| Matthew Baillie Begbie's Gavel | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
Matthew Baillie Begbie |
|
Type |
Gavel |
|
Effects |
Acts like a universal translator, allowing those who hold the gavel to understand and speak a person's language. |
|
Downsides |
Strong urge to sentence people to hang. |
|
Activation |
Holding |
|
Section |
Regent Vault |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (9 May 1819 – 11 June 1894) was a British lawyer, politician, and judge. In 1858, Begbie became the first Chief Justice of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in colonial times and in the first decades after British Columbia joined Confederation as a province of Canada. Begbie served as the first Judge of the Supreme Court, Colony of British Columbia 1858 to 1866 and then, in the same capacity in the Supreme Court, the United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia from 1866 to 1870. He was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Colonies from 1870 to 1871 and then served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the new Province of British Columbia from 1871 until his death on June 11, 1894.
In 1860, Begbie found a white Californian man by the name of William Marshall guilty of assaulting a First Nations man based only on the testimony of First Nations people, the first time this had ever occurred. Begbie learned a number of Indigenous dialects and even conducted trials in those languages without the use of an interpreter. He had great friendships with a number of chiefs and he was clearly sympathetic when it came to trying to impose colonial law on Indigenous people. He recognized the concept of Aboriginal marriage and allowed an oath for truth telling that recognized Aboriginal beliefs. He allowed people of other cultures to swear an oath of truth on an object sacred to them in place of the Bible.
Effects[]
Acts like a universal translator, allowing those who hold the gavel to understand and speak a person's language. Strong urge to sentence people to hang.
Usage[]
Used by the Regents for emergency interpreter purposes, but due to the downside, a non-regent assistant must be hired to actually use it.