Pirates and buccaneers of the Atlantic coast

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PIRATES

AND

BUCCANEERS

OF THE

ATLANTIC COAST

BY

EDWARD ROWE SNOW

AUTHOR OF

The Islands of Boston Harbor; The Story of Minofs Light;

Storms and Shipwrecks of New England;

Romance of Boston Bay

THE YANKEE PUBLISHING COMPANY

72 Broad Street
Boston, Massachusetts

Copyright, 1944
By Edward Rowe Snow

No part of this book may be used or quoted without the written
permission of the author.

FIRST EDITION
DECEMBER 1944

Boston Printing Company
boston, massachusetts

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

IN MEMORY OF

MY GRANDFATHER

CAPTAIN JOSHUA NICKERSON ROWE

WHO FOUGHT PIRATES

WHILE ON THE CLIPPER SHIP

CRYSTAL PALACE

PREFACE

Reader — here is a volume devoted exclusively to the
buccaneers and pirates who infested the shores, bays, and
islands of the Atlantic Coast of North America. This is no
collection of Old Wives' Tales, half-myth, half-truth,
handed down from year to year with the story more
distorted with each telling, nor is it a work of fiction. This
book is an accurate account of the most outstanding pirates
who ever visited the shores of the Atlantic Coast.

These are stories of stark realism. None of the arti-
ficial school of sheltered existence is included. Except for
the extreme profanity, blasphemy, and obscenity in which
most pirates were adept, everything has been included
which is essential for the reader to get a true and fair
picture of the life of a sea-rover.

Bold, daring adventurers, whose deeds are still dis-
cussed from the far reaches of North America to the
tropical islands of the West Indies, parade through the
pages of this volume. There is hardly a square mile of
sandy beach from the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland
to Key West, Florida, which has not felt the imprint of
the buccaneer's boot.

In gathering material for the pages ©f this volume,
there were many persons who were very generous in their
assistance. Anna-Myrle, my wife, deserves my sincerest
thanks and appreciation for her unselfish part in the work,
while Dr. Robert E. Moody was ever willing; to read the
various chapters with a critical eye. Dorothy Carmichael
generously gave her talent and time. My mother, Alice
Rowe Snow, read many galley sheets with her expert

10 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

nautical eye. Raymond Hanson's assistance was priceless.
Whenever a critical technical problem presented itself,
Nathan R. Krock was ever capable in solving it.

Others to whom I am grateful include: Elizabeth L.
Adams, William Alcott, Warren 0. Ault, Doris Bean,
Alton Hall Blackington, Alice Powers Blackington, Dorothy
Blanchard, James L. Bruce, Clarence S. Brigham, Kath-
erine Clark Bislher, Madeleine Connors, Elizabeth Earle,
Robert J. Egles, Laura Gibbs, Francis F. Haskell, Marion
Haskell, Emily Heittman, Vincent Holmes, Helen Hope,
Flora V. Livingston, Eleanor G. Metcalf, Robert I. Nesmith,
Foster M. Palmer, Ernest D. Sproul, Irwin Smith, Donald
B. Snow, Edward D. Snow, Eunice T. Snow, Harriet Swift,
John G. Weld, and Warren G. Wheeler.

While in England I was helped considerably by Mrs.
Kathleen Baber of Harrow and Mr. Frederick Penfold of
Bristol. I shall not forget their kindness.

The following institutions were generous in their
assistance: The Bostonian Society, The Boston Public Li-
brary, the Marine Museum, the Massachusetts Historical
Society, the United States Coast Guard, the Society for the
Preservation of New England Antiquities, the Massachu-
setts Archives, the Suffolk Court House, the Boston Marine
Society, the Harvard College Library, the Boston Athe-
naeum, the Peabody Museum, the Essex Institute, and the
American Antiquarian Society.

If I have neglected to mention any person or any
organization in the stress of publication, I trust that I shall
be forgiven.

E. R. S.

WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS
OCTOBER 7, 1944

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 13

PART ONE— New England Pirates 21

Captain Bellamy, Wrecked at Cape Cod. ... 21

Captain Quelch, Who Brought Gold to New England 43

William Fly, Hanged in Boston 55

Ashton, Whose Story Surpasses Robinson Crusoe . 68

Thomas Pound, Who Escaped the Hangman's Noose . 91
ThomasTew of Newport, Aided by New York's Governor 109

Captain Phillips, Whose Head was Pickled . . . 123

Other New England Pirates . . . . ' . . 138

Dixie Bull, the First New England Pirate . . . 138

Thomas Veal, the Pirate of Dungeon Rock . . . 145

First Pirates Hanged in Boston 149

Joseph Bradish 150

The Last Pirates Executed in Boston .... 152

PART TWO— Chesapeake Bay to Florida .... 167

Captain George Lowther 167

Captain Edward Low, the Infamous Buccaneer . . 183

Captain Francis Spriggs, Active Off Florida's Coast 203

Charles Harris, Hanged With His Crew at Newport 216

PART THREE— New York, Philadelphia, and Southward 225

Captain William Kidd, "Innocentest" of Them All . 225

Teach, Alias Blackbeard, the Most Ferocious Pirate 251

Major Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate . . 269

Charles Gibbs, Who Was Hanged at New YoRxf. . 273

The Pirates Executed at Philadelphia .... 288

PART FOUR— The Women Pirates 295

Alwida and Mrs. Ching 295

Mary Read and Ann Bonney, Who Loved and Fought 296

PART FIVE— Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. . . . 307

Bartholomew Roberts, the Pirate Cavalier . . 307

The Husband and Wife Pirates 319

PART SIX — Searching for Buried Pirate Treasure . . 326

The Lure of Pirate Gold 326

Pirate Treasure Found Near Boothbay, Maine. . 329

A Successful Cape Cod Pirate Treasure Hunt. . 332

ILLUSTRATIONS

Captain William Kidd in the Boston Jail . . . Frontispiece

Major Stede Bonnet Stepping to his Death ... 37

Pirate Treasure Map by Cyprian Southack .... 38

Reverend Cotton Mather who was Interested in Pirates 38

Captain Edward Low of Boston 71

Alice Rowe Snow and Edward R. Snow with the Pirate's

Dagger 72

Samuel Sewall 105

Governor Joseph Dudley 105

Mary Bead, the Woman Pirate 106

Thomas Tew's Descendant, Mrs. Johnson Sims . . . 139

Lord Bellomont, who Betrayed William Kidd . . . 139

Pirates Torturing a Prisoner 140

Pirates and Women Captives 140

Captain George Lowther ......... 173

Pirates Boarding a Ship 174

Pirates Carousing Ashore 174

Crew Member of Captain Low Killing a Spaniard . . 175

Portuguese Captain Cutting Away the Money Bag . . 176

Russel and Roberts 176

Ann Bonney, Who Fought and Loved 209

Nix's Mate Island, Boston, Where Pirates were Strung Up 210

Blackbeard and His Men Ashore at the Plantation . . 211
Blackreard's Head Dangling Over the Water After His

Death 211

The Silver Oar, Emblem of British Admiralty . . . 212

The Body of William Kidd Hanging in Chains . . . 245

The French Pass of the Quedah Merchant . . . . 246

Long Ben Avery, Who Brought Jewels to Boston . . 247

Blackbeard, Alias Teach, the Most Ferocious Pirate . 248

Pirates Seizing the Brig Vineyard 281

Gibbs Shooting Pirate Attempting to Kill His Sweetheart 281

Captain Bartholomew Roberts, the Cavalier Pirate . 282

The Ppobable Fate ©f Dixie Bull 283

John Hcward Nickerson with Trunnion from the Whidah 283

Spanish Pirates Bemoving Silver from the Brig Mexican 284

Thomas Fuller Striking Pirate Ruiz in Court . . . 284

E. R. Snow Pointing Out Location of Pirate Ship Whidah. 317

Tbeasure Seekers at Cape Cod 317

Pirate Treasure From Cape Cod 318

INTRODUCTION

Pirates were the most picturesque and romantic
figures who ever sailed the seven seas. They were also the
most terrible. Old as the history of commerce, piracy was
one of the first activities connected with early travel and
trade, for wherever people go with goods and gold rob-
bery inevitably follows them. The Greeks had a word for
piracy — XEiQaxry;.

The Romans called these adventurers of the Mediter-
ranean pirata. Spellman in his Glossarium, Dr. Cowel in
his Interpreter, and Blount in his law dictionary recount
the history of the modern development of piracy. In ancient
days the name pirate denoted a maritime knight. Gradually
the word came to mean an admiral or commander at sea.
Lord Edward Coke calls such an individual a man accus-
tomed to the practice of "Roving upon the sea."

Another term for pirate is buccaneer, which comes
from the French word boucanier, "a drier of beef." Men
went ashore on West Indian islands where the Spaniards
had already murdered most of the population. Here they
captured and killed great herds of cattle which were
roaming the islands, running wild because of the death of
so many of the inhabitants. Drying the beef, they sold it
to various traders and merchants. Since the Spanish dis-
approved of this practice, the buccaneers began to carry
arms for defense. Gradually, the buccaneers changed from
drying beef to killing the Spanish crews of ships they
encountered, pillaging and looting as they went. They
eventually organized themselves as "Brethren of the
Coast."

14 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

One branch of buccaneering was filibustering. The
men who practiced this type of piracy were military ad-
venturers operating as freebooters along the American
Coast without the backing of any country. As a rule the
term did not apply to buccaneering north of Cuba.

Pirates, buccaneers, filibusters, and freebooters ap-
peal to the imagination of both young and old. Children
have always enjoyed building a raft or manning a leaking
rowboat to sail or drift to an uninhabited island not too
far from shore, where they pretend to be either Blackbeard
or Kidd to their heart's content. Was it not Mark Twain
who said that a boy never had a real childhood unless he
played as a pirate or buccaneer?

The strange wild thrill from reading pirate tales is
nearly always inherited from childhood. If as Wordsworth
says "the child is father of the man," everyone has in his
heart a desire for romantic adventure. Age makes little
difference in this respect.

My own interest in pirates and buccaneers began
when I was about four years old. My older brother Nicho-
las, then twelve years of age, had been showing a group
of his chums grandfather's collection of foreign curios.
The boys were all gathered in our parlor. High on the wall
hung a pirate's poison dagger, which my grandfather had
captured after a fight with the pirates on the island of
Mindanao, near Zamboanga.

"Here is a real pirate's poison dagger," cried
Nicholas, pulling the ancient relic from its scabbard. "If I
cut you, you'll die a horrible death."

Just then Mother heard the commotion as Nick chased
the other boys around the parlor. She ran to the door,
almost fainting when she saw what was happening.

INTRODUCTION 15

"Put that dagger down at once," she screamed. "Let
me have it!"

"No, Mother, I'll put it away myself," said the boy.
But in the confusion Mother received a gash in her hand.

"Oh, I am cut. What shall I do? The poison will kill
me," cried Mother. It was a terrible situation, and I never
forgot it. Mother did not die; in fact the cut had not
penetrated beyond the outer skin. However, the next day
Mother took us all in the parlor and warned us never again
to touch the poison dagger. She told us in such a dramatic
manner and with such vivid imagery that we never forgot
her solemn warning.

Later on I passed through an active period of search-
ing for buried treasure on every island near our home.
Even today, when I hear of a location where a treasure has
been discovered, I find it fascinating to learn what I can
about it, visiting the scene and photographing the money or
the objects found whenever possible. At the present time
there are at least four locations in Massachusetts alone
where the prospects of finding coins are good. To be sure,
the expenses involved would be more than the net return,
but the fun of searching for buried or sunken treasure is
much more alluring than any possible financial gain.

It is interesting to conjecture as to how much money
the famous pirates of old buried along the Atlantic Coast.
A conservative estimate, exclusive of the Oak Island hoard,
totals about $35,000,000, but if five percent of this is
recovered within the next century, in spite of the new radio
locaters and other devices, it will be a miracle.

Men like Blackbeard are believed to have buried

16 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

their treasures well. The night before he died, one of his
crew asked Blackbeard if anyone knew where his treasure
was hidden. His reply was typical. He answered, "Nobody
but myself and the Devil knows where it is, and the longest
liver shall take all."

Christopher Columbus himself is claimed by some to
have been the first pirate in America. Francis Drake was
also a pirate — in 1572 he sailed on an expedition into
West Indian waters, reaching the Port of Nombre de Dios
late one night, where he caused terrible bloodshed.

Some of the great men of piratical history, whose
activities centered elsewhere than along the Atlantic Coast,
are listed below:

Roc the Brazilian; Peter the Great, a French buc-
caneer; Bartholomy Portuguez, the filibuster (freebooter) ;
John Esquemeling, who writes of his experiences and
those of others; Pierre of Tortuga, the pearl pirate; Francis
L'Olonnois, the torturer; and Raveneau de Lissan, well
known around Cuba. La Fitte, the pirate of the bayous
outside of New Orleans, is in a special niche in the Gulf
of Mexico's Hall of Fame. Colorful Henry Morgan, in a
class by himself for his atrocities and daring around
Panama, was one of the greatest buccaneers of all time.

Another great pirate was "Long Ben" Avery, Al-
though his depredations were committed in the Indian
Ocean, he visited America to sell his fabulous fortune in
diamonds and other precious stones which he had acquired
by capturing and plundering ships of the Great Mogul.
When he reached the New World, he changed to a small
sloop and scattered his crew along the entire Atlantic
Coast, allowing them to go ashore with rich treasure.
Avery, however, had concealed the greater part of the

INTRODUCTION 17

fortune in jewels. On his arrival at Boston, he admired
the town so much that he planned to settle there. Avery
was unable to make the proper contacts in his efforts to
dispose of his booty, however, and sailed away to Bristol,
England.

