Henry More Smith: The Mysterious Stranger

by Walter Bates

Monday morning, the 26th instant, Mr. Moses Foster returned from his route, and by this time many unfavorable reports concerning the prisoner’s escape had begun to be circulated. The Court at which he was to receive his trial was now to meet on the Tuesday following, and a jury summoned from different parts of the county for the express purpose of trying the horse-stealer.

My whole time and attention were now required to make the necessary preparations for the Court, and I felt myself not a little chagrined on reflecting on the circumstances in which I was placed. This feeling became heightened to a painful degree when I came to understand, by Mr. E. Jones, that the villain, instead of escaping for his life, and getting out of my reach with all possible haste, had only travelled about ten miles the first night, and was seen lying on some straw before the barn of Mr. Robert Bailes, the next morning, on the road to Gagetown, having lain there till 12 o’clock in the day. But Smith did not lie on his bed of straw for rest merely; even there he was projecting fresh schemes of villainy, waiting for an opportunity to carry away some booty from the house of Mr. Bailes; and so it happened that he did not miss his aim, for Mr. and Mrs. Bailes had occasion to leave the house to go some distance, leaving the door unlocked, when the robber entered, broke open a trunk and carried off a silver watch, eight dollars in money, a pair of new velvet pantaloons, and a pocket-book, with several other articles. He then walked leisurely on his way, stopping at the next house and at all the houses that were contiguous to the road, so that he did not make more than three or four miles before dark.

When Mr. Bailes returned to his house and found it had been robbed, he immediately fixed his suspicion on the man who had lain before the barn door, from having observed the print of a boot heel, which was thought to be his, and gave the alarm to his neighbours. They immediately set out in pursuit of him, and having heard that he had been seen on the road at no great distance before them, they followed on in high spirits, expecting shortly to seize him; but in this they were disappointed, for the robber warily turned aside from the road, leaving his pursuers to exercise a painful and diligent search, without being able to ascertain which way he had gone. Having followed as far as Gagetown, they posted up advertisements, descriptive of his person, and also of the watch; and sent some of them on to Fredericton.

Late on Sunday night, a man called at the house of Mr. Green, who resided on an island at the mouth of the Washademoak Lake. He said he was a Frenchman, on his way to Fredericton about land, and called for the purpose of enquiring the way. Mr. Green informed him that he was on an island, and that he had better stay till the morning, and that he would then direct him on his journey. He made on a large fire, by which the man examined his pocket-book, and was observed to cast several papers into the fire, and finally he threw in the pocket-book also. Mr. Green on seeing this, had an immediate impression that the man must be some improper character, which idea was strengthened by the circumstance of its being a time of war. In the morning, therefore, he took him in his canoe, and carried him directly to Justice Colwell, a neighboring magistrate, that he might give an account of himself. On his examination, he answered with so much apparent simplicity, that the Justice could find no just ground for detaining him, and consequently dismissed him. He then made his way to an Indian camp, and hired an Indian, as he said, to carry him to Fredericton; and crossing the river, went to Vail’s tavern, on Grimross neck, where he ordered breakfast for himself and his Indian, and had his boots cleaned. At this moment, Mr. Bailes, whom he had robbed the day preceding, was getting breakfast at Mr. Vail’s, and writing advertisements in quest of the robber. About eleven o’clock, he, with the Indian started again, leaving Mr. Vail’s unknown and undetected; but not without taking with him a set of silver teaspoons from a side closet in the parlour.

The time was now come for the sitting of the Court, and about eleven o’clock on Tuesday morning, the Attorney General arrived from Fredericton, with very unfavourable impressions on his mind, bringing information that the robber was still traversing the country, stealing and robbing wherever he came, without sufficient effort being made for his apprehension. The Jury also were collecting from the different Parishes of the County, bringing with them unfavourable ideas, from the reports in circulation concerning his escape. Among the many opinions that were formed on the subject, one particularly, was very industriously circulated. The prisoner was a Freemason, and it will be recollected that Mr. Dibble, the gaoler, was stated in a former part of the narrative to be a Freemason also, and that there was a Freemason Lodge held at Kingston. The public mind was strongly prejudiced against us, unwilling to believe the real circumstances of his elopement; and the Court assembled under the strongest impressions that his escape was connived at. The Honorable Judge Chipman presided on the occasion.

