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A60038 A Short account of the manifest hand of God that hath fallen upon several marshals and their deputies who have made great spoil and havock of the goods of the people called Quakers in the island of Barbadoes for their testimony against going or sending to the militia : with a remarkable account of some others of the persecutors of the same people in the same island, together with an abstract of their sufferings. 1696 (1696) Wing S3540; ESTC R32670 10,628 23

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his Limbs his Wife also by whom he had had several Bastard Children left him in his Extremity and he being without means or hopes of outward Subsistance in this Island intended off for New-York hoping for Relief by the Charity of a Sister he had there and in order thereto according to the Custom of this Island did put up his Name in the Secretary's Office but was under-writ for the Sum of Seven Pounds which neither his Master's whose Drudgery he had done nor his own Purse could or would procure that Sum so that he being therein disappointed was glad to go from House to House till in some short time after he Died very Poor and Miserable and had not the fear of Offence to the Living given him a Burial more than the Good-will of his Friends or Ability of his Purse he might have remained Unburied as a further Warning to others Durant Alsop Marshal to Colonel John Farmer and a profest Papist who after great Havock made of those Industrious Peoples Labours about the Year 1685 taking away above Thirty Pounds Sterling in one Day as himself confest yet being out of his place was very poor and indigent Allyn Hughson Another Wicked Marshal who after a great Destruction in the Year 1685 and 1686 of those Peoples Estates run away John Thurborne Marshal to Colonel Tidcombe every way fitted for such an Unrighteous Undertaking and had spent a Considerable Estate by Debauchery and in his Want and Sickness desired Relief from the Quakers and had it from some of them but when he recovered his Health basely became a Marshal in the same Regiment where he had been a Captain and Executed the Place with great Severity from the Year 1686 to the Year 1689 against those People that had Administred to his Necessities He would scoffingly call the Quakers his Milch-Cows often saying George Gray one of these People was one of his best Cows and gave a brave Mess of Milk every Exercising-Day He came to a poor Friends House to Execute his Office and took away a Fat Hog worth two or three times his demand though there were smaller in sight but understanding what need the poor Man had of it for the Relief of his Family chose rather to carry it away that his Rapine might be the greater and threatned the poor Man That he would make his Heart burn for Ten Weeks and then come for Five Pounds for an Alarum for which he took away a Heifer and two Hogs worth Six Pound Sterling After this manner did he prey upon these People devouring a great quantity of their Goods yet became Miserable and the Judgments of God pursued him and a Fistula arose in his Fundament that would admit of no Cure which gave him such pain and misery that he would often Curse his Body where it was till at last he miserably finisht his Evil Course of Life leaving nothing to pay his Just Debts Andrew Kenny Marshal to Colonel Abel Allen who though he continued not long in the place yet Imployed his time in the Year ●●88 to the utmost in carrying away the abovesaid Peoples Goods but in the end was forced to submit to the Fate of several of his Brethren and run away for Debt William Meagher An Irishman and Deputy to John Maugrah Marshal to Colonel Thomas Colliton when he was taking Goods from John Tod one of the aforesaid People for account of the Militia did draw his Sword and wilfully Stab the said Tod's Overseer into his Body so that he soon after Died of the Wound for which Fact he was Tried and found Guilty of Murder yet Reprieved and the Noise was that a Pardon might be expected so at last had Liberty to seek a Livelihood but wasted away and Died so miserable poor that one of his Countrymen was forced to Bury him having not wherewith of his own but we never yet understood of any Pardon that ever came Now after he had Attached Ginger from the abovesaid Tod he would have removed his Execution and laid it upon a Cow which the said Overseer would not let him do being contrary to Law wherefore he drew his Sword and run it into his Body and Kill'd him Francis Chamberlaine Marshal to Colonel Abel Allen who also delighted in the Spoiling the Just-gotten Goods of those People but he was soon called to an Account and stopt in his Career he was seized with a Malignant Fever which had swept away a great number of People in that Island between the Years 1690 and 1691 by which Fever himself Wife and Sister were all taken away in Twenty-four hours space which struck such a Terror on his Neighbours and Relations that none cared to come near them not so much as a Sister of his whose Husband ordered their Burial but said He would not go into the House if it were full of Gold but sent Negrees to carry them It seemed terrible to him to behold his Wife and Sister dead by him his Distemper by his Doctors was thought to be over for he got up and beholding the dead Bodies of his