Two men-of-war were cruising at that time near the Cape Breton coast. Captain Solgard in the “Greyhound,” after landing his captured pirates at Newport, R. I., had sailed to the eastward and searched all the principal harbors for Low, but without success. On the 16th of June he met His Majesty’s ship “Sea Horse,” Captain Durell, from the Boston station, and they kept company for several days while cruising about the coast and fishing banks. All sorts of wild rumors were flying about the Province and the current newspapers reported several times that Low had been taken. One circumstantial story had it that the “Sea Horse” had surprised Low near Cape Sables, where he had gone to careen, and after a smart engagement had captured him killing eight of his pirate crew. From Salem it was reported that Low had been taken near Canso by a French man-of-war and another report had it that Low had died of his wounds three days after an engagement with H. M. ship “Greyhound.” A sloop arriving at New York on Sept. 19th, from Placentia in Newfoundland, after a month’s passage, brought news of the depredation of the pirates and reported that “it’s believed Low is dead for he was a little man and the new Capt. of those Pyrates is a lusty Man.” Undoubtedly Lowther had been confused with Low in this report. The sloop also brought news that the day before it sailed, Captain Harris, in a sloop from Boston, had reached Placentia and reported sighting “on the banks about eighteen or twenty Vessels together, which he imagined were all taken by the Pyrates and kept together by them.”[118] The Boston News-Letter also published earlier intelligence from Canso, that one of their bank sloops had met a pirate sloop with one hundred and fifty men aboard, who had “ask’d them some Questions, who was at Canso. Inquired after most of the Notedest Men and left them without abuse; they did not Know the Master’s Name, but say most of them are West Country-men.”[119]
Towards the end of July, 1723, Low captured a large ship from Virginia, called the “Merry Christmas,” and opening several new ports mounted her with thirty-four guns and refitting went on board and made her his principal ship. He assumed the title of Admiral and hoisted at the main-topmast head a new black flag—having on it a skeleton in red. As the fishing banks had been pretty thoroughly cleared of vessels and it was supposed that men-of-war were cruising on several of them,[120] it was thought best by Low and Lowther to make a course for the Western Islands where they arrived about the first of September. Soon after reaching Fayal, they took an English brigantine, formerly commanded by Elias Wild, but recently bought by a Portuguese nobleman. She was manned partly by English and partly by Portuguese and the latter Low caused to be hanged. The English sailors were put into their boat to shift for themselves and the brigantine was set on fire.
“Thus these inhumane Wretches went on, who could not be contented to satisfy their Avarice only, and travel in the common Road of Wickedness; but, like their Patron, the Devil, must make Mischief their Sport, Cruelty their Delight, and damning of Souls their constant Employment. Of all the pyratical Crews that were ever heard of, none of the English Name came up to this, in Barbarity; their Mirth and their Anger had much the same Effect, for both were usually gratified with the Cries and Groans of their Prisoners; so that they almost as often murthered a Man from the Excess of good Humour, as out of Passion and Resentment; and the Unfortunate could never be assured of Safety from them, for Danger lurked in their very Smiles. An Instance of this had liked to have happened to one Captain Graves, Master of a Virginia Ship last taken; for as soon as he came aboard of the Pyrate, Low takes a Bowl of Punch in his Hand, and drinks to him, saying, Captain Graves, here’s half this to you. But the poor Gentleman being too sensibly touched at the Misfortune of falling into his Hands, modestly desired to be excused, for that he could not drink; whereupon Low draws out a Pistol, cocks it, and with the Bowl in t’ther Hand, told him, he should either take one or the other; So Graves, without Hesitation, made Choice of the Vehicle that contained the Punch, and guttled down about a Quart, when he had the least Inclination that ever he had in his Life to be merry.”[121]
At St. Michael’s, Low and Lowther sent their boats into the road and cut out a London-built ship of fourteen guns commanded by Captain Thompson, the same captain who had been taken there by Low the year before. His ship was stronger than the boats and he could have defended himself with every prospect of success, but his men through cowardice or an inclination to join the pirates, obliged him to surrender. When he came aboard Low’s vessel his ears were cut off close to his head by way of compensation for having proposed to his men to resist the pirate boats. The ship was burned. A bark was taken not long after and the Portuguese crew fared better than was usually the case, for the pirates happened to be in good humor, and only slashed them here and there with cutlasses and then set them adrift in their boat and fired the bark. Johnson, in his account of Low’s career, preserves a curious anecdote in connection with this capture, as follows:
