  Flags Daniel Morison was so incensed by the events related in the preceding narrative that he wrote out two versions, which, however, with the exception of an occasional difference in wording are the same. Following these events, from time to time he recorded some of the “irregular proceedings” which transpired at the fort, largely as a result of the actions of the irrepressible Ensign Johnson. Morison’s journal illustrates vividly how completely the military authorities dominated the lives of the fort’s inhabitants. Not only were the soldiers at the mercy of their officers, but civilians, such as Morison’s nephew, William Morison, were helpless in the face of military indifference to their problems since there was no civil authority at Michilimackinac or anywhere else in what is now Michigan to which they might appeal during this period. Traders constantly complained at the high-handed actions of the fort’s commanders who, these traders charged, used their position to gain great material benefits for themselves and imposed ruinous regulations on those traders who would not give them a cut of their profits. The royal government sought to correct these abuses, but throughout the period of British rule Michilimackinac is said to have had a reputation as a center of corruption and misrule. “Ensign Johnstone (who was there with his wife) saluted him with innumberable knocks & kicks.” Remarks December 1769.[1stly.] That a few days after this unwarrantable Outrage perpetrated against my dwelling House & person, John Chinn & Forrest Oaks were so conscious of their Enormous guilt [and] struck with such a Remorse, that they declared that they would upon their knees publickly on the Parade beg to be pardoned if that would satisfy for the Errors they were conscious of haveing committed. This they expressed in the Audience of William Maxwell, Commissary, Sergt. McMurray, George McBeath, [and] Henry Williams, traders. 2dly. That a certain gentleman heard it surmised among them that if the above Submission would not take place, they might have another Resolve which was to tamper with my Servant & advance him one hundred pounds by way of bribe, as they looked on him as the most Material witness in my intended process against them. 3rdly. Such is the depraved disposition of this profligate Garrison at this Juncture (as well as now degenerateing into the most irregular proceedings dayly) they had recourse to calumnious aspersions contriveing to patch up false invective & ignominous Reports (as under the Necessity of keeping my room, on account of the Severe [bruises] I had sustained from such a rough handleing, that I wore Boots with Creepers in my Room & [was] found lying down in my bed with them); with this additional & abominable connivance that I kept so long close in my Room to embrace one opportunity to drive away Sorrow & get drunk privately. Such are the Diabolical dispositions of many in this remote garrison who make a perpetual habit of murdering time in excesses of Debauchery & most Licentious practices. These false aspersions I had communicated to me by George Main and Charles Morison, trader, the 10th December, 1769. 4thly. Upon the 11th do. Ens. Johnstone assumed to encroach upon my Province by visiting Sergt. McPherson of the Colonel’s Company, who says he never sent for him Directly or indirectly. He immediately insisted upon seeing his wound, tho’ he was but newly dressed one hour before, N. B.: That in a few days after this Violent Assault, John Chinn and Forrest Oaks were observed conjointly & severally, loading their guns & pistoles, which I dare say were intended for bad purposes which they would in all appearance have prosecuted had not their proceedings been disapproved of by a certain gentleman in the Garrison. One night the ensueing spring, when they carroused heartily at their Bowl, John Chinn proposed to pay another Visit to the Doctor, which being disapproved of by one of the principals in the Assault, was dropped. The 25th. December 1769. Ens. Johnstone with his irregular associates, contrived among them, about day set in the evening, to send a frenchman, who served Isaac Todd merchant, upon a false Message to me two different times in great haste, acquainting me that his master was very sick, & that he earnestly, in the most pressing manner, demanded my immediate assistance. Upon which I Repaired directly to wait upon Mr. Todd, & upon due enquiry, found the Message to be a mere bubble, very like the triffling projectors, Isaac Todd declareing himself well, & took it highly amiss that they should take such libertys with his name, or give me such