The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-07-27
THE NOVA SCOTIA MARooNs.
Curious Story of Negroes Exiled Fron
 Jamaica.

, Curious Story of Negroes Exiled From Jamaica.
 With the pathetic story of the exiIed Acadians we are ali familiar. The tale of the maroons, transplanted from the
 sunny hills of Jamaica to the bleak and
 storm yexed coast of Nova Scotia, has
 had no Longfellow to give it immortali- l ty. Yet the fate of the nlaroons was as sad. as tragic and as undeserved as that of the Aeadians. Near Halifax is
 ''Hampsen Town," community of ne- groes. Part of these are the descend
 ants of American slaves, emancipated | by the British troops at the time of the
 burning of Washington during the war of 1912. and taken on their war vessels l to Nova Scotia. By far the greater l part, however, are descendants of the
 maroons, whose number, throughout the ! entire province, is estimated at between eight and ten thousand. Possibly in no part of the earth were the African slaves treated with greater ! cruelty than in Jamaica. Even the Spaniards of Cuba and Porto Dico were
 merciful in comparison with the British
 slave owners on Jamaica plantations It was the custom of the planters to
 brand their initials upon the bodies of their human chattels with red-hot irons, just as cattlemen of the western ranges 1 brand their stock. A negro convicted of twice striking a white was either quar- tered or was burned over a slow fire, be- ginning with his feet. The hastinado and other forms of discipline" were l frequently applied with such yigor that the victim died on the spot. S, In consequence of the cruelty of their masters many negroes fled to the unin- habited portions of the island. The western part of the island was the ! safest, and therefore the preferred place
 of refuge, being very. rugged and brok- en, and abounding in curious natural depressions or amphitheaters. called .scockpits.'' Here they lived wild, pre- calious and seni-savage existence, their numbers constantly increasing by acs I sessions from the plantations. Through the medium of their friends still re-
 nnaining in bondage they were able to
 obtain arms, ammunition and supplies of various kinds. and, owing 10 their \ knowledge of the surface of the country and their practice of the drum lan- guage, derived from their kindred, the
 Dwallas of the west coast of Africa, en-
 abling them to give warning of ap-
 preaching danger, they were able to l defy the colonial authorities.
 These runaway slaves were called ma
 rooms, contraction of the Spanish | word s'cimaroon. 2 meaning wild or saw ] age. de rived from t.cima, mountain i top. This meaning of the word Is piob-
 ably older. as it is more logical, than \ it's usual application, meaning one cast \ upon an uninhabited island. The bands 4 were largest and most numerous in the
 valley of Dry river, where they built a city which they called TrelaWney Town, ! Several other smaller towns were estab- lished, each being virtually an inde- l pendent republic.
 Frequent raids were made upon the l plantations of their old masters, and
 several times they even attacked inn I portant towns, the friendly negroes still
 in servitude keeping them advised as to l where their pillaging expeditions could
 be made with least danger The plan
 ters were compelled to barricade theii homes and be continually on the watch I for danger. Soldiers were quartered near the free villages, and at times the governor general was compelled to ap-
 peal for assistance to the friendly Mo squito Indians of Nicaragua. The I friendly relaiotns thus established be i tween Great Britain and the Mosqultos I were afterWard made the pretext foi
 declaring q protectorate over the Mos.
 quito coast. : l Finally the planters became tired pt
 this constant state of war, and made
 overtures to the refuges. Tn 1T59 tht little maroon republics were formally I recognized. limits of their towns care } fully defined and rights of absolute self
 government conceded. Iii return tn, negroes agreed. when outside the limit.
 of their own communities. to respect tn, q laws of the island and deliver up, deas
 or alive, all runaway slaves that should
 seek refuge among them. They ever
 undertook to build roads to their town. to promote trade and friendly traffiC with their late enemies. 53.
 For full quarter of century thi. Fl E @
 anomalous arrangement seemed to worl
 to the satisfaction of all. Then the in, ! evitable conflict was precipitated by : trifle. In 1795 two rnaroons of Trelaw. ney Town were convicted in the islant
 courts of having stolen a pig, and were publicly whipped by the hangman
 Great excitement was aroused in all tht ! free communities. 9.
 I If you had beheaded these men,
 they said, Eve would not have cared
 but you have inflicted upon them pun. ishmert reserved only for slaves, in di
 rect violation of both the spirit and let.
 ter of the agreement made with us"
 T So threatening did affairs become tha the whole island was declared undei
 martial law, and British troops invaded
 the reserved territory around TrelaWne,
 Town. After desperate struggle tht l troops were reDulsed, and then settled
 down to the slower, but safer method. of a blockade. Had the slaves through
 out the island chosen to revolt at thi.
 time the whites undoubtedly would hay,
 suffered the same fate as those of Hay xterrlination-and another blacl
 republic like San Domingo and Hayt I might have been born, but the planta ton slaves had seen the maroofls sur
 render one after the other of the refu
 gees to the barbarous punishment tha
 awaited them from the masters iron lWhom they had fled. They therefore re.