The Book of Pirates and Highwaymen (14 page)

I was determined to reach London that night, and though my horse was greatly fatigued, yet he held out, and performed the journey very well. I went that night to my lord’s, and began to flash my cole, and played high. Some who knew me said, ‘Hal, who have you touched for the night;’ I replied, ‘I had been to receive a quarter’s rent.’ Three days after this robbery, as I was going out of town on pleasure, with some of my companions; just by Hyde Park turnpike, the Welchman, who drove the gentleman I had robbed, called out to me, and said, ‘master, you never remembered your poor Welchman.’ I instantly remembered the man’s face, and beckoned him to me, and gave him a crown; so we parted, and he wished me a good journey. However, I did not much like him, and so persuaded my companions to turn back, without telling them the reasons I had for doing so.

This robbery being advertised in all the papers, and a particular description given of my person, I shipped myself on board a privateer, but soon ran away from the ship. I afterwards enlisted for a soldier, and now began to keep low company, having no money and but few clothes. I used to be constantly in brothels, and live on what I could get from poor creatures. At last, for almost beating a woman’s eye out, I was sent to New Prison, from whence I broke out, but was soon taken, and carried to Covent-garden round house, and from hence before the late colonel De Veil, where I made an information for robbery against several persons, particularly, Robert Scott, Roger Allen, and William Bailey. The latter was taken up and tried for robbing Abraham Dirknell, servant to the duke of Bolton, of several goods, which were stolen from a stable belonging to his grace. I humbly ask pardon of God Almighty, and the poor injured men; for they were all innocent of this fact, and I committed the robbery and I really perjured myself on Bailey’s trial, though he had the good fortune to be acquitted.

In my information before Sir Thomas De Veil, I accused William Cavenagh, Richard Smith, and William Gibbs, with breaking and entering the dwelling house of Mr Nathan Smith, of the borough of Southwark; but they all were innocent of that accusation, and it was at the instigation of the thief-takers that I swore against them. I was concerned in this robbery, but they were not; it was committed by me, Tom Casey, Will Bullimore, and Jack England, all Irishmen.

When the before-mentioned persons were acquitted at Croydon, of the robbery in Mr Smith’s house, I was removed to Newgate, and tried at the Old Bailey, on my own information, for robbing a barber’s shop; and being convicted was ordered for transportation, and soon after was put on board a ship in the river. On board the ship there was one Alexander Connell, an Irish boy; and he, with some others of the transports, promised to seize the captain and ship’s company at Cowes in the Isle of Wight, but they watched us so strictly that we had no opportunity. The boatswain and I consulted to get away, but all to no purpose; so, after a tedious passage, we arrived at Anapolis in Maryland, where I was sold for twelve guineas; but I gave my master the slip, and never lay one night in the country.

It happened luckily, that a horse on which my new master rode, was tied to a gate about a mile from the dwelling house, as an old negro informed me; and my master and the captain having been drinking pretty heavily, I took an opportunity of getting away in the night, whilst they were asleep; and by the assistance of this old negro, got the horse; and for the bribe of a guinea, which I had concealed, he directed me to the sea side, where I arrived, having rode thirty miles in less than four hours, through roads, some of which were almost impassable. When I saw the ocean about two miles distance, I dismounted, threw the horse’s saddle and bridle away, and turned him loose in the woods. I then walked to the sea-side, and hailed the Two Sisters, James Abercrombie, master, who shipped me that night, and I was to have six guineas for the run home. In our passage we were taken by a privateer, called the Chacer, belonging to the Bayonne in France, and were carried into Oporto; I ran away from the ship, and secreted myself some days in the town, but was discovered, and pressed on board the King’s Fisher, where I behaved so well, that in a short time I was made midshipman; but longing to come to my native country, I found means to get away from the ship, and walked to Lisbon, where I went onboard the Hanover Packet boat, and in less than twelve days arrived at Falmouth. Here I tarried upwards of a month with Jemmy Field, an old acquaintance, and spent what money I brought from Portugal in an idle manner.

When all I had was squandered away in a riotous manner, I shipped myself on board a coaster which traded to Bristol; the captain and I quarrelled, and I had like to have knocked him overboard. When we came to Bristol, he would not pay me my wages, but threatened to send me to Newgate in that city, on account of some money that I had borrowed from him; so I thought it the best way to escape in a whole skin, with about eight shillings in my pocket; and having hired a bridle and a saddle, I stole a horse out of a field, and rode away with him.

The first robbery I committed was near Cane, where I stopped a post-chaise and took from a gentleman and lady a silver watch, and £34 7s in money. The next robbery was near Hungerford, where I stopped the Bath coach, and took from a lady a diamond solitaire, three diamond rings, and some small trifle of money; and from the other passengers, about five guineas. I stopped a coach on the same road about three hours afterwards, and robbed an old gentleman of a silver tankard, tied in a handkerchief, and about forty shillings.

When I came to London, I saw the horse advertised which I had stole from Bristol, and putting up at the White Swan in Whitechapel, I was afraid to go for my horse, for fear I should be stopt. And going to St James, to see some of my acquaintance, I stole a horse from a boy in Rider-street, and rode away, but was stopped at Tyburn turnpike, and the toll-man knocked me off the horse, because he knew whose property it was; but on my presenting a pistol, I got away, but not without the loss of my hat and wig, and I was obliged to leave my horse behind me.

I went to Chelsea, and dined at the Cock. Next day I went to Mrs M------rg--n’s, at Addlehill, and made her pawn her gown for eight shillings. I then went to Kingston upon Thames, and there hired a returned horse to Godalmin, but instead of going thither, I crossed Kingston Bridge; and on Smallberry green I saw a gentleman’s servant who had hung his horse on a gate, while playing with a wench, so I exchanged horses. The next day I robbed the Worcester coach, near Gerrard’s Cross, in Bucks, and from the passengers I took about twenty-five shillings.

