1752 Jacob van de Caab
As in the case of 1751 Jan van de Caab, Jacob van de Caab escaped to Holland but returned as a ship’s boy, the lowest rung of the Company’s employment ladder, and was arrested when he incautiously went on shore in Cape Town.1
Footnotes
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There is no further documentation on this case in the Documents in Criminal Cases series of the CJ series. ↩
CJ 34 Crimineele Regtsrolle des Casteels de Goede Hoop, 1752, ff. 28-30.
Thursday, 20 April 1752, in the morning, present the honourable Isack Meinertzhagen and all the members, except the honourable lord president Sergius Swellengrebel and the honourable Hendrik Ruiter, because of their occupations, besides the honourable Willem van Kerckhoff, through indisposition.
The honourable independent fiscal, Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, in his official capacity, as eijschereijscherLiterally ‘claimant’ or ‘petitioner.’ The prosecutor who drew up and delivered the crimineelen eijsch ende conclusie, usually either the fiscal or a landdrost (magistrate).,
contra:
Jacob van de Caab, currently their honours’ prisoner and defendant in this case, because he did not scruple to brazenly leave his owner, the bookkeeper and sworn clerk of the Orphan Chamber1 here, Monsieur Philip Herman Boomgaard, and, during the month of June of the previous year 1751, to flee on the ship the Gouverneur Generaal2 from here to the fatherland, where he remained until he recently arrived here again as [ship’s] boy under the name of Jacobus Claasz of the Cape of Good Hope on the ship Brouwer,3 whereupon he was delivered into the hands of justice.
The honourable eijschereijscherLiterally ‘claimant’ or ‘petitioner.’ The prosecutor who drew up and delivered the crimineelen eijsch ende conclusie, usually either the fiscal or a landdrost (magistrate)., having delivered his action orally, to the purport of what is mentioned in the annexed presentation [i.e. 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.], demands that, with certain judgment by your honours, the defendant in this be severely whipped by the cafferscaffersTerm for the slaves and bandieten used as assistants of the executioner and who also acted as the ‘police force’ of the town under the leadership of the geweldiger. Both the function and word derived from Batavia., further to be put into chains for a period of two successive years, to be sent home thus to his owner, provided he pays the costs.
The defendant gives as answer that during the month of June of the previous year, when his owner was not at the Cape, he went to the beach to get sand, where he was persuaded by the boatsmen of the ship the Gouverneur Generaal to go with them aboard their ship, which he did, without later being able to come on shore again.
The honourable eijschereijscherLiterally ‘claimant’ or ‘petitioner.’ The prosecutor who drew up and delivered the crimineelen eijsch ende conclusie, usually either the fiscal or a landdrost (magistrate)., rejecting the defendant’s claim as frivolous and insufficient, persists with his eijsch ende conclusie as rejoinder.
The defendant rejoins with a request for forgiveness.
The parties renounce producing any further evidence.
The Council, after considering the case, 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 and Nassou, as hereditary Stadholder, Captain and Admiral General of the Republic, sentences the defendant, Jacob van de Caab, after first having been tied to a stake, to be thoroughly whipped by the cafferscaffersTerm for the slaves and bandieten used as assistants of the executioner and who also acted as the ‘police force’ of the town under the leadership of the geweldiger. Both the function and word derived from Batavia., further to be riveted in chains for a period of two successive years, to be sent home thus to his owner, provided he pays the costs.
In the Castle of Good Hope, the date as above.
In my presence, [signed] Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, secretary.
Footnotes
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See 1707 Jan de Thuilot, n. 10. ↩
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Gouverneur Generaal belonged to the Chamber of Delft and stopped in Cape Town on its way back from Batavia from 9 to 27 May 1751. Some 40 sailors had died on the voyage and Jacob was doubtless welcomed as one of the 26 new men that were taken on at the Cape, Bruijn et al. 1979, vol. III: 398-99. ↩
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Brouwer belonged to the Chamber of Enkhuizen and sailed from Texel on 19 December 1751, arriving at the Cape on 11 April 1752, after a brief stay in Santiago. The ship was also found to contain two women dressed as soldiers, Bruijn et al. 1979, vol. II: 536-37. There is no record of Jacobus Claasz, in the scheepsoldijboek of the Brouwer (VOC 13993) but this might be explained by the fact that employees with the toponym ‘van de Caab’ were not listed in the muster rolls with the names of incoming ship registers. ↩
Donderdag, den 20e April 1752, ’s voormiddaags present den heer Isack Meinertzhagen, en alle de leeden, behalven den edelagtbaare heer Praesident Sergius Swellengrebel en d’ heer Hendrik Ruijter, bij occupatie, mitsgaders d’ edele Willem van Kerckhoff, bij indispositie.
Den heer Independent Fiscaal Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, nomine officii, eijsscher,
contra:
Jacob van de Caab, thans ’s heeren gevangen en gedaagden, over ende ter saake dat sig niet ontsien heeft sijn lijfheer, den boekhouder en geswoore clercq ter weeskamer alhier, monsieur Philip Herman Boomgaard, moetwillig te verlaaten, en in den maand Junij des voorleeden jaars 1751, met het schip de Gouverneur Generaal van hier naar ’t vaderland te fugeeren, alwaar sig soo lange heeft opgehouden, totdat nu onlangs met ’t schip Brouwer voor jongen, onder den naam van Jacobus Claasz van Cabo de Goede Hoop, alhier weederom aangeland zijnde, vervolgens in handen der justitie is overgeleevert geworden.
Den heer eijsscher, ter saake als in de neevenstaande praesentatie staat vermeld, bij monde eijsch doende, conludeert dat den gedaagde in deesen, bij diffinitive vonnis van u edelagtbaarens mag werden gecondemneert om door de kaffers [sic] strengelijk te werden gelaarst, voorts voor den tijd van twee agtereenvolgende jaaren in de ketting geklonken zijnde, dus sijn lijfheer weederom te huijs gesonden te werden, mits betaalen de costen.
De gedaagden voor antwoord segt dat sijn lijfheer in de maand Junij des voorleedenen jaars niet aan de Caab geweest zijnde, hij gedaagde naar ’t strand was gegaan om sand te haalen, alwaar hij door ’t schuijtsvolk van ’t schip de Gouverneur Generaal was gepersuadeert geworden om met hun naar boord te vaaren, hetwelk hij had gedaan sonder naderhand weeder aan de wal te hebben kunnen koomen.
Den heer eijsscher, des gedaagdens voorbrengen als frivool en insuffisant rejecteerende, persisteert bij eijsch ende conclusie voor replicq.
Den gedaagde dupliceerende versoekt om vergiffenis.
Parthijen renuntieeren van verdere productiën.
Den Raad, naar overweeging van saaken, regt doende uijt naame ende van weegens de hoogmogende Heeren Staaten Generaal der Vereenigde Neederlanden, mitsgaders van sijne doorlugtigste hooghijd, den Heere Prince van Orangjen en Nassouw, als Erfstadhouder, Capitain en Admiraal Generaal van de Republicq, condemneert den gedaagde Jacob van de Caab: om aan een paal gebonden zijnde, door de caffers dapper te werden gelaarst, voorts voor den tijd van twee agtereenvolgende jaaren in de ketting geklonken weesende, dus sijnen lijfheer, mits betaalende de costen, weederom te huijs gesonden te werden.
In ’t Casteel de Goede Hoop, datum als vooren.
Mij present, [get.] Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, secretaris.