Southampton County-Alexandria City Virginia USGenWeb Archives News.....Insurrection, 1904 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ AWFUL WORK OF TURNER ________ The Southampton Insurrection Recalled by South Georgia's Experience. ________ GREAT NUMBERS WERE SLAIN ________ Some Sixty Persons, Men, Women and Children, Murdered by Deluded Negroes. ________ (Special to the Times-Dispatch.) ALEXANDRIA, VA., Aug. 27.- The organization of the "Before Day Club" by some of the negroes of Georgia, the killing of the Hodges family, and the burning at the stake of two of the murderers, recalls a portion of the history of this State which has almost passed from the minds of those of the present day, and the several histories of Virginia do not speak of it in any way. John Brown's raid, and it was bad enough, was nothing as compared to what is known as the "Nat Turner Insurrection"- an insurrection born in the brain of a negro by the name of Nat Turner and which bid fair at one time to almost exterminate the white population of the vicinity of Southampton. TELLS OF TURNER'S WORK. Col. James Webster, chief of Alexandria's police, and who has held this position since 1866, gives this interesting story of the insurrection: "It was back in 1830, and I was only a boy in my teens, but I recall distinctly almost everything connected with the bloody work of Nat Turner and his followers. He had planned his insurrection on a great deal larger scale than did the 'Before Day Club' of my sister State of Georgia negroes. Turner belonged to a wealthy planter of Southern Virginia, whose children had taught him to spell and read, which proved a very unfortunate thing, for he got to reading abolition papers and pamphlets and the old nick in him just turned loose. Turner set about organizing the negroes, determining to set them free even if it was necessary to kill the white people in order to do so. After several weeks of secret work and communicating his plans to the negroes on the plantations throughout that section of Virginia, a big picnic or barbecue of the slaves was announced. Slave owners suspected nothing and willingly gave permission to their negroes to take part in the picnic. As had been secretly agreed upon the negroes went to the appointed place armed with guns, pistols, knives, daggers, shoe awls, black-jacks, and every kind of fighting implement known, many of which they had stolen from their masters, for most of the negroes were what was known as house boys or stablemen and could easily get hold of these things. The crowd numbered about 250 and there being no white persons present Nat Turner made a speech and told them just what he wanted them to do and must do if they wished to be freemen. He said that they must go and kill the whites, and not to spare on account of age or sex. The deluded negroes were thoroughly worked-up and at a given signal by Turner they marched off in squads and within a few hours time sixty whites had been murdered at their homes. At one place an infant had been left alive and a negro named Hawkins went back in the house and split its head open with a hatchet.  THE NEGROES FLED. "Some of the whites managed to escape and gave the alarm and after a time the whites armed themselves and met the negroes in an old field, where after a few rounds from the guns of the whites the negroes scattered and fled, leaving clothing, shoes, silverware, and other articles which they had taken from the houses after killing the inmates, and in some cases setting fire to the buildings. As soon as possible the State militia was called out, but too late to do much good as most of the negroes had escaped. Nat Turner was the first to take to his heels and took refuge in a large cave, where he remained for several months, being cared for by negroes who knew his hiding place. A reward of $5,000 was offered for him and one day a hunter found him and covering him with his gun marched him into town. "Turner was sentenced to hang, and on the day of his execution, the slave- holders brought in their slaves and made them witness the scene. This hanging was a good lesson for them and things quieted down in a hurry, but the horrible wholesale murdering by the Nat Turner followers caused Virginia and the District of Columbia to enact laws making it a crime for negroes to assemble for any purpose. Three negroes caught talking together and unable to give a satisfactory account of themselves were to be punished by death. WERE BAD TIMES. "These were bad times and the people knew that nothing save heroic treatment would prevent another insurrection. They did not propose to take any chances after the murdering of sixty men, women and children. Negroes were not even permitted to attend church, and a law was passed prohibiting the freeing of slaves unless the negroes left the State. These laws were rigidly enforced for a number of years, and for years before the civil war the possession of slaves gave a great deal more trouble than they were really worth, for people from the North who came here- to this State to teach school put bad ideas into negroes' heads. In many cases such people were made to leave the State. There was trouble enough without any outside interference. John Brown's raid in 1859 made our people even the more disgusted with their negro property and they were sold just as rapidly as possible. Of course, in great many cases there were family servants whom our people did not wish to part. I have witnessed some distressing scenes right here at the slave barracoons in Alexandria. I have seen owners of slaves cry like children when they put up their slaves to be sold, and I have known men to give in and after a negro had been put on the block say, "I'll keep that nigger. It feels like parting with one of the family.' And, God bless you, some of these niggers are with the 'ole master and ole missus' yet." [the article includes a photo captioned, "COL. JAMES WEBSTER, Chief of Police of Alexandria."] "The Times-Dispatch" (Richmond, VA), Sun., Aug. 28, 1904, p. 12, col. 1-2 A version of the article, entitled "The Nat Turner Insurrection," also appeared in "Alexandria (VA) Gazette," Aug. 29, 1904, p. 1, col. 1-2 Additional information: Col. Webster's recollections should not be taken as fact. According to the 1900 Census, he was b. Oct 1820, so he was only 10 when the insurrection occurred, 21-23 Aug 1831. Nat Turner was in hiding about six weeks and was hanged 11 Nov 1831. Court proceedings on the Southampton Insurrection, Aug-Nov 1831, are posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/court/ol_nat.txt Rather, Col. Webster's remarks should be considered in the context of his times. An article on the front page of the same issue is headed, "DRAGGED BY THE TROOPS - Negroes Being Carried to the Stake Pass Very Near the Military Camp - NO EFFORT TO INTERCEPT - Although the Attention of Officers Was Called, No Orders Were Given the Soldiers." This is about the investigation of same incident referred to in the opening paragraph. The lynching was originally reported, "NEGROES TAKEN FROM SOLDIERS AND BURNED AT THE STAKE." "The Times-Dispatch" (Richmond, VA), Wed., Aug. 17, 1904, p. 1, col. 3 See also an article that appeared in several papers in 1892 - "A RAZOR STRAP FROM THE SKIN OF NAT TURNER" - posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/news/09151892ag.txt Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by File Manager Matt Harris (zoobug64@aol.com). file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/news/19040828td.txt