1758 Titus van Mocha
This episode shows that runaway slaves could not always rely upon other slaves to help them.1 Titus escaped from his rural owner in Roodezand2 to Cape Town, but was given up to the authorities by some of the Company slaves to whom he appealed for help. The case is also interesting for the details that it provides of the housing of slaves at the Company brickworks. They stayed in a hut near the furnace, not in the Slave Lodge in town, perhaps because they needed to tend the furnace during the night.3
Footnotes
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For other cases in which slaves support the law rather than other slaves, see 1709 Samel and 1726 Scipio van de Cust. ↩
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Assuming that Roodezand here refers to the pass leading to the Land van Waveren, the distance between it and the Castle in Cape Town was 24 Amsterdam miles or 178 kilometres (Valentijn 1971, vol. I: 204). According to Böeseken and Cairns (1989: 19) it took 18-20 hours to cover this route on horseback, and so would have involved several days of walking for Titus. ↩
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The documentation for this case includes 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 testimonies by Titus and two of the Company slaves, Coetoe and Claas, CJ 370, ff. 167-76. Titus’s testimony states that he went to the Company brickworks at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning, although Coetoe and Claas claim it was during the night. Titus also adds one interesting detail: he went to Cape Town after his escape in order to see his child, who was a slave of the burgher Burgert Reijner (CJ 370, f. 170). This is a glimpse of the network of slave kin which existed across the colony. For another example of a slave escaping to visit kin living at a distance, see 1705 Cinna. ↩
CJ 370 Criminele Process Stukken, 1758, ff. 172-74v.
Statement given, on the requisition of the honourable independent fiscal, Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, by the bondsman of the honourable Company, Coetoe van Madagascar, of competent age, going as follows: That about twelve days ago now, or in the night between a certain Saturday and Sunday, when the testifier, who is stationed with other bondsmen of the honourable Company at the brick ovens and was sleeping with them in a little hut standing there, woke up after twelve o’clock both through the knocking which was done on the door in front and through the barking of the dogs, got up, went outside of this hut and on to the large door and opened it in order to see who could be there.1
That the testifier then became aware of somebody in the dark not far from the hut who was surrounded by the dogs and that, about three paces from him, something was lying on the ground, which the testifier at first supposed to have been another person, but later discovered that it was a sheep; and therefore, after first calling his comrade by the name of Claas to assist him, he called to the person surrounded by the dogs and asked him who he was and what he came to do there. Upon which he, whom the testifier then noticed to be a slave 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., answered the testifier that he came from beyond the kloof, from the burgher Evert Colijn, who had hired him, at the same time requesting that the testifier help him to slaughter the sheep that he had with him.
As the testifier could not believe what this slave was claiming, he therefore tied him up immediately and took him, with the aforesaid sheep, of which the testifier noticed that its head had already been cut off, into the aforementioned hut and left him under the supervision of some of his fellow slaves and forthwith went from there to inform the honourable Company’s potter, who lived not far from there. The abovementioned captive slave then confessed to be a runaway, as also that he had taken the sheep from the corral of the commissioner of civil cases, Arend de Waal, and that he had already cut off its head in that corral. On account of which the testifier, with the help of some of his fellow slaves, took the aforementioned 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., with the dead sheep, to the Cape the following morning and handed them over to their honours’ geweldigergeweldigerAn old Dutch term for ‘provost.’ At the Cape this was the title of the person at the head of the caffers, the people who in effect acted as the local ‘police force.’.
There being nothing more to relate, the testifier asserts to be convinced of the certainty of his statement as in the text, while offering to subsequently confirm this, his statement, at all times.
Thus related in the office of the Secretary of Justice at the Castle of Good Hope on 11 May 1758, in the presence of the clerks Jochem Hendrik Borgwedel and Carel Frederik Brink as witnesses, who have properly signed the original of this, together with the testifier and me, the secretary.
Which I declare, [signed] C.L. Neethling, secretary.
Verification
There appears before us, the undersigned delegates from the honourable Council of Justice of this government, the aforementioned Coetoe van Madagascar who, after the statement he had given was read out word by word, plainly and clearly, declares to fully persist by it, therefore not desiring that anything more be added to or taken from it, and testifies, in the presence of the slave Titus van Mocha, all of the aforegoing to be the whole truth.
