Fourth Generation Inclusive

Historical Documents of Genealogical Interest to Researchers of North Carolina's Free People of Color

Category: Crime

January 12, 2013

He has taken the shop books.

CAUTION. — Supposed to have absconded from this place, on last Sunday, a colored man named CHARLES MARTIN, who says that he is free.  The fellow is by trade a Blacksmith, and has been doing work, in that line, for me and on my premises.  He has taken with him the shop books, but I believe has heretofore collected the whole of the sums that was due him.  He may, however, endeavour to trade them off.  I understand he has trumped up a large account against me, which he may possibly attempt to transfer.  This is therefore to forewarn all persons from taking any [illegible] comment thereof and have considered demands against the said fellow.  William Scott, June 2.

The Raleigh Minerva, 2 June 1815.

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January 8, 2013

He was last seen on his way to Scuffletown.

$500 REWARD.

I will pay the above reward of Five Hundred Dollars, for the apprehension of Joe. Lee, a free mulatto, who is guilty of the murder of Archibald Blue of Richmond county, N.C., in any jail so that I can get him.  Said Lee committed the murder on the 8th of August inst., 1864.  Said Lee is five feet 8 or 10 inches high, dark complection and straight hair.  When last seen he was on his way to Scuffletown, in Robeson county, where his Father came from.   MALCOM BLUE.  Montrose, N.C., Aug 16.

Fayetteville Observer, 29 August 1864.

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January 7, 2013

Jail break, no. 3.

Sixty Dollars Reward.  The Goal [sic] of the district of Fayetteville, was broken open on the night of the 19th instant, by LITTLEBERRY WILSON, JESSE ROBINSON & JACOB HAMMONDS, 3 of the prisoners who were confined therein on charges of Felony, and who have escaped therefrom.

LITTLEBERRY WILSON is about 27 or 30 years of age, fair hair, inclining to red – about 6 feet 1 inch high – thick set – generally wore a short blue jacket with sleeves, and a Swansdown vest – is an inhabitant of Lenoir county, and was committed for the murder of a man of the name of Argor.

JESSE ROBINSON, is about 24 years of age – dark hair – about 5 feet 6 inches high – thick set – generally wore a short blue coat – was sent from Richmond County – on a charge of horse stealing.

JACOB HAMMONDS is a mulatto man about 25 years of age – about 5 feet 7 inches high, tolerably thick set – dressed in homespun, having also a blue cloth coat – was sent from Robeson County, charged with horse stealing.

The above reward will be paid for apprehending the aforesaid Felons, and delivering them to the subscriber in Fayetteville, or securing them in any goal in the United States – or the sum of TWENTY DOLLARS for either of them.  GEORGE K. BARGE, Gaoler. Fayetteville, N.C. April 20th, 1803.

Wilmington Gazette, 5 May 1803.

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January 7, 2013

Whipped to death.

BADLY WHIPPED.  – The Goldsboro’ Tribune says that a bound free negro man in Snowhill, Greene county, having been detected in stealing $200 from a Mrs. Cobb, was taken up and whipped so badly that he died. The parties have been bound over. 

Weekly Standard, Raleigh, 10 July 1861.

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January 6, 2013

Jail break, no. 2.

BROKE JAIL. – The Daily Carolinian of Thursday last says:

Bob Revels, a free negro confined in Jail for burglary, made good his escape on last night. It appears that by means of some blankets and other things which he had in his room, he made a rope sufficient to carry himself through the scuttle on the top of the Jail, and thereby get away.

Bob is an old offender, and is not likely to be caught. He took another free negro confined for some minor offence away with him.

Newbern Daily Progress, 13 June 1859.

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$50 REWARD.

Broke jail on the night of the 8th inst., TWO MULATTO BOYS named BOB REVILS and JOHN BREWER.  Revils is a bright Mulatto, a Painter by trade, about six feet high, and is well known about Fayetteville.  Brewer is also a bright Mulatto, with straight and very long black hair, with front teeth decayed and is about five feet seven inches high.

