he had such discourse with him, that if he had disclosed it to Bonnet's crew, it had done him much hurt; and the boatswain says, he did not fight col. Rhett. And as for the other three, I think it hath been fully proved they were under constraint. But I shall leave it to your consideration. Then an Officer was sworn to keep the Jury. Who after they had considered of their Verdict, returned, and found John Brierly alias Timberhead, Guilty; Robert Boyd, Rowland Sharp, Jonathan Clerke, and Thomas Gerrard, Not Guilty. crew; and so were guilty of the several pira- And indeed when you saw that the facts laid in the indictment were so fully proved against you, though most of you pleaded Not Guilty for form sake, yet in the open Court, upon your trials, most of you acknowledged the facts charged upon you. Therefore no one can think but that you were all of you justly found Then the Court adjourned till Wednesday Guilty; and your own consciences will oblige morning. Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1718. The Court met according to adjournment. Then Robert Tucker, Edward Robinson, Neal Paterson, William Scot, Job Bayley, John William Smith, Thomas Carman, John Thomas, William Morrison, William Livers alias Evis, Samuel Booth, William Hewet, John Levit, William Eddy alias Nedy, Alexander Annand, George Ross, George Dunkin, John Ridge, Matthew King, Daniel Perry, Henry Virgin, James Robbins, James Mullet alias Millet, Thomas Price, John Lopez, Zachariah Long, James Wilson, John Brierly alias Timberhead, and Robert Boyd, who stood convicted of piracies, as appears by the above records, were brought to the bar, and were severally asked what they could say why judg ment of death should not pass upon them? And they having nothing to allege in arrest of judgment; Then proclamation for silence was made, while the Judge of the Court of Vice Admiralty pronounced sentence of death upon the prisoners. you to acknowledge the same. So that there is not any of you who can complain of any hardships at your trials. As to the crime that you are convicted of, which is piracy, the evil and wickedness of it is evident to the reason of all men. So that it needs no words to aggravate the same; it is so destructive of all tratle and commerce between nation and nation, that pirates are called enemies to mankind, with whom no faith nor oath ought to be kept; and they are termed in our law brutes and beasts of prey, and therefore it is the interest, as well as duty, of all governments to bring such offenders to punishment. that no one can think but that the sentence of Judge Trott. You the prisoners at the bar, You have been indicted but for two acts of piracy; but you know upon the trials it was fully proved against most of you, that you piratically took thirteen vessels since you joined major Bonnet, and sailed from Topsail Inlet in North Carolina. So that many of you might have been convicted on eleven more indictments of piracy. Besides several of you were proved to be pirates before that time, as belonging to Thatch's And indeed, most sad and deplorable is the condition you have brought yourselves to: to be adjudged by the laws of your country unworthy any longer to live, and to tread the earth, or breathe the air; and that no further good or benefit can be expected from you but by the example of your deaths; and to stand like marks or fatal rocks and sands, to warn others from the same shipwreck and ruin for the future. As most of you have been mariners by profession, and every one of you have several times been at sea; so I cannot but wonder, that being so often at sea, you should not consider the great power of God in creating the same, and his providence in preserving those who pass upon it; aud consequently, that such thoughts should not cause in you a dread of his power, and a love of his goodness. The consideration of God's power in making the sea, and setting bounds to the raging waters thereof, is used as an argument by God himself, why men should fear him; for thus God expresseth it by the prophet Jeremiah: "Fear ye not me? Saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it; and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail: though they fear, yet can they not pass over it;" Jer. v. 22. Or as it is expressed in the book of Job: "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed;" Job xxxviii. v. 11. The Psalmist saith, that "they that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths, their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh a storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then they are glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven." But the practical inference that he draws from these is, "That men should praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men ;" Psal. cvii. v. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31. But instead of having a sense of God's power and goodness, in preserving you and others upon the sea, your frequent preservations hardened you into a contempt of the danger you were in; and you thereby slighted your deliverance. And though you could not but see the many natural dangers that attend the seas, and those who had occasion to go upon the same, yet you were resolved that you would contribute what in you lay to the hazards thereof, by the frequent rapines and murders which you committed. So that what the Prophet saith of the pride of the Tyrians, may be applied to you, That you caused your terror to be on all that haunt the sea;" Ezek. xxvi. v. 17. Although it may be, while you were in your seeming prosperity, and went on in your committing Spoils and robberies without controul, you might make a mock at your sins," Prov. xiv. v. 9, and ch. x. v. 23, and " say in your hearts, God hath forgotten, he hidetli his face, he will never see it;" Psal. x, v. 11; xciv. v. 7; lxiv. v. 5, and Job xxii. v. 13, yet now that you see that God's hand hath reached you, and his power hath brought you to public Justice; I hope your present unhappy condition bath had a good effect upon you, that it hath raised in you more serious thoughts; and that you are now sensible of the greatness of your sins, and that you will sincerely repent you of the same. As to the great evil and sinfulness of the facts you have committed, surely you cannot but know, that it is one of the express commandments of God, "Thou shalt not steal," Exod. xx. v. 15, and the apostle St. Paul expressly affirms, that "thieves shall not inherit the kingdom of God," 1 Cor. vi. v. 10. But then remember that to theft you bare added the sin of murder, in destroying those persons who were sent by lawful authority to suppress you, and to put a stop to your wicked actions. For you being no way authorized to use the sword, or to fight any one, every one of those persons who fell by your hands, were murdered; and their blood now cries for ven geance against you: for it is the voice of nature, as well as the revealed law of God, that "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed," Gen. ix. v. 6. It is the commandment of God, "Thon shalt do no murder," Exod. xx. v. 13, and the Apostle enumerating several of the works of the flesh, amongst the rest reckons murders; and then concludes with these remarkable words: "Of which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God," | Gal. v. v. 21. And murderers are threatened to have "their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death,” Rev. xxi. v. 8. See ch. xxii. v. 15. Words which carry that terror with them, that con sidering your circumstances, and your guilt, surely the sound of them must make you tremble, " For who can dwell with everlasting burnings ?" Isa. xxxiii. v. 14. I suppose you all know that you must appear before the tribunal of Christ; from whose infinite knowledge none of your actions can be hid, and from whose infinite power no one can rescue you or protect you; and from whem, without a true and unfeigned repentance for all your sins passed, you can expect no other than that dreadful sentence of condemnation, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels,” Matth. xxv. v. 41. 66 I do not speak this to overwhelm you with sorrow, much less to drive you into despair of God's mercy, which is one of the worst of sins, and which I hope you will not add to your other offences against God. But I mention this to you, to make you sensible of the great danger of your condition, without true and unfeigned repentance. For seeing I can give you no hopes of pardon from man, I hope you will improve the short time you have now left you, to make your peace with God, and to obtain pardon from him. And I wish that what I now say to you in this your deplorable conditions, may make you all sensible of the greatness of your offences, that so you may become truly penitent; which if you are, you may yet hope for mercy from God: "For though your sins be as scarlet [even dyed in blood] yet he can make them white as snow," Isa. i. v. 18. Therefore if you will now turn unto God by a true and unfeigned repentance, he will not refuse you nor reject you, even now in your great distress. ther indeed will I so far presume to meddle out of my own profession. You may have those matters better explained to you by some of the ministers of this province, whom you may desire to attend you, and fit you for death; and from them you may expect more full and particular directions: "For the priests' For the threatenings declared by God in the lips shall keep knowledge, and you shall seek Scripture against sinners, must always be un- the