Thus verified at the Cape of Good Hope on 12 May 1758 before the honourables Pieter Coningh and Jn. Haszingh, members of the honourable Council of Justice, aforementioned, who have properly undersigned the original of this, together with the testifier and me, the sworn clerk.
Which I declare, [signed] L.S. Faber, sworn clerk.
Footnotes
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According to Mentzel (1921: 65) there were ‘large field-ovens …, containing six orifices, each four feet apart, and forming a long vaulted passage’. These were situated outside the town, at the far end of the Company’s Gardens, which then extended much further than they do today (no. 23 on the map in Mentzel 1921: 86-7). ↩
Relaas gegeeven, ter requisitie van den heer Independent Fiscaal, Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, door ’s edel Compagnies lijfeijgen, Coetoe van Madagascar, van competenten ouderdom, luijdende als volgt:
Dat nu een dag of twaalf voorleeden, ofte in den nagt tusschen seekeren Saturdag en Sondag, wanneer den relatant, die beneevens meerdere ’s edel Compagnies lijfeijgenen bij de steenovens bescheijden is, sig met deselve in het daarbij staande huijsje te slapen bevond hij, de klocke over twaalf uuren, soo door het geklop, hetwelk voor aan de deur geschied, als het aanslaan der honden, wacker geworden sijnde, hij relatant alsdoen opgestaan en sig buijten dat huijs en naar de groote deur begeeven, en deselve opengemaakt heeft, ten eijnde te sien wie hem aldaar quam te bevinden.
Dat den relatant alsdoen in den donkeren, niet ver van het huijs, iemand gewaar geworden sijnde, die door de honden omcingeld [sic] was, en een tree of drie van hem af iets op de grond leggende, hetwelk den relatant in ’t eerst vermeijnde nog een persoon te sijn, dog voorts ontdekte dat het een schaap was; hij oversulx, naar alvoorens sijn makker, in naame Claas, ter sijner assistentie geroepen te hebben, den door den honden omcingelden persoon toegeroepen en gevraagt heeft wie hij was en wat hij daar quam doen; op ’twelk denselven, dien hij relatant teffens gewaar wierd een slavejongen te sijn, hem relatant ten antwoord gaf dat hij van agter de cloof en van den burger Evert Colijn quam, die hem gehuurd had, teffens versoekende dat hij relatant hem het bij sig hebbende schaap wilde helpen afslagten.
Dat hij relatant, als het voorgeeven van dien slaaf niet gelooven kunnende, denselven oversulx opstonds vastgebonden en, beneevens het voormelde schaap, waarvan hij relatant gewaar wierd, dat de kop reets afgesneeden was, in ’t voorseijde huijs gebragt, denselven onder opsigt eeniger sijner meede slaven gelaaten, en op staande voet daarvan aan den, niet ver daarvandaan woonende ’s edel Compagnies pottebacker, kennis gegeeven heeft, hebbende bovengemelde gevangen genoomen slaaf vervolgens bekend, een drosser te weesen, mitsgaders dat hij het schaap uijt de craal van den commissaris van civile zaaken, Arend de Waal gehaald, en de kop daarvan in die kraal reets afgesneeden had, al waaromme den relatant met behulp eeniger sijner meede slaaven meergemelde jongen, beneevens het gedoode schaap, ’s volgenden morgens Caabwaarts gebragt en aan ’s heeren geweldiger overgeleevert heeft.
Anders niet relateerende, geeft den relatant voor reedenen van weetenschap als in den text, met praesentie van dit, sijn gerelateerde, ten allen tijden nader gestand te sullen doen.
Aldus gerelateerd ter secretarije van justitie des Casteels de Goede Hoop, den 11e Maij 1758, in ’t bijweesen der clerquen Jochem Hendrik Borgwedel en Carel Frederik Brink, als getuijgen, die de minute deeses, beneevens den relatant ende mij, secretaris, meede behoorlijk hebben onderteekent.
’Twelk ik getuijge, [get.] C.L. Neethling, secretaris.
