FOOTNOTES
[160] Babson, History of Gloucester, p. 287. This very likely is true as Jeremiah Bumstead of Boston recorded in his diary on May 3, 1724, that “Phillip’s & Burrill’s heads were brought to Boston in pickle.”—N. E. Hist. Gen. Reg., Vol. 15, p. 201.
[161] Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 63, leaf 341.
[162] Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 63, leaf 381.
[163] Ibid., Vol. 63, leaf 386.
[164] Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 63, leaf 383.
[165] Phillips had captured between August 29, 1723 and April 14, 1724, a snow from New York, Low, master; three shallops; fifteen fishing vessels; three schooners, Haskel of Cape Ann, Furber and Chadwell; three brigantines, Moore, Read, and Francisco, masters; four sloops, Barrow, Salter and Harradine, masters; five ships, one from France, and a Frenchman, another from Martinico, Hussam from London to Virginia, two from Virginia for London, John Phillips and Robert Mortimer; in all thirty-four vessels.—Boston News-Letter, Apr. 30—May 7, 1724 issue.
[166] Boston News-Letter, May 28-June 4, 1724 issue.
CHAPTER XVIII
William Fly, who was Hanged in Chains on Nix’s Mate
The piratical career of this fellow was very short, a fortunate thing for shipping along the New England coast, as he was a bloody-minded man who would undoubtedly have become a scourge had he been able to increase his ship’s company and secure a vessel better suited to his purposes. The “Remarkable Relation of a Cockatrice crush’d in the Egg” is the characterization made by the Rev. Cotton Mather in his narrative of Fly’s career published in Boston soon after the execution of the pirates.
Fly was born in England and went to sea early. He was of obscure parentage and of limited education and until he led the mutiny and capture of the Bristol snow, in May, 1726, he had served only as a foremast-man or petty officer.
In the spring of 1726 he was at Jamaica, in the West Indies, when a snow owned by Bristol merchants and commanded by Capt. John Green, came to anchor in the harbor. The snow “Elizabeth” was bound for the coast of Guinea on a slaving voyage and being short of hands, Fly was shipped as boatswain. The captain of a slaving ship must be a man of strong character, a rough and ready type, and Captain Green soon incurred, in some way, the enmity of Fly who began plotting with several of the men whom he found ripe for any kind of villainy. They resolved before long to seize the snow, murder the captain and mate and turn pirates.
On May 27, 1726, Fly had the early morning watch. At one o’clock, accompanied by the other mutineers, he went to the helmsman, Morice Cundon, and told him with many curses that if he spoke a word or stirred from his post they would blow his brains out. Fly then rolled up his shirt sleeves and cutlass in hand went into the captain’s cabin accompanied by Alexander Mitchell. Captain Green awoke instantly and asked what was the matter. Mitchell replied that they had no time to answer impertinent questions; that he was to go on deck at once and if he refused they would be at the trouble of scraping the cabin to clean up his blood, for Captain Fly had been chosen commander and they would have no other captain on board nor waste provisions to feed useless men. Captain Green said he would make no resistance and proposed that they should put him ashore somewhere meanwhile keeping him in irons.
The
TRYALS
OF
Sixteen Persons for PIRACY, &c.
Four of which were found Guilty,
And the rest Acquitted.
At a Special Court of Admiralty for the Tryal of Pirates, Held at Boston within the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England, on Monday the Fourth Day of July, Anno Dom. 1726. Pursuant to His Majesty’s Commission, Founded on an Act of Parliament, made in the Eleventh and Twelfth Years of the Reign of King William the Third, Intitled; An Act for the more Effectual Suppression of Piracy. And made Perpetual by an Act of the Sixth of King GEORGE.
BOSTON: Printed for and Sold by Joseph Edwards, at the Corner Shop on the North side of the Town-House, 1726.
“Ay, God damn ye,” said Fly, “to live and hang us, if we are ever taken. No! no! Walk up and be damn’d, that bite won’t take. It has hanged many an honest fellow already.”
