It was my misfortune to be one of those illegitimate children who seldom have any care taken to instruct them how to conduct themselves so as to live quietly in a civil government. I was born in that part of Wilkes county which is now called Lincoln, and when very small, I was taken by Abraham Bradly of the same county, and by him brought up to nothing but keeping horses for racing, and riding races, and this introduced me in all kinds of gambling, so that I could not be satisfied if I were in any company that was gaming, unless I went part with one fide or the other; and as gaming is full of cheating and dishonesty, I think that was the reafon that I became thievish in my principles. I left Mr. Bradly before I was grown to manhood, and was governed by my own principles, without any person to control me - had I been bound to some honest farmer or mechanic, that would have discharged his duty faithfully, perhaps I might have escaped the shameful death to which I am now sentenced; but while I was going on, regardless of the common principles of honesty, and good citizenship, I was sent for to go to the house of a woman that I had contracted an acquaintance with, who was known by the name of Rebekah Bafel, and when I came fhe told me that she had to tell me something that I must keep secret; that if I liked what she would tell me, and would join it, it would be to my advantage, and if I did not like it, I must not tell it to any person; and being anxious to hear it, she inforned me that there was a number of men in that neighborhood that followed stealing horses, and that they made a great deal by it, and that her husband was one of the company, and that he was then concealed in the settlement, being afraid to be seen publicly, because he had stolen a horse from Augusta some time paft, and she would be glad that I would fee him, and talk with him - Accordingly, a time and place was appointed for our meeting, and we met, and he informed me of the difficulties of his fituation, in consequence of his stealing the aforesaid horse from Augusta, and told me that he had horses in South Carolina that was good property, and as there was nothing against me, I could pass in safety, and fetch the horses to him, and assist him to move his family to some part of the world where he could enjoy them in peace, and I consented to go with him and assist him, and we appointed a time for a second interview, and when we met the second time, he informed me who were his friends in these parts, and some of them being present, I found out that the horses he said was good property, belonged to a certain Mr. Cox of Edgefield in South Carolina - here I must stop to inform you who those men are, and the part that they act in this business, their names are as follows:

Isaac Haws, of Edgefield district South Carolina, James Picket, Benj. Runnalds, Benj. Murray, Wm. Linville and Francis Picket of Lincoln county, Georgia. these men are all united together to carry on the trade of stealing horses, and every thing else that they can live on or make any thing thereby - and they take in every person that they can, by any means whatever, and make him what they call a circuit rider, that is, one that is kept concealed until they steal a horse or direct him where there is one that they would with should be stolen, then they furnish money and provisions, in order that the circuit rider may make his escape, so that it is often the case that he comes and goes concealed, and is furnished with a horse and is gone before any person but those who concealed and furnished him knew what he was about -- and he is so kept in debt, or in other words, hath such small commissions that they are perpetually in debt to their employers, so that they have a hard time of it indeed -- and now to my narrative.

The horses aforesaid, belonged to the aforesaid Mr. Cox, I was sent as a spy, with directions how I should find the way, and know the place when I came to it, for I was a total stranger; but I succeeded so well as to find the place and the same horses that they told me of, and then I came back to the place where they had appointed for to meet them, and informed them how the horses were taken care of by the owner, and that they might be taken very easy - then immediately the aforesaid Bafel set out to get them and the aforesaid Isaac Haws of Edgefield, who lived near the aforesaid Mr. Cox, brought them into Georgia, to the place where they had appointed for me to wait for them; then I received one of the horses and Bafel kept the other; and we set out together - time is so short that I cannot relate the half of my adventures; Suffice it to say that this was the first of my being concerned with stolen horses. We arrived with our horses safe at Roger Green's in Jackson county, who with a neighbor of his by the name of William Gideons, receives the circuit riders from the different parts of America, and furnishes them in the same manner, and on the same terms that the Lincoln company does; also Jacob West of Jefferson county, and John Eaton of Washington county, receive the circuit riders and furnish them in like manner, and likewise Robert French of Baldwin county, and Benjamin Davis and Thomas Smith of Columbia county, receive in like manner, and furnish them with large quantities of counterfeit silver; I received from French fifteen counterfeit dollars, and the said Bafel received five hundred of the same quality; and I saw several men that were citizens of South Carolina, at said French's, whose names I have forgotten, and saw them receive a large quantity of counterfeit silver, to purchase goods with at Charleston, as they said; though I never received any from Davis and Smith of Columbia, yet to my knowledge they do give out great quantities, and Davis proffered to let me have of it, and insisted on me to take a large quantity, but I did not incline to do it and now I have related to you the moft material persons, and their conduct, that come within my own knowledge. But O, God, what were my thoughts and feelings, when I found it was always so contrived that I had to trade off the stolen horses; I then saw that I was taken in, and that if I was taken to the law I must die, while they would find means to escape; then all the wicked actions of my life appeared dreadful to my view; I then remembered the friendly advice that had been given to me by honest people of my acquaintance, and resolved to leave the connection, but when I made it known, they were displeased, and said that if I did, they would inform against me and have me hanged, and then to save my own life I must go on; but O, it is impossible to express the distress of mind, and bodily sufferings that I underwent. I was kept an underling by then, and for my life dare not leave nor offend them - O, what would I now have given if I never had been born, or that I were dead, or that I had been brought up to work like a negro, but there was no alternative but to go on; sometimes they would flatter and sometimes threaten me, and I was afraid to be seen where I was known, unless by the connection, until I became so hardened that I cared not what I did. Thus have I spent my time since I joined the connection, which has been about six or eight months before I was taken. "

He appeared calmly composed under the gallows during divine worship, where two sermons were delivered, and prayers made, and exhortations given, and then declared that what he had related concerning those persons, against whom he had confessed, was the truth - expressed a strong hope of future happiness -- gave an exhortation to the spectators to repent and prepare for death -- and died according to his sentence, with patience and firmness, astonishing to the beholders.
Published at the request of the Criminal,
By WHEELER GRESHAM.

Augusta Chronicle, June 7 1806

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