There are those who believe he secreted much of his
jewelry within a few miles of the Old State House on a
lonely island down Boston Bay, but if such is the case it
has never been found. The story usually told is that when
he returned to Bristol, England, certain "land pirates"
persuaded him to turn his immense fortune over to them
for quick disposal. They returned a mere pittance to him,
and threatened Avery with exposure should he complain.
A few weeks later Avery fell ill and died. There was not
even enough money found in his possession to buy him a
coffin, although the year previous he was worth well over
two million dollars!

The shores of New England shall be the location for
the first pirate story, an account of the career of the
buccaneer Samuel Bellamy, who was wrecked at Cape
Cod in 1717.

Dreadful stories they were; about hanging, and walk-
ing the plank, and storms at sea, and the Dry Tortugas,
and wild deeds and places on the Spanish Main.

STEVENSON IN TREASURE ISLAND

Part ®nr
5fam England pirates

CAPTAIN BELLAMY
WRECKED AT CAPE COD

Whenever I walk along the great Cape Cod beach
from Nauset Coast Guard Station to Highland Light, I
always imagine that, when the tide is extremely low, I
can make cut the remains of the wreck of that great pirate
ship, Whidalu whose iron caboose was seen showing above
the water as late as the Civil War. Of course, I know that
the wreck bass not been seen above water for over half a
century, but it cannot be denied that the old ship, along
with Captain Bellamy's treasure of around $100,000 in
bullion, is still buried in the shifting sands of Cape Cod.

Captain Samuel Bellamy was notorious up and down
the entire length of the great Atlantic coast as a blood-
thirsty buccaneer. The first mention we have of this
marauder of the deep is in connection with one Pauls-
grave Williams of Nantucket, later a resident of New-
port, Rhode Island. The two men, having heard of the
wreck of a Spanish treasure ship in the West Indies,
sailed to the location which had been given them. After

22 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

working many weeks trying to discover treasure, they
could not find a single bag of silver which had gone down
with the vessel. This discouraged Bellamy and Williams,
who had been certain they would become rich. In their
disappointment, they decided to turn to an easier but more
dangerous profession, piracy on the high seas.

Two other piratically-minded sea captains were in
the vicinity, Captain Benjamin Thornigold (mentioned
elsewhere in this volume) and Captain Louis Lebous. The
four men decided to pool their resources aboard two
large sloops, with the 140 men equally divided, 70 on the
craft commanded by Thornigold and an equal number
sailing with Bellamy. Starting on their buccaneering
career, the pirates soon sighted several vessels which were
captured and looted. In the fighting twenty-four pirates
were killed.

After a few weeks of successful marauding enter-
prises, during which many unusually rich seizures were
made, a dispute arose when Captain Thornigold refused
to plunder any more English vessels. This attitude finally
led to a break between the pirates, with Samuel Bellamy
retaining the majority of the men, ninety in number, leav-
ing Thornigold to sail away in a prize sloop with only
twenty-six cutthroats aboard. Captain Lebous joined
forces with Bellamy and together they sailed the high seas,
spreading to the breeze a large black flag with a skull and
cross bones. After several important captures, on Decem-
ber 16 they were sailing off the island of Blanco in the
West Indies, when they fell in with a Bristol ship, the
Saint Michael, bound for Jamaica with provisions. They
captured the ship and crew without much trouble, bring-
ing it into the harbor at Blanco. Men from the Saint

BELLAMY, WRECKED AT CAPE COD 23

Michael figure prominently with the subsequent career of
the pirate.

While at Blanco, they forced into pirate member-
ship four of the crew of the captured vessel, including
Thomas Davis, a Welchman. When Davis was informed
of the pirates' intention to force him, he cried out in
despair that he was undone. One of the pirates overheard
his remark and exclaimed, "Damn him, he is a Presby-
terian Dog, and should fight for King James." Seeing that
Davis was having a hard time with the pirates, Captain
Williams of the Saint Michael tried to intercede for him.
Finally Captain Bellamy agreed that Davis would be put
on the next vessel that was taken.

On January 9, 1717, Davis was placed with four-
teen other forced men aboard the Sultana, which had been
made into a galley after its capture a short time before.
The pirate fleet sailed for Testagos, where they put the
ships in order, after which they parted company with
Captain Lebous. Reaching Saint Croix, they blew up a
French pirate ship.

Toward the end of the month of February 1717, a
fine galley, the Whidah, was sighted making her way
through the Windward Passage between Cuba and Porto
Rico, bound for London from Jamaica. Having just com-
pleted a successful trading voyage along the Guinea coast,
the Whidah was loaded with a rich cargo of indigo,
Jesuit's bark, elephant's teeth, gold dust, sugar and other
commodities. Captain Lawrence Prince was in command
of the Whidah, and his action on being challenged by the
pirates stamps him as an extremely timid man.

Three long days and nights the pirates pursued the
Whidah, finally maneuvering close enough at the end of

24 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

the third day to fire a shot at the galley. To Bellamy's
amazement, the Whidah promptly hauled down her flag
in surrender, offering no resistance of any kind. The
pirate leader chose a prize crew to go aboard the galley,
and the three vessels then sailed for the Bahama Islands.
Here Bellamy transferred several of his guns to the
Whidah, and told Captain Prince he could sail for home
on the Sultana, loading aboard her any of the goods not
desired by the pirates. Bellamy gave the captain twenty
pounds in silver and gold as a farewell token of friend-
ship, and then Captain Prince sailed the Sultana over the
horizon to England.

Thomas Davis, the forced man who had been prom-
ised his freedom, requested permission to sail with Prince
before he started, but was turned down. When Captain
Bellamy agreed to leave it up to the pirate crew, the men
voted against Davis leaving them, as they said Davis was a
carpenter and badly needed aboard. "Damn him," said
the company, "rather than let him go he should be shot
or whipped to Death at the Mast."

Incidentally, the spelling of the pirate craft is con-
troversial. George Francis Dow and John Henry Ed-
monds, in their masterly work on New England pirates,
use the spelling Whidaw, while Sidney Perley, historian
of Salem, chooses Whidah. In the booklet issued after
the execution of the six pirates, the spelling Whido is pre-
ferred, but the most fantastic possibility was suggested
some years ago that the Whidah actually was the Quedah,
a vessel captured by Captain Kidd himself. Many other
spellings are known. We never shall, of course, be certain
of the real spelling.

About twenty thousand pounds in money had been

BELLAMY, WRECKED AT CAPE COD 25

taken in the Whidatis capture, and this rich prize was
stored between decks without a guard. As there were 180
men aboard, the money was divided into 180 bags, each
weighing fifty pounds.

Five more ships were encountered. Bellamy's bucca-
neers stopped an English vessel, laden with sugar and
indigo, looted it, and allowed the craft to proceed. Then
two Scottish ships were taken and, the next day, a vessel
from Bristol, England, where many of the pirates hailed
from. Finally, they sighted the last of the five ships, a
craft from Scotland loaded with rum and sugar, but leak-
ing badly; in fact, it was in such deplorable condition
that when a prize crew sent aboard refused to continue the
journey, a vote was taken to abandon her. A scow cap-
tured previously was now brought alongside, so that the
crew could be transferred before they scuttled the leaking
rum ship.

During the afternoon when the sea marauders were
sending the Scottish rum ship to the bottom, the first
flashes of lightning could be seen in the distance, and be-
fore long a severe thunderstorm had descended upon the
pirate fleet. Captain Bellamy ordered his men to take in
all small canvas and Captain Paulsgrave Williams, on
the other ship, double-reefed his main sail. The storm
was of such violence that in one fearful gust of wind the
Whidah nearly capsized, and it was only by expert sea-
manship that she was saved. The wind was northwest,
driving the pirate fleet away from the American coast.
Great towering waves, with white, dangerous crests were
everywhere encountered, and the fearful wind forced
Bellamy to scud along with only the goose-wings of the
foresail set. As night came on, the tempest increased in

26 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

fury. To quote from a contemporary account in Johnson's
History of the Pirates, the storm in its fearful intensity
"obliged the Whidaw to bring her yards
aportland, and all they could do with Tackles
to the Goose Neck of the Tiler, four Men in the
Gun Room, and two at the Wheel, was to keep
her Head to the Sea, for had she once broach'd
to, they must infallibly have founder'd. The
Heavens, in the mean while, were covered with
Sheets of Lightning, which the Sea by the Agi-
tation of the saline Particles seem'd to imitate;
the Darkness of the Night was such, as the
Scripture says, as might be felt; the terrible
hollow roarings of the Winds, cou'd be only
equalled by the repeated, I may say, incessant
Claps of Thunder, sufficient to strike a Dread
of the supream Being, who commands the Sea
and the Winds, one would imagine in every
Heart; but among the Wretches, the Effect was
different, for they endeavored by their Blas-
phemies, Oaths, and horrid Imprecations, to
drown the Uproar of jarring Elements. Bellamy
swore he was sorry he could not run out his
Guns to return the Salute, meaning the Thunder,
that he fancied the Gods had got drunk over
the Tipple, and were gone together by the
Ears."

The vessels sailed the night through under bare
poles, the main mast of the Whidah was cut down after
being sprung in the step, and the mizzen mast went by
the board. "These misfortunes," says Johnson, "made the
Ship ring with Blasphemy," which was increased when

BELLAMY, WRECKED AT CAPE COD 27

the Whidah was found to be leaking badly. The sloop was
also in a weakened condition. The storm continued for
four days and three nights before it abated. Then the
wind, which had been shifting all around the compass,
turned to north northeast, and diminished in intensity, so
the pirates were allowed a breathing spell from the ele-
ments.

But the Whidah continued to leak severely. The lee
pump had to be manned continually, day and night, in
order to keep the water at a constant level. The car-
penter finally crawled up in the bows to find the leak.
After considerable effort and much piratical profanity,
the carpenter located the break, repaired it, and clam-
bered back from the bows. The pirates could now rest
from their pumping labors. It was agreed that a run to
Ocracoke Inlet off the coast of Carolina should be at-
tempted, but the pirates encountered a southerly wind
that made them change their plans completely. They de-
cided instead to try to reach the waters of Southern New
England where they could visit friends in Rhode Island.
One sunny day, as these wastrels of the deep were relax-
ing on board, the lookout spotted a sloop in the distance.
Quickly overtaking her, they found that the sloop was
from Boston and commanded by a Rhode Island man
named Beer. After a short skirmish Captain Beer sur-
rendered. The pirates made fast work of the task of plun-
dering his vessel. Although both Captain Bellamy and
Paulsgrave Williams were in favor of allowing Beer to
keep his sloop, the others out-voted them and the vessel
was sent to the bottom. Johnson tells us of Captain
Bellamy's conversation with Beer:

"Damn my Blood," says he, "I am sorry that
they won't let you have your Sloop again, for I

28 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

scorn to do any one a Mischief, when it is not
for my Advantage; damn the Sloop, we must
sink her, and she might be of Use to you. Tho',
damn ye, you are a sneaking Puppy, and so are
all those who will submit to be governed by
laws which rich Men have made for their own
Security, for the cowardly Whelps have not the
Courage otherwise what they get by their
Knavery; but damn ye altogether; Damn them
for a Pack of crafty Rascals, and you, who
serve them, for a Parcel of hen-hearted Num-
skuls. They villify us, the Scoundrels do, when
there is only this Difference, they rob the Poor
under the Cover of Law, forsooth, and we plun-
der the Rich under the Protection of our own
Courage; had you not better make One of us,
than sneak after these Villians for Employ-
ment?"

Captain Bellamy had done his best to make Beer
join his pirate band, but Beer declined the doubtful com-
pliment. Bellamy then spoke as follows:

"You are a develish Conscience Rascal,
damn ye," replied Bellamy. "I am a free prince,
and I have as much Authority to make War on
the whole World, as he who has a hundred Sail
of Ships at Sea, and an Army of 100,000 Men
in Field; and this my Conscience tells me, but
there is no arguing with such sniveling Puppies,
who allow Superiors to to kick them about Deck
at Pleasure; and pin their Faith upon a Pimp
of a Parson; a Squab, who neither practices or
believes what he puts upon the chuckle-headed
Fools he preaehes to."

BELLAMY, WRECKED AT CAPE COD 29

The buccaneers then put Beer in a small boat and
landed him at Block Island. There he obtained passage
to Rhode Island, reaching his Newport home on the first
day of May when he told his astonished friends of the
misfortunes which he had suffered.

We now approach the time of the dramatic ship-
wreck of the Whidah on the white sands of the great
beach at Cape Cod. Early on Friday morning, April 26,
the ships were about halfway between Nantucket Shoals
and the George's Banks, sailing along at a steady clip,
when suddenly the lookout sighted a vessel, which soon
was overtaken and captured. It proved to be the wine
pinky, Mary Ann, from Dublin, Ireland, in command of
Captain Andrew Crumpstey, and bound for New York.
Her entire cargo was Madeira wine. Captain Crumpstey
and five of his crew were ordered aboard the Whidah,
and seven armed men took over the pinky.

