Henry More Smith: The Mysterious Stranger

by Walter Bates

CHAPTER IV.

Smith’s Wanderings Through the Province—Leaves a Trail of Larcenies—Arrested and Brought Before the Court at Fredericton He Admits Escaping from Kingston Gaol and is Sent Back by Judge Saunders—Escapes on the Way—Burglarizes the Home of the Attorney General and is Re-arrested, and After a Month of Liberty is Again Placed in Kingston Gaol.

Nothing was heard of our adventurer till after the return of Mr. Knox with his party from a fruitless search of ten days in the Province of Nova Scotia, and as far as Richibucto. The day following, Mr. Foster and Mr. Deforest returned from their chase, and reported that after they had proceeded to within three miles of Fredericton they heard of a stranger answering to his description, having lodged all night at a private house; but had gone on the road towards Woodstock. They continued the pursuit and found that he had stopped at Mr. Ingraham’s tavern the night following, slept late in the morning, being fatigued, paid his bill and went off; but not without giving another proof of his characteristic villainy. He broke open a trunk, which was in the room adjoining the one he had slept in, and carried off a full suit of clothes belonging to Mr. Ingraham, that cost him forty dollars, and a silk cloak, with other articles, which he concealed so as not to be discovered. This information gave his pursuers sufficient proof that he was indeed the noted horse-stealer. But Mr. Ingraham, not having missed his clothes immediately, the robber travelled on unmolested, and the next day went only as far as Mr. Robertson’s, where he found a collection of young people, played the fiddle for them, and remained the next day and night.

He then proceeded towards Woodstock, leaving the spoons with Mrs. Robertson in exchange for a shirt, and taking passage in a canoe happened to fall in company with another canoe that had been at Fredericton, in which the Rev. Mr. Dibble, missionary at Woodstock, was passenger, with a young man poling the canoe. The young man had seen Mr. Bailes’ advertisement at Fredericton, describing the man and watch, which had a singular steel chain; and observed to Mr. Dibble, that they both answered to the appearance of the stranger. Mr. D. remarked to the young man that he might be mistaken, and asked the stranger to let him see the watch. The stranger handed the watch with all willingness, and it was found so exactly to answer to the marks of Mr. Bailes’ watch that Mr. D. challenged it as the property of Mr. Bailes. Smith very gravely replied, that it was a favorite watch that he had owned for a long time; but that if he had heard of one like it having been stolen, he had no objection to leave it with him until he returned, which would be in about two weeks. Mr. D. replied that the suspicion was so strong, that he thought he would detain him also, until he could hear from Fredericton. Smith rejoined that he was on important business and could not be detained; but if he would pay his expenses and make himself responsible for the damage incurred by his detention, he would have no objection to stop till he could send to Fredericton. Otherwise, he would leave the watch, as he proposed before, and would return in ten or twelve days, during which time Mr. D. might satisfy himself as to the watch. He appeared so perfectly at ease, without discovering the slightest indications of guilt, that on these conditions they suffered him to pass on. He continued his march until he came to the road that leads to the American settlement, and as it drew towards evening he enquired of a resident by the way concerning the road to the American side; but was asked by the man to tarry till morning, as it was then near night and the settlement yet twelve miles distant. He did not choose to comply with the invitation, and advanced, as an apology, that two men had gone on before him, and he feared they would leave him in the morning if he did not proceed. It happened in a very short time after, that two young men arrived there from the settlement, and being asked whether they had met two men on the road, they answered in the negative. It was then concluded that Smith was a deserter, and they turned about and followed him to the American settlement, but found nothing of him. The day following, Mr. Foster and Mr. DeForest arrived at Woodstock, and finding themselves still on the track of him, they pursued on to the American line, but could hear nothing concerning him. They then informed the inhabitants of Smith’s character; and proposed a reward of twenty pounds for his apprehension. The people seemed well disposed and promised to do their utmost.

Messrs. F. & D. then made their way back to the river St. John, and there, most unexpectedly, came across the path of our adventurer again. They found that he had crossed the river, stopped at several houses for refreshments, and called himself Bond. That he had assumed the character of a pursuant in quest of the thief who had broken out of Kingston jail; said that he was a notorious villain, and would certainly be hung if taken, and appeared to be extremely anxious that he should be apprehended. They traced him down to the river where the Indians were encamped, and found that he had agreed with an Indian to conduct him through the woods to the United States, by the way of Eel River, a route not unfrequently travelled; and hence had baffled all the efforts of his pursuers, and finally escaped. Messrs. F. & D. thought it was now time to return and make their report. It afterwards appeared that the Indian, his conductor, after having gone about two days on the route, began to be weary of his job, (perhaps finding that it might not be productive of much profit,) and discovered that Smith carried a pistol, which he did not like very much, refused to guide him any longer, gave him back part of his money and returned. This materially turned the scale with our adventurer and fortune, that had hitherto smiled on his enterprise, refused, like the Indian, to conduct him much further. Unable to pursue his journey alone, he was, of course, obliged to return, and he had now no alternative but to try his chance by the known road. It was now the tenth of October, and he re-appeared on the old ground, wanting refreshment and in quest as he said, of a deserter. While his breakfast was preparing, information of his presence was circulated among the inhabitants, and Dr. Rice, who was a principal character in the place, effected his apprehension, and had him secured.

