1749 Salaoos van Sambouwa
Here Cape Town slaves plan to steal flour from one of their owners and to sell it to an exiled Chinese person in the town. They are caught red-handed by the nightwatchmen and apprehended. The case gives a glimpse of the Chinese bandietenbandietenLiterally ‘bandits’. These were convicts sentenced by the VOC courts to hard labour. The term was used for any such person, irrespective of his or her status as a slave or free person. (convicts) exiled to the Cape from Batavia, some of whom, such as Limoeijko, had served their sentences and were ‘free Chinese’. The authorities suspected the Chinese community in Cape Town of being actively involved in smuggling and the handling of stolen goods.1 Certainly these slaves knew where to bring their flour, and Limoeijko’s claims of innocence were not believed and he was punished along with the slaves.2
Footnotes
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Certainly they were very active in the retail trade which, given Company regulations to restrict private trading, meant that their activities constantly bordered on the illegal and they frequently appeared in the criminal court records. For discussion of this and other cases involving Chinese smugglers, see Alexander 2003 and, on the Chinese community in general in Cape Town, Armstrong 1997. The number of Chinese bandietenbandietenLiterally ‘bandits’. These were convicts sentenced by the VOC courts to hard labour. The term was used for any such person, irrespective of his or her status as a slave or free person. sent to the Cape increased in the 1740s as labour was required to build the projected breakwater at Mouille Point. Alexander speculates that Limoeijko may have been more impoverished than some of his predecessors, as shown by his willingness to deal in stolen flour. ↩
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Salaoos was displayed standing under the gallows with a rope around his neck, and was then, with the other three, whipped and branded. The three slaves were sent back to their owners, while Limoeijko was sentenced to labour in chains on the Company’s public works for life, CJ 31, ff. 99-102. This was more lenient than the death sentence for Salaoos, the ten years in chains for December and Baatjoe and the life imprisonment in the Company battery for Limoeijko that were recommended in the eijsch. The eijscheijschLiterally ‘claim’ or ‘demand.’ This is strictly speaking the eijsch ende conclusie without the final part about sentencing, but the term is often used as a shorthand for the whole document. and the testimonies of the accused and the burgher ratelwacht are in CJ 357, ff. 415-33. ↩
CJ 357 Criminele Process Stukken, 1749, ff. 428-29.
There appears before us, the undersigned delegates from the honourable Council of Justice of the Castle of Good Hope, the Chinese Limoeijko, 40 years old at a guess, who, on the requisition of the honourable independent fiscal, Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, confesses it to be true:
That eight days ago now, or the night between last Tuesday and Wednesday, being unable to name the exact hour, the confessant opened his door when somebody knocked on it, since he thought that it was volkvolkIn seventeenth-century Dutch this was used to refer either to a group of people in the sense of ‘nation,’ or more commonly a group of people acting or working together. It was thus often used as a short-hand term for common labourers. Although the word was used in this latter meaning at the Cape to refer to European labourers, it eventually – due to the racial divide in the labour situation – came to refer to both slaves and Khoikhoi in the sense of manual labourers. This usage lived on in modern Afrikaans plaasvolk, ‘farm labourers.’ who came to call him to go fishing with them.1 However, he then noticed that it was a black jongenjongenLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour., to whom there instantly came yet another jongenjongenLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour., carrying a sack of flour, and who wanted to sell it to him, at the same time also coming with the flour just inside the front of his house. The confessant, seeing that he did not wish to buy this, wanted to have these jongensjongensLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour. gone from there, but while he was talking to these jongensjongensLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour. to this end, there also arrived in front of his door two men of the ratelwacht who then, uncovering what was happening there, took these two jongensjongensLiterally ‘boy.’ In Dutch it was common to use this word also to refer to male servants, irrespective of age. At the Cape, however, this usage was extended to slaves and then became exclusive, so that jongen (also in the deflected form jong) came to mean ‘male slave’, such that Afrikaans lost the use of the word to mean ‘boy’ and instead uses seun (from Dutch zoon) for both ‘boy’ and ‘son.’ In this primary meaning, the word has become obsolete in modern Afrikaans, except for the archaic terms tuinjong (‘garden boy’) and plaasjong (‘farm boy’), in the sense of male workers of colour. away from there and took them to the prison, without him, the confessant, knowing anything further about this.
