The dying Declarations of John Rose Archer and William White, on the Day of their Exetion at Boston, June 2, 1724, for the Crimes of Pyracy.
First, separately, of Archer.
I Greatly bewail my Profanations of the Lord's Day, and my Disobedience to my Parents.
And my Cursing and Swearing, and my blaspeming the Name of the glorious God.
Unto which I have added, the Sins of Unchastity. And I have provoked the Holy One, at length, to leave me unto the Crimes of Pyracy and Robbery; wherein, at last, I have brought my self under the Guilt of Murder also.
But one Wickedness that has led me as much as any, to all the rest, has been my brutish Drunkenness. By strong Drink I have been heated and hardened into the Crimes that are now more bitter than Death unto me.
I could wish that Masters of Vessels would not use their Men with so much Severity, as many of them do, which exposes to great Temptations.
And then of White.
I am now, with Sorrow, reaping the Fruits of my Disobedience to my Parents, who used their Endeavours to have me instructed in my Bible, and my Catechism.
And the Fruits of my neglecting the public Worship of God, and prophaning the holy Sabbath.
And of my blaspheming the Name of God, my Maker.
But my Drunkenness has had a great Hand in bringing my Ruin upon me. I was drunk when I was enticed aboard the Pyrate.
And now, for all the vile Things I did aboard, I own the Justice of God and Man, in what is done unto me.
Of both together
We hope, we truly hate the Sins, whereof we have the Burthen lying so heavy upon our Consciences.
We warn all People, and particularly young People, against such Sins as these. We wish, all may take Warning by us.
We beg for Pardon, for the sake of Christ, our Saviour; and our Hope is in him alone. Oh! that in his Blood our Scarlet and Crimson Guilt may be all washed away!
We are sensible of an hard Heart in us, full of Wickedness. And we look upon God for his renewing Grace upon us.
We bless God for the Space of Repentance which he has given us; and that he has not cut us off in the Midst and Heighth of our Wickedness.
We are not without Hope, that God has been savingly at work upon our Souls.
We are made sensible of our absolute Need of the Righteousness of Christ; that we may stand justified before God in that. We renounce all Dependance on our own.
We are humbly thankful to the Ministers of Christ, for the great Pains they have taken for our Good. The Lord Reward their Kindness.
We don't Despair of Mercy; but hope, through Christ, that when we dye, we shall find Mercy with God, and be received into his Kingdom.
We wish others, and especially the Sea-faring, may get Good by what they see this Day befalling of us.
Declared in the Presence of J. W. D. M.
Chapter XVII.
Of Captain Spriggs, And his Crew
Spriggs his Beginning. How he set up for himself. Sweats his Prisoners for Diversion. The Pyrates mistake in drinking Healths. Take Hawkins a second time. Burn his Ship, and why. An odd Entertainment given him by the Pyrates. Captain Hawkins how disposed of. Spriggs barbarous Usage of his Prisoners. Takes a Ship loaden with Horses. An odd Frolic of the Pyrates. Two particular Relations of Pyracy .
Spriggs sailed with Low for a pretty while, and I believe came away from Lowther, along with him; he was Quarter-Master to the Company, and consequently had a great Share in all the Barbarities committed by that execrable Gang, till the Time they parted; which was about Christmas last, when Low took a Ship of 12 Guns on the Coast of Guiney, called the Delight, (formerly the Squirrel Man of War,) commanded by Captain Hunt. Spriggs took Possession of the Ship with eighteen Men, left Low in the Night, and came to the West-Indies. This Separation was occasioned by a Quarrel with Low, concerning a Piece of Justice Spriggs would have executed upon one of the Crew, for killing a Man in cold Blood, as they call it, one insisting that he should be hang'd, and the other that he should not.
A Day or two after they parted, Spriggs was chose Captain by the rest, and a black Ensign was made, which they called Jolly Roger, with the same Device that Captain Low carried, viz. a white Skeliton in the Middle of it, with a Dart in one Hand striking a bleeding Heart, and in the other, an Hour-Glass; when this was finished and hoisted, they fired all their Guns to salute their Captain and themselves, and then looked out for Prey.
In their Voyage to the West-Indies, these Pyrates took a Portuguese Bark, wherein they got valuable Plunder, but not contented with that alone, they said they would have a little Game with the Men, and so ordered them a Sweat, more for the Brutes Diversion, than the poor Men's Healths; which Operation is performed after this Manner; they stick up lighted Candles circularly round the Mizon-Mast, between Decks, within which the Patients one at a Time enter; without the Candles, the Pyrates post themselves, as many as can stand, forming another Circle, and armed with Pen-Knives, Tucks, Forks, Compasses, &c. and as he runs round and round, the Music playing at the same Time, they prick him with those Instuments; this usually lasts for 10 or 12 Minutes, which is as long as the miserable Man can support himself. When the Sweating was over, they gave the Portuguese their Boat with a small Quantity of Provisions, and set their Vessel on Fire.
Near the Island of St. Lucia, they took a Sloop belonging to Barbadoes, which they plundered, and then burnt, forcing some of the Men to sign their Articles, the others they beat and cut in a barbarous Manner, because they refused to take on with the Crew, and then sent them away in the Boat, who all got safe afterwards to Barbadoes.
The next was a Martinico Man, which they served as bad as they had done the others, but did not burn their Ship. Some Days afterwards in running down to Leeward, they took one Captain Hawkins, coming from Jamaica, loaden chiefly with Logwood; they took out of her, Stores, Arms, Ammunition, and several other Things, as they thought fit, and what they did not want they threw over-board or destroy'd; they cut the Cables to pieces, knocked down the Cabins, broke all the Windows, and in short took all the Pains in the World to be Mischievous. They took by Force, out of her, Mr. Burridge and Mr. Stephens, the two Mates, and some other Hands; and after detaining the Ship from the 22d of March, to the 29th, they let her go. On the 27th they took a Rhode Island Sloop, Captain Pike, and all his Men were obliged to go aboard the Pyrate; but the Mate being a grave sober Man, and not inclinable to stay, they told him, he should have his Discharge, and that it should be immediately writ on his Back; whereupon he was sentenced to receive ten Lashes from every Man in the Ship, which was rigorously put in Execution.
The next Day Mr. Burridge, Captain Hawkins's Mate, sign'd their Articles, which was so agreeable to them (he being a good Artist and Sailor) that they gave three Huzza's, fir'd all the Guns in the Ship, and appointed him Master: The Day was spent in boysterous Mirth, roaring and drinking of Healths, among which was, by Mistake, that of King George the II. for you must know, now and then the Gentry are provok'd to sudden Fits