"In the Supreme Court of Judicature Grenada to wit the Jurors for our Lord the King upon their oath – present that one Pierre of the Parish of Saint David in the Island of Grenada being an Obeah Man and a Person of an evil disposed mind and pretending to have communication with the Devil and other evil spirits on the second day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty three and in the fourth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord William the Fourth with force and arms, at the Parish and Island aforesaid feloniously did prepare and give and cause to be given a certain noxious drug composed of Conch Shell Rum and Honey in the practice of Obeah to a certain slave named Boy attached to La Sagesse Estate in the said Island against the form of the statute of the said Island in such case made and provided and against the peace of our said Lord the King his Crown and Dignity.

And the Jurors aforesaid upon their oath aforesaid do further present that the said Pierre on the said second day of October in the said year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty three and in the fourth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord William the Fourth with force and arms at the parish and Island aforesaid feloniously did cause to be given a certain Noxious Drug in the practice of Obeah to the said slave named Boy against the form of the statute of the said Island in such case made and provided and against the peace of our said Lord the King his ...

"In the Supreme Court of Judicature Grenada to wit the Jurors for our Lord the King upon their oath – present that one Pierre of the Parish of Saint David in the Island of Grenada being an Obeah Man and a Person of an evil disposed mind and pretending to have communication with the Devil and other evil spirits on the second day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty three and in the fourth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord William the Fourth with force and arms, at the Parish and Island aforesaid feloniously did prepare and give and cause to be given a certain noxious drug composed of Conch Shell Rum and Honey in the practice of Obeah to a certain slave named Florentine attached to La Sagesse Estate in the said Island against the form of the statute of the said Island in such case made and provided and against the peace of our said Lord the King his Crown and Dignity.

And the Jurors aforesaid upon their oath aforesaid do further present that the said Pierre on the said second day of October in the said year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty three and in the fourth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord William the Fourth with force and arms at the parish and Island aforesaid feloniously did cause to be given a certain Noxious Drug in the practice of Obeah to the said slave named Florentine against the form of the statute of the said Island in such case made and provided and against the peace of our said Lord...

"On First indictment in the case of Pierre.

Notes, from the Chief Judges book of proceedings in the Supreme Court of Judicature

the witness Joseph – declared that, he went to Prisoners house for remedies for sick child of this witness.

Prisoner scraped some alligators teeth, put in a little sugar and rum and warm water and gave it to the child – he told witness the child had been poisoned.

Prisoner cupped Susans foot with a small part of a calabash, into which he held a piece of lighted and greased paper; first having cut the foot some slight cuts with a razor: he brought blood into the calabash, which he threw into a plate – and there was a scorpion in the blood: Prisoner said Louis Pierre had put the Scorpion in the Womans foot. Susan had lived with Louis Pierre, and had left him.

Witness produced a piece of paper with a brown powder in it, which Prisoner gave to the Witness to give to the Child in rum, water, and sugar – it was given – did nor good or harm – paid him a fowl and a quarter dollar – always carried something.

The witnesses – Pierre Marie, and Lydia, gave evidence to the same fact of cupping on the back of Lydia's neck from which he drew, or took out, a live frog – which was killed, as Lydia swore by holy water – Pierre Marie said one frog;- Lydia said two: Pierre Marie said killed with Rum. Pierre Marie said he went to Pierres house with Florentine to get a remedy for childs sickness – it was ...

"Grenada 30th January 1834
Honorable Sir,
I beg leave to enclose a Petition to His Excellency Governor General which I humbly request Your Excellency will be pleased to forward to His Excellency and I humbly beg leave to represent to Your Excellency that I am a Cripple having lost the use of both feet and that I am unable to move without crutches.
I remain,
Honorable Sir,
Your most obedient humble Servt
Pierre
his
X
mark"

"To His Excellency Major General Sir Lionel Smith Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath Governor and Commander in chief in and over the islands of Barbados Saint Vincent Grenada and Tobago and their respective dependencies &c &c &c

The humble Petition of Pierre of the Island of Grenada free black man

Sheweth,
That by an Act of this Colony made on the twenty sixth day of april one thousand eight hundred and twenty five intituled “An Act to consolidate all the Laws now in force relating to the Slave Population for making more effectual provision for their maintenance and protection and for the admissibility of their testimony in certain cases” it is amongst other things enacted that any person or persons whether free or Slaves who shall pretend to use any art or mystery with the intent or so as to affect the life or health of any Slave or other person or who shall mix or prepare with an intent to give or cause to be given any poison or poisoners drug pounded glass or other deleterious matter in the practice of Obeah or otherwise although death may not ensue on the taking thereof or who shall have in his her or their possession any poisonous drugs pounded glass Parrot's beaks Dogs' teeth Alligators' teeth or other materials notoriously used in the practice of Obeah or Witchcraft and in a state of evident preparation for carrying on such dangerous and nefarious practice or who shall be found at any meeting formed either...

