168 
twenty years, he paid the forfeiture of his 
life, gives his character a feature of fuch 
<* rigour beyond the law” as marks a difpof- 
tion amply fitted to deal with ~the kind of 
perfons he had to govep. On his arrival in 
England, after his abandonment of the Goree 
government, a feries of charges, highly cri- 
minal and atrocious in their nature, were ex- 
hibited againit him by a Captain Roberts, 
who had been.under his command at Goree. 
Upon fome of thofe charges he was called 
before the Privy Council, Sud (if the writer 
miftakes not) brought to ‘tial before a court- 
martial at the Horfe-guards; butthe principal 
witnefies not being arrived, and ftrong appre- 
henfions being entertained ee the veflel on 
board of dicks they were had been loft on 
ber. paflage homewards, he was fuffered to go_ 
ae large ,-and ‘went to Bath, where he formed 
the firft acquaintance’ with cn lady who now 
iurvives to lament his fate. But, on thear- 
rival of the principal witneffes in London, 
twomefiengersmvere difpatched to Bath for 
lissapprehemion, from whofe cuftody he con- 
trived by ftratagem*to efcape at Reading. 
He walked tixty miles acrofs the country be- 
fore he: tookia carriage, when he proceeded 
into Scotland, and'there remaised till a fa- 
vourable occafion offered. for his paffing to the 
Continent. It was during this anxious pe- 
riod’ that he became acquainted with Mrs. 
Wall, and, marrying her, fhe accompanied 
kim inte! France: and, as appeared from the 
ewjéence on his trial, lived in various parts 
of the:Continent, untilhis return to England 5 
whea the death of Captain Roberts, about 
ten years lince, in Ireland, and the fuppofed 
diffolution or ater ves of the principal wit- 
néffes, led him to rely with fecurity in his 
{urréficering himfelf for trial. «itis faid chat 
he messes to this country in“1797,) and re- 
faded for ievetal years paft at a Nurieryman’s, 
near at caitseathos one at under the mame 
oi, Thompforn, where none but his moit in- 
timate-triends were ever fuftered to fee him. 
‘Lhe'immediate motive which induced him to 
furrencer himielf was a circumftance of a 
pretling nature.- There was a confiderable 
property belenging to his wife in the hands 
of ttuftcesy which (or part of which) he had 
frequently. applied for: but they, knowing 
the circumftances in which he was placed, 
and that he could not legally fue them’ for 
it, without expofing himfelf to tme danger of 
a criminal profecution, conftantly refitted his 
applications for monry.  Wifhing to free 
himfetf from this difficulty, and to be ena-. 
bled to appear as “a plainti if in a court of jut 
tice (being then inthe fituation of an ‘out- 
law) » he formed the determination of furren- 
d- ring himfelf for trial, in the imagination 
that he fhould be soqnitted dE wait Lewis (a 
Bow-firect-officer) was’the firft and’ principal 
witnefs called on the trial. He faid he was 
a foldier in the garrifon of Goree, in 1782 5 
ke landed in April 1779, and continved till 
Remarkable Cafe of Fofeph Wall. 
ftance for which} at the difance of more than: 
“vernor Wall. 
‘cariage,“and flogged with rope by black men, 
{March 1; 
thé year1783; a private at firlt; he was made a= 
corporal and ferjeant by Coueindrs Wail. In- 
july, 1782, he was a corporal doing fer- 
jeant’s duty ; he was.the orderly-ferjeant on 
the roth and rth of July, 1782; the Go- 
vernor left the ifland on the ith. His de- 
parture was announced a day or two before. 
He obferved, on the morning of the 10th, 
at the gate before the Governor’s houfe, fif- 
teen or twenty men, coming from fhe bar- 
racks way. They went paft the Governors 
to the Commiffary’s houfe. Enfign. Deering 
was Commiflary. “Governor Wall. defired 
witnefs to go and afk what they wanted. 
They faid they were going to the Commifary — 
to fettle about the hort allowance of provi- 
fions before he went.to England.. Witnefs 
then told them, by. the- Governor’s orders, 
to.go back to their barracks, or they would 
be fogged. ° They retired fubmiffively 5 they 
were unarmed. In about an hour and a half 
another party came, rather more in number. 
Armftrong was among them ; they were alfo™ 
wnaeheds” The Governor alked Armftrong 
what they wanted? Armftrong anfwered,’ 
their fhort-allowance money ‘¢ Ybu are a 
fool, (faid the Governor) get back to your 
barracks ’? Armftrong held his hat in his. 
hand all the time, and retired immediately, 
without faying a word. .The men had been 
for fome months on short allowance, and it. 
was known that the Commifiary was to 
come away with the Governor; both the 
aes were in the forenoon. 
evening, the officers that dined with the Go- 
vernor went away earlier than ufual: ‘the “ 
Governor walked towards the parade, the’ 
Witnefs attending him, The Governor walk- 
ed up and down on the ramparts, oppofite the 
main-guard ; after fome time, he ran fudden-' 
ly by the witnefs, and began to beat a man 
that. wa ; in arms, in front of the guard- 
houte ; he beat him, firft. with. his fword,, 
and then with a bayonet which hé took: 
‘rom the centinel; he then put, beth 
a and the centinel into confinement. 
re Governor then ordered the drum to beats, 
trom 
hig 
Th 
re 
as 
dered to°form in a circle ; they obeyed di- 
reftly 3 they were without arms.” The Go-’ 
vernor was in the center, with Captains’ 
Lacy, Ford, Fall, and Shanley.” 
ramparts, and there were blacks »within'the 
circle. The Governor fpoke with the -offi-: 
cers for a little time, and then’ called Benja-, 
min Armiétrong from the ‘ranks, where he. 
ftood in his place’ as ferjeant; Armftrong — 
came out. He was ordered to ftrip by Go- 
He was then tied to the gun~ 
changing at every twenty-five lafhes. Go- 
vernor Wall was in the circle, urging “and. 
threatening the blacks to lay on. 
nefs heard him fy feveral times—** Lay on,” 
you black b sas Flay‘on you. Cut him 
to the heart, cut him to the liver!” He 
pe believes. 
Jn the . 
‘The wit= 
‘and when the men affedtbled, they were or- | 
‘Phe’ car-? ~ - 
tlage of °a ke ae was brought from the — 
a 
