Murder of Penowanyanquis

Historian Tobey Pearl described Penowanyanquis as a Nipmuc man who was "young," but old enough to have a family of his own. He was able to communicate with colonists in English. Peach later moved to Plymouth Colony. He was also a veteran of the Pequot War. Either Thomas Jackson or Daniel Cross was indentured to John Barnes, a man of stature from Plymouth Colony. Richard Stinnings signed a contract to be an indentured servant to a man named Robert Bartlett for nine years, after which Bartlett would provide Stinnings with money and two clothing outfits. At some point, Peach fled alongside fellow indentured servants Jackson, Stinnings, and Cross. While it was unclear why the other three men joined Peach and abandoned their servitude, Peach himself had several motives, one being the fact that he had impregnated Temple, as the act of premarital sex would have carried a punishment on its own, as well as a likely marriage to Temple, which Peach did not want. Prior, Stephen Hopkins and his wife, Elizabeth, had forbidden Peach from seeing Temple and being on their property, as they suspected the two were having a sexual affair. Additionally, Peach did not like the manual labor required of him as an indentured servant, and he accrued mounting debts due to reckless spending habits. Due to having fled their positions of servitude, the four were all considered fugitives, as they were in violation of their contracts. Indentured servants who ran away from their work were frequently subjected to severe discipline, including whipping, if they were relocated. These punishments were typically determined following trials. Peach, Jackson, Stinnings, and Cross intended to escape New England so they could avoid punishment. Relationship between Native Americans and Europeans Relations between Native American groups and English settlers in the early 17th century were tense. There were several incidents of English settlers whipping Native American people who they accused of stealing or disrespect. In the early 17th century, there was a large expanse of forested wilderness between Plymouth Colony and Providence in Rhode Island. Native American people created paths and trails through this wilderness that they used for travel and trade. The four servants, with Peach acting as the ringleader, used these paths and trails to travel westward towards New Netherland along the Hudson River. They chose this location due to the lack of Puritan authority. One reason why the four may have been discomfited by the presence of a Native American man on the trail they were using was that some Native American people were known to report and return missing indentured servants to their masters. == Murder ==

In July 1638, Mixanno, a chief of the Narragansett people located in modern-day southern Rhode Island, prepared a gift to send to English colonists in Plymouth Colony as a gesture and symbol of friendship. Mixanno selected Penowanyanquis, a member of a different Algonquin group (the Nipmuc), to deliver the gift. Penowanyanquis used the Native American-created trails between Plymouth and Providence to make the trip. Discovery and apprehension Penowanyanquis remained hidden in the marsh for several hours before making his way back to the path, staying in an area where he believed other travelers would find him. A group of Narragansett men soon found Penowanyanquis gravely injured along the path and rescued him. Before the trial, Daniel Cross escaped custody, stealing a canoe from a local Native American group and using it to cross the bay from Aquidneck Island. == Trial, execution, and aftermath ==

There was a brief debate as to where the trial would take place, between Aquidneck Island, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Providence, and Plymouth Colony. Due to its relatively developed legal system and its capabilities to handle any potential fallout in the event of colonial authorities mishandling the case, colonial authorities ultimately decided to host the trial in Plymouth Colony. After a one-day trial, Peach, Jackson, and Stinnings were convicted of murder and robbery and sentenced to death. Witnesses reported that Peach and one other of his compatriots displayed penitence and solemnity during the execution, while the third man executed, who remained unnamed in contemporaneous accounts of the execution, was apparently not penitent or solemn. Separately, the Plymouth Court ruled that Stephen Hopkins was financially responsible for Temple and the child she conceived with Peach for the two remaining years she had to serve in indentured servitude. Hopkins evicted the two from his house, resulting in his temporary imprisonment due to his actions being in contempt of court. John Holmes, who had served on the jury that condemned Peach to death, purchased Dorothy for the remaining two years on her contract and agreed to support her and the child. Retrospective interpretations differ regarding the harsh punishment the convicted men received. Some historians view the executions as the Plymouth Colony's attempt to assert their intention to treat the lives and murders of Native American people fairly and equally to those of white Puritans. Meanwhile, others posit that the executions underscored the tensions between Native Americans and Puritans, the latter of whom instituted a harsh punishment for the three men in an attempt to maintain good relations with Native American people and prevent potential conflict. Some historians posited that the executions of Jackson, Peach, and Stinnings likely prevented a potential war that could have arisen from the tensions between Native Americans and Puritans. == See also ==