mind, and led to a thousand idle, exaggerated and mischievous reports.
It is the first instance in our history of an open rebellion of the
slaves, and attended with such atrocious circumstances of cruelty and
destruction, as could not fail to leave a deep impression, not only upon
the minds of the community where this fearful tragedy was wrought, but
throughout every portion of our country, in which this population is to
be found. Public curiosity has been on the stretch to understand the
origin and progress of this dreadful conspiracy, and the motives which
influences its diabolical actors. The insurgent slaves had all been
destroyed, or apprehended, tried and executed, (with the exception of
the leader,) without revealing any thing at all satisfactory, as to the
motives which governed them, or the means by which they expected to
accomplish their object. Every thing connected with this sad affair was
wrapt in mystery, until Nat Turner, the leader of this ferocious band,
whose name has resounded throughout our widely extended empire, was
captured. This "great Bandit" was taken by a single individual, in a
cave near the residence of his late owner, on Sunday, the thirtieth of
October, without attempting to make the slightest resistance, and on the
following day safely lodged in the jail of the County. His captor was
Benjamin Phipps, armed with a shot gun well charged. Nat's only weapon
was a small light sword which he immediately surrendered, and begged
that his life might be spared. Since his confinement, by permission of
the Jailor, I have had ready access to him, and finding that he was
willing to make a full and free confession of the origin, progress and
consummation of the insurrectory movements of the slaves of which he was
the contriver and head; I determined for the gratification of public
curiosity to commit his statements to writing, and publish them, with
little or no variation, from his own words. That this is a faithful
record of his confessions, the annexed certificate of the County Court
of Southampton, will attest. They certainly bear one stamp of truth and