The Confessions of Nat Turner: The Leader of the Late Insurrections in Southampton, Va. As Fully and Voluntarily Made to Thomas R. Gray, in the Prison Where He Was Confined, and Acknowledged by Him to be Such when Read Before the Court of Southampton; With the Certificate, Under Seal of the Court Convened at Jerusalem, Nov. 5, 1831, For His Trial. Also, an Authentic Account of the Whole Insurrection.Turner, Nat
History
The Confessions of Nat Turner: The Leader of the Late Insurrections in Southampton, Va. As Fully and Voluntarily Made to Thomas R. Gray, in the Prison Where He Was Confined, and Acknowledged by Him to be Such when Read Before the Court of Southampton; With the Certificate, Under Seal of the Court Convened at Jerusalem, Nov. 5, 1831, For His Trial. Also, an Authentic Account of the Whole Insurrection.
Since the commencement of 1830, I had been living with Mr. Joseph
Travis, who was to me a kind master, and placed the greatest confidence
in me; in fact, I had no cause to complain of his treatment to me. On
Saturday evening, the 20th of August, it was agreed between Henry, Hark
and myself, to prepare a dinner the next day for the men we expected,
and then to concert a plan, as we had not yet determined on any. Hark,
on the following morning, brought a pig, and Henry brandy, and being
joined by Sam, Nelson, Will and Jack, they prepared in the woods a
dinner, where, about three o'clock, I joined them.
_Q._ Why were you so backward in joining them.
_A._ The same reason that had caused me not to mix with them for years
before.
I saluted them on coming up, and asked Will how came he there, he
answered, his life was worth no more than others, and his liberty as
dear to him. I asked him if he thought to obtain it? He said he would,
or loose his life. This was enough to put him in full confidence. Jack,
I knew, was only a tool in the hands of Hark, it was quickly agreed we
should commence at home (Mr. J. Travis') on that night, and until we had
armed and equipped ourselves, and gathered sufficient force, neither age
nor sex was to be spared, (which was invariably adhered to.) We remained
at the feast, until about two hours in the night, when we went to the
house and found Austin; they all went to the cider press and drank,
except myself. On returning to the house, Hark went to the door with an
axe, for the purpose of breaking it open, as we knew we were strong
enough to murder the family, if they were awaked by the noise; but
reflecting that it might create an alarm in the neighborhood, we
determined to enter the house secretly, and murder them whilst sleeping.
Hark got a ladder and set it against the chimney, on which I ascended,
and hoisting a window, entered and came down stairs, unbarred the door,
and removed the guns from their places. It was then observed that I must
spill the first blood. On which, armed with a hatchet, and accompanied
by Will, I entered my master's chamber, it being dark, I could not give
a death blow, the hatchet glanced from his head, he sprang from the bed
and called his wife, it was his last word, Will laid him dead, with a
blow of his axe, and Mrs. Travis shared the same fate, as she lay in
bed. The murder of this family, five in number, was the work of a
moment, not one of them awoke; there was a little infant sleeping in a
cradle, that was forgotten, until we had left the house and gone some
distance, when Henry and Will returned and killed it; we got here, four
guns that would shoot, and several old muskets, with a pound or two of
powder. We remained some time at the barn, where we paraded; I formed
them in a line as soldiers, and after carrying them through all the
manoeuvres I was master of, marched them off to Mr. Salathul Francis',
about six hundred yards distant. Sam and Will went to the door and
knocked. Mr.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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