Judge Matthew Begbie (Image Credit: B.C. Provincial Archives)

By John Hart

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Rothenburger wrong on history, wrong on Begbie

May 9, 2019 | 10:54 AM

ON A RECENT ARMCHAIR MAYOR presentation on CFJC TV (Character assassination of famous BC judge must stop, May 8, 2019), Mel Rothenburger stated that New Westminster was wrong to recently remove their statue of Judge Begbie for apparent disrespect for BC native people. Rothenberger disagrees with this and attempted to justify the trial and hanging of five Chilcotin chiefs and life sentences for another chief for their part in murdering 20 BC Colony workers attempting to stop American goldrushers from building roads to the Chilcotin.

The historical record of this issue is that, during the larger Fraser River War between Fraser River native people and the invading American goldrushers in the 1860s, a number of Chilcotin Bands also entered the war attempting to stop the goldrushers from entering the Chilcotin. There were fatalities on both sides. Thirteen goldrusher road builders were killed. In reaction, Joseph Trutch, the director of all B.C. colonies land invited the Chilcotin chiefs to meet to discuss the battle and land rights. Eight Chilcotin chiefs agreed to meet and were quickly arrested and charged with murdering 13 road builders. Judge Begbie at a quick trial convicted five chiefs of murder and one to life imprisonment. The five chiefs were quickly hanged publicly. Thus ends the Chilcotin part of the Fraser River War.

Joseph Trutch was the prime instigator of the event but Justice Begbie was responsible for the murder convictions and deaths of the native chiefs. It was a war in which the Chilcotin native people were attempting to protect their land and culture. At that time they had not given up any rights to any of their land.

It is noted that at the urging of Joseph Trutch, the B.C. and Canadian governments in the 1870s refused to negotiate land surrender treaties with all B.C. native bands because, according to Trutch, natives had no more rights to land than wolves and moose. B.C. is the only province to this day that has not settled land claims with its native people.

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Mel Rothenberger you are wrong. New Westminster has every right to remove and destroy Judge Begbie’s statue.

John Hart, Ph.D. Western Canadian Native History, taught Canadian Native History, TRU, SFU, First Nations University of Canada, U. of Saskatchewan.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.