On his perceiving the moon as she made her appearance between two clouds, he observed that here was a relation of his that he was glad to see; that he had not seen one of his name for a long time. On our arrival at the prison in Saint John, he said he must have a hot supper with tea, and then wished to be locked up in a strong room, where he might have all his family out to take the air to-night, else they would all die in that box before morning. However, we found all the rooms in the prison occupied, or undergoing repairs, so that there was no place to confine him. I directed the gaoler to provide him with his supper, while I would call upon the sheriff to know what would be done with him for the night, and how he would be disposed of in the morning. I understood from the sheriff that there was no vessel to sail for the States for some days, and therefore made up my mind that I should send him to Nova Scotia. When I returned to the gaol I found Smith at his supper; when he had finished his tea, he looked into his cup and remarked that he must not disturb his family to-night; that he there saw the vessel, then lying at the wharf, that would carry him to his wife—and there would be crying. While in confinement, the following letter was received from his wife:
Dear Husband—I received your letter of the 22nd Oct., 1815. You say you have sent several letters—if you have, I have never received them. You wish me to come and see you, which I would have done, if I had got the letter in time; but I did not know whether you were in Kingston or not. My dear, do not think hard of me that I do not come to see you—if you write back to me I shall come immediately. My dear, as soon as you receive this letter send me an answer, that I may know what to do; so no more at present, but that I remain your loving and affectionate wife.
H. F. M. S., Kingston. Elizabeth P. M. S.
The gaoler, by direction of the sheriff, cleared out a small room above stairs, with an iron-grated window where we confined him, with his family, for the night. On the next morning, the 30th of August, finding that there was no vessel bound for the States, I determined to send him to Nova Scotia; and happening to meet with my friend, Mr. Daniel Scovil, he informed me that he had a vessel then lying at the wharf, which would sail for Windsor, Nova Scotia, in half an hour. I accordingly prevailed on him to take Smith on board, which was done without loss of time, and at high water the vessel hauled off from the wharf, to my great satisfaction and relief.
While the vessel was getting under weigh, Smith was in the cabin alone, and seeing a great number of chain traces lying on the cabin floor, he took them up and threw them all out of the cabin window! “Because,” said he, “they would get about my neck again.” During the passage he appeared very active; he played on his fife and was quite an agreeable passenger. But on the vessel’s arrival at Windsor, he left her immediately without any ceremony; and notwithstanding the very strong regard which he had always possessed for his family as he called them, he left them also, and everything else that he had brought with him. He was seen only a very short time in Windsor before he entirely disappeared, and never was known to be there afterwards, but was seen at some distance from Windsor, in several other places, and recognized by many, but always carefully evaded being spoken to.
CHAPTER IX.
Did Not Go to His Wife in Nova Scotia but Made a Tour Committing Various Depredations—Is Seen in Portland, Maine—Is Heard of at Boston and New York and Then at New Haven Where He Robbed a Hotel—Arrest and Escape, Recapture and Conviction.
After having made his appearance in different parts of Nova Scotia, he called at a certain house one morning, on a bye-road, and ordered breakfast, and asked for a towel also, and a piece of soap that he might wash at a small brook that was near the house. The woman of the house, and a maid, were the only persons in the house at the time. Smith left a large bundle, which he carried, on a chest which was standing in the room, and went out to wash. The bundle presented rather a singular appearance, and attracted the young woman’s notice, so that she said to the other: “I wonder what he has in that bundle. If you will keep watch at the window while he is washing at the brook, I will open and see what is in it.” They did so and found a great number of watches, of which they counted fifteen, with many other valuable articles.