Camden gazette. (Camden, S.C.) 1816-1818, October 17, 1818, Image 2
City Gazette.
XJyiag cortftssiun of Joseph Bare, j
Alias, Joseph Tliompson Hare, one
/ of the mail robbery who was ex-.'
ccuted at Baltimore, on the: tOtb;
of September* 1818. Written by :
^bUnaelf. BaHinwwe, published by
Joseph Barling, 1818. v v v J
'[The pobKshcr States that he has
the MS. hi Hare's hand writing.
We have phoseq, such extracts as
will give the reader a connected view
of the principal robberies : the minor
-parts, with the inflections of the cul
prit, are omitted, on account of their
taigth. No person in this coantry,
before the publication of this pam
phlet, could possibly have believed
that the United mti ites contained
? ? t ? ? t l' *
such an extraordiwWy aud duuiijj,
bandit as Joseph Hare U represent
ed to bo*^IfV?areto give ctettklo
the story, (and there is but toomuch
reason to believe a great portion of it
true>) tlria hero of the highway e?
nuals if not rivals, in perpetration of
daring felonies and Attrocioua' ex
ploits, tlie most notorious robliers
ytkat ever growled the environs of
~ JBtnat Rinaldo Binaldinoor Charles
de Moor were nothing to him? 'The
only way to account for the possibil*
ity of Hare and his associates obtain
ing so much booty in gold and silver
is the custom that nse to prevdiBof
travellers from New -Orleans and
j||lsewhere transporting through tlie
^wilderness (before bank notes were
ib such general circulation) theyg>ro
ceeds of their merchandize in specie.
The total absence of dates, however,
throughout tlie confession, throws *
strong suspicion on many circum
* 'e&M&ft, though what in related as
having taken place in this neighbor
, hood carries with it some color of
probability.} x ; ?
, < 't*6?bora Sa Chester county, in
; lbe state of Pennsylvania, and. when
about Si, I went to Philadelphia, anil
sailed with an eld friend of my ' fa
IkitV, a sea captain, to Jsew-Gr
leans, and worked my passage there.
In NeW'Orlean* I suffered a good,
deal of trouble, for I had no money
but whafl made by dangerous thiev
ing and gambling. At last I enlist
ed in the Governor's guard, and at
this Ume I associated myself with
some desperate fellows who Were, in
&he habit of knocking people down
in tho streets, and robbing them.
The peicson we robbed in ~ this man
an, in company with a gentleman of
the city of New-Orleons. I took
the captain's watch, for which lie
must have, paid fifty g?dness?Jn
Prance. Ail was playing at cards
somaJM&e after I having staked bis
Witch against three otters, in came
,aFr*oeh" G teetieman dressed in iftii
form, and asked me if I was not an
ofllcer belonging to tlm Governors
IjjjU/Af as he Wfaieeo me at the
Governors dresshd in uniform ;
I told him I was ; lie said he
for^JSropM^ Offlrensjto
"".money lie had been
night. w Was I apd
Tons IKat had robbed him,
aiid ha3 got a great cteafck of money
from him. What made us atop him
? m ? bearing his mopey jingle in
... otsanrf ftcein^feo much pow
der in bis hair. This was good en
couragement tcfaw )*and as for me, I
?(Wl#kave l>?enlotU to chan^o iny,
place for a Coronals commission
dput now, as we feared we should
get notorious in New-Orleans, and
saw every few days a company start
from NfeW-Orlwins on horse and
were told ttoiy cfrriwl a great deal
of money ,vith them through the
Choctaw and Chickesaw nations to
get to Kentucky, Tennessee, and
Pittsburg ; we thought wa should do
better on the highway. But before
we went, we made two other robbe
lies. One of my men took ?07 dol
lars from a countryman ; he told me,
when I came up, it was all that he
had 5 I gave. Him up ,10 dollars in
silver. The same evening I Went
and stopped a Spaniard, and he gave
me his watch and i7 dollars. He
seemed poor, and I left his watch
and part of the mwiey where he got
it again. Now 1 saw it was slow
daogercu* * ark too, to iaal;
ney in the city of New-Qrleai
we all agreed to get sotue good
ami Hhree first rata horses, that
swift and genteel. We left the
mid Went as far as Nashville i;
state of Tennessee, without m
? with any thing. - We rafeod th?