Unnecessary trouble. Some time in Summer 1770, Ens. Johnstone Knocked down a soldier of the general’s Company, called Walker by name, in presence of the Commanding officer, Capt. [George] Turnbull. Sunday evening at 11 O’clock, 2d. December 1770, a frenchman knocked at the door of my house very hard, when I was abed. Imagining it Might be from some sick soldier, [I] called to my servant to open the Door, & there appeared a frenchman with a card in his hand, charged with Mr. Chinn’s Compliments to Doctor Morison, begging the favour of his Company to take a dance with them at Christian Burge’s house. This I rejected with outmost derision & Contempt, as I never did prostitute my judgement so low as to join Company of any Denomination to break the Lord’s day in such a publick [and] infamous manner; & indeed I looked upon the Company so mean that I should be very scrupulous to join them even on a Weekly day. I doubt not but Ens. Johnstone might be at the head of such a Heathenish proposition as there is no irregularitys committed here, wherein he is not either a prompter or a ready Countenancer if not a perpetrator. Sunday the 9th December 1770. Betwixt the hours of 11 & 12 o’Clock forenoon, when the Garrison was at Church, Sergt. [Thomas] Carlile of the general’s company had the guard that day, & being thirsty stepped over to his own house (which was adjacent & directly opposite to his guard) for a drink of spruce beer. He no sooner opened the Door of his room than Ens. Johnstone (who was there with his wife) saluted him with innumberable knocks & kicks till (almost in his own words to me) he had knocked his head into blubber, then kicked him in the private parts (from which Violence his private parts, particularly one of his testicles, are greatly Swelled, of a hue black as his Hat). [Johnson gave him] many bumps upon his head, [and] his jaw bones, as he himself says, [are] so painful that he can scarce open his mouth, but with great difficulty. The poor Sergt. immediately returned to his guard & the next day applyed to the commanding officer Capt. Turnbull of this Fort for his Protection in regard to his most grievious situation, from the Attrocious and barbarous usage he had sustained by the violent proceedings of Ens. Johnstone whom he was determined to prosecute to the outmost for the Violence done to his person, in his own house. N. B.: Ens. Johnstone confined two or three soldiers in the black-hole for being absent from Divine service, where they were in durance while he himself was pounding & kicking the poor Sergt. in this barbarous manner. Late in the evening Sunday above said, Ens. Johnstone was swaggering away upon the Parade with a naked sword, or Dagger, in his hand, & when it seems he could not meet a Humane [sic] Subject to Use ill, he wrecked his Vengeance on a dog (belonging to one of the Soldiers of the Garrison) by cutting him to the back-bone. The poor brute made such a hideous noise, his wound being beyond Remedy, [that] his master was obliged out of Pity to put him out of pain by shooting him thro’ the head. Wednesday 12th December 1770. A little before Roll-Call Ens. Johnstone struck my servant, John Forbes, by giveing him several blows, which hurt him prodigiously, for attempting to ridd some Dogs that were a fighting & make[ing] a terrible Noise at the Door of my house. He struck Sergt. McMurray, acting Sergt. Major in the fort, with a severe blow, at the same time knocked down flat [on] the ground Henry Adams of the Collonel’s Company, so that the dogs of this garrison are so Usefull, Sergents & Soldiers must be knocked down for attempting to hinder them from fighting & makeing a noise. Ens. Johnstone kicked Sergt. McPherson of the Collonel’s Company in presence of the Commanding officer, a little before he went down to Detroit last fall. Wednesday 26th December 1770, upon the evening of that day Ens. Johnstone knocked down Sergt. May upon the Parade, by giveing On Saturday 29th, Do., Ens. Johnstone wrangled with my nephew, William Morison, erroneously & threatened to confine him in the common guard-house. Sunday evening 30th Do., Mrs. [George] McBeath invited me to walk into her house. I was no sooner seated than she entered a grieveous Complaint to me against Ens. Johnstone, affirming that he used uncommon libertys with her Character, upon which she wrote him the evening before a very spirited Letter of which she shewed me a Copy. She actually pronounced him a very bad man. As a strong instance of which, among many she could adduce, she declared he had frequently tampered with her by many stratagems to destroy her peace with her