Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period Part 41

[Footnote 6: The _Sultana_, James Richards. "The bay" means the Bay of Honduras.]

[Footnote 7: The _St. Michael_.]

[Footnote 8: An islet among the Virgin Islands, east of St. John, and not far from the Dead Man's Chest. The Windward Pa.s.sage lies between Haiti and Cuba. Jesuits' bark is cinchona, from which quinine is made.]

[Footnote 9: One of the Bahamas.]

[Footnote 10: Pet.i.t Goave, a port in the southern part of Haiti.]

[Footnote 11: Here the fragment ends.]

_109. Deposition of Thomas FitzGerald and Alexander Mackonochie. May 6, 1717._[1]

[Footnote 1: Suffolk Court Files, no. 11945, paper 9.]

The Deposition of Thomas Fitz Gerald, Marriner, aged about nineteen years, and late Mate of the Pink _Mary Anne_, belonging to Dublin (whereof Andrew Crumsty was lately Commander) and Alexander Mackconothy late Cook of the said Pink, aged fifty five years.

These Depon'ts Testify and say That on the twenty fourth day of April last past, they sailed from Nantasket harbour bound for New York, and on the twenty sixth day of the said month, being friday, in the morning about nine of the clock, they discovered a large s.h.i.+p, and her Prize, which was a Snow, astern, and the large s.h.i.+p came up with the said Pink _Mary Ann_, between nine and ten, and ordered us to strike our Colours, which accordingly we did, and then they shot ahead of us, and braced too, and hoisted out her boat and sent seven Men on board, Armed with their Musquets, pistols and Cutlashes (which Men are now in Boston Goal) and they commanded the said Capt. Crumpsty to take his Papers, and go aboard the said s.h.i.+p with five of his hands and accordingly the said Crumpsty with five of his Men rowed aboard the said Pyrates s.h.i.+p, and the seven Men tarryed aboard the Pink, and soon after the Pyrates sent their boat on board the said pink with four hands to get some of the Wine which they were Informed was on board the Pink, and accordingly they hoisted the pinks boat off of the hatches and opened the hatches and then went into the hold, but the Cable being Quoiled in the hatchway, they found it difficult to Come to the Wines in the hold, and so returned to their own s.h.i.+p without any wine, Except five bottles of green wine which the found in the pinks Cabbin and carryed away, with some of the Cloaths which belonged to the pinks Company, and presently after the pyrates had hoisted their boat on board the great s.h.i.+p, they gave Orders to the Pyrates on board the pink to steer North Northwest after them, which Course they followed till about four a Clock in the afternoon, and then the large s.h.i.+p whereof Capt. Samuel Bellame was Commander, and the snow and pink lay too,[2] it being very thick foggy weather, And about half an hour after four a Clock a sloop came up with Capt. Bellames s.h.i.+p and he hoisted out his boat and sent several men on board the Sloop and soon afterwards, Vizt. about five a Clock, the Commander of the snow bore away, and came under the stern of Capt. Bellames s.h.i.+p and told him that they saw the Land; And thereupon Capt. Bellame Ordered the Pyrates on board the Pink to steer away North, which they did, and as soon as it began to be dark the sd Capt. Bellames s.h.i.+p put out a light astern and also the snow and the sloop and the pink had their lights out; and about ten a Clock the weather grew thick and it lightned and rained hard and was so dark, that the pinks Comp. Could not see the sh.o.r.e till they were among the Breakers, when the Depon't Fitz Gerald was at helm, and had lost sight of the Great s.h.i.+p, Snow and Sloop; and being among the breakers we thought it most proper and necessary to weere[3] the Pink, and before we could trim the head sails we run ash.o.a.r opposite to s.l.u.ts bush at the back of Stage harbour to the southward of Cape Codd[4] between ten and Eleven a Clock at night, And the seven Pyrates together with the Depon't and a young man named James Donovan tarryed on board the said Pink till break of day[5] and then found the sh.o.a.r side of the Pink dry and so all of them went on sh.o.a.r upon the Island called Poachy[6] beach, and there tarryed till about ten a Clock, when two Men came over in a Canno, Namely John Cole[7] and William Smith, who Carryed the seven pyrates over to the Main land, and then Cole came again to the Depon't and Inquired who they (meaning the pyrates) were, and the Depon't Mackconothy Answered they were pyrates and had taken the said pink, and soon after the said John Cole Informed Mr. Justice Done of Barnstable[8] thereof, by virtue of whose Warrant the said seven Pyrates were Apprehended, and the Depon'ts Journeyed with them to Boston, where they are now in Custody of the Keeper of His Maj'ties Goal as is aforesaid. And further the Depon'ts say not; but that the said Pink is Bilged on sh.o.a.re, so that it is impossible to get her off.

THOS. FITZ GERALD

signum ALEXANDER [X] MACKCONOTHY

BOSTON May 6th 1717 Jurat May 8th, 1717

[Footnote 2: To.]

[Footnote 3: Wear, to come about before the wind.]

[Footnote 4: s.l.u.t's Bush was a rocky, swampy piece of land, well grown with berry-bushes, in the midst of the large isle of Nauset, that lay outside of the smaller Pochet Island and outside Stage or Nauset Harbor, the harbor of Eastham. Now, s.l.u.t's Bush ledge and Nauset Island are far out from the present sh.o.r.e and under deep water. On this mostly sandy coast wind and wave have made extraordinary changes.

They are described, down to 1864, in an article by Amos Otis on "The Discovery of an Ancient s.h.i.+p", in _N.E. Hist. Gen. Register_, XVIII.

37-44. Much of his information came from the grandson of John Doane, mentioned below, a grandson born not much later than 1717.]