r- derness from the Muscle Sbo;
ihe Ciioetaw nation. One day
we were much fatigued with hu
(we depended on this for our e;
we came across a company of
me in ? I had hard work -to
theirlives. ? We stopped them
had hid all the horses from the
of the road ; I stepped up to out
had holsters before hinv and
bim that 1 had twelve highway
hers umler my Vcomuiaiu!, am
-first mail thai moved shouU . ...
blown to hell. ? Tliedry cane made
a great craclring ; it sothick^ osi
that* spot tlmt a ranii ccdlit Ook be
seen ten feet from the road. Iti was
a cloudy day, and every thing look
ed very black aud gloomy^ ami
the sound of the cane, though it did
not frighten me; made me feel 'very,
strange aiwfcout of the jp ay pny~twoJ
mensaid we had luLpainted our fa
ces, which we ought to have dor#,
and that we slk>uTil be known, and- it
was better to murder rascals, than
let them live and tell tales on %us. ?
An oldish man spoke and snid, " for
?God's sake spare my 'life." I told
ii was Well thought of ; that if there
should one man move till I gave
leave, they would all be landed: ii>
eternity ; and with this ( called to
one of my companions to come up
and take the money. Up s1ip|>ed
one with a pair of double barrelled
pistols hanging in a helt buckled
round his body, and a dagger hang*,
ing on hid breast in sight, and a good
rifle in his hand. I told him not to
fire on them, until they should make
battle. We took all that they Ipad,
and after I had talked a little while
longer^vith my men? we set them on
their road/ ' - kr- ^ * -
A day or two before this, while
we were hunting in the woods, we
came across a spot tlmt seemed a ve
ry good retreat from any danger of
being overtaken by justice, and a ve
ry comfortable home foo. It was on
one side of a cane brake where the
cane grew very thick mid tall and
would have concealed us from the
best eyes, near the Chichasaw Blufts*
Here we l&id ourselves down to
sleep, as we had dept but litile fiMr
two nights back. As for 1
could not sleeps but lay, / looking
sometimes in the fire we had kindled,
aiul sometimes at the stars, and lis*
tening to the wind in among the cam^
brake, which made such a mournful
rustling noise, that I often thought
something or somebody was coming
through the ci toe after us. ' Bo I got
up, and went to see if our horses
were near, which we had let loose
near the brake ; add after 1 found
them I employed myself counting the
money, while my two companions
slept on as if nothing had happened,
1 had not suflfcttll the two |nen to o
pen fye months of all the &*?*# !?
see what amount was in them. There
I was one bag I told them they need
not open. I Imd heard the man
say, when it was got out of his sad
dle-bags, " I>ord bless my sool." and
and give a very heavy sigh. I re
member I thought he w|Ul frightened
for liis life, and told hb? I bad never
asked any man for his life and if we
- - * -
were Wot so strongly artmnl, he woyld
take mine ; hut that he should nolle
hnrt. * \ good ileal of the money we
took was ih gold a ntf specie, and Ih
has;* of 'buckskin. The one In* sigh
ed to r, had 180 pieces* in it, and a
good deal of them gold. I iftaite
each man a belt, and put all. ttm
gold in three belts, made ouMftwm
deer's hide that I bought frofti^ an
Indian that lived in the Cherokefe
nation when lie Was at home. The
whole that I had to my share from
tliat robbery came to 7000 dollars.
