e day, in the afternoon; and, while they were
deliberating about the matter, another fire broke out in Col.
Phillipes's storehouse. Some of the white people cried "Negro!
Negro!" and "Cuff Phillipes!" Poor Cuff, startled at the cry, ran to
his master's house, from whence he was dragged to jail by an excited
mob. Judge Horsemanden says,--

"Many people had such terrible apprehensions on this
occasion that several Negroes (many of whom had assisted to
put out the fire) who were met in the streets, were hurried
away to jail; and when they were there they were continued
some time in confinement before the magistrates could spare
time to examine into their several cases."[244]

Let the reader return now to the robbery committed in Mr. Hogg's house
on the 28th of February. The officers thought they had traced the
stolen goods to a public house on the North River, kept by a person
named John Hughson. This house had been a place of resort for Negroes;
and it was searched for the articles, but nothing was found. Hughson
had in his service an indentured servant,--a girl of sixteen
years,--named Mary Burton. She intimated to a neighbor that the goods
were concealed in Hughson's house, but that it would be at the expense
of her life to make this fact known. This information was made known
to the sheriff, and he at once apprehended the girl and produced her
before Alderman Banker. This benevolent officer promised the girl her
freedom on the ground that she should tell all she knew about the
missing property. For prudential reasons the Alderman ordered Mary
Burton to be taken to the City Hall, corner Wall and Nassua Streets.
On the 4th of March the justices met at the City Hall. In the mean
while John Hughson and his wife had been arrested for receiving stolen
goods. They were now examined in the presence of Mary Burton. Hughson
admitted that some goods had been brought to his house, produced them,
and turned them over to the court. It appears from the testimony of
the Burton girl that another party, dwelling in the house of the
Hughson's, had taken part in receiving the stolen articles. She was a
girl of bad character, called Margaret Sorubiero, _alias_ Solinburgh,
_alias_ Kerry, but commonly called Peggy Carey. This woman had lived
in the home of the Hughsons for about ten months, but at one time
during this period had remained a short while at the house of John
Rommes, near the new Battery, but had