USA > New York > New York City > History of the New Netherlands, province of New York, and state of New York : to the adoption of the federal Constitution. Vol. I > Part 39
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In several instances, negroes who were in jail accused others, from the notion prevalent, that, by so doing, they would save
* Horsmanden, p. 18.
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themselves ; though they knew, as they afterwards confessed, that those they accused were innocent. Victims were required, and those who brought them to the altar of Moloch, purchased their own safety, or, at least, their lives.
On the 2d July, before Chief Justice James De Lancey-Will is arraigned, and pleading guilty, is sentenced to be burnt on the 4th July. ' By some of the examinations at this time, the plot appears better established. Scipio attributes his agreeing to be sworn, to his desire for drams, especially after having taken one ; and says, Hughson so enticed him. Three negroes are discharged, nothing being found sufficient against them. On the 6th July, eleven plead guilty. Dundee implicates Doctor Hamilton with Hughson, in giving rum and swearing him and others to the plot. William Nuill, a white, is sworn by the.court, (negroes not sworn, as before stated, because heathen) and deposes, that London, a negro belonging to Edward Kelly, butcher, said and swore by God that if he, the said London, should be taken up on account of the plot, he would hang or burn all the negroes in York, whether they were concerned or not. This day, five negroes were hanged; one of them upon the same gibbet with Hughson, who, it seems, was hung in chains : and the historian says that " the town was amused," by a report that Hughson had turned black, and a negro white; and he gives a disgusting picture of the bodies, which " numbers of all ranks" ran from curiosity to see. It was said, Harry, a negro doctor, had given poison to those who were to be executed, and certain changes were produced on their bodies by it. These ap- pearances caused much controversy. On the 4th July, forty negroes, to get rid of them, were recommended for transportation ; and Ward's " Will" was executed, being burnt. At the stake, he accuses William Kane, a soldier belonging to the fort, and Kelly, another soldier. He said, that Morris's Cato advised him and Pedro to bring in many negroes, telling Pedro that he would cer- tainly be hanged, or burnt, if he did not confess; but if he brought in a good many, it would save his life.
The pile being kindled, this wretch set his back to the stake, and raising up one of his legs, laid it upon the fire, and lifting up his hands and eyes, cried aloud, and several times repeated the names, Quack, Goelet and Will Tiebout, who, he said, had brought him into this plot. Other negroes were taken up, with Kane, the sol- dier, who is, on the 5th July, examine l. He said, he never was at John Romme's house, at the Battery ; acknowledges that he received a stolen silver spoon, given to his wife, and sold it to Van Dype, a silversmith ; denies any knowledge of Ury. Mary Burton is brought forward, and accuses Kane, who after denial, finally con- fesses that he was at Hughson's, " about the plot," twice ; induced . so to do by Corker, Coffin, and Fagan. He criminates Ury, though
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not by name. Hughson's father and three brothers, he crimi- nates ; and an old woman, a fortune teller, Hughson's mother- in-law, all sworn to burn and kill, etc. He says, Ury christened some of the negroes, and wanted to seduce him, Kane, to become a Roman Catholic! ! Asked him, if he could read Latin ? He said, No; then asked him, whether he could read English ? He said, No. Then Coffin read and told him what a fine thing it was to be a Roman ; that they could forgive him, and he should not go to hell. And if he had not gone away, they might have seduced him to be a Catholick. That Conolly, on Governor's Island, owned that he was " bred up a priest," etc. Holt, a dancing master, is accused by Kane, but he had gone off. Kane thus describes the ceremony of swearing the negroes :-
" There was a black ring made on the floor, about a foot and a half in diameter ; and Hughson bid every one put off the left shoe and put their toes within the ring ; and Mrs. Hughson held a bowl of punch over their heads, as the negroes stood round the circle, and Hughson pronounced the oath above mentioned, (something like a freemason's oath and penalties,) and every negro severally repeated the oath after him, and then Hughson's wife fed them with a draught out of the bowl." Nothing like this is told by any of the former confessors. He says, they intended burning the English Church ; they advised to do it when the roof was dry, and a full congregation. To all this, Kane sets his mark. Coffin, the ped- ler, is taken up and examined. He protests he never saw Ilugh- son until he was hanged, nor Kane, only as he once drank beer with him at Eleanor Waller's. . Coffin is committed. Doctor Harry is committed, and two negroes discharged.
On the 17th of July, seven negroes pleaded guilty-and Sarah was ordered to be hung next day.
