134

THE GREEN BAG

consultation of the magistrates, one feature of, in order to prevent their caballing of which is thus reported by the author : together; and the witnesses were always "The judges associated to them the examined apart from each other first, as several gentlemen of the law that were in well upon the trials, as otherwise, and then town, viz: Messieurs Murray, Alexander, generally confronted with the persons Smith, Chambers, Jamison, Nicholls and they accused, who were usually sent for Lodge, in order to consult about this matter, and taken into custody upon such exami and come to some resolution upon the nations, if they were to be met with; emergency. The result of the meeting was, which was the means of bringing many those gentlemen unanimously agreed to others to a confession, as well such as were bear their respective shares in the fatigue newly taken up, as those who had long be of the several prosecutions, and settled fore been committed, perhaps upon slighter among themselves the part each should grounds, and had insisted upon their inno cence; for they had generally the cunning take." The accused were thus left without not to own their guilt till they knew their counsel for defense, and compelled to rely accusers." for justice upon the fairness of an excited The author's comment upon this part of community and prejudiced court. The regu the grand inquest will be appreciated by lar term of court assembled in April, and the recalling that most of the negroes were author gives this description of its business : recent importations from the West Indies, "The parties accused of the conspiracy or from Africa. He says : were numerous; and bus ness by degrees "The trouble of examining criminals in multiplied so fast upon the grand jury, general, may be easily guessed at; but the which bore the burthen of this inquiry, fatigue in that of negroes, is not to be con that there would have been an immediate ceived, but by those that have undergone necessity for others to have lent a helping the drudgery. The difficulty of bringing hand in taking examinations from the be and holding them to the truth, if by chance ginning, if the judges had not found it it starts through them, is not to be sur expedient to examine the persons accused mounted, but by the closest .attention, upon their first taking into custody, whereby many of them have a great deal of craft; it seemed most likely the truth would bolt their unintelligible jargon stands, them in out, before they had time to cool, or oppor great stead, to conceal their meaning; so tunity of discoursing in the jail with their that an examiner must expect to encounter confederates, who were before committed." with much perplexrty, grope through a The author, in his Preface, gives the fol maze of obscurity, be obliged to lay hold of lowing graphic outline of this feature of broken hints, lay them carefully together, the proceedings : and thoroughly weigh and compare them "All proper precautions were taken by with each other, before he can be able to the judges, that the criminals should be see the light, or fix those creatures to any kept separate; and they were so, as much certain determinate meaning." as the scanty room in the jail would admit As proof that this method of the magis of; and new apartments were fitted up for trates in pursuing their inquest did not their reception; but more particular care always result in conviction but sometimes was taken, that such negroes as had made the contrary, we have the following narra confession and discovery, and were to be tion and sententious reflections: made use of as witnesses, should be kept "At first Cork (English's negro) 'was apart from the rest, and as much from, each brought by mistake instead of Patrick, other, as the accommodations would allow and Peggy declared, he was not English's