New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-11-29
JAMAICA,

JAM1fC
From the Jamaica letter. which appears in another
part of our paper will be seen that Gordon Ramsay
the notorious Provost Marshal Of the late reign OF
terror in that island has escaped human justice the
Grand Jury having ignored the bill Of Indictment
charging him with the murder Of one George Marshall,
colored man. This will not occasion surprise when
it is remembered that the jury was composed OF
planters all residing in the very district IN when the
disturbances of last October took place, and all I'M
bued, more or less with those prejudices OF caste
whose developments of injustice and oppression pro-
duced that tragedy which constitutes the Saddest
page in the history of one Of England's faireSt
Colonies The presiding Judge. We are told. charged
the jury most explicitly and emphaticaly that their
duty was to return true bill; and, indeed the owl
dence contained in the dispositions presented so strong
prna taeie case against Ramsay that 1t would have
seemed hardly possible for any Grand Juy to refuse
their indorsatOn TO the bill. That evidence was
direct not circumstantal, the witnesses who appeared
against the accused tesying that they had seen with
their own eyes the cowardly murder with which he
stood charged But in spite of the Judges law ana
the witnesses facts, the Grand Jury threw out the
bill II was sufficient that Ramsay was white man,
who had taken a prominent and active part IN the
onslaught made upon the blacks when Eyre turned
his soldery loose into St Thomas in the East to
riot in blood TO hunt down the peasantry like
wild beasts, and to give the cottages Of the poor
people by hundreds TO the flames. =" fellow feeling
makes US wondrous kind" To the Jamaica planters
of the class from which this Grand Jury was taken
Gordon Ramsay whose deeds Of blood must make his
name forever infamous, is hero, worthy Of rewards
and honor for tho service no rendered during tho dis
turbances in that island peryerting is tho iniu-
ence which tho spirit Of caste and the prejudces
engendercd Of Slavery exercise upon their misguided
subjects, Can any man Of right mind peruSc
the evidence Of which the Judge gave
summary in his charge without being
convinced tha, justice mperatyey demanded that tho
individual charged with having committed 30 foul
murder should be arragnedfor the crme' without feel
ing that justice has been geyou5y outraged By the re.
fusa OF that Grand Jury to place Ramsay on his trial
Bat caste breeds cruelty destroys the moral sense and
teaches men to regard oppression and even murder as
venia oiIenses Illustrations Of this are 10 DO found
in other places beside Jamaica, both in the Eastern
and Western henispheres. We shall not be surprised
If the Same influences which have estopped Ramsays
trial succeed IN preventing Eyres lrrigumcnt tor tho
murder of Gordon.
The same letter supplies Us with striking evidence
Of the way in which justice @ is administered inJl-
ma;ca The remarks OF the new Governor Sir John
Peter Grant In reference TO the grieyous haTdships
TO which poor negro sutors are subjected through the
operation OF unequal laws, are worthy Of note. The
assertion has been confidently made that the blacks
Of Jamaica bad no good cause Of complaint against
their rulers; that the laws did not bear oppsesoyely
upon them that, 10 fact, they had every
reason TO be A con,entcd and happy people. This
was what Eyre stated in his dispatches TO the
Colonial Minister justifying the severe measures he
adopted for the suppression Of local outbreak. This
is what he insisted upon in BIS speech TO the Legs
lature calling upon them 20 abd!cate their functions
in order that strong government might be estab-
lished on the island. In these remarks Of bis sue
cessors, we have a complete answer 10 Eyres false
assertions II would seem that in Jamaica the all
mnisraon Of justice in so far as the blacks are con-
cerned, is a mockery. 1t Is worse than mockery; It
is downright cruelty it ia hagant, disgraceiul njus
tice. SO much for leaving old Shareholders to
themselves 70 legslato for their former chat
tells; for, although it may be urged that
the blacks Of Jamaica enjoyed the elective franchise,
it turns out that owngto the conditions attached to
the exercise of voting the franchise in their case
more nominal than real-was in fact, nothing better
than "a deusion and a snare" Bat the British Gov
eminent driven thereto by the recent terrible occur
rences, have taken in their own hands the admins
tration of the affairs of the colony, and it remains to
be seen whether the rights so long denied the freed
men will now be secured to them. Sir John Peter
Grant has made good beginning, and it Is to be
hoped no will vigorously follow up the much needed
work Of reform.