Adam, accused Doctor Harry, saying he came to the plotters in a little canoe from Long Island. The Doctor stoutly denied ever having been at Hughson's.
Kane, and Mary Burton, accused Edward Murphy-and Kane, accused David Johnson, a hatter. . Accusations against whites now thicken. Mary Burton is the grand universal accuser, and An- drew Ryase, little Holt the dancing master, John Earl, and seven- teen soldiers, are all mingled with the negroes, and with John Coffee, Ury, the priest, and Crocher, (a kind of half priest.)
On the 16th of July, Sarah, the negress, is respited till the 18th, and nine negroes being arraigned, four pleaded guilty. Quack and Othello, sentenced to be burnt, and Braveboy hanged.
The deposition of John Schultz is material to understanding the negro confessions. He swore that a negro man slave, called Cam- bridge, belonging to Christopher Codwise, Esq., did, on the 9th of June last, confess to this deponent, in the presence of said Mr.
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Codwise, and Richard Baker, that, the confession he had made before Messrs. Lodge and Nichols, was entirely false, viz : that he had owned himself guilty of the conspiracy, and had accused the negro of Richard Baker, called Cajoe, through fear : and said, that he heard some negroes in the jail talking together, that if they did not confess they should be hanged ; and that was the reason of his making that false . confession : and what he said relating to Horsefield Cæsar, was a lie. That he did not know in what part of the town Hughson lived ; nor did he remember to have heard of the man, till it was a common talk over the town and country that Hughson was concerned in a plot with the negroes.
Quack and Othello, under sentence to be burnt, made confes- sion of all the particulars of the story, and Bastean, a negro, tells much the same. Kane, Mary Burton, and two of the negroes, give testimony against several negroes, and Burton says, that Earl, who lived in Broadway, used to come to Hughson's, with ten sol- diers at a time. That the white men were to have companies of negroes under them. Ury used to be with them. A man, by the Mayor's market, who lived at a shop, where she, Mary, used to fetch rum from, is brought in ; and a doctor, a Scotchman, that lived by the Slip, and another dancing master. This dancing master, she is prompted to call Corry, who being examined, says, that he never was at Hughson's house in his life.
Burton and Kane persist in accusing Corry, and he is com- mitted. On the 14th of July, John Ury, schoolmaster, is examined, and denies ever having been at Hughson's, or knowing anything of a conspiracy : never saw the Hughson's or Peggy Kerry. Notwith- standing Kane persists in charging Ury, with being at Hughson's with Corry, and a young gentleman with a pig-tailed wig-Old Hughson, (the father of John Hughson,) and three of his sons, were sworn in, in their presence.
On the 15th of July, fourteen nergoes are pardoned-and eight tried upon the same charges, and the same witnesses produced, Kane, Mary Burton, etc., and they are found guilty.
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Now comes on regularly the case of Kane against John Ury, alias Jury. He is charged with having counselled, procured, etc., a negro slave, Quack, to set fire to the king's house in the fort, and pleaded not guilty : a second indictment, is, that being a priest, made by the authority of the pretended see of Rome, he did come into this province and city of New York, after the time limited by a law against Jesuits and popish priests, passed in the eleventh year of William III; and did there remain for the space of seven months, and did profess himself to be an ecclesiastical person, made and ordained by authority from the see of Rome, and did appcar so to be, by cele- brating masses and granting absolution, etc. To this Ury pleaded not guilty, and prayed a copy of the indictments, but only, a copy
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of the second was granted him. The use of pen, ink, and paper, was granted him.
As the trial and fate of this man are indicative of the period, I shall follow the course of his story, and after return to the others, whose trials are going on at the same time.
A journal kept by him was seized, and an extract taken by the grand jury, viz : arrived at Philadelphia, the 17th of February, 1738. At Ludinum, 5th March-To Philadelphia; 29th April-Began school at Burlington, 1Sth June-Omilta Jacobus Atherthwaite, 27th July-Came to school at Burlington. 23d. January, 1740- Saw -, 7th May-At five went to Burlington, to Piercy, the madman-Went to Philadelphia, 19th May-Went to Burlington, 18th June-At six in the evening to Penefack, to Joseph Ashton -Began school at Dublin, under Charles Hastie, at eight pounds a year, 31st July- - , 15th October, ---- , 27th ditto- Came to John Croker, (at the Fighting :Cocks,) New York, 2d November-I boarded gratis with him, 7th November-Natura Johannis Pool, 26th December-I began to teach with John Camp- bell, 6th April, 1741-Baptized Timothy Ryan, born 18th April, 1740, son of John Ryan, and Mary Ryan, 18th May-Pater Con- fessor Butler, two Anni, no sacramentum non confessio. On the 21st July, Ury's trial was put off to next term, and next day he was arraigned on a new indictment, to correct some legal errour in the first.
