THE LATE INSURRECTION IN JAMAICA.

Timaru Herald, Volume IV, Issue 96, 16 March 1866, Page 4

THE LATE INSURRECTION IN JAMA ICA.

The prompt suppression of tli2 outbreak m Jamaica, as announced m our lust, was followed liy the most severe measures against the negroes, of whom 2000 are said to have been either ehot or handed m the course of a few days. The 'Jamaica Colonial Standard' says : — '•Tliiri-ebellion hr.s hceu effectually suppressed, and the few remaining fugitives among the rebels have availed themselves of the amnesty proclamation issued by Governor Eyre. The great heads of the rebellion, and all the minor leaders, liave fallen under the power of the law and been executed, or are m custody awaiting their doom. The number of rebels that have perished by the executioner, or have been shot down, is very large ; their village?, houses, and settlement* have been razed, and such terrible example {.'iven them as will prove a permanent chock to any future rebellion. The confessions of the rebels, documents and other proofs show that their intentions were to exterminate the white and coloured people, and to confiscate all property for the blacks. Gordon, according to the confessions made, commenced agitating the plot three years ago, but most actively within the last three mouhts. He fo'indcd secret societies, promoted the formation of trained bands, and placed his followers under a terrible oath well calculated t.> aw..- the sou] of tho nr-gro ; and although most took it, all shrank with lion or from revealing its terms even m presence of the gallows." Captain Ford, m command of the St. Thomas-in-thc-East irregular troop, writes as follows m the ' Morning Journal' of October 30 : — " On our march from Morant Bay we shot two prisoners and catted five or six, ami released them, as these latter were only charged with being concerned m plundering, not murders. When we reached Golden Grove we met skirmishers from the Manohioncal party, reporting their arrival at the Suspension-bridge. As we had determined upon making this our head quarters, our commander sent oil to order them to join us here, which they did ; that company consisted of about 40 of the Ist W. I. X., under Lieut. Ciilhn and Dr. Morris. This morning we made a raid with 30 men, all mounted, and got back to hcad-quartei'3 at 4 p. m., bringing a few prisoners, and having flogged nine men and burnt three negro houses ; and then had a courtmartial on the prisoners, who amounted to about 50 or GO. Several were Hogged without court-martial, from a simple examination. One man, John Anderson, a kind of parson ami schoolmaster, got SO lashes ; nine were convicted by court-martial : one of thorn to 1(10 lashes, which he got at once, the other eight to be hanged or shot, but it was then quite dark, so their execution is postponed till morning. G. W. Gordon had his black coat and vest taken from him as a prize by one of the soldiers, also Ms spectacles by another, so you will soe he was very little differently treated from the common herd. lam told that one of his cattle at lihinc is killed every day for the benefnt of the people and constables m Bath, and to-day we sent there and fetched away one for this party. AYe quarter on the enemy as much as possible ; small stock, turkeys, &c, we take ml libitum ; other supplies we give a receipt for. We press all the horses and saddles we can find, but the black troops are more successful than ours m catching horses — nearly all of them are mounted. Thej r shot about 100 people on their march from Port Antonio to Mauchioueal ; hanged seven m Manchioneal ; and shot three on their way here. This is a picture of martial law. The soldiers enjoy it — the inhabitants have to dread it. If they run on their approach they are shot for running away. The contents of all the houses we have been m, except only this very house, but including the barracks, have been reduced to a mass of broken and hacked furniture, with doors and windows smashed by the rebels." The correspondent of another Jamaica paper, writing on October \\\, says : — *' There is one continual scene of hanging day by day, ami it becomes a matter for consideration whether the burial of so many people, packed, as I heard a blue jacket say, " like sardines," m the town, is not likeiy to produce some epidemic here — already the effluvium of the dead bodies commences to taint the atmosphere. Last night particularly, disagreeable effluvia arising from the graves m which these dead bodies are interred pervaded the entire town, and it was not without difficulty that one could avoid getting nauseated. This ought to be looked into. It is a matter of vital importance. . It niay not be altogether uninteresting to your readers to know that slightly over 1050 rebels have been hanged and shot m the parish of St. Thomas-iu-the-East up to date 5 and it is not at all unlikely that ere the different court-martial close their sittings, there will be far over 2000 who have paid the penalty of their vile attempt to exterminate the white and coloured races of the island." A number of sympathisers, agents, and principals! m the rebellion, have been arrested m Kingston, Spanish Town, and other parts of the island, and several of them transferred to Morant Bay to be tried by conrt-martial. Of these the most noteworthy persons are Dr. Bruce, a practising surgeon of Yore, D. P. Nathan, an attorney -at-law and member of the House of Assembly, and Sydney Levien, the editor of the County Union, a paper published on the north side. The following account of Gordon's trial is given m the 'Jamaica Colonial Standard': — " At about 12 o'clock yesterday (Oct. 21.) the rebels, among them George William Gordon, were brought out and lined m front of the wharf where the court-martial was about to be held. Gordon was tried before the military j court, presided over by Second- Lieutenant Brent. He was given a very patient trial, and was alowed to cross-examine all the witnesses through the president of the court, and, above all, was permitted to enter into a lengthy defence. The trial lasted till past candle-light, when the court was ordered to be cleared. The charges against George William Gordon were— Ist High treason and sedition against her Majesty the Queen. 2nd. Inciting to murder and rebellion, He was brought out for execution- on Monday morning (October 23). It soon became known that he was to meet his doom at 7 o'clock. Early that morning he occupied himself m writing several private letter* He thanked the ProvostMarshal for the courtesy he had shown to him. He was brought up with 17 others of the rebels for execution, and they were ranged together

| under the great arch of the burnt Court-house. ■ If is hands and feet were bound, and a halter I w,i3 hanging round his neck. When his time | came he requested the Provost-Marshal to put him ont of the world quickly, and not punish him. ilis struggles were very few when the plank had been withdrawn, and he was quite dead m a few moments." It is s-tatcd that the finding and sentence of the court were not communicated to the prisoner till an hour before the execution. In the i:iter- j val he wrote a letter to his wife, which was consigned to tho care of General Nelson to be delivered. In it he says : — : " I roirret that my wordly affairs are so dei graded ; but now it cannot bo helped. Ido not I deserve this sentence ; for I never advised nor | took part m any insurrection. All I ever <lid j was to recommend tha people who complained j to H.ik redress m a legitimate way ; and if m I this 1 erred, or have been misrepresented, J do not think I deserve the extreme .-sentence. It is, I however, the will of my heavenly Father that I should thus suffer m obeying His command to relieve the poor and needy, and to protect, as far sis 1 was able, the oppressed. And glory I be to His name; and I thank Him that I stiller m such a cause." The Houses of Legislature were opened on tho 7th November by the Governor, who, m his j speech, reviewed the past oceurroiici-.s, and I called upon all the members of the council and I others to assist him m framing Kiich measures as j should jnwc-iit the island from lieuoiiiin.i! a I *i-i;ond Hayti, and should secure them for the ! future against any repetition of .such rebellion and bloodshed as' had lately been witnessed. He also publicly expressed his thanks to General (('Connor and other military officers, to the Navy, tin; Volunteers, and the Maroon's, all of whom had ?o nobly sustained him m subduing those who risen m rebellion. A bill to regulate places of public worship, abounding m pains and penalties, was before the Hoiiso of Assembly of Jamaica, and was causing considerable excitement. The several Nonconformist clergymen of Kingston held a meeting for the purpose of considering what steps should be taken against the passing of the bill to regulate places of religious worship.