Kidd’s experience of the legal profession and the procedure of our English courts, though short, had been painfully instructive. After his return to Newgate, he seems to have had no more to do with either of them. But he had yet to reckon with his political and religious advisers, who combined to beset him to the last.
Bellamont’s apologist says: “Dr. G——g knows who the person was, who was with Kidd more than once some few days before his execution and dealt so freely with him as to advise him to charge two lords by name with somewhat that was material, which he said was the only way he could save his life. And the more to provoke the poor wretch[196] to follow his advice, swore to him that those lords and their friends, were restless in soliciting to have him hanged, and therefore it was reasonable for him to do their business.” “God,” he adds, “disappointed all these cursed designs. Perhaps the unhappy creature knew himself incapable to make a probable story, or to carry on one though made to his hands, and that deterred him from hearkening to these counsels of devils. I rather hope that as wicked as he had been, he was not arrived at such a pitch, as to attempt to take away other men’s lives and honour by deliberate perjuries.”
It never seems to have occurred to this gentleman, or indeed to any one else, during Kidd’s last days, that he was innocent of the crimes laid to his charge, and that he was not likely to go back on his word. Not only in his statements with respect to his employers, but also in his simple written narrative to Bellamont and in the oral evidence given at his trial of the various incidents in his[197] voyage he had told a plain unvarnished tale, from which he had never deviated. So far as his dealings with his employers were concerned he had sworn in his examinations before the Admiralty and also in the House of Commons, that he had never seen Somers or Shrewsbury, or heard more of them, than that Bellamont had told him they were two of the owners of the Adventure Galley; that Bellamont had introduced him to Orford and that Colonel Hewson had carried him to Romney in his coach which was all that he knew of them. He had been recalled and pressed to make some further disclosure with regard to these great personages, and asked categorically if he knew anything in relation to Bellamont, Romney, Shrewsbury, Somers, or Orford, or any of the other owners, in relation to his expedition, or any other matter, touching any private directions, articles or instructions, given to him by word of mouth or otherwise. And after taking time “to recollect himself well,” he[198] had affirmed that “he had nothing more to say in relation to the owners than that he had before declared.” It may safely be assumed that his answer to Dr. G——g’s mysterious friend, whoever he may have been, was to the same effect.
It remained now for him to undergo that last trial of his patience, to which all condemned prisoners had in those days to submit, the well-meant attempts on the part of the Chaplain of the gaol to extort from them confessions of their guilt. If Kidd had yielded to this cruel pressure, he would have left this world with a lie upon his lips, as it is to be feared many poor creatures did before and after him. Witness the confessions of some of those convicted of witchcraft. It is no small confirmation of his innocence that he was able to emerge even from this trying ordeal without discredit to his veracity.
The Ordinary of Newgate at that time was the Rev. Paul Lorrain, well known in[199] his day as the author of innumerable “Last Dying Speeches and Confessions” of noted criminals, who seems to have combined with the more serious duties of his calling as confessor to the doomed the somewhat incongruous functions discharged in these latter days by enterprising press interviewers of celebrities in whose personal peculiarities and proclivities the reading public may be supposed to take an interest. He can rarely, if ever, have had more promising subjects for his professional treatment, or men of whose last days his account was likely to have a wider circulation, than Kidd and his fellow sufferers.
There are two extant records of the “Behaviour, Confessions and Last Dying Words of Kidd and the other Pirates that were Executed with Him.” Both were published by the same printer, E. Mallet at the Hat and Hawk in Bride Lane. One of these accounts is signed by Lorrain on the day of the execution, and concludes with[200] these words: “This is all the account, which (in this hurry) can be given of these persons by Paul Lorrain. Friday, May the 23rd 1701.” It is clear from internal evidence that the earlier part of this account had been carefully composed before the day of execution, and that it was only the concluding portion of it which was hurriedly written on that day. No inconsiderable part of the earlier paragraphs is devoted to the texts and heads of the discourses delivered by the Ordinary to the prisoners, on the two preceding Sundays when they had had the privilege of listening to him. These, admirable as they may be, it is unnecessary to reproduce in the present narrative. From the remainder of this account it appears that Lorrain on the day after their trial visited the prisoners, and “did pray with them and admonish them to self examination and repentance,” that during his whole attendance on them, which was “every day, both forenoon and afternoon” until the day of execution,[201] he “pressed upon them the acts of faith and repentance, exhorting them to confess their crimes.” “I at last,” he says, “prevailed on them to uncover and own those crimes which they had before so industriously endeavoured to hide or excuse, particularly Captain Kidd, who vainly flattering himself with hopes of a reprieve, deferred his confession so long that there was hardly any time left for taking it in any exactness or order.” (It is clear from the latter part of his account that Kidd never confessed to any of the crimes of which he had been convicted.) “Darby Mullins, one of the condemned pirates was of all the rest the most ready and free to open himself to me: and therefore I shall begin with his confession.” Let us see what the free and open confession of this poor man amounted to and what were the heinous crimes, which he had so industriously endeavoured to hide or excuse.