Sarah Hughson being again examined, says, that she had often seen Ury, the priest, at her fathers house- that she had seen him make a ring with chalk on the floor, and make all the negroes then present stand round it, and he used to stand in the middle of the ring with a cross in his hand, and swear the negroes. Here we have Kane's ring, with the priest, for mother Hughson, and the cross for the punch bowl. There was nothing of the kind in the first confessions. That she saw Ury baptize some of the negroes, and forgive them their sins, and preach to them. That Ury wanted her to confess to him-and Peggy confessed to him in French, etc.
On the 24th July, Elias Desbrosses, confectioner, deposes, that Ury came to his shop, with one. Webb, a carpenter, and wanted sugar-bits, or wafers, and asked him, " whether a minister had not his wafers of him? or, whether that paste, which the deponent showed him, was not made of the same ingredients as the Lutheran minister's?" or, something to that purpose. And told Ury, if he wanted such things, a joiner would make him a mould : and asked him if he had a congregation ? but Ury, " waived giving him an answer."
On the 27th of July, Webb, the carpenter, is brought up and deposes :
That at John Croker's, at the Fighting Cocks, he became ac- - quainted with Ury. He heard him read Latin and English, and
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admired him so much, that he employed him to teach his child, as he found that he was a schoolmaster, and invited him to board, gratis, at his house. That he understood from him, that he was a non-juring minister, and had written a book which was censured and called treason, which was what he did not mean ;- that he was taken into custody, but a great man got him away ; and by leaving England he lost fifty pounds a year. That on religious subjects, the carpenter could not always understand him. As to negroes, Ury thought they were only fit for slaves : put them above the con- dition of slaves, and, in return, they will cut your throats. The historian recorder, in a note, says, that he was well acquainted with the disposition of them.
Webb proceeds to say, that after Campbell removed to Hugh- son's, Ury went thither, and this deponent went thither three times and heard him read prayers in the manner of the church of Eng- land, but in the prayer for the king, he only mentioned our sove- reign lord the king, and not King George. He pleaded against drunkenness, debauchery, and Deists : admonishing every one to keep to his own minister. He said he only gave a word of admo- nition at the request of the family where he was. 'That in his third sermon, Mr. Hildreth was present, and Ury found fault with certain doctrines, and insisted that good works, as well as faith, were necessary to salvation. And he gave out, where, on a certain evening, he should preach from, "upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and who- soever sins ye remit, they are remitted, and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained." This is to the best of deponent's remem- brance : but deponent has not heard that he preached according to that warning. And he has heard him say, that such and such a day was his sacrament day ; and thinks he has heard him say, that he must administer the sacrament, but cannot be positive. The judges think, that if Sarah Hughson would be affected by a sense of gratitude, for saving her life, and kept to her history, concerning John Ury, she would be a material witness against him. So they recommend her for mercy. That is, she is to be pardoned, if she will say what is put in her mouth against the poor schoolmaster. On the 28th of July, another grand jury is sworn, composed of merchants ; the names point to ancestors of some remoteness : Joseph Robinson, James Livingston, Hermanus Rutgers, junior, Charles Le Roux, Abraham Boclen, Peter Rutgers, Jacobus Rose- velt, John Auboyman, Stephen Van Cortlandt, junior, Abraham Lynsen, Gerardus Duykinck, John Provoost, Henry Lane, junior, Henry Cuyler, John Rosevelt, Abraham De Peyster, Edward Hicks, Joseph Ryall, Peter Schuyler, and Peter Jay.