The above reward of $25 will be given for their delivery to me here, or their safe confinement in any jail in the State; or $25 for either.  GEO. L. McKAY, Jailor. June 8, 1859.

Fayetteville Observer, June 20, 1859.

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PRISONERS RECAPTURED. – The two negroes who escaped from Jail in this place in the night of the 8th inst. have been arrested and securely lodged in their old quarters. John Brewer was captured after a severe fight on Thursday night last, by a free man named Cato Potts, whose clothes were cut in the reencounter; and Bob Revels was taken the next morning by a posse, who fired at without injuring him. They had been prowling about town since their escape, living by theft. Their arrest, particularly of Revels, who bears a desperately bad character, is a relief from apprehension of robbery and violence.

Fayetteville Semi-Weekly Observer, 20 June 1859.

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January 4, 2013

He lurks about Fayetteville.

Horse Thief.  Stolen out of my lot, one MARE.   Also out of my house one Silver Watch, one fine Cloth Coat, one Overcoat, on the night of the 26th of December 1864.  From all the information that I can get the thief is a free mulatto by the name of Nathan Holder.  He stole a new brown comfort, with blue ends, which he no doubt wears around his neck.  He lurks about Fayetteville and in the adjoining neighborhood of C.C. Barbee in Harnett county.  I will give a reward of one hundred dollars for stolen property and the confinement of the thief in jail.  JAMES GUY.  Dec’r 28. 

Fayetteville Observer, 9 January 1865.

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January 3, 2013

For the prevention of thefts and robberies.

At a General Assembly, begun and held at Tarborough on the eighteenth Day of November, in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-seven, and in the Twelfth Year of the Independence of the said State, being the first session of the Assembly. Richard Caswell, Esq., Governor.

…

CHAPTER VI.

An Act to Prevent Thefts and Robberies by Slaves, Free Negroes and Mulattoes.

Whereas it is represented that slaves and free negroes are encouraged to rob or steal from the inhabitants all kinds of produce, by the facility with which they may conceal and dispose of such produce to the masters of trading vessels in the several bays, harbours, creeks and rivers within this State:

I. Be it therefore Enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, and it is hereby Enacted by the authority of the same, That from and after the passing of this Act, it shall not be permitted for the master or commander of any vessel to entertain any slave, negro or mulatto on board such vessel at any time between sun-set and sun-rise, nor during the Sabbath day, unless such slave, negro or mulatto as shall belong to the vessel, or shall have a pass from his, her or their master or mistress, or from some justice of the peace, expressing the time when and the business for which they go on board: And if any slave, negro or mulatto who has not such pass, or is not statedly employed on board the vessel as one of the hands, shall be found on board any vessel in any bay, harbour, creek or river within this State, on the Sabbath day, or in the night between sunset and sun-rise, he shall be presumed to have been disposing of stolen goods; and the master or commander of such vessel on complaint and conviction before any two justices of the peace, shall be subject to a fine for entertainment of such slave, negro or mulatto of five pounds for the first offence, and ten pounds for every succeeding offence, to be applied to the use of the poor of the county in which such conviction shall be had: But any person dissatisfied with the judgment of the said two justices, shall have the right of appealing to the court of the county, the determination whereof shall be final; the person appealing to be subject to the same regulations as in the cases of other persons appealing from the judgment of a justice.

And whereas the property of many of the citizens of this State may be greatly affected by permitting a private intercourse between slaves and free negroes and mulattoes:

II. Be it Enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any free negro or mulatto shall entertain any slave in his or her house during the Sabbath, or in the night between sun-set and sun-rise, he or she shall for entertaining such slave be subject to a fine of twenty shillings for the first offence, and forty shillings for every subsequent offence, to be recovered on conviction before any one justice of the peace, and applied to the use of the poor of the county in which the offence shall be committed, saving to the party the same right of appealing as aforesaid. And in case the said free negro or mulatto shall not be able to pay the fine aforesaid, the constable who shall have attended at such conviction shall hire out said free negro or mulatto to the person who shall take him or her for the shortest space of time in payment of the said fine with costs, the said constable having previously advertised at least ten days at the door of the court house and other public places of the said county, that such negro or mulatto would be hired out for the purpose aforesaid; and the person who shall hire such free negro or mulatto, shall be bound to pay at the time and place of such hiring the amount of the fine with costs as aforesaid.

