One day, John was falsely accused of stealing livestock and was sentenced to the gallows. His wife made every effort for his release, which included the contacting his aunt in England for money to bribe corrupt officials for his release. But the money was stolen by Captain Cromwell and John was taken to the gallows. Shortly after, the undead pirate captain Jolly Roger reanimated John and he was press-ganged into Roger's cursed army. However, after Roger was defeated in the invasion of Port Royal, Moses managed to escape from his control.