Isaac Bickerstaffe

“ Better far to allow fifty guilty individuals to escape, than permit one innocent person to suffer. And this is not a solitary case where evidence as clear-—but yet as false—-has been brought against the culprit; and the truth of his innocence has been discovered when it was impossible to repair the injury. ”

“ A fellow-prisoner appeared before me in the same woful plight, (he had robbed the mail;) and the smith was measuring him when I came down, while the gaoler, with as much calmness as if he had been ordering a pair of stays to his daughter, was giving directions in what manner the irons should be made, so as to support the man, who was remarkably heavy and corpulent. ”

“ Somebody proposed to search me; several began to turn my pockets inside out, and from my waistcoat tumbled the penknife and the piece of money I have already mentioned.
Upon seeing these, the woman immediately screamed out, "O mercy! there is my uncle’s penknife." Then taking up the money, and calling the people about her, "here," said she, "is what puts the villain’s guilt beyond a doubt: I can swear to this William and Mary's guinea; my uncle has long had it by way of a pocket-piece, and engraved the first letters of his name upon it." ”

“ I shall only tell you that, in one of our cruises, we met with a Jamaica ship, and hoisted our black colours. Having boarded her, because she made some resistance, and killed one of our men, the captain ordered that the whole crew should be massacred. The wicked command was executed upon the master, five seamen, and a boy; then, taking the cargo out, which proved to be rum and sugar, we scuttled the ship, and returned to our fortification. But see how the avenger of wicked deeds makes the fruit of our crimes our punishment! ”

“ As soon as the poor creatures found that I was an Englishman, they were extremely happy, even in their distressing situation; though, indeed, they were treated with lenity enough, and were only sent to the prison until a suitable lodging could he provided for them, they having been, in the course of the war, made prisoners by the Spaniards as well as myself, and were then on their return home. ”

“ But we had scarcely got fifty yards from land, when, on looking about for my friend, Mr Collins, I missed him; and then it was I found I had made a mistake, and, instead of getting on board my own boat, which was now a considerable way a-head, I got into a boat belonging to some of the pirates. I attempted to leap overboard, and could easily have swam ashore, but was prevented by one of the crew, who gave me a stroke on the head, which immediately laid me senseless; and I found afterwards that they mistook me for one of their own men, who had been purchasing goods in the town. ”

“ The issue of an engagement was fatal to us. The greater part of the crew were killed, and the rest taken prisoners, among which last I was one, having lost my leg in the action.
After this, I passed a long and painful slavery in Algiers, till, with many other English captives, I was released, by agreement between the Dey of Algiers and his Britannic Majesty’s agent. In the year 1730, I returned to England. The first thing I did was to inquire after my relations, but all those nearest to me were dead; and I found that Mr Collins had never returned home ”

“ We had been six months out upon our cruise having had but very indifferent success, when, being on the coast of Florida, then in the hands of the Spaniards, we unfortunately fell in with a squadron of their men-of-war, and, consequently, being taken without striking a blow, we were all carried prisoners into the harbour of Havanna. ”

“ To stay in England was impossible without exposing myself to the terrors of the law In this dilemma, a fortunate circumstance occurred. There had been, for some time, at my brother's house one or two of the principal officers of a privateer that was preparing to cruise, just then ready to sail and the captain kindly offered to take me on board with him. ”

“ I must observe to you, that, when I first went into the ship, I gave a false account of myself, which occasioned my ruin; for, now confessing the truth, and telling them that I had been forced into the pirates’ service, with all that had happened to me among them, my prevarication made them suspect my veracity, and I was two years in prison; when, by what means I know not, some of the wretches with whom I left our island having been taken as pirates upon the Spanish coast of Europe, an order came to bring me over to Cadiz, in Old Spain, in order to be evidence. ”

“ I warned the fellows of their rapacity, and the danger of too heavily lading the ship; but they would not give over till she could hold no more; and then the treasure packed in chests, each man’s share separate to himself, we put into the cabin. ”

“ The coast had long been infested with pirates, the most desperate gang of villains that can he imagined, and there was scarcely a month passed that one or other of their vessels did not fall into the governor’s hands, and the crew as constantly put under my care. ”

“ Here I saw, sitting by the fireside, a middle-aged man, in a night-gown and eap, reekoning money at a table. "Unele," said the woman, as soon as I entered, "this is a brother of our friend, Mrs Sawyer; he eannot get a bed anywhere, and is tired after his journey; you are the only one that lies in this house alone, will you give him a part of yours?" To this the man answered, that she knew he had been out of order, that he was bled that day, eonsequently, a bedfellow eould not be very agreeable. However, said he, rather than the young man should sit up, he is weleome to sleep with me. ”

“ Early next morning, it was known that the gibbet was cut down, and it immediately occurred to every body that it was done by my relations, in order to put a (illegible text) icil over their own shame, by burning the body. But, when my brother was summoned to the mayor’s house in order to be questioned, and he denied knowing anything of the matter, little more stir was made about it ”