The Virginia Gazette

In Some of the late Northern News-papers, there was an Account of a Woman which was found by Mr. Mitchel, a Deputy-Surveyor of the Woods, at a French House, very far to the Eastward of Boston: The Account she gave of herself, was to this Effect: "That she was the Wife of Mr. Andrew Buckler of Dublin, who was in a large Brigantine, of which he was sole Owner, bound to Annapolis, in Maryland; and having been long at Sea, were obliged to put in to the first Land they could make to get a Supply of Water; that the first Land they made was Pubnico, to the Westward of Cape-Sable, where they went ashore for Water, but could find nothing but Snow, which they melted and put into Barrels; that afterwards they sent the Maid, and a Negro Boy ashore in the long Boat, to wash their foul Linen, who not returning, they imagin'd them to be cut off by the Indians; that they were then left destitute of a Boat, and oblig'd to tarry on board; that at length the Owner, and every one else on board (this Woman excepted) perish'd for want of Water; that the Indians then came on board and rifled the Vessel, and took from her 100 l. in Gold, 900 l. in Silver, her Gold Watch, and Jewels of great Value; that the Indians carried her ashore to their Wigwams, from whence she went to the Place where Mr. Mitchel found her :"

He commiserating her Misfortunes, carried her to Annapolis-Royal, where she was received and entertained by Col. Armstrong, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova-Scotia, in a generous Manner for a considerable Time, while her Affairs with the Indians were under the Consideration of that Government. He afterwards was at the Expence of sending her to Boston, and from thence to London, and she is now on her Passage thither in Captain Bennet. The whole of her Story now proves to be false, and she to be an abominable Impostor, if not one of the vilest piratical Murderers; as may be seen by the following Account.

From the Boston Gazette, of August 16.

She had not left this Place many Days, before Advice came hither from Barbados, well attested, That this pretended Mrs. Buckler was a vile Impostor, for that Mr. Andrew Buckler was of the Island of Barbados, has a Wife now living there; he sail'd from thence in the Brigantine Baltimore, with a Cargo of Rum to Dublin, and was there in the Months of July and August, and agreed with the Agents, or Managers of the City of Dublin, to carry off 40 Felons, then in the Goal of Newgate, under the Rule for Transportation to Annapolis in America, which he took on board in September, besides several Indented Servants, and sail'd from thence, no Person on board pretending to be his Wife. The Account given in the Public Prints here, reaching Barbados, and that a Woman on board, went by the Name of Mr. Buckler's Wife, it was conjectur'd, with good Grounds, that he was one of the Convicts on Board, that went by the Name of Mrs. Matthews, who had received Sentence of Death for Theft, and was reputed a common Strumpet in Dublin, and always of ill Repute, and personated Mr. Buckler's Widow, in order to possess herself of the Brigantine and Effects, and to defraud Mrs. Mary Buckler in Bridgetown, the Deceased's real Widow, of his Estate.

Mrs. Buckler of Barbados, writes to a Gentleman here, that She believes this Woman is one of the Forty Transports her Husband had on board, and that she, with others, when they came near the Land, murdered her Husband, with the rest of the Vessel's Company, and ran her in a by Place where the Indians inhabit, to plunder her. Had this Advice come before Capt. Bennet had sail'd, it would have effectually put a stop to this wretched Woman's Voyage. The Servant Maid and Negro Boy mention'd in the first Relation, were found Dead on Shore, and the Negro's Throat cut from Ear to Ear, by some of the barbarous Crew. It's thought that the Convicts, after having cut off the Master and Sailors, went on shore and dispersed.
ed among the French and Indians. The perfidious Woman pretended to have buried Mr. Buckler, her Husband (as she call'd him) on shore, but on diligent Search made for the Place, it could not be found; which, with many other Circumstances, particularly finding Blood spilt and dried between Decks, gave no small room to suspect what now turns out, that Murder had been committed on board that Vessel.