Baker (Boulanger), Berouse, and LeCroix, fellow French Canadian sailors aboard Eliza, conspired to kill three other sailors and seize the ship’s cargo. The ship was en route from Philadelphia to St. Thomas in the Caribbean. The killings – of Charles Rey, Thomas Croft, and Jacob Sutter – occurred at sea in September 1799.
Like Maunier and his co-conspirators before them, the plan failed when the men proved unable to sail Eliza.
While attempting to sail into Spanish territory, Captain William Wheland was able to retake control of the ship. He sailed into harbor at St. Bartholomew, where the captured men were put aboard the U.S. Navy vessel Eagle and returned to Philadelphia.
Under examination, the three men confessed, claiming that they were agents of the French government acting under that authority. They were placed on trial for murder on the high seas on April 21, 1800. All three were convicted and sentenced to death on April 25.
Baker, Berouse, and LeCroix hanged together on a small island in the Delaware River before a large onshore crowd on May 9, 1800.
The Federal Death Penalty Project 