138

GREEN BAG

whites consorted in illegal association and promiscuous cohabitation, the keepers making gain out of their crime, and stimu lating their mongrel patrons to repeat and extend their felonious practices. The negroes would steal and the whites receive and hide, and all would make profit which all wished to augment. Methods were discussed, and, heated with spirits unlaw fully obtained, the worst of the negroes talked about arson and murder as a means to the increase of sp6ils. Others present may have heard them without dissent. Mary Burton, Hughson's bound girl, over heard them, but had no motive to betray the speakers, or her coarse and vicious master, till she was promised freedom and reward. Meanwhile the fires occurred, and she disclosed first the larcenies and felon ious receiving, and later the negro talk about arson and murder, attributing it to the guilty parties. More fires occurred and excitement rose to fever heat; under its contagious influence. Mary gave the names of other negroes who frequented the taverns and perhaps heard and partici pated in the talk about burning and murder. All this course of conduct was contrary to law, not only the larceny and receiving, and the prostitution and miscegenation, but also the assembling of the negroes in the night time, the sale or giving spirits to them, and even the harbouring of them at the taverns. Conditions more evil than these, more favorable for plot and con spiracy are hardly conceivable; and the occurrence of the fires was confirmation strong as proof of holy writ to the threat ened community. Then came the con fessions of both negroes and whites — ob tained howsoever they inight have been, they were credited. Under fear or hope of reward, each one confessing named some new victim whom Mary could remember or identify as a frequenter of the tavern at the

unlawful assemblages; and she was cor roborated by the tavern keeper's daughter, and by a soldier who was an occasional visitor and member of the motley gather ings. And thus, until Ury was hanged, the community was convinced of the guilt of all who were accused by these witnesses, whereas it is not probable that more than a dozen or a score all told, white and black, were participants in even the loosely con ceived design of plunder concoted around the table of the alehouse. Certain it is that no more stimulating hot-bed of vice and crime can be found than public houses like Romme's and Hughson's, where mem bers of both races and sexes ' consort and associate upon terms of equality and inti macy; and there is little wonder that in such houses of ill-fame the Knickerbockers believed were hatched plots for their own complete undoing by larceny, robbery, arson and murder, the first three of which were actually committed with alarming frequency in their midst. In fine: It was not a prosecution for any imaginary crime or superstitutious offence, but for acts criminal under every code of laws, ancient and modern. It was not the exercise of mob violence but the regular and orderly course of procedure by the law fully constituted tribunals of justice exe cuting the harsh and cruel laws of the eighteenth century, in letter and spirit not uncommon to the era. It was not brutal tyranny of monarchy or anarchy crushing out freedom or innocence or decency; it was the resolute act of substantial and virtuous citizens in organized defence of property and life, executing law not only in reason and moderation upon the vicious and guilty, but in prejudice and passion upon some who were not proven guilty, but were victims of popular suspicion and dread, under the barbarous laws of that period. KNOXVILLE, TENN., January, 1908.