husband, which she looked upon as such a vile insinuation she was determined never to admit of his Company for the future. Tuesday evening the 1st. Jan’y 1771. John Savage, Taylor & Soldier in the general’s Company, twixt 11 & 12, had the Door of his house forced open [and was] committed to the guard-house for not suffering his wife to comply with obscene proposit[ions made] to her. At this Exploit Ens. Johnstone was one of the chief witnesses. The prisoner was set at liberty next morning without any crime given against him. Monday the 7th Jan’y 1771. Ens. Johnstone decoyed away Sergt. Carlile’s wife, which he has been contriveing to accomplish many months before this finishing stroake, & tho’ her husband was like to break his Heart, and crying out his Eyes on the occasion, Yet no Remonstrances would be payed the least attention to. Ens. Johnstone quitted his Room in the officer’s barracks that evening which he exchanged with Mr. Main for his. [He] sleeped with her that night in his new room where he lives with her still, without dread or shame, while the poor Husband is left in such a disconsolate situation that is not easy to describe. He next morning (poor Sergt. Carlile had the mortification to see his wife dayly conducted by one of the mess to dine with the commanding officer, Capt. Turnbul, & the good Company with him, at which the poor Sergt. was like to go distracted but could not help himself. Ens. Johnstone in the month [of December?] 1770, haveing crossed on a party of pleasure in company with Capt. Turnbull & William Maxwell, Commissary, flogged Knight, Soldier in the general’s Company, with his own hand, without any regular tryal for his crime. Proof: William Maxwell, Commissary, Rogers & McLean, soldiers. As Ens. Johnstone thought proper to turn trader by selling of common rum to the soldiers & all others by whom he might gain a penny in this clandestine Manner, in the month of October 1767, he was observed to have filled up several Barrels of common rum with boiling water to make up the Leakage. Afterwards [he] sold this at 18. sh. York currency pr. gallon to Sergeants & Soldiers &c. in the Garrison. Proof: Sergeants McMurray & Carlile with his own servant Arthur Ross, who assisted him by his own self in the deceitfull operation. Upon friday the 8th febry. 1771, Ens. Johnstone in presence of the Commanding officer, Capt. Turnbull, Ens. Strickland, George Main, William Maxwell, Commissary, [and] George McBeath, trader, attacked William Morison, my nephew, in a most rude and Violent manner, without any evident cause, in the billiard Room in the presence of six witnesses. The Young man (who is sometimes liable to a fainting Disposition) in the Scuffle he fell down & cryed Murder! William Maxwell, Commissary of provisions, interposed, He is now under care & it is a chance if ever he can get the better of it. The commanding officer with all those of their Club was present to all this. Some of them I am told stood firm with their backs to the room door, I suppose to hinder any from comeing in to the assistance of the ill-used Young man. At length the noise brought in Mr. Harise, who can attest to everything he saw. Mr. Harise with one or two more carryed him for dead to his room, where after untying his stock he gradually recovered from his trance. In the evening I went with my Nephew to wait on Capt. Turnbull to enter a Complaint of his hard usage. After all the remonstrances he could suggest, the Commanding Officer would give him no Redress, tho’ he himself was personally present to the crime committed by Johnstone. Upon which I myself made application to Capt. Turnbull in the humblest manner to put Ens. Johnstone under arrest & that there was no possibility of maintaining peace in the Garrison while Johnstone was at liberty, nor could I think myself safe in the Execution of my Office if my Remonstrances to him on that score did not take place, which Capt. Turnbull Absolutely refused to do by saying, with some warmth, he would not put Johnstone under arrest, tho’ there [were] as many crimes against him as words on his Commission. The 23d. feby. 1771. Ens. Johnstone quarrelled with William Maxwell, Commissary, & revilled [him] (if not gave him a few blows) with exasperating expressions, both in company of the commanding officer, who, when words became too high, ordered Ens. Johnstone to his room, wherein he did not continue above twenty four hours, for reasons best known to the Commanding Officer & himself. “... a woman who I have the greatest regard for distracted me by her imprudent behaviour.” |
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