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in it. The second witness had heard one of the prisoners say the negroes would have their rights some day, even if they had to fight for it. The third witness, who was brought forward to prove that one old darkey was the Captain of the formidable militia company, swore that she had only heard him say several months before, that his former master, when he returned from the Confederate service, used to compliment him by telling him he knew enough to be a Captain, and she had seen him have a shot gun.

This was the sum and substance of the testimony, and such was the origin and upshot of the famous Watkinsville conspiracy or insurrection. Yet these men, whose fear has been so [[strikethrough]] alarm [[/strikethrough]] aroused were not fools; but gentlemen of property and standing.

It is an unfavorable symptom that some of the best newspapers of the state abound with slurs and censures, bestowing little encouragement and no praise - publishing with an apparent gusto every manifestation of unfitness for freedom, with an air that seems to say "I told you how it would be," "what a pity they were set free," "Poor Sambo! destined to speedy extirpation, now that he has no kind master to feed and shelter him!"

Now the negroes are bad enough, Heaven knows, without exaggerating - idle enough, vicious enough, ignorant enough - just as slavery has left them. They need to be trained with a firm and vigorous yet a kind hand. They need to be encouraged, to have their manhood appealed to. They need to have praise judiciously mixed with blame. They need to be coaxed as well