listen, …

By Selwyn R. Cudjoe, Ph.D.
July 31, 2024

the second part

The Legislature opened its session shortly after noon on October 1, 1849. Attorney General Charles Warner proposed that a committee be formed to further review the prison regulations. He also informed the members of the Legislature that Governor Harris had met with a delegation of citizens before the meeting and assured them that he would amend the offending provisions to which they objected.

William Hardin Burnley, the island’s largest capitalist, opposed any changes to the regulations. “If we make any changes today, who can say that we are not subject to outdoor noise and intimidation?” he argued.

William Rennie, another member of the committee, protested the legislation, which he called reactionary and vindictive. He said, “There is great public opposition to the new statute, especially as it applies to debtors of this type.” He particularly objected to the provision requiring prisoners to shave their heads.

Although the stucco walls of the Governor’s House were designed to provide a cool interior, the meeting room was so crowded that it became unbearable. Lord Harris said: “The room was so unbearably hot that people had to leave the window behind my chair empty so that I could get some fresh air, but they often packed the room full.”

A lone visitor was sitting behind the Governor’s chair, which made him uncomfortable. The Governor instructed Deputy Inspector Thomas: “Take that man out and don’t let him in again.” Thomas then called Charles Edward Barnes to take the man out of the room. When Barnes tried to arrest Lewis Peter Golds, who was standing behind the Governor’s chair, an argument broke out between Barnes and the crowd in the room.

The crowd released Lewis. “At that moment another man in the room waved his hand to the mob below, who immediately began to attack the windows of the public building with rocks,” the governor later wrote. “Some of the rocks even flew over the governor’s head. As the meeting continued, the rocks continued to hit the building. The people were brandishing sticks and machetes. They were ready for action.”

After the meeting, the Attorney General tried to calm the crowd. He addressed them for about 20 minutes: “I am going to talk to you about the Queen’s Law. I would be grateful if you would take off your hats and remain silent… I can assure you that the objectionable parts of the law will be removed. There will be no more shaving ceremonies in the Royal Prisons.”

The noise of the crowd drowned out most of Warner’s speech. Those who heard him shouted “No”. One of the leaders of the protest, Thomas Nelson, did not give up. With a stick in hand, he roared: “No! No! No. I don’t want an attorney general. The governor himself must come out and speak to us. He made the laws, and he must come out and explain them. I will not be satisfied until this government is overthrown.”

There are only 91 police officers on the island, 38 of whom are stationed in Port of Spain.

Most of them were French and German immigrants, as Trinidadians refused to join the police force. Most of the senior officers were recruited from the Irish police force. When the riots broke out, the police were like an alien force. They could not defeat such a large crowd, because these people saw them as foreigners.

Outside assistance was needed. The governor called in the army. Later that afternoon, Warner’s father-in-law, Cadiz, read the Riot Act and asked the people to disperse. The crowd ignored him. They continued to throw rocks at the soldiers. The soldiers began to reload bullets. The soldiers, intimidated by the aggressiveness of the crowd, opened fire on the crowd with devastating results. Two women and a child were killed that day.

The people’s anger did not end there. Later that evening, they threw stones at Cadiz’s residence, then moved to the Royal Prison, causing damage to the house of Mr. Hart, who was a prison warden. Although they did not understand the Latin motto above the prison gate (Pro Rege et lege – for King and Law), they threw stones at his residence, while others bashed the gate with sticks.

On December 14, at the trial of the insurgents, the Attorney General testified: “I regret that, although the necessity of firing was obvious, this necessity cannot completely eliminate our sorrow at the bloodshed of civilians.”

We should always remember the blood that was shed for our freedom.