A General History of the Pirates

John Combs, Henry Giles, Charles Ivymay, John Bootman, and Henry Payne, the seven that confederated together for the pirates’ destruction, were honourably acquitted; as also three Frenchmen, John Baptis, Peter Taffery, and Isaac Lassen, and three Negroes, Pedro, Francisco, and Pierro. And John Rose Archer, the quartermaster, William White, William Taylor, and William Phillips, were condemned; the two latter were reprieved for a year and a day, in order to be recommended (though I don’t know for what) as objects of His Majesty’s mercy. The two former were executed on the 2nd of June, and dy’d very penitently, making the following declarations at the place of execution, with the assistance of two grave divines that attended them.

The Dying Declarations of John Rose Archer and William White on the day of their execution at Boston, June 2, 1724, for the crimes of piracy

First, Separately, of Archer	I greatly bewail my profanations of the Lord’s day, and my disobedience to my parents. And my cursing and swearing, and my blaspheming the name of the glorious God. Unto which I have added, the sins of unchastity. And I have provoked the Holy One, at length, to leave me unto the crimes of piracy and robbery; wherein, at last, I have brought myself under the guilt of murder also. But one wickedness that has led me as much as any, to all the rest, has been my brutish drunkenness. By strong drink I have been heated and hardened into the crimes that are now more bitter than death unto me. I could wish that masters of vessels would not use their men with so much severity, as many of them do, which exposes to great temptations.
And Then of White	I am now, with sorrow, reaping the fruits of my disobedience to my parents, who used their endeavours to have me instructed in my Bible, and my catechism. And the fruits of my neglecting the public worship of God, and prophaning the holy sabbath. And of my blaspheming the name of God, my maker. But my drunkenness has had a great hand in bringing my ruin upon me. I was drunk when I was enticed aboard the pirate. And now, for all the vile things I did aboard, I own the justice of God and man, in what is done unto me.
Of Both Together	We hope, we truly hate the sins, whereof we have the burden lying so heavy upon our consciences. We warn all people, and particularly young people, against such sins as these. We wish, all may take warning by us. We beg for pardon, for the sake of Christ, our saviour; and our hope is in him alone. Oh! that in his blood our scarlet and crimson guilt may be all washed away! We are sensible of an hard heart in us, full of wickedness. And we look upon God for his renewing grace upon us. We bless God for the space of repentance which he has given us; and that he has not cut us off in the midst and height of our wickedness. We are not without hope, that God has been savingly at work upon our souls. We are made sensible of our absolute need of the righteousness of Christ; that we may stand justified before God in that. We renounce all dependence on our own. We are humbly thankful to the ministers of Christ, for the great pains they have taken for our good. The Lord reward their kindness. We don’t despair of mercy; but hope, through Christ, that when we die, we shall find mercy with God, and be received into his kingdom. We wish others, and especially the seafaring, may get good by what they see this day befalling of us.
Declared in the Presence of J. W. D. M.

XVI

Of Captain Spriggs, and His Crew

Spriggs sailed with Low for a pretty while, and I believe came away from Lowther, along with him; he was quartermaster to the company, and consequently had a great share in all the barbarities committed by that execrable gang, till the time they parted; which was about Christmas last, when Low took a ship of 12 guns on the coast of Guinea, called the Delight, (formerly the Squirrel man-of-war,) commanded by Captain Hunt. Spriggs took possession of the ship with eighteen men, left Low in the night, and came to the West Indies. This separation was occasioned by a quarrel with Low, concerning a piece of justice Spriggs would have executed upon one of the crew, for killing a man in cold blood, as they call it, one insisting that he should be hang’d, and the other that he should not.

A day or two after they parted, Spriggs was chose captain by the rest, and a black ensign was made, which they called Jolly Roger, with the same device that Captain Low carried, viz. a white skeleton in the middle of it, with a dart in one hand striking a bleeding heart, and in the other, an hourglass; when this was finished and hoisted, they fired all their guns to salute their captain and themselves, and then looked out for prey.

In their voyage to the West Indies, these pirates took a Portuguese bark, wherein they got valuable plunder, but not contented with that alone, they said they would have a little game with the men, and so ordered them a sweat, more for the brute’s diversion, than the poor men’s healths; which operation is performed after this manner; they stick up lighted candles circularly round the mizzen mast, between decks, within which the patients one at a time enter; without the candles, the pirates post themselves, as many as can stand, forming another circle, and armed with penknives, tucks, forks, compasses, etc. and as he runs round and round, the music playing at the same time, they prick him with those instruments; this usually lasts for 10 or 12 minutes, which is as long as the miserable man can support himself.