The Burlington County Court Book has little to offer about Thomas Greene, but there was one incident witnessed by him that tells us a lot about life (and death) in West New Jersey in the 1680s.<\/p>\n
On August 9, 1686, Thomas Greene and Katherine Greene were called as witnesses in the case against James Wills, who was accused of beating \u201ca Negro woman\u201d to death. More specifically, he pleaded not guilty to \u201cgiving the woman Negro any blowes that occasioned her death.\u201d He did admit to burying the woman without notifying any official of her death, \u201cnot knowing that the Lawe required there should have beene an Inquest touching the cause of her death.\u201d1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Katherine Greene testified that \u201cthe Negro woman Servant [was] by said James Wills sent to be a while at the house of the said Katharine.\u201d She had come to get some advice from \u201ca Negro that belongs to the said Katharine\u201d regarding \u201csome distemper [she had] upon her.\u201d That \u201cdistemper,\u201d which sounds so mild, was a \u201cback very sore.\u201d The Negro woman told Katharine it was caused by \u201cFum, fum, which is (beating) and that further shee the said Katharine found a small Scarr upon her Belly which was sore,\u201d which had also come from a beating. But Katharine did not think any of these injuries would cause the woman\u2019s death. Thomas Greene testified to the same.<\/p>\n Throughout the testimony of this case, the woman\u2019s name was never mentioned, and she was never described as a slave, even though Wills was called her \u201cMaster.\u201d But her use of the expression \u201cfum fum\u201d suggests that she came from Jamaica, for the term does appear in the Dictionary of Jamaican English<\/a>.\u00a0 (Thanks to Ben Zimmer<\/a> for that tip.) Perhaps the most poignant testimony was given by William Myers:<\/p>\n \u201c. . . hee heard at a Considerable distance many blowes or stripes and walking onward as hee thought hee heard a Negro Cry out many tymes, and soe heard stripes or lashes continued till hee gott home, and then he supposed it to be James Wills beating his Negro woman, and heard still many Lashes more and Crying out, until hee was greevd and went into his owne house and shut the dore, and said to his wife oh! Yond cruell man, and sayth hee believes hee heard full a hundred stripes or lashes, but did not see James Wills beat his Negro.\u201d2<\/a><\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n But there were a couple eye-witnesses\u2014blacksmith Thomas Gladwyn and William Peachee. They appeared in court to say what they saw, but despite being “greeved,\u201d they returned to the Smithy to continue with their work, and so could not testify that the woman died of her wounds. Worse testimony came from James Hill who said he saw Wills<\/p>\n \u201cBeat his said Negro and tye her hands, and hang her up, but that her feet reached the ground and might sustaine the weight of her body, but hee believes it was painfull to her and that hee [James Hill] took her downe, but sayth the Negro was soe stubborne and willfull that might well provoke any Master to use her sharply: But sayth hee saw nothing done to the Negro that in his Judgment might be the cause of her death; But that hee this Deponent believes she was unsound.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Jury found Wills not guilty of the woman\u2019s death. Either they thought murder was not proved or that her \u2018stubborn and willfull\u2019 character made lawful what Wills\u2019 had done–in other words, justifiable homicide. They seem to have been a little uncomfortable about this, noting that she was \u201cunsound,\u201d meaning ill.<\/p>\n \u201cBut in regard it appears the said Negro was unsound, it was a fault, that hee did not therefore be the more spareing; and for that hee buryed her without a Jury or Inquest.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n