An Account of the trial of Joseph Andrews for piracy and murder, together with his confession to the gentlemen of the clergy who visited him during his confinment [sic], and to the keepers of the goal the day before his execution; the account he gave them of his parentage and manner of life, also his character and dying speech.

An ACCOUNT of the TRIAL OF JOSEPH ANDREWS.

ON Wednesday the 17th of May, 1769, by Virtue of a special Commission from his Majesty, for the Trial of Piracy, &c. at the Hall of the City of New-York, was held a Court of Admiralty, consisting of the following Gentlemen, viz. His Excellency the Governor Sir Henry Moore, President; ten Gentlemen of his Majesty's Council, the Judge of the Admiralty, the Deputy-Secretary, the Receiver General and Collector of the Province, and the Commander of his Ma|jesty's Ship Deal Castle,

JOSEPH ANDREWS, late of the Sloop Polly, Mari|ner, was brought to the BAR.

Richard Nicholls, Esq Register of the Court of Vice-Admi|ralty, and John M'Kisson, Esq Deputy-Register; and a Notary Public, exhabitted five several Charges against the Prisoner; fourteen Witnesses were, examined on the Part of the Crown, and two on the Part of the Prisoner. It appeared by the Evi|dence, that in the Month of August 1766, he enter'd himself on board the Sloop Polly, Roluff Duryee, Master, bound from New-York to the West-Indies. The other Persons on board were Peter Demilt, jun. Mate; Nicholas Johnson, and William Harris, Ma|riners,—Cobbs, a Cabin Boy, Wells Coverley, a young Man; John Van Bunschooten, another young Man, who went for his Health; and an Antigua Captain who had sold his Vessel, and

was returning home, Passenger. Soon after leaving New-York, observing the Captain and Passengers had a good deal of Money, he and Johnson formed the Design of gaining Possession of it by Murdering the People. This Design they concluded to put in Execution as soon as they should make the Land; accordingly about 8 Days after, the Night before they expected to get to St. Christophers, about Midnight, William Harris being at Helm, and the Captain asleep on a Hencoop on Deck, Johnson with one Blow of an Ax killed him, and he expired without a Groan or Struggle. They then in like manner between them Murdered the three Passengers, and Mate with the Ax, and threw the Boy overboard alive. One of them made a Stroke with the Ax at Harris, who ran to the end of the Boltsprit with a Knife, and declared he would Kill the first Man that approached him. They then told him, if he would join them and swear to be secret and faithful, he should be safe, and share the Plunder with them; for Johnson having formerly sail'd with him, pretended to have a Regard for him: But it was previously agreed between Johnson and Andrews, to kill him before they got ashore. Harris then came into the Vessel and assisted in throwing the Bodies over|board; after which they broke open the Captain's and Passengers Chests and Lockers, got a Bottle of Wine, and drank Damnation to themselves and each other if they discovered the Secret. They then got a Bible and made Harris swear upon it that he would not betray them; 3 or 4 Days after this, being in Sight of Land, and several Vessels appearing, they got out the Boat, put into it two Chests, with whatever they thought proper to take, scut|tled the Vessel, left her, and sail'd towards the Land, telling Harris to steer clear of the Shore. But he telling them, if they did not get pretty near the Land, the Current would drive them to the Leeward of all the Islands, they left him to steer as he thought best,—but intended to throw him overboard before he got to Land. After some Time, Johnson and Andrews both fell asleep, when Harris, having got near the Shore, stripped himself, took the Opportuaity to throw overboard, without Noise, his Clothes, and both the Oars, one of which he had used instead of a Rudder to steer the Boat, he gently let himself down into the Sea and swam on Shore at St. Kitts. where he gave a blind sus|picious Account of himself, being afraid to say any Thing that might break his Oath of Secrecy; but at last he applied to a Minister for Advice how a Man ouht to act in a Case similar to his own. The Minister convinced him that such kind of Oaths were

so far from being binding, that it would be highly criminal to keep them He then went before the Judge Surrogate of the Admi|ralty and gave his Deposition of all the Circumstances he knew of the bloody Affair. Soon after he quitted the Boat, the irregular tumbling of it waked the two Criminals, who saw their desperate Situation, and were enraged they had not an Opportunity to sa|tiate their Revenge upon Harris. They at first endeavour'd to steer with their Hats, but afterwards did it more effectually with their Sprit, and by that Means got to Eustatia, where they sold the Boat.

