[Marshall] Texas Republican, August 11, 1860
With no desire to create alarm, we publish below all the intelligence we can gather relative to the incendiarism abroad in our State. There is already more excitement in this community than we like to see exhibited, and we would rather allay it, than add to it. But such information as found below, is essential. Our people should be vigilant, at the same time wise and prudent.
A letter published in the Houston Telegraph, dated Dallas, July 21st, speaks of the numerous and almost simultaneous burnings of towns, stores, mills, and farm houses, evidently the work of incendiaries, and then says:
“The outhouses, granaries, oats and grain of Mr. Crill Miller, were destroyed a few days after the destruction of Dallas. This led to the arrest of some white men, whose innocence, however, was proven beyond a doubt. Several negroes belonging to Mr. Miller, were then taken up and examined, and developments of the most startling character elicited. A plot to destroy the country was revealed, and every circumstance even to the minutia, detailed. Nearly or quite a hundred negroes have been arrested, and upon a close examination separate and apart from each other, they deposed to the existence of a plot or conspiracy to lay waste the country by fire and assassination—to impoverish the land by the destruction of the provision, arms, and ammunition, and then when in a state of helplessness, a general revolt of the negroes was to begin on the 1st Monday in August, the day of election for State officers. This conspiracy is aided and abetted by abolition emissaries from the North, and by those in our midst. The details of the plot, and its modus operandi, are these; Each county in Northern Texas, has a supervisor in the person of a white man, whose name is not given, each county laid off into districts under the sub-agents of this villain, who control the action of the negroes in said districts, by whom the firing was to be done.
Many of our most prominent citizens were singled out for assassination whenever they made their escape from their burning homes. Negroes never before suspected, are implicated, and the insurrectionary movement is wide spread to an extent truly alarming. In some places the plan was conceived in every form shocking to the mind, and frightful in its results. Poisoning was to be added, and the old females to be slaughtered along with the men, and the young and handsome women to be parceled out amongst these infamous scoundrels. They have even gone so far as to designate their choice, and certain ladies had already been selected as the victims of these misguided monsters. Fortunately, the country has been saved from the accomplishment of these horrors; but then, a fearful duty remains for us. The negroes have been incited to these infernal proceedings by abolitionists, and the emissaries of certain preachers, who were expelled from this county last year. Their agents have been busy amongst us, and many of them have been in our midst. Some of them have been identified, but have fled from the county, others still remain, to receive a fearful accountability from an outraged and infuriated people. Nearly a hundred negroes have testified that a large reinforcement of abolitionists are expected on the 1st of August, and these to be aided by recruits from the Indian tribes, while the Rangers are several hundred miles to the North of us. It was desired to destroy Dallas, in order that the arms and ammunition of the artillery company might share the same fate. Our jail is filled with the villians, many of whom will be hung and that very soon. A man was found hung at our neighboring city of Fort Worth, two days ago, believed to be one of those scoundrels who are engaged in this work. We learn that he has stored away a number of rifles, and the day after he was hung, a load of six-shooters passed on to him, but were intercepted. He was betrayed by one of the gang, and hence his plans were thwarted. Many others will share his fate. I have never witnessed such times. We are most profoundly excited. We go armed day and night, and know not what we shall be called upon to do. The circumstances are frightful, and I fear that the trouble is not confined to this State. It behooves every true man to buckle on his armor, and fight the good fight for his country’s good.
We copy the following from the Ranger, published at Brenham, Washington county, Texas:
The late insurrection in the northern portion of our State, has carried numbers of our citizens to a high excitement. On Tuesday a large crowd from Chappell Hill, came here for the purpose of forcibly taking the negroes out of jail that were confined for murder, and hanging them; but, for certain considerations, have postponed the matter until after the election.
The citizens of Brenham have passed some strong resolutions and appointed a vigilance committee, with full power to act for the safety and defence of the people. The resolutions have been furnished us for publication, but too late for this issue.
The citizens of Grimes having learned that many negroes of that county had held secret meetings, and were supplied with deadly weapons, have also passed resolutions recommending the expulsion of all white persons suspected of entertaining abolition sentiments, reprobating the practice of giving general passes, and selling liquor and arms to slaves, and recommending all ministers of the Gospel to abstain from preaching to slaves during the present year.
In addition to the foregoing, we have rumors of the burning of Birdville, and Bonham, the discovery of an insurrectionary plot in Titus county, accompanied with the hanging of negroes and a white man; and that two men connected with the fires in Texas, were pursued and hung between Shreveport and Minden, and a thousand and one other reports which have no credible foundation and are not entitled to belief, all of which prove the necessity of guarding against unnecessary alarm and excitement.
The Waco Democrat of July 26th contains the following extract of a letter from Judge Burford, addressed to Thomas Harrison, of Waco, dated at Waxahatchie, Ellis county, on the 20th of July:
“Since you left this place, the investigations of the “Vigilance Committee” of Dallas, has led to very important discoveries, implicating nearly all the negroes of Ellis and adjoining counties. To-day a committee was organized in this county, who have ascertained the existence of a most perfect and thorough organization, having for its object an indiscriminate massacre of the white population; under the lash the negroes have admitted that they had in their profession [possession] deadly poisons to be administered to their masters’ families in food; and when demanded of them, they have gone to the kitchen and produce the poison.”
Attempt to Fire the State Capital.—The Austin State Gazette of the 28th says:
“We were pained to witness on Thursday night the successful attempt of an incendiary to burn down and destroy the Steam Mill of George Glascock, Esq.
This building was a large and substantial edifice constructed of stone, and contained, we believe, machinery worth about $30,000. There was no insurance upon it. The fire could not be arrested until everything was consumed.
Mr. Glascock, we learn, is perfectly satisfied that the fire was the work of an incendiary.
The same paper has the following:
“We learn that an attempt was discovered the past week at Georgetown, to burn that town. A negro boy being taken up, it is said that he was instigated to set fire to a stable building.”
The Rusk Enquirer publishes an extract from a letter, addressed to General Jack Davis from Fort Worth, dated July 19th:
“Our whole neighborhood is in terrible commotion about the burning of our neighboring towns, being thoroughly satisfied that it is the work of abolition incendiaries. One man by the name of Crawford, late of Kansas Territory, who brought some thirty or forty guns with him, and sold one of them to a negro of Col. Nat. Terry’s, and perhaps to others, as most of them are disposed of, was hung about ¼ mile from Fort Worth on Tuesday last, by the side of the public road between the hours of 9 and 10 o’clock in the day time. A public meeting was held the next day and the act publicly justified, and plans concerted for the protection of our institutions and property. Crawford’s wife was very much incensed, and declared vengeance against the parties who hung her husband, and said that Fort Worth would yet be burned.”
We have also been permitted to make the following extract from Col. Nat. Terry, to D. B. Martin, Esq., of this place dated July 24th:
“We are in an intense excitement growing out of these organized burnings that have been going on. Some seven white men hung, and I expect before it is over not less than fifty negroes will be hung. We have discovered an extensive plan for an insurrection, instigated by abolition emissaries.”