law at their mouths: for they are the mesderstood against impenitent sinners; for God sengers of the Lord," Mal. ii. v. 7. "And the bath declared himself to be "merciful and ambassadors of Christ; and to them is comgracious," Exod. xxxiv. v. 6. "And that hemitted the word [or doctrine] of reconciliation," hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, 2 Cor. v. 19, 20. but that the wicked turn from his way and live," Ezek. xxxiii. v. 11, ch. xviii. v. 23. And bath promised, that when he doth so, "he shall save his soul alive," ver. 27. But be sure remember that you must go to God, in and through the alone merits and intercession of his Son Jesus Christ, who hath made satisfaction to the justice of God for us: "For he is our advocate with the Father; and he is the propitiation for our sins," John ii. v. 1, 2. "For his blood cleanseth us from all sin," ch. i. v. 7. Know, therefore, that "there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved, but only by the name of the Lord Jesus," Acts iv. v. 12. But then consider how he invites "all them that labour and are heavy laden with their sins to come unto him, and he will give them rest," Matth. xi. v. 28. "He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoaking flax," Isa. xlii. v. 3, compared with Matth. xii. v. 20. The apostle tells us, "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," 1 Tim. i. v. 15. And he himself assures us, "that he came to seek and save that which was lost," Luke xix. v. 10, Matth. xviii. v. 11. And hath promised, that "he that cometh unto him, he will in no wise cast out," John vi. 37. Doubt not, therefore, but that if you will now sincerely turn to God, he will accept you: and pardon and forgive you your sins. But know that the condition of these and other the promises of God made to sinners, is faith and repentance. And great sins (such as yours are) must have great repentance. You must earnestly cry unto God for pardon and remission of your sins, and particularly, that he would deliver you from blood-guiltiness," Psal. li. v. 14. And do not mistake the nature of repentance, to be only barely a sorrow for your sins, by reason of the evil and punishment which they have now brought upon you: but your sorrow for your sins must arise from the consideration of your having offended a gracious and merciful God. To which should be added, a sincere resolution and an actual amendment for the future. Indeed, such is your unhappy circumstances, that you cannot give any actual proof of the amendment of your lives: but remember that God knows the heart. Time will not permit me to enlarge upon the nature of repentance, and of the many misLakes that men make in that great duty: nei Thus having discharged my duty to you as a Christian, by exhorting you to an unfeigned repentance for your crimes, and faith in Christ, by whose merits alone you must hope for pardon and salvation, 1 must now do my office as a judge. The Sentence that the law hath appointed to pass upon you for your offences, and which this Court doth therefore award, is, That you the said Robert Tucker, Edward Robinson, Neal Paterson, William Scot, Job 'Bayley, John William Smith, Thomas Car" man, John Thomas, William Morrison, William Livers alias Evis, Samuel Booth, William Hewet, John Levit, William Eddy alias Nedy, Alexander Annand, George Ross, George Dunkin, John Ridge, Matthew King, Daniel Perry, Henry Virgin, James Robbins, James Mullet alias Millet, Thomas Price, John Lopez, Zachariah Long, James Wilson, John Brierly and Robert Boyd, shall go from hence to the place from whence you came, and from thence to the place of execution, where you shall be severally hanged by the neck, till you are severally dead. And the God of infinite mercy be merciful to every one of your souls.' After the condemnation of the above-mentioned persons, Thomas Nichols, Rowland Sharp, Jonathan Clarke, and Thomas Gerrard, who were found Not Guilty, were discharged. And then the Court adjourned to Monday the 10th instant. On Saturday, November the 8th, 1718, Robert Tucker, Edward Robinson, Neal Paterson, William Scot, Job Bayley, John William Smith, John Thomas, William Morrison, Samuel Booth, William Hewet, William Eddy alias Nedy, Alexander Annand, George Ross, George Dunkin, Matthew King, Daniel Perry, Henry Virgin, James Robbins, James Mallet alias Millet, Thomas Price, John Lopez and Zachariah Long, were executed at the White Point near Charles-town, according to the above Sentence. Monday, Nov. 10, 1718. The Court met according to adjournment. Then the Court proceeded to arraign Stede Bonnet alias Edwards alias Thomas, [who had escaped, but was retaken, Nov. 6,] for feloniously and piratically taking the sloop Francis, with her goods, captain Peter Manwareing, commander; and the sloop