1790 September Van Boegies
In this unusual example, a burgher requested permission from the landdrost not to punish one of his slaves who had run away and was soon caught, wounding himself out of fear of punishment.1 The letter demonstrates how the control of masters over their slaves was limited by the legal authority of the VOC, in this case not necessarily to the slave’s advantage.
Footnotes
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There is no further documentation for this case, so the precise reasons for Cloete’s request are unknown. However, as head of the burgher militia he might have felt the need to be especially law-abiding in order to set an example. Moreover, if September had been found guilty of desertion, Cloete would not only have had to pay the considerable ‘costs and expenditure of justice’, but might even have lost his labour, had he been banished to Robben Island for a time. ↩
CJ 2490 Inkoomende Brieven, 1789-1790, Deel 6, ff. 177-78.
Honourable lord!
Having been absent from here for some days, it was reported by the burgher cornet, manhaften Rudolph Cloete, that one of his slaves, by the name of September van Bougies, who had deserted for one day out of fear of being beaten, caused a small wound to himself when he was taken prisoner, from which the said slave has by now already recovered fully. The said Cloete requested me that his slave, as he has never done the least mischief or had any of the least disagreement with other slaves, should not be punished, with which I could not find any difficulty in agreeing, under the express condition, though, that I, bound by duty, bring this to your honourable’s attention, and to request and await your honourable’s approval of it and, if it does not please your honourable to approve this, then that the order given by your honourable about it should be fully satisfied; as then also looking forward to your honourable’s order concerning this case, who has the honour to be with all respect,
Your honourable lord!
Your honourable lord’s obedient servant, [signed] H. L. Bletterman.
Stellenbosch, 22 April 1790.
Weledele agtbaare heer!
Eenige dagen van hier afweesig geweest zijnde, is door den manhafden burgercornet Rudolph Cloete berigt dat een zijner slaven, met naame September van Bougies, uit vreese voor slagen, een dag gedrost geweest zijnde, bij zijn gevangenneeming zigzelve eene ligte wonde had toegebragt, waarvan gemelde slaaf thans reets volkomen hersteld zijnde, gemelde Cloete mij heevt verzogt dat denzelvens slaaf, als nooit eenig het minste quaad bedreeven, off eenige de minste quaestie met andere slaven gehad hebbende, niet mogte worden gestraft, waarin ik geen zwarighijd heb gevonden te consenteeren, onder deeze expresse voorwaarde, nogthans, van aan u weledele agtbaare hiervan pligtschuldig kennisse te geven, en u weledele agtbaarens approbatie daarop te versoeken en in te wagten, en u weledele agtbaare zulks niet gelievende te approbeeren, alsdan aan de, door u weledele agtbaare daaromtrend te verleende, ordre compleetelijk te moeten worden voldaan; gelijk dan ook u weledele agtbaarens ordre omtrend deese zaak zal te gemoed zien, die de eere heevt met allen eerbied te zijn,
U weledele agtbaare heer!
U weledele agtbaarens ootmoedigen dienaar, [get.] H.L. Bletterman.
Stellenbosch, den 22e April 1790.