Mrs. Hogg's apprehensions happened to be right; for this boy having a sight of the money, was charmed with it, and, as it seems, wanted to be fingering of it. He told his comrades of the black guard, the beforenamed Cæsar, Prince and Cuffee, where they might have a fine booty, if they could manage cleverly to come at it; he said it was at Hogg's house in the Broadstreet; his wife kept a shop of goods, and sold candles, rum, molasses, &c.
The negroes catched at the proposal, and the scheme was communicated by them to John Hughson, who kept a public house by the North River, in this city, a place where numbers of negroes used to resort, and be entertained privately (in defiance of the laws) at all hours, as appeared afterwards, and will be shewn at large in the ensuing sheets. Thither they used to bring such goods as they stole from their masters or others, and Hughson, his wife and family, received them: there they held a consultation with Hughson and his family, how they should act, in order to compass the attainment of this booty.
The boy (Wilson) told them the situation of the house and shop; that the front was towards Broad-street, and there was a side door out of the shop into an alley, commonly called the Jews-Alley, and if they could make an errand thither to buy rum, they might get an opportunity to shove back the bolt of the door facing the alley, for there was no lock to it, and then they could come in the night afterwards, and accomplish their designs.
At Hughson's lodged one Margaret Sorubiero, alias Salingburgh, alias Kerry, commonly called Peggy, or the Newfoundland Irish beauty, a young woman about one or two and twenty; she pretended to be married, but no husband appeared; she was a person of infamous character, a notorious prostitute, and also of the worst sort, a prostitute to negroes; she was here lodged and supported by Cæsar (Vaarck's) before mentioned, and took share (in common with Hughson's family) of the spoils and plunder, the effects of Cæsar's thefts, which he brought to Hughson's; and she may be supposed to have been in most of their wicked secrets; for she had lodged there the summer before, and removed from thence to a house by the new battery, near one John Romme's a shoemaker, and was well acquainted with him and his wife: thither also Cæsar used frequently to resort, with many other negroes; thither he also conveyed stolen goods, and some part of Hogg's goods, of which John Romme had his choice, if what Cæesar said, after his condemnation, be true; and by what will appear hereafter against Romme, and from his intimacy with Hughson, his merits may be concluded to fall little short of his companions.
With this Peggy, as she will be hereafter commonly called, Cæsar used frequently to sleep at Hughson's, with the knowledge and permission of the family; and Cæsar bargained with and paid Hughson for her board; she came there to lodge a second time in the fall, not long before Christmas, 1740, big with child by Cæsar, as was supposed, and brought to bed there not many days before the robbery at Hogg's, of a babe largely partaking of a dark complexion.
Here is laid the foundation of the characters of Hughson and his family, Peggy and John Romme, which will afford frequent occasion of enlarging upon; and from such an hopeful earnest the reader may well expect a plentiful harvest.
Wilson coming to Mrs. Hogg's on Sunday morning, to see his acquaintance as usual, she complained to him, that she had been robbed the night before, that she had lost all the goods out of the shop, a great deal of silver Spanish coins, medals and other silver things, little suspecting that he had been the occasion of it, notwithstanding what she apprehended upon pulling out the drawer of money before him, as above; but as she knew he belonged to the man of war, and that several of those sailors frequented idle houses in the Jews-Alley, it happened that her suspicions inclined towards them; she imagined he might be able to give her some intelligence about it, and therefore described to him some things that she had missed, viz. snuff-boxes, silver medals, one a remarkable eight square piece, &c. Whereupon Wilson said, he had been that morning at Hughson's house, and there saw one John Gwin, who pulled out of his pocket a worsted cap full of pieces of coined silver; and that Mr. Philipse's Cuffee, who was there, seeing John Gwin have this money, he asked him to give him some, and John Gwin counted him out half a crown in pennies, and asked him if he would have any more; and then pulled out a handful of silver coin, amongst which, Wilson said, he saw the eight square piece described by Mrs. Hogg.
Sunday, March 1.
This morning search was made for John Gwin at Hughson's, supposing him to have been a soldier of that name, a fellow of suspicious character, as Mrs. Hogg conceived; and the officers making inquiry accordingly for a soldier, they were answered, there was no such soldier used that house; but it fell out, that Cæsar, the real person wanted, was at the same time before their faces in the Chimney corner: the officers returned without suspecting him to be the person meant, but the mistake being discovered by the boy (Wilson) that the negro Cæsar before mentioned went by that name, he was apprehended in the afternoon, and being brought before Wilson, he declared that he was the person he meant by John Gwin.
Cæsar was committed to prison.
Monday, March 2.
Cæsar (Vaarck's negro) was examined by the justices, and denied every thing laid to his charge concerning Hogg's robbery, but was remanded.
Prince (Mr. Auboyneau's negro) was this day also apprehended upon account of the same felony: upon examination he denied knowing any thing of it. He was also committed.
Upon information that Cæsar had shewn a great deal of silver at Hughson's, it was much suspected that Hughson knew something of the matter, and therefore search was made several times at his house, yesterday and this day, but none of the goods or silver were discovered.
Hughson and his wife were sent for, and were present while the negroes were examined by the justices, and were also examined themselves, touching the things stolen, but discovered nothing; and they were dismissed.
Tuesday, March 3.
Hughson's house having been searched several times over by Mr. Mills, the undersheriff, and several constables, in quest of Hogg's goods, without effect, it happened this evening, that Mary Burton came to to the house of James Kannady, one of the searching constables, to fetch a pound of candles for her master; Kannady's wife knew the girl by sight, and who she belonged to, living in the neighbourhood near them, and having heard of the robbery, and the several searches at Hughson's she took upon her to examine Mary, “whether she knew any thing of those goods, and admonished her to discover if she did, lest she herself should be brought into trouble, and gave her motherly good advice, and said if she knew any thing of it, and would tell, she would get her freed from her master.” Whereupon at parting, the girl said, “she could not tell her then, she would tell her tomorrow; but that her husband was not cute enough, for that he had trod upon theme,” and so went away. This alarmed Kannady and his wife, and the same evening Ann Kannady went to Mr. Mills, the under-sheriff, and told him what had passed between her and Mary Burton. “Whereupon Mills and his wife, Mr. Hogg and his wife, and several constables, went with Ann Kannady and her husband, down to Hughson's house; and Ann Kannady desired the under-sheriff to go in first, and bring Mary Burton out to her; but he staying a long time, Ann Kannady went into Hughson's house, and found the undersheriff and his wife, and Mary Burton, in the parlour, and she then denied what she had before said to Ann Kannady, as above; then Ann Kannady charged her home with it; till at length, Mary Burton said she could not tell them any thing there, she was afraid of her life; that they would kill her. Whereupon they took the girl out of the house, and when they had got a little way from thence, she put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a piece of silver money, which she said was part of Hogg's money, which the negro had given her. They all went to Alderman Bancker's with her, and Ann Kannady informing the Alderman, that she had promised Mary Burton to get her freed from her master; he directed that she should lodge that night with the under-sheriff at the City-Hall for safety; and she was left there accordingly.” For Mary Burton declared also, before the alderman, her apprehensions and fears, that she should be murdered or poisoned by the Hughsons and the negroes, for what she should discover.
The alderman sent for John Hughson, and examined him closely, whether he knew any thing of the matter?