When news of the type of cargo aboard the Mary-
Ann became known, a small boat was sent across to bring
back some wine, and the craft returned to the Whidah
with several dozen bottles of the beverage. Orders were
given to steer a course northwest by north, but before
long another vessel hove into sight. This was a Virginia
sloop, which was promptly captured and manned by the
pirates. The buccaneer fleet now consisted of four vessels.
As evening approached, they all put out lights astern and
made sail, keeping together.

Aboard the wine pinky, Mary Ann, the pirates lost
no time in getting gloriously drunk, each taking a turn
at the wheel while the others went below to indulge. As
the night passed, the pinky was discovered to be leaking
badly, and several of the pirates were forced to man the

30 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

pumps. To make matters more serious, a storm from the
east, which had been threatening for some time, suddenly
broke loose in all its fury, and the rain came down so
hard that the ships completely lost touch with each other
in the gale.

It was shortly after this that the buccaneers aboard
the pinky heard that most-feared of all sounds at sea —
breakers on a lee shore. All hands rushed to trim head
sail but it was too late. Before any steps could be taken
to prevent it, the Mary Ann hit heavily on a sandy shore.
It was Cape Cod where the pirate craft struck, at a point
just opposite Sluttsbush back of Stage Harbor. The loca-
tion is now in Orleans, Massachusetts. Pirate Thomas
Baker, the commander of the pinky, ordered the masts
cut away, and the vessel soon drove up on the beach.

Some of the pirates, realizing that either the sea or
the people of Massachusetts would soon have them, asked
Captain Baker to read out loud from a prayer book.
Baker, also believing that the situation was one of extreme
gravity, took them down in the hold, where he read from
the book of common prayer for a full hour. Daylight
came, however, without the pinky's breaking up, and at
low tide the men all jumped down to a dry beach. They
found themselves on Pochet Island, now a part of the
Orleans mainland.

In need of sustenance, they ate sweetmeats which
had washed ashore in a chest, and drank some more wine
from part of the cargo which had come up on the beach.
Looking oceanward, the unhappy buccaneers noticed the
masts and spars of the snow and the sloop, which had
both ridden out the storm. The great flagship Whidah
could not be seen anywhere, and the seven men rightfully
concluded Bellamy had also met disaster.

BELLAMY, WRECKED AT CAPE COD 31

At ten o'clock that morning, John Cole and another
man who had seen the wreck from the mainland, paddled
out to the island by canoe, and took all seven of the pirates
ashore to Cole's home. The pirates later decided to try
to escape to Rhode Island, where in those days they had
many friends, and asked Cole how to reach that destina-
tion.

The forced men then started trouble for the pirates.
Mackconachy, the cook aboard the pink, bravely de-
nounced the seven pirates for what they were when they
reached Cole's home. As soon as possible, Cole sent a
messenger to Justice Joseph Doane of Eastham. This
good man told his deputy sheriff to organize a posse at
once. Meanwhile, the pirates had reached the tavern at
Eastham, where they were indulging in refreshments.
A short time later, in the midst of their repast, the posse
crashed in on them from all sides and made the bucca-
neers surrender. Their journey continued in the direction
of Rhode Island, it is true, but it came to a sudden stop
at the Barnstable jail, where the pirates were imprisoned.

The buccaneers aboard the Whidah fared no better.
Their lot, with the exception of two men, was death in the
ocean. The old Wellfleet Life Saving Station, about twelve
miles north of Orleans, is the nearest modern day marker
by which we can identify the present location of the pirate
wreck. The Whidah was pushed toward the breakers near
this place, finally coming to grief about two miles south
of the Wellfleet Life Saving site. Whether the Whidah
was caught in the trough of the sea or whether she split
in two cannot be ascertained. Although Captain Bellamy
attempted to anchor off the breakers, the sea was so bois-
terous that the pirates cut the cable and tried to work

32 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

their way off shore, but the great ship soon struck heavily
on the bar, probably eapsizing shortly afterwards. Of
the 146 men aboard the Whidah all except two perished
beneath the waves. Thus death by drowning off the Cape
Cod beach was the end of the notorious Captain Samuel
Bellamy, a typical pirate of colonial times.

One of the two men who successfully accomplished
the swim ashore in the great combers was Thomas Davis,
who had been forced from the Saint Michael the preced-
ing December. The other survivor was John Julian, a
Cape Cod Indian, who was thrown ashore by the sea almost
at his own doorstep.

A controversy raged a few months later as to how
the prisoners aboard the Whidah met their death. Preach-
ing from the pulpit one Sunday morning, Cotton Mather
expressed his belief that the pirates had murdered all of
the sixteen prisoners, including Captain Crumpstey, just
before their own death, but no testimony agrees with him.
Anyone who has seen dead bodies after the battering of a
few hours in a heavy surf can understand why Mather
believed the prisoners had been murdered, but as Davis,
the only white survivor, does not mention this possibility
it is safe to think that all aboard were drowned together,
with the two exceptions.

Local tradition around Cape Cod has another tale
about the pirates, supported by the Boston News-Letter of
April 29 — May 6, 1717. In this version, the captive master
of the Irish pinkie ran her ashore while the pirates were
all drunk below deck. The only trouble with this theory
is that Captain Crumstey of the pinkie was taken aboard
the Whidah at the time of capture, and later drowned
from the Whidah when she hit ten miles up the beach,

BELLAMY, WRECKED AT CAPE COD 33

and thus could not possibly have been on the pinkie when
she was wrecked.

The Massachusetts Historical Society's Collections of
1793 include an account of the history of Wellfleet, in
which it is stated that Bellamy's entire fleet was decoyed
to Cape Cod, where it was cast on shore there by the
clever plans of the captain of a snow, captured the day
before. The tale goes on, saying that a lantern was hung
in the shrouds of the snow, as the night was dark, and
one by one the vessels piled up on the beach. In actuality,
however, only two vessels were wrecked, the disasters
which we have already described. The town historian
then comments on the treasure which sank with the
Whidah, telling of the money which was picked up prior
to the year 1793.

The shifting sands often exposed the iron caboose
of the Whidah on the outer bar at dead low tide. "Uncle
Jack" Newcomb told Henry David Thoreau that he had
seen the iron caboose at low tide many times but it is not
believed that anyone has seen a portion of the old pirate
chieftain's flagship above water since the 1860's. Thoreau
and his companion, according to Perley, found some of
the treasure on the bar years ago.

The above digression from our narrative left Justice
Doane and his sheriff's posse rounding up the seven
pirates from the pinky. Just about the time Justice Doane
believed his work was finished, news came to him of the
wreck of the other vessel, the Whidah, ten miles farther
up the beach, but it was Sunday before he reached the
second wreck. We recall that only two men reached shore
alive from the Whidah. As soon as he could make out
where he was, Thomas Davis, the white survivor, dis-

34 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

cerned a house two miles away, and made his way to it.
It was the home of Samuel Harding, who quickly showed
the usual Cape Cod reaction to a shipwreck. Harnessing
his horse and wagon at once, he drove down to the scene
with Davis. With the Indian's help the men made several
trips from the wreck to Harding's home, and it is be-
lieved Harding had obtained the best merchandise from
the cargo by the time other active Cape Codders arrived
at the scene of the disaster. All day long Saturday the
mooncussers and beachcombers worked at their interest-
ing avocation, until, when the first streaks of Sunday's
dawn arrived, the beach had been stripped clean of all
important material from the cargo. No gold or silver, as
far as we can tell, had come ashore by this time, as the
bar was some distance off the shore. Dead bodies, how-
ever, began to come up on the beach in alarming numbers.
Their disposal later caused Cyprian Southack much
trouble.

Reaching the beach Sunday morning, Justice Doane
found it picked clean, with the exception of a few articles
seen drifting ashore in the surf. Davis and Julian sur-
rendered to Justice Doane, and they joined the others at
the Barnstable jail. Later in the week the nine men, under
heavy guard, were sent to Boston by horseback. This
means of conveyance the British sailors from the wrecked
frigate Somerset would have appreciated in 1778 when
they were forced to hike all the way from Cape Cod to
Boston.

The next day the people of Boston were startled to
hear of the wreck of a pirate treasure ship on the sands of
Cape Cod, and Governor Samuel Shute went to bed that
night dreaming of pirate gold. He should have been

BELLAMY, WRECKED AT CAPE COD 35

warned by the embarrassing experiences of his prede-
cessor, Bellomont, whose relationships with Captain Kidd
caused him many anxious moments. Shute's thoughts of
great riches from the buccaneer ship spurred him on,
however. Issuing a proclamation to His Majesty's officers
and subjects to take and hold all pirates, treasure, and
other goods from the wreck, Shute quickly looked over
his available maritime gentry for a person of daring and
courage who could go at once to the scene of the wreck.

Captain Cyprian Southack was the ideal mariner for
this task. A very interesting sailor he was. Then in his
56th year, he was already planning the first real chart of
Massachusetts Bay and its surrounding area, part of
which is contained in this volume. He was artist, cartog-
rapher, fighter, and seaman. Captain of the Province
Galley, his sketch of Boston Light is well known to anti-
quarians, while his chart of the coast was a necessity for
all mariners for the next hundred years. Such were the
accomplishments of this interesting Boston mariner of
two centuries ago. We shall see, however, that they were
of little avail against the traditions of Cape Cod people,
especially when it comes to a pirate shipwreck.

Captain Cyprian Southack, now fully informed as
to his mission, prepared to reach the scene. Hiring a
small sloop, the Nathaniel, Southack left Boston on May
1, 1717. Five long and eventful days had passed since the
wreckage was scattered by the storm along the great
beach. Handicapped by a south wind, the sloop did not
reach Cape Cod until the afternoon following its sailing,
making six days in all since the wreck had occurred. Com-
mandeering a whale boat at Cape Cod Harbor, he sent
two men ahead to obtain horses in Truro. The men,

36 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

mounted on horses, reached the scene of the wreck at
seven in the evening, but it had been six long, profitable
days for the men of Cape Cod, and by this time all mov-
able goods from the Whidah had been stored in cellars,
locked in barns, and secreted in attics. Even Captain Wil-
liams of the pirate fleet had returned to join in the search
for sunken booty, anchoring his ship off the shore and
rowing in, but so many Cape Codders were there that he
did not tarry long.

Meanwhile, Captain Southack started out in his
whale boat from Provincetown Harbor, finally reaching
Boat Meadow Creek in Orleans. From here he sailed up
to a natural canal which at that time crossed Cape Cod.
The canal was located between Orleans and Eastham, and
has been called both Jeremy's Dream and Jeremiah
Gutter. It is clearly indicated on Southack's map in this
volume.

Captain Southack did not expect a cordial reception
from the men of Cape Cod, and in this he was not dis-
appointed. In his own words, he found the "Pepol very
Stife and will not [surrender] one thing of what they
Gott on the Rack." Caleb Hopkins of Freetown was very
indignant, and the two men almost came to blows, while
Samuel Harding, to whose house Thomas Davis had jour-
neyed the morning of the wreck, said that Davis had
ordered him not to part with any of the spoils from the
sea. "I find the said Harding is as Gilty as the Pirates
saved," were Captain Southack's conclusions.

The Governor allowed Southack extraordinary pow-
ers. He could "go into any house, shop, cellar, ware-
house, room or other place and in case of resistance to

STORY ON PAGE 267

MAJOR STEDE BONNET

STEPS OUT INTO ETERNITY FROM THE HANGMAN'S CART
WITH FLOWERS IN HIS MANACLED HANDS.
CHARLES-TOWN, NOW CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

BELLAMY, WRECKED AT CAPE COD 39

break open any door, chests, trunks," or other objects to
get the pirate goods. With all this authority, however,
Cyprian Southack was unable to gather much merchan-
dise and for all the time he was at Cape Cod, compara-
tively little ever reached Boston. That he did a thorough
job no one can question, especially if he reads through
the lengthy epistles which Southack dispatched from time
to time to Governor Shute and others. The letters are
still on file at the Boston State House.

After waiting at the beach to recover the various
articles and wreckage which came up on the shore from
time to time, and gathering together the material which
one or two timid Cape Codders relinquished, Captain
Southack sent for the sloop Swan, commanded by Cap-
tain Doggett, to sail the meager booty back to Boston.
Scarcely had Doggett cleared Boston Harbor when he was
pursued by another pirate who promptly boarded the
Swan, took goods valued at eighty pounds, and then
allowed Doggett to proceed to Provincetown with the
vessel.

As the bodies of the dead pirates continued to come
up on the Cape Cod beach, some means of taking care
of them had to be agreed upon. The coroner and his jury
ordered the burial of the victims, and with Cyprian
Southack right on the scene, he asked that Southack pay
the expenses. The fighting and wrangling over the bodies
of the buccaneers is almost beyond belief. As more and
more of the dead pirates came upon the beach, new
arrangements had to be made. Southack finally refused
to have anything further to do with the expenses, where-
upon the coroner posted an attachment on some of the
goods which Southack had just collected from the wreck,

40 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

and received his money.

The attempts which Southack made to reach the
treasure were exacting and tedious. Day after day he
rowed out to the scene, trying to discover the bags of
silver and gold down through the muddy waters, but since
the heavy rain continued almost every day the water
stayed muddy. He finally abandoned his search in the
vicinity of the bar off the beach and returned to Boston
with the goods he was able to secure. It is to be questioned
whether Governor Samuel Shute profited much from this
unusual adventure of the drowned pirates of Cape Cod.
In his disappointment, he probably obtained little com-
fort from the fact that Governor Bellomont back in 1700
had concluded his experiences with Captain Kidd with
even greater trouble and embarrassment.

