by Daniel Defoe
Low, in the mean Time, did not fare quite so ill, but had his intended Voyage to Brasil spoil’d, by the oversetting of his Ship, when she was upon the Careen, whereby she was lost, so that he was reduc’d to his old Scooner, which he called the Fancy, aboard of which they all went, to the Number of 100, as vile Rogues as ever ended their Lives at Tyburn. They proceeded now to the West-Indies, but before they had gotten far on their Voyage, they attack’d a rich Portuguese Ship, call’d the Nostre Signiora de Victoria, bound home from Bahia, and after some Resistance, took her. Low tortur’d several of the Men, to make them declare where the Money, (which he suppos’d they had on Board) lay, and extorted by that Means, a Confession that the Captain had, during the Chace, hung out of the Cabin Window, a Bag with 11,000 Moidores, which, assoon as he was taken, he cut the Rope off, and let it drop into the Sea.
Low, upon hearing what a Prize had escap’d him, rav’d like a Fury, swore a thousand Oaths, and ordered the Captain’s Lips to be cut off, which he broil’d before his Face, and afterwards murthered him and all the Crew, being thirty two Persons.
After this bloody Action, they continued their Course, till they came to the Northward of all the Islands, and there cruiz’d for about a Month, in which Time they made Prizes of the following Vessels, viz. a Snow from New-York to Curacoa, Robert Leonard Master; a Sloop from the Bay, bound to New-York, Craig Master; a Snow from London and Jamaica, bound to New-York; and the Stanhope Pink, Andrew Delbridge Master, from Jamaica to Boston; which last they burnt, because of Low’s irreconcileable Aversion to New-England Men.
After this Cruize, they went into one of the Islands and clean’d, and then steered for the Bay of Honduras, where they arrived about the Middle of March 1722-3, and met a Sloop turning out of the said Bay. The Pyrates had hoisted up Spanish Colours, and continued them till they drew near the Sloop, then they hall’d them down, hoisted their black Flag, fired a Broadside, and boarded her. This Sloop was a Spaniard of six Guns, and 70 Men, that came into the Bay that Morning, and meeting there with five English Sloops, and a Pink, made Prizes of them all, plundered them, and brought the Masters of the Vessels away Prisoners, for the ransom of the Logwood; their Names were Tuthill, Norton, Newbury, Sprafort, Clark and Parrot. The Spaniards made no Resistance, so that the English Pyrates soon became their Masters and fell to rifling; but finding the above-mentioned People in the Hold, and several English Goods, they consulted Low the Captain thereupon, and without examining any further, the Resolution pass’d to kill all the Company; and the Pyrates, without any Ceremony, fell Pell-Mell to Execution with their Swords, Cutlashes, Poll-Axes and Pistols, cutting, slashing and shooting the poor Spaniards at a sad Rate. Some of the miserable Creatures jump’d down into the Hold, but could not avoid the Massacre; they met Death every where, for if they escaped it from one Hand, they were sure to perish by another; the only Prospect they had of Life, was to fly from the Rage of those merciless Men, and to trust to the more merciful Sea; and accordingly a great many leap’d over-board, and swam for the Shore; but Low perceiving it, ordered the Canoa to be mann’d, and sent in pursuit of them, by which Means several of the poor unhappy Men were knock’d in the Head in the Water, as they were endeavouring to get to Land; however, about 12 of them did reach the Shore, but in a miserable Condition, being very much wounded, and what became of them afterwards was not known, except one, who while the Pyrates were at their Sports and Pastimes ashore, finding himself very weak and fainting with his Wounds, and not knowing where to go for Help and Relief, in this Extremity, he came back to them, and begg’d for God sake, in the most earnest Manner possible, that they would give him Quarters; upon which, one of the Villains took hold of him, and said, G— d—n him, he would give him good Quarters presently, and made the poor Spaniard kneel down on his Knees, then taking his Fusil, put the Muzzle of it into his Mouth, and fired down his Throat. ’Twas thought the rest did not long survive their miserable Condition, and could only prolong their Lives, to add to the Misery of them.