Without more words they pulled the captain out of bed, hauled him into the steerage and drove him up on deck, Fly cutting him several times with his cutlass. Once there, one of them asked the unfortunate man if he would rather take a leap like a brave fellow or be tossed overboard like a sneaking rascal. In despair, the captain said to Fly,—“For the Lord’s sake, don’t throw me overboard, boatswain; for if you do, you throw me into Hell immediately.”
“Damn you!” answered Fly. “Since he’s so devilish godly, we’ll give him time to say his prayers and I’ll be parson. Say after me, Lord, have mercy on my soul, short prayers are best, and then over with him, my lads.”
When the men seized him, the captain clutched at the mainsheet and one of them, Thomas Winthrop, picked up a cooper’s broadax and chopped off the poor master’s hand at the wrist and then overboard he went and soon disappeared from sight.
While this was going on, Winthrop, Samuel Cole and Henry Hill had pounced on the mate, Thomas Jenkins, and dragged him on deck telling him he was “of the Captain’s Mess, and they should e’en drink together; it was a pity to part good Company.” As the mate struggled to escape, one of them snatched up the broadax with which Winthrop had lopped off the captain’s hand, and aimed a blow at the mate’s head which landed instead on his shoulder and then he was thrown overboard just before the main shrouds. As he fell he cried out to the ship’s doctor, “For the Lord’s sake, fling me a rope.” But Fly soon put the doctor in irons and also confined the gunner and the carpenter who declined to fall in with the others.
Captain Fly was now saluted and escorted to the great cabin with some ceremony, where a bowl of punch was made. While it was brewing, Morice Cundon, the helmsman, was called down and one John Fitzherbert set in his place. A seaman named Thomas Streator was also brought into the cabin and Fly told the two men that they were rascals and richly deserved to be sent after the captain and the mate, but the company was willing to show them mercy and not put them to death in cold blood; but for the security of the ship’s company they would be placed in irons. The snow was then renamed the “Fame’s Revenge.” She was well stored with powder, rum and provisions but was a slow sailer.
While the company was still debating what course should be taken word was brought down that a ship was near them and the council broke up. As it grew lighter she was recognized as the “Pompey,” which had come out from England in company with Captain Green and had sailed from Jamaica at the same time. The “Pompey” stood in near the snow and hailed, asking for Captain Green’s health. Fly answered “He is very well. At your service!” Not having hands enough Fly decided not to attack the ship so the company returned to the cabin and the bowl of punch and soon voted to make for the North Carolina coast.
On June 3d, off Cape Hatteras, they came upon a sloop lying at anchor inside the bar. She was the “John and Hannah,” John Fulker, master, bound for Boston in New England. When the snow stood in for the harbor of Carolina, Captain Fulker thought she might be in need of a pilot and so took his boat and accompanied by Samuel Walker, the mate, a young lad, and two passengers,—Capt. William Atkinson, late master of the brigantine “Boneta,” and Richard Ruth, rowed out to the snow intending to bring her in. When on board they were told the snow was from Jamaica. Fly received them very civilly and invited them down to the cabin where a bowl of punch was ordered. When it was brought in Fly told his guests “that he was no Man to mince Matters: that he and his Comrades were Gentlemen of Fortune, and should make bold to try if Captain Fulker’s Sloop was a better sailer than the Snow; if she was, she would prove much fitter for their Business, and they must have her.”
The snow came to anchor about a league from the sloop and Fly ordered Captain Fulker with six men to bring her alongside the snow. The wind was in the wrong quarter, however, and after several attempts they gave it up for the time and brought Captain Fulker back to the snow where Fly received him in a violent passion, cursing and damning him for not bringing off the sloop. Fulker said it was impossible. “Damn ye,” replied Fly, “you lie like a Dog, but damn my Blood, your Hide shall pay for your Roguery, and if I can’t bring her off I’ll burn her where she lies.” He then ordered Captain Fulker “to the Geers.” He was at once stripped and given an unmerciful beating. The boat’s crew were then sent back again to bring off the sloop and after a time got her as far as the bar where she bilged and sank.