“I. Darby Mullins, about 40 years old,[202] born in Ireland hard by Mullingfelt, about 16 miles from Londonderry. He said he lived in his own country and with his parents and followed the plough, while he was young, but being kidnapped he was carried away into the West Indies, where he served a planter for the space of four years. Afterwards he turned a waterman, and followed several other employments in and about Jamaica. And when the earthquake happened there he was miraculously preserved, yet took no great notice of his deliverance, so as to be thankful (as he ought) to God for it, which is now matter of trouble and grief to him. After this earthquake he went to Kingston, a town in these parts, and there he built himself a house and sold liquors, etc. Then he came to New York, with his family in the Charity, Captain Sims commander, and continued there two years. At the end of which he took his passage on board Captain Slade to the Madeiras, where he stayed but three weeks and then returned[203] to New York; and some time after having bury’d his wife there, he was not able any longer to keep house; but apply’d himself to carrying and fetching wood from place to place in a boat of his own, about 20 tons. Then he left off this employment and engaged himself with Captain Kidd and afterwards with Captain Culliford, not knowing but that it was very lawful (as he said he was told) to plunder the enemies of Christianity. But now he being shew’d that those were the greatest enemies to Christ and his religion, who did such unaccountable things, as he and his companions did, contrary to the laws of Christianity, which they profess, he said he heartily begged pardon of God and the world for it, and wished he had not been such an offender. He confessed he had been a great sinner in that he had not served God as he should have done, but far from that had of late very much given himself up to swearing, cursing and profaning the Sabbath Day, which had deservedly brought this[204] calamity upon him. He seemed to be very penitent of the facts, for which he was justly condemned, and prayed to God to forgive both these and the other errors and miscarriages of his past life. He was a poor unlearned person, not very much acquainted with the principles of religion. Yet he was very willing to be directed and express’d great hopes that through the merits of Christ he should find mercy and salvation.”
“II. Captain William Kidd, condemned for murder and piracy. He was about 56 years of age. I found him very unwilling to confess the crime he was convicted of, or to declare anything, other than that he had been a great offender, and lived without any due consideration either of God’s mercys or judgments, or of his wonderful works which had so often been set before him. That he” (like Mullins) “never remembered to have returned Him thanks for the many great deliverances he had received from him, or call’d[205] himself to account for what he had done. But now he owns that God is a just God, and he is a vile and wretched sinner. He says he repents of all his sins and hopes to be saved through the merits of Christ. He further declares that he dies in charity with all the world.” So far, it is clear, he had made no confession either of murder or piracy.
“On the day being the day of execution, I went betimes to these condemned persons, and had them up to the Chappel both morning and afternoon, where having given them further admonitions to Faith and Repentance, they seemed to me very desirous and earnestly striving to die in God’s favour. Only I was afraid the hardness of Captain Kidd’s heart was still unmelted. I therefore apply’d myself with particular exhortations to him” (‘the innocentest person of them all,’ to quote his own words) “and laid the judgment of God against impenitent and hardened sinners, as[206] well as his tender mercies to those that were true and sincere penitents, very plainly before him. To all which he readily assented and said that he truly repented of all his sins, and forgave all the world: and I was in good hopes that he did so. But having left him to go a little before him to the place of execution, I found to my unspeakable grief, when he was brought thither, that he was inflamed with drink,” (Some kind fellow countryman had possibly given the poor old man a wee drappie of which he must have stood sorely in need, after all these exhausting religious exercises and his confinement for over a year in Newgate), “which had so discompos’d his mind that it was now in a very ill frame, and very unfit for the great work now or never to be perform’d by him. I prayed for him, and so did other worthy divines that were present, to whom as well as to myself the Captain appeared to be much out of order, and not so concerned or affected as he ought to have been.[207] ’Tis true he spoke some words expressing his confidence in God’s mercys through Christ, and likewise declared that he died in Charity with all the world. But still I suspected his sincerity” (Why?) “because he was more reflective upon others than upon himself” (as he might well be) “and would still endeavour to lay his faults upon his crew and others, going about to excuse and justify himself much about the same manner, as he did upon his trial. When I left him at Newgate he told me he would make a full confession at the tree,” (so he did, of everything he had to confess) “but instead of that he was unwilling (contrary to my expectation) to own the justice of his condemnation or so much as the providence of God, who for his sins had deservedly brought him to this untimely end. I continued to pray for him and the rest, who (to outward appearance) were very humble and penitent, particularly Darby Mullins, who persisted in asserting what he had told me before[208] and said it was the truth and he had nothing to add to or diminish from it. This being done and the Captain having warned all mariners of ships and others to have a care of themselves, and take warning from him” (the words of his warning were very significant as will be seen below) “I then sang with them a Penitential Psalm, and after another short prayer, recommending them to God, I parted with them and left them to the Divine Mercy. And then they were turned off.”
“But here I must take notice of a remarkable (and I hope a most lucky) accident which then did happen,” (it may be doubted whether the reverend gentleman would have considered it so lucky if it had befallen himself) “which was this, that the rope by which Captain Kidd was ty’d broke, and so falling to the ground he was taken up alive, and by this means had opportunity to consider more of that Eternity he was launching into. When he was brought up[209] and ty’d again to the tree, I desired leave to go to him again, which was granted. Then I showed him the great mercy of God in giving him unexpectedly this further respite, that so he might improve the few moments left now so mercifully allowed him in perfecting his Faith and Repentance. Now I found him in much better temper than before. But as I was unwilling, and the station also very incommodious and improper for me to offer anything to him by way of question, that might have perhaps discomposed his spirit, so I contented myself to press him to embrace (before it was too late) the Mercy of God now again offered him upon the easy conditions of Stedfast Faith, True Repentance and Perfect Charity, which now he did so fully and freely express, that I hope he was hearty and sincere in it, declaring openly that he repented with all his heart, and dy’d in Christian Love and Charity with all the world” (as he had repeatedly said before). “This he said, as he[210] was on the top of the ladder (the scaffold being now broken down) and myself halfway on it, as close to him as I could, who having for the last time prayed with him, left him with a greater satisfaction than I had before, that he was penitent.”
From the later account above referred to which purports to be “The only True Account of the Dying Speeches of the Condemned Pirates,” and is possibly a revised edition of the earlier account by Paul Lorrain, we learn that “all the prisoners were conveyed from Newgate to the execution dock in Wapping by the officers of the Admiralty and others, carrying the Silver Oar before them according to the usual custom:” that Kidd’s “behaviour in Ne............