When the murdering Work was over, they rumaged the Spanish Pyrate, and brought all the Booty aboard their own Vessels: The six Masters aforementioned, found in the Hold, they restored to their respective Vessels: They forced away the Carpenter from the Pink, and then set Fire to the Spanish Sloop, and burnt her; which last Scene concluded the Destruction of their Enemy, Ship and Crew.
Low set the Masters of the Vessels free, but would not suffer them to steer for Jamaica, where they were then bound, for fear the Men of War should get Intelligence of them, but forced them all to go to New-York, threat’ning them with Death, when they met them again, if they refused to comply with their Demands.
In the next Cruize, which was between the Leeward Islands and the Main, they took two Snows, bound from Jamaica to Liverpool, and a Snow from Jamaica to London, Bridds Master; as also a Ship from Biddford to Jamaica, John Pinkham Commander; and two Sloops from Jamaica to Virginia.
On the 27th of May, Low and his Consort Harris, came off South-Carolina, and met with three good Ships, viz. the Crown, Captain Lovereigne, the King William, the Carteret, and a Brigantine, who all came out of Carolina together two Days before. The Pyrates were at the Trouble of chacing them, and Captain Lovereigne being the sternmost, she fell first a Prey into their Hands; and they spent all the Day in coming up with the rest.
Within a few Days they took a Ship called the Amsterdam Merchant, Captain Willard, from Jamaica, but belonging to New-England; as Low let none of that Country depart without some Marks of his Rage, he cut off this Gentleman’s Ears, slit up his Nose, and cut him in several Places of his Body, and, after plundering his Ship, let him pursue his Voyage.
After this he took a Sloop bound to Amboy, William Frazier, Master, with whom Mr. Low happening to be displeased, he ordered lighted Matches to be ty’d between the Mens Fingers, which burnt all the Flesh off the Bones; then cut them in several Parts of their Bodies with Knives and Cutlashes; afterwards took all their Provisions away, and set some of them ashore in an uninhabited Part of the Country.
The Kingston, Captain Estwick, another Ship, one Burrington Master, two Brigantines from Carolina to London; a Sloop from Virginia to Bermudas; a Ship from Glasgow to Virginia; a Scooner from New-York to South-Carolina; a Pink from Virginia to Dartmouth, and a Sloop from Philadelphia to Surinam, fell a Prey to these Villains, upon this Cruize, besides those above-mentioned.
It happened that at this Time one of his Majesty’s Ships was upon a Cruize, on this Station, and got Intelligence of some of the mischievous Actions of this Miscreant, by one of the Vessels that had been plundered by him, who steering as directed, came in Sight of the Pyrates by break of Day, on the 10th of June, of all Days in the Year. The Rovers looking out for Prey, soon saw, and gave Chace to the Man of War, which was called the Greyhound, a Ship of 20 Guns, and 120 Men, rather inferiour in Force to the two Pyrate Vessels: The Greyhound finding them so eager, was in no doubt what they should be, and therefore tack’d and stood from them, giving the Pyrates an Opportunity to chace her for two Hours, till all Things were in Readiness for an Engagement, and the Pyrates about Gun-shot off; then the Greyhound tack’d again, and stood towards the two Sloops, one of them called the Fancy, commanded by Low himself, and the other the Ranger, commanded by Harris, both which hoisted their pyratical Colours, and fired each a Gun. When the Greyhound came within Musquet-shot, she halled up her Main-sail, and clapp’d close upon a Wind, to keep the Pyrates from running to Leeward, and then engaged: But when the Rogues found who they had to deal with, they edg’d away under the Man of War’s Stern, and the Greyhound standing after them, they made a running Fight for about two Hours; but little Wind happening, the Sloops gained from her, by the help of their Oars; upon which the Greyhound left off firing, and turned all Hands to her own Oars, and at three in the Afternoon came up with them. The Pyrates haul’d upon a Wind to receive the Man of War, and the Fight was immediately renewed, with a brisk Fire on both Sides, till the Ranger’s Main-Yard was shot down,
and the Greyhound pressing close upon the disabled Sloop, Low, in the other, thought fit to bear away and leave his Consort a Sacrifice to his Enemy, who (seing the Cowardice and Treachery of his Commadore and Leader, having ten or twelve Men killed and wounded, and that there was no possibility of escaping,) called out for Quarters, and surrendered themselves to Justice, which proved severe enough to them a-while afterwards.
