The evidence of William R. Young given before the court of inquest the 10th July 1824. He heard that some negroes who were run away had robed [sic] Mr. Mathers. They visited Mr. Lang's plantation and threatened to beat the driver and sent word to this [?] that when Mr. Lang [??] they had better go prepared, for they cared for no man. This information was received by the witness from the driver. The Negro Tom who was killed attempted to beat the driver on the 8th of July Inst. The witness prepared himself to prevent the said negro Tom from doing any mischief on the plantation of Mr. Lang and to save himself from any [?] the witness heard that there were revel runaway negroes on the plantation on the night of the 9th of July Inst. And he expected that they were doing some mischief. He further says that he took his gun and followed said negroes and found them at some distance in a corn field. He got very near to these negroes who he found in the field and who were runaway. The witness spoke to the negroes and they started to run from him and he fired a gun loaded with buck shot at the whole of them and a runaway negro named Tom the property of Mr. William W. Lang and the said negro expired immediately. The witness did believe that his own life was in danger and that his safety depended on shooting the negroes as he believed that [?] was amongst them and was armed.