A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 30

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188

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PERSECUTIONS-RELIGIOUS.

Thomas Hicks, visited Bownas in prison and comforted him to the best of his ability, assur- ing him that the threat to send him to England could not be carried out, as it was in direct opposition to the laws of the province. De- spite his many friends, however, Bownas re- mained in close confinement until October, when he again faced a grand jury. It also considered his case, indorsed the word "Ignor- amus" across the indictment and he was ac- cordingly discharged from custody and legal persecution.

The movement against witchcraft which is such a foul disgrace in the history of New England as well as of old England, may well be-as it often is-put down among the list of religious persecutions which, together or sin- gly, darken the story of the Christian religion. In the case of witchcraft there was added not only the horror of an alleged association with the Prince of Darkness and his cohorts, and the implied upsetting of all goodness and piety, but also a sense of personal danger which brought the resultant malignant horrors of witchcraft into the homes even of the humblest people, and so imposed on all the duty of suppressing it not alone by the meshes of the law but also by any means which might safely bring it about. The witch, unlike the Quaker, was not alone the enemy of the magistrate and the minister, but of all classes of the peo- ple, for the spells and cantrips of all those who had sold themselves to the Evil One were directed as freely against the babe in the cradle, the woman engaged in her household duties, the farmer in the field, against the live stock, the growing crop, the ship at sea, as against those who held high places, those who made and enacted the laws; against the man- sion, the cottage. Therefore we can understand how, when the delusion against witchcraft once seized the popular mind, it aroused pas- sions and instigated cruelties to an extent at which in the present day we wonder and shudder.

To the credit of Long Island be it said

that while the people there seemed to fully realize all the imputations against witchcraft, to believe in them, and to possess a fair share of the element of superstition which seems to enter into the human mental make-up in spite of education, of experience, of the dictates of science and common sense, they did not pro- ceed to any of the outrageous excesses which disfigure the annals, for instance, of Boston. We do not read of torturings and persecutions and indignities and wanton insults which throw such a hideous haze over the story of New England's greatness. Still the craze- found root in what we now call the Empire State and its most noted local instances form part of the record of Long Island. The most curious of these took place in 1660, when Mary Wright was arrested in Oyster Bay charged with having sold herself to Satan and with practicing witchcraft. We know nothing of the details of her alleged crimes and misdemeanors, but local gossip and in- herent fear doubtless called aloud for her con- viction. She was old, and poor, and ignorant, and apparently without any friends. The local Dogberrys sat in judgment on her case, but, after due cogitation, concluded it was too in- volved to be understood by them or too dia- bolical in its nature for them to inflict a severe enough punishment. Possibly, too, they want- ed to get rid of a case which seemed to be full of trouble all around and in which any punishment they should inflict might by some unseen agency result in their own spiritual and natural undoing. So they resolved to steer clear of it altogether and sent the poor woman for trial to the General Court of Mas- sachusetts, where all the most absolute and up- to-date methods of detecting witchcraft were employed with the most perfect results. There she was conducted and in due time tried ; but as no evidence could be found she was ac- quitted. Her evil fate, however, still pursued her, for she was no sooner cleared of the charge of being a witch than she was accused of being a Quaker, and on that grave indict-

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ment she was tried, found guilty, sentenced to banishment, and so passes from our view.

Somewhat similar in several of its details was the case of Goody Garlicke of Easthamp- ton, who, in 1657, was arrested and hailed before the magistrates of that town charged with practicing witchcraft. The evidence against her was held to be remarkably clear and involved among other details the death of a child. Goody, before her marriage to John Garlicke, had been employed as a do- mestic in the house of Lion Gardiner. One of the other women servants employed about the place had taken an Indian child to nurse for the sake of some small remuneration therefor, and in doing so had starved her own child · who pined away and died. To shield herself from the consequences of her own cruelty and neglect she ascribed the death of her child to witchcraft and in due time openly accused Goody of being the witch. From this, how- ever, she was ultimately cleared by the evi- dence of Lion Gardiner, who openly accused the mother of being a murderess. The mag- istrates of Easthampton, however, with the evidence before them, entertain no doubt of Goody's guilt, but, owing to the heinousness of the crime, ordered the case sent to the Gen- eral Court at Hartford for final adjudication. There the matter seemed to have somehow ended. It is indeed doubtful if Goody was really deported to Hartford, and probably the influence of Gardiner saved her from further legal persecution, if it did not restore her to the good opinion and confidence of her neighbors and gossips.