Recollement
Compareerde voor ons, ondergeteekende gecommitteerdens, uijt den edelagtbaare Raad van Justitie deeses gouvernements, voormeld, Coetoe van Madagascar, denwelken dit, sijn gegeeven relaas, van woorde tot woorde klaar ende duijdeliljk voorgeleesen weesende, verklaarde daarbij ten vollen te persisteeren niet begeerende oversulx dat er iets meer bijgevoegt ofte van gedaan werden sal, en betuijgde in praesentie van den slaaf Titus van Mocha al het voorenstaande de suijvere waarheijd te sijn.
Aldus gerecolleert aan Cabo de Goede Hoop, den 12e Maij 1758, voor d’ edele Pieter Coningh en Jn. Haszingh, leeden uijt den edelagtbaare Raad van Justitie, voormeld, die de minute deeses, beneevens den relatant ende mij, geswoore clercq, meede behoorlijk hebben gesubscribeert.
’Twelk ik getuijge, [get.] L.S. Faber, geswore clercq.
CJ 789 Sententiën, 1756-1760, ff. 121-25.
Since from the voluntary, verified confession of Titus van Mocha1, bondsman of the farmer Jacobus du Toij [sic], 27 years old at a guess, currently their honours’ prisoner, and from the other evidence furnished in the case, it has come to appear as clear as daylight to the honourable Council of Justice of this government:
That about nine weeks ago now, because, according to his own assertion, the prisoner was not provided with sufficient food nor clothes, and moreover got beaten every day, he ran away from his aforesaid owner’s farm, situated at Roodesand and, after roaming here and there, resorted to the Cape, and to the foot of Table Mountain, where the prisoner, so he says, hid himself for some time in the garden of the burgher Michiel Breda and sustained himself with the quinces he had brought with him from Roodesand; but finally, forced by hunger, he went at night to the nearby corral of the commissioner of civil and marriage affairs, Arend de Waal, from where the prisoner stole a wether and, moreover, cut off its head, and resorted with it to the Company’s brick furnace with the intention to complete the slaughtering of the aforesaid wether with the help of the slaves of the noble Company assigned to the house beside the furnace; which slaves, however, as soon as he had knocked at the aforementioned house, and it was opened by them, and upon seeing the aforesaid wether, took him prisoner as a deserter, as well as delivering him the following day into the hands of justice.
And since such thievery cannot be, nor should be, tolerated in a well-appointed government, but should, on the contrary, be rigorously punished as an example and deterrent to other similarly inclined scoundrels.
Thus it is, that the honourable Council of Justice of this government, serving today, having seen and read with attention 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 prisoner by the honourable independent fiscal, Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, in his official capacity, besides having noted the prisoner’s voluntary, verified confession, and further everything else which served the case and could 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 and Nassau, as hereditary Stadholder, Captain and Admiral General of the Republic, sentences the prisoner Titus van Mocha: to be taken to the place where criminal sentences are usually executed here, there to be handed over to the executioner and to be tied to a stake, to be severely scourged with rods on his bare back, and thereupon to be branded, further to be riveted in chains for a period of five consecutive years, to be sent home to his owner, provided he pays the costs and expenditure of justice; with the Council denying the 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.2
Thus done and sentenced in the Castle of Good Hope on 8 June 1758, as well as pronounced and executed on the 10th thereupon.
Let the execution be done, [signed] R. Tulbagh.
[signed] S. Swellengrebel, R.S. Allemann, Cl. Brand, D. d’Aillij, Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, Pieter Coningh, P. Hacker, Dl. Heijning, Jn. Haszingh, Hk. vn. dr. Heijde, J.M. Cruijwagen.
In my presence, [signed] C.L. Neethling, secretary.