The men accused of piracy, with the exception of
Mackconachy, who was evidently released at Cape Cod,
were all taken to Boston and placed in jail there.

The pirates were allowed to languish in jail all that
long summer of 1717. It was not until October 18 that
they were brought to trial in the Admiralty Court at Bos-
ton. John Julian never came to trial3 and was either let
off or died in jail. Thomas Davis convinced the Court of
his innocence in any wrong doing, and when pardoned
sank to his knees on the courtroom floor, "thanked the
Court and was dismissed with a suitable admonition."
The others were found guilty.

Cotton Mather, who often visited the pirates in their
jail cells became so thoroughly convinced of the inno-
cence of one of them, Thomas South of Boston, England,
that he obtained a reprieve for him on November 2,
thirteen da}rs before the other six were executed. The un-

BELLAMY, WRECKED AT CAPE COD 41

usual interest Mather showed in the pirates is indicated
in the good man's diary for November 15, 1717, the day
the last members of the Bellamy crew were hanged.
"15 G. D. There is good this day to be
done, on a very solemn Occasion. Six pirates
were this day executed. I took a long and sad
walk with them, from the Prison, to the Place
of Execution. I successively bestowed the best
Instructions I could, pray'd with them, and with
the vast Assembly of Spectators, as pertinently
and as profitably as I could."

The six pirates were Simon Van Vorst, of New York;
John Brown of Jamaica; Thomas Baker of Holland;
Hendrick Quintor of Amsterdam; Peter Hoof of Sweden,
and John Sheean of Nantes. On November 15, 1717,
they were taken down to the Charlestown Ferry, and there
rowed out to a scaffolding erected out over the water.
Baker and Hoof were penitent and humble. Hoof joined
with Van Vorst at the last minute in singing a Dutch
psalm, while John Brown broke out into furious oaths,
but afterwards began to read from the prayer book.
Then Brown made a speech to the great assemblage.

"Beware of wicked living," said Brown to his
listeners. "Also, if you fall into the hands of pirates, as
I did, have a care into which country they come to." Then
the scaffolding fell, and the six outlaws of the sea met
their fate.

After the execution Mather wrote a pamphlet on the
incident, but his regular printer refused to print it, so
John Allen printed 1200 copies of "A Brief Relation of

42 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Remarkables in the Shipwreck of Above One Hundred
Pirates, Who were Cast away in the Ship Whido, on the
Coast of New-England, April 26, 1717." The book had
a good sale, but is a very rare volume today.

The various sermons, pamphlets, and discourses
with the condemned men gave Mather a peculiar pedestal
to occupy in the mind of the average pirate at sea. Cetton
Mather later admitted that he learned of several victims
of the men who had gone on the account who were forced
to curse Cotton Mather as part of their punishment. This
strange ritual which befell those captured by pirates on
the high seas must have disturbed Cotton Mather, for later
in life when called by a pirate to pray for him, Mather
said "The Pyrates now strangely fallen into the Hands of
Justice here, make me the first man, whose Visits and
Counsils and Prayers they beg for." Nevertheless, his un-
usual interest in matters pertaining to pirates and their
executions must have surprised some of the other good
people of America's leading seaport.

CAPTAIN QUELCH, WHO BROUGHT
GOLD INTO NEW ENGLAND

Marblehead, Massachusetts, is known today for its
annual exhibitions of yacht racing. All New England sail-
ing enthusiasts, young and old, gather here once a year
to test their respective nautical abilities. Two hundred
years ago, however, the situation along the Marblehead
waterfront was different with fishermen, merchantmen,
and pirates sailing in and out of this prosperous New
England port. The mariners were always ready for pri-
vateering, and many a pert sloop left Marblehead in
search of French and Spanish vessels to capture and
destroy.

July 13, 1703, Governor Joseph Dudley of Massa-
chusetts commissioned the brigantine Charles as a pri-
vateer to prey upon French shipping. Owned by five of
the leading Boston citizens, the 88-ton vessel was under
the command of Captain Daniel Plowman. Toward the
end of the month the captain, then aboard the Charles in
Marblehead Harbor, became seriously ill, finally sending
word to his owners that he was too sick to sail. It is pos-
sible that Daniel Plowman was already worried about the
character of his crew, for in a rather cryptic letter he
asked the owners to some at once to Marblehead to save
"what we can."

The Bostonians met to discuss the situation. They
decided to send the brigantine to sea under another cap-
tain, but when Plowman heard this he implored them to
forget any future plans, urging the owners to get the vessel

44 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

up to Boston at once, where the guns and stores could be
unloaded. By this time Plowman was in great fear of the
crew. Before any action was taken, however, the sailors,
headed by Anthony Holding, committed their first act of
piracy by locking the sick captain in his cabin. As soon
as this was accomplished, John Quelch, the vessel's lieu-
tenant commander, came aboard, and after deliberating
with Holding and the others, agreed to take command.
The Charles sailed out of Marblehead Harbor, slipping
by Marblehead Rock and Cat Island until Halfway Rock
was dead ahead. We cannot say whether any of the super-
stitious sailors aboard followed the prevailing custom of
the period by scaling good-luck pennies across to land on
the barnacle-covered back of Halfway Rock, but it is rea-
sonable to believe they did.

Safely out of the harbor and away from interference,
the pirates descended to the cabin, where they pulled the
sick captain from his bunk. After carrying him up on
deck, the buccaneers unceremoniously threw Captain
Daniel Plowman into the waters of Boston Bay. There
were those who later claimed that the captain died of
natural causes before this drastic event occurred, but
there is no reason to believe them. Captain Plowman was
deliberately drowned by the pirates.

Sailing southward until he reached the waters off
Brazil, Captain John Quelch began a career of piracy
and murder which made his name one to be feared in all
the South Atlantic. He boarded and captured ship after
ship, until by March of 1704, nine Portuguese vessels
had fallen to his black flag — two fishing boats, a ship, five
brigantines, and a shallop. While all this was going on,
however, England and Portugal had signed an alliance.

CAPTAIN JOHN QUELCH 45

This act was unknown to Quelch, who considered himself
a privateer. Thus he actually became a pirate without his
knowledge, according to Quelch.

Quelch, his brigantine filled with spoil from his en-
counters with the unfortunate ships which he captured,
now decided to return home to Marblehead Harbor. The
fact that his decision was voluntary seems to prove to
many that he did not fear capture or punishment for his
activity in the Atlantic, and that he probably did not even
consider he had been anything but a privateer commis-
sioned by Governor Dudley.

Reaching Boston Bay in May 1704, Quelch anchored
off Marblehead. As soon as he paid his crew, he allowed
them to go ashore, and in a short time was on dry land
himself. After a voyage of nine months, especially if the
sailors were not in the habit of carrying substantial sums
of money with them, there were bound to be repercussions
when a score or more of swaggering bloodthirsty indi-
viduals with bulging pockets full of money are turned
loose and allowed to roam at will through the streets of
a village. This occasion was no exception. The pirates
squandered their money at the local taverns, visited women
of easy acquaintance, and attracted attention everywhere
they went.

Within a few days news reached Boston of the return
of the Charles. America's first maritime reporter inserted
into the pages of America's earliest newspaper (first pub-
lished the preceding month) the following item:

"Arrived at Marblehead, Capt. Quelch in

the Brigantine that Capt. Plowman went out in,

and said to come from New-Spain & have made

a good voyage."

46 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

The paper, a weekly, reached the streets May 23,
1704. The two owners of the Charles, John Colman and
William Clarke, had been frantic with surprise and dis-
appointment when the vessel disappeared from Marble-
head Harbor months before, and this was the first report
of the return of their stolen ship. The two men filed a com-
plaint at once with the Secretary of the Province and
Attorney-General Paul Dudley, son of the governor, ac-
cusing John Quelch of piracy.

Young Dudley acted with wisdom and alacrity, hur-
rying over to the North Shore at once. On that same day
diary-minded Samuel Sewall was returning from a jour-
ney to Newbury, and stopped for refreshments at Lewis's
in Lynn, where he found that Dudley had already cap-
tured one of the pirates, sending him on up to Boston.

Lieutenant-Governor Povey, who commanded the fort
at Castle Island, issued a proclamation the next day.
It named the 41 pirates, accusing them of importing "a
considerable Quantity of Gold dust which they are vio-
lently suspected to have gotten & obtained by Felony and
Piracy, from some of Her Majesty's Friends and Allies."

Two days later John Quelch was safe in the Boston
prison. John Lambert, whom we shall discuss later, John
Miller, John Clifford, John Dorothy, James Parrot, and
William Wiles had also been brought to the town jail on
what is now Court Street, Boston. James Austin was in
prison at Piscataqua, while another pirate was confined
in Salem. Another member of the crew was on the way
from Newport.

By this time the Governor had returned to Boston,
and at once issued a new proclamation, which stated the
money the outlaws carried had been taken from Portu-

CAPTAIN JOHN QUELCH 47

guese vessels. The paper included the name of Christo-
pher Scudamore among the pirate suspects. Others men-
tioned were Richard Lawrence and Matthew Primer.

The unusual interest shown by the officials in their
efforts to capture members of the pirate crew may have
been due to the fact that each hunted man was carrying
valuable gold dust taken from the Portuguese vessels.
On June 6, Governor Dudley, afraid that the gold would
not reach him intact, commissioned three prominent Bos-
tonians, Samuel Sewall, Nathaniel Byfield, and Paul
Dudley to journey to Marblehead to begin an investiga-
tion as to what was happening to the gold dust and the
rest of the treasure.

Arriving in Salem the next day, the three men found
to their dismay that a Captain Larramore, of the Larra-
more Galley, had been so impressed by the pirate stories
that he had turned pirate, going "on the account" himself.
Samuel Wakefield, a custom house officer, was instructed
to apprehend Larramore before he left Cape Ann. In a
severe rainstorm the three commissioners rode to Marble-
head where they held court before a roaring fire in the
great living room at Captain Brown's home. They retired
that evening, and the next morning were awakened at six
o'clock by a messenger from Cape Ann, bringing the in-
formation that a group of pirates had been seen in a
"Lone-house there."

Colonel Legg of Marblehead was ordered by the gov-
ernor to call out his Essex South Regiment, and Colonel
Wainwright was given instructions to recruit his Essex
North Regiment. Judges Sewall and Byfield then jour-
neyed to Salem to make plans for the apprehension of the
pirates.

43 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

It was agreed that Major Stephen Sewall and twenty
of his militia stationed at Salem Fort should proceed to
Cape Ann by water, while Samuel Sewall and Byfield,
escorted by a troop of horsemen, journey overland. Sewall
tells us that the muster of the Beverly troops was already
beginning, while at Manchester the men were forming at
the crest of a huge rock. There was much excitement, but
the idea of hunting pirates was suppressed and kept in
the background as much as possible.

When Attorney General Dudley and Colonel Legg
reached Gloucester, they found that Captain Larramore
and the pirates who were living at Snake Island had
already sailed away. It was believed that they were trying
to reach the Isles of Shoals off the New Hampshire Coast.

A decision now had to be made. Should or should
not these half -trained soldiers and militia men leave their
families and put out from land in an attempt to capture
bloodthirsty men who were at home on the high seas?

It is interesting to watch the various reactions of
the men of New England when they were told of the dan-
gerous situation which confronted them. Captain Herrick
pleaded earnestly that his men be excused. Other officers
also presented what they considered good reasons for not
going. "Matters went on heavily," says Samuel Sewall in
his diary, " 'twas difficult to get men."

Sewall's own brother Stephen finally offered to go,
and after that several other resolute men agreed to ac-
company him. With this beginning many of the more
timid individuals decided to join the group, until there
were 43 in all. Without question, it was a hazardous un-
dertaking which confronted these brave men of Massa-
chusetts. The wind dropped completely as they were about

CAPTAIN JOHN QUELCH 49

to sail, and the men were forced to row out of Gloucester
Harbor. They skirted Ten Pound Island and rounded
Eastern Point, heading for the open sea. A great cheer
went up from the assemblage gathered on the beach as the
shallop passed.

The throngs on the shores of Gloucester who had
shouted cheers of encouragement to their loved ones went
home to worry and pray. The women were upset, Sewall
mentioning in his diary that he

"dined with Sister, who was very thoughtful
what would become of her Husband. The Wick-
edness and despair of the company they pur-
sued, their Great Guns and other war like Prep:
arations, were a terror to her and to most of
the Town; concluded they would not be taken
without Blood. Comforted ourselves and them
as well as we could."

Special prayers were offered by Mr. White and Mr.
Cheever in the Gloucester meeting house. In the mean-
time, the shallop had passed Thacher's Island, rounded
the Dry Salvages, and, with the aid of a substantial breeze
began the twenty-five mile sail across the sea to the Isles
of Shoals. At seven o'clock the masts of the galley were
sighted.

