The late insurrection in Southampton has greatly excited the public
mind, and led to a thousand idle, exaggerated and mischievous
reports. It is the first instance in our history of an open
rebellion of the slaves, and attended with such atrocious
circumstances of cruelty and destruction, as could not fail to
leave a deep impression, not only upon the minds of the community
where this fearful tragedy was wrought, but throughout every
portion of our country, in which this population is to be found.
Public curiosity has been on the stretch to understand the origin
and progress of this dreadful conspiracy, and the motives which
influences its diabolical actors. The insurgent slaves had all been
destroyed, or apprehended, tried and executed, (with the exception
of the leader, ) without revealing anything at all satisfactory, as
to the motives which governed them, or the means by which they
expected to accomplish their object. Everything connected with this
sad affair was wrapt in mystery, until Nat Turner, the leader of
this ferocious band, whose name has resounded throughout our widely
extended empire, was captured. This "great Bandit" was taken by a
single individual, in a cave near the residence of his late owner,
on Sunday, the thirtieth of October, without attempting to make the
slightest resistance, and on the following day safely lodged in the
jail of the County. His captor was Benjamin Phipps, armed with a
shot gun well charged. Nat's only weapon was a small light sword
which he immediately surrendered, and begged that his life might be
spared. Since his confinement, by permission of the Jailor, I have
had ready access to him, and finding that he was willing to make a
full and free confession of the origin, progress and consummation
of the insurrectory movements of the slaves of which he was the
contriver and head; I determined for the gratification of public
curiosity to commit his statements to writing, and publish them,
with little or no variation, from his own words. That this is a
faithful record of his confessions, the annexed certificate of the
County Court of Southampton, will attest. They certainly bear one
stamp of truth and sincerity. He makes no attempt (as all the other
insurgents who were examined did, ) to exculpate himself, but
frankly acknowledges his full participation in all the guilt of the
transaction. He was not only the contriver of the conspiracy, but
gave the first blow towards its execution. It will thus appear,
that whilst every thing upon the surface of society wore a calm and
peaceful aspect; whilst not one note of preparation was heard to
warn the devoted inhabitants of woe and death, a gloomy fanatic was
revolving in the recesses of his own dark, bewildered, and
overwrought mind, schemes of indiscriminate massacre to the whites.
Schemes too fearfully executed as far as his fiendish band
proceeded in their desolating march. No cry for mercy penetrated
their flinty bosoms. No acts of remembered kindness made the least
impression upon these remorseless murderers. Men, women and
children, from hoary age to helpless infancy were involved in the
same cruel fate. Never did a band of savages do their work of death
more unsparingly. Apprehension for their own personal safety seems
to have been the only principle of restraint in the whole course of
their bloody proceedings. And it is not the least remarkable
feature in this horrid transaction, that a band actuated by such
hellish purposes, should have resisted so feebly, when met by the
whites in arms. Desperation alone, one would think, might have led
to greater efforts. More than twenty of them attacked Dr. Blunt's
house on Tuesday morning, a little before day-break, defended by
two men and three boys. They fled precipitately at the first fire;
and their future plans of mischief, were entirely disconcerted and
broken up. Escaping thence, each individual sought his own safety
either in concealment, or by returning home, with the hope...
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