[Marshall] Texas Republican, August 25, 1860
The correspondent of the Houston Telegraph, writing from Dallas, under date of the 28th of July, says:
Ed. Telegraph: Three negro men, the leaders in the insurrectionary plot, were executed at this place last Tuesday evening. One of them, Pat. Jennings, was the man who applied the torch to the town of Dallas, and one of the most prominent of those who were engaged in the work. Sam Smith, another, and a preacher, was a hardened old scoundrel; and the third—old Cato—has always borne a bad character in this county. They were taken out of jail, escorted to the place of execution by the military, and, in the presence of a large concourse of people, expiated their crimes as justice demanded. They betrayed no discomposure in view of the awful fate before them. Pat positively refused to say anything, and died with as much indifference as if he had been about his ordinary occupation. With apparent nonchalance, he retained his chew of Tobacco in his mouth, and died with it there. They hung about twenty minutes, Pat dying very hard, and the other two without a struggle—the former by asphyxia, and the two latter by dislocation of the cervical vertebrae.
This is a fearful warning to the rest, who yet may share the same fate. In Waxahachie many important developments have been made, and a large amount of poison found in the possession of negroes. The whole affair will have the most important results. The dangerous sentiments entertained by some people, will be shown up in their practical results, and be laid open before the country in their naked deformity, stripped of all adventitious coloring. Men in high places will find a practical interpretation of their political dogmas in the view taken of them by deluded negroes. The plot to devastate Northern Texas is dated from a certain time, and calculated to mislead a people no better informed than our negro population. The danger of suffering negroes to go out to celebrations to hear political speeches and to hold meetings of their own, is rendered apparent by the developments connected with this matter. We have learned a lesson, and will profit by it.