On Wednesday, March 18, a fire broke out on the roof of His Majesty’s House at Fort George.  One week later, on March 25, there was a fire at the home of Captain Warren in the southwest end of the city, and the circumstances pointed to incendiary origin.  One week later, on April 1, there was a fire in the storehouse of a man named Van Zant; on the following Saturday evening there was another fire, and while the people were returning from this there was still another; and on the next day, Sunday, there was another alarm, and by this time the whole town had been worked up to the highest pitch of excitement.  As yet there was nothing to point to any connection between the stealing and the fires.  On the day of the last one, however, Mrs. Earle happened to overhear remarks by three Negroes that caused suspicion to light upon them; Mary Burton was insisting that stolen goods had been brought by Prince and Caesar to the house of her master; and although a search of the home of Hughson failed to produce a great deal, arrests were made right and left.  The case was finally taken to the Supreme Court, and because of the white persons implicated, the summary methods ordinarily used in dealing with Negroes were waived for the time being.

Peggy at first withstood all questioning, denying any knowledge of the events that had taken place.  One day in prison, however, she remarked to Arthur Price that she was afraid the Negroes would tell but that she would not forswear herself unless they brought her into the matter.  “How forswear?” asked Price.  “There are fourteen sworn,” she said.  “What, is it about Mr. Hogg’s goods?” he asked.  “No,” she replied, “about the fire.”  “What, Peggy,” asked Price, “were you going to set the town on fire?” “No,” she replied, “but since I knew of it they made me swear.”  She also remarked that she had faith in Prince, Cuff, and Caesar.  All the while she used the vilest possible language, and at last, thinking suddenly that she had revealed too much, she turned upon Price and with an oath warned him that he had better keep his counsel.  That afternoon she said further to him that she could not eat because Mary had brought her into the case.

A little later Peggy, much afraid, voluntarily confessed that early in May she was at the home of John Romme, where in the course of December the Negroes had had several meetings; among other things they had conspired to burn the fort first of all, then the city, then to get all the goods they could and kill anybody who had money.  One evening just about Christmas, she said, Romme and his wife and ten or eleven Negroes had been together in a room.  Romme had talked about how rich some people were, gradually working on the feelings of the Negroes and promising them that if they did not succeed in their designs he would take them to a strange country and set them free, meanwhile giving them the impression that he bore a charmed life.  A little later, it appeared, Caesar gave to Hughson L12; Hughson was then absent for three days, and when he came again he brought with him seven or eight guns, some pistols, and some swords.