Thursday, July 14, 2016
Edinburgh Castle is on a hill in a remote part of the Pedro district, in the Parish of St. Ann. It was built by Lewis Hutchinson, Jamaica's earliest known serial killer. This Scottish Doctor migrated to Jamaica in the 1760's and constructed a two storey 'castle' with two circular loop holed towers placed diagonally at opposite corners.
Dr. Hutchinson, was also known as "the mad doctor". It is reputed that he could kill a lone passer-by with a single shot. He would then force his slaves to throw the victim’s body into a sinkhole on the property. Sometimes he would invite the victim(s) to his castle, the only inhabited spot for miles on the way from St. Ann's Bay in the south.. They would then be entertained before being tortured and killed.
For the “Mad Doctor” killing was a sport. Money was no incentive, because the victims were of all types and income levels.. He was our version of count Dracula (Prince Vlad) of Transylvania in Romania. It was said that he drank the of blood of his victims and often dismembered them and left them in the hollow trunk of a cotton tree, or a sinkhole, for the vultures to eat. That sinkhole hole came to be known as "Hutchison's Hole".
After a while the Doctor seemed to have become more daring. His reputation generated so much fear, that nobody wanted to come any anywhere near him. Even officials were too afraid to serve him a warrant even after he shot his neighbour, a Dr. Hutton in full view of a white colonist.
However things changed. A very brave English soldier set out to arrest him and Hutchinson calmly shot and killed him. Knowing that they would definitely now come after him, the "mad doctor" tried to escape on a ship about to set sail from Old Harbour. However, he was chased and captured by the famous Admiral Rodney.
During this trial the court heard testimony from his slaves who eagerly gave details of one crime after another, but since the testimony was from slaves, it was all deemed hearsay, therefore unacceptable in a court of law. So although he was believed to have committed multiple murders, he was tried for one murder only, that of the English soldier John Callendar who was shot on his way to arrest him. He was found guilty and hanged on the Gallows in Spanish Town in 1773.
We will never know how many people he murdered, but forty three (43) watches and a large amount of clothing were found during a search of his home. Most persons did not possess watches in the eighteenth century.
The "castle" is now in ruins, but the locals say that the ghosts of his victims still roam the street at nights.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)