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[ ] presently [ ] [ ] of Elsingor, cadet and [ ] [ ] lord director general Petrus Stuyvesant [ ] [ ] inquired after a long time [ ] [ ] and leading young soldiers astray from the path of honesty and encouraging them to commit larceny, saying, “What do you want to work for? Get rid of the wheelbarrow! We’ll get money the easy way!” Just as his accomplices stated in his presence at the session, declaring that he had misled and shown them the way: where and how to steal; and that the delinquent Hans Breyer has confessed, through the testimony of Pieter Woutersz, his companion (now a fugitive), and his own confession done without pain and fetters, that the aforesaid Pieter Woutersen had broken through the roof of Jan Vinje’s brewhouse and stole a batch of malt that lay fermenting there, while he the prisoner, stood guard. He declared, according to his confession made at the session on 14 May that he was standing guard, and that if anyone had come to harass or obstruct him or the one who had crawled in the house through the roof, he would have confronted him with the sword that he carried at his side (which he said he would do). Also, that he, being a cadet with his lodgings and quarters located in the fort, had left the aforesaid fortress after guard was set without the consent of his officers, or at least that of the captain of the guard; thus, he said, he did the rounds with his aforesaid companions. But instead of preventing mischief according to duty, he himself committed larceny, tolerated burglary, stood guard and appropriated for himself and the aforesaid [ ]
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various times [ ] the honorable lord Lamontagne’s [ ] and others during the night [ ] and helped steal chickens [ ] otherwise like all [ ] confessed [ ] pain and fetters and [ ] accomplices [ ] can be seen [ ] together with [ ] [ ] while standing guard on the ship de Peereboom, was stolen from the chief gunner’s cabin [ ] and sold the same, like he [ ] in the aforesaid Peereboom in the presence of the lord general, and personally confessed, about which matter the fiscal Cornelis van Tien-hoven instituted proceedings and charges, concluding that the aforesaid Hans Breyer—being a thief previously on parole of good behavior for larceny aboard de Peereboom, and mercifully pardoned by the honorable lord general on the promise of good behavior, and afterwards lapsed into higher and greater crimes of larceny, as herein described, and seduced others to stray, so that there was no hope of correction, but by experience it was found that the aforesaid Hans Breyer is as a scabbed sheep in a healthy flock—deserves to be punished with the rope until death follows. Therefore, the lords [ canceled ] councilors of New Netherland, with the appointed burgomasters and old schepen of this city (after invocation of God’s holy name), having viewed the charge and conclusion of the fiscal, and examined the documents and papers presented to us, do justice on behalf of their honorable high mightinesses the lords states general of the united Netherlands and the honorable lords directors of the general Chartered West India Company, lords and patroons of this province, as we hereby do order that the company shall come into Fort Amsterdam under arms, and the delinquent [ ]
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[ ] to the place [ ] [ ] death follows, other such [ ] [ ] Dated 14 May 1655 in Amsterdam, New Netherland at the ordinary session. (Was signed:) Nicasius de Sille, La Montagne, Allard Anthony, Oloff Stevensz, Johannis Nevius.