Stephen Sewall now was confronted with the prob-
lem of planning the strategy for capturing the pirates.
All hands aboard the Sewall shallop were sent below with
the exception of four, who pretended they were fishermen,
and stayed in view. Just as the soldiers approached the
other vessel, the pirates were observed to send a small
boat ashore, which was a lucky break for the men of
Massachusetts. As the shallop reached a position within

50 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

a few rods of the outlaw vessel, the pirates left on the deck
of the Larramore Galley detected the true state of events,
and made a rush for their guns, pulling off the aprons
and withdrawing the tampions. Promptly Major Sewall
ordered his company of forty-two to rise in a group with
their firearms ready. It was such a terrific surprise to the
buccaneers that all resistance stopped aboard the pirate
ship. The buccaneers saw that the game was up, and
quickly surrendered. The sea rovers who had gone ashore
for the purpose of burying treasure were also appre-
hended. When they reached the shallop, the entire group
was placed in irons. Forty-five ounces of gold dust was
taken from the pirates at this time. After all was made
ready for the trip to the mainland, Sewall's shallop began
the sail back to Massachusetts with the Larramore Galley
in tow, reaching Salem the next day. Major Sewall, dis-
covering that many of the Larramore crew were not in the
plot, permitted the innocent ones to go free.

. In all, twenty-five pirates of the original forty-three
aboard the Charles were eventually confined in the Bos-
ton jail, while eighteen escaped the Yankee dragnet com-
pletely, never appearing in New England again.

A Court of Admiralty was now set up. On Tuesday,
June 13, 1704, the arraignment began where the Old
State House stands today, with Governor Dudley as Pres-
ident of the Court. John Usher, Lieutenant Governor of
New Hampshire; Nathaniel Byfield, Judge of the Vice-
Admiralty; Jahlael Brenton, Customs Collector for New
England; Isaac Addington, Province Secretary; and Lieu-
tenant-Governor Povey all sat with him on that unusual
occasion.

It was a solemn moment with everyone awaiting the

CAPTAIN JOHN QUELCH 51

beginning of the pirate trial in complete silence. Then
the Court of Admiralty for the Trial of Pirates was
opened. A warrant was sent to the keeper of the prison
after which the dignitaries adjourned until three o'clock
to enjoy their dinners in comfort. During the afternoon
session three of the pirates agreed to turn against their
associates and help the court, or as the language of the
period indicated, to "stand within the Bar, and to be
Sworn as Witnesses on Her Majesty's behalf." They were
Matthew Primer, John Clifford, and James Parrot, who
were eventually pardoned.

All eyes were now on the next prisoner as Captain
John Quelch, heavily-ironed, was escorted into the room
and walked up to the bar. In a firm voice he asked for
counsel. Although die court did not admit that he was
entitled to counsel, they assigned James Menzies to help
him. Twenty other prisoners were arraigned before the
court adjourned that day.

The following Monday John Quelch, his irons tem-
porarily removed, was brought to trial for his life.
Charged with piracy, robbery, and murder, Quelch was
also accused of neglecting the orders of the owners. In
addition he had refused to set ashore Matthew Primer
and John Clifford when they asked to be let go, and had
sailed for Fernando Island off Brazil, capturing several
vessels belonging to the King of Portugal, a good ally of
Her Majesty. One of the Queen's witnesses testified that
Christopher Scudamore, the pirate cooper, had killed the
Portuguese captain with a petard. It was also claimed
that the ringleader had not been Quelch, but pirate
Anthony Holding, who was never captured. Of course
Holding started the mutiny, but actually retired to the

52 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

background after Quelch had accepted the captaincy, so
the claim was only partially correct.

Quelch, Lambert (a Salem man), Scudamore, Miller,
Peterson, Roach, and Francis King were condemned to
death. Fifteen others in the crew withdrew their plea of
innocence and asked for the mercy of the Court. They
were all later released to enter the Queen's service.

Every minister in Boston tried to get the pirates to
repent prior to their death. The Reverend Cotton Mather
preached a sermon in which he warned the pirates to seek
forgiveness before their final judgment was decided. In
other pulpits as well ministers held the pirates up as
examples of sin.

On Friday, June 30, 1704, the condemned men were
marched from the jail down to Scarlett's Wharf, then at
the foot of Fleet Street. It was an awesome procession.
Preceded by a man carrying the silver oar emblematic
of the British Admiralty, the pirates were accompanied
by Cotton Mather himself, who never willingly missed an
occasion of this type. The six condemned men, guarded
by the provost marshall with forty soldiers, walked slowly
along the last bitter mile which was to end in eternity.

The crowds had gathered early that morning at the
top of Broughton's Hill, where the Copp's Hill Cemetery
stands today. The gallows had been set up between the
rise and fall of the tide off the shore. This was before
the days of the Charles River Dam, and the area was
known as part of the river. Samuel Sewall was an eye-
witness. His account is as follows:

"When I came to see how the River was

cover'd with People, I was amazed: Some say

there were 100 Boats. 150 Boats and Canoes,

CAPTAIN JOHN QUELCH 53

saith Cousin Moodey of York [who probably had
made the journey for the event] Mr. Cotton
Mather came with Capt. Quelch and six others
for Execution from the Prison to Scarlett's
Wharf, and from thence in the Boat to the place
of Execution about midway between Hanson's
point and Broughton's Warehouse. Mr. Mather
pray'd for them standing upon the Boat. Ropes
were all fasten'd to the Gallows (save King,
who was Repriev'd). When the Scaffold was
let to sink, there was such a Screech of the
Women that my wife heard it sitting in our
Entry next the Orchard, and was much sur-
prised at it; yet the wind was sou-west. Our
house is a full mile from the place."
We cannot say whether Bird Island or Nix's Mate
Island was the scene when the dead pirates were eventu-
ally strung up in chains to warn prospective buccaneers,
as there is no record indicating either place. The body of
one man, however, never left the mainland. He was John
Lambert, of prominent Salem antecedants. Lambert's
body was cut down late that night, and his remains were
taken up to the King's Chapel Burial Grounds, where at
midnight they were interred in the ground by the side of
other members of his family. Tens of thousands pass the
graveyard daily, but few realize that a real pirate is
buried on the other side of the high iron fence that runs
along the Tremont Street side of this historic cemetery.
There was much gold involved in the proceedings
and everyone who had anything at all to do with the cap-
ture and trial of the pirates received adequate pay in ad-
dition to his regular salary or wages. After £726 had

54 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

been paid to various people for their part in the pirates'
capture, the gold dust and silver were allowed to remain
in Massachusetts until October 1705, when 788 ounces
of the precious mineral were placed in five leather bags
and shipped to England. How much more escaped the
ocean journey cannot be estimated. Some years later,
however, Cotton Mather and Governor Dudley quarrelled,
whereupon Mather published a volume in which he ac-
cused the "treacherous Governor" of allowing odd collu-
sions with the pirates. We read that the pirates paid the
equivalent of $140 for the privilege of exercising within
the prison yard for a period of two or three days.

Captain John Quelch, of course, has his side of the
story. His trial has actually been called "one of the clear-
est cases of judicial murder done in our American annals,"
according to Dow and Edmonds. There is no evidence
that he was ever given the benefit of a doubt. His final
words, uttered a moment or two before he was to meet
his Maker, were as follows:

"Gentlemen, Tis but little I have to speak;
what I have to say is this, I desire to be in-
formed for what I have done. I am Condemned
only upon Circumstances. I forgive all the
World, so the Lord be merciful to my Soul . . .
They should also take care how they bring money
into New England, to be Hanged for it."
Thus we receive the impression that Quelch believed
himself innocent and a wronged man. It seems to me,
however, that any sailor who agrees to countenance the
horrible activity which took place in Marblehead Harbor
and out in the Bay is guilty of piracy and was justly
hanged.

WILLIAM FLY, HANGED IN BOSTON

Everyone sailing down Boston Harbor passes by an
ominous black and white pyramidial marker atop a granite
sea wall at Nix's Mate Island. There are many legends
and stories told about this unusual island. But as the last
resting place of innumerable pirates, Nix's Mate does not
need fiction or legend to glamorize it. History itself has
done that well. Of all the pirates whose bodies have
been hanged in chains at Nix's Mate, William Fly was
undoubtedly the most blasphemous.

Captain Fly was from England, hailing from subur-
ban Bristol. He went to sea early in life, working his
way up to the position of petty officer. Nothing is known
either of his parents or of his education, but it is probable
that his schooling was extremely meagre and his back-
ground poor.

While at Jamaica, Fly was offered the position of
boatswain by a short-handed master of a Bristol slaver,
Captain John Green, who was planning a voyage on his
snow Elizabeth to the Guinea coast. After a few weeks
aboard the slaver, Fly developed a hatred of Captain
Green, and discussed with certain others in the crew the
possible advantage of seizing the snow for themselves.
All accounts agree that Captain Green was admittedly a
villain in his own right. Fly and the rest of the crew
particularly hated the captain and the mate. They resolved
to murder both of them, and sail away on a piratical
cruise.

56 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

The mutineers planned to seize the snow in the early
morning hours of May 27, 1726. When one o'clock
came, William Fly, followed by his fellow conspirators,
walked aft to Moris Cundon, the man at the wheel. The
helmsman was surrounded. Fly told him in no uncertain
terms that they were seizing the Elizabeth, and that if he
shouted or spoke a word they would blow out his brains.
The man agreed to remain quiet. William Fly's next
problem was Captain Green. Rolling up his sleeves, Fly
seized a great cutlass and, accompanied by Alexander
Mitchell, rushed into the cabin of the master.

"What in the devil is the matter?" exclaimed Cap-
tain Green, as the two mutineers rudely shook him awake.

"We have no time to answer impertinent questions,"
answered Mitchell. "You are to go on deck at once, and
if you refuse we will be at the trouble of scraping the
cabin to clean up your blood. Captain Fly has been
chosen commander so we cannot have another captain on
board or waste provisions to feed useless men." Captain
Green, fearing that he was lost, made a final plea, asking
that he be put ashore somewhere; meanwhile he would
agree to be placed in irons.

"Ay, God damn ye," said Fly, "to live and hang us,
if we are ever taken. No! No! Walk up and be damn'd,
that bite won't take. It has hanged many an honest fellow
already." So the two men pulled the captain out of his
warm bed, dragged him into the steerage, and finally
threw him on the deck, William Fly taking particular de-
light in prodding constantly the man he hated with the
point of his cutlass.

The pirates told the captain that he could have a
choice of either jumping overboard like a brave fellow

WILLIAM FLY, HANGED IN BOSTON 57

or being tossed into eternity as a sneaking rascal. Evi-
dently the captain's sins were many, for he implored the
mutineers, "For the Lord's sake, don't throw me over-
board, boatswain; for if you do, you throw me into Hell
immediately."

"Damn you," Fly replied, "Since he's so devilish
godly, we'll give him time to say his prayers and I'll be
parson. Say after me, Lord, have mercy on my soul, short
prayers are best, and then over with him, my lads."

When the pirates attempted to throw him overboard,
Captain Green grabbed at the mainsheet. Promptly, pirate
Thomas Winthrop severed Green's wrist with one blow of
his broadax, and the captain fell into the sea and was
gone.

Meanwhile the mutineers seized and brought Mate
Thomas Jenkins up on deck. He was told that since the
captain had already been thrown overboard the mate should
join him for company, for as they were both of the cap-
tain's mess, they should drink together. All gave a toss
and threw him into the water. Coming to the surface, the
mate cried out to the ship's doctor to throw him a line.
Since the doctor was already in irons, however, along
with the gunner and carpenter, Jenkins soon drowned.

Helmsman Cundon and seaman Thomas Streator
were told to report to Captain Fly. Fly informed them
that they were rascals, and should have been thrown over-
board after the captain and mate, but instead they were
to be placed in irons for security. The mutineers, their suc-
cess apparent, celebrated the victory in copious draughts
of punch, and Captain Fly announced that henceforth the
Elizabeth would be called the Fame's Revenge.

While the pirates were still formulating their plans,

58 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

they sighted a sail in the gathering daylight, later identi-
fied as the Pompey, which had left Bristol at the same
time as the Elizabeth. A hail of inquiry came from the
Pompey, asking about the health of Captain Green.

"He is very well," answered Fly, "At your service."
Fearing to attack such a large vessel, the pirates sailed
away. It was agreed that the ship should be headed for the
North Carolina Coast. Reaching their destination on June
3, they came upon a sloop, the John and Hannah, cap-
tained by pilot John Fulker, lying at anchor inside the
bar. When Fly stood for the inner harbor, Captain John
Fulker rowed out to Fly with r>is mate and three others
to offer his services as pilot. One of the others was Cap-
tain William Atkinson, formerly of the brigantine Boneta.

Reaching the snow, Captain Fulker was invited
aboard. Captain Fly took the four men into the cabm to
share a bowl of punch. As the punch was brought in Fly
suddenly announced that he was not one to mince words,
for he and his comrades were "Gentlemen of Fortune."
Fly was interested in Fulker's sloop on the other side of
the bar. If she could beat the snow, then Fly wanted her.
Anchoring the Fame's Revenge a league away, the pirate
captain ordered Fulker to take six men and bring out the
sloop. But the wind was in the wrong quarter. After con-
siderable effort, the attempt was abandoned. Captain
Fulker returned under guard to the pirate vessel. Furious
because of the captain's failure to sail the sloop out to
him, Fly punished the American severely. Captain John
Fulker tried to explain that a bar ran between the two
vessels. Not wishing to wreck the sloop, he had been un-
able to carry out his orders because of a contrary wind.

"Damn ye," replied Fly, "you lie like a Dog, but

WILLIAM FLY, HANGED IN BOSTON 59

damn my Blood, your Hide shall pay for your Roguery,
and if I can't bring her off I'll burn her where she lies."
Fulker was then taken to the gears, where he was stripped
to the waist and given a terrible beating with a cat-of-nine-
tails, until blood ran down his body and filled his shoes.