The Conduct of Low was surprizing in this Adventure, because his reputed Courage and Boldness, had, hitherto, so possess’d the Minds of all People, that he became a Terror, even to his own Men; but his Behaviour throughout this whole Action, shewed him to be a base cowardly Villain, for had Low’s Sloop fought half so briskly as Harris’s had done, (as they were under a solemn Oath to do,) the Man of War, in my Opinion, could never have hurted them.
The Greyhound carried in their Prize to Rhode Island, to the great Joy of the whole Province, tho’ it had been more compleat, if the great LOW himself had grac’d the Triumph. The Prisoners were strongly secured in a Goal, till a Court of Vice-Admiralty could be held for their Tryals, which begun on the 10th of July, at Newport, and continued three Days. The Court was made up of the following Gentlemen.
William Dummer, Esq; Lieutenant Governor of the Massachusets, President. Nathaniel Paine, Esq; Addington Davonport, Esq; Thomas Fitch, Esq; Spencer Phipps, Esq; John Lechmere, Esq; Surveyor-General. John Valentine, Esq; Advocate-General. Samuel Cranston, Governor of Rhode-Island. John Menzies, Esq; Judge of the Admiralty, Richard Ward, Esq; Register. Mr. Jahleel Brinton, Provost-Marshal.
Robert Auchmuta, Esq; was assigned, by the Court, Council for the Prisoners here under mention’d.
Prisoners Names.
Ages.
Places of Birth.
Charles Harris, Captain
25
London.
William Blads
28
Rhode-Island.
Daniel Hide
23
Virginia.
Thomas Powel, jun.
21
Connecticut N. E.
Stephen Mundon
20
London.
Thomas Huggit
30
London.
William Read
35
Londonderry, Ireland.
Peter Kneeves
32
Exeter in Devon.
James Brinkly
28
Suffolk in England.
Joseph Sound
28
City of Westminster.
William Shutfield
40
Lancafter in England.
Edward Eaton
38
Wrexham in Wales.
John Brown
29
County of Durham.
Edward Lawson
20
Isle of Man.
Owen Rice
27
South-Wales.
John Tomkins
23
Gloucestershire.
John Fitzgerrald
21
Limerick in Ireland.
Abraham Lacy
21
Devonshire.
Thomas Linister
21
Lancashire.
Francis Leyton
39
New-York.
John Waters, Quart.-Mr.
35
County of Devon.
William Jones
28
London.
Charles Church
21
St. Margaret's, Westm.
Thomas Hazel
50
— — —
John Bright
25
— — — —
These 25 were found guilty, and executed the 19th of July, 1723, near Newport in Rhode-Island.
John Brown
17
Liverpoole.
Patrick Cunningham
25
— — —
These two were found guilty, but respited for one Year, and recommended to the King’s Favour.
John Wilson
23
New-London County
Henry Barnes
22
Barbadoes.
Thomas Jones
17
Flur in Wales.
Joseph Switzer
24
Boston in New-England.
Thomas Mumper Indian.
Mather's Vineyard N. E.
John Hincher, Doctor
22
Near Edinburgh, Scot.
John Fletcher
17
— — —
Thomas Child
15
— — —
These eight were found Not Guilty.
The destroying this Pyrate was look’d upon by the Province, to be of such a signal Service to the Publick, and particular Advantage to the Colony of New-York, that it was thought necessary to make some handsome Acknowledgement to Captain Peter Solgard for it; and therefore it was resolved, in an Assembly of the Common-Council, to compliment him with the Freedom of their Corporation. The Resolution, together with the Preamble of the Captain’s Freedom, being curious in their Kind, I subjoin them for the Satisfaction of the Reader.
