Posted on 07/18/2021 7:09:36 AM PDT by CheshireTheCat
On this date in 1741, six slaves named Othello, Quack, Venture, Frank, Fortune, and Galloway were hanged, and a seventh, “Harry the Negro Doctor”, burned — all casualties of the ongoing investigation into the purported slave plot to torch colonial New York.
A truly horrific day in the city’s history. However, as we have noted in our entry about the last prior mass execution of this affair, these July bloodbaths surprisingly turn out to be all about the court extricating itself from a potentially limitless investigation into the servile classes.
With the return of the Chief Justice James De Lancey from New England on the first day of the month — taking control of the court from the implacable inquisition of his junior partner Daniel Horsmanden — the whole judicial momentum turns away from compounding arrests upon accusations and towards disposing of cases already in hand and tying up loose ends.
But there were a lot of loose ends … and some of them could only be tied up with hemp.
For some of the nearly 100 slaves in the city dungeon when De Lancey returned, the evidence was so scanty that they were outright released. Most of the rest were disposed of through an almost shameless wink-nod arrangement: the slaves pleaded guilty to the terrorist plot (vindicating the court’s diligence, and also the blood it had already shed), and in exchange were not executed but approved for convict transportation (sparing life and limb for the slaves, and financial injury for the owners).* Almost every weekday the court would open nominally in a proceeding against six or ten or twelve black men and women only to hear all plead guilty and promptly adjourn upon the court’s recommendation of mercy.....
(Excerpt) Read more at executedtoday.com ...
Many years ago, I was taking a tour of the Labrea tar pits in Los Angeles. Besides the remains of 10,000 year old animals found there, they had found two pre-historic human bodies, one of which was murdered by having his skull bashed.
The tour-guide said - “well, as you see, nothing has changed in Los Angeles.”
Same in New York!
Bump
Even back in the 1700s they were assigning themselves ridiculous names.
Won’t be long before NY landmarks are renamed in their honor.
“Harry the Negro Doctor Bridge.” “Quack Arena.”
Quack? Was he a doctor, too?
Quack Arena, formerly Madison Square Garden, because like a Quack (a cake doctor), MSG has a game hockey and basketball teams as their tenants... 🤓
Cake is supposed to be FAKE... Auto INCORRECT...
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