Some Days after their Arrival, the St. Christopher's Gazette with Harris's Deposition, made its Appearance in Eustatia; An|drews happening to see it, immediately left the Island, in a Ves|sel bound to Casco-Bay. The Governor of St. Eustatia; on see|ing the Deposition, published by Proclamation an Order for a deligent Search, and that no Person should carry the Criminals off, under the Penalty of 50,000 Pieces of Eight: He also dis|patched a Vessel after Andrews, with a proper Notification of the Charge against him, and Description of his Person. Johnson was soon taken up at Eustatia, confessed the Fact, and was executed on the 15th of November, 1766, by being broke alive on the Rack: He was stretched naked on a Cross, where the Bones of his Arms, Legs and Thighs were broken with an Iron Bar, and he afterwards received upwards 20 Strokes on his breast, before he expired. Andrews the present Criminal was soon after his Arrival taken up, and imprisoned some Time at Boston, when he attempted to cut his own Throat, but was prevented by the Care of his Attendants. From Boston he was sent here, where he ar|rived the Twenty-sixth Day of May, 1767, and remained a Pri|soner till his Execution.

The greatest Part of the clothing found with the Prisoner in his Chest, and by him claimed as his own, in the Presence of the Court, were very fully and circumstantially proved to have belonged to Captain Duryee, and his Mate, or some of the Per|sons who were Murdered on board the said Sloop; and also many other Things found in the Chest and owned by the Prisoner.— Many of the Clothes were marked with the initial Letters of the Names of their former Owners, and many others of them with the plain Marks of those Letters remaining, tho' the Silk of the marking was taken out, and they were marked J. A. the initial Letters of the Name of the Prisoner▪ a Needle work'd Pocket-Book found with, and own'd by the Prisoner, before it

was shewn in Court, was exactly described by the Woman who made it, particularly that a Corner of it was left unfinished for want of Worsted to do it it; likewise a Medal of which the Bro|ther of one of the Murder'd Persons, had a Copy, Several things said by the Prisoner, during the Course of the Trial, and in his Defence, militated much against him. The Trial lasted from Ten o'Clock on Wednesday, until One o'clock on Thursday Morning, during all which Time his Excellency never left the Bench. The Evidence was full, clear, and particular; the Pri|soner was found guilty, and received Sentence of Death.

He was Executed on Tuesday the 23d of May, at the East-Side of Hudson's River, near Domini's Hook, between the eb|bing and flowing of the Tide: And his Body was afterwards hung in Chains, on the most conspicuous Part of the Pest or Bealow's-Island, in New York Bay, as a Spectacle to deter all Persons from the like atrocious Crimes.

The Account he gave of himself was as follows, viz. That he was an Englishman, born at the Town of Swanzey, in Wales, of poor but honest Protestant Parents, who brought him up in their own Persuasion, gave him an Education suitable to their Circumstances, and sent him to Sea: That he has led a Seafaring Life ever since, and sailed to many different Parts of the World; that he had some Friends and Connections in Portugal, which led him to frequent and make some stay in that Place, and learn the Language; which gave Rise to the Report, that he was a Por|tuguese, and a Roman-Catholic, which was not true, as he never professed any other than the Protestant Religion.

For many Years past he has made the City of New-Fork (where he married and has left a Widow) the place of his Residence, when not at Sea.—His Behaviour on Shore was irregular and disorderly.

A Neglect of Religion and all Christian Duties, and a free In|dulgence of every vicious Inclination, particulatly in keeping bad Company, led him from one degree of Wickedness to an|other, till his Heart was hardened against Remorse and became capable of harbouring and devising horrid Thoughts and De|signs. The restraining Influences of the Divine Spirit, so often slighted and abused, were withdrawn from him, and he was left to be governed by the furious Impulses of his disorderly Passions, and to pursue with Greediness the Desires of his own wicked Heart. The Gratification of these Desires was the Temptation

that lead him to covet the Money of the Captain and Passengers, which he hoped would furnish him with the Means; and when that Thought had taken Possession of his Breast he was determin|ed to remove every Obstacle to its Accomplishment, however dreadful the Consequences.

Those Minds must have been most amazingly hardened in Guilt, that could in cool Blood have been so long brooding over such a horrible Purpose, and Persist in it till its final Execution. This caused a Suspicion that Men capable of a Fact like this, must have been Veterans in Blood and Murder, and could not for a first Essay, have been Actors in so dreadful a Scene of Slaughter.

And therefore these Criminals were suspected to be the Au|thors of several other Murders perpretated within these few Years, particularly of Anthony De Noyer, Master of a French Schooner, near the Island of St. Domingo; in the Year 1765, and of two Men in New-Jersey; but they both, till their last Moments, per|sisted in solemnly denying that they had ever before been con|cerned in any Murder or other capital Crime.

Joseph Andrews, was remarkably ignorant or insensible in Mat|ters of religious or moral Obligation; and though he seem'd hear|tily to feel the Horrot of his Situation; yet all his Distress seem'd to arise from the Dread of personal Punishment—not at all from a proper Sense of his Guilt; and though he confessed the Fact for which he suffered, repeatedly, to both the Ministers, and at the Gallows, yee he always seemed to own it with Reluctance; and to feel something of Resentment against the Witnesses upon whose Evidence he was found guilty, but said he forgave them.

The Excuse he made for throwing the Boy overboard, was, that in the Scuffle he had received a Wound, which he appre|hended would have been Mortal, and that therefore it was best to end his Misery at once.

At the Gallows he owned his Crime, desired all People, espe|cially Sailors to take Warning by him, and after repeating the Creed and Lord's Prayer, was executed.

THE Night preceeding ANDREWS's Execution, a Gentleman whose veracity can be depended upon, went up to the Room wherein he was confined in the New-Goal, and had a very serious conversation with him. And after having joined him in Prayer; he advised him to satisfy the Public, by confessing the Crimes he had been guilty of —Andrews mused for some Time, and then gave the following declaration.—As a dying Man, I think it is

a duty I owe to myself, to say something against the many Crimes laid to my Charge by some Persons, as a clamourous and insolent, as they are ignorant and stupid; for if you take the Voice of the People, in general, there never was a Crime committed by mankind but what has been imput|ed to me. I pray God to forgive them and they have both my Forgiveness and Pity: My name is Joseph Anderson: I was born in Swanzey, in the Southern Part of Wales, near Vaux-Hall, of poor but honest Parents—in my Youth, I came over an Indented Servant to Boston, and served part of an Apprentiship to a Capt. of a Vessel; but being very ambitious to be my own Master, I deserted from him when at Lisbon.—I always had an insatiable desire for Money, and this unhappy propensity has prompted me to do things, the remembrance of which is now very grievous unto me; but who liveth and sinneth not! And those who rail most against me, if they will take the trouble of scrutinizing their own Lives, they will find their conduct has not been unex|ceptionable.—However they may say of me what they please, as my Time here, in all probability is very short —And after the Execution of my Sentence, when they▪ see my Body Hanging in Chains, they may (as they no doubt will) say there Hangs the Body of ANDREWS, the Pirate, who being a Roman Catholick, would make no Confession.

He was then Silent for a short Time, and upon the Gentleman's Asking him whether he was a Roman Catho|lic or not, he Answered in the Negative. And added that he had lived and should die a Member of the Church of England. He was very desirous to know if his Body realy was to be hung in Chains, if not, he would give a particular account of the Transactions of his Life; but if on the con|trary, they persisted in their resolution to Hang him in Chains, the World should have little Satisfaction from him. —His Behaviour at the Place of Execution was decent and resigned, he Prayed about fifteen Minutes and then desired the cart to be drove of.—Upon the whole he seemed to be a daring resolute Fellow.