He also declares that he did not present any money to the men of the ratelwacht in order to keep quiet about what happened.
Thus confessed at the Cape of Good Hope on 5 November 1749 before the honourables Am. Decker and B. Artoijs, members of the aforementioned honourable Council of Justice, who have properly signed the original of this, together with the confessant and me, the secretary.
Which I declare, [signed] Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, secretary.
Footnotes
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Fishing was an important economic activity among the free black community at the Cape and small fishing boats were often collectively owned by several families (Elphick & Shell 1989: 223; Mentzel 1925: 88). ↩
Compareerde voor ons, ondergeteekende gecommitteerdens uijt den edelagtbaare Raad van Justitie des Casteels de Goede Hoop, den Chinees Limoeijko, oud volgens gissing 40 jaaren, denwelken, ter requisitie van den heer Independent Fiscaal Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, confesseerde hoe waar is:
Dat nu agt dagen geleeden, of tusschen laatstleeden Dingsdag en Woensdags nagt, sonder de nette uur te kunnen noemen, aan sijn confessants deur geklopt werdende, hij confessant dierhalven, vermits vermeijnde dat het volk was die hem confessant quamen roepen om met hun te gaan visschen, sijne deur geopent heeft, dog wanneer hij confessant alsdoen ontwaarde dat het een swarte jongen was, bij denwelken datelijk nog een andere jonge quam, die een sak met meel droeg en hetselve aan hem verkopen wilden, teffens ook daarmeede eeven voor aan in sijn huijs quamen; heeft hij confessant, als sulx niet kopen willende, die jongens van daar willen doen weggaan, dog intusschen dat hij confessant met die jongens dienthalven in gesprek was, quamen voor sijn confessants deur meede twee ratelwagts, dewelke het aldaar voorgevallene ontdekkende, die twee jongens voorts van daar weggenomen en naar de tronk gebragt hebben, sonder dat hij confessant iets verder dienaangaande weet.
Betuijgende denselven nog dat aan de ratelwagts geen geld gepresenteerde heeft om van het voorgevallen stil te swijgen.
Aldus geconfesseert aan Cabo de Goede Hoop, den 5e November 1749, voor d’ edele Am. Decker en B. Artoijs, leeden uijt den edelagtbaare Raad van Justitie, voormeld, die de minute deeses, beneevens den confessant ende mij, secretaris, meede behoorlijk hebben onderteekent.
’Twelk ik getuijge, Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, secretaris.
CJ 787 Sententiën, 1744-1749, ff. 360-64.
