clause
punishes with death white persons who shall be concerned with slaves in actual lnsurrccti'.on. All the
slaves who have been c.on\'ictcd, were found guilty
merely of " an attempt to raise an Insurrection ;"
and it was never prctcndeu Lhat any actual Insurrc,~

--=-.--

--

--

- ----.

APPENDIX.

tion existed. The remaining clauses of the act provide for d1e punishment of offenders who shall aid
arid r.tssistslaves in raising an Insurrection, by one of
the following means, viz.
Ist. B!Jfurnishin::!,them witb passports.
2d. By fornishing them with arms or munitions of
war.
Sd. By affording them shelter and protection
wlH'n knowing of their assembling for any purpose
tending to treason.
4th . By pel'mitting his or their house to be resorted
to b_yslaves, for any purpose tending to treason.
In the cases reported, none of these speci(te means
were resorted to, in exciting the slaves . . Indeed none
of the slaves were engap;ed in any criminal enterprise ; and though Allen supposed that the meeting
at Joe's house, between Scott and himself, was one
designed by the negrocs for purposes of treason, yet,
in point of fact, he was mistaken. That meeting,
(as far as the slaves were concerned,) was innocent,
and tbe same remark is applicahle to the meeting at
Garden's house. Allen was morally,tJ1ough not legalJy guilty. It is worthy of the consideration of the
Lrgi slaturP, however, whether whi.te persons ought
not to be put on the same footing as slaves, with respect to the punishment for Insurr ection. The Law,
perhaps, ought in all cases to be, that " if ally person
shall raise an Insurrection , m attempt to raise an lu
surrection, he shall suffer death."

EXTRACTS, &c.
Th.eJol/(Jwin,!!rxtrnct.~Ji-om a 1'11blication in tl,I' Cit_11 aazcUe of

tltc 27tlt of S11>fl'l!lberla8t, w,drr tlie Si!{11(1fW f' (Ir" A SouthCarolinian ;" art" t/,,mglit i11tcrcstiug , wu1 uppropriatc, anrl luwc
been t!wreforf' 1,if,lr-d.
'

"In the Spanis h conspiracy

partakes the character of this,
were put to death. George
of the first men in Britian for

against Venice which

three lwndred and fifty
II. executed fij~y~fom
the rebellion of 1745.

Nor arc we without domestic r11ece{ler1ts.An insurrection occurred in the city of New- ork in 1712 ;
as soon as the alarm -guu was firetl, and a detachment of the Guards appeared, the insmgcnts fled to
they were surrounded, several
the woods-there
the rest \Vere
through desperation shot thern1>elves,
captuted, and nineteen executed .
" Another was meditated in 1741, when there were
two thousand Negroes and twelve thou sand vVhites
in the city of New -York. It was thm found necessary to burn thirteen and to hang eighteen Negroee:
with four Whites; to transport eighty Negt'Oes and
uve Whites.
In New-for!..
Ex ecuted,
S;'i
Transport ed, 85

In Cltarlc~ton.
35
37

72
"Now, a short period before the Negro Plot was
discovered in N C\:v-York, au I usm-rcction broke out
in Carolina. Many of the ring -leaders were shot ot
han ged, but none puni .~hed in any other mode.
120

F, XTR

ACT:;.

"SchC'mcs of I ns urrection, such as the present ,

cannot s11ccrcd. The whit" popnlation of each state
alone, is adc1111atclo sup1nf'!,Sdiem. Frorn !he first.
settlement of Carolina, we have been accustomed to
these aliort, vc cfii.,ns. U udcr our proprietury govcrnrncnr, th ere was a no1011onsout-law by th e name
of Sclm~liau; Go\'crnur Gibbcs issued l1is proclarnn.don, and the l n<li,,ns soon cnlitlcd thcm~elves to the
n.:wanl.