We lay in the mountain A month,
in which time we lived on wild meat,
wild turkey, deer and racoon. I
was in Nashville once in that time :
I took my horse with me, my money
I hid Where no man knew.
led iiis name * hail
Indian ; they hail taken thetejiorses^
ta bU hous^, which sTauTLi l>et? eon
Bear Creek and 'i>nws?co f iVer. X
rode on l>efore ibv co^P^y toiufunu.
my men- th ai wem*:Vl* likely get
somediins; from these men. Oue of
my fellows* would hardly hear me to
fcbc end* sq greedy was Ije after ^Fe
.fmrkr saddle 1 mentiouttd.~~Ji^igft.
the neighborhood of Bear Click,
took to tho great vond again, and
make as fast as possible after the
company I had left, , which I wjjs
muclr afraid we should miss. About
twenty miles from tho -'rousa cf
Thomson, who wa$ knowfr in those
parts at that time, 1 over took the7]
company again. This 'I homsoti is a
while man, married to a squaw.?
We made oft* into the woods when
we got the travellers in sight, made a
bead, and iti a cane brake just off the
road> we [minted ouv faces likelhe
Indian whetiJko is gains to wari?
The party wlffipretty #ell armed ; 1
n*)de op to them ? thfoy all started ve
ty much at seeing us, as we showed
our arms and looked vejy threaten*
lug. I spoke to them in the Cpeelc
tongue, of which I knay a Jew
words, as if I bad Ifefelj an Indian.
They did not understand me. One
of my men asked if they could a par
ier anglais" They-- stoj>j>ed and4
spoke broken English. r I told them
we were Indians, ttraldid not think
it any harm to tafee 'monfcy ftom
white people ; and if tliey raised One
of their aftns to fire on us, we wt^dd
send them to eternity, ever&maut of
[lmtn f),1P nf ??i#l
liivttV* Vffw til tWrXIl utliu tri tzm
ry thing we have ; we have more at
homeland only wish you to he^jvil
to our persona. The two men I had
with frt, stood still with their rifles
cocked, and each had his pfstpls at
his side and a dagger. I took away 1
*jtiie arms Wi the travel lent, \^ho
made no more resistance. On the
pack horse we fwtindl&CO doubloons
and 604 pieces of different sizes, antf^
* forge quantity of gold in bars, six
inches in length and eight square ?
30 weight of it. IVith the owne $ I
found 71 doubloons and 3 silver dol
lars, and 400 French guineas, and
67 picces, the value of wbicli| I \
could Hot tell, till I weighed them. *
I> ?or id>000 doHars, alto&s
tlirr, from the company, alt in scold.
9* the fifths day *Oei?
reached nuv cave again. v
after this 1 left the cav^ #n
way nut n man on horaeba .....
a on I t
campauy with lum. and he toll
he had been At B^JUonis to htiy J|jji<l.
In a few moment* we came to a k
beatftiful spring, and dismounted to |
take a drink.1* He laid hi* rifle a
gaiiwt a tr?e, asked trie to takfe some
hramtyftnd water with him. Whilst
lie Wan stooping to ^??t Home water
from the Spring I seteed his rifle
from Hie tree, and told him I was a
high- way tobber and would take ft
drink of water with liitn after 1 had
ctainted what money he had; tlint I
never drank brandy or any kind of
spirit*, a* ( always had spirits en*
ongh in me, without taking brandy,
and that if Tie *dM not instantly de
liver to me every cent lie had, I
would sent I him where he would get
something hoter than brandy. He
wm very much alarmed and trem?f
bleil worse than I do now tinder the
gallows. ^ He delivered op all bis
money to mc. I r^ot from him $700
sin tut Uag <;f
shed to
.ve k
i \vsU:!i.
lie, Tenti. )
! iwo .lioi'ae*
e\v d*vs we
lior. -From *
K\ .
i * \ 9 %
n ilhv*at tlio ?
