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Alexander Bedward: the final solution (Part 2) - Through the 20th Century with the Gleaner

C. Roy Reynolds, Contributor

HAVING SEPARATED the Bedward followers into groups of men, women and children at the Half-Way Tree police station the courthouse across Hagley Park Road was being made ready for Magistrate Burke to take what was hoped to be the final step in stamping out Bedwardism. The fact that the man who was now to sit in judgment had been parading around with the police and military dressed in military garb did not factor into consideration as to whether it would have been proper for him to sit in judgment.

Shortly after the noon hour on April 25, 1921, Aubrey DeLeon, Deputy Clerk of Courts thundered: "Bring up Alexander Bedward!" and Bedward was escorted before the magistrate by two officers armed with rifles. The charge, as read by DeLeon was: "Assaulting a constable in the execution of his duty.

Bedward declined to enter a plea and according to The Gleaner of April 28, the magistrate readily agreed to a suggestion by the Clerk that he be remanded in custody for medical examination. Accordingly he was taken back to a cell at Half-Way Tree police station. Then followed procession after procession of the men from the police station to the courthouse to be processed in a sort of assembly line justice.

All the men were charged under the vagrancy law: That being able to work they had habitually abstained from working.. The court refused their contention that they were working people at a wide variety of trades.

The court's rationale was testimony from a Corporal Sutton who claimed that he knew them all and that they did not work. They yelled, shouted, sang and made noise from 4:00 a.m until all hours of night.

Magistrate Burke declared: "I am going to see what a little work can do for you people! Fourteen days hard labour in the St. Catherine District Prison.

A few who attempted to refute the charges were, like "their lord and master" remanded for medical examination.

Then it was the turn of the women, who likewise were escorted in groups to face the court... When some admitted that they were part of the "pilgrimage" that morning the magistrate observed sarcastically that what they meant was "pilferage".

And so the procession continued with all the women being given seven days to be served in the Kingston jail. Near nightfall the prosecutors seemed to have been tired out, but many women and children were still detained at the Half-Way Tree station. Thither the lawmen went to tell them that they were being pardoned and allowed to go home, but not before telling them: "You are a pack of fools. Instead of working you go singing and making noise to the disturbance of other people. You are lucky you were not charged with more serious offences, very lucky indeed!"

Less lucky were several men who were presented to the court as Bedward's close henchmen. They were given the maximum of two months hard labour.

A batch of 130 prisoners were sent by train to Spanish Town that evening to begin their sentence, while the remainder were scheduled to be similarly transported the next day.

Altogether The Gleaner reported that 685 persons had been arrested by the police that day and none of them had behaved with any resentment.

According to The Gleaner, Bedward was examined on Wednesday, April 27 by Dr. C. R. Edwards, D.M.C as well as noted attorney Phillip Stern, K.C.

But things were not to go as smoothly as the court and police had apparently anticipated. The Gleaner of April 29, 1921 said that "Imprisonment of Bedwardites Form Subject for Debate in Legislative Council; Deputation also sees Governor, Attorney-General on the matter which is now under the consideration of Chief Law Officer; Bedward sings in his cell, and at August Town there is dismay and depression among the leaderless flock".

We will see how all this continued to develop in the next instalment.

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