The next robbery was of Mr Sleep, for which I am to die. That day I robbed seven farmers of about £18 and then came to London, and lay at the Greyhound in Drury Lane. Next day I went out and dined at Stratford, took a ride to Epping Forest, robbed Bess Watts of four diamond rings, and from a gentleman who rode in the chaise with her I took three guineas. On the forest I robbed Captain Bateman, the king’s wheel-wright, of his gold watch, ten guineas, and about twenty-five shillings in silver. I did not shoot or rob the clergyman who was found dead in Epping Forest; I mention this, because many gentlemen have questioned me about it; I was at that time a close prisoner in Bedford gaol.

I intended to go over to Ireland, and setting out for St Albans, I got into company, and drank too much, and seeing the Warrington stage coach, I rode after it, and robbed the passengers; and, being drunk, I rode to Hockliffe in Bedfordshire, and put up at the Star inn, and sitting down in the kitchen, I fell fast asleep, and was taken by some troopers, on a hue and cry, for robbing the coach. I was confined close in the house that night, and all my money taken from me, but I had got Bess Watt’s rings, tied up in a knot of my neck-cloth, and the troopers not finding them, I that night swallowed them in the skin of a duck’s leg, which I well rubbed with butter. These rings I afterwards gave Irish Peg to dispose of when I was confined in Bedford gaol; but she was taken up, and tried at Gloucester, and punished there; and Bess Watts had her rings again.

The night I was seized I attempted to kill one of the troopers who guarded me, and he was endeavouring to take the seal of Captain Bateman’s watch out of the fire, which I had purposefully thrown to make him stoop; but my pistol missing fire, the man saved his life. They then tied my hands, and carried me before justice Nodes of Luton in Bedfordshire, who committed me; and in Bedford gaol I was collared with an iron collar, and had shears on my legs, so I could hardly stir; though if the habeas corpus had not come to remove me to Newgate, I should have slipt through their fingers, for a female acquaintance could have released me in a day or two.

Being brought to Newgate, I was tried at the Old Bailey, and justly convicted for robbing Mr Sleep. All those I have offended I hope will forgive me, and God Almighty receive my soul.’

The information he made relating to his being hired to shoot his majesty, had not the least foundation, and his only view in it was to prolong his life.

Simms, whilst under sentence, behaved very undauntedly, especially before he was certain of death. He quarrelled with Mary Allen, another convict, and beat her very much: but when the warrant came down, he was more orderly, and seemed greatly shocked.

Adventures Of Morgan, Prince of Free-Booters: The Treasures of Panama

Panama, which stood on the shore of the South Sea, in the 9th degree of northern latitude, was at that time one of the greatest, as well as the most opulent cities in America. It contained two thousand large houses, the greater number of which were very fine piles of building, and five thousand smaller dwellings, each mostly three stories in height. Of these, a pretty considerable number were erected of stone, all the rest of cedar wood, very elegantly constructed and magnificently furnished. The city was defended by a rampart, and was surrounded with walls. It was the emporium for the silver of Mexico, and the gold of Peru; whence those valuable metals were brought on the backs of mules (two thousand of which animals were kept for this purpose only), across the isthmus towards the northern coast of the South Sea. A great commerce was also carried on at Panama in negroes; which trade was at the time almost exclusively confined to the English, Dutch, French, and Danes. With this branch of commerce the Italians were intimately connected, who gave lessons in it to all the rest of Europe; and, as two things were necessary (in which the Genoese were by no means deficient), – money and address,– they were chiefly concerned in the slave trade, and supplied the provinces of Chili and Peru with negroes.

At the period now referred to, the president of Panama was the principal intendant or overseer of the civil department, and the captain-general of all troops in the vice-royalty of Peru. He had in his dependency Porto Bello and Nata, two cities inhabited by the Spaniards, together with the towns of Cruces, Panama, Capira, and Veragua. The city of Panama had also a bishop, who was a suffragan of the archbishop of Lima.

The merchants lived in great opulence; and their churches were decorated with uncommon magnificence. The cathedral was erected in the Italian style, surmounted with a large cupola, and enriched with gold and silver ornaments; as also were the eight convents, which this city comprised. At a small distance from its walls, there were some islands alike embellished by art and by nature, where the richest inhabitants had their country houses; from which circumstance they were called the gardens of Panama. In short, everything concurred to render this place important and agreeable. Here several of the European nations had palaces for carrying on their commerce; and among these were the Genoese, who were held in great credit, and who had vast warehouses for receiving the articles of their immense trade, as also a most magnificent edifice. The principal houses were filled with beautiful paintings, and the master-pieces of the arts, which had here been accumulated, more from an intense desire of being surrounded with all the splendour of luxury (since they possessed the means of procuring it), than from a refined taste. Their superabundance of gold and silver had been employed in obtaining these splendid superfluities; which were of no value, but to gratify the vanity of their possessors.

Such was Panama in 1670, when the free-booters selected it as the object of their bold attempt, and as the victim of their extravagancies; and immortalized their name by reducing it to a heap of ruins.

In the execution of this design, which stupefied the New World, they displayed equal prudence and cruelty. Previous to the adoption of any other measure, it was necessary that the Pirates should get possession of fort St Laurent, which was situated on the banks of the river Chagre. With this view Morgan dispatched four ships, with four hundred men, under the command of the intrepid Brodely, who had succeeded in victualling the fleet, and who was intimately acquainted with the country. Morgan continued at the island of St Catherine with the rest of his forces. His plan was to dissemble his vast projects against Panama, as long as it was possible, and to cause the pillage of the fort St Laurent to be regarded as a common expedition to which he would confine himself.