Advised that Mrs. Kidd makeing oath that she brought the Plate and money above mentioned from New York with her, It was restored unto her. As also that Capn. Kidd and Companys wearing Apparel under Seizure be returned to them.
[1] Mass. Archives, vol. 62, no. 316. On May 16, 1691, Kidd received license to marry at New York Sarah Oort, widow of John Oort, merchant of New York. She was a daughter of Samuel Bradley. Kidd was her third husband. In 1703 she married a fourth. She died in New Jersey in 1744, leaving five children, one of whom was apparently a daughter of Kidd. Frederic de Peyster, in his Bellomont, p. 29, says that she "is said to have been a lovely and accomplished woman." Lovely she may have been, and evidently she was attractive, since she had four husbands, but she could not write her own name. To this document and to nos. [80] and [81] she affixes her mark, S.K., rudely printed; facsimile in Memorial History of Boston, II. 179.—Since this book was prepared, this petition has been printed in the Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, XXXI. 50-51.
[2] The maid was most likely Elizabeth Morris, whose indenture of apprenticeship to Capt. William Kidd, Aug. 19, 1695, is printed in N.Y. Hist. Soc., Coll., 1885, pp. 571-572. She had then just come out from England in Kidd's old barkentine the Antigua, which Governor Codrington of the Leeward Islands had given him in 1690 to reward his services and replace the ship then stolen from him (see [doc. no. 71], [note 1], and Portland MSS., VIII. 78) and which had apparently been his ship ever since. She was indentured to him as a maidservant for four years, from July 14, 1695, to July 14, 1699. The council ordered Sarah Kidd's plate to be returned to her.
79. Narrative of John Gardiner. July [17], 1699.[1]
The Narrative of John Gardner of Gardners-Island, alias Isle of Wight, relating to Captain William Kidd.
That about twenty dayes agoe, Mr. Emot of New Yorke came to the Narrators House, and desired a boat to go for New Yorke, telling the Narrator he came from my Lord at Boston. Whereupon the Narrator furnished the said Emot with a boat, and he went for New Yorke, and that Evening the Narrator saw a Sloop with Six Guns rideing at an Anchor off Gardners Island. and two days afterwards in the Evening the Narrator went aboard said Sloop to enquire what she was, and so soon as he came on board Captain Kidd (then unknown to the Narrator) asked him how himselfe and Family did, telling him that he the said Kidd was going to my Lord at Boston, and desired the Narrator to carry three Negroes, two boys and a girle, ashore, to keep till he the said Kidd or his Order should call for them, which the Narrator accordingly did. That about two hours after the Narrator had got the said Negroes ashore, Captain Kidd sent his boat ashore with two bailes of Goods and a Negro Boy, and the morning after, said Kidd desired the Narrator to come immediately on board and bring Six Sheep with him for his the said Kidds Voyage for Boston, which the Narrator did, when Kidd asked him to spare a barrel of Cyder, which the Narrator with great importunity consented to, and sent two of his men for it, who brought the Cyder on board said Sloop, but whilst the men were gone for the Cyder, Captain Kidd offered the Narrator several Pieces of damnified[2] Muslin and Bengalls as a Present to his Wife, which the said Kidd put in a bagg, and gave the Narrator, and about a Quarter of an Hour afterwards the said Kidd tooke up two or three pieces of damnified Muslin and gave the Narrator for his proper Use. And the Narrators men then coming on board with the said Barrel of Cyder as aforesaid, the said Kidd gave them four pieces of Arabian Gold for their trouble and also for bringing him Wood. Then the said Kidd, ready to saile, told this Narrator he would pay him for the Cyder, to which the Narrator answered That he was already satisfied for it by the Present made to his Wife. And this Narrator observed that some of Kidds men gave to the Narrators men some inconsiderable things of small value, which this Narrator believes were Muslins for Neckcloths. And then the Narrator took leave of the said Kidd and went ashore, and at parting the said Kidd fired four Guns and stood for Block-Island.
About three Dayes afterwards the said Kidd sent the Master of the Sloop and one Clarke in his boat for the Narrator, who went on board with them, And the said Kidd desired this Narrator to take on shore with him and keep for him, the said Kidd, and Order, a Chest, and a box of gold and a bundle of Quilts and Four Bayles of Goods, which box of gold the said Kidd told the Narrator was intended for my Lord; and the Narrator complied with the said Kidds request and took on shore the said Chest, box of gold, Quilts, and bayles of Goods.
And the Narrator further saith That two of Kidds Crew, who went by the Names of Cooke and Parrat,[3] delivered to him, the Narrator, two baggs of Silver, which they told the Narrator weighed thirty pound weight, for which he gave receipt. And That another of Kidd's men delivered to the Narrator a small bundle of gold, and gold dust of about a pound weight, to keep for him, and did also present the Narrator with a Sash and a pair of worsted Stockins. And just before the Sloop sayled Captain Kidd presented the Narrator with a bagg of Sugar, and then tooke leave and sayled for Boston.
And the Narrator further saith, he knew nothing of Kidds being proclaimed a Pyrate, and if he had, he durst not have acted otherwise than he has done, having no force to oppose them, and for that he hath formerly been threatned to be killed by Privateers, if he should carry unkindly to them.