“We took this Musquetoon to the Maker whose name is thereon, and he told us he had sold it yesterday to one Captain Vratz who lodged at the Black Bull.”
“I do admit,” answered the Captain, “that I was at the shooting of Mr. Thynne, but I went with the design to Challenge him, he having Refused me Satisfaction, and I took these Two with me as Protection, Mr. Thynne being a Gentleman who has commonly a great Press of Servants about him which he might have set on me. And in the Melée my Servant fired and that I know nothing of.”
At this they were all three disarmed and arrested, at which the Polander Wept mightily.
And when they had a Lodgement in Prison it came to them that my Lord of Conningsmarke had been arrested at Deptford by an Agent of the Duke of Monmouth when he had been taking a Pair of Sculls for Gravesend.
In the Prison they were separated and the Polander sat alone till his trial and when they Pressed him he said that he had Acted only as His Master Directed and that was the Law he had been brought up in–to obey his Master; and he added that not having been Strengthened against the deed after the Recital of the Lord’s Prayer he Concluded that God had meant him to do this thing.
Stern also Confessed to the Fact and accused the Captain of drawing him into a Snare, but Vratz maintained his first Story and would not bring my Lord into the Business.
And the Count of Conningsmarke denied all of them.
Now this Trial was held before the Lord Chief Justice and the other Great Judges with manifest and open Fairness, according to the English Law, even to have the Jury part Foreign and giving all rights to the Prisoners, such as having an Interpreter, one Vandore, who interpreted to them all the English Spoken, putting it into High Dutch or French.
Yet there was Little Doubt as to the End of this Trial, as all three Confessed to the Design on Esquire Thynne and the Polander to the actual shooting; but Captain Vratz would by no means bring the Count of Conningsmarke in, but took the Whole Matter on his own shoulders; but the other two, Stern from Anger and the Polander from Simplicity, told what they knew of my Lord’s part in This.
Yet at the End it was the Count who was Acquitted and the three Humble Ones who were Condemned, and my Lord left Them to the Law; yet even Then Captain Vratz Persisted that he was alone Guilty.