Brookhaven furnishes us with a case which gives us a much clearer view than do either of the above of the manner in which such prosecutions were carried on. In 1665 Ralph Hall and his wife were suspected by their neighbors at Setauket with practicing witch- craft, and probably Dominie Brewster, a de- scendant of one of the Pilgrims and a Puritan of the strictest school, believed in their guilt or otherwise the case would never have reach- ed the stage of public trial. As in the other

cases the local authorities declined the final adjudication of the matter and after a hearing the prisoners were sent to New York. There the trial came off Oct. 2, 1665, before a jury composed, as will be seen, of six men belong- ing to Long Island and six from the city of New York. We copy the account of the trial which appears in O'Callaghan's "Documentary History," vol. 4, page 133:

At ye Court of Assizes held in New Yorke ye 2d day of October 1665 &c.

The Tryall of Ralph Hall and Mary his wife, upon suspicion of Witchcraft.

The names of the Persons who served on the Grand Jury: Thomas Baker, fforeman of ye Jury, of East Hampton; Capt. John Sy- monds of Hempsteed; Mr. Hallet, Anthony Waters, Jamaica ; Thomas Wandall of Marsh- path Kills ; Mr. Nicolls of Stamford ; Balthazer de Haart, John Garland, Jacob Leisler, An- thonio de Mill, Alexander Munro, Thomas Searle, of New Yorke.

The Prisoners being brought to the Barr by Allard Anthony, Sheriffe of New Yorke, This following Indict was read, first against Ralph Hall and then agst Mary his wife, vizt.

The Constable and Overseers of the Towne of Seatallcott, in the East Riding of York- shire upon Long Island, Do Present for our soveraigne Lord the King, That Ralph Hall of Seatallcott aforesaid, upon ye 25th day of December; being Christmas day last, was Twelve Monthes, in the 15th yeare of the Raigne of our Soveraigne Lord, Charles ye Second, by the Grace of God, King of Eng- land, Scotland, ffrance and Ireland, Defender of the ffaith &c, and severall other dayes and times since that day, by some detestable and wicked Arts, commonly called Witchcraft and Sorcery, did (as is suspected) maliciously and feloniously, practice and Exercise at the said Towne of Seatalcott in the East Riding of Yorkshire on Long Island aforesaid, on the Person of George Wood, late of the same place by which wicked and detestable Arts, the said George Wood (as is suspected) most dangerously and mortally sickned and lan- guished, And not long after by the aforesaid wicked and detestable Arts, the said George Wood (as is likewise suspected) dyed.

Moreover, The Constable and overseers of the said Towne of Seatalcott, in the East Rid- ing of Yorkshire upon Long Island aforesaid, do further Present for our Soveraigne Lord

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the King, That some while after the death of the aforesaid George Wood, The said Ralph Hall did (as is suspected) divers times by ye like wicked and detestable Arts, commonly called Witchcraft and Sorcery, Maliciously and feloniously practise and Exercise at the said Towne of Seatalcott, in the East Riding of Yorkshire upon Long Island aforesaid, on the Person of an Infant Childe of Ann Rogers, widdow of ye aforesaid George Wood deceas- ed, by wh wicked and detestable Arts, the said Infant Childe (as is suspected) most danger- ously & mortally sickned and languished, and not long after by the said Wicked and de- testable Arts (as is likewise suspected) dyed, And so ye said Constable and Overseers do Present, That the said George Wood, and the sd Infante sd Childe by the wayes and meanes aforesaid, most wickedly maliciously and feloniously were (as is suspected) mur- dered by the said Ralph Hall at the times and place aforesaid, agst ye Peace of Our Soveraigne Lord ye King and against the Laws of this Government in such Cases Pro- vided.

The like Indictmt was read, against Mary the wife of Ralph Hall.

There upon, severall Depositions, accusing ye Prisonrs of ye fact for which they were endicted were read, but no witnesse appeared to give Testimony in Court vive voce.

