Petitions & Transcripts > Petition 11680508
Mecklenburg County, Virginia, 1805
To the Honourable, the speaker of the House of Representatives the petition of Thomas Reekes Humbly Sheweth, That in the Year of ?our lord one thousand eight Hundred & two a certain Henry Ashton a magistrate of this County, duly issued his warrant, directed to an Authorized officer of the County for the purpose of apprehending Several Negroe slaves suspected and charged with plotting and Conspiring the Murder of some Certain Citizens of this County by mixing a Certain Mortal poison with their food, that the said warrant being executed by the officer aforesaid, the said slaves were apprehended, and duly examined by the Magistrate aforesaid upon the result of which, three were deem,d Guilty and accordingly Committed to the Custody of the sheriff or goaler of this County for the purpose of being arraign,d and tryed before a Court of Oyer and Terminer, which were legally summoned for their arraignment and tryal aforesaid, that one of the slaves so Committed was the property of your petitioner and named Frank, for the Verification of which fact, your petitioner, hath Annexed the Copy of the Mittimus as duly Authenticated by the Clerk of the County, that the day on which said Frank was to be tryed he was suddenly taken ill, and departed this life, and event which your petitioner firmly believes was produced by the Cruel rigour of his Confinement, for the Verification of which fact, your petitioner her[e]to subjoins the Certificate of the sheriff of the County made Out on the day of said slaves death & Recorded by Clerk of the County From a review of all which Circumstances your petitioner thinks it highly reasonable the Commonwealth should make him a Compensation for his slave, A valuable one to him indeed, being the only male one he posses,d and his labour being absolutely nesasary for the support of your petitioners family, Your petitioner Cannot on this Occasion forbear to state, that Among the Various rights which appertain to the Citizens of ?this Commonwealth, there is none which The legislature has ever regarded in a more sacred manner than the right of personal property, on no Occasion ever permitting them to be infringed but always guarding them by the Severest sanctions, that even when the Interest of society required, that a certain portion of private personal property shall be given up or taken for the General good an equivalent for the property so taken has always been made to the proprietor, Actuated by principels of this Nature, the legislature of this Country enacted the law Making Compensation to masters, for slaves, which the good of society requir,d should be executed, Your petitioner Humbly Conceives that the Case which he has Submitted for ?your Consideration Comes within the reason of those principels which gave birth to the law aforesaid for the slave was the property of your petitioner the law required he should be given up, in order to be tryed for those Crimes with which he was charged, The general good required it, and surely as he was arrested for that purpose Your petitioner is entitled to be paid his Value by those for whose good he was taken from him, To wit the Community, from all which Circumstances & reasons Your petitioner prays that a law may be pass,d making him a Compensation for the slave aforesaid and your petitioner will ever pray [signed] Thos Reekes . . . Mecklenburg County 29th. Nov: 1805 In the month February 1802 (at which time I acted as Deputy Sheriff of Mecklenburg County) the[re] were several negroes in said County accused with ploting together, some to poison their Masters & some to do other unlawful acts which made it necessary to arrest fifteen or twenty for the purpose of investigating and examining into their Conduct It appeared that Dick the Property of John Gregory had made a plot with Frank the property of Thomas Reeks [sic], to poison the said Gregory, from the evidence the said Frank was the person whom Dick obtained his poison from, and was the instructor in the way of administration. Several negroes seem’d to have a Knowledge of the conspiracy, But Frank the property of Reeks was a very artful fellow, and appeared to have been the foundation of the evil designs of the rest, relative to the poisoning Dick the property of John ?Gregory Good was examined by the Court of Mecklenburg County & was condem[n]ed & executed, and Frank the property of Thomas Reeks on his way from the jailers died a very sudden death, That the cause of his death was attributed to be, either the confinement in a waggon or his taking poison before he started from the jailors which was about Seven miles ?from this Court house & he died the morning before his examination ?was to take place from the cause aforesaid as was supposed- The negroe was a well Healthy looking person & appea[re]d to be of a very vicious disposition proud & Malignant, with great impudence - I believe it was the General oppinion, That Frank the property of Thomas Reeks was the the instigator of the ploting, and deserved death by the law of the land,- and I think the oppinion was quite correct
[signed] Richard Apperson
Source: Legislative Petitions, Petition of Thomas Reekes to the Speaker of the Virginia House of Representatives, 11 December 1805, Mecklenburg County, VSA; Affidavit, Richard Apperson, 29 November 1805, with ibid. Rejected. PAR #11680508.