With Captain Fulker, Captain Atkinson and the rest on board, the “Fame’s Revenge” set sail on June 5th and the next day sighted the ship “John and Betty,” Capt. John Gale, bound from Barbadoes for Virginia. Fly gave chase and finding that the ship could outsail him he hoisted “a Jack at the Main topmast Head, in token of Distress.” Captain Gale was suspicious and ignoring the signal kept his course with Fly still in chase. The pursuit was kept up all night and early in the morning, the wind having slackened, Fly came within gunshot and hoisting a black flag, fired several times until Captain Gale struck his colors. Fly manned his long boat, which carried a pateraro in the bow, and went on board well armed with pistols and cutlasses and having made the master and crew prisoners sent them on board the snow. Fly lay by for two days and finding little on board of value to him, save some sail cloth and small arms, he permitted the ship to go after forcing six of the crew. In her went Captain Fulker, Mr. Ruth and Captain Green’s surgeon, who had steadfastly refused to serve the pirate company. Captain Atkinson, however, was forced to remain with Fly as he understood navigation and also was familiar with the New England coast. When Captain Atkinson asked to be allowed his liberty, Captain Fly replied as follows:—
“Look ye, Captain Atkinson, it is not that we care a T——d for your Company, G——d d——n ye, G——d d——n my Soul, not a T——d, by G——d, and that’s fair; but G——d d——n ye, and G——d’s B——d and W——ds, if you don’t act like an honest Man, G——d d——n ye, and offer to play us any Rogue’s Tricks, by G——d, and G——d sink me, but I’ll blow your Brains out; G——d d——n me if I don’t. Now, Captain Atkinson, you may do as you please, you may be a Son of a Whore, and pilot us wrong, which, G——d d——n ye, would be a rascally Trick, by God, because you would betray Men who trust in you; but, by the eternal J——s, you shan’t live to see us hang’d. I don’t love many Words, G——d d——n ye, if you have a Mind to be well used you shall, G——d’s B——d; but if you will be a Villain and betray your trust, may G——d strike me dead, and may I drink a Bowl of Brimstone and Fire with the D——l, if I don’t send you head-long to H——ll, G——d d——n me; and so there needs no more Arguments, by G——d, for I’ve told you my Mind, and here’s all the Ship’s Crew for Witnesses, that if I do blow your Brains out, you may blame no Body but your self, G——d d——n ye.”[167]
Fly forbade Captain Atkinson to have any conversation with other forced men lest he should hatch a conspiracy and to prevent any communication between them at night a hammock was given him in the cabin.
Off Delaware Bay they met the sloop “Rachel,” Samuel Harris, commander, bound for Pennsylvania from New York. She had about fifty Scotch-Irish passengers aboard. When Fly hoisted his black ensign and ordered her to strike she did so at once. The sloop was ransacked and held for a day and then permitted to go. One of her crew, a lusty fellow named James Benbrook, was forced.
Fly now ordered Captain Atkinson to bear away for Martha’s Vineyard proposing to water there and then sail for the Guinea coast; but Atkinson, instead of steering for the Vineyard, purposely carried them past and out into the Bay. When Fly discovered this he told Captain Atkinson that “he was a rascally Son of an envenom’d Bitch, and damn his Blood it was a Piece of Cruelty to let such a son of a Whore live, who design’d the Death of so many honest Fellows.”
Atkinson replied that he never pretended to know the coast and it was very hard that he should die for being thought an abler man than he really was. “G——d d——n you,” said Fly, “you are an obstinate Villain,” and he was about to draw a pistol to shoot Atkinson when Mitchell interposed and saved his life.