Sarah Hughson being pardoned, Ury is brought to the bar, the prisoner challenging some of the jury. William Hammersley, VOL. I. 44
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Gerardus Beekman, John Shurmur, Sidney Breese, Daniel Shal- ford, Thomas Bohenna, Peter Furman, Thomas Willet, John Breese, John Hastin, James Fisher, and Brandt Schuyler, are sworn to try him. The indictment, except formalities, is given above : it was a charge of felony, in counselling Quack .to set fire to the governour's house. The counsel arrayed against this poor individual are Richard Bradley, attorney general, Mr. Murray, .Mr. Alexander, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Chambers. Mr. Bradley tells the jury the evidence to be produced, and goes over the testimony, as above given of Kane, Sarah Hughson, etc., and further, a letter from Ge'nl. Oglethorpe, governour of Georgia, saying, that the Spaniards had employed emissaries to burn all the towns, and many priests were employed under characters of physicians, dancing masters, etc. The attorney general says, that this, and much more, will be proved. His main discourse is to show the wickedness of popery. The first witness is the wretch, Mary Burton. She goes over the charges : the fire was to be begun at Croker's, (near the coffee-house, by the long bridge in my time, 1775 to 1783, called the Coffee-house Bridge, a sewer passed under it from Wall street.) She now tells the story of the ring chalked on the floor, and talks of seeing things in it that looked like rats, (which the commentator says, were the negroes black toes.) And another time she peeped in and saw a black thing like a child, and Ury with a book in his hand, and she let a spoon drop that she had in her hand, and Ury came out and chased her down stairs, but she falling into a butt of water, she escaped from him ! When they were doing anything extraordinary at night, they would send her to bed.
Prisoner-You say you have seen me several times at Hughson's, what clothes did I usually wear ?
Answer-She could not tell.
Prisoner-That's strange, and know me so well ?
She then says, several kinds, but particularly, or chiefly, a riding coat, and often a brown coat, trimmed with black.
Prisoner-I never wore such a coat. What time a day did I use to come to Hughson's ?
Answer-Chiefly in the night, and when I have been going to bed : I have seen you undressing in Peggy's room, as if you were to lie there : but I connot say that you did, for you were always gone before I was up in the morning.
Prisoner-What room was I in, when I called Mary, and you came up, as you said ?
Answer-In the great room, up stairs.
Prisoner-What answer did the negroes make, when I offered to forgive them their sins, as you said?
Answer-I don't remember.
Kane, the soldier, next.called, and tells his story, and answers 10
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. Ury's questions very boldly : that Ury wanted to convert him- could forgive sins-and saw him baptize a child. '
Sarah Hughson being called, Ury objects her conviction and condemnation ; but was told, that being pardoned, she was compe- tent. The historian says, she was brought this morning to plead her pardon, out of the condemned hole, where she had been con- fined from the time of her condemnation : and when her pardon was pleaded, she was taken from court into a room, in custody of the under sheriff, where she was to be near at hand for call upon this trial, and there she remained till wanted, and was sent for.
The letter of General Oglethorpe (before mentioned) was read in court. It is addressed to George Clarke, Lieutenant-gover- nour. The historian gives extracts from newspapers, to prove that the court of France endeavoured to excite revolts and distur- bances in the English colonies. He tells a story of an Irish school- master, in Ulster county, about the time of the fires in New York, drinking the king of Spain's health.
The wretches, Kane and Hughson's daughter, are the only wit- nesses examined against Ury. They are notorious as liars, and it is evident that they only testified against this man to save them- selves, and as prompted by the court. Ury commenced his de- fence, by a speech. showing the incongruity of the charges with his known behaviour, and the silence of Quack, and others first accused and executed. Campbell took the house Hughson had occupied, and Ury went with him to take possession, on the 1st of May : Hughson and his wife being in custody, charged with felony, and Sarah being in the house. She abused Campbell ; and Ury reproved her for her foul language. This seems to have added to the motives for accusing him. Ury denies all knowledge of Hugh- son and his family, and it appears that he knew nothing of them. He is stopped in his address to the jury, and told to produce his wit- nesses. Croker's testimony exonerates him from keeping company with negroes, or their coming to him, while at the house, (before the 1st of May,) and all the plotting is charged long before that time. He represents him as a pious preacher and a good school- master. Ury always declared himself a non-juring clergyman of the church of England. He taught Webb's child ; and Webb made a kind of desk for him, which is constructed into an altar, and the jury, without proof, make him a catholick priest, and guilty of the crimes imputed to him by Kane and Sarah Hughson. Campbell and his wife, testify to the material facts asserted by Ury, he was a grave, sober, honest man. Hildreth, a schoolmaster, swears that Ury was a conjurer. The attorney-general and chief justice, however, tell the jury that he is a Romish priest, and dilate on the errors of the church of Rome, all of which, by implication, are charges on Ury. It was acknowledged by the attorney-general,
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that it was not proved that Ury was a Roman catholick ; yet all the absurdities of the Church of Rome, and all its enormities, are de- clared to the jury, to prejudice them against him. He is hanged on the 29th of August, 1741, declaring his innocence, submission to death cheerfully, and exhorts sinners to repentance.
