Samuel Colson Was Next Brought In; And, For Fear Of The Tortures That
Collins Had Endured, Whom He Saw Brought
Out in a pitiable condition,
with his eyes almost starting out of their sockets, he chose rather to
confess all
They asked, and so was quickly dismissed, yet came out
weeping and lamenting, and protesting his innocence. John Clark was then
taken in, and tortured with fire and water for two hours, in the same
manner as had been done with Johnson and Thomson.[317]
[Footnote 317: The minute description of these tortures, in Purchas, and
copied in Harris, are disgusting; insomuch, that Purchas exclaims at one
place, I have no heart to proceed. They are here therefore
omitted, - E.]
Finding that all their cruelties could not force him to any consistent
confession of himself, they helped him along to particular circumstances
of their own contrivance, by leading questions. Thus wearied out and
overpowered, by terror of the tortures being renewed, he answered,
yes, to whatever they asked, by which means they trumped up a body of
evidence to this effect: - "That Captain Towerson, on new-year's-day
last, had sworn all the English at Amboina to be secret and aiding in a
plot he had devised for surprising the castle, by the aid of the
Japanese, putting the governor and all the Dutch to death."
On the 17th, William Griggs and John Fardo, with some Japanese, were
brought to examination. The Japanese were first cruelly tortured to
accuse Griggs, which at last they did; and Griggs, to avoid torture,
confessed whatever the fiscal was pleased to demand. The same was next
done with Fardo and other Japanese. Fardo endured the torture for some
time, but at length confessed all they pleased to ask. That same day,
John Beaumont was brought a second time to the fiscal's chamber, when
one Captain Newport, the son of a Dutchman, but born and educated in
England, acted as interpreter. Griggs was also brought in to accuse
Beaumont of being present at the consultation for surprising the castle.
Beaumont denied all, with great earnestness, and many oaths; but, on
enduring the torture, was constrained to confess every thing laid to his
charge.
George Sharrock was then brought in and examined. He fell on his knees,
protesting his innocence, telling them he was at Hitto on
new-year's-day, when the pretended consultation was held, and had not
been at Amboina since the preceding November, as was well known to
several Dutchmen who resided at Hitto along with him. Being ordered to
the rack, he told them he had often heard John Clark say that the Dutch
had done insufferable wrongs to the English, and was resolved to be
revenged on them; for which purpose he had proposed to Captain Towerson
to allow him to go to Macassar, to consult with the Spaniards about
sending some gallies to plunder the small factories of Amboina and Ceram
in the absence of the ships. Being asked what Captain Towerson had said
to all this?
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