On June 23d they met a fishing schooner lying to on Brown’s bank. She was the “James,” of Marblehead, George Girdler, master, and as Fly came up he fired a gun and hoisted his black ensign. When the master came aboard, Fly told him that he proposed taking his vessel unless he found a better sailer. About noon, as they lay near each other, several other schooners came in sight and Fly ordered six of his pirates and a prisoner named George Tasker, to man the prize schooner and go in pursuit. This was a very hazardous thing to do for it left him on board the “Fame’s Revenge” with only three of his pirate crew, one of whom, Samuel Cole, was in irons on suspicion of mutiny. Against this small number of armed men were Captain Atkinson, Captain Fulker’s mate, a couple of his boys, Captain Green’s gunner and carpenter, five of Captain Gale’s men, James Benbrooke, and three fishermen belonging to the Marblehead schooner. Atkinson already had secretly had some conversation with Samuel Walker and Thomas Streaton and Walker had spoken to Benbrook. This seemed to be the opportunity that they had waited for. By good fortune, just at this time, several other vessels appeared in sight and Atkinson, by telling Fly what he saw from the bows, drew him forward from his loaded guns and cutlass which he had kept beside him on the quarter-deck. At first Fly was loath to leave the quarter-deck and told Atkinson that he could see but one sail, but Atkinson insisted that he could see two others and told Fly that he would soon have a fleet of prizes. “If you were but here, Sir, with your glass, ahead, you would easily see them all,” said Atkinson. Fly in his intense interest forgot his earlier caution and came off the quarter-deck where his arms lay and went ahead to spy the sails that Atkinson claimed to have seen. He sat on the windlass and with his prospective glass tried to locate the mythical vessels. Benbrook and Walker now came forward and directed the captain to look a point or two at one side and while so engaged, Atkinson, a spare and slender man, slipped aft towards the guns and as Walker and Benbrook seized Fly he quickly pointed a gun at him and told him that “he was a dead man if he didn’t immediately submit.” Benbrook already had broken Fly’s sword. About this time Greenville, one of the pirates, heard the struggle and put his head above to see what was the matter. Atkinson at once struck him over the head with his gun and with the help of the carpenter the other man was soon in irons. Meanwhile the rest of the forced men stood by as in a trance but soon came to and with a will aided in securing the prisoners.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the
Hands if the Living GOD.
A
SERMON
Preached to some miserable
PIRATES
July 10. 1726.
On the Lord’s Day, before their Execution.
By Benjamin Colman,
Pastor of a Church in Boston.
To which is added some Account of said Pirates.
Deut. XVII. 13. And all the People shall hear and fear, and do no more so presumptuously.
BOSTON, N. E. Printed for John Phillips and Thomas Hancock, and Sold at their Shops. 1726.
Fly, when he found himself in irons, began to blaspheme, cursing all rovers who should ever give quarter to an Englishman. This was the brave-spirited fellow who would say when it had thundered, “They are playing bowls in the air”; and when it lightned, he would say, “Who fires now? Stand by,” etc. Four days later Captain Atkinson had brought the snow and the pirates to anchor in Boston harbor and on July 4, 1726 they came to a speedy trial before the Honorable William Dummer, Lieutenant-Governor, and the judges of the Admiralty Court, among whom was Samuel Sewall.
The court was held in the old Court House that formerly stood at the head of what is now State street. Captain Atkinson was tried first and soon cleared as were Joseph Marshall and William Ferguson, sailors on the schooner “James.” Then followed the trials of John Cole, John Browne, Robert Dauling, John Daw, James Blair and Edward Lawrence who had been forced from the “John and Betty,” Edward Apthorp, who belonged to the “John and Hannah,” James Benbrook, the spry young seaman forced from the “Rachel,” and Morice Cundon, the helmsman on the “Elizabeth” when Captain Green was thrown overboard. These all were acquitted.
