1794 Abraham van Macassar
This case of conflict between a slave and his owners, leading to arson, was provoked by the demand that Abraham van Macassar1 should acknowledge and greet his owner after returning from a day’s work. Clearly there was more behind Abraham’s discontent and an apparently minor demand such as this may have been the final straw.2 Abraham was captured and executed immediately in Stellenbosch.3
Footnotes
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Abraham is referred to as ‘van Macassar’ in the report of the Stellenbosch landdrost, CJ 449, f. 395, but as ‘van Madagascar’ in the report of Abraham’s cross-examination and in the regtstrollen of the Council of Justice, CJ 449, f. 423 and CJ 76, f. 74. This was doubtless a transcription error, but it does indicate how slave toponyms could be readily confused. ↩
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Compare with the demand made for verbal greeting in 1792 Mentor van Mosambique. ↩
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Abraham was wounded on his recapture and the surgeon reported that he was unlikely to live much longer. He confessed to causing the fire, in order to force his owner out of the house and to kill him. Taking precedent from a case in 1728 (the details of which were forwarded to the Council of Justice), the Stellenbosch landdrost then decided to have Abraham immediately executed outside the Stellenbosch prison, CJ 449, ff. 395-96 and CJ 76, f. 74. For this principle of periculum in mora, see 1760 Achilles van de West Cust, n. 12. Other records sent to the Council of Justice included the testimonies of Matthiam Hoffman, Josias Hoffman, a surgeon’s report on Abraham’s wounds and a record of his cross-examination, CJ 449, ff. 397-435. ↩
CJ 449 Criminele Process Stukken, 1792-1794, ff. 419-21.
Statement, given in the presence of the undersigned deputised heemradenheemradenThe origin of this word is uncertain, but is connected to the Dutch words heem (‘homestead’) and raad (‘councillor’). This was the title of a free burgher who served on the Collegie van Heemraden in the rural districts of the Cape, usually for a term of two years., the honourables Pieter Gerard Wium and Christman Joël Ackerman, on the requisition of the landdrost here, the honourable Hendrik Lodewijk Bletterman, by the burgher Dirk Hoffman, of competent age, which goes as follows:
That the testifier, who lives with his father, the lieutenant of the burgher militia, Matthiam Hoffman, [witnessed the following:]1 last night, the time being about half past eight, the bondsman of his father, by the name of Abraham, came home, having worked that day at the deacon, Sieur Jacobus Roux,2 and was asked by his father why he, Abraham, could not say “Good evening” when he got home, who in essence answered him: “If I do my work during the day and come home in the evening, that is enough”, upon which his father dealt the aforementioned Abraham some blows with his fist. The aforesaid Abraham asked his father: “Why do you hit me?”, and then repaired to the slave house, but returned almost at once to the kitchen. When the said Abraham was asked by the father of the testifier: “What are you doing here?”, and was answered by the aforementioned Abraham: “I want fire!”,3 who then again repeated his question to the father of the testifier: “Why did you hit me?” Hereupon his father gave the aforesaid Abraham some strokes with a cane of quince, during which the aforesaid Abraham repeatedly said to the father of the testifier: “Stop it, Stop it”. The testifier’s brother, by the name of Jesais4, noticing that the aforementioned Abraham had hidden a knife between his jacket and shirt, grabbed Abraham with his left hand and, with his right hand, tried to get possession of the knife. The aforesaid Abraham pulled himself loose, while the testifier closed the inside door of the kitchen, then loaded his pistol, while his father provided himself with a sabre and his brother loaded his musket.
That since the testifier, as also his parents and brother, did not hear anything, they went to bed, but they were awoken at about 11 o’clock by a noise as if the house was on fire and, when getting up, noticed that the house was on fire; whereupon the testifier ran to the outside as far as the trees standing before the house. The aforementioned Abraham, so it seemed to the testifier, came running from the slave house up to him with a knife in his hand and, as soon as the testifier had recognised Abraham, he asked him: “Why do you want to stab me?”, to which the aforesaid Abraham said: “I will show you that!” and thereupon stabbed the testifier in his left arm; whereupon the testifier, feeling himself wounded, proceeded in all haste to the house of the former heemraadheemraadThe origin of this word is uncertain, but is connected to the Dutch words heem (‘homestead’) and raad (‘councillor’). This was the title of a free burgher who served on the Collegie van Heemraden in the rural districts of the Cape, usually for a term of two years., the honourable Christman Joël Ackerman.
There being nothing more to relate, the testifier declares to be convinced of the accuracy of his statement as in the text, being willing to confirm the same with oaths.
