On Being Loosed, He Again Protested His Entire Innocence
And Ignorance Of Every Thing Laid To His Charge; Yet, As
He knew they
would make him confess any thing they pleased by means of torture,
however false, he said they
Would do him a great favour by informing him
what they wished he should say, which he would speak as they desired, to
avoid the torture. The fiscal said he mocked them, ordered him to be
fastened up again, and to receive the water torture. After suffering
this for some time, he desired to be let down again to make his
confession, devising as well as he could what he should say.
Accordingly, he said that he, with Thomson, Johnson, Brown, and Fardo,
had plotted about ten weeks before, to surprise the castle with the aid
of the Japanese.
While making this contrived confession, he was interrupted by the
fiscal, who asked whether Captain Towerson were privy to this
conspiracy. He protested that Towerson knew nothing of the matter. "You
lie," said the fiscal, "did not he call you all before him, telling you
that the daily abuses of the Dutch had instigated him to devise a plot,
and that he wanted nothing but your consent and secrecy?" Then a Dutch
merchant who was present, named Jan Igost, asked him, if they had not
all been sworn to secrecy on the Bible? Collins declared with great
oaths, that he knew nothing of any such matter. He was again ordered to
be seized up again to the torture, on which he said that all was true
they had said. Then the fiscal asked, if the English in the other
factories were consenting to this plot? To which he answered, no. The
fiscal then next asked, if the English president at Jacatra, or Mr
Weldon the agent at Banda, were engaged in this plot, or privy to its
contrivance? He again answered, no. The fiscal next enquired by what
means the Japanese were to have executed their purpose? And, when
Collins stood amazed, and devising some probable fictions to satisfy
them, the fiscal helped him out, saying, "Were not two Japanese to have
gone to each bulwark, and two to the door of the governor's chamber, to
have killed him on coming out to enquire into the disturbance you were
to have raised without?" Upon this, a person who stood by, desired the
fiscal not to put words into the mouth of the witness, but to allow him
to speak for himself. After this reproof, without waiting any answer to
his former question, the fiscal asked what reward was to have been given
the Japanese for their services? Collins answered 1000 dollars each. He
was then asked, when this plot was to have been carried into execution?
But, although he made no answer to this question, not knowing on the
sudden what to say, he was dismissed, glad to get away from the torture,
yet certainly believing they would put him to death for his confession.
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