Wife and Sister lay down in a Hamock and never spoke more which is the account of a Woman that lookt after them Charles Lucas Deputy-Marshal to Colonel Tobias Frere of the Windward Regiment of Foot who after having taken away much of the Goods of the aforesaid People was Killed by a Fall into a Well Charles Lucas Marshal to the aforesaid Colonel after having made Spoil and carried away much Goods of the aforesaid People about the year 1694 sickned crying out much of one that he had Killed and of the Devil saying to the People by him Do you not see him And so ended his Days wretchedly Here Followeth An ACCOUNT Remarkable OF The Hand of GOD Upon some other PERSECUTORS In the same ISLAND SOme Friends in this place having considerable Quantities of Negroes who being naturally inclined to Loosness and Wickedness in taking more Wives and Husbands than one a Custom in their own Country and being very ignorant and averse to that which is good believed it their indispensible Duty to set some time apart to labour with them and to instruct them in the things of God And in order thereunto most Friends that had Negroes set apart one hour or two once a week to instruct them according to their understanding and to read the Scriptures to them directing them to the inward Teacher whereby they might be led out of Stealing Murdering Plotting and of their Uncleanness and Adultery This Christian Practice so offended the then Authority that a Law was made entituled An Act to prevent the People call'd Quakers from bringing their Negroes to their Meetings though it was in their own Houses the Penalty being no less than the forfeiting of each Negroe that was found at a Meeting or Ten pounds sterling a piece for each Negroe Some Friends were soon prosecuted by the same Law with great violence and large expectations of the Informers One Thomas
Cobham began and brought an Action against Ralph Fretwell for Eighty Negroes of his own at a Meeting in his own Family for Eight hundred pound sterling and also against Lewis Morris for a very great Sum the said Cobham being countenanced by one John Merrick a Justice of the Peace and an Assistant of the Court where the Actions were to be tried and after several Courts Judgment was given in favour of the Defendants to the great Disappointment of the Envious especially one Charles Collins a Lawyer who used his utmost Skill in behalf of the Informers But the abovesaid Thomas Cobham the Informer who of a lusty likely young man in a small time became dejected being generally slighted and his company refused by several for being an Informer and soon after was taken with a Fever and Swelling in his Neck and Throat which daily increased in a very strange manner so that towards his latter End he cried out Fire fire he was all on fire and said to his Mother She need not provide a Coffin for him for he should be burnt up before it was made crying out Neither Heaven nor Hell but all fire fire and cried saying Now the Quakers will say It is a Judgment fallen on me After this manner did this miserable man end his Days Soon after died John Daw of a Surfeit by Drinking who was an Instrument in this evil Work Also John Mackfashion one of the Evidences never thrived afterwards but in a small time died of that deplorable Disease called the Belly-ake And the aforesaid Justice John Merrick riding to his own House in Drink was thrown by his Horse to the hurting of his Brain though no outward appearance who continued some few days in a violent raving condition to the Terror of his Friends and then died William Sharp an Eminent Man and Judge of a Court was a great Opposer of our Labour with these poor Negroes who riding from his own House to the Bridge Town seemingly very well fell from his Horse before he got to the Town and we cannot understand that he ever spake afterwards except O my Head and in three or four Days afterwards died Alexander Ruddock A Colonel of a Regiment of Foot and Judge of a Court and one of the Council and of the Nation of Scotland He appeared without any just Cause very bitter and envious against us He caused a Friend to be rated 400 pounds of Sugar towards payment of the Priests Wages who never wrought for him the Priest being his Son in-Law for which was taken from the said Friend a Cow worth Ten Pound sterling and upon Complaint of the said Friend and upon Enquiry there was but ten pounds of Sugar appeared to be their pretended Due For the Poors part and for mending Highways we duely pay but this being the Priests part he could not for Conscience pay yet was this unjust Action vindicated by the said Ruddock notwithstanding some of the Magistrates that were at the hearing of the matter would have had the Cow returned to the right Owner but because the said Friend had complained of the Wrong and Oppression he the said Ruddock being Judge of the Quarter Sessions caused him to be fined five pounds sterling because he could not take the Oath of a Constable which for Conscience-sake he only refused although he was willing to have performed the Office according to his Ability and Understanding if he might have been permitted without an Oath which several Friends had been by moderate Magistrates and found to perform the same honestly and diligently For which Fine the said Ruddock the Judge issued out his Warrant against the said Friend to