Since, from the voluntary, verified confessions of Salaoos van Sambouwa, bondsman of the burgher Gijsbert Rogier, age 28, December van Sambouwa, slave of the chief ship’s carpenter Barend van Dockum, age 36, Baatjoe van Macassar, belonging to the burgher Juriaan Jansz, age 25, and the Chinese banished here, Limoeijko, 40 years old at a guess, all currently their honours’ prisoners; and from the other documents produced in the case, it has come to appear evident to the honourable Council of Justice of this Castle of Good Hope:
That on Sunday, which was the 26th of the past month October, the first prisoner made an arrangement with the second and third prisoner to come to the house of the prisoner’s owner on that very night and to assist him there in stealing some flour. That the first prisoner then went on his own to the home of the fourth prisoner and offered to sell him the flour, without being able, though, to agree with the same on a fixed price, seeing that the fourth prisoner first wanted to see how much flour the first prisoner would bring. Because of the bad weather which developed, the first three prisoners could not bring about their thievish intention that Sunday night; however, on the following Tuesday, the second prisoner – after first having warned the third prisoner that same afternoon to come to him on the beach that very evening for the execution of their intention – went after 10 o’clock at night from the back door of his owner’s [house] to the beach, where the third prisoner was awaiting him, and then, both of them went to the house of the burgher Gijsbert Rogier and, since the door of the alley was locked, climbed over the wall into the yard by means of a bamboo stick, which the second prisoner had brought along from his owner’s, and then went into the kitchen, whose door was only on the latch; which is when the first prisoner, having been roused by them in accordance with their arrangement, proceeded with the third prisoner to the attic, while the second prisoner remained as sentry down in the kitchen, and with the same he took down from there by small lots, in three to four bags, about one and a half sacks of sieved flour. The first prisoner, after first opening the door of the alley, went with a whole sack and the third prisoner with half a sack of the aforementioned stolen flour, besides the second prisoner with the bamboo stick, on their way to the home of the fourth prisoner. And when the first prisoner arrived, with the ratelwacht Willem van Dijk, who had discovered and followed him along the way, at the aforementioned house, the sack of flour was immediately accepted by the fourth prisoner and put down besides the door in the voorhuijsvoorhuijsLiterally the ‘front house’, this referred to the first area entered from the main door or stoep (porch). In most houses this was a room, although in the later design of some Cape houses it referred to a narrower passage (like a hall or vestibule) flanked by one or more front rooms.. The third prisoner, upon noticing that something was wrong, threw down the sack which he was carrying on his shoulder before the door of the fourth prisoner, and got away by fleeing, while the first and second prisoners were apprehended that very same night by the aforementioned ratelwacht Van Dijk with the help of his colleague, Booijens Claassen, who had arrived there in the meantime; and, together with the third and fourth prisoners, were delivered the day thereafter into the hands of justice.
And since the perpetration of such a theft and the receipt of stolen goods cannot be tolerated in a country where justice is properly practised, but should, on the contrary, be punished in an exemplary fashion, as a warning and a deterrent to other such malefactors.
Thus it is that the honourable Council of Justice, serving today, having carefully read and considered the written crimineelen eijsch ende conclusiecrimineelen eijsch ende conclusieLiterally ‘criminal demand and conclusion.’ The document drawn up by the prosecutor based on the evidence he collected and delivered in court against an accused. The conclusie is the final part of the document in which the prosecutor suggested an appropriate punishment for the crime., drawn up and delivered for and against the prisoners by the honourable independent fiscal, Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, in his official capacity, as well as having noted both the voluntary confessions of the first three prisoners and the other documents added to it, all properly verified in court, besides having heeded everything that served the case and could possibly have moved their honours, practising justice in the name and on behalf of the high and mighty Lords States General of the United Netherlands, as well as his most serene highness, the Lord Prince of Orange, as its hereditary Stadholder, Captain and Admiral General, having judged all four of the prisoners, Salaoos and December, both van Sambouwa, Baatjoe van Macassar and the Chinese Limoeijko, is sentencing them with this: to be taken to the place where criminal sentences are usually executed here, there to be handed over to the executioner, the first prisoner, Salaoos van Sambouwa, first to be exposed with the rope around his neck under the gallows, then, together with the second, third and fourth prisoners to be bound to a stake, to be severely scourged with rods on their bare backs, branded, and the first three prisoners, Salaoos, December and Baatjoe, thus to be sent home again to their owners, provided they pay the costs, besides the fourth prisoner, Limoeijko, who is yet again to be confined in chains on the honourable Company’s public works for his whole life; with sentencing all four prisoners to the costs and expenditure of justice; and denying the further or otherwise drawn-up eijscheijschLiterally ‘claim’ or ‘demand.’ This is strictly speaking the eijsch ende conclusie without the final part about sentencing, but the term is often used as a shorthand for the whole document. of the honourable Officer with regard to all the prisoners.1
Thus done and sentenced in the Castle of Good Hope on 13 November 1749, as also pronounced and executed on the 15th thereupon.
