But the end was not yet reached.  A new turn was to be given to the notorious Mary Burton.  The reader will remember that she said that there never were any white persons present when the burning of the town was the topic of conversation, except her master and mistress and Peggy Carey.  But on the 25th of June the budding Mary accused Rev. John Ury, a reputed Catholic priest, and a schoolmaster in the town, and one Campbell, also a school-teacher, of having visited Hughson’s tavern with the conspirators.

On the 26th of June, nine more Negroes were brought before the court and arraigned.  Seven pleaded guilty in the hope of a reprieve:  two were tried and convicted upon the testimony of Mary Burton.  Eight more were arraigned, and pleaded guilty; followed by seven more, some of whom pleaded guilty, and some not guilty.  Thus, in one day, the court was enabled to dispose of twenty-four persons.

On the 27th of June, one Adam confessed that he knew of the plot, but said he was enticed into it by Hughson, three years before; that Hughson told him that he knew a man who could forgive him all his sins.  So between John Hughson’s warm rum, and John Ury’s ability to forgive sin, the virtuous Adam found all his scruples overcome; and he took the oath.  A Dr. Hamilton who lodged at Holt’s, and the latter also, are brought into court as accused of being connected with the plot.  It was charged that Holt directed his Negro Joe to set fire to the play-house at the time he should indicate.  At the beginning of the trial only four white persons were mentioned; but now they began to multiply, and barrels of powder to increase at a wonderful rate.  The confessions up to this time had been mere repetitions.  The arrests were numerous, and the jail crowded beyond its capacity.  The poor Negroes implicated were glad of an opportunity to “confess” against some one else, and thereby save their own lives.  Recorder Horsemanden says, “Now many negroes began to squeak, in order to lay hold of the benefit of the proclamation.”  He deserves the thanks of humanity for his frankness!  For before the proclamation there were not more than seventy Negroes in jail; but, within eight days after it was issued, thirty more frightened slaves were added to the number.  And Judge Horsemanden says, “’Twas difficult to find room for them, nor could we see any likelihood of stopping the impeachments.”  The Negroes turned to accusing white persons, and seven or eight were arrested.  The sanitary condition of the prison now became a subject of grave concern.  The judges and lawyers consulted together, and agreed to pardon some of the prisoners to make room in the jail.  They also thought it prudent to lump the confessions, and thereby facilitate their work; but the confessions went on, and the jail filled up again.

The Spanish Negroes taken by an English privateer, and adjudged to slavery by the admiralty court, were now taken up, tried, convicted, and sentenced to be hung.  Five others received sentence the same day.