| [1713.] |
532. The case of the Inhabitants of the Leeward Islands
against Governor Parke. The unhappy inhabitants of H.M.
Charribbee Islands (especially those of Antego) labour's under
variety of oppressions during the whole course of Col. Park's
government, and in perticular, to the utter subversion of all law
and justice, he in person, and with an armed force of soldiers,
without any title or colour of process of law entered upon the
freehold of Elizabeth Hastings, and maintained the possession
afterwards by the said soldiers who declared they had orders to
fire the house if Mrs. Hastings opposed 'em, and in most other
cases he caused common warrants and civil processes to be
executed by soldiers instead of civil officers to ye great terrour of
the inhabitants who saw their country lie under arbitary government and military execution. That to terrify part of the inhabitants and to make others subservient to his wicked designs he
engrossed to himself in Chancery the whole judicature of the
Island, and thereby the sole disposition of the propertys of the
Islanders, that he declared oftentimes in Court that there was no
need of a Cheif Justice of the Common Pleas, that there was never
a law or statute of said Island in force, that was worth a farthing,
that he would have regard to none of them, and that he was
resolved to determine everything according to his own opinion,
which was well known to be allways sway'd by corruption or
resentment, and that by these methods having drawn all causes
into Chancery before himself he decreed against all suiters who
durst complain of his tyranny, took evidence without bill
and granted generall and perpetuall injunctions without bill
filed to the assistants and accomplices of his iniquities, and afterwards purchased the debts from those whom he had soe injoin'd.
That to revenge himself of Mr. Chester (who upon a strong
suspicion of a lewd conversation with his wife) forbid him his
house, he appear'd in person upon a sabbath day at a Coroner's
inquest setting upon the body of one Sawyer, that he labour'd
the jury, and even put words into the mouth of the evidences
against Mr. Chester, and brow [? beat] the wittnesses on the behalf
of Chester, and that when the jury found that Sawyer died a
naturall death, and some Justices of the Peace had bailed Chester,
Parks showed his resentment for his being bail'd, as before he had
expressed his sattisfaction to have had him in his power. That
he came to Mr. Chester's house with a party of soldiers where
some Gentlemen were making merry and drinking the Queen's
health, that he kickt one of the Gentlemen, imprisoned nine of
them in a dungeon, two of them for only offering to the bail for
the others, that he sent for some justices of the peace, (whom
he had made for such purposes), and convicted all the Gentlemen
of a riot upon the view, tho' some of them were sent to jail before
the justices came and fined one of them 600l., which was much
more then the person was worth, and the whole summe of the
fines amounted to 2,900l. That Mr. Chester found Col. Parks
lurking in a little conveniency of his wife's bed-chamber, upon
which he drew his sword upon Mr. Chester, who was going naked
into bed, drove him down stairs and purused him out into the
streets to murder him, and that when he turn'd his wife out of
doors, the Governor came up to him and swore that if he would
not take her again, he'd ruin him, challeng'd him to fight, and
then whistled upon which two genadiers came up, that then he
bragg'd how well prepar'd he allways went, soe scandalously
were H.M. troops imploy'd, and her authority abused. That
afterwards he came himself with a party of soldiers, and upon
pretence seiz'd some cocoa, and other goods of Mr. Chester's to
the value of 800l., and that when by an order of the Admiralty
Court he should have had his goods again, Col. Parks kept them
for a seperate maintenance of Mrs. Chester, tho' she never applied
to any Court of Justice for it, and upon severall other pretences
seiz'd effects of Mr. Chester's to the value of 4,000l. That
when upon unjust seizures the parties brought replevins, he took
the writts from the officers, to leave the persons without any
remedy at law. That he said, if any person without any
him he would clap him in a dungeon, and that there were more
ways than one to kill a dog, that had he been served as Sir Bevil
Granvil was in Barbados, he would have drove the people into
rebellion, and seiz'd their estates, and that if the people of Antego
gott him turn'd out of his government, he would have their
Island in a flame. That to have every man's person and estate
intirely in his power, he swore he would have no Marshall that
would not return such juries as he directed him, and that he
appointed Michael Ayon to be provost marshall, who declar'd
that he would shoot any man in the Island through the head upon
Col. Park's verbal order, tho' John Perry then did, and still does
hold the said office by H.M. letters patents. His unparalleld
lesdness was carried on by his authority, and was equally fatal
to the relacons of the partis both w[h] his lust found success, and
w[h]ere it was disappointed. Where their chastity resisted, he
attempted to ravish them, found means to deprive their husbands
of their imployments harrassed them by warrants, imprisonments,
and excessive bail, till they were forced to betake themselves to
the mountains, and this was the case of Mr. Desowsey, who thro
despair turn'd to privatering, and died a beggar leaving a wife
and three children, whose wife was tempted with great promises
by the said Generall to make no complaints. That the inhabitants