a Constable upon which was taken from him a Negroe Woman which they had to the Constables House where Ruddock was himself and so ordered the matter that the said Negroe was valued but at two thousand three hundred pounds of Sugar which as the price of Sugar then went might amount to 11 l. 10 s. which Negroe was sold some time after for 26 l. and was all kept for the Fine of 5 l. And the said Friend having suffered above Seven thousand pounds of Sugar in one year by his means which the said Friend laid before him in the presence of his Daughter the Priests Wife telling him he had suffered all that for complaining of the Wrong he had done him about his Cow c. at which he seemed greatly to rejoyce and said it should be so yearly so long as he was Magistrate But he did not live a year after He shewed his great willingness and desire to persecute Friends on all occasions and the last time he sat in Council and knowing there was an Order form the Governour to break up Friends Meetings he staid after the Council broke up which was late for the Order to break up our Meeting in his Precincts and promised the Governour diligently to obey all his Commands But calling at Judge Rees in his way home was taken ill but went home and calling for a Medicine called Cream of Tartar which he used to take in his Broth by his own mistake took Arsenick instead thereof and so wretchedly ended his Days which may be a Warning to others He threatned that with the Money taken from us there should be a Prison built for us He would not let us eat fresh Meat and went to take away the Meat which a Friend bought in the Market saying he would have it although the Butcher told him several times that he had sold it and was receiving the Money fot it Another Friend having bought Meat in the Market and the Butcher carrying it to his House was met in the way by the said Ruddock who commanded him to carry it back into the Market saying They shall not eat fresh Meat the man turned back and durst not carry the Friend his Meat which he had bought of him He was for putting Negroes to Death for Example saying What was it for Barbadoes to put twenty or thirty Negroes to Death yearly for Example-sake He caused some Friends to be prick'd for Constables on purpose to Fine them saying it should be so every year This is but a branch of his Cruelty for he made great spoil of Friends Goods upon the Militia-Account as he was Colonel It is wonderful to conceive how a man should be so filled with prejudice against a People that never gave him any just occasion But his measure being filled he was cut off as before related Priest Kenny his Country-man preach'd his Funeral Sermon and declared as followeth That he had attained to the Prudence of a Judge the Dignity of a Colonel and the Honour of a Counsellor and that he had served his King and Countrey faithfully and died a Saint His Text was I have fought a good Fight I have finished my Course I have kept the Faith c. 2 Tim. 4.7 How this suited with his Actions we leave the Reader the Judge Sir Timothy Thorn hill and Major General So Called A Man who wanted not will to have taken away our Lives as he often threatned a Man full of wicked and blasphemous Discourse and it may be said of him He neither feared God nor Man as his following Actions will declare Being at a Feast and drinking to excess and some of them refusing to drink so hard he wished himself God Almighty that he might Damn the Souls of them that would not drink Another time being in company where a Woman being speaking in discourse of the Power and Omnipotency of Almighty God he replied God Damn ye go to the top of yonder Tree pointing to a Tree near them and tumble down and see if God Almighty can save you from breaking your Neck before you come to the bottom A Friend standing by reprehended him for such wicked Expressions for which he beat the Friend calling him Son of a Whore and asked if he were to be taught by him A Friend being brought before him for not appearing in Arms told him he could not for Conscience-sake to which he replied God Damn your Conscience if I cannot make your Conscience bow I 'll make your stubborn Dogs Back bend and so ty'd him Neck and Heels with his own hands with that Violence and Rage that almost deprived him of Life Articles of War being published in this Island he then swore desperately that now he had power and would put them in E●ecution and the first time an Enemy appeared he would hang up the Quakers binding his words with bitter Oaths without which he could hardly speak He having been lately sick and pretty well recovered boasted among his Companions of his Conquest over Death and that he had taken a New Lease of his Life from God Almighty for Thirty years longer and so continued in his Wickedness and hath often been heard to say He would live more in a Month than others should in a Year But in few months this poor Man was visited again by the hand of the Lord and his large Measure being full the Thread of his Life was cut asunder notwithstanding his New Lease Unlamented by the moderate People of the Is●●●d and Curst by others who lost considerably by him who notwithstanding a great Estate left him by his Father died by a moderate Caleulation Eight thousand pounds sterling worse than nothing as is credibly discoursed and heavily felt by the Sufferers THE END