Charleston (SC) Mercury, "The Servile Insurrection," October 21, 1859

   THE SERVILE INSURRECTION --The intelligence from Harper's Ferry has created an excitement in our community and throughout the whole length and breadth of the country that has scarcely been equaled by any preceding occurrence of the present century. The palpable absurdity of the whole movement was so apparent to every intelligent mind that few could be found to believe the first rumored accounts received from the seat of the disturbance. Even the northern papers placed no faith in the statement that it was a movement of abolitionists, and cautioned their readers against placing any credence in the alleged motive of the leaders of the outbreak. Nothing but a wild fanaticism, amounting almost to insanity, could account for twenty men combining together in such a fool-hardy enterprise, but it is that species of reckless folly that requires summary justice as a warning to others.

   The poor slaves who had been induced by the representatives of these wicked men to involve themselves in a difficulty of so serious character, are the only ones connected with it deserving any sympathy. It is thus that these unprincipled and pretended philanthropists are ever more closely riveting the chains they pretend to desire to loosen, requiring masters as a means of safety to restrict their liberty or sell them to southern dealers, beyond the reach of their tampering.

   The slave population of the region of country in which this outbreak was located is very large, and no doubt an immense stampede was calculated upon by these fanatics. The following was the relative population at the last census:

                                                         Whites.   Slaves.

   Loudoun county, Va . . . . . . . . . . . 16,438     5,641

   Jefferson     "        "  . . . . . . . . . . . 11,016      4,341

   Berkley        "        "  . . . . . . . . . . .   9,815      1,956

   Clarke          "        "  . . . . . . . . . . .   3,738      3,614

   Frederick      "        "  . . . . . . . . . . . 13,681      2,294

                                                           ---------     ---------

                                                           54,688     17,846

    Frederick county, Md   . . . . . . . . . 37,074        3,913

   Washington   "        "     . . . . . . . . . 28,754        2,090

                                                          -----------     ----------

                                                           65,830        6,003

   Thus it will be seen, that within twenty miles of Harper's Ferry there are not less than 23,000 slaves, of whom probably 6,000 are men. --Baltimore American.