III. And be it further Enacted by the authority aforesaid, That in case any free negro or mulatto shall from and after the passing this Act, intermarry or cohabit with any slave, without the consent of his or her master had in writing, and attested by two justices of the peace, such free negro or mulatto shall be liable and held to pay to the master or mistress of such slave the sum of ten pounds; and on failing to pay such sum, shall be held to service to the master or mistress of such slave for and during the term of one year.

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January 2, 2013

A decanter of whiskey?

A free negro is lately condemned to be hung at Tarboro’, in this State, for forcibly entering a house and stealing a decanter of whiskey!

Highland Messenger, Asheville, 1 Apr 1842.

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December 27, 2012

He induced a free negro to go over the mountains.

Condemned.  At Surry Superior Court, last week, Abram Weaver, who has been confined in the jail of this county for some eighteen months, was tried and convicted of selling a free negro.  An appeal was taken to the Supreme Court.  People’s Press.

Carolina Watchman, Salisbury, 30 September 1852.

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ABRAM M. WEAVER.

This notorious individual, we learn, was tried for kidnapping, at the recent term of the Superior Court of Surry county – Judge Ellis presiding.  He was found guilty, and condemned to be hung on the first Friday in October; but appealed to the Supreme Court.

We understand it was in evidence that in the Spring of 1848 Weaver induced a free negro, Jim Corn, to go with him from Stokes county over the mountains into Virginia, on a trip to sell guns; that they stopped at the house of one Lowder, in Burke’s Garden, soon after which the prisoner, sold the said free negro into bondage, who was carried to Louisville, Kentucky, where the negro sued for and obtained his freedom.  Greens. Pat.

Carolina Watchman, Salisbury, 7 Oct 1852.

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December 27, 2012

Jail break.

THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS REWARD.  BROKE JAIL ON THE NIGHT OF THE 8TH OF May, the following negroes:

SOLOMON, the property of John Lockhart, deceased – He is about five feet eight inches high, black, no marks on his person recollected, aged 35 years.

WILLIS, the property of Capt. J.W. Latta, about six feet high, slender built, black, aged about 27 years.

ALEX HARRIS, a free boy, about five feet five inches high, mulatto, has been living about Raleigh.

Solomon was convicted for the murder of John Lockhart, and was detained for a new trial.  I will give for his apprehension two hundred dollars, and fifty dollars each for the two others, or their confinement in any jail so that I can get them.  H.B. GUTHRIE, Sheriff.  Hillsborough, N.C., May 22, 1863.

Weekly Standard, Raleigh, 27 May 1863.

 

$500 REWARD.  ESCAPED FROM THE JAIL OF GRANVILLE County, in Oxford, on the night of the 27th instant, BALDY KERSEY, a free negro, very bright color, and hair nearly straight, stout made, and about five feet eight inches high, about 45 years old, impudent appearance and quick speech.

Also, JOEL, a slave of T.B. VENABLE. Joel is a dark mulatto, about 5 feet 10 or 11 inches high, and rather spare built, though strong and likely, he is about 35 years of age.

Kersey was sentenced at September term of Granville Superior Court to six months imprisonment, and there are still pending against him five indictments for larceny.

Joel was committed for house breaking and an attempt to commit rape.

I will give the above reward for the apprehension and confinement of both, so that I get them again, or $200 for either.  The belief is that they are making towards the Eastern part of the State.  I wil give $500 for the apprehension and delivery, with evidence sufficient to convict those or anyone of those who assisted from the outside and broke the jail so as to release said prisoners.  W.A. PHILPOTT, Sheriff.  October 6, 1864.

Weekly Standard, Raleigh, 26 October 1864.

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