_Injured countrymen and fellow-citizens_:
I this day, by the verdict of a just and impartial jury, and by the
sentence of an impartial court, am to be made a public example, and
receive that punishment which is so justly due to my many odious
offences against the laws of God and my country; and being in a
very few moments to make my exit from this world, do confess, in
the presence of Almighty God, that for the first twelve months of
my consulship I did most criminally neglect the American prisoners,
who were dying daily for the want of my assistance, which I withheld
through mercenary motives: the cries and petitions of my unfortunate
countrymen I have always treated with the utmost disregard and
contempt, but being fully convinced of all my past errors, I make this
public and candid confession, in hopes that I may find mercy in the
presence of a just and merciful God. I further do acknowledge, that
I have been the means of detaining you in your present situation by
neglecting to send you home, as I might have done, while the exchange
was open for prisoners, which was not closed till June, eighteen
hundred and thirteen; I likewise confess, that I have deprived great
numbers of you of your regular turns of exchange, by filling the
cartels with paroled officers, who were not entitled to the same; I
must confess that had I have made proper application to the British
government, and had I used my influence, I might have obtained the
release of all the men discharged from his majesty’s ships of war; but
being selfish, and swayed by despicable motives, I made no exertions
for their relief. I do likewise confess, that after the second year
of my consulship, I could no longer withhold from my unfortunate
countrymen, some little assistance in money and clothing, as the
United States had given me positive orders to supply all the wants of
her citizens, who were prisoners of war at that time in England; but
to my shame, and to the disgrace of any American agent, I entered in
a contract with a _Jew merchant_ of London, to supply the prisoners
with the very meanest and coarsest clothing that could possibly be
procured in all England. At the same time I made advances to you,
prisoners, of two and a half cents per day, and then represented to
your country, the Congress of the United States, that I had supplied
all your wants by providing you a sufficient quantity of clothing,
and making you a daily advance of money suitable to your wants; for I
did think that by deceiving the United States, and depriving you of
the necessaries of life, I should in a very few years accumulate to
myself a very handsome fortune; but to my great disappointment and
disgrace, the peace took place, and all my villany and deception was
discovered; my crimes stood in open day. For these crimes now I am
justly doomed to this ignominious death, and must very shortly make
my appearance before the just and Almighty God, to answer for all my
crimes; where I expect there will rise up in evidence against me, the
souls of hundreds of my departed countrymen, who now lie buried behind
the walls of this prison by my crimes; as the time is now expired, I
must depart to the uncertainty of an hereafter.
The hat drops.