Then the Clarke calling upon Ralph Hall, bad him hold up his hand, and read as follows :

Ralph Hall thou standest here indicted, for that having not ye feare of God before thine eyes. Thon did'st upon the 25th day of December, being Christmas day last was 12 monetlis, and at seu'all other times since, as is suspected, by some wicked and detestable Arts, commonly called witchcraft and Sorcery, maliciously and feloniously practice and Exer- cise, upon the Bodyes of George Wood, an Infant Childe of Ann Rogers, by which said Arts, the said George Wood and the Infant Childe (as is suspected) most dangerously and mortally fell sick, and languisht unto death. Ralph Hall, what dost thou say for thyselfe, art thou guilty, or not guilty ?

Mary the wife of Ralph Hall was called upon in like manner.

They both Pleaded not guilty and threw themselves to bee Tried by God and the Coun- try.

Whereupon, their case was referr'd to ye Jury, who brought in to the Court, the follow- ing verdict vizt :

Wee having seriously considered the Case

committed to our Charge, against ye Prisoners at the Barr, and having well weighed ye Evi- dence, of what the woman is Charged with, but nothing considerable of value to take away her life. But in reference to the man wee finde nothing considerable to charge him with.

The Court there upon gave this sentence, That the man should bee bound Body and Goods for his wive's Appearance, at the next Sessions, and so on from Sessions to Sessions as long as they stay within this Government, In the meanwhile to bee of ye good Behavior. So they were return'd into the Sheriffs Cus- tody and upon Entring into a Recognizance, according to the Sentence of the Court, they were released.

The end of the case was reached some three years later, when Governor Nicolls per- emptorily removed it from further legal con- sideration by issuing the following order :

A Release to Ralph Hall & Mary his wife from ye Recognizance they entered into at the Assizes.

These Are to Certify all whom it may Concerne That Ralph Hall & Mary his wife (at present living upon Great Minifords Isi- and) are hereby released acquitted from any & all Recognizances, bonds of appearance or other obligations-entred into by them or either of them for the peace or good behavior upon account of any accusation or Indictment upon suspition of Witch Craft brought into the Cort of Assizes against them in the year 1665. There haueving beene no direct proofes nor furthr prosecucon of them or either of them since-Giuen undr my hand at Fort James in New Yorke this 21st day of Aug- ust, 1668. R. NICOLLS.

There is no doubt that the influence of the Dutch preachers as well as the presence among the population of so much Dutch practical common sense not only prevented the spread of the witchcraft craze to the western end of the island but exerted a material influence in averting its wild development in the eastern section. Indeed the Dutch influence was everywhere sturdily set against it and it is to this factor more than to anything else that the State of New York is free from a re- proach which darkens the bright pages of the record of so many other places in the Old World and the New.

CHAPTER XIV.

CAPTAIN KIDD AND OTHER NAVIGATORS.

A MONG the curiosities which the his- tory of Long Island brings before us, none is more interesting than the story of the noted pirate, Captain Kidd, whose name was and is more or less closely associated with every wild and dan- gerous-looking nook and eddy of its ex- tensive coast line north and south. The historians have not dealt kindly with the mem- ory of Capt. Kidd, and so far as our reading goes not one of them has found a single re- deeming feature in his character on which to base a word of praise or a sentiment of regret at the outcome of his strange career. He was a pirate, pure and simple, with all the usual attributes of his class, was captured and hanged and by his ignominious death sat- isfied the ends of justice : such is the popular and historical summing up. The many vague stories afloat concerning him, most of whichi gives a human touch to his character, are cavalierly dismissed without a thought of in- vestigation, by a wave of the hand, as it were, while every attributed crime is rehearsed as solemn and unqualified truth.

In his "History of the United States," Bancroft dismisses the case of Capt. Kidd in this wise: "In the attempt to suppress piracy, the prospect of infinite booty to be recovered from pirates or to be won from t the enemies of England, gained from the King and Admiralty a commission for William Kidd and had deluded Bellomont into a part- nership in a private expedition. Failing in his hopes of obtaining opulence, Kidd found

his way, as a pirate, to the gallows. In the House of Commons the transaction provoked inquiry and hardly escaped censure."

Divested of all prejudice and unsubstan- tiated data, the actual life story of this man may be outlined as follows:

William Kidd was born about 1650, it is thought, at Greenock, Scotland, at which place his father, was, it is said, a clergyman. The father was a man distinguished not only for his piety, but for his steadfast adherence to principle, for he "suffered," to use a favorite word of the old Scottish Covenanters, for his views of Church and State Government. He was tortured, we are told, by "the boot," a hideous instrument, but remained stanch to his principles until his death, August 14, 1679. There is no evidence to support all this, but the literary effect is excellent. At an early age William was sent to sea and seems to have risen rapidly until he was given command of a merchant vessel. He won a reputation not only as a skillful mariner, but as one who was ready as well as able to defend his ship against all sorts of marauders. He had sailed a vessel between New York and Lon- don for several years and was well known in the former city not only as a daring and able seaman but as a man of culture.