Resolution of the Mayor and Common-Council of the City of New-York, at a Common-Council held at the City Hall of the said City, on Thursday the 25th of July, Anno. Dom. 1723.
Present Robert Walter, Esq; Mayor.
City of New-York, ss.
THIS Court having taken into their Consideration the great Service lately done to this Province in particular, as well as to all other his Majesty’s good Subjects in general, by Captain Peter Solgard, Commander of his Majesty’s Ship the Greyhound, the Station Ship of the Province, who lately in a Cruize upon this Coast, in due Execution and Discharge of his Duty, upon Intelligence given him, sought for, pursued and engaged two Pyrate Sloops, commanded by one Low, (a notorious and inhumane Pyrate,) one of which Sloops he took, after a resolute Resistance, and very much shattered the other, who by the Favour of the Night escaped. Twenty six of which Pyrates so taken, being lately executed at Rhode Island, not only eased this City and Province of a very great Trouble, but of a very considerable Expence, &c. It is therefore resolved (Nemine Contradicente) that this Corporation do present the said Captain Solgard with the Freedom of this Corporation, as a Mark of the great Esteem they have for his Person, as well as for the aforesaid great and good Services; and that the Seal of the said Freedom be enclosed in a Gold Box; that Mr. Recorder and Mr. Bickley do draw the Draught of the said Freedom, signifying therein, the grateful Sense of this Corporation, for so signal a Service to the Publick, and Benefit and Advantage of Mankind. That Alderman Kip, and Alderman Cruger, do prepare the said Box; that the Arms of the Corporation be engraved on one Side thereof, and a Representation of the Engagement on the other, with this Motto, (viz.) [Quesitos Humani Generos Hostes Debellare superbum, 10 Junii, 1723.] That the Town-Clerk cause the same Freedom to be handsomly engrossed on Parchment, and that the whole Corporation do wait upon him, to present the same.
By Order of the Common-Council.
William Sharpas, Clerk.
The Preamble of Captain Peter Solgard’s Copy of his Freedom.
Robert Walter, Esq; Mayor, and the Aldermen of the City of New-York.
City of New-York, ss.
TO all whom these Persents shall come, send Greeting. WHEREAS, Captain Peter Solgard, Commander of his Majesty’s Ship the Greyhound, (the present Station Ship of this Province,) in his Cruize, having Intelligence of two Pyrate Sloops of considerable Force in Consortship, under the Command of one Low, a notorious Pyrate, that had for upward of two Years, committed many Depredations, Murders and Barbarities, upon many of his Majesty’s Subjects and Allies, lately come upon this Coast, hath, with great Diligence, and utmost Application, pursued, overtaken, and after a stubborn Resistance, vanquished and overcome both of them, taking on
e, and driving the other from our Coast; which Action, as it is glorious in it self, so it is glorious in the publick Benefits and Advantages that flow from it, (to wit) The Safety and Freedom of our own Trade and Commerce, and of all the neighbouring Provinces on this Continent, such signal Service done against the Enemies of Mankind, merits the Applause of all good Men, but more immediately from those of this Province, who are appointed his particular Care and Charge. WE therefore, the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New-York, assembled in Common Council, to express our grateful Sense and Acknowledgment, to the said Captain Peter Solgard, for so noble and faithful a Discharge of his Duty, and as a particular Mark of the great Esteem and just Regard we bear to his kind Acceptance of the Freedom of the Corporation of this City of New-York, and that he will please to become a Fellow Citizen with us. These are therefore to certify and declare, that the said Captain Peter Solgard is hereby admitted, received and allowed a Freeman and Citizen of the said City of New-York, to have, hold, enjoy and partake of all and singular Advantages, Benefits, Liberties, Privileges, Franchises, Freedoms and Immunities whatsoever, granted or belonging to the same City: In Testimony thereof, the said Mayor hath hereunto subscribed his Name, and caused the Seal of the said City to be affix’d the 25th Day of July, in the ninth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. Anno. Dom. 1723.
