Wife, he had it put into Breeches, as a Boy, pretending it was a Relation’s Child he was to breed up to be his Clerk.
The Wife heard he had a little Boy at Home he was very fond of, but as ſhe did not know any Relation of his that had ſuch a Child, ſhe employ’d a Friend to enquire further into it; this Perſon by talking with the Child, found it to be a Girl, diſcovered that the Servant-Maid was its Mother, and that the Husband ſtill kept up his Correſpondence with her.
Upon this Intelligence, the Wife being unwilling that her Children’s Money ſhould go towards the Maintenance of Baſtards, ſtopped the Allowance: The Husband enraged, in a kind of Revenge, takes the Maid home, and lives with her publickly, to the great Scandal of his Neighbours; but he ſoon found the bad Effect of it, for by Degrees loſt his Practice, ſo that he ſaw plainly he could not live there, therefore he thought of removing, and turning what Effects he had into ready Money; he goes to Cork, and there with his Maid and Daughter embarques for Carolina.
At firſt he followed the Practice of the Law in that Province, but afterwards fell into Merchandize, which proved more ſucceſsful to him, for he gained by it ſufficient to purchaſe a conſiderable Plantation: His Maid, who paſſed for his Wife, happened to dye, after which his Daughter, our Anne Bonny, now grown up, kept his Houſe.
She was of a fierce and couragious Temper, wherefore, when ſhe lay under Condemnation, ſeveral Stories were reported of her, much to her Diſadvantage, as that ſhe had kill’d an Engliſh Servant-Maid once in her Paſſion with a Caſe-Knife, while ſhe look’d after her Father’s Houſe; but upon further Enquiry, I found this Story to be groundleſs: It was certain ſhe was ſo robuſt, that
