It is to be noticed that this horrible story of cannibalism and wife-eating appears in Smith’s “General Historie” of 1624, without a word of contradiction or explanation, although the company as early as 1610 had taken pains to get at the facts, and Smith must have seen their “Declaration,” which supposes the story was started by enemies of the colony.  Some reported they saw it, some that Captain Smith said so, and some that one Beadle, the lieutenant of Captain Davis, did relate it.  In “A True Declaration of the State of the Colonie in Virginia,” published by the advice and direction of the Council of Virginia, London, 1610, we read: 

“But to clear all doubt, Sir Thomas Yates thus relateth the tragedie: 

“There was one of the company who mortally hated his wife, and therefore secretly killed her, then cut her in pieces and hid her in divers parts of his house:  when the woman was missing, the man suspected, his house searched, and parts of her mangled body were discovered, to excuse himself he said that his wife died, that he hid her to satisfie his hunger, and that he fed daily upon her.  Upon this his house was again searched, when they found a good quantitie of meale, oatmeale, beanes and pease.  Hee therefore was arraigned, confessed the murder, and was burned for his horrible villainy.”

This same “True Declaration,” which singularly enough does not mention the name of Captain Smith, who was so prominent an actor in Virginia during the period to which it relates, confirms all that Smith said as to the character of the colonists, especially the new supply which landed in the eight vessels with Ratcliffe and Archer.  “Every man overvalueing his own strength would be a commander; every man underprizing another’s value, denied to be commanded.”  They were negligent and improvident.  “Every man sharked for his present bootie, but was altogether careless of succeeding penurie.”  To idleness and faction was joined treason.  About thirty “unhallowed creatures,” in the winter of 1610, some five months before the arrival of Captain Gates, seized upon the ship Swallow, which had been prepared to trade with the Indians, and having obtained corn conspired together and made a league to become pirates, dreaming of mountains of gold and happy robberies.  By this desertion they weakened the colony, which waited for their return with the provisions, and they made implacable enemies of the Indians by their violence.  “These are that scum of men,” which, after roving the seas and failing in their piracy, joined themselves to other pirates they found on the sea, or returned to England, bound by a mutual oath to discredit the land, and swore they were drawn away by famine.  “These are they that roared at the tragicall historie of the man eating up his dead wife in Virginia”—­“scandalous reports of a viperous generation.”