Thus related at the residence Welgevallen, situated across the Eerste River at Stellenbosch, on 24 January 1794, in the presence of the deputised heemradenheemradenThe origin of this word is uncertain, but is connected to the Dutch words heem (‘homestead’) and raad (‘councillor’). This was the title of a free burgher who served on the Collegie van Heemraden in the rural districts of the Cape, usually for a term of two years. mentioned in the heading, who have signed the original of this, together with the testifier and me, the secretary.
Which I declare, [signed] J. Wege, secretary.
Footnotes
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The original contains no main verb of which ‘the testifier’ could be the subject, but presumably something like that supplied is meant. ↩
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Abraham was a bricklayer or mason, according to the testimony of Matthiam Hoffman, and had presumably been lent or hired out for the day. Hoffman also added the detail that he came back to his owner’s farm, but had failed to report his presence to his owner, CJ 449, f. 405. For slave hiring, see 1776 Julij van Timor, n. 2. ↩
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For his tobacco pipe, according to the testimony of Matthiam Hofman, CJ 449, f. 406. ↩
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Sic. The brother’s name was Josias. ↩
Relaas gegeeven, ten overstaan van de ondergeteekende gecommitteerde heemraaden, d’ edele Pieter Gerard Wium en Christman Joël Ackerman, en ter requisitie van den landdrost alhier, de heer Hendrik Lodewijk Bletterman, door ende van weegens den burger Dirk Hoffman, van competenten ouderdom, luijdende hetzelve als volgt:
Dat den relatant, die woonagtig is bij deszelfs vader, den luitenant der burgerij, Matthiam Hoffman, op gistere avond, de klokke omtrent half neegen, de lijffeigen van deszelvs voormelde vader, in name Abraham, t’ huijs gekomen zijnde, en dien dag gewerkt hebbende bij den diacon, sieur Jacobus Roux, door deszelfs vader was gevraagd of hij Abraham geen Goede Avond zegge konde wanneer hij te huijs kwam, door gemelde Abraham in substantie was geantwoord: Als ik over dag mijn werk doe, en ’s avonds thuijs kom, dat is genoeg; waarop des relatants vader meergemelde Abraham eenige vuijstslagen gegeeven hebbende, voorseijde Abraham tegens deszelfs vader gezegd had: Waarom slaat gij mij?, en zich daarop naar ’t slavenhuijs begeeven hebbende en terstond wederom gekoomen zijnde in de combuijs, door des relatants vader aan gemelde Abraham was gevraagd: Wat maakt gij daar?, door meergemelde Abraham werd geantwoord: Ik zoek vuur!, en vervolgens weederom bij herhaling aan des relatants vader had gevraagd: Waarom heb jij mijn [sic] geslagen?, des relatants vader hierop met een queepeeren lat de voorseijde Abraham eenige slagen had toegebracht, waarop door gemelde Abraham aan des relatants vader bij herhaling gezegt zijnde: Schij uijt, Schij uijt; des relatants broeder, in name Jesais [sic], merkende dat meergemelde Abraham een mes tusschen dezelfs baaijtje en hemb verborgen had, denzelve Abraham met de linkerhand had aangegreepen en met de rechter hand ’t mes trachte magtig te worden, voorseijde Abraham zich had losgerukt, en de relatant de binnen combuijsdeur digt gemaakt; vervolgens zijn pistool geladen, terwijl des relatants vader zig van een sabel voorzien, en des relatants broeder zijn snaphaan had geladen.
Dat de relatant, beneevens zijn ouders en broeder, niets verneemende, zicht ter ruste begeeven hadden; omtrent elf uuren gewekt wierden door een gerucht alsof het huijs in brand was, en alstoen opstaande ontwaard was geworden, dat ’t huis in de brand stond; waarop de relatant naar buijten geloopen zijnde tot onder de, voor het huijs staande, boomen, meergemelde Abraham, zo den relatant toescheen, uijt ’t jongenshuijs naas den relatant was koomen gelopen met een mes in de hand en, zodra den relatant hem Abraham verkende, had den relatant hem Abraham gevraagt: Waarom wilt gij mij steeken?, voormelde Abraham den relatant had toegevoegt: Dat zal ik jou wel wijzen!, en vervolgens aan den relatant een steek op den linkerarm had toegebracht, waarop de relatant zich gequetst voelende, zich in aller ijle heeft begeeven naar ’t huijs van den oud heemraad, de edele Christman Joël Ackerman.
Niets meer relateerende, geevt den relatant voor reedenen van weetenschap als in den text, berijd zijnde ’tzelve met eede te bevestigen.
Aldus gerelateerd op de hofsteede Welgevalle, geleegen over de Eerste Rivier bij Stellenbosch, den 24e Januarij 1794, ten overstaan van den, in den hoofde gemelde gecommitteerde heemraden, die de minute deezes, beneevens den relatant en mij, secretaris behoorlijk hebbe onderteekend.
’Twelk ik getuijge, [get.] J. Wege, secretaris.