THE SWISS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 1652-1970 - swissroots-za.ch

the rampart, slide down it, take a rowing boat on the beach, row out to one of the ships
of the homeward bound fleet lying in the bay and there stow away. Unfortunately two of
the men fell when they lost their grip on the rope while sliding down, and injured
themselves. Unable to walk away, all three hid in a nearby limekiln, where they were
found the next morning.
Brought before the Court of Justice, the following sentence was passed: that whereas
the heinous crime of desertion from Company service should be most severely punished
to deter others, to execute all three accused is considered too harsh. The prisoners are
thereforee to be taken to the place of execution, there to draw lots: the man who draws
the shortest lot was forthwith to be placed against the execution post and shot to death,
the other two banned for life from the Cape.
A footnote to the minutes of the court dated 4 May 1748 states that the shortest lot
was drawn by Jacob Boery of Zurich and the death sentence had been inflicted on him.
Kisler / Fisler, Jan born Berne [Geissler of Ins BE or Gisler?], arrived 2.11.1748 on
Dishoek as junior sailor for Kamer Edam with pay fl 8. 1750 sailor. / KAB, MR 1750;
NL, ARA, MR 1750.
Weeper / Wever, Casper born Glarus or Berne [Weber?], arrived 18.12.1748 on
Geldermalsen for Kamer Zeeland. 1749 sick, 1749-1750 wagon-driver. / KAB, MR
1749-1750; NL, ARA, MR 1750.
Chigri, Hans Jurgen born Bern [Kilcher, Gigeror or Geiger?], arrived 23.12.1748 on
Witsburg as sailor for Kamer Edam with pay fl 11. 1749 sailor. / KAB, MR 1749.
Sandoz, Pierre born Neuchatel, arrived 23.12.1748 on Witsburg. 1748-1752 soldier, 1
1753 burgher, earning his living as gold and silversmith. Departed illegally in April
1754 after fraudulently claiming to have discovered gold. 2 & 3 / KAB, MR 1749-1752;
NL, ARA, MR 1752; 2 KAB, C 132, 23.4.1754; 3 KAB, CJ 3220: 4.
NOT CLEVER ENOUGH
Pierre Sandoz of Neuchatel came to the Cape in 1748 as a soldier. As far as can be
ascertained, he performed his duties well and never caused any trouble. At the end of
his service contract he requested permission to remain here as a free burgher earning his
living as a silver and goldsmith. Perhaps his father had been a silversmith in Neuchatel
and Sandoz had gleaned the rudiments of the art from him? His deficient training would
prove fatal.
There is no record of Sandoz having set up shop in Cape Town – perhaps he was a
travelling craftsman. Then suddenly in 1754 he turned up at the Castle with important
news: he claimed to have discovered gold in the faraway Swellendam district. The
Dutch had from the beginning hoped for and unsuccessfully searched for precious
metals. Sandoz’claim caused great excitement.
The magistrate in Swellendam was instructed to excavate a quantity of the ore and
have it transported to the Cape, where the best available experts were assigned to attend
a sample smelting by Sandoz to verify the gold content. Sandoz prepared the fire
carefully with selected charcoal. He placed the crucible containing the ore in the fire
and increased its heat with a steady flow of fresh air from the bellows. It would take
several hours of heating before the ore smelted, so the Governor’s experts gladly
accepted Sandoz’suggestion that they go and attend to their own business and return at
the appropriate time.
When they returned the smelting process had already been completed and Sandoz
presented them with the crucible containing two separate small nuggets, one of silver
and the other of gold. The experts were amazed – not at the quantity of precious metals
presented but at the fact that these had congealed in two separate nuggets when by
training and experience they knew the result should have been one nugget containing an
amalgam of gold and silver. Now highly suspicious of Sandoz, they obtained a small
quantity of the ore, repeated the smelting in their own oven – and found neither gold nor
silver! Sandoz was formally invited to attend another smelting under their direction
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