And secondly (which is more opportunely for them,) they are visited every summer, almost, by some set of pirates or other, already rais’d, who call here for the same purpose, (if young beginners) and to lay in a store of water and provisions, which they find imported, much or little, by all the ships that use the trade.
Towards this country Phillips was making his way, and took on the voyage, besides those abovementioned, one Salter, in a sloop off the Isle of Sables, which vessel they made use of themselves, and gave back Mortimer’s ship to the mate and crew. The same day, viz. the , took a schooner, one Chadwell, Master, which they scuttled, in order to sink; but Capt. Phillips understanding that she belong’d to Mr. Minors at Newfoundland, with whose vessel they first went off a-pirating, a qualm of conscience came athwart his stomach, and he said to his companions, We have done him injury enough already; so order’d the vessel immediately to be repair’d, and return’d her to the master.
That afternoon they chas’d another vessel, and at night came up with her, the master of which was a saint of New England, nam’d Dependence Ellery, who taking Phillips for a pirate, he told him was the reason that he gave him the trouble of chasing so long; which being resented by these men of honour, they made poor Dependence dance about the deck till he was weary.
Within few days several other vessels had the same misfortune, the masters names were as follow, Joshua Elwell, Samuel Elwell, Mr. Combs, Mr. Lansly, James Babston, Edward Freeman, Mr. Start, Obediah Beal, Erick Erickson and Benjamin Wheeler.
The they took a sloop belonging to Cape Ann, Andrew Harradine Master; they look’d upon this vessel more fit for their purpose, and so came aboard, keeping only the master of her prisoner, and sending Harradine’s crew away in Salter’s, which they, till this time, detain’d. To this Harradine, Cheeseman the carpenter, broke his mind, and brought him into the confederacy to destroy the crew, which was put in execution four days afterwards.
Harradine and the rest were for doing the business in the night, as believing they might be more opportunely surpriz’d; for Nutt, the master, being a fellow of great strength, and no less courage, it was thought dangerous to attack him without firearms; however, Cheeseman was resolute to have it perform’d by daylight, as the least liable to confusion; and as to the master, he offer’d to lay hands on him first: upon this ’twas concluded on, was the appointed time; in order for the business Cheeseman leaves his working tools on the deck, as though he had been going to use them, and walked aft; but perceiving some signs of timidity in Harradine, he comes back, fetches his brandy bottle and gives him and the rest a dram, then drank to Burril, the boatswain, and the master, To their next merry meeting, and up he puts the bottle; then he takes a turn with Nutt, asking what he thought of the weather, and suchlike. In the meanwhile Filmore takes up the axe, and turns it round upon the point, as if at play, then both he and Harradine wink at him, thereby letting him know they were ready; upon which signal he seizes Nut by the collar, with one hand between his legs, and toss’d him over the side of the vessel, but, he holding by Cheeseman’s sleeve, said, Lord have mercy upon me! what are you going to do, carpenter? He told him it was an unnecessary question, For, says he, Master, you are a dead man, so strikes him over the arm, Nut loses his hold, tumbles into the sea, and never spoke more.
By this time the boatswain was dead; for as soon as Filmore saw the master laid hold of, he raised up the axe, and divided his enemy’s head in two: the noise brought the captain upon deck, whom Cheeseman saluted with the blow of a mallet, which broke his jawbone, but did not knock him down; Harradine came in then with the carpenter’s adds, but Sparks, the gunner, interposing between him and Captain Phillips, Cheeseman trips up his heels, and flung him into the arms of Charles Ivymay, one of his consorts, who that instant discharg’d him into the sea; and at the same time Harradine compassed his business with the captain aforesaid: Cheeseman lost no time, but from the deck jumps into the hold, and was about to beat out the brains of Archer, the quartermaster, having struck him two or three blows with his blunt weapon the mallet, when Harry Giles, a young lad, came down after him, and desir’d his life might be spar’d, as an evidence of their own innocence; that he having all the spoil and plunder in his custody, it may appear, that these tragic proceedings were not undertaken with any dishonest view of seizing or appropriating the effects to themselves; which prudent advice prevail’d, and he and three more were made prisoners, and secured.
The work being done, they went about ship, altered the course from Newfoundland to Boston, and arrived safe the following, to the great joy of that province.
On the , a special court of admiralty was held for the trial of these pirates, when John Filmore, Edward Cheeseman,
