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lot # 260 - europe danish west indies

Wednesday Jan 27, 2021 09:00 Europe/Zurich

1848: Slave Revolt in Frederiksted. A somewhat tatty letter written from St. Croix to Keswick, UK endorsed 'per Royal Mail Steamer' and charged 1/5 d. upon receipt. Reverse with ST. THOMAS British P.O. datestamp in black (Dec 31) and Keswick arrival in blue (Jan 26, 1849).rnThe contents make fascinating reading about "the War as the Negroes calls it...on the tuesday when the Slaves had got their Freedom and they were robbing all about... in the mean time an Overseer full split as hard as his horse would could go and she was a fine animal for God's sake, he says fly as hard as you can for there is about 50 horsemen coming after me and says they will kill every white man in the Island, then Mr. Newton came to me and asked what was to be done. I said stop here and shoot them... I said I was determined to live or die where I was then I was left with the Negroes all alone...I had a sword in one hand and a stick in the other, the first that came I knoocked him off his horse and then the people that was with me commenced and before 5 minutes the whole of them had fled...in the morning there was a crowd of people about 5 hundred came the Negroes from King Hill was with them and as soon as they saw me they would not do anything and they saved my life two or three times...I am now manager at an Estate called Petronella...the Island may do very well but if they (the Negroes) get on bad then the Island and the whole of us may go to the Devil...". A fascinating historical insight.
Catalogue 257: EUROPE & OVERSEAS

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