" Ju 1730, n. plan ,vas conceived aguinst Cltarl esto n

-They

were allow ed to assemble, ;vcrc then tukc1~,

and proper examples nmJe.
Some years aflcnvards,
what we denmninatc the Gullah 1Var
, occurr cdThis was more gc nl'ral-in St . Paul's Parish they
appear r d in arms i the greater part were killed, and
not mo re than two ur i hrce escape d. Iu St. J olm's
Parish they were di scoverNI by .Majo1Cordes' faithful dri\-cr Peter, aud in Charleston, they were also

<liscovet'e<l, suppresse d ancl puni shed. The N cgro

law of 174,0, ,vas cllucccd in consequence of chc last,
and has proved our scctll'ity from that period, notwith standi11g the occa sional cfletTcscences of in subordination.
The history of Sourh-Carolina , in this
particular, has been the l1istory of every State in the
1J
I

Union.

"' A uotli er impediment

to th e progress of con spiracy

of our negrnc .~. The sc n:ant. who is false to his master, would
be false to his God. One act of perfidy; is but the
fir,l step in the road of cor ruption and of baseness,
and th ose who on thi s o ccas ion , have proved ungrateful to the ir o,vucr s, have also been hypocrites
\\'ill ever be fou11di u Ihe jitfrlity of some

I,

'~

in religion.

B ttt it is a r cputahle

1 RUTH,

that on eve

ry such occasion, servams ha rr. he1:n frnrnd who \\ere

worthy the k ind ne ss and co nfal ence of tJw;r mast er s.
"Besid es, when tlw mo1mut of tria 'I ro nws , among
larg e bod ies of men , sontt: will tremb le, some will
be shocked at nh at they are abo11t to perpetrate, and
others will rcmcm hcr that by disclosur e, may b e obtain ed more than th ey seek thriwgh peri ls. .l aflicr
sa ,cd \' en ice, an d most con spiracies own men iufo rior to Jaflier. "\Yi: m11st nlw n ' 111
e111b
er that the
m,1jority of m a nki nd wulild an1id dan gero us enterpri ses. Th erefore , tlic great body <if"these people,
,,ould pr efer safety and q nit't I\ itb their prescrn comfort s, to a lrn.zardot1" c.oannotiu11 with an issue so frarLe.
ful as it a lw ay; bas bccu, and nn

wrn

'' Supenu lded lo these iutr iuc,i~ ~tc1,ri 1ics, ,vc ham
the proport ion of t ,co to one in the aggrega te popu-

,,

lation of :Slates sitnau~tl lik e 01ir:sd vcs. Um i,istcr

and neigh bo11r'l' cuncssec lias fonr to one, and the
heroes of Orl eans kH c hm to kuow th at we
arc in d anger, to be with us at the first tap of the

drum.
"The National Covcrnmcnt also can preserve the
peace of 1lic co11ntry. Jc wa s csrab lishc d ex pre ss ly
to ensure dom es tic tragu ility and su pprcss in surrec-

tion.

It !ms been lr ied, and found cflieicnt . The pre-

siden t may summon up wards offiH to one. Th e old

F re11chgove rn meu t wit li 3 000 reg n lars,protcctecl th eir
largest colony , and a small military force is found

adequate in 1he British West-Indie s. Sur ely the

American goYcrnmcnt could , aud ,voulcl do as much,
we-re it necessary. A clrnngc cannot th en lJe effect~

cd hy force, nor would it be bcncticiu\ to the Cuitcu

EXTR .H'!T~.

States. Our roads would swarm with paupers, and

every wood be infeste<l with bauditti.
But, under
the existing regulations they contribute to general
I

,vcalth, and al'c preserved from want, misery and

crime."
1>os l'~ClHPT.
Since these sheets hav<' bC'<'nput to press, it affords
him, who has been engag ed in their prepuration,much
gratification lo be able to correct one mistake, as it
places lhe firldity of the slave who first gave the intelligence of the intended insurrecti on, on much

hi.2;her groun1L On couftl'ri 11gwit!1 hi:,;rnastr.1:and

the free man of color, whose ad vice he sought, Jt appears that the slave in questiou communicated the
conversation at the J\.farket to his young master, before he consulted his friPtul (tlw free man of color,)
and that the arldce of the latter was that as " his
young master was a youth, that it would be best for
him immediately,witlwut delay,to tell his mistress, that
hi~ muster might rcccin the jnformation the jnstaut

11ecarnctu town. "-Vidc

rl',:<,~nBY.

J . It, SCIIE:<ca:,

p. &J.

B_I\ 0.\DS

T . CJ[.",nl,ESTOJ-

:.