[Footnote 5: In another deposition of Thomas Fitzgerald, reproduced in _Trials of Eight Persons_, he gives us a quaint glimpse of the pirates' psychology during this night of peril: "And in their Distress the [Pirates] ask'd the Deponent to Read to them the Common-Prayer Book, which he did about an Hour; And at break of Day they found the Sh.o.a.r-side of the Pink dry."]

[Footnote 6: Pochet.]

[Footnote 7: See his testimony in doc. no. 112.]

[Footnote 8: Either John Doane, Esq., or his cousin Joseph. Both were justices of the peace for Barnstable County, but neither lived in Barnstable town; they were the leading residents of Eastham.]

James Donovan, within named, made oath to the truth of the within written Deposition, and further saieth that being upon deck on Friday in the afternoon, on which day the Pink was taken, Alexand'r Mackonothy being at the Helmn steering to windward of her Course, this Declar't heard John Brown, one of the Pirates now in Goal, say that for a small matter he would shute Mackonothy thro the head as soon as he would a Dog and he should never tell his story.

JAMES DONOVAN

Jurat Cor. May 8th 1717

Coram[9] PENN TOWNSEND } Justices of the JOHN CLARK } Peace OLIVER NOYES }

Attest. JOS MARION D. Secr'y.[10]

[Footnote 9: In the presence of.]

[Footnote 10: Deputy secretary of the province. Josiah Willard was secretary.]

_110. Cyprian Southack to Governor Samuel Shute. May 8, 1717._[1]

[Footnote 1: Ma.s.s. Archives, vol. 51, pp. 289, 289a.]

EASTHAM May the 8, 1717

_Maye itt Plea.s.s Your Excellency_

_Sir_, Captt. Gorham, Mr. Little, Mr. Cuttler and Mr. Russell, Gentt'men that I have Deputed, have Rid at Least Thirty miles a moung the Inhabtances, whome I have had Information of ther being at the Pirate Rack, and have Gott Concernable Riches out of her. the first men that want Doun to the Rack with the English man that was Saved out of the Rack, I shall Mention their Names to Your Excellency in Order for a Warrant to me for bringing them for boston before Your Excellency, or as You Plea.s.s, Sir, for all thes Pepol are very stife and will not one[2] Nothing of what they Gott, on the Rack. Sir, Fryday 26 April, at 12 night, Pirate s.h.i.+p Came a sh.o.a.re. Sat.u.r.day 27 Instant, at 5 morning, Came the English man that was Saved out of Pirate s.h.i.+p,[3] Came to the house of Samuell harding, Two miles from the Rack. After a smalle time the saide harding took the English man on his Horse and Carred him to the Rack. thes Two made Serverall Turnes from the Rack to harding house, so they most Gett much Riches.

by 10 Clock the same morning their Gott to the Rack a bout 10 men more, and Gott a Great Dell of Riches. Sunday morning, Joseph[4]

Doane, Esqr., gott to the Rack but all was Gon of Vallue. Sir, he Comanded the Inhabtances to save what they Could for the King, which was them Things I Rett[5] to Your Excellency before of. Sir, the Curner[6] and his Jurey Putt a stop to serverall Things beloning to the Rack in Part for buering[7] Sixty Two men Came a sh.o.a.re Dead from the Pirate Rack, the Curner and his Jurey says their Due is Eight Three Pounds. Sir, I am of the mind that the Curner and Jurey should have nothing for buering aney of thes men After they New them to be Pirats, and they had bured but Thirteen before they new them to be Pirats. as Your Excellency Plea.s.s, I humbley Desier Your Excellency Orders to this Afare. the Curner name is Samuell freeman, for his stoping aney of the Rack Goods for Paye is very hard. Sir, the weather has ben very bad, and Great Sea, so we Can Due Nothing as yett on the Rack with my Whale boat and men, but se the Anchor Every Low Watter.

Sir, If some Gentt'men ware Commissined here to Give Serverall of them their Oath Concerning the Rack, itt will be of Great Service. Sir, Coll. Ottis[8] and Joseph Doane, Esqr., are Very Good men.

[Footnote 2: Own.]

[Footnote 3: Thomas Davis; see his memorial, doc. no. 114.]

[Footnote 4: See doc. no. 109, note 8.]

[Footnote 5: Writ. The money on board the _Whidah_ was claimed by the crown because of its being the product of piracy, not because of the s.h.i.+pwreck, for if man or cat or dog escaped alive from any s.h.i.+pwrecked vessel, its contents were technically not "wreck of the sea", belonging as such to the crown, but were reserved for the owners, with reasonable salvage to the preservers. A recent act, 12 Anne, II., ch.

18, provided that any who secreted goods saved from a wreck should be punished with a fine of treble value; but this act did not run in Ma.s.sachusetts.]

[Footnote 6: Coroner. Investigation in cases of wreck and treasure-trove was part of the duties of his office.]

[Footnote 7: Burying.]

[Footnote 8: Col. John Otis, the chief magnate of Barnstable County, colonel of its militia, judge, member of the governor's council, and grandfather of James Otis the revolutionary orator.]

Sir, 72 Dead men are Come a sh.o.a.re out Pirate s.h.i.+p to this Time.

The men that were Down first at the rack

Samuell Harding Jonathan Cole Joseph Collins Senr. Edward Knowles Abiel Harding Thomas Wood Samuell Horton Samuell Airy

Sir, Yr Excellency Most Obd. Servant

CYPRIAN SOUTHACK.

_111. Deposition of Ralph Merry and Samuel Roberts. May 11, 16, 1717._[1]

[Footnote 1: Suffolk Court Files, no. 11945, paper 3.]