The clothes he had stolen from Mr. Ingraham he had on, excepting the pantaloons, which he had exchanged for a pistol. He said he had purchased the clothes very cheap from a man who he believed was a Yankee. He was then taken in charge by Mr. A. Putnam, and Mr. Watson, who set out with their prisoner for Fredericton. On their way they stopped at the Attorney General’s, three miles from Fredericton, and then proceeded into town, where the Supreme Court was then sitting. The prisoner was brought before the Court in the presence of a large number of spectators. The Honorable Judge Saunders asked him his name, and he unhesitatingly answered, “Smith.” “Are you the man that escaped from the gaol at Kingston?” “Yes.” On being asked how he effected his escape, he said the gaoler opened the door and the priest prayed him out. He was then ordered to prison for the night, and the next day he was remanded to Kingston gaol. Putnam and Watson set out with him in an Indian canoe, one at each end, and the prisoner handcuffed and pinioned, and tied to the bar of the canoe, in the centre. They were obliged to watch him the first night at the place where they lodged, and the next day they reached the house of Mr. Bailes, opposite Spoon Island, where he had stolen the watch and the money, etc. It was near night, and the passage to Kingston rather difficult; and they being strangers, Mr. B. proposed that if they would stop with him till morning, he would conduct them to Kingston himself. They willingly complied and having been up the preceding night, Mr. B. proposed that if they would retire and take some rest, he with his family would keep watch of the prisoner. After they had retired, the prisoner enquired the way to Saint John, and whether there were any ferries on this side the river. He then asked for a blanket and leave to lie down. Mrs. B. made him a bed on the floor; but before he would lie down, he said he had occasion to go to the door. Mr. B. awakened Mr. Watson, who got up to attend him to the door. Smith said to him that if had any apprehensions, he had better tie a rope to his arm, which he accordingly did, fastening it above the handcuffs, with the other end wound round his own hand. In this situation they went out of doors; but in an unguarded moment, Smith watching his opportunity, knocked him down with his handcuffs, leaving the rope in the hands of his keeper, having slipped the other end over his hand without untying the knot.

Thus, handcuffed and pinioned, and bound with a rope, the ingenious horse-stealer, by another effort of his unfailing ingenuity, akin to his mock-sickness, in the gaol, had effected a second escape from his keepers, leaving it as a matter of choice, whether to institute a hopeless search for him in darkness of the night, or sit down in sullen consultation on what plan they had best pursue in the morning. Nothing could exceed the chagrin of Putnam and Watson on finding themselves robbed of their prisoner, except the confusion which filled myself and the gaoler on the knowledge of his unexampled and noted escape from the gaol. To pursue him in the night, which was unusually dark, and rainy besides, was both hopeless and vain; it was therefore thought best to inform the sheriff in the morning of what had taken place, and receive his advice as to future proceedings. In the morning, accordingly, Mr. Putnam proceeded to Kingston, and on communicating the news to the sheriff, received a supply of money, with orders to pursue the road to St. John, while the sheriff, with two men, proceeded to Mr. Bailes’. There they received information that Smith had changed his course, and crossing the Oaknabock Lake in the night, was directing his course towards Fredericton again.

It will be remembered that previous to his escape, while a prisoner at Mr. Bailes’, he made particular enquiries whether there were any ferries on the way to Saint John, on this side the river. At this time it would seem that he had looked upon his scheme as successful, and evidently directed those enquiries concerning the road with a view to mislead, while it was his policy to return upon the course which would be judged the most unlikely of all he should take. But to return to our story. He came to the lake the same evening he had got clear of Mr. Watson and the rope, and there urged as a reason of his haste in crossing the lake in the night, that he was on his way to Fredericton to purchase land, and that he had arranged it with Putnam and Watson, who had gone to Kingston with the thief, to take him up in their canoe on their return, and was to meet them at the intervale above, early the next morning. This well varnished and characteristic story procured him a speedy passage over the lake, and now our adventurer is in undisputed possession of the country, at liberty to choose which way he should turn his face.