Let the sentence be done, [signed] H. Swellengrebel.
[signed] R. Tulbagh, J. Meinertzhagen, Hendk. de Ruijter, R.S. Allemann, Ns. Heijning, Cl. Brand, Corns. Eelders, Js. de Grandpreez, Am. Decker, D. d’Aillij, Jn. Raeck, P. Artoijs, Js. Blanckenberg.
In my presence, [signed] Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, secretary.
Footnotes
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Salaoos was displayed standing under the gallows with a rope around his neck, and was then, with the other three, whipped and branded. The three slaves were sent back to their owners, while Limoeijko was sentenced to labour in chains on the Company’s public works for life, CJ 31, ff. 99-102. This was more lenient than the death sentence for Salaoos, the ten years in chains for December and Baatjoe and the life imprisonment in the Company battery for Limoeijko that were recommended in the eijsch. The eijscheijschLiterally ‘claim’ or ‘demand.’ This is strictly speaking the eijsch ende conclusie without the final part about sentencing, but the term is often used as a shorthand for the whole document. and the testimonies of the accused and the burgher ratelwacht are in CJ 357, ff. 415-33. ↩
Nademaal uijt de vrijwillige, gerecolleerde confessies van Salaoos van Sambouwa, lijfeijgen van den burger Gijsbert Rogier, oud 28, December van Sambouwa, slaaf van den baas der scheepstimmerlieden Barend van Dockum, oud 36, Baatjoe van Maccassar, toebehoorende den burger Jurriaan Jansz., oud 25, en den al hier gebannenen Chinees Limoeijko, oud naar gissing 40 jaaren, alle thans ’s heeren gevangens, en andere stucken te processe gevoegt, het den edelagtbaare Raad van Justitie des Casteels de Goede Hoop, duijdelijk is komen te blijken:
Dat den eersten gevangen op Sondag, sijnde geweest den 26e der gepasseerden maand October, met den tweeden en derden gevangens afspraak genomen hebbende om dien eijgensten nagt aan ’t huijs van sijns eerste gevangens lijfheer te komen en hem aldaar eenig meel te helpen steelen, hij eerste gevangen sig daarop alleenig na de wooning van den vierden gevangen vervoegt, en aan denselven het meel te koop gepresenteerd heeft, sonder nogtans met denselven geen vaste prijs te kunnen bedingen, ten aansien hij vierde gevangen eerst sien wilde hoeveel meel den eersten gevangen wel soude aanbrengen; dog sij drie eerste gevangens, door het opkomend slegten reegenagtig weer, dien Sondag nagt hun diefagtig voorneemen niet kunnende volbrengen, heeft den tweeden gevangen op Dingsdag daaraanvolgende, naar dat alvoorens den derden gevangen dien selfden middag gewaarschouwt hadde om dien eijgensten avond, ter uijtvoering van hun voorneemen, bij hem aan strand te sullen komen, sig des avonds over thien uuren uijt de agterdeur van sijn lijfheer begeeven bij den, op strand na hem wagtende, derden gevangen, ende met hun beijden vervolgens na ’t huijs van den burger Gijsbert Rogier gegaan sijnde, sijn sij langs een, door den tweeden gevangen van sijn lijfheer meede genomene bamboesstock, over de muur, also de deur van de gang toe was, op de plaats geklommen, en vervolgens in de combuijs, welkers deur maar op de klink was, gegaan; als wanneer den eersten gevangen door hun, volgens genome afspraak, wacker gemaakt sijnde, sig met den derden gevangen, terwijl den tweeden gevangen onder in de combuijs op schildwagt bleef staan, na de solder begeeven en met denselven, bij klijne parthijen, in 3 à 4 sacken omtrent een en een halve sack gebuijlt meel daar afgehaalt heeft, begeevende den eersten gevangen, nadat alvoorens de deur van de gang geopent had, sig met de volle en den derden gevangen met de halve sack van ’t voormelde gestolene meel, mitsgaders den tweeden gevangen met de bamboes stock, hun op weg na de wooning van den vierden gevangen. Ende hij eerste gevangen met den ratelwagt Willem van Dijk, die hem onderweegs ontdeckt en bijgehouden hadde, ter voormelde wooning aangekomen sijnde, is die sack met meel ten eersten door hem vierde gevangen aangenomen en in het voorhuijs besijden de deur needergeset geworden, hebbende den derden gevangen, op ’t bemercken van onraad, de sack die hij op sijn schouder droeg, voor de deur van hem vierde gevangen neer geworpen, en sig vervolgens met de vlugt geretireert, terwijl den eersten en tweeden gevangen door voormelde ratelwagt Van Dijk, met behulp van sijn macker Booijens Claassen, die immiddels daarbij gekomen was, dien eijgensten nagt nog geapprehendeert, en daags daaraan neevens den derde en vierden gevangens, in handen der justitie overgeleevert sijn geworden.
