PROMINENT PERSONS
359
Gabriel, a neg^o slave of Thomas Pros-
ser, of Henrico county, was born in 1776.
He was tall and strong, and combined in
August, 1800, with another slave, Jack
Bowler, to attack the town of Richmond.
They were incited to this by the news of the
success of the slaves in San Domingo. The
plot was supposed to embrace one thousand
negroes. They were to make their attack at
night, when the white people were asleep,
kill the while males and divide the women
among themselves. They assembled in the
country towards the latter part of the month,
but a great rain came on, and while it was
yet raging, a slave' named Pharoah. the
property of William Mosby, hastened to
Richmond and communicated the secret of
the plot to Governor James Monroe. The
militia was called out and preparations were
made to repel the attack. In the meantime,
the negroes, despite the storm, began their
march to the town and every flash of light-
ning glanced from the bright scythes with
which they were chiefly armed. In attempt-
ing to cross an intervening creek, the waters
were so high that several were drowned.
There they learned of the discovery of their
plot, and the whole body broke up and dis-
persed. Many were arrested, and tried.
Gabriel was tried on October 6, 1800, and
executed. One of the results of the insur-
rection was the establishment on regular
pay of the public guard at Richmond, con-
sisting of sixty men, a captain, a lieutenant,
and an ensign.
Summers, Lewis, born in Fairfax county. Virginia, November 9, 1778. He entered upon the duties of active life during the presidency of the elder Adams. With the ardor which distinguished the Virginia
youth of that period, he was a warm sup-
porter of Jefferson for the presidency. In
1808 he removed to Ohio, and served several
years as representative and senator in the
state legislature. In 1814 he settled perma-
nently in Kanawha county, Virginia ; was a
member of the state legislature, 1817-18; in
1819 was chosen a judge of the general
court, of which he was a member for more
than twenty-four years ; and a judge of the
Kanawha judicial circuit. For some time he
was a member of the Virginia board of pub-
lic works and took a deep interest in advanc-
ing public improvements. He was one of
the most useful members of the state consti-
tutional convention of 1829-30. He died at
White Sulphur Springs, Virginia, August
27, 1843. He was father of Hon. George W.
Summers (q. v.).
Brent, Thomas Ludwell Lee, was born in Virginia, August 9, 1784, son of Col. Daniel Carroll and Ann Fenton (Lee) Brent. On May 8, 1822, he was appointed secretary of legation to Portugal, acted as charge d'affaires ad interim from June 30, 1824, un- til he was appointed as such, June 24, 1825, and he filled this post until November 25, 1834, when at his request, he received his passports and returned to the United States.
White, Thomas Wyllis, was born at York- town, Virginia, in 1788, had few school ad- vantages, but improved his knowledge as a printer; he served some part of his time in Boston, and. while not pretending to be a literary character, wrote a very correct and diplomatic letter, well calculated to obtain what he desired. He set up as printer in Richmond and in 1834 founded the Southern Literary Messenger," a magazine destined to hold an honorable position not only in the
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