Another attempt was made to bring off the sloop.
The crew, afraid of what might happen should they fail
in their orders, sailed the sloop right across the bar, where
she hit, ripped open her bottom, and sank. Realizing that
the accident was his own fault, Fly concealed his rage
over the loss as best he could.

Two days later the buccaneer set sail for further
conquests. About this time Captain John Gale was coming
up the coast aboard the ship John and Betty taking her
from Barbadoes to Virginia. Captain William Fly, cruis-
ing in the vicinity, sighted the ship and gave chase at once,
but when the John and Betty proved the better sailor, Fly
hoisted a flag of distress.

The suspicious Captain Gale rightly interpreted this
ruse, and stayed on his course. Fly crowded on all sail
possible, doggedly following the John and Betty. A bit of
pirate luck now helped the Bristol buccaneer. The wind
slackened, allowing Fly to drift within gunshot. Hoisting
his Jolly Roger, Captain William Fly ordered the cannons
fired several times at the ship. Captain John Gale, realiz-
ing his hopeless position, surrendered, striking his colors.
Fly went aboard his long boat, which carried a unique
metal throwing device, called a pateraro in the bow, and
rowed over to the ship, where he soon had the captain and
crew prisoners. After forcing six of the crew to join him
Fly let the ship sail away, but held Captain Fulker and
some of the others who refused to sign articles. Captain

60 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

William Atkinson, who had rowed out with Fulker from
the sloop, was detained, because of his superior knowl-
edge of navigation. Atkinson, about whom we shall learn
more later, asked why he was being kept aboard the
Fame's Revenge. Fly's reply, probably the result of a lim-
ited vocabulary, should not be read by the too fastidious:
"Look ye, Captain Atkinson, it is not that
we care for your Company, God damn ye, God
damn my Soul, if you don't act like an honest
Man, God damn ye, and offer to play us any
Rogue's Tricks, by God, and God sink me, but
I'll blow your brains out; God damn me if I
don't. Now, Captain Atkinson, you may pilot
us wrong, which God damn ye, would be a ras-
cally trick, by God, because you would betray
Men who trust in you ; but, by the eternal Jesus,
you shan't live to see us hang'd ... If you will
be a Villain and betray your trust, may God
strike me dead, and may I drink a Bowl of Brim-
stone and Fire with the Devil, if I don't send
you head-long to Hell, God damn me; and so
there needs no more Arguments, by God, for
I've told you my Mind, and here's all the Ship's
Crew for Witnesses, that if I do blow your
Brains out, you may blame no Body but your
self, God damn ye."

Fearing Atkinson might talk and plan with some of
the other pressed seamen, Fly forbade him to engage in
any sort of conversation with them. And as a further pre-
caution he ordered a hammock swung in the cabin in

WILLIAM FLY, HANGED IN BOSTON 61

which the former master of the Boneta could sleep.

The sloop Rachel was next encountered. Captain
Samuel Harris had fifty Scotch-Irish passengers aboard,
bound for Pennsylvania. Captain Fly had the sloop
boarded. A day later the pirates after taking and forcing
James Benbrook, allowed it to proceed.

Captain William Fly now desired to sail northward
toward the island of Martha's Vineyard, where he in-
tended to procure water and rest, before his voyage to the
Guinea coast. Atkinson was the navigator, however, and
purposely carried the Fame's Revenge off the coast and
out into the bay. Fly finally realized that Atkinson was
misleading him.

"God damn you," shouted Fly, "you are an obsti-
nate villain." Pulling out a pistol, Fly was about to fire
it at Atkinson when pirate Mitchell stepped in and pleaded
with Fly, thus saving the life of Atkinson.

The next encounter of the pirate ship was the fishing
schooner James, then sailing near Brown's Bank, located
about two hundred miles off Cape Ann. The pirate hoisted
his black flag and fired a shot across her bows, whereupon
Captain George Girdler of the James went aboard the
pirate vessel. As they were on the fishing grounds, several
other schooners soon came in sight, and Fly decided to
divide his men in an attempt to make more captures. As
later events proved, this was Fly's fatal mistake, for when
he sent six of his pirates aboard the James to follow the
fishermen, there were only three of his buccaneers aboard
the Fame's Revenge, one of whom was in irons for sus-
pected mutiny!

Atkinson's golden opportunity was now at hand. He
had already indulged in certain preliminary conversa-

62 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

tions with Samuel Walker and Thomas Streator, and the
former revealed Atkinson's plans to Benbrook. Almost a
dozen forced men were aboard the Fame's Revenge,
When several other sails were seen in the distance, Atkin-
son knew the hour to strike had come. Captain Fly kept
his arsenal of guns and cutlasses aft on the quarter deck
with him, but when Atkinson and the others called ©ut in
glowing terms about the new sails which they sighted on
the horizon, Captain Fly finally overcame his usual cau-
tion to walk forward toward the bow, where he might see
for himself. This proved his undoing.

"If you were but here, Sir, with your glass, ahead,
you would easily see them all," Atkinson called from the
bow, whereupon Fly walked to the windlass, sat down on
it, and with his telescope scanned the seas. As he sat there
Benbrook and Walker came up behind him, suggesting
that he focus his attention a point or two to one side.
Meanwhile, Atkinson quickly ran aft, reaching the arsenal
where he obtained a brace of guns. At a given signal Ben-
brook and Walker grabbed Fly, broke the captain's sword
and pinioned his arms. Atkinson rushed back to the three
men, where at gun point he called upon Fly to surrender
at once, or else he would be a dead man.

When Pirate Grenville showed his head above the
companion hatchway, Atkinson promptly broke his skull
with his pistol butt. The other pirates were quickly sub-
dued and put in irons, thus giving the ship to the forced
men. When confined by the side of his three confederates,
Fly began to curse as only he could. It is said his swearing
and blasphemy far exceeded all his previous records. Bat
it was of no avail this time, and four days later the Fame's
Revenge sailed in by Nix's Mate, where Fly was later to

WILLIAM FLY, HANGED IN BOSTON 63

be gibbeted, and anchored in Boston Harbor. The four
buccaneers were still in irons below deck.

One of the great events of Boston's pirate history
began on the following July 4th when the sailors were all
brought to trial in what is now the old State House. The
Admiralty Court had as its presiding officer Lieutenant-
Governor William Dummer, and diarist Samuel Sewall
was one of the Admiralty Court judges in the proceedings.

Captain Atkinson was tried first. As there was no
question of his innocence, Atkinson was acquitted at once.
Joseph Marshall and William Ferguson of the James then
came before the magistrates. They also were quickly
freed. Next to face the Admiralty Court were the six men
who had been forced from the John and Betty. After their
statements had been given, they were permitted the right
to walk out of court as free men. Three other sailors were
interrogated, Edward Apthorp of the John and Hannah,
Moris Cundon, helmsman on the Elizabeth, and James
Benbrook, who had helped seize Fly. All were acquitted.
The fate of Walker, Benbrook's fellow conspirator is not
apparent.

As was the custom, the four known pirates were the
last to be tried. Fly had been planning his defence in the
meantime. As Mitchell and his mates had not been heard
from since they sailed away in search of the fishermen off
Brown's Bank, Fly decided to blame him for all his
troubles.

"I can't charge myself with Murder," he said. "I
did n©t strike or wound the Master or Mate. It was Mitchell
did it." Regardless of this statement, the Court's judg-
ment was that he should die. Samuel Cole, pirate quarter-
master, was next heard. He was father of seven children.

64 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

A month before, Cole had been suspected by Fly of mutiny
and given a terrible lashing with one hundred strokes.
Because of this he was still in great agony, but he was,
nevertheless, sentenced to die. George Condick, a young
drunkard, who had never been more than the ship's cook,
was pardoned. Nothing in favor of Henry Grenville, an-
other married man, could be found, so he was sentenced.
Fly, Cole, and Grenville then received their judgment.
They were to be hanged at the usual place of execution,
near what is now fittingly enough the Boston Harbor
Police Station 8.

The Reverend Cotton Mather, without whom no exe-
cution seemed complete in those stirring days, interviewed
the doomed men on July 6, 1726. The results of his inter-
view, together with a sermon preached at that time, he
published in a book called The Vial poured out upon the
SEA. While much of the material is of no importance in
our particular survey, a paragraph or two is of interest.
His speech to the pirates follows:

"Unhappy Men: — Yet not hopeless of
Eternal Happiness: — A Marvellous Providence
of GOD has put a Quickstop to a Swift Carriere
you were taking in the paths of the Destroyer.
But had you been at once cut off in your Wick-
edness, what had become of you? A merciful
God has not only given you a space to Repent,
but has ordered your being brought into a place
where such means of Instruction will be Em-
ploy'd upon you, and such pains will be taken
for the Salvation of your Souls, as are not com-
monly Elsewhere to be met withal, May this

WILLIAM FLY, HANGED IN BOSTON 65

Goodness of God lead you to Repentance: —
Among other and greater proofs of This, you
will accept this Visit, which I now intend you.

We thank you, Syr, replied the pirates."
Somehow, it would seem that the above reply of the
pirates has been changed, perhaps just a little, by the
good minister, when he wrote the account.

Captain William Fly soon behaved in a manner
which justified his record. He shocked Reverend Mr.
Mather by his downright refusal to listen to the sermon
in the Old North Church, a sermon which had been es-
pecially prepared for the pirates, and members of the
congregation were disappointed when he didn't appear.
Captain William Fly stuck by his guns, however, saying
that he did not wish the mob to gaze at him. The other
pirates attended and sat through what was probably a
two hour sermon on the subject, They Dy even without
Wisdom. Tuesday, July 12, arrived, the date of the exe-
cution. The usual thousands of spectators had thronged
to Copp's Hill from the entire countryside around the
leading seaport of America to watch the pirates die. At
about three o'clock that afternoon the doomed men
climbed to the wooden platform where three black-
gowned ministers from the town offered lengthy prayers.
Captain William Fly was determined to go to his
death bravely. He wished to be remembered as one who
did not fear execution. Cotton Mather is the authority for
the fact that Fly carried a Nosegay in his hand, and spoke
to people in the crowd, whenever he found the occasion
opportune. Rowed out to the gallows, "he nimbly mounted
the stage," smiling and joking with those about him. The

66 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

hangman, evidently a new man, fumbled with the knots
while preparing the trap, and Fly reproached him for
"not understanding his Trade, and with his own hands
rectified matters," according to Mather.

The Boston News-Letter, number 1172, for the week
of July 7 — 14, 1726, carried an account of the occasion,
which we reproduce:

"On Tuesday, the 12th Instant, about 3
P. M. were Executed here for Piracy, Murder,
& c. Three of the Condemned Persons men-
tioned in our last, viz. William Fly, Capt.
Samuel Cole, Quarter-Master, and Henry Green-
vill, the other viz. George Condick, was Repriv'd
at the Place of Execution, for a Twelve Month
and a Day, and is to be recommended to His
Majesty's Grace & Favour. Fly behav'd himself
very unbecoming even to the last; however, ad-
vised Masters of Vessels not to be Severe and
Barbarous to their Men, which might be a reason
why so many turn'd Pirates: the other Two
seem'd Penitent, beg'd that others might be
warn'd by 'em. Their Bodies were carried in a
Boat to a small Island call'd Nicks's-Mate, about
2 Leagues from the Town, where the above said
Fly was hung up in Irons, as a Spectacle for the
Warning of others, especially Sea-faring Men;
the other Two were buried there."

WILLIAM FLY, HANGED IN BOSTON 67

Two hundred years later I went ashore on the bar
which surrounds the granite wall and pyramid now known
as Nix's Mate, and carefully explored the shifting sands,
rocks, and silt which comprises part of what is left of the
pirate inland. After several days of searching and digging
I located what probably was the spot where Fly was gib-
beted, for a fragment of the iron band and several links
of chain were uncovered. This was all that could be found
which recalled in any way the nefarious and villainous
Captain William Fly, who, according to Dow and Ed-
monds, "only wanted skill and power to become as in-
famous as any who had scoured the seas."

PHILIP ASHTON, WHOSE STORY
SURPASSES ROBINSON CRUSOE

We should not trust in ourselves, but in
God who delivered us from so great a Death,
and doth deliver; in whom we trust, that he will
yet deliver us.

The passage above, taken from the Bible, was placed
on the title page of a small book written about the strange
adventures of Philip Ashton of Marblehead, Massachu-
setts, who was captured by the pirates, forced to become
one himself, eventually escaping from them, and who
finally returned to Marblehead after many months of
hardships and suffering.

