Here's a version of this story from Henry Kittredge; > "Captain Joseph Doane,Jr., of Chatham, was off the back side of the > Cape in a schooner in 1772 and there sighted a vessel flying distress > signals. Coming alongside, he found that she was the schooner, > Abigail, Thomas Nickerson,Master, outward bound from Boston; and a > grim spectacle she presented. Her deck was smeared with blood; Captain > Nickerson, his cousin, Sparrow Nickerson by name, and his > brother-in-law, Elisha Newcomb, lay murdered on deck; chests were > smashed open and rifled; a rum barrel with it's head stove in stood > almost empty; and only one man of the crew, Ansell Nickerson, of > Chatham, was left alive on board. according to him, they had been > overhauled the night before by a piratical topsail schooner which sent > 4 boatloads of men on board. To save his own life, he had lowered > himself over the taffrail on a rope and kept out of sight under the > vessel's counter. The pirates killed everyone on deck except a > thirteen year old boy named William Kent, whom, after helping > themselves to the contents of the lockers and nearly finishing the > barrel of rum, they had carried off with them. There had been some > discussion, so Nickerson said, as to whether or not they should burn > the Abigail, but they left her as she was and put back to their own > vessel, which was soon lost in darkness. The story sounded plausible > enough to Captain Doane. He carried Nickerson back to Chatham and > reported the occurrence to Edward Bacon, Esq., of Barnstable. Bacon > sent a copy of the report to the Governor and straightaway rode to > Chatham to crossquestion Nickerson. Apparently , he was not satisfied > with the result of the examination, for he had the man locked up in > the Barnstable jail until further evidence should be forthcoming. Two > frigates scoured the sound in vain for any trace of the pirate, and > Squire Bacon's suspicions increased. He sent his man in custody to > Boston, where he was tried by a special Court of Vice-Admiralty for > murder on the high seas. The trial lasted for two weeks and rocked > the town. > John Adams and Josiah Quincy, Jr., were counsel for the defence, and > finally Nickerson was declared not guilty." Shipmasters of Cape Cod > by Henry C. Kittredge, 1935 Houghton Mifflin Company David & Chris Chirokas wrote: >Hi Everyone: > >There is an interesting article about Ansell NICKERSON in NEHGS' New England >Ancestors publication, Winter 2005, vol 6, no 1. I'm sure many of you >have already read about this event, but for those who haven't or for >Nickerson descendants it's an interesting read. It's not currently available >on NEHGS' website, but may be available at local libraries for those who >don't subscribe. > >Ansell, at age 21, was the sole survivor of the crew on board the Abigail >which set sail from Boston to Chatham on 14 Nov 1772. Ansell claimed the >crew was killed by pirates, with one boy taken prisoner. At first people >believed his story, but later some doubted it, believing he killed the crew >and Ansell went on trial in Boston. John ADAMS represented him at court and >he was aquitted, but lived his life under suspicion from some. He later >married Mary SMITH and raised a family. > >Ansell was from Chatham, born Levi NICKERSON, to Ansel and and Bathsheba >(SMALL) NICKERSON, and was renamed Ansell after his father's death. The crew >of the Abigail included the 29 year old captain Thomas NICKERSON (Ansell's >cousin), Thomas' brother Sparrow, Thomas' brother-in-law Elisha NEWCOMB, and >13 year old William KENT. > > > > >==== MABARNST Mailing List ==== >For helpful information on how to use this list more effectively, as well as links to other helpful related information, click on: >http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/MA/barnstable.html > > > >