?w appetj un
i a gciitlc
bjnck bov
?
first bbirk
hj^k^ny
i\ fifty <loi
:;vihg sold
plact*, in ;;
, down tlivi
:i there to
v/ut? lll&iu M c
um sill UlUCli :ttt tllrt
gaining tqfole^tiiar Wjv s vWSriniet ! n n;1;
vvasTUi bjidone. > I set mv Muck boy
free iu .New -Oilcans, \wncti * jdace
we left,, after ifurctuisinH; tMfef'euod
horses, And ^ 4"~ " 1r" **
LI o cure.
here he
bad
4hw,
n&froni
Jw
>0 1)21(1 A
- . ^ ?urv?w*a ?.?VuvjV>
lli^cc I got a passport froiu Governor
ttrandpree, mm|?" intend^! to fc/b on
tfte road bciwecndBatmr^tuuge ciul
LfiyqciJa. ,???.: ?* v v> -v\
I We started fiWl&iton Itouge, (o
a fit place for our camp;*" About
i 80 mile* from Pensacolu, and neat a
track that led to tlte Girid Mints, \\ o
found -a clofl of yocks - that > formed
an adotimble cave, which no ftum visits
ed before, I expect since the flood.
Gamewas plenty, &c;
We hunted here nine da\s : &t
the end pf that. lime we hegau to
Wont powder ami shoL and thought
thai two of us should go tu PetiancoU
wtfr &t it. I was the owe 1b*atay at
I boau*. They were day s.
I One who married tiiero titan began to
| tell me of all the news he had heard
at the. hotel iu Pensacola,
had put up at. He said t
seen - a Spanish gentle.
from old tstykihi, that was
lVnsncola to Baton li.ouge?,
and tliat he had seen <hat
v unu n
^podjfdeal of gold abouthim. V/?j
immediately pHt arms in order? I had
a pair of pistols, a dirk, ft cuthtM
and b ride; my two robbers bad each
of them a ritifr, n pahr fki?(oU,
and a daggeivi On tlieeighthday, 1
aaw a company passman .watched
the toad, aud directly, went back to
our oave^feidioHr Jinrsca constat and
saddled, and we 'monntaffitfretn,
with our arras, in pursuit of ibein.
On. the next^ftaji we^atne nptdJhem.
My tipanisbrtalking' mm, wW bad
seen the old Spaniard W Penancoln,
said that it was thetipflifepn^imy,
fur he-knew the ojd Spaniard % the
" cot of hi* gihtf^fsl rodto pfet tltfm
to see what arm*rthey list], wad ia'ur
w 1 past them, there Wet;1 tWe in
company, nr.il tliat " they hnd two
pair of pistols. I Jut the
/ woods to kt them
j'untH nfcy tworqbbe
plMh ft ban4**?
when I
<*W
our
Ucd
h#d
Kt,
Ifiey
ittd
lined* our
m* We
we iiilw
pit%en(in
?TO OT!SFflPlV.B v*y lob
,:T/ %ful tliat if they niado any re
sktanco or offered to nm, until they y
hatl delivered np their money to u?,
would stop tlielu with powder ' "
and ball. I told them to dismount
from the i i- horse#, or fre Would fire
and brio* th$m dowfl. They best*
tated at first, but sceiogu* resolute,
with our rifles cocked, and presenfed
tollman, and ready to fire, they got
down from their b&ses. 1 then *trp?
ped up (o them With my dagger u\
i toy hand, and t?K>k from them two
pair of pistols and three daggern: i)jy
two highwaymen atood Ifffabout
feet with their rifles oocke<l, a da*>
ger in their hand*, and each A(Jr
of piatob belted aruu&d thei^i. i :-4
wouhl not miffier thom to .sp^iik Ui
each other whilst I vfa* robhiiij^Uiem, "Ifi
as 1 did not understnud their lingo,
and was afraid of some scheme. \Vo
got 40 weight of ^old from thisrom *
pany of five, and H58 in silver. JVIy
shfcre of this robbery amounted to
&8& douldoons (