“When the Boat was going from the Side of the Ship, one of Low’s Men, who, we may suppose, was forced into his Gang, was drinking with a Silver Tankard at one of the Ports, and took his Opportunity to drop into the Boat among the Portugueze, and lye down in the Bottom, in order to escape along with them: After he had stowed himself in the Boat, so as not to be seen, it came into his Head, that the Tankard might prove of some Use to him, where he was going; so he got up again, laid hold of the Utensil, and went off, without being discover’d: In which Attempt had he failed, no doubt his Life, if not the Lives of all the People in the Boat, would have paid for it: The Name of this Man is Richard Hains.”[122]
The Portuguese authorities in the Islands were highly incensed at Low’s cruelties and became exceedingly suspicious of all English vessels coming into their harbors. A sloop from Boston, commanded by Capt. Peter Tillinghast, going into Fayal about that time, was received by cannon shot from the castle and when the captain went ashore with a few hands he was seized and after an examination sent to jail. His vessel was boarded and his chest and papers brought ashore for examination and finding nothing by which he might be accused at last he obtained his liberty.[123]
Low and Lowther, in company, sailed from the Canaries to the Cape Verde Islands and the London newspapers had news that they had gone down the African coast as far as Sierre Leone, and Captain Wyndham, in the “Diamond” man-of-war, was reported to have captured Low, sunk Lowther’s sloop and made twenty of the pirates prisoners. This account was soon contradicted[124] and not long after there came reports of his appearance near the Leeward Islands in the West Indies. The evidence is obscure and it is more probable that from the Cape Verdes, Low and Lowther made for the South American coast. At any rate. Low was off the Guinea coast during the fall of 1723 and captured a schooner and afterwards took the ship “Delight,” Captain Hunt, of twelve guns, formerly a man-of-war in the English service. She seemed well suited to their needs and so four more guns were mounted on her and Francis Farrington Spriggs, who had been serving as quartermaster, was given command with a crew of about sixty men. The fleet then consisted of the ship “Merry Christmas,” 34 guns, commanded by Captain Low; the sloop “Happy Delivery,” 16 guns, commanded by Captain Lowther; and the ship “Delight,” 16 guns, Captain Spriggs, and together they sailed along the Guinea coast bound for the West Indies. Spriggs seems to have been a slippery fellow for within two days he deserted the other vessels and went off pirating on his own account, as will be related in another chapter. Lowther may have separated from Low about the same time for he had no consort when he met with a disastrous adventure some time later at the island of Blanco near Tortuga.
In January, 1724, Low took a ship called the “Squirrel,” Captain Stephenson,[125] and in March the news reached Boston that Low had had a fight with other pirates who had taken him, burned his vessel and marooned the survivors on an uninhabited island,[126] and this report persisted and was repeated as late as the spring of 1726, when Capt. William Cross arrived at Piscataqua, N. H., in a sloop, from the Bay of Honduras and related that both Low and Spriggs had been marooned and were supposed to have escaped among the Mosquito Indians.[127] From that time nothing can be learned about him until May 17th when some sailors belonging to a sloop owned in the Barbadoes, arrived there after much suffering and reported that they had been taken near the island of St. Lucia by Low, who, at that time, had only thirty men with him. A French man-of-war from the Martinico station was reported to be in pursuit[128] and may have afterwards captured him for a French account of Low’s piracies relates that in the spring of 1724, Low got into a dispute with his men in which the quartermaster took sides against him, which so greatly enraged Low that he afterwards murdered the quartermaster while he lay asleep. The crew at once rose against Low and with two or three of his strongest partisans he was thrown into a boat without provisions and abandoned to his fate. This proved to be capture by a French vessel owned in Martinico, the day after he had been set adrift, and after a quick trial by the French, he and his companions received short shift on a gallows erected for their benefit.
This account of Low’s fate is confirmed, in part, by the narrative of Jonathan Barlow, a sailor who was taken off the Guinea coast, by Low in the “Merry Christmas.” Barlow relates that after capturing a French sloop near Martinico “some Differance arising among said Pirates they disbanded Low from his office & sent him away w’th only two more hands in s’d French sloop & put one Shipton Captain in his steed.” The pirate company then went to the Isle of Ruby and not long after Captain Spriggs put in appearance in the “Delight.” Spriggs “heft down” his ship and cleaned her and Shipton burned the “Merry Christmas” and went away in a sloop that had been taken not long before commanded by Capt. Jonathan Barney of Newport, R. I. The two pirate captains cruised to the westward and in the Bay of Honduras were chased by the “Diamond” man-of-war as is told in the chapter on Francis Farrington Spriggs.—Massachusetts Archives, vol. 38A, leaf 73.