Document: Proceedings against Anna Tchuys

to the Indians is not prevented, discovered and punished. Therefore, the director-general and council of New Netherland do hereby expressly forbid the aforesaid selling, furnishing, supplying or giving of any strong drink to Indians either here, in the countryside as well as on the rivers, streams and kills, out of sloops or in any manner or by any means, or by what persons soever the same may be done and practiced, not only on the penalty formerly expressed, namely, 500 Carolus guilders, but in addition such persons shall be corporeally corrected and punished at the discretion of the judge. In order to discover and prevent the same more effectively, the director-general and council of New Netherland have, with the approval of the commissioners and representatives from the magistracy of this city, deemed it highly necessary that, from this time forward, all drunken Indians shall be arrested and imprisoned, and kept in confinement until they have told and declared who had furnished, sold or given them the drink. Such confessions and declarations of theirs shall, according to the circumstances of the case and the persons, be accepted and believed on that point, and the violators hereof shall, on the declaration of the Indians, be punished according to the ordinance and the exigency of the cases. We order our fiscal to have this published and posted in all the usual places as soon as possible, and after the publication and posting to put the same into execution without respect of persons, because we consider such to be for the public service and the peace of the inhabitants, in order to prevent greater dangers and misfortunes. Thus done at the session of the honorable director-general and high council held in New Amsterdam, 28 August 1654; and was signed: P. Stuyvesant, Nicasius de Sille, C. van Werckhooven, La Montangne and Cor. van Thienhooven.

28 August 1654, New Amsterdam.

Cornelis van Thienhooven, fiscal, plaintiff against Anna Tchuys, presently a prisoner. The fiscal charges that she was found between the 28th and 29th of August at night along the Heere Wech near the house of Jan Vinje lying on her back against the clapboards with her skirts pulled up and her body bared; on top of her was Samuel Cromstock with his pants undone. Anna Tchuys falls on her knees and begs for mercy, claiming that Cromstock had done no more. She is ordered to be taken away until the next session. Thus done, present: the director-general and high council, except for Mr. Werckhooven, dated as above.