New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan

On April 21, 1741, New York’s Supreme Court convenes in City Hall to begin investigations into the fires and determine whether they are part of a larger slave plot. The Chief Justice James DeLancey is away from New York for several months, leaving the Second Justice Frederick Philipse in command. Daniel Horsmanden also serves as Third Justice on the court—a position which allows him to exert a large amount of influence over the court proceedings. During the 1730s, several scandals (including the controversial trial of publisher John Peter Zenger for libel) have damaged the court’s reputation, with many in New York believing the court is biased towards fulfilling the governor’s wishes, rather than being an impartial court of law.

The Supreme Court’s proceedings begin with the convening of the grand jury, composed primarily of wealthy New York merchants. Justice Philipse orders the grand jury to question witnesses for information and then decide whether any suspects should be charged with crimes. Suspecting that the prior robbery at Hogg’s shop is connected to the fires, the Court first calls Mary Burton, Hughson’s servant whose information led to the initial arrests of the Hughsons. In her deposition, Burton “describe[es] a vast plot” (78), testifying that slaves would meet at Hughson’s tavern and conspire to burn New York to the ground.