While the slaves generally were panic-struck, and howling with alarm, the murderer himself was calm and collected, and appeared as though nothing unusual had happened.

The atrocity roused my old master, and he spoke out, in reprobation of it; but the whole thing proved to be less than a nine days' wonder.

Both Col.

Lloyd and my old master arraigned Gore for his cruelty in the matter, but this amounted to nothing.

His reply, or explanation--as I remember to have heard it at the time was, that the extraordinary expedient was demanded by necessity; that Denby had become unmanageable; that he had set a dangerous example to the other slaves; and that, without some such prompt measure as that to which he had resorted, were adopted, there would be an end to all rule and order on the plantation.
That very convenient covert for all manner of cruelty and outrage that cowardly alarm-cry, that the slaves would _"take the place,"_ was pleaded, in extenuation of this revolting crime, just as it had been cited in defense of a thousand similar ones.