History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol 1: Negroes as Slaves, as Soldiers, and as CitizensWilliams, George Washington
History
History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol 1: Negroes as Slaves, as Soldiers, and as Citizens
Williams, George Washington
African Americans -- History; Liberia; Sierra Leone
By the testimony of Mary Burton, Peggy Carey stood convicted as one of
the conspirators. She had already languished in jail for more than a
month. The judges thought it advisable to examine her in her cell.
They tried to cajole her into criminating others; but she stoutly
denied all knowledge of the fires, and said "that if she should accuse
anybody of any such thing, she must accuse innocent persons, and wrong
her own soul."
On the 24th of April, Caesar Varick, Prince Auboyman, John Hughson,
his wife, and Peggy Carey were arraigned for felony, and pleaded not
guilty. Caesar and Prince were first put on trial. As they did not
challenge the jury, the following gentlemen were sworn: Messrs. Roger
French, John Groesbeck, John Richard, Abraham Kipp, George Witts, John
Thurman, Patrick Jackson, Benjamin Moore, William Hammersley, John
Lashiere, Joshua Sleydall, and John Shurmer. "Guilty!" as charged in
the indictment. They had committed the robbery, so said the jury.
On the 3d of May one Arthur Price, a common thief, was committed to
jail for theft. He occupied a cell next to the notorious Peggy Carey.
In order to bring himself into favor with the judges, he claimed to
have had a conversation with Peggy through the hole in the door. Price
says she told him that "she was afraid of those fellows" (the
Negroes); that if they said any thing in any way involving her she
would hang every one of them; that she did not care to go on the stand
again unless she was called; that when asked if she intended to set
the town on fire she said no; but she knew about the plot; that
Hughson and his wife "were sworn with the rest;" that she was not
afraid of "Prince, Cuff, Caesar, and Fork's Negro--not Caesar, but
another," because they "were all true-hearted fellows." This
remarkable conversation was flavored throughout with the vilest
species of profanity. Notwithstanding this interview was between a
common Irish prostitute and a wretched sneak-thief, it had great
weight with the solemn and upright judges.
In the midst of this trial, seven barns were burnt in the town of
Hackinsack. Two Negroes were suspected of the crime, but there was not
the slightest evidence that they were guilty. But one of them said
that he had discharged a gun at the party who set his master's barn on
fire, but did not kill any one. The other one was found loading a gun
with two bullets. This was enough to convict. They were burnt alive at
a stake. This only added fuel to the flame of public excitement in New
York.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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