New-York tribune., 1898-10-23
THE JAMAICA MAROONS.
THEIR PECULIAR STATUS UNDER AN AN
GENT TREATY.
RACE OF MIXED NEGRO AND SPANISH BLOOD
TIE HARD TUsSLE THEY GAVE
THE ENGLISH.
THE ENGLISH.


The Maroons Of the island Of Jamaica. who
have been making themselves so troublesome TO
the colonial government Of late. are strange
and remarkable people in many ways In the
FIRST place. cthnologcally they arc the only
class or caste cXtant in whose veins hows the
blood Of the aboriginal race which gave its
name. Xaymaca Gland Of Streams and
Woods'D to the island. Secondly. they are the
only known descendants Of the few neSro slaves
not more than fifteen hundred-whom the
Spanish settlers left in the island when it was
seized by the English. under Penn and Venaoies'
In 16JJ.
Eut this mixed origin. with the probability OF
q trace of Spanish blood. is not all that makes
the MaroOns remarkable. Their history during
the last two hundred and forty years is unhKe
that Of any other people in the British west
Indies ard their legal status is probably unique
In this hemisphere.
This peculiar legal status is just what mas
brought about the trouble between Mr.. Salmon.
the statutory freeholder OF the land uhoei us
pute in St. Mary's Parish. on one side ana Oh
the other side a band Of Maroons. VINO. IKE 'heir
brethren in the other Maroon settlements. are
and know themselves TO be military tenants Oh
the British crown in virtue Of a treaty ratified
turbcrs Of Her Britannia Majestys peace may
rexor have heard Of feudal tenure. OF hef. or OF
sub- nfouda,ion but in all essentials their re-
,a,iop tn Ouoen Victoria is identical with the
relation Of William the ConqucTcrs bafons 10
that starkman."
ORIGIN OF THE NAME
II came about very simply. From the time
when on the expulsion Of the Spanards IN io'''
the Spaaish-negr slaves took to the WOODS
mixed with the scattered remnant OF 'he
pborigints and made the hunting or wiid hosS
their chief occupation. until the year l'5S' theSe
"CimaIronos" wild mem had been terror anu
q nuisance to the English settlers Many laws
had been enacted especially Ior thclr repreSs'oii
Packs Of hounds were to be maintained by every
YES ~ 10 hunt the Maroons. as they mad airead'
beeu, ,o be called by an English corruption Of
their SoaIish name.
pe,u,nr 1870 and 1873 one Cudjoe earned
lasting fame by the audacity and cunning WIN
(Which he led his Maroons in their characteristic
methods of bush fighting. The name Oh CuuJoe
has heen preserved to this day in the legend
which makes the hollow trunk OF certain
gigantic cotton tree near Spanish Town Cud-
toe's council chamber. At las the government
~ me island. acting for George H. weary OF
and of ,aborious repressive operations on the
o,,or ,ont t,yo commissioners in the klnS s
mama "a tbe free and unSuAdued. II defeated
Ma-oous These commissioners concluded Wil"
Cartai,s Cud;ce AccOmpOng. Johnny. CuDee
and Ouoco chiefs of the Maroons. a treaty ny
,h torros Of which the latter were to nave IN
re,retuitv free Of taxation to themselves ara
tbe3r heirs certain lands specified. In return
%, ,hee, e,nour1ents and privileges the Ma
rooms were not only to keep the peace toward
kim George Ii. his successors and their hes'S,
bu, also were to kill suppress or destroy all
rebels against the British crown IN Ja'iid'0d
ard Invaders OF that dominion. This was how
the Maroon barons swore fealty IN los ANN
inr their marks to the instrument as inteli-
gently no doubt. and as intellisibiy as any o'
tbeii predecessors did at Runnymedc
FORMER REBELLION
put - as some of the recent dispatches from
Jan,aica have reported the ST. Mary's MaroonS
boasted TO Governor Iicmming that their race
had never broken the treaty Of 1I3S. they spoke
without adequate warrant Of history. 1t may
be that that particular settlement or sept nave
never betrayed their ancestral pact. but other
Maroons certainly rebellcd in lI9o rms risihs
was provoked by the seizure. imprisonment anu
whining of a Maroon in Trelawney PARISH
who had stolen pig 1t was not the seizure
nor the Imprisonment. nor even the mere Whlp-
ming that the Maroon complained Of, but the
shame Of being whipped by a common negro IN
the nresence OF common negro prisoners. No'
,rtu several regiments Of British troops had
heen disastrousiy engaged. lssing many oil their
mon in repeated ambuscades. did the GoVefh-
want annreciate the necessity OF entirely uil-