Provincial Court Proceedings, 1658. 205

Lett it be enquyred for the L^d Proprietary, whither Symon Ouer-
zee late of S^t Johns in the County of S^t Maries merchant, On the
Twentith day of September Ario 1656, att S^t Johns in the County
afores^d by force & armes, That is to say, w^th Peare-Tree Twiggs of
noe ualue, an assault did make uppon a certaine man called Toney a
Negro, & his the s^d Ouerzees slaue, Beating the s^d Slaue, w^th the s^d
Peare-Tree Twiggs, & powring melted Lard uppon him, And whither
afterwards the s^d Symon Ouerzee the Body of the s^d Toney, tyed
by the wrists to a Ladder, did hang up from the Grownd exposed to
the iniuries of the weather, Of w^ch stripes, melting Lard & hanging
up by the wrists &c: the s^d Toney w^th in three howres dyed. And
soe the s^d Symon Ouerzee the s^d Toney in manner & forme afores^d
did f elloniously by chance Kill, Contrary to the peace of his Lordship,
his rule & gouernm^t.
Job Chandler his testimony, concerning a Negro called Antonio
belonging to his Brother Symon Ouerzee.
That his Brother Ouerzee brought the s^d Negro Antonio about
March in the yeare 1656 up to his Plantaon in Portoback Creek, &
there left him w^th his Ouerseer Clement Theobalds to worke w^th his
other seruants But after his Brother Ouerzee was gone downe, the
Ouerseer made many Complaynts to mee, th^h hee could not make
him doe any thing, noe not soe much as beate his owne Victualls, I
aduised him to use all fayre meanes, to try if that way might work
good uppon him, if not to giue him blowes: But whither hee did
correct him att any time I doe not know, But the s^d negro runne
away, & they complayned to mee that hee lay lurking about the
Plantaon, & tooke his opportunity when they were in the feild att

Liber
P. C. R.
Attorney
General v.
Overzee

worke, or when they were att the Cow pen milking, then would he
gett into the howse & into the loft, & steale soe much bread & meate
as he thought good & begone. After hee had run this course about
three weeks or a month, one of my mayd seruants fownd him in an
inward roome in my quartering howse Eating hominy out of a Pott,
& came running in to acquaint mee w^th it: But he perceiuing th^t he
was discouered, sought to make an Escape, & was gott amongst high
weeds creeping on his hand & knees But the dogs finding him out, I
brought him into my howse, & fownd one of his hands extreame sore,
& th^t one of his fingers was mortifyed, th^t it must be cutt of to saue
his hand & arme from a Gangreene. I examined him how it came,
but could not w^th all the words & signes I could imagine understand
from him how it came, ffor of all humane Creatures th^t euer I saw,
I neuer knew such a Brute: for I could not perceiue any speech or
language hee had, only an ugly yelling Brute beast like. I drest his
hand w^th the best meanes I had, And gaue him Victualls to eate, w^ch
hee eate as Rauenous as an hungry starued Dog, & after hee had
eaten good part of what I gaue him hee made signes th' hee would
begone, But I made signes to him to sitt downe againe. Att length

p. 162