This young Marblehead sailor began his adventures
while with the fishing fleet then in waters off Cape Sable.
At that time, 1722, it was customary for the entire fleet
to stop fishing on Friday afternoon and sail into Port
Roseway, near what is now Shelburne, Nova Scotia, to
await the Sabbath and properly observe it there. Philip
Ashton was aboard a shallop which entered Port Roseway
late that Friday afternoon, June 15, 1722. Besides the
usual number of fishermen in the harbor, he noticed a
brigantine, which he incorrectly assumed to be an inward
bound West Indiaman. After Ashton's shallop had been
at anchor for a few hours, a boat from the brigantine
came alongside his fishing vessel. Suddenly the men in
the boat jumped aboard, pulling cutlasses and pistols

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 69

from under their clothing, and soon overcame the aston-
ished fishermen on the shallop's deck. Time after time
they repeated this identical maneuver, until over twelve
fishing vessels anchored in the harbor had been captured.
A worse shock was in store for the fishermen, how-
ever, for when they were brought aboard the brigantine,
they found that it was commanded by none other than
the infamous villain, Captain Edward Low, whose ad-
ventures are given elsewhere in this volume. Philip Ash-
ton was soon sent for, and he went aft to meet the great
pirate. Confronted by the man whose name alone was
enough to strike terror in the hearts of all honest sailors,
Ashton was asked to sign articles and come along on a
voyage. In his own words, Philip Ashton tells us what
then occurred:

"I told him, No ; I could by no means con-
sent to go with them, I should be glad if he
would give me my Liberty, and put me on board
any Vessel, or set me on shoar there. For indeed
my dislike of their Company and Actions, my
concern for my Parents, and my fears of being
found in such Bad Company, made me dread
the thoughts of being carried away by them; so
that I had not the least Inclination to continue
with them."

Of course, when Ashton refused to join up and sign
articles with Captain Low, he was roughly handled and
thrown down into the hold. While in the hold he heard
the various crews of the fishing fleet brought over to the
brigantine, one by one, and realized that there was little
hope of assistance from the other vessels. The next day

70 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

about thirty or forty of the fishermen who had refused
to join up were placed on Mr. Orn's fishing schooner,
which was turned into a floating prison for the dissenters.

At noon on Sunday Quartermaster John Russel
boarded the schooner and took six of the fishermen away.
They were Nicholas Merritt, and Lawrence Fabens, both
of whom later escaped, Joseph Libbie, who finally beca«me
a pirate and was hanged at Newport, Philip Ashton,
and two other men whose names are not known. The
fishermen were rowed over to the pirate chieftain's flag-
ship, where they lined up on the quarter deck. All of
them were under 21 years of age.

Captain Ned Low approached them, pistol in hand.

"Are any of you married men?" asked Low. The
question, unexpected as it was, struck the listeners dumb
at the moment. The silence infuriated the great pirate,
and he cocked his pistol, shoving it against the head of
poor Philip Ashton.

"You dog," cried Low, "Why don't you answer me?
I shall shoot you through the head unless you . . . tell
me now if you are married or not." Ashton, greatly
frightened, stammered that he was not married, and the
rest of the group also answered that they were still single.
Low then walked away from them. Ashton later found
out that the pirate's concern was due to Low's wife hav-
ing died, leaving a small child, which even then was liv-
ing at Boston.

Later in the day Low again interviewed the six men,
asking them to sign papers, and all six refused. Still later
he had each man sent for, singly, whereupon he asked the
same question. Each fisherman again refused. Then
Philip Ashton was taken below into the steerage, where

STORY ON PAGE 183

CAPTAIN EDWARD LOW OF BOSTON

THE MOST INFAMOUS PIRATE OF ALL

STORY ON PAGE 14

ALICE ROWE SNOW, SHOWING HER SON EDWARD R. SNOW

THE POISON DAGGER TAKEN FROM THE PIRATES BY

HER FATHER, CAPTAIN JOSHUA N. ROWE, IN THE

PHILIPPINES AT ZAMBOANGA

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 73

the quartermaster tried to tempt him with stories of great
riches and wealth. Other pirates gathered about him, and
tried to be friendly, to win his confidence, and asked
him to

"Drink with them, not doubting but that
this wile would sufficiently entangle me, and so
they should prevail with me to do that in my
Cups, which they perceived they could not bring
me to do while I was Sober; but ... I had no
Inclination to drown my Sorrows with my Senses
in their Inebriating Bowls, and so refused their
Drink, as well as their Proposals."
After his final refusal Ashton was taken up on deck
again, where Captain Low threatened him with death
unless he changed his mind. Ashton said that whatever
happened he could not join the pirate band, but finally
Low signed him on anyway as a forced man, together
with the names of all his companions.

The following Tuesday the buccaneers chose a
schooner belonging to Joseph Dolliber of Marblehead as
the new flagship, and all the pirates went aboard her.
With the exception of the six forced men and four others
who had joined from the Isles of Shoals, the prisoners
were sent over to the brigantine and allowed to proceed
to Boston. This was discouraging to Philip Ashton, who
made one final attempt to appeal for freedom. Together
with Nicholas Merrit he went to Low, and the two young
men fell on their knees before the pirate captain, asking
for release. Low scornfully refused, telling them if they
attempted to break away they would be shot. The brigan-
tine soon sailed off, and the forced sailors were alone
with the highwaymen of the sea.

74 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Just as Ashton had given up all thought of deliver-
ance, an accident occurred which gave him hope. One of
the pirates had come back to the ship, leaving a dog on
the beach, and the dog began to howl dismally. Low,
hearing the disturbance, ordered that the dog be brought
out. Two Marblehead boys volunteered to row in and get
him, and nineteen-year-old Philip Ashton decided this
was a good chance to escape. He rushed to the side of
the ship, and was about to jump into the boat, when
Quartermaster Russel caught hold of his shoulder, say-
ing that two men were sufficient to bring out one dog.

Surely enough, the pirates watched the boat land on
the shore and the Marblehead men walk inland away from
it. They never returned, and the pirates lost their boat
as well, while the dog soon wandered off and was not seen
again. Of course, Quartermaster Russel now believed that
Ashton had tried to join the two, knowing that they had
planned to escape, but the truth was that while Ashton
had planned to escape himself, he did not know the other
two had the same objective. Nevertheless, the quarter-
master was so infuriated that he attempted to kill Ashton
then and there.

The buccaneer seized Philip Ashton by the shoulder,
clapped his great pistol against the skull of the boy, and
pulled the trigger; the gun missed fire. Again and again
the quartermaster snapped the pistol, but each time it
failed to go off. Disgusted with his firearm, Quarter-
master Russel went over to the side of the ship. Standing
by the rail, he reset the pistol, pulled the trigger, and
fired the gun successfully into the ocean. The exasper-
ated pirate now drew his cutlass and lunged for the boy.
Terrified, Ashton ran down into the hold, where he cow-

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 75

ered in the midst of a group of the other pirates, and
thus escaped Russel's wrath.

It was a hard lot which lay ahead for the Marble-
head lad, and he soon learned to hide in the hold most
of the time. Once a week, however, he was brought up
under examination and asked to sign articles, and every
time he refused. Thrashed and beaten with sword and
cane after each refusal, Ashton would escape to the hold
as soon as he could to nurse his cuts and bruises for an-
other week. Probably some of the kinder-hearted rogues
took care of this poor lad in their crude way, so that he
was able to get something to eat every day.

But week after week passed without hope, and despair
made Ashton utterly miserable. In his book he speaks of
Low's narrow escape from an encounter with a British
man-of-war in the very harbor of Saint Johns, Newfound-
land, mentioning the seizure of seven or eight vessels the
next day. Later a captured sloop manned by impressed
pirates ran away from Low and was never seen again.
Nicholas Merrit, one of Ashton's Marblehead friends,
was aboard this vessel. The schooner and a captured
pinkie were careened at the island of Bonavista, after
which seven or eight forced men from the pinkie went
ashore to hunt. They never returned to the ship. Ashton
felt that with so many escaping from Low, his chance
would eventually come, and in this he was not mistaken.

A terrible storm caught the pirates shortly after-
wards, and for five days and nights Ashton feared that
they would all go to the bottom. Even the most foul of
the buccaneers was afraid during the fearful tempest, as
Ashton recorded one of the bloodthirsty ruffian's exclaim-
ing in his particular moment of spiritual anguish, "Oh!
I wish I were at Home."

76 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

At last the storm went down, and the pirates headed
for the three islands called the Triangles, located in the
West Indies about forty leagues from Surinam. Captain
Low decided that another careening was necessary. In
heaving down the pinkie, so many hands climbed into the
shrouds that it threw her open ports under water. Low and
the doctor, then below in the cabin, almost drowned, but
managed to get out in time. The vessel went over on her
beam ends in forty feet of water throwing the men into
the sea. As the vessel righted itself, the men climbed
back into the shrouds. The entire hull remained far under
water. It had been a narrow escape for the notorious
Captain Low.

In the excitement two men drowned, and Ashton,
who was a poor swimmer, almost perished before he was
rescued. The pinkie had carried most of the provisions
and the drinking water, both of which were lost, so every
sailor transferred to the schooner, which at once put out
to sea.

Reaching the island of Grand Grenada, eighteen
leagues westward of Tobago, they went ashore for water.
The French on the island suspected them of being in the
smuggling trade, so sailed out to capture Low and his
men. When Low saw them coming, he ordered all the
pirates to their stations, and the French sloop was quickly
seized and made one of the pirate fleet. The buccaneers
captured seven or eight vessels in short order, after which
they took two sloops off Santa Cruz.

Low now desired a doctor's chest, and sent four
Frenchmen ashore at St. Thomas, demanding a chest of
instruments and medicines of the residents with the alter-

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 77

native of having their town sacked and burned. The doc-
tor's chest arrived within 24 hours, and the Frenchmen
who had been prisoners were allowed to sail away in one
of the captured sloops. From Santa Cruz they sailed to
Curacao, but then fell in with two ships, an English man-
of-war and a "Guinea-Man." Low escaped only by sail-
ing over some shallows on which the man-of-war ran
aground. On this occasion Ashton was aboard the
schooner, under command of Quartermaster Farrington
Spriggs. The two pirate vessels separated in the chase,
and Spriggs headed for the island of Utilla, near Roaton.
Having lost Low completely, Spriggs decided to sail up
through the Gulf of Mexico to New England, where he
could increase his small company and reprovision his
schooner.

There were eight forced men out of Sprigg's entire
crew of 22 who secretly plotted to capture the schooner.
The scheme was to get the pirates drunk under the hatches
as soon as the Happy Delivery approached the shores of
New England. The forced men would then sail into the
nearest harbor and throw themselves on the mercy of the
government.

It was a good plan, but the men never had a chance
to try it out. Sailing away from Utilla they fell in with
a large sloop, which bore down on them, opening fire as
it approached. Spriggs did not come about, however, run-
ning for a possible escape instead. Then pirate colors were
hoisted from the sloop. At this the regular pirates aboard
Spriggs' vessel broke out into cheers, for it was none
other than Low's famous ensign which fluttered high above
the stranger's decks. Soon the two old cronies were to-
gether again, and all was well except for the forced men

78 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

whose scheming came to an end. As it was five weeks
since Low and Spriggs had parted, the forced men had
been hopeful that they had seen the last of the villain,
but such was not the case. To make matters worse, one
of the forced men eventually informed on the others.
Spriggs was in favor of shooting them down, but Low
laughed it off.

On returning to the schooner, Spriggs told Ashton
he deserved to be hanged from the yard arm, but Ashton
informed the schooner's captain that his only desire was
to be free of the pirate vessel, and he intended to harm
no one. The incident was soon forgotten.

Low now steered a course for Roatan Harbor, in the
Bay of Honduras. The pirate chieftain quickly went
ashore, where he indulged in drinking and carousing to
his heart's content for a few days while his buccaneers
were occupied in careening and scraping the vessels. The
schooner was loaded with logwood and sent out in charge
of one John Blaze with four men aboard. When Low and
Spriggs, together with many of the pirate leaders, went
off to another island, Ashton's hopes were raised again.
He would try to escape.

Saturday, March 9, 1723, was an eventful and
thrilling day for Philip Ashton of Marblehead. Noticing
the cooper with six men getting ready to row ashore from
Spriggs' vessel, he asked to be taken with them, as he
had not been on land since his capture almost nine months
before. Since the island was desolate and uninhabited,
the cooper finally gave in to the pitiful pleadings of the
lad from Marblehead, and into the long boat jumped
young Philip. As it happened, Ashton had asked the
cooper on the impulse of the moment, and was dressed

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 79

"with only an Ozenbrigs Frock and Trousers

on, and a Mill'd Cap upon my Head, having

neither Shirt, Shoes, not Stockings, nor any

thing else about me; whereas, had I been aware

of such an Opportunity, but one quarter of an

Hour before, I could have provided my self

something better. However, thought I, if I can

but once get footing on Terra-Firma, tho' in

never so bad Circumstances, I shall call it a

happy Deliverance; for I was resolved, come

what would, never to come on board again."

When the long boat landed, Ashton was the most

active worker of all in moving the heavy casks up on the

beach, so when the task was over he naturally went off

by himself as if to rest, strolling along the beach, picking

up stones and shells as we all do along the seashore, until

he was quite a distance from the others. Then he walked

toward the edge of the woods, whereupon the cooper

called out to him, asking where he was going.

"I'm going to get some Coconuts," was Ashton's re-
ply, and soon reached the forest. Once out of sight of the
pirates, he broke out in a keen run, reminding us for all
the world of Stevenson's hero in Treasure Island, for
whom he possibly served as a model.

In the meantime the pirates had filled the water
casks and were ready to return to the ship. Ashton hud-
dled in the dense forest, burrowing into a thicket, while
the cries sounded out around him, calling him back to the
long boat. Of course Ashton kept a discreet silence. After
a long time, the pirates gave up and rowed out to their
ship.

