La Transcript du Morne, a Battle by (neutral narration? by you watching me[])  

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noise we (make) heard, what noise? we heard? what striking, thunderous, noise do [we] hear?:

Petit Pierre, (esc)s l av e  of Mr. Ch. Duffour, appear before us. After taking an oath to TELL the  truth about SAID “quote” and about what he will be asked, he said that he HEARD the quotation and,having understood it, he said it was the absolute, truth and that he confirms it. He said that he didn’t speak to his master or the commandant about it, unaware of the root of the plot.

When asked if he knew that several whites or free people of color were involved in this matter, he said no, that he knew nothing about it.

He said he had nothing more to say, that he is 80 years old, and after having heard his statement read, he found it accurate. He said he didn’t know how to sign his name, and we had him do it with the assessor and the witnesses, about all of this we give our word. Signed Duparc, Vahamonde, Serrano, J. B. Beauvais, J. Jarreau, Pre. Hubert

Next we have made appear a negro arrested for this matter, and after having made him make his oath to God and the Holy Cross in the ordinary manners we have asked him

If it is true that he is named Petit Pierre of Sr Charles Duffour for what reason he is arrested, what is his nation, if he is married, and what is his profession, he replies

his freedom, we press him to tell the truth, and we have charged him with the said crime, he replies that the said charge is false and that he denies everything, he replies

Asked if he does not know that it is a crime to make a revolt and that the accomplices  deserve to be hung, he replies that he knows this but he is not an accomplice, having nothing more to say and not knowing how to sign we have done it with the     l assessor and the attending witnesses to all which we give authority                l             l                         

Signed Duparc Vahamonde G Serrano JB Beauvais J Jarreau P Hubert

It is true that he is named Petit Pierre  of Sr Charles Duffour, that he is arrested for the matter of the negros against the whites, that his profession is to serve his master, that he is a Creole of this Post, and a bachelor Asked if he remembers having made a declaration about this matter and if he approves his declaration, page eighteen and thirty-seven, he said that he approved it

Asked why do you approve your declaration, since Jean Baptiste of Widow Lacour says that he is an accomplice like him in the matter of killing the whites to obtain...

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who can sleep? awakened by thunderous night associations (underneath the bed in a cabin)

On the same day and year as above in the presence of Messrs. J. Bte. Beauvais, J. Jarreau, F. Allain, and S. Croiset, witnesses, and interpreters named Messrs. J. Bébé and J. Bte. Riché, we have brought before  u s, the aforementioned Commandants, the woman named Françoise, savage of the Tunica nation, summoned by Messrs. Frédéric Riché and J. Bte. Riché in statements Five and Six of these proceedings, and have asked her by way of the interpreters to take an oath according to the law, which she did and promised to tell the truth about what she heard about the plot by the negro slaves of this district against the whites, and that she   name  the people //

Page 43 who spoke to her first regarding this matter and that she  also tell to whom she spoke of  it first. She said: Having found herself  held up at night by  bad weather {à la Ciprière} of the widow Lacour, where the negros of said woman were working, a slave of Mr. Frédéric Léonard called César told her in the course of conversation that a letter had come from the government addressed to the commandant that gave the slaves their freedom and that he hid the letter. But although he didn’t want to give them their freedom, they were going to take it themselves by killing all the whites—old women and children, keeping only the young women and girls, whom they wanted to make serve them:

***

The negros told them everything—that they couldn’t strike on Saturday evening, it being too late to gather, and they had postponed it to Sunday evening, so they could strike the whites during the night. And she said that since finding herself next to the cabin of the negro called Petit Pierre with his wife called Madelaine, both slaves of Mr. Colin Lacour, she heard the negro Guillaume, slave of the widow J. Pierre Le Doux, talking to Petit Pierre who was in the cabin and saying that Petit Pierre seemed to be afraid, to which Petit Pierre replied that he wasn’t and that tomorrow they would see which ones were brave. At that moment, the respondent went into said cabin with the woman called Madelaine, Madelaine asked Petit Pierre what he was saying Page 46 and recommended that he not talk so loudly because people would hear him, to which Petit Pierre replied [ur].

Immediately afterwards, the bell rang and the negros left to work. She added that one savage named Chika (?), staying in the camp of Madame Lacour, who was from the same nation as her, presently absent, came to find her and told her that the wife  of Mr. Colin Lacour’s Commander named Marie Jeanne had told him that it

was          she / she / she              who had caused their strike to fail by warning the whites,

and that as soon as she was sure of what she/she/she said,  she told Messrs. J. Bte. Riché, F. Riché and Alexandre Le Blanc about it. He asked her if since the arrest of the negros she had heard anything different. She replied that she hadn’t, and being afraid, was not leaving the cabin anymore, and that her friend Madelaine, savage of the Tunica nation, was also informed of everything she said, and like her, didn’t leave at all.

