Justice in Suffolk County seems to have been of the rough and ready
variety back in the eighteenth century, judging from some excerpts
of proceedings of the County Board of Supervisors from that period.
One man
was paid for “services against pirates,” another for administering a
whipping, and a third man was paid “for cutting Frenchman’s throat.”
The
first record book of the Suffolk County Board of Supervisors,
containing the proceedings of that body between the years 1746 and
1823, contains some interesting items, a few of which are given
here.
At the
time the records were made the board was composed of members
representing Southampton, East Hampton, Southold, Huntington,
Smithtown, Brookhaven, Fisher’s Island, Shelter Island, Isle of
Wight, (Gardiner’s Island) Islip, Moriches, Eatons Neck, Plum
Island, Winnecomack and Smith Patent, 15 districts in all.
The
first record of the board having a clerk appears in 1749 when
William Nicoll, Jr., then supervisor, acted also as clerk of the
board. His salary as clerk in 1765 seems to have been but 16
shillings.
The pay
of the supervisors in those days was very small, as one of the
records shows that John Griffin, grandfather of Henry L. Griffin of
the old Griffin house at Riverhead, received but 11 pounds 6
shillings for his year’s work and expenses. At that time the
supervisors found it necessary to hold only two meetings a year, one
in June and one in October.
Nathaniel Smith is shown to have been the county treasurer, with a
salary of 5 pounds sterling a year. This was the salary of that
official for about 40 years.
Numerous bills were audited for the killing of wildcats. The record
states that in 1751 Abraham Halsey was paid six shillings each as
bounty on seven wildcats, and William Nicoll was paid three
shillings each for destroying a number of young wildcats.
It is
shown that in 1731, a master who had a Nero girl who had committed a
capital offense was paid 25 pounds. This sum was paid to Nathaniel
Smith of Smithtown. The justice and other officers connected with
trying the case were paid three pounds.
All
persons condemned to die were taken to Smithtown, where the
executions were held. Several items of money paid as shown by this
item, “1784, paid to Thomas Weeks, sheriff, for execution. Abram
Young, 5 pounds.” The record also shows that in 1749 the
undersheriff was allowed three shillings for rum and a cart at an
execution. Whether other methods than by hanging were used in those
days does not appear, but the following item seems to have been
allowed without question; “1762, paid Henry Hulse for cutting
Frenchman’s throat and assistance, seven shillings.”
Justice
was also meted out in this fashion, “1769, paid Barnabas Terrell for
prosecuting and whipping Spencer, a transcert person 18 shillings.” Various items of
the like were recorded in the old volume, and for services against
the pirates Mordecai Homan was paid three pounds 16 shillings.
For
manual labor in those days a man received but very little, as is
shown by an item that states Micah Wells and a boy received seven
shillings for a day’s labor.