Footnotes
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Only a very few slaves at the Cape came from Mocha, a major trading port and coffee-producing centre in Yemen, at the southern point of the Arabian Peninsula. The VOC regularly traded in the area and established a temporary trading post there in the seventeenth century, which they abandoned in 1739 in the face of English competition (Jacobs 2000: 197-202). Titus would only have been a young child when the VOC left the area, but it is not known from where he originated or how he became enslaved. ↩
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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. recommended the death sentence (CJ 370, ff. 168v-69), but the court decided that this was too severe a penalty since Titus had not killed anybody, CJ 40, ff. 48-50. Surprisingly, Titus was charged only with sheep stealing, and not with desertion. ↩
Dewijl uijt de vrijwillige gerecolleerde confessie van Titus van Mocha, lijfeijgen van den landbouwer Jacobus du Toij [sic], oud naar gissing 27 jaaren, thans ’s heeren gevangen, en andere stucken ten processe gefourneert, het den edelachtbaare Raad van Justitie deeses gouvernements middagklaer is komen te blijken:
Dat den gevangen ter saake hij, volgens sijn voorgeeven, van geen genoegsaame kost nog kleederen voorsien, en bovensdien dagelijks geslagen wierd, nu omtrend neegen weeken voorleeden, van de plaats van voorseijde sijn lijfheer, geleegen aan ’t Roodesand, is gaan opdrossen en, naar hier en daar rondgesworven te hebben, sig vervolgens Caabwaarts, mitsgaders naar de voet van de Tafelberg vervoegt heeft, alwaar den gevangen, soo als hij segt, hem eenigen tijd in de thuijn van den burger Michiel Breda schuijlgehouden en met de, van ’t Roodesand meede gebragte, quepeeren g’erneert hebbende, eijndelijk op Saturdag, den 29e der gepasseerde maand April, door honger geperst, in de nagt is gegaan naar de daar omtrent leggende craal van den commissaris van civile en huwelijkssaaken, Arend de Waal, uijt dewelke den gevangen een hamel gestolen, mitsgaders denselven de kop afgesneeden, en hem daarmeede vervoegt heeft naar ’s Compagnies steenbakkereij, met voorneemen om met hulp der in ’t daarbij staande huijs bescheijdene slaven der edele Compagnie voorseijde hamel verder af te slagten; welke voorseijde slaven egter den gevangen, soo dra hij aan ’t voormelde huijs had geklopt, en ’tselve door henlieden geopent was, op het sien van voorseijde hamel, als een drosser gevangen genoomen, mitsgaders ’s volgenden daags in handen van justitie overgeleevert hebben.
Ende nademaal soodanige diefstal in eene welgestelde regeering niet kan nog mag gedult, maar daarenteegens, ten exempel en afschrick van andere diergelijke fielten, rigoureuselijk moet gestraft werden.
Soo is ’t, dat den edelagtbaare Raad van Justitie deeses gouvernements, te dage dienende, aandagtelijk hebbende geleesen ende geresumeert den schriftelijken crimineelen eijsch ende conclusie door den heer Independent Fiscaal, Pieter Reede van Oudshoorn, nomine officii, op ende jeegens den gevangen gedaan ende genoomen, weijders geleth op des gevangens vrijwillige gerecolleerde confessie, en op alle ’tgeene voorts ter saake dienende was en haar edelagtbaarens konde doen moveeren, doende regt uijt naame ende van weegens de hoogmoogende heeren Staaten Generaal der Vereenigde Neederlanden, mitsgaders van sijne doorlugtigste hoogheijd den heere Prince van Oranjen en Nassouw, als Erfstadhouder, Capitain en Admiraal Generaal van de Republicq, condemneert den gevangen Titus van Mocha: omme gebragt te werden ter plaatse, alwaar men alhier gewoon is crimineele sententiën te executeeren, aldaar den scherpregter overgeleevert en aan een paal gebonden sijnde, met roeden op de bloote rugge strengelijk gegeesselt en daarop gebrandmerkt te werden, voorts voor den tijd van vijf agtereenvolgende jaaren in de ketting geklonken sijnde, sijn lijfheer te huijs gesonden te werden, mits betaalende de kosten en misen van justitie; ontseggende den Raad den anders gedaanen eijsch van den heer Officier.
Aldus gedaan ende gesententieert in ’t Casteel de Goede Hoop, den 8e Junij 1758, mitsgaders gepronuntieert ende g’executeert den 10e daaraanvolgende.
Fiat Executie, [get.] R. Tulbagh.
[get.] S. Swellengrebel, R.S. Allemann, Cl. Brand, D. d’Aillij, Jn. Fr. Tiemmendorf, Pieter Coningh, P. Hacker, Dl. Heijning, Jn. Haszingh, Hk. vn. dr. Heijde, J.M. Cruijwagen.
Mij praesent, [get.] C.L. Neethling, secretaris.