The details, as given by the recorder, his friends and advocates, of the persecution, is to us of this day, a most sickening record of prejudice and glaring injustice, consummated in torture and murder.
I will be as concise respecting the negroes as possible, being heartily tired of the disgusting subject.
Quack and Othello were sentenced to be burnt ; but being slaves of two of the great men of the town, one the chief justice, interest was made to save them, which failed ; but their sentence was changed to hanging. Those two, with four others, were hanged on the 18th July. In the afternoon of the same day, Harry, the negro doctor, was executed. He had been sentenced on the most trivial and improbable testimony ; and his "heart was so hardened," says our historian, that he confessed nothing. On the contrary, he said that he had been told that he would be hanged or burnt, and persisted in declaring, that if he knew of any plot, he would confess it, to save his soul.
On the 23d July, a number of whites were fined for keeping dis- orderly houses, and entertaining negroes ; and nine negroes dis- charged from jail, for want of evidence to convict them. How could that be ?
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On the 30th July, four negroes pleaded guilty, and ten are par- doned ; but four more are apprehended.
August 4th : on this day, a Spanish negro ordered to be hanged, which was executed the 15th.
The 31st of August, Corry, Ryan, Kelly, and Coffin, whites, were discharged-no one appearing to prosecute. The testimony against these men, from the wretches Kane, Burton, and Sarah Hughson, was as strong as that against Ury, or any of those executed.
The 24th of September was set apart for a thanksgiving for the escape of the citizens from destruction. The father and four bro- thers of Hughson petition to be released from jail, where they had been confined for months on the improbable testimony of one of the abandoned informers. The court consents to pardon them! but only on condition of leaving the province.
All these executions and banishments could not quiet the fears of the good people of New York. Some negroes, at the Christmas holidays, had amused themselves by playing soldiers : this alarmed the lieutenant-governour, and the attorney-general sent to the ma- gistrates of Queen's county, where this happened ; and the negroes -
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were chastised for this daring piece of insolence, i. e. whipped at the whipping-post, on the 26th January, 1742.
1742 On the 15th February, all the apprehensions of the ma- gistrates are realized ; live coals of fire are seen in the gutter of a house. The mayor summoned all the magistrates together, and they determine to go in a body to " inquire what negroes were in the neighbourhood." They find that a poor widow, who keeps a bakehouse, has a negro-a sort of a simple, half-witted boy-and he was without ceremony committed.
This fool is called Tom ; and he confesses that he put the fire on the gutter ; that Jack told him to do so ; that he got up early, lit a candle, made a fire in the bakehouse, heated water to melt the sugar to make cookeys, and threw a lighted coal of fire upon the shed. It is confessed by the writer, that they could not give entire credit to his story ; and on a fourth examination he stated, what he said about Jack, and others, was false-he did it of himself; and being asked, " why he did so?" he said, " he could not help it." Tom is brought to the bar, and charged with conspiring to burn, &c. &c. Tom pleads guilty to putting the fire ; and all the stories he has told, are repeated to him ; and the assembled magistrates and freeholders (no jury,) having condemned him to be hanged, he is told, he will be damned in the bargain. Tom then returns to his charges against his companions : . but they cannot "be brought to confession."
They, the magistrates, get hold of another black boy, Philip, and he says he was with Tom, called Monkey, and Jack, &c., on Sun- day, playing pennies, and lost two pennies ; but he heard nothing of what 'Tom says about burning.
Tom is brought to the gallows. They hang him, and apprehend the others ; " but nothing could be got out of them."
The whole of this is revolting, as stated by one who believes there was this second conspiracy.
On the 15th of March, a tanner's barkhouse, in the Swamp, was found to be on fire : set on fire, of course. The tanners hold their ground on this spot, to this day, in Ferry street. The people were put in great consternation ; but as there was no building near, except some of the tanner's sheds, it only burnt them. It was proved that some of the tanner's boys had made a fire to warm themselves, and left it with negro Sam to put out, and they went to dinner. It was concluded, that the shed was burnt on purpose. But notwithstanding such proofs of a " diabolical conspiracy," many people did not believe in it ; and the believers could not make out a charge against Sam. Still, the diabolical conspirators kept at work; and on the 20th of April some rags were found burnt to tinder ; and, as they could not indict Sam for arson, they indicted him for a felony, committed some time before. No discovery
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