"Government House
Grenada. 3d February 1834
Sir,
I have the honor to transmit to Your Excellency, the accompanying letter & Petition from Pierre a free Black man, under Sentence of Transportation for 28 Years by the Supreme Court of Judicature of this Island.
I have &c
G. Middlemore
true copy C. H. Darling"

"Town of St George Grenada

Sir
At Your Excellency's request, I enclose the essential particulars of the case of Pierre, condemned, for the practice of Obeah, to suffer the punishment of transportation; which will be, in effect, for life; since twice fourteen years is a period longer than his natural life will in all probability continue. The extreme penalty of the law is death. His punishment, however, is in reality nothing, as this is not his native Country, being by birth an African, and not having any family connections here. He is a free man, but extremely indigent; being considerably adroned in years, and having sore feet, his fate, in this Island, would inevitably have been encreasing misery until death: therefore whilst the judgment of the Court has removed him from the Scene of his abominable practices, it has rendered them no longer necessary for his subsistence; since as a transported convict he will be supplied with necessaries during his existence: and it is certain, that he does not lose any comforts, because he did not enjoy any; being entirely dependent on the precarious earnings of his nefarious arts. His poverty has no doubt driven him to his bad practices; but those arts, amongst a credulous and extremely superstitious people – his fellow negroes – are very destructive of peace, and eventually of life; the direful effects of such practices being the continual dread of irresistible supernatural power, often producing despair, insuperable melan...

"Grenada.
6th March 1834
Sir,
I have the honor to enclose herewith, a letter from the Lieuten't Governor of this Island, transmitting a Petition from a free Black man named “Pierre” recently tried and convicted by the Supreme Court, for Obeah.
2. The Sentence of the Court (14 Years to the Hulks at Woolwich, and then 14 Years to New South Wales) having appeared to me of unusual severity, I called for Copies of the Indictments, and of the Judges Notes and Report herewith enclosed.
3. I found it impossible to respite the execution of the Sentence, with reference to the tranquillity of the Negroes of those Estates, over which Pierre exercised such dangerous influence, and Attorney of one of these Estates having represented, if Pierre was restored to liberty he felt certain many of his Slaves would abscond and destroy themselves through dread of the supernatural powers he had long pretended to and practised; and it is not my intention therefore to interfere with his sentence of Banishment.
4. The Judges Report will also fully shew you the grounds on which he founded the severest Sentence he could, short of death
5. On the other hand, if the Sentence bears any objection, I shall desire the benefit of your Instructions for my furtive guidance, on similar occasions.
I have the honor to be
Sir,
your most obedient,
& most humble Servant
[sgd Lionel Smith]"

[1140/1834]
[received May 10 1834]
"Sir,
I have the honor to acquaint you, that a free black man named Pierre, who was convicted of the crime of Obeah, upon two several Indictments, was at the Supreme Court of Judicature, held on the 10th of December last, sentenced to be banished & transported to Woolwich, and from thence to New South Wales, or such other place, as His Majesty's Government may direct, for the space of fourteen years for the first offence; and from & after that period, for the further term of fourteen years for the second offence -

Agreeably to the Instructions contained in Lord Bathurst's letter dated 12th Septr 1822, I apprized the House of Assembly of this Island, of the conditions, under which the transportation of the above named Convict was to be effected, and they having accordingly authorised the Public Treasurer to defray the expense of his conveyance to the Hulks at Portsmouth, the Prisoner has been this day, placed on board the ship Ruckies B. Soper Master, to be by him conveyed to his destination.

An Order of the Court has been delivered to Capt Soper, authorising him to receive the body of Pierre, & directing that he deliver him over to the proper authorities, on his arrival in England

I have the honor to be

Sir
your most Obedient
Humble Servant
[sd] G. Middlemore
Lieutenant Governor"

"Sir
I am directed by Mr. Secretary Stanley to transmit to you the accompanying Despatch from the Governor of Barbados, and I am to desire you to impart to me, for Mr. Stanley's information, your opinion upon the questions of Law to which reference is made in that Despatch -
I have the honor to be
Sir
your obedient Servant,
John Lefevre"

"Mr Lefevre, I apprehend that you must send this case to the Attorney and Solicitor General for the Prisoner claims his discharge not as an act of grace, but of strict right; and such Rights cannot be properly conceded or denied on any other than the highest accessible Authority. It would be superfluous for me to write any opinion upon them a Question which must thus be transformed from myself to others. I cannot however abstain from observing that if the law shall really be found to justify a Sentence of fourteen years labour at the Hulks at Woolwich, to be followed by 14 years Transportation to N. S. Wales for such conduct as the [?] have ascribed to the Petitioner, it is a law which cannot be [?] soon repealed, and of which H. M. ought to arrest the [Executive?] in this particular case. The imputed offence is Obeah. The real crime is nothing more or less than that of having [practised?] as a Quack Doctor. I believe there is not a Newspaper published this morning in London, which does not contain Projects for curing Disease, compared to which those of this unfortunate Negro are rational and judicious. By Obeah, I have always supposed to be meant Practices intended to impair Health and Life, and afflicting their Purpose through the subjection to which the imagination first, and then the Spirits of the Victim are reduced. Pierre did no harm, and meant no harm. One of his Patients was actually better for his treatment, and in the other case, the sick Child 16 was neither ...