Fortune, with her goods, captain Thomas Read commander; upon the two following Indictments. "The jurors for our sovereign lord the king, do on their oath present, That Stede Bonnet alias Edwards alias Thomas, late of Barbadoes, mariner; Robert Tucker, late of the island of Jamaica, mariner," &c. as before. "The jurors for our sovereign lord the king, do on their oath present, That Stede Bonnet alias Edwards alias Thomas, late of the island of Barbadoes, mariner; David Heriot, late of the island of Jamaica, mariner; Edward Robinson, late of Newcastle upon Tyne, mariner," &c. as before. To both which Indictments he pleaded Not Guilty. Judge Trott. You are to come upon your trial this day, upon the first Indictment, and you have pleaded Not Guilty; so that what evidence you have must be ready. Bonnet. My pleading Not Guilty is because I may have something to offer in my defence; and therefore I hope none of the bench will take it amiss. The Court proceeded upon his trial on the first Indictment, for piratically taking the sloop Francis, capt. Peter Manwareing commander. Then the Jurors were sworn, whose names are as followeth : Timothy Bellamy, foreman, George Ducket, William Sheriff, Benjamin Dennis, Jonathan Main, John Lee, Thomas Bee, James Mazyck, Thomas Lamboll, Henry Beaton, Moses Wil son, Claas Joor. Mr. Hepworth. May it please your honours, and you gentlemen of the Jury; the prisoner who now stands arraigned at the bar, has been guilty of many piracies, committed many robberies, ruined many families, and been the occasion of many most cruel and inhuman murders, and all that within a very short time past. Should I here descend into all the particulars, I shall take up too much of your time. You know (all of ye) I believe, after what manner he lately fled from justice. Nay, he was not satisfied with his own escape, but he must tamper with the king's evidence, to avoid others being prosecuted; and prevailed with the master Heriot to run away with him, who has been since killed. And I believe the prisoner at the bar cannot, upon reflection, but think himself answerable for that man's death. Nay, some people took particular notice of the prisoner's behaviour at the time when Thatch having got the command from him, he began to reflect upon his past course of life, and was then filled with such horror, that he was perfectly confounded with shame at the many detestable crimes he had been guilty of, and said, he would gladly leave off that way of living, being fully tired, and having got considerably by it; but he should be ashamed ever to see the face of an Englishman: therefore if he could not get to Spain or Portugal, where he might be undiscovered, he would live and die in the same course of life, viz. in piracy and robbery. considerable, as he was the great ringleader of The trial of this man ought to be the more them; who has seduced many poor, ignorant men to follow his course of living, and ruined many poor wretches; some of whom lately suffered, who with their last breath expressed a great satisfaction at the prisoner's being appre ended, and charged the ruin of themselves and loss of their lives entirely upon him. We shall now proceed to call our evidences. Ignatius Pell sworn. Mr. Hepworth. Pell, begin with the first Indictment, and when you was first acquainted with major Bonnet. Pell. It was at the bay of Honduras; but captain Thatch was commander in chief. Att. Gen. This I observe was before they went to Topsail-inlet at North Carolina. Pell. Yes, Sir; for when we came to Topsail-inlet, Robert Tucker was chose quartermaster; and we went out to go to St, Themas's for a commission to go a privateering against the Spaniards; but the first vessel we saw we took. Mr. Hepworth. What did you take out of her?-Pell. We took some provisions. Att. Gen. Had you no provisions on board the Revenge? Pell. Yes, Sir, some beef, pork, and flour. Mr. Hepworth. What was the next vessel you took? Pell. A sloop belonging to Bermudas. After we had discharged her, we took another in which were eight negroes. We took out two, and left three men and two women, and sent three hands more which made eight; and the next day we gave chace to two ships belonging to Glascow in Scotland, and in the evening we came up with them, and the other turned tail, and we never saw them more after that. And after we had taken some tobacco and other goods, we discharged them. We took, as I remember, two vessels belonging to Bristol, when captain Read was taken. Att. Gen. What do you know of captain Manwareing? Pell. We were at an anchor near Cape James alias Cape Inlopen, and a little before night we saw a sloop come to an anchor at the mouth of the river, and we sent off the dory with five bands, and in a little time they returned with captain Manwareing; and