observed with great grief that the Governor for three years past
refused to convene the Assembly, and that he declar'd that
whenever they should meet he would thro such rubs in their way
that they should doe no business, which he did effectually at
their meeting, and prevented their entering upon business by
severall artifices, that the Island of Antego was in no posture of
defence, that in the mean time they discovered that he corresponded with the enemy at Martineco, and that under pretence
of sending flaggs of truce under the command of known Irish
papists, he supplied the enemy with provisions for want of which
our Islands were allmost famished, that by a willfull neglect of
the fortifications, that by disarming the platforms which only
could oppose the landing of the enemy, who were then making
such great preparacons, that by ordering the troops to the town of
St. Johns which was not defenceable, nor capabel of being fortify'd,
instead of disputing the enemy's landing, against common sense
and the generall opinion of the council of officers; by an affected
ignorance in military matters, which sufficiently demonstrated
his treacherous designs, they could not but beleive what he had
often said, that if it were not for his own and some few friends'
sake he would send the Islands to the Devil, and having declared
he would fortify his own house only, they justly concluded that
he designed to make terms for himself only, and surrender the
inhabitants to salvery. That he gave the command of the flaggs
of truce to one Bermingham, a traitor whom he knew to be such,
and had inform'd the Assembly of his offering himself to assist ye
french in landing upon the Island of Antego and who since has
actually conducted the enemy to Barbuda, murdered the principal
gentleman, and plundered the Island to the value of 10,000l.
That he has since assisted in a design upon Antigua which was
prevented by the Newcastle man of warr and upon that miscarriage he carried them to Mounserat. That he was heard to
encourage the officers and soldiers and others his partisans who
were allready too outragious, to use violence to the planters,
by promiseing them pardon if they committed murder, and assuring them of revenge if they suffered in the cause. That the
miserable inhabitants being terrify'd on all sides by the implacable
rage of the Governor, by the insolence of his partisans and the
soldiery, by ye defenceless state of the colony, the great preparacons of the enemy, and nothing but ruin and destruction in
view; they most dutifully applied to Col. Parks to call an
Assembly and submitted to what terms and condicons he pleas'd
to impose. That tho he complied so farr as to call an Assembly,
yett thro his artfull adjournments and prorogacons nothing could
be concluded upon for the publick safety. The Assembly then
resolved once more to wait upon the governor personally (for
all addresses and messages in writing were unanswered torn and
spurn'd upon by him before the Messengers and Council) to
beseech him with their tears to take some care of the Island, to
preserve H.M. dominions that he was intrusted with, and to
secure their lives and estates, or else to visit some other Islands,
and permitt them to defend themselves. And thereupon the
Speaker attended him with ye whole Assembly, to give the more
weight to the message, but to their great surprize, as they entered
the passage to the Council chamber they perceived a party of
granadiers with their arms cock't and presented, who told them
they only wanted the word to fire upon them, that his Excellency
flew into a rage, call'd their humble application for the preservation of the colony a piot, laid hand upon his sword, and threatned
their Speker with irons, and soe prorogued 'em to a short day.
That the day before the Assembly was to meet again, the generall
betook himself to arms, drew the artillery, arms and ammunition
out of H.M. magazine, and planted them agst. the town, intrench'd
and garrison'd his house with the troops of the Island, and made
it serve as a cittadell to overawe the town. These military
preparacons soe alarm'd the whole Island that the inhabitants
flockt together in arms to protect their representatives, but
design'd not the least injury to the person of the governor, of
which they assur'd him by a message carried by ye Speaker of
the Assembly and Coll. Gamble and only insisted that for the
safety of their lives he should dismiss his troops, and for the
security of the Island he should retire out of it. To this they
received in answer that he scorn'd to hearken to proposals, or to
come to any accomodations, that he had sufficient force to
drive all the men in the Island before him, that he resolved to
fire that part of the town next him, that he had loaded his canon
with cross barr and small shott, and soe disposed 'em as to
clear the streets, and that he resolved neither to give nor take
quarters. It was then too that to compleat ye measure of
their misery they understood for certain that he had promised
the plunder of the town to the soldiers, and the estates of the
gentlemen they should kill, who thereupon behaved themselves
as if they had been in an enemy's countrey. And to execute all
these horrid designs, upon the first appearance of the multitude
he caused the cannon and small shott to be fired upon them which
wounded and killd severall persons. By these desperate proceedings and with these aggravating circumstances ye unhappy
people were at last deprived of their reason and being wrought
up by despair and revenge did an act for which they must for
ever begg God's pardon and H.M. mercy. 3¼ large pp. [C.O.
152, 42. Nos. 105; and (duplicate) 106.] |
