A letter from the past

Lance Neita, Contributor

One of my favourite heroes is George William Gordon. In a flight of fantasy I pictured Gordon on Heroes Day walking up to the dais to accept his country's highest honour from Governor General Sir Patrick Allen. His shoulders would have been as broad and his head as high as the more than 100 outstanding Jamaicans who received their honours at King's House on Monday.

In another time, and in another place, he would have been promptly executed on the platform by the governor. In real life, then governor of Jamaica, John Eyre, hated his guts. It was Eyre who blamed Gordon for the 1865 Morant Bay rebellion, and it was Eyre who personally arrested Gordon and had him sent to the gallows.

Sir Philip Sherlock, in his book The Story of the Jamaica People, writes, "The heroes of a nation embody its cherished values, express its highest purposes, inspire its noblest achievements."

George William Gordon personifies this description. His role was not fashioned by any accident of history. Like the other heroes who died at the hands of their colonial masters, he deliberately took the road he trod, knowing well that it could lead to his incarceration and inevitable death.

He was a gentleman who had an absolute passion for helping the poor. Unlike Bogle, Sharpe, and Nanny he was not a physical fighter or a warrior in the true sense of the word. But he was just as brave and outspoken when it came to standing up for the downtrodden.

He was driven by an amazing social conscience. As a member of the House he used his position to highlight the sufferings of the people and worked unceasingly on their behalf. Bogle and he were miles apart both in physical distance as well as at social levels. Yet, he threw in his lot with the hero of Stony Gut and in so doing earned the hatred not only of the governor, but of his peers who derided and jeered as he spoke out on behalf of the poor.

Abject poverty

And poor they were. Jamaica today has no idea of the conditions which faced the ordinary people in the 1860s. It was a period which saw the ex-slaves living for the most part in abject poverty. Conditions were almost as bad as it had been during slavery and a two-year drought prior to 1865 worsened the already miserable conditions.

The 400 persons who stormed the bulwarks at Morant Bay on October 11, 1865, had been driven to the limits by the victimisation and harsh repressive measures wrought upon the poorer class.

The punishment for those captured in the aftermath of the rebellion was flogging, death, or both. One butcher who was forced to whip, whipped from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eyre watched the beatings and the hangings.

In the midst of this turmoil, Gordon was falsely accused as the instigator. He was tried on October 21 and hung on October 23.

Compulsory reading

The letter he wrote to his wife from his prison cell the night before his death is a literary gem which deserves compulsory reading in schools. It is a testimony to the hallmarks of true heroism and makes Gordon stand out as a leader and a martyr. His honesty, strength, and compassion is breathed into every word.

"Say to all my friends an affectionate farewell; they must not grieve for I die innocently. Comfort your heart. You must do the best you can and the Lord will help you ... And do not be ashamed of the death your poor husband will have suffered.

"I thought His Excellency would have allowed me a fair trial, but I have no power of control. May the Lord be merciful to him ...

"I have only been allowed one hour. I wish more time had been allowed. ... May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Your truly devoted and now nearly dying husband."

In a country where foul murder continues to stalk the land, the last words of this gentle giant is an inspiration to those, like the family of Heroes' Weekend victim Dwayne Nelson, who can still find purpose for life in compassion, courage and God's goodness.

Comments may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com or lance.neita@norandabauxite.com