The four pirates that had been taken were brought to trial last. Captain Fly, aged twenty-seven years, denied that he had aided in throwing overboard either Captain Green or Jenkins, the mate. “I can’t charge myself with Murder,” he said. “I did not strike or wound the Master or Mate. It was Mitchel did it.” Samuel Cole, aged thirty-seven years, owned to having a wife and seven children. He had served as quartermaster on the pirate snow and when Fly suspected him of mutiny he ordered a hundred lashes given him “whereof he continued sore to his Death.” Henry Greenville, about forty years of age, was a married man. George Condick, a young man of twenty years, had usually been the worse for drink and not able to bear arms when vessels had been taken. He had served as cook for the company. This may have saved his neck for he was fortunate enough to be recommended for a reprieve. The other three were sentenced to be hanged, Fly’s body afterwards to be hung in chains from a gibbet erected on Nix’s Mate, a small island in Boston harbor which now has been entirely washed away. A granite monument marks the site and also serves as a warning to navigators.
With the pirates sentenced to death and awaiting execution the ministers of the town began their ministrations and “great pains were taken to dispose them for a Return unto God”; so says the Rev. Cotton Mather who always occupied a prominent place in the public eye at such times. The account of his conference with the doomed pirates, held on July 6, written by him and printed soon after their execution, begins as follows:—
“Unhappy Men:—Yet not hopeless of Eternal Happiness:—A Marvellous Providence of GOD has put a Quickstop to a Swift Carriere you were taking in the paths of the Destroyer. But had you been at once cut off in your Wickedness, what had become of you? A merciful GOD has not only given you a space to Repent, but has ordered your being brought into a place where such means of Instruction will be Employ’d upon you, and such pains will be taken for the Salvation of your Souls, as are not commonly Elsewhere to be met withal, May this Goodness of GOD lead you to Repentance:—Among other and greater proofs of This, you will accept this Visit, which I now intend you.
“We thank you, Syr, replied the pirates.”
The eminent divine continues in the same strain through twenty-one printed pages. As he left the condemned prisoners he supplied them “with several Books of Piety,” very likely of his own voluminous writings.
After Fly was put in prison he ate very little. New England rum kept strength in his body. He absolutely refused to go to the North Meeting-house, the Sunday before he was executed, when the other prisoners were placed on exhibition and preached to by the Rev. Cotton Mather who chose for his text—“They Dy even without Wisdom.” Fly said “he would not have the Mob to gaze upon him.... He seemed all along ambitious to have it said, That he died a brave fellow! He pass’d along to the place of Execution, with a Nosegay in his hand, and making his Complements, where he thought he saw occasion. Arriving there, he nimbly mounted the stage, and would fain have put on a Smiling Aspect. He reproached the Hangman, for not understanding his Trade, and with his own Hands rectified matters, to render all things more Convenient and Effectual.”[168]
The Vial poured out upon the SEA.
A
Remarkable RELATION
Of certain
PIRATES
Brought unto a Tragical and Untimely
END.
Some CONFERENCES with them, after their Condemnation.
Their BEHAVIOUR at their Execution.
AND A
SERMON
Preached on that Occasion.
Job XX. 29.
This is the portion of a wicked Man from GOD, and the Heritage appointed unto him by GOD.
BOSTON: Printed by T. Fleet, for N. Belknap, and sold at his Shop near Scarlet’s Wharf. 1726.
The execution occurred at the usual place near the Charlestown ferry about where the North End park is now located, and the gallows was placed on the shore between the ebb and flow of the tides. Thousands of people, coming from miles around, had gathered to witness the spectacle and after the doomed men were on the platform three ministers of the town offered lengthy prayers.
After the execution was over and the crowd of spectators had returned to their homes to recall its details, the bodies of the pirates “were carried in a Boat to a small Island call’d Nicks’s-Mate, about 2 Leagues from the Town, where Fly was hung up in Irons, as a Spectacle for the warning of others, especially Seafaring Men; the other Two were buried there.”—Boston News-Letter, July 7-14, 1726.
And so ended the short reign of a would-be scoundrel who only wanted skill and power to become as infamous as any who had scoured the seas.