the next day we haled the sloop long-side the schooner which we had taken before, and hoisted out several hogsheads of molasses and rum, and put them on board the canoo, and put some pitch and tar on board the sloop. Att. Gen. Who gave you orders for the doing of that? Pell. I cannot tell, Sir. Att. Gen. Did you see major Bonnet on board Manwareing's sloop? Manwareing. I arrived at Cape James alias Cape Inlopen, the 31st of July and after be Pell. I cannot say he was, neither do I knowing at an anchor some time, we saw a dory comcertainly that he was not. ing, as I said before. So I was ordered on board the Revenge. Judge Trott. Was he not your commander? Pell. He was called our captain, to be sure. Clerk. Have you any questions to ask the king's evidence? Bonnet. Do not you believe in your conscience, that when we left Topsail-inlet, it was to go to St. Thomas's? And there were near forty hands, and they concluded to a marrooning? "Pell. 1 did believe it was so till after we were out. Judge Trott. That was what they accused you for on their trials; that you deceived them, under a pretence of going to St. Tho mas's. Bonnet. I am sorry that they should take the opportunity of my absence to accuse me of that which I was free from. Mr. Dean. If there were forty hands on board, it cannot be thought that he had power to command them. Judge Trott. But he was commander in chief among them, and that after they went & pirating; was it not so, boatswain ? Judge Trott. And before whom was you' brought? Manwareing. Before the man at the bar, captain Thomas he was called then; and so I gave him my papers; and it being night, he said but little more that night. Next morning they hauled the sloop longside the schooner, and hoisted out the rum and molasses out of the sloop, and put on board the schooner; and the first of August we sailed in company to Cape Fear. But indeed the gentleman was very civil to me. Att. Gen. Did you ever hear him give orders to take out any goods? Manwareing. He was on board the sloop himself when it was done. Mr. Hepworth. Do you remember any particular goods taken out? Manwareing. Yes, Sir. Clerk. Will you ask the king's evidence any questions? Bonnet. 1 beg leave to ask whether you ever saw me share among the rest? Manwareing. You was in the round-house, Pell. He went by that name; but the quar-and a bundle and some pieces was brought; ter-master had more power than he. Judge Trott. What do you mean by your evasions? Was he commander in chief, or was he not ?-Pell. He was. Judge Trott. Then who had the greatest power? Att. Gen. Do you know if he received his share of captain Manwareing's goods? Or did any receive it for him? Pell. Sir, it was the quarter-master took care of that. Judge Trott. He was commander in chief, and therefore I suppose he had a double share? Pell. I did never enquire whether he had or not. Judge Trott, Boatswain, tell the truth; had he bis sbare, or had he not? Pell. He had it. Bonnet. Boatswain, did you ever hear me force any man to go? Pell. No, major, I cannot say I did. Bonnet. Do you not remember, that when we left Topsail Inlet, and they began to quarrel about provision, that I said I would leave the sloop?-Pell. I do remember you said so. Judge Trott. But if you did take some for provision, would no less than thirteen vessels satisfy you? Bonnet. It was contrary to my inclination. evidence. Captain Peter Manwareing sworn. Mr. Hepworth. Captain Manwareing, look upon the prisoner at the bar, do you know him?- Munwareing. I know him very well. Mr. Hepworth. Give the Court an account of your being taken by him. and I saw you take it, and give it the negroboy, to put into the chest. Bonnet. There were several that I kept their shares for; but it was not mine. Manwareing. It was put away by your or der. Bonnet. Did you ever hear me order any thing out of the sloop? Manwareing. Major Bonnet, I am sorry you should ask me that question: for you know you did: which was my all that I had in the world. So that I do not know but my wife and children are now perishing for want of bread in New England. Had it been only myself, I had not mattered it so much: but my poor family grieves me. Clerk. Will you ask any more questions? Mr. Hepworth. We will call another evidence. James Killing sworn. Mr. Hepworth. Give the Court an account of your being taken, and what goods were. taken out of you. The evidence gave in the same relation as in the former trials; and then added, that major Bonnet ordered him to go and shew which was the rum, and which was the molasses. Mr. Hepworth. Do you remember in particular what goods were taken out? Killing. Yes, Sir. Mr. Hepworth. Were the twenty-one hogsheads of molasses, and the rum taken out? Killing. Yes, Sir. Alt. Gen. And all by major Bonnet's order) |