CASE HISTORY
Life , at times, seems much like that portion of a law book which is concerned with “for instance”, precedent-setting moments of decisions which dictate much of the future.
Such selected cases may or may not be “just” in the finest sense of the term, but that way the way it was done at a previous times often suggests that it might best be handled in a like manner, should the situation present itself once more. ."Precedent” has been established from which future decisions will be influenced by that decision again and again.
Then, like lawyers and doctors, we direct our paths so that the future is determined, to a large extend, by the way we have lived in the past, or that of our predecessors, for that matter.
A prime example comes to us from the early history of this Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Briefly, the situation in the 1740's involved a group of about a score of Indians traveling north down the Valley from the Fort Chiswell with written permission to do so from Magistrate Andrew Lewis, to visit relatives living to the west of Winchester. On the evening of their arrival at the town called Rolla or Verona, they made camp for the night at a barn north of the village with permission of the owners
That evening a group of local toughs are said to have taken courage from firewater went to the camp to have some fun with the red men and the resulting fight killed all but two of the Indians. Those two who escaped death desperately tried to get back to their home in Southwestern Virginia and killed an aged couple along the way.
The entire Colony was shocked. Those were friendly Indians and it was only later that savage depredations began.. The Royal Governor and local magistrates posted a reward for any information concerning the white group called “The Verona Boys”.Promptly notices were mysteriously nailed to the same bulletin boards warning what might happen to anyone who said the knew any of the men involved . Those notes had something to do with the village's forgetfulness, it is thought.
The case came to trial in time. No witnesses appeared so the Verona Boys were not punished.
A short at Point Pleasant a group of white men ambushed a son of Chief Cornstalk and killed him and other Indians as they entered the area under a visible flag of truce to report a massive pending attack being planned by hostile tribes.
The whites involved were brought to trial as “The Rock bridge Boys”, but no witnesses appeared. They were absolved of blame when the precedent of “The Verona Boys” was cited. From that time, when a white man murdered an Indian, the legal precedent was brought forth. It became the law for the entire frontier.
This moment of local history suggests we be careful what we choose to guide our future.
A.L.M. August 18, 2003 [c 517wds]