The Court was now ready for business, but no prisoner; yet high expectations were cherished that every hour would bring tidings of his apprehension, as he was pursued in every direction. The Grand Jury was empannelled, and the Court adjourned till next day at eleven o’clock, waiting anxiously for the proceeds of the intermediate time. And to render the means for his apprehension as effectual as possible, Mr. Benjamin Furnald, with a boat well manned, was dispatched in the pursuit with directions to follow on as far as he could get any account of him.

Wednesday, the Court again met and commenced other business; but nothing from Smith yet. In the afternoon, Mr. John Pearson, witness against him, arrived from Nova Scotia, a distance of two hundred and eighty miles. Towards evening conclusions were beginning to be drawn that he had eluded all his pursuers, and was making his way back to Nova Scotia, and the conjecture almost amounted to a certainty by the circumstance of a man being seen crossing the Washademoak and making towards Bellisle Bay.

Nothing more was heard till Thursday morning early, when Mr. B. Furnald returned, and reported that he had found his course and pursued him through Maugerville; that the night before he (Mr. F.) reached Maugerville, the robber had lodged at Mr. Solomon Perley’s, and stole a pair of new boots, and had offered the silver teaspoons for sale that he had stolen at Mr. Vail’s. That he walked up as far as Mr. Bailey’s tavern, where he stopped some time, and that he was afterwards seen towards evening under a bridge, counting his money. This was the last that could be heard of him in this place; it was now believed that he had taken an Indian to pilot him, and had gone by way of the Washademoak and head of Bellisle for Nova Scotia. This was in accordance with the idea entertained at Kingston before Mr. Furnald’s return.

At ten o’clock on Thursday morning, the Court met according to adjournment, to bring the business then before them to a close, without much hope of hearing any further of the horse-stealer at this time; when about three in the afternoon, a servant of Mr. Knox’s, (who it will be remembered was the plaintiff in the cause,) came direct to the Court with information to his master, that his other horse was missing out of the pasture; that he had been known to be in the pasture at one o’clock at night, and was gone in the morning; and that a strange Indian had been seen about the place. This extraordinary news produced much excitement in the Court; and the coincidence of the Indian crossing the country with the robber, with the Indian seen at Mr. Knox’s, confirmed the opinion that Smith had made himself owner of Mr. Knox’s other horse also!!! Mr. Knox, on hearing this news, became exceedingly agitated, had no doubt but that Smith was the thief again, would not listen to the sheriff, who was not just willing to credit the report of the horse being stolen, and affirmed that his life was in danger if Smith was suffered to run at large. His Honor, the Judge, expressed his opinion that great remissness of duty appeared.

A general warrant was issued by the Court, directed to all the sheriffs and Ministers of Justice throughout the Province, commanding them to apprehend the said More Smith and bring him to justice. In the meantime, men were appointed to commence a fresh march in quest of him, to go in different directions. Mr. Knox, with Henry Lyon and Isaiah Smith, took the road to Nova Scotia; and Moses Foster, the deputy sheriff, and Nathan Deforest, directed their course to Fredericton, by the head of Bellisle Bay, with orders to continue their search as far as they could get information of him, or to the American settlement. The sheriff then wrote advertisements for the public papers, offering a reward of forty dollars for his apprehension; and the Attorney General increased the sum to eighty dollars. Indictments were prepared, and the Grand Jury found a bill against the sheriff and gaoler, for negligence in suffering the prisoner to escape. They were held to bail to appear at the next Court of Oyer and Terminer to traverse the indictments. The business of the Court being at the close, the sheriff paid the witness, Mr. Pearson, from Nova Scotia, for his travel and attendance, amounting to one hundred dollars, after which the Court finally adjourned.