Extract of a letter from Monmouth Court-house 1779

Extract of a letter from Monmouth Court-house, January

29, 1779.

"The Tory-Free-Booters, who have their haunts and caves in the pines, and have been for some time past a terror to the inhabitants of this county, have, during the course of the present week, met with a very eminent disaster. On Tuesday evening last Capt. Benjamin Dennis, who lately killed the infamous robber Fagan with a party of his militia, went in pursuit of three of the most noted of the Pine-Banditti, and was so fortunate as to fall in with them, and kill them on the spot.--Their names are Stephen Bourke, alias Emmans, Stephen West and Ezekiel Williams. Yesterday they were brought up to this place, and two of them, it is said will be hanged in chains. This signal piece of service was effected through the instrumentality of one John Van Kirk, who was prevailed upon to associate with them on purpose to discover their practices, and to lead them into our hands. He conducted himself with so much address that the robbers, and especially the three above-named, who were the leading villains, looked upon him as one of their body, kept him constantly with them, and entrusted him with all their designs.

"Van Kirk, at proper seasons, gave intelligence of their movements to Capt. Dennis, who conducted himself accordingly.--They were on the eve of setting off for New York, to make sale of their plunder, when Van Kirk informed Capt. Dennis of the time of their intended departure, (which was to have been on Tuesday night last) and of the course they would take to their boats: In consequence of which, and agreeable to the directions of Van Kirk, the Capt. and a small party of his militia planted themselves at Rock-Pond, near the sea shore, and shot Bourke, West and Williams in the manner above related. We were in hopes at first of keeping Van Kirk under the rose, but the secret is out, and of course he must fly the country, for the tories are so highly exasperated against him, that death will certainly be his fate, if he does not speedily leave Monmouth.

*Capt. Benjamin Dennis was the Brother of Anthony Dennis, and was later murdered by Tories in revenge for this incident.