80 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Philip Ashton was thus left alone on a desolate and
uninhabited island. When he was sure the pirates had
left him, Ashton ventured forth from his hiding place,
appearing down on the beach about a mile from the wat-
ering place, where he could observe what went on aboard
the pirate vessels. Five days later they sailed away, leav-
ing him very much alone on the island. His thoughts fol-
low:—

"I began to reflect upon myself, and my
present Condition; I was upon an island from
whence I could not get off; I knew of no Hu-
mane Creature within many scores of Miles of
me; I had but a Scanty Cloathing, and no pos-
sibility of getting more; I was destitute of all
Provision for my Support, and knew not how I
should come at any; . . ."

Ashton walked around the island, estimating it to
be some thirty miles in length. The reader can easily
locate it on any modern map, or chart, situated to the
north of Cape Honduras in Central America. Try as he
would, however, Ashton could find no signs of human
habitation. Later he located a great grove of lime trees,
and near them some broken fragments of earthern pots,
from which he concluded Indians had formerly lived at
the island.

Wild figs, grapes, and coconuts were plentiful, but
Ashton found no way of opening the coconut husks,
although I have seen them split off from their covering
by striking them longitudinally on a sharp rock. Then
he discovered an oval-shaped fruit, larger than an orange,
which was red inside, and contained two or three stones
slightly smaller than a walnut. Fearing he might be

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 81

poisoned. Ashton kept away from them until one day he
chanced upon a group of wild hogs devouring the fruit,
after which he sampled them and found them delicious.
He called them "Mammees Supporters," but when I went
through Panama in 1927 they were known as papayas.
Sundry other fruits and herbs were also discovered by
Ashton, although he avoided the "Mangeneil Apple,"
which he claimed would have killed him.

Deer, wild hogs, lizards, ducks, "Teil," Curlews,
"Galdings," snakes, Pelicans, boobies, pigeons, and par-
rots, with tortoises along the beaches, made up the wild
life at the island of Roatan. Ashton could not take ad-
vantage of the situation, however, for he had no knife or
weapon of any kind, and was without means of making
a fire. But he did discover hundreds of tortoise eggs in
nests which he found on the beach, and grew very fond
of this change in his fruit and vegetable diet. He became
quite a naturalist in observing the habits of the tortoise,
noticing that the creatures lay their eggs in the sand
above the high water mark, depositing them in a hollow
which they dig to a depth of from twelve to eighteen
inches. After they have laid their eggs, the tortoise fills
the hole and smooths over the sand. The eggs, Ashton
found, usually hatch in about 18 to 20 days, after which
the young turtles make a rush for the water.

The giant lizards were as big around as "a Man's
wast," and about twelve to fourteen feet long. Ashton's
first encourter was a terrible experience, for he mistook
it for a log, whereupon it opened its mouth wide enough
"to have thrown a Hat into it, and blew out its Breath
at me." There were smaller serpents on the island, some
of them poisonous, especially a snake called the "Bar-

82 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

ber's Pole, being streaked White and Yellow. But I met
with no Rattle-Snakes there, unless the Pirates," con-
cluded Ashton.

The flies bothered Ashton greatly, in particular the
small black flies. These insects and the mosquitoes were
very bothersome. He found that a certain key located off
the island was free from all flies and insects, but being a
poor swimmer, he had to construct a bamboo life pre-
server to insure his arriving safely at the island.

With his frock and trousers bound to his head, he
swam across, donning his clothes on reaching the island.
Unfortunately he never was able to bring out enough
wood or branches to construct a hut there, or he might
have made the low treeless key his permanent abode. His
new home the young adventurer called the Day Island
and his older residence the Night Island.

One time, however, just as he reached his Day
Island, he was severely hit from behind, and to his aston-
ishment found the shock was caused by a huge shovel-
nosed shark, which had grounded itself in the shallow
water and could not seize him. Later Ashton became more
and more experienced in swimming, but he never forgot
that narrow escape from death.

The greatest trial Ashton had to bear was the lack
of shoes. His bare feet were soon masses of ugly bruises
and cuts from the sticks and stones away from the beach,
and the sharp fragments of shell on the shore itself.
Often he walked along as tenderly as he could, when sud-
denly he would step on a sharp rock or shell which would

"run into the Old Wounds, & the Anguish of it

would strike me down as suddenly as if I had

been shot thro', & oblige me to set down and

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 83

Weep by the hour together at the extremity of

my Pain."

At one time he fell ill, and when in this condition
was attacked by one of the wild boars. Managing to
climb part of the way up a tree, Ashton felt the tusks of
the boar as they ripped through his clothing and tore a
substantial section of the cloth away. The boar then left
the scene. Incidentally, this was the only time a wild
beast bothered him in any way, but it almost proved
fatal. Growing worse instead of better, he despaired of
life itself and in his sickness and unhappiness longed for
the sight of his parents.

The rains began during October and continued for
five months. Throughout this time the air was raw and
cold, similar to that of a New England northeasterly
storm. During these months he wished for fire more than
ever, but was never able to produce it while alone on the
island.

An amazing incident took place in November 1723,
when Ashton sighted a craft of some type approaching
him in the distance. Drawing closer, it resolved itself into
a canoe, with one man paddling it. Ashton, still very
feeble at the time, made no effort to conceal himself. The
canoeist paddled close to shore and observed Ashton at
the edge of the beach. Shouting to the Marblehead sailor,
the canoeist queried him about who he was and what he
was doing. Ashton soon told his story, after which the
stranger, whose name Ashton never found out, came ashore
and shook hands with the sick islander.

It was a happy occasion for poor Philip Ashton
when he could actually see and talk with another human
being. The man, who was English, had been living with

84 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

the Spaniards for the last 22 years, but when, for some
undisclosed reason, they wished to burn him alive, he fled
to Roatan Island. Building a fire for Ashton, for he had
tongs and a flint, the Englishman told the sick Marble-
header that he would paddle out and hunt venison for
him, planning to return in a few days. He gave Ashton
his knife, the tongs and flint, five pounds of pork, and a
bottle of powder before taking his departure three days
later.

Ashton never saw him again, for within an hour
after the canoe disappeared in the distance, a terrific
storm hit the island, and probably drowned the English-
man at sea. A canoe drifted ashore some time later, but
after careful examination Ashton decided it was not that
of the Britisher.

With the aid of the tools and implements which his
friend had given him, Philip Ashton was soon eating a
more balanced diet, and the fire kept him comfortable
during the bad weather. Slowly regaining his strength,
he would walk along the beach, watching the crabs in the
shallow water. Ashton finally developed a manner of
catching them at night, by lighting a torch and wading
waist deep with it in the water. The crabs, attracted by the
light, would hasten to it, whereupon Ashton would spear
them with a sharpened stick he carried in his other hand.

Growing stronger daily, Ashton made plans which
involved the canoe he had found on the beach. He then
thought himself "Admiral of the Neighbouring Seas,"
and decided to make a tour of some of the more distant
islands. Storing up a supply of grapes, figs, tortoise, and
other eatables, with his precious flint box safely packed
away, he set out for the island of Bonaca, some six

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 85

leagues westward.

Approaching the distant land, Ashton noticed a sloop
off the eastern shore, so pulled his craft up on the beach
at the western end of Bonaca. Making his way overland,
he walked to the other side of the island, but could not
make out the sloop. Tired from his journey, he sat down
at the foot of a large tree located near the shore and went
to sleep.

Suddenly awakened by gunfire, he jumped to his
feet to find nine large canoes, filled with Spaniards, com-
ing up on the beach in front of him, with several of the
men discharging their guns at him. He ran for the nearest
thicket, whereupon they all landed and went after him.
But he was adept at concealing himself by this time, so
after searching for several hours, the Spanish sailors
paddled away from the vicinity, and Ashton went down
on the shore. He noticed the tree where he had fallen
asleep, and saw that there were several bullet holes un-
comfortably near where his head had been. It took him
three days to return to his canoe, for his rush into the
thicket had opened up his old wounds. But he found the
canoe unharmed, and was soon paddling away from the
island. His experiences while there made him eager to
return to Roatan Island, which he reached without acci-
dent.

Seven long months then passed. Finally, in June
1724, when he was out on his Day Island off the shore,
two large canoes approached, and the men aboard noticed
the smoke from Ashton's fire. Ashton fled to the Night
Island in his canoe at once. Glancing back, he saw that
the canoes were slowly following ashore, indicating that
they were as afraid of Ashton as he was of them.

86 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Observing their extreme caution, Ashton decided
they could not be pirates, so went openly down on the
shore to find out what he could. The visitors then leaned
back on their oars and paddles and asked Ashton who he
was.

"I told them I was an English Man, and
had Run away from the Pirates. Upon this they
drew something nearer and enquired who was
there besides my self; I assured them I was
alone . . . They told me they were Bay-men,
come from the Bay [Honduras]. This was com-
fortable News to me; so I bid them pull ashoar,
there was no danger."

They first sent one man ashore, whom Ashton went
down to meet. When the visitor saw such a "Poor, Rag-
ged, Lean, Wan, Forlorn, Wild, Miserable, Object so
near him" he started back, frightened from the shock,
but on recovering shook hands with Ashton, who em-
braced him with joy. Then the sailor picked poor Ashton
up in his arms and carried him down to the canoes, where
the entire company soon surrounded him in wonderment.
When Ashton told them he had been living on the
island for sixteen months, the group were amazed. After
they gave Ashton a small amount of rum, he fell down
insensible, overcome by the effects of the drink to which
he was unaccustomed, but he revived slowly and later was
as well as could be expected.

The Bay men told him that they had fled from the
Spaniards, who, they feared, were about to assault them.
They soon moved everything ashore, and within a short
time had erected a substantial dwelling a little distance
away on one of the wind-swept keys. They named this new

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 87

home the Castle of Comfort. Ashton recovered his strength
and spirits aided by the presence of so many human be-
ings around him, and was soon joining in hunting expedi-
ditions. He made a good friend of an old man the Bay
men called Father Hope, who told him of his many ex-
periences, finally revealing that he had buried a small
treasure chest in the woods.

Six months later, however, the pirates appeared. At
the time, Ashton had gone over to Bonaca to hunt with
three other men. Returning one night to Roatan Island,
they were surprised at the sound of heavy firing, and on
coming into the moonlit harbor they noticed that a large
vessel was besieging the "Castle of Comfort". Taking
down their sail as rapidly as possible, the four islanders
rowed out of the harbor, but unfortunately they had been
detected. Soon a canoe was chasing them, with eight or
ten men in it. Drawing closer to the fleeing men, the in-
vaders discharged a swivel gun mounted in the bow of
the canoe. The shot landed in the water ahead.

The attacking party were actually pirates from
Spriggs' vessel, the same from which Ashton had escaped.
Reaching shore before the buccaneers could catch them,
the islanders fled into the woods. The disappointed pirates
landed on the beach taking the canoe which the men had
left on the shore, and then departed from the island.
Ashton described what happened when his friends sur-
rendered:

"Accordingly they took all the Men ashoar,
and with them an Indian Woman and Child;
those of them that were ashoar abused the
Woman shamefully. They killed one Man after
they were come ashoar, and threw him into one

88 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

of the Baymens Canoes, where their Tar was,
and set Fire to it, and burnt him in it. Then they
carried our People on Board their Vessels,
where they were barbarously treated."
Learning of a treasure in the woods which had been
hidden by old Father Hope, the pirates beat Hope un-
mercifully until he revealed the location. They found the
treasure and took it away with them. Before leaving, the
pirates gave the Bay men a craft of about five tons to sail
to the Bay in, but made them promise not to communicate
with Ashton or his group. Then the pirates sailed away
for good.

Father Hope decided a bad promise was better broken
than kept, so came at once to the hiding place of Ashton
and his friends, where a conference was held on plans
for the future. All except Ashton, John Symonds, and a
negro belonging to Symonds wished to leave at once for
the Bay. Ashton at first was tempted to go, but decided
that the chances for a ship were better at the island.
Farewells were made, and the Bay men left in their small
craft.

The season was now approaching for the Jamaica
Traders to sail in the vicinity, and as Bonaca was a fa-
vorite watering place for the traders, the three men went
over to the other island. On the fifth day they were there
a great storm came up, which blew hard for three days,
and when the worst of the gale had passed, Ashton noticed
a large fleet of vessels standing for the island's harbor.
The larger vessels anchored off, but a brigantine came in
over the shoals, making for the watering place. Three
Englishmen, as Ashton could tell by their dress, rowed a
long boat into shore, so Ashton ran down on the beach.

ASHTON, WHOSE STORY SURPASSES CRUSOE 89

Seeing the queer apparition, the men stopped rowing and
asked Ashton who he was. He joyfully answered, "An
English man run away from pirates!" They were sat-
isfied, and came to the beach. Ashton soon found that the
ships were the British man-of-war Diamond, with a fleet
of traders in convoy, bound to Jamaica, and that they
were ashore to get fresh water, as many sailors were very
sick aboard ship. After a short time Mr. Symonds showed
himself. He had been careful to keep out of sight for fear
of alarming the sailors.

Ashton found that a chance of a trip home presented
itself when the brigantine proved to be from Salem, Mas-
sachusetts, less than three miles from his father's home!
The master of the brigantine, Captain Dove, was short-
handed, and signed Ashton on at once. It was a sad fare-
well with Symonds which Ashton experienced on the
beach a few days later, but as Ashton says: "I was forced
to go thro' for the Joy of getting Home."

One can imagine the thoughts that passed through
Ashton's mind on the sail up through the Gulf of Florida,
and finally the thrill which ran through his body when the
brigantine first came abeam of Halfway Rock and headed
for the passageway between Baker's Island and the Mis-
eries. He had been away from home two years, ten