Captain Gow sailed from
Amsterdam, in July, 1724, on board the
George, galley, for Santa Cruz, where they
took in bees'-wax. Scarcely had they sailed
from that place, when Gow and several
others, who had formed a conspiracy, seized
the vessel. One of the conspirators cried,
"There is a man overboard." The captain
instantly ran to the side of the vessel,
when he was seized by two men, who attempted
to throw him over; he however so struggled,
that he escaped from their hands. One
Winter, with a knife, attempted to cut him
in the throat, but missing his aim, the
captain was yet saved. But Gow coming aft
shot him through the body and throwing him
over the rail he caught hold of the main
sheet; but Gow taking up an axe, with two
blows so disabled him that he fell into the
sea and was drowned. The conspirators
proceeded to murder all who were not in
their horrid plot, which being done, James
Williams came upon deck, and striking one of
the guns with his cutlass, saluted Gow in
the following words: "Captain Gow, you are
welcome, welcome to your command." Williams
was declared lieutenant, and the other
officers being appointed, the captain
addressed them, saying: "If, hereafter, I
see any of you whispering together, or if
any of you refuse to obey my orders, let
every such man depend upon it, that he shall
certainly go the same way as those that are
just gone before."
Their first prize was the Sarah Snow, of
Bristol. After they had rifled the vessel
and received one man from it, they allowed
her to prosecute her voyage. The Delight, of
Poole, was the next vessel that fell into
their hands; but they not long after
captured two others, from one of which they
received a quantity of fish, and from the
other bread, beef, and pork. They also
forced two men from the latter ship. A
French ship, not long after, furnished them
with wine, oil, figs, oranges, and lemons,
to the value of 500l. In a short time
after, they captured their last prize, and,
as she made no resistance, they plundered
and dismissed her.
They next sailed for the Orkney Isles to
clean, but were apprehended by a gentleman
of that country, brought up to London, and
tried before a Court of Admiralty, in May,
1725. When the first indictment was read,
Gow obstinately refused to plead, for which
the Court ordered his thumbs to be tied
together with whipcord. The punishment was
several times repeated by the executioner
and another officer, they drawing the cord
every time till it broke. But he still being
stubborn, refusing to submit to the court,
the sentence was pronounced against him,
which the law appoints in such cases; that
is, "That he should be taken back to prison,
and there pressed to death." The gaoler was
then ordered to conduct him back, and see
that the sentence was executed the next
morning; meanwhile the trials of the
prisoners, his companions, went forward.
But the next morning, when the press was
prepared, pursuant to the order of the Court
the day before, he was so terrified with the
apprehension of dying in that manner, that
he sent his humble petition to the Court,
praying that he might be admitted to plead.
This request being granted, he was brought
again to the bar, and arraigned upon the
first indictment, to which he pleaded Not
guilty. Then the depositions that had been
given against the other prisoners were
repeated, upon which he was convicted, and
received the sentence of death accordingly,
which he suffered in company with Captain
Weaver and William Ingham.
Gow killing the Captain.
The stories of these two men are so
interwoven with others, that it will be
impossible to distinguish many of their
particular actions. They were, however,
proved to have been concerned, if not the
principal actors, in the following piracies:
first, the seizing a Dutch ship in August,
1722, and taking from thence a hundred
pieces of Holland, value 800l.; a
thousand pieces of eight, value 250l.
Secondly, the entering and pillaging the
Dolphin of London, William Haddock, out of
which they got three hundred pieces of
eight, value 75l.; forty gallons of
rum, and other things, on the twentieth of
November in the same year. Thirdly, the
stealing out of a ship called the Don
Carlos, Lot Neekins, master, four hundred
ounces of silver, value 100l. fifty
gallons of rum, value 30s. a thousand
pieces of eight, a hundred pistoles, and
other valuable goods. And fourthly, the
taking from a ship called the England, ten
pipes of wine, value 250l. The two
last charges both in the year 1721. Weaver
returned home, and came to Mr. Thomas Smith,
at Bristol, in a very ragged condition; and
pretending that he had been robbed by
pirates, Smith, who had been acquainted with
him eight or nine years before, provided him
with necessaries, and he walked about
unmolested for some time. But Captain Joseph
Smith, who knew him when a pirate, one day
met him, and asked him to go and take a
bottle with him; when they were in the
tavern he told him that he had been a
considerable sufferer by his boarding his
vessel "therefore," said he, "as I
understand that you are in good
circumstances, I expect that you will make
me some restitution; which if you do, I will
never hurt a hair of your head, because you
were very civil to me when I was in your
hands." But as this recompense was never
given. Weaver was apprehended and executed. |