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wise men -- Kill all the whites kill yts -- my beloved

[The leaders of the party were Antoine, Jacob, and Philipe,nero slaves belonging to the widow Lacour; Anis and J. Louis, negro slaves of the widow Barron, G. Joseph negro slave of Mr. C. Lacour; and Antoine Sarrasin, mulatto slave of Mr. Poédras. He added that the negros of these three residences were going to follow that by killing all the whites of this post, that the negro Antoine, slave of the w i  do  w L a c o u r (César is still talking) told him that Philipe Manchot, the said woman’s slave, had left for the town to find out if it was true that the Commandant had received such a letter, but that seeing that he wasn’t coming back, they were going to decide to take their freedom by killing the whites, starting by setting fire to a cabin of Mr. Poédras. The whites, who would certainly have gone to put it out, were going to be killed, and the negros would seize the guns, gunpowder, and bullets that were in the store. ]

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//objects of care, objects/ care real goods, market goods, sweet tastes of sweating chins//

Asked if he knows where Marcos Lich had gotten the[firearms] found in his canoe, he       says that he doesn't know and adds that the said Marcos Lich had told him that Joseph [Lapique] had sent them to him in order for him to sell them on his account. Having nothing more to say and having heard his declaration read he says it to be the  pure  truth that he  is forty-nine years old and signed with us, the assessor and the

attending witnesses of all which we give authority. Signed Duparc Vahamonde G Serrano

J B Beauvais J Jarreau Pierre Hubert *not knowing how to sign we have done it

About three months [ago] [appeared] the negro of [Mr. Sigu] named Nicolas creole of [Curaçao] to go to the cypress swamp of his said master, he said to the declarant that we were waiting in the

capital an order of the King that declared all the slaves free, and that to prove that we were waiting for that order the Sr. LeBlanc and the Sr [de Verbois] wanted to sell all their slaves that some time after Antoine Sarrasin slave of Sr. Poédras had told him that the [sic] of freedom had arrived [by] Mr. the Commandant, but that then he had been at Avoyelles and that they were waiting for his return to see if [ it would be put into action], and that some time after the Sr. Duffief had requested that the commandant at no point publish the said liberty, and the same said Sr. Duffief had a request to [identify] without telling them those that it included and that Antoine Sarrasin always said and that if this happened, [it was necessary to kill the whites], to which the said declarant agreed, also that the negros of his master named Noel, Charles, Coffe, [Pham/Chain?], L'Eveillé, Grand Francois, called Poulard, Joseph Poulard, Brise Feu, [Jean] Louis [imma], Joseph Mina, André and Louis Bordelon of Sr Poédras, Francois and Jean Louis of Widow Barron, Jean Baptiste of Widow Lacour, and that

Asked if he knows where Marcos Lich got the firearms found in the his canoe, he says that he heard talk, not remembering by whom, that Joseph Lapique jailer had given them to Marcos Lich, in order to           sell   them

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thunder, heard, ignorance, name of war (because war is named, because war gets named). ___ my hands [Their arrows, and their bows, are gifts in my hands.] my hands____

Nicolas Vidal, Lieutenant Governor, auditor of war and assessor general of the government of said provinces for His Majesty, gathered together in order that we establish the instruction concerning the intended revolt by the negros of this district against the whites, according to the official letter of advice dated April 9, passed from the Captain of the Militia Cavalry of this post, Don Alexandre LeBlanc. For this purpose, we have named as assistant witnesses Messrs. J. Baptiste Beauvais, J. Jarreau, F. Allain, and S. Croiset, who are all inhabitants and residents of said post, the last two being named by me, Guillaume Duparc in accordance with the request made by the representatives of said post, Messrs Jean François Porché,

Jean Baptiste: of the Widow Lacour which was read to him, he says that it is false, and that he never had knowledge of a war council and he adds that he never had knowledge of any conspiracy.

he adds that he found himself in the cabin of Ami, where he knew was held a war council among the men called Ami of Widow Barron, Petit Jacob and Baptiste of Widow [Décuire], Grand l'Ham, Martin, Jean Louis, and Francois of Widow Barron,

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This is the oath, oath, oath, oath, etc. of the _(sign name)_

Declaration of Jean Baptiste commander to Sr Poedras

if we wanted, [those obliged to sign] would massacre the whites rather than obey, that

one day [sic] after Antoine Sarrasin had told them that the whites were agreed that if they had found even two negros together who were [not] part of the same conspiracy [sic], they would whip them,  and that consequently they had decided [sic] all to assemble the Sunday of last Easter around the Church by ten, fifteen, twenty or thirty, more or less [sic], if they would whip us, and that in this case they would massacre the whites, and

that it was a retaliation, for [sic] those who had stolen their liberty, which the King had given to them, and [those missing]

Grand (Joseph) Francois of Sr. Poédras and after having made him make his oath to God and the Hold Cross to say the truth about the statements  of the men called Joseph Mina [and] Louis Bordelon of Sr Poédras, Francois mulatto of Sr. Goudeau about what he had done, after having heard [them] read he declared that:

Asked about the statement of  Joseph Mina, he said no, that it was false because he had never been in either conspiracy, and he said.

Asked about the statement of Louis Bordelon, he said no, that it was the most false, and that he had never heard talk about a conspiracy he replies.

Asked about the statement of Francois mulatto of Sr Goudeau, he replied no and after having re-read the aforementioned he was [all stirred up?] and said that he had never known anything about [either or any] conspiracy.

Having nothing more to say and after having listened to his declaration read aloud, he has said it to be the pure truth, that he is around forty years old, and not knowing how to sign we have done it with the ghost assessor and the attending witnesses to all which we give authority

Signed Duparc Vahamonde G Serrano JB Beauvais J Jarreau P Hubert