According to Mrs. Lamb ("History of New York," vol. I, p. 425), he had "a com- fortable and pleasant home in Liberty street, New York, and a wife beautiful, accomplished and of the highest respectability. She was Sarah Oort, the widow of one of his fellow-

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officers. They were married in 1691, and at the time of his departure for the Eastern Ocean they had one charming little danghter." He seems by that time to have, to a great extent, retired from the sea, and to have won not only a modest fortune, but a most en- viable reputation. He was personally ac- quainted with the leading men in the colony and held by all in the highest esteem, as an honest, law-abiding, respectable citizen, and one who had done the colony much service.

The first mention of him in authentic Col- onial history occurs in 1691, in which year the Journal of the New York Colonial Assem- bly tells us that on the 18th day of April much credit was allowed to be due to him "for the many and good services done for the Province, in attending with his vessels." But in what capacity or for what object he thus "attended with his vessels" does not appear. It was also declared that he ought to be suitably rewarded. Accordingly, on the 14th day of May following, it was ordered by the same Assembly "that the sum of £150 be paid to Capt. Kidd" as a "suitable acknowledgment for the important benefits which the colonies had received from his hands." The presump- tion is that these services were in some way connected with the protection of the Colonial merchant marine from the attacks of the pirates at that time hovering along the coasts of the northern colonies. Indeed the harbor of New York was no stranger to such piratical vessels, and the commerce between the out- laws and "the people of figure" in that city was not inconsiderable. In fact, it was no great secret that the coast pirates were fre- quently operating in the Sound, and were freely supplied with provisions by the inhab- itants of Long Island. Still further, it was well known in the year 1695 that the English freebooters had fitted out vessels in the very harbor of New York itself. On the arrival in New York harbor of the pirate vessels from their cruises their goods were openly sold in the city, and the conduct of the Colonial Government was such that collusion, if not

direct partnerships, between the pirates and the public authorities was not doubted.

In 1695 the Earl of Bellomont was ap- pointed Governor of New York and one of the most imperative of the instructions given him was to put down the piracy which was then so flauntingly carried on in the New World with New York as one of its centres, a centre where much of the booty obtained by the sea robbers was easily disposed of, and where many of the pirate captains were living in opulent retirement. Macaulay tells us that be- fore Bellomont sailed for his post King Will- iam spoke to him sternly about the freebooting which was the disgrace of the colonies. "I send you, my Lord, to New York," he said, "because an honest and intrepid man is wanted to put these abuses down and because I be- lieve you to be just such a man." As soon as Bellomont landed in New York he made known his purpose among such of the col- onists whose official or commercial position might render their advice and co-operation valuable. Robert Livingston (the founder of the famous New York family) entered heart- ily into the views of the new Governor and suggested that the task of exterminating the pirates should be given to Captain Kidd. Lord Macaulay, who has become the authority from whom most of the recent biographies of Kidd derive their data, says ("History of England, Chap. 25) :

Kidd had passed most of his life on the waves, had distinguished himself by his sea- manship, had had opportunities of showing his valor in action with the French and had retired on a competence. No man knew the eastern seas better. He was perfectly ac- quainted with all the haunts of the pirates who prowled between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Malacca and he would under- take, if he were entrusted with a single ship of thirty or forty guns, to clear the Indian Ocean of the entire race. The brigantines of the rovers were numerous, no doubt, but none of them was large; one man-of-war which in the Royal Navy would hardly rank as a fourth rate, would easily deal with them all in suc- cession and the lawful spoils of the enemies

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of mankind would much more than defray the expenses of the expedition.

