Transcript (excerpt):
Revelations from South Carolina
The Great Negro Conspiracy At the South
Black Free Masonry
“Jim this is Scip,” I said, seeing that the darkeys had taken notice of each other. “How d’ye do Scipio?” said Jim, extending a hand to him. A look of singular intelligence passed over the faces of the two negroes as their hands met; it vanished in an instant, and was so slight that none but a close observer would have detected it; but some words that Scip had previously let drop put me on the alert, and I felt sure it had a hidden significance…
“Scip did you know Jim before?” I asked.
“Neber seed him afore, massa, but hab heern ob him.”…
“Pshaw, Scip, you’re ‘coming de possum;’ that game won’t work with me”… “tell me, now, what that look you gave each other when you shook hands meant.” … “it means there is some secret understanding between you two.”…
“…de blacks am all free-masons. I gabe Jim de grip, and he know’d me. He’d ha known my name if you hadn’t told him.”…
“You have said enough, Scipio, to satisfy me that there is a secret league among the black, and that you’re a leader in it. Now, I tell you, you’ll get yourself into a scrape. I’ve taken a liking to you Scip, and I should be very sorry to see you run yourself into danger.”
“I tank you, massa-from de bottom ob my soul I tank you,” he said, as the tears moistened his eyes. “You bery kind, massa; it do me good to talk wid you. But what am my life wuth? What am any slave’s life wuth? Et you war me you’d do like me!”
I could not deny it, and made no reply.”
“From this and other conversations the writer deduces-nay, he declares that he knows it to be a fact– that there exists among the blacks a secret and wide-spread organization of a Masonic character, having its grip, password, and oath. ‘It has various grades of leaders, who are competent and earnest men, and its ultimate object is freedom.”
Citation: Hartford Evening Press. Hartford, 13 December 1861. AN. H328