James Smith, saddler in Aberdeen, depones, that to the best of the deponent's memory, about nineteen or twenty years ago, but cannot be absolutely positive about the precise time, he was employed by John Elphingston, merchant in Aberdeen, and Captain Robert Ragg, shipmaster in Aberdeen, and Mr Walter Cochran, town clerk depute of Aberdeen, in partnership with them, to make leather caps, and pay for diet, and to pay tailors for clothing furnished to several young boys and other servants that had entered into indentures: attested before the Magistrates of Aberdeen, with the above-named Captain Robert Ragg, to be carried from Aberdeen to America, to be disposed of at Philadelphia. [1]

Depones, that he accordingly furnished the said servants with leather caps, and paid for their clothing and diet, for all which he was afterwards repaid by the above gentleman.

Depones, that among those servants that were so indented, there was one boy named Williamson, of about 12 years of age, and another boy of the same surname [M. William], of about 13 or 14 years of age, to the best of the deponent's knowledge and remembrance: but depones he does not know any of the said boys Christian names.

Depones, that he has not in his custody any accounts or writings relative to the servants that were sent from Aberdeen to the plantations in the year 1743: but depones, that the account wards a sloop came down very soon, and carried them up to Philadelphia.

1. The entire craft industry, shipping concerns, civil authorities and merchant class of Aberdeen seem to have been devoted to making a profit off of kidnapped country boys, as if this were some modern horror story about diabolic “Townies.” This amounted, on the part of people like James and Hellen, to abetting the enslavement of children, so that they might receive the tiny profits to be had from clothing and feeding the boys. As sordid as this seems to postmodern readers, it was all conducted firmly within the spirit of the mercantile British ethos of the time. Imagine a pizza parlor owner assisting thugs in the abduction of children and, for their trouble, receiving only the profit from the sale of the pizza the children would eat while awaiting deportation! This willingness to engage in kidnapping for such slim profit indicates an extreme poverty and also a lack of concern for possible punishment. And let us not forget that those of the impoverished classes in all societies have a keen understanding of the threat of law.