Genealogical notes of Barnstable families - citizen hylbom blog

GENEALOGICAL NOTES OF BARNSTABLE ITAMILIES. 107
aad Hypocrisie aad Covetousness bend a Thing? Some time
after the said Preacher killed some of these Cows to be eat in his
house saying, He would try if the Quakers would bewitch him ; and
not long after he died, even before the Flesh of these Cows was
all eat. This passage is so fresh in that Town that it is acknowledged
by divers of the neighbors to be true."
It is stated in a note in the margin that this "passage" was
first published in London in 1693, and by Bishop in 1702, the
date of the imprint of the edition from which I quote. Ralph
Jones died in 1692, and as he was living at the time, it must have
been written as early as that year. The facts are not clearly
stated. At first reading, I understood the "passage" to mean
that the "Priest" married a daughter of Ralph Jones, which was
not the intention of the writer. He intended to say that Ralph
Jones a quaker resident in Barnstable, had four cows and some
calves taken by the constable to pay his ministerial tax. The
oflScer was the son-in-law of the minister. The latter offered to
give up two of the cows ; but Jones refused to send for them.
Afterwards the minister killed one of the calves, and sent a part
of it to his daughter, then lying in child-bed. She eat a little and
fell into great trouble and desired her father to return the cows,
and soon died in consequence of the eating of the veal. The minister
charged the Quakers with having bewitched his daughter and
caused her death. Some little time after the minister killed one
of the cows to be eat in his house, saying, he would try if the
Quakers could bewitch him. Before he had eaten all the flesh of
the cow he fell sick and died.
This is the meaning of the "passage." It is in reply to the
marvles recorded by Cotton Mather. The intention of the writer
was to make it appear that the death of the daughter and of the
father was a judgment of God.
Excepting the name of Ralph Jones, neither dates or names
are given. This omission is ominous of evil intent, and if the
story is a fabrication it is difficult, two centuries afterwards, to
bring satisfactory evidence to prove it untrue, or that the circumstances
in the case have been exaggerated.
After careful examination 1 am satisfied that the cows were
taken in payment for taxes due from Ralph Jones by Dea. Job
Crocker, son-in-law of Rev. Thomas Walley, and constable of the
town of Barnstable in 1676. I regret that a man so excellent in
all the relations of life as Dea. Crocker was, should have such
things laid to his charge. As constable, he was obliged to serve
the process and take the cows, and to that extent no blame attaches
to him. The story says that his wife, who then laid on
her death bed, requested that the cows should be returned, and
her father, the Rev. Mr. Walley, offered to give up the two that
legally belonged to him, the other two legally belonged to the