A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 447 



Paget's Island and Smith's Island, which form the southeast bound- 

 ary of the harbor, were both fortified in the early years of the 

 settlement, by Governors Moore, Tucker, and Butler (1012-1621), 

 and Governor Woodhouse, in 1626, built a new fort on Paget's 

 Island, near the present Fort Cunningham. 



Governor Tucker, though a rather energetic man in some direc- 

 tions, apparently had about as little knowledge of, or respect for, 

 the ordinary rules and customs in the construction of forts, as in the 

 administration of the civil laws. He was accused of having greatly 

 exceeded his authority and of violating the English laws, in some of 

 the trials. His officers and juries were evidently so cowed by fear 

 for their own safety that they did about anything he wished. 



Many persons, in his time, were sentenced to be hanged for very 

 trivial crimes, though some, after being sentenced and taken to the 

 gallows, were reprieved by the governor " in his great mercye," as 

 the records say, but they then remained as " condemned persons," 

 and in some cases were illegally sentenced to remain as " slaves to 

 the company." Perhaps he was well aware that some of these per- 

 sons richly deserved hanging for other crimes. 



Governor Butler (1619) gave the following account of one of 

 these trials : — 



" But the third man (whose name was Paul Deane) escaped not so 

 well, for being endicted for the stealeinge of a peece of cheese, he 

 was arraigned and condemned, and therupon eraveinge the benefitt 

 of his booke (the prize of the stolne goodes being valued at twenty* 

 pence), it was answered him by the Governours owne mouth (very 

 unwarrantably) that he would allowe noe booke in a plantation ; so 

 that therupon being sentenced, he was hanged the next daye ; and 

 it was secretly muttered, as if the Governour had owed him some 

 secrett spleene, and the rather because at his arringement, when the 

 stolen cheese was at the first valued under twelve pence,* he caused 

 it (in a fury) to be prized at twenty pence." 



Some of the people, who afterwards sent a complaint about this to 

 the Company, did not object to the hanging, but only complained of 

 the illegal character of the trial. The laws of England were con- 

 sidered strictly applicable to Bermuda at that time. 



Governor Butler, who was more skilled in constructing public 



* It appears to have been a regular practice, in those times, for the owners of 

 stolen articles to undervalue them, in order to avoid the application of capital 

 punishment. It would seem that the complainant had a right to do so by usage, 

 if not by law. Stealing anything of the value of 20 d or more was a capital crime 

 at that time. 



