The New York Journal, And Weekly Register

PHILADELPHIA, October 7.

PERSONALLY appeared before me, Alexander Tod, Esq. one of the justices of the peace for the city and county of Philadelphia, John Beck, mate of the schooner Mary (John Leaycraft, late master) and James Simpson, a foremast hand on board said schooner, who being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God, doth depose and say,

That they, these deponents, did depart from Washington, in North Carolina, in said schooner Mary on the 28th day of June last, for Point Peter, in Guadaloupe, and arrived at Point Peter, on Wednesday the 30th day of July; and departed from thence for Philadelphia on Thursday the 4th of September that during said time, said John Leaycraft commanded said schooner, and until the 12th of September last, about nine o'clock in the evening, in lat 28 21, long. 66, 44, the said Captain Leaycraft being standing on the quarter deck, as well as the deponents, he, the said Leaycraft, shook hands with the mate, and wished him a good-bye, and wished the hands a good-bye, calling them lads; he then ran forward and went out on the jib boom-end, and being followed by one of the deponents, the mate, he was persuaded to come in; after his coming in, the said Leaycraft mentioned, that he had a prayer-book along with him, which was the cause of his not going over; he then was persuaded to strip and take rest, which he promised he would, and in some measure seemed reconciled: but about half after ten o'clock, on the same night, he threw himself out of the cabin window, the vessel being then under way, at the rate of six knots an hour, and a heavy sea a going; they endeavored to put her about but could not lay her; in the interim the mate threw out a piece of plank, and hallooing to him, told him there was a plank, and in the mean time wore ship and the mate and one of the hands went up the shrouds, and one of the people went out on the bowsprit, and could not see or hear him, although they kept calling him by name, and hallooing for him, since first attempt to put the ship about. These deponents do further say, that he was perfectly sober for three or four days before he drowned himself, and that he appeared to be as sensible as usual except on the day of this happening; that he mentioned several times the names of his three daughters, who it appears live in New-York: and that on said day he appeared to be a little uneasy, and looking into his trunk, and looking over his books that he, one of the deponents, John Beck, mate, has taken an inventory of what property he had on board, and put them into his trunk, as per inventory, sworn to, and left in the hands of Flahavan and Willcox, of Philadelphia, or the aforesaid Capt. Leaycraft's family, to be delivered when applied for. And further these deponents sayeth not.

JOHN BECK,
JAMES SIMPSON.

Philadelphia city and county, Oct. 4, 1788.
Sworn before me,
ALEX. TOD.
One of the justices.