Ende dewijl sulk een gepleegde diefte en heelinge van dien, in een land alwaar de justitie stiptelijk geoeffent word niet te dulden is, maar daarenteegens, ten spiegel en afschrik van andere alsulke booswigten, exemplaarlijk moet werden gestraft.
So is ’t, dat den edelagtbaare Raad van Justitie voormeld, ten dage dienende,
aandagtelijk geleesen en overwoogen hebbende, den schriftelijken crimineelen eijsch ende conclusie door den heer Independent Fiscaal Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn nomine officii op ende jeegens den gevangens gedaan ende genomen, mitsgaders geleth, so op de vrijwillige confessies van de drie eerste gevangens, als op de andere stucken daar neevens gevoegt, alle in judicio behoorlijk gerecolleert, voorts agt gegeeven te hebben op al hetgeene ter materie was dienende en haar Edel Agtbaarens eenigsints konde doen moveeren, doende regt uijt name ende van weegens de hoogmogende Heeren Staaten Generaal der Vereenigde Neederlanden, mitsgaders van sijne doorlugtigste hoogheid den Heere Prince van Orangjen, als derselver Erfstadthouder, Capitain en Admiraal Generaal, alle vier de gevangens: Salaoos en December, bijde van Sambouwa, Baatjoe van Macasser en den Chinees Limoeijko hebben gecondemneert, gelijk haar Edel Agtbaarens deselve condemneeren mits deesen: om gebragt te werden, ter plaatse alwaar men alhier gewoon is crimineele sententiën te executeeren, aldaar den scherpregter overgeleevert sijnde, den eersten gevangen Salaoos van Sambouwa eerst met de strop om de hals onder de galg te pronk gestelt te werden, vervolgens, neevens den tweeden, derden en vierden gevangen, aan een paal gebonden sijnde, met roeden op de bloote rugge strengelijk gegeesselt, gebrandmerkt, en de drie eerste gevangens: Salaoos, December en Baatjoe, dus hare lijfheeren, mits betaalende de costen, weederom te huijs gesonden te werden, mitsgaders den vierden gevangen Limoeijko weederom in de ketting aan ’s edele Compagnies gemeene wercken voor al sijn leeven geconfinieert blijven; met condemnatie van alle vier de gevangens in de costen en misen van Justitie, en ontsegging van den verdere ofte ander gedane eiijsch van den heer Officier ten opsigte van alle de gevangens.
Aldus gedaan en gesententieert in ’t Casteel de Goede Hoop, den 13e November 1749, mitsgaders gepronuntieert ende geexecuteert den 15e daaraanvolgende
Fiat Executie, [get.] H. Swellengrebel.
[get.] R. Tulbagh, J. Meinertzhagen, Hendk. de Ruijter, R.S. Allemann, Ns. Heijning, Cl. Brand, Corns. Eelders, Js. de Grandpreez, Am. Decker, D. d’Aillij, Jn. Raeck, P. Artoijs, Js. Blanckenberg.
Mij present, [get.] Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, secretaris.