Document: Dutch colonial council minutes, 6 September 1642

Robbert Cock from Middlesex in old England, aged 18 years. He is asked in court whether he does not know where his master Jan Print is and when he went away. Answers, that his master on the day he went away ordered him to get buttermilk at Hendric Pietersz', between 9 and 10 o'clock. He then left in the house his master and Rebecca his wife and Eduwart Oyens and heard that Jan Brent wanted to go to Goodman Steyl for money. Having been away about an hour he found no one in the house but Ritchert Brudnil and Jan Smit, furthermore nothing but 3 cheeses, a bushel of flour and cooper's tools. Having asked Brudnil and Smit whether they knew what had become of his master and wife they answered, No. He, the deponent, thereupon asked to be permitted to go with them, which was refused so that his master would not be angry with them. They were prevented by the tide so that they were obliged to stay there. Arriving at Brudnil's he found Eduwart Oyens and his wife and Rebecka, his master's wife. Ritchert Brudnil called Rebeca to the door and staid out about one-quarter of an hour. Coming into the house he asked them aloud what they were doing there. They answered that her husband had sent them there as he was in the woods splitting staves. Brudnil asked, "Where are the goods? Your husband has apparently taken them with him." She answered, No, Whereupon they resolved to report the same to the director.

Rebecca Raetse, aged 18 years, wife of Jan Brent, says that her husband sent her to Brudnil's and that he had gone cutting staves; and that she went with Eduwart Oyens from her house to Brudnil's, where they arrived toward evening without having taken any goods with them, only some linen to cover her head. The same evening Ritchert told her that her house was empty, whereupon the next day she went with Brudnil and found the house empty of everything but a Bible.