Bellomont was charmed with this plan and recommended it to the King. The King re- ferred it to the Admiralty. The Admiralty raised difficulties, such as are perpetually raised when any deviation, whether for the better or for the worse, from the established order of proceeding is proposed. It then oc -· curred to Bellomont that his favorite scheme might be carried into effect without any cost to the State. A few public-spirited men might easily fit out a privateer that would soon make the Arabian Gulf and the Bay of Bengal secure highways for trade. He wrote to his friends in England imploring, remonstrating, complaining of their want of public spirit. Six thousand pounds would be enough. That sum would be repaid, and repaid with large interest from the sale of prizes, and an es- timable benefit would be conferred on the Kingdom and the world. His urgency suc- ceeded. (Lord) Shrewsbury and (Lord) Romney contributed. Orford, though, as First Lord of the Admiralty he had been unwilling to send Kidd to the Indian Ocean with a King's ship, consented to subscribe a thou- sand pounds. Somers (Keeper of the Great Seal) subscribed another thousand. A ship called the Adventure Galley was equipped in the Port of London and Kidd took the com- mand. He carried with him, besides the or- dinary letters of marque, a commission under the Great Seal empowering him to seize pirates and take them to some place where they could be dealt with according to law. Whatever right the King might have to the goods found in the possession of these malefactors he granted, by letters patent, to the persons who had been at the expense of fitting out the ex- pedition, reserving to himself only one-tenth part of the gains of the adventure, which were to be paid into the treasury. With the claim of merchants to have back the property of which they had been robbed, his Majesty, of course, did not interfere. He granted away, and could grant away, no rights but his own.

The press for sailors to man the Royal Navy was at that time so hot that Kidd conld not obtain his full complement of hands on the Thames. He crossed the Atlantic, visited New York and there found volunteers in abundance. At length in February, 1697, he sailed from the Hudson with a crew of more than a hundred and fifty men and in July reached the coast of Madagascar.

Robert Livingston was one of the share- holders in this syndicate and Kidd himself seems to have invested some hard cash in it. On his way to New York he captured a French ship, which he carried to the Hudson with him. The date for the sailing of the expedi- tion is erroneously given by Macaulay and should have been September 6, 1696, for in January, 1697, Kidd was at work among the followers of the black flag off Madagascar. During the interval between his arriving in the Hudson and finally leaving it on his mem- orable expedition, he seems to have cleared the vicinity, and especially the shores of Long Island, from the horde of pirates who infested it. All writers seem to agree that when Kidd started out on the voyage which was to place his name on a pedestal of infamy along with that of Henry Morgan he had no idea of turning pirate on his own account. Macaulay sums up the general opinion by saying :

It is possible that Kidd may at first have meant to act in accordance with his instruc- tions. But on the subject of piracy he held the notions which were then common in the North American Colonies, and most of his crew were of the same mind. He found him- self in a sea which was constantly traversed by rich and defenseless merchant ships, and he had to determine whether he would plun- der those ships or protect them. The rewards of protecting the lawful trade was likely to be comparatively small. Such as they were they would be got only by first fighting with des- perate ruffians who would rather be killed than taken, and by then instituting a proceed- ing and obtaining a judgment in a Court of Admiralty. The risk of being called to a severe reckoning might not unnaturally seem small to one who had seen many old bucca- neers living in comfort and credit at New York and Boston.

Whatever was the process of reasoning or evolution, there is no doubt that the Ad- venture soon became a terror to all trading vessels in the Indian seas and that on Noveni- ber 23, 1698, an order was sent to all the Gov- ernors of British colonies ordering the cap- ture of the ship and the arrest of Kidd and

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his crew. In the course of his "business" the Adventure was abandoned for another ship which he had captured, the San Antonio, and in that vessel he returned to America, anchor- ing in Gardiner's Bay ; but according to local report only for a short time, as he seems to have kept constantly on the move and entered every safe harbor on the shore of Long Island. During the time those movements were being executed he was negotiating for his personal safety with his employer, Lord Bellomont, the emissary being a Boston lawyer named James Emett. The matter might have been satisfactorily arranged to all concerned had not Kidd's notoriety made even his name a by-word of reproach and infamy on both sides of the Atlantic. Bellomont declined to com- mit himself to any terms, but his demeanor to the emissary was such that Kidd deter- mined to trust himself in Boston and to per- sonally interview his noble employer. There he was ordered to appear before the Council and his arrest followed. He was vaguely charged with piracy, massacre, wanton de- struction of property, brutality to his men and to all who fell into his clutches. The result was he was sent to England and was there tried for piracy and for the murder of Will- iam Moore, one of his crew, found guilty and, with nine of his sailors, was hanged May 24, 170I.

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A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 30

Author: Ross, Peter. cn Publication date: 1902 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1188

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188