Three months later a sloop arrived at Perth Amboy, New Jersey, with the following account of Low’s adventures on this cruise:—
“Perth-Amboy, June 6, 1723. The Sloop William, William Fraser, Master, arrived here from Jamaica. They sailed the last day of April in company with a Snow bound for Liverpool, whose Commander’s name was Sandison; also 3 Ships, viz. Capt. Willing, Capt. Burlington, and Capt. Eastwick, and a Scooner, all belonging to New England, and a Sloop, Capt. Ellicot, for Hampton in Virginia. In sailing round the West end of Cuba, off of Cape San Antonia, the aforesaid Vessels were taken by Pyrates and only Fraser escaped by running close under the Land and coming to an Anchor within the breakers, then weighing and standing to the Southward past them in the Night and so got clear of them. But entering the Gulf the Pyrates waiting there for them, took them and Plundered them. They cut and whiped some and others they burnt with Matches between their Fingers to the bone to make them confess where their Money was. They took to the value of a Thousand Pistoles from Passengers and others. They them let them go. But coming on the Coast off of the Capes of Virginia, they were again chased by the same Pyrates who first took them. They did not trouble them again but wished them well Home. They saw at the same time his Consort, a Sloop of eight Guns, with a Ship and a Sloop which were supposed to be his Prizes. They are commanded by one Edward Low. The Pyrates gave us an account of his taking the Bay of Hondoras from the Spaniards, which had surprized the English, and taking them and putting all the Spaniards to the Sword Excepting two Boys; as also burning the King George and a Snow belonging to New York, and sunk one of the New England Ships, and cut off one of the Masters Ears and slit his Nose; all this they confessed themselves. They are now supposed to be cruising off of Sandy Hook or thereabouts.”—American Weekly Mercury, June 13, 1723.
On the 27th of May, 1723, Captain Low appeared off the coast of South Carolina in the sloop “Fortune.” Capt. Charles Harris was then in command of the sloop “Ranger” lately commanded by Spriggs. Nothing has been learned of the whereabouts of Harris during the preceding five months. No mention of him is made in any account of Low’s doings until he reached the Carolina coast in May. There these two commanders, after a long chase, took three ships, the “Crown,” Captain Lovering, the “King William,” and the “Carteret,” and a brigantine that came out of port only two days before. A few days before they had taken the ship “Amsterdam Merchant,” Capt. John Welland [Williard?] from Jamaica, but owned in New England. As Low seldom allowed a New Englander to go free without carrying away some mark of his hatred, Captain Welland in consequence, lost one of his ears, had his nose slit up and was cut in several places about his body. After the ship was plundered it was sunk and the next day Captain Estwick of Piscataqua was taken, plundered and set free and in his ship Captain Welland and his crew later reached Portsmouth, N. H.[112]
Early in June, Low overhauled the sloop “Hopefull Betty,” Captain Greenman, off the Capes of the Delaware and took away all his water and his sails and sheet anchor. The captain was badly cut about his body but was able to reach Philadelphia ten days later. He brought the news of the capture of Captain Pitman in a pink bound from Virginia to London and said that the pirates claimed they had recently taken sixteen sail of vessels but seemed to be in a great hurry to be gone, probably because of the intelligence that men-of-war from Virginia, New York and Boston were cruising in search of them. Low was reported to have on board about £80,000 in gold and silver. The man-of-war on the New York station was the ship “Greyhound,” Peter Solgard, commander, of twenty guns and one hundred and twenty men, and from one of the unfortunate vessels plundered by Low he learned of the whereabouts of the pirate vessels and steering as directed, at half-past four in the morning of June 10th came in sight of the rovers. He then tacked and stood to the southward and the pirates, always on the lookout for prey, gave chase which lasted for nearly two hours while Captain Solgard cleared his ship for action. At half-past seven he was ready for them. The sloop and the schooner were then about a gunshot off. Suddenly the ship tacked again and stood for them and both of the pirate vessels at once hoisted a black flag and fired on the “Greyhound.” A little later when about three-quarters of a mile distant the black flags came down and were replaced by red ones. The “Greyhound” passed to the windward and received their fire several times and when abreast made such good return with round- and grape-shot, that the sloop and the schooner began to edge away under the “Greyhound’s” stern and she after them. They made a running fight for nearly two hours when the pirates got out their oars and soon began to draw away from the ship. On discovering this, Captain Solgard ordered firing to cease and turned all hands to rowing and at about half-past two in the afternoon came up with them. The pirates hauled into the wind and the fight was warmly renewed. After a time, the “Greyhound” fell in between the pirate vessels and soon the main-yard of the schooner was shot down. Low now showed the real stuff that he was made of and bore away leaving Harris, in the “Ranger,” to his fate, and he, seeing the treachery of his commodore, lost courage and called for quarter. This happened at about four o’clock and an hour later the rogues were safely on board the “Greyhound.” There were then thirty-seven whites and six blacks in Harris’ crew, and ten or twelve of his men had been killed or wounded. Captain Low heretofore had borne so high a reputation for courage and boldness that in the minds of even his own men he had become a terror. But his behavior in the action with the “Greyhound” shows him to have been at heart a treacherous scoundrel. When the prisoners were safely in irons Captain Solgard followed the course of Captain Low toward the northwest, but he had too great a start and after a time drew out of sight in the growing darkness.[113]
After this narrow escape Low’s chagrin and rage knew no bounds and swearing many oaths, he vowed vengeance on the unfortunates that next fell into his hands. This happened only two days later, when he came upon a sloop out of Nantucket that was whale fishing about eighty miles off shore. She had two whale-boats and one of them fortunately was out and at some considerable distance from the sloop at the time she was taken. The men in this boat seeing what had happened got safely to another whaling sloop some distance away and all escaped. The captain of the captured sloop was Nathan Skiff, a young unmarried man living at Nantucket. Low first ordered him stripped and then cruelly whipped him about the deck. His ears were then slashed off. After a time they grew tired of beating the unfortunate man and telling him that because he had been a good captain he should have an easy death, at last they shot him through the head and sunk the sloop. Low forced a boy and two Indian men and allowed three others of the crew to go away in the whale-boat in which, fortunately, there was a little water and a few biscuits, and with good weather these men at last safely reached Nantucket—“beyond all Expectation,” ends the account in the Boston News-Letter.
Low’s insane rage was unabated two days later when a fishing boat was taken off Block Island. The master was dragged on board the pirate sloop and Low with furious oaths at once attacked him with a cutlass and hacked off his head. He gave the boat to two Indians who sailed with the murdered man and sent them away with the information that he intended to kill the master of every New England vessel he captured. On the afternoon of the same day two whaling sloops out of Plymouth were taken near the Rhode Island shore. The master of one vessel he ripped open alive and taking out the poor man’s heart ordered it roasted and then compelled the mate to eat it. The master of the other vessel he slashed and mauled about the deck and then cut off his ears and had them roasted and after sprinkling them with salt and pepper, made the unfortunate men eat them. The man’s wounds were so severe that he afterwards died.[114] Low proposed to murder some of the hands on these whaling sloops but the pirate crew had had enough blood about the deck for one day and swore the rest of the men should go free so Low was obliged to submit. These men brought home the information that the pirate master and crew claimed to have on board nearly £150,000 value in gold and silver coin and plate.[115]
On the 5th of June, 1723, the sloop “Farley,” Thomas Calder, master, a “Pock-fretten” Scotchman, sailed from Piscataqua, N. H., bound for Maryland. On the 14th, when off Nantucket, she sighted a sloop with sails fluttering and rigging badly cut to pieces. The boat’s crew who boarded the sloop found that an attempt had been made to sink her. Not a soul was found on board. A pipe of wine was on the deck with the head knocked in and standing about were several buckets half-full of wine. From ship’s papers it was learned that the sloop belonged to William Clark of Boston.[116] Undoubtedly this sloop had been captured by Low but no record has been found giving any information regarding the fate of her master or crew. Capt. Jacob Waldron brought the derelict into Boston and libelled her for salvage. In the order of the Vice-Admiralty Court published in the Boston Gazette of July 15, 1723, the sloop is described as “Flotsom, taken up on the high Seas,” and so ended another chapter in the lives of those who “go down to the sea in ships.”
From the waters off Cape Cod, Low sailed north for the banks off Newfoundland and near Cape Breton took twenty-three French fishing vessels. One of the larger of them, a ship of twenty-two guns, he refitted and manned from his own crew and the two vessels then scoured the harbors and banks off Newfoundland and took eighteen more ships and smaller vessels some of which were sunk. While near Canso, two French shallops were taken by a small company of the pirates in a periagua that was serving as a tender. The Frenchmen were abused, noses were slit and faces slashed with cutlasses before they were allowed to go. A letter received by a Boston merchant not long after, gives some interesting details of the depredations committed by Low and his crew. It was printed in the Boston News-Letter for Sept. 19, 1723.
“Canso, August 1, 1723.
“In my last Letter to you, I inform’d you of the mischief the Pirates had done on the French at Whitehead, 6 Leagues Westward of this Harbour; and now I proceed to say, that they went to the Eastward and took a Sloop belonging to this Harbour, but treated them very kindly, and dismiss’d them without harm. The next News we heard of them was that they had taken another Vessel, Capt. Job Prince, Commander; they order’d them on Board, but Capt. Prince had no Boat, wherefore they only detain’d him about an hour and dismiss’d him without doing him any Damage. The next Vessel they took was Capt. Robinson’s whom they divested of their Arms, Ammunition and Silver Buckles, and then dismiss’d them. They had then in their Custody four French Ships, which they Plundered, used the men very Barbarously, and sent them in a Vessel belonging to Canso, to Cape Briton. They took Mr. Hood belonging to Boston, in a large Fishing Scooner,[117] when they first came on the Banks from Boston; but that was another Pirate, who also forced away three of his Men. The latter Sloop, which is known to be Low, uses the English very Kindly; but the French find little Mercy, at his hand; they cutt off some of their Ears and Noses, and treated them with all the Barbarity imaginable. One of the French Commanders desired him only to give him a Line from under his hand, that he had taken away some Casks of his Wine and Brandy, that his Owners might not suspect he had Dishonestly Sold them; upon which Low told him he would fetch him one, and accordingly brought up two Pistols, presenting one at Bowels, he told him there was one for his Wine, and Discharg’d it; and there, says he (presenting the other at his Head in the same manner) is one for your Brandy; which said, he discharg’d that also. We hear they have since Taken near 40 French Fishing Vessels, and are gone towards Newfoundland. This is all that is Remarkable concerning these Enemies to Mankind in General.”