Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 14.pdf/431

of Guinea, where they put out English offered forty pieces-of-eight and four of colors to make the natives come aboard to gold, and with that they sent some men trade, and when they came aboard surprised down with the letter, and they came back them, took their gold from them and chained again with a letter from the island that they them in the hold, and when they came to should be welcome, and come and go again the place called Island of Princes, sold seven when they pleased." Strange to say, on such evidence the of them as slaves. At Madagascar they watered ship and got provisions and cows to prisoners were acquitted. But they were salt up. From thence they went to Joanna, held and retried on another indictment, con and from Joanna they went to take a junk victed and hung. Where, as under the old criminal pro and sunk her. Then to Commerce, and there they met a small French vessel, which cedure, the accused was compelled to de they took and sank. Then they went to fend himself as best he could without the Joanna again, and because the natives would assistance of counsel, a defendant who hap not trade with them they burnt their towns. pened to be also a trained lawyer enjoyed When by the mouth of the Red Sea all the an uncommon advantage. This is well il Mocha fleet went by, and so they consulted lustrated by the trial of Spencer Cowper for whether they should follow them or stay murder (13 St. Tr. 1105, 1699), the first there. And then they went after them and case in the books of a thorough and scienovertook them, and took one that was about! tific defence. Cowper was a man of position, three or four hundred ton, and took gold and the brother of Lord Chancellor Cowper, a silver out of her, and sent men aboard her to barrister of repute and ultimately a judge. plunder and keep her. And next day they He was accused of the murder of Sarah spied another sail, and got up their anchor Stout, a young Quakeress, who had long and stood to her and took her; they killed been on terms of social acquaintance with several men aboard, and when they had Cowper's family, and at whose house Cow taken and plundered the ship they left the per had at one time lodged while on circuit. On the spring circuit of 1699 Spencer men aboard to go to Turat again. And then they went to Rachipool, in the East Cowper had expected to occupy quarters Indies, and got water and necessaries, and with his brother, as usual, but having called from thence to Dascaran, where they set to pay his repects to the Stouts, he was pressed about twenty-five Frenchmen and fourteen by Miss Stout after dinner to spend the night Danes and some English ashore; for they there. After supper he spent the evening were afraid if they came back to England with Miss Stout. At about eleven o'clock and were caught they would be hanged, and the latter called a servant and ordered a bed they thought themselves secure there. From to be warmed for Cowper. While the ser that place they went to Ascension and then to vant was thus engaged she heard the front the Island of Providence in the West Indies, door shut, and on coming down to the sittingand then they wrote a letter to the Governor room found that its occupants had dis to know if he would let them come in, and appeared: and although this servant sat up said they would present the Governor with all night, neither Cowper nor Miss Stout twenty pieces-of-eight and two pieces of returned. Cowper was seen to enter an inn gold if he would let them come in; and the 1 about a quarter of a mile away shortly before captain, because he had a double share, | eleven o'clock, and shortly afterward returned