The Tryal / sonia farmer

Mary Read, Ann Bonny, alias
Bonn
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…..the Register exhibited the Articles against them; which he read to them in the following words
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against
…..Mary Read and Ann Bonny, alias Bonn, late of the
.Island of Providence Spinsters
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Mary Read and Anne Bonny, alias
Bonn, and each of them
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……….upon the high Sea, in a certain Sloop
…………………………feloniously and wickedly
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On the high Sea in execution of their said
Evil Designs…………………..(to wit)
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…..Upon the high Sea, in a certain Place
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Piratically,..feloniously

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…………………………………………………..(
aforesaid unknown)……………………..Piratically
Feloniously
……….…………………………………….(whose names
……….aforesaid unknown)…………………,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,………in
the peace of God
Piratically, and Felo-
niosly
…………………………………in Corporal Fear of their Lives
…………………………piratically and feloniously
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there upon
the high Sea aforesaid, in the aforesaid place
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upon the high Sea
aforesaid, in the place aforesaid
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……………………………to wit
the said Mary Read, and
Ann Bonny, alias Bonn, and each of them
Upon the high
Sea, in a certain place
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…………………………………….Piratically and Feloniously
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…….….(……aforesaid……………………unknown)
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……….Piratically, and Feloniously
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……….(whose names…………….…………………aforesaid are
unknown)………………,………………………….in the peace of
God
Piratically, and Feloni
ously
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……………in Corporal fear of their Lives
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upon the high Sea, the place
aforesaid
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the said Mary Read, and Anne Bonny,
alias Bonn, and each of them
………………..…………(to wit)
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Upon the high sea, at a certain place
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Piratically, Feloniously, and in an Hostile manner
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……….….(……………..……aforesaid unknown)
Piratically, Feloniously, and in an Hostile
manner
…………………………………………………………..…………(whose Names
aforesaid are unknown)
in the Peace of God
Piratically and
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Feloniously

………………..in Corporal fear of their Lives
……..….Piratically and Feloniously
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the said Mary Read, and Ann Bonny,
alias Bonn, and each of them
………….(to wit)
upon the
high Sea, at a certain place
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Pirati-
Cally, Feloniously, and in an Hostile manner
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…………………………………………………….………..(
aforesaid unknown)
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….…(whose Names…………………………aforesaid are unknown)
in the Peace of God
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………………………………Piratically, and Feloniously
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In Corporal Fear of their
Lives…………………..;………….Piratically, and Feloniously
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…………………………………………………….pleaded, Not Guilty
Then the Register did call and produce Witness
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……………………And they deposed as follows
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………………….……Two Women, Prisoners at the Bar
wore Mens Jackets
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…………………..………..cursed and swore at the Men
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That the reason of knowing and believing them
to be Women then was, by the largeness of their Breasts
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the two Women, Prisoners at the
Bar
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Two
Women, Prisoners at the Bar
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handed Gun-powder to the
Men
They wore Men’s Cloaths; and, at other Times, they
wore Women’s Cloaths……….they did not seem to be kept,
or detain’d by Force, but of their own Free-Will
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……….……two Women, Prisoners at the Bar
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had no
Witnesses, nor any Questions to ask
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And they, nor either of them, offering any Thing material, his Excellency the President, pronounced Sentence of Death upon them in the Words following
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Go
from hence to the Place from whence you came
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quick with child, and pray
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•••

Sonia Farmer is the founder of Poinciana Paper Press which publishes limited-edition, hand-bound and letterpress-printed chapbooks by Caribbean writers out of Nassau, The Bahamas. She’s the author of two chapbooks whose work has appeared in numerous journals including Poui and The Caribbean Writer. She recently won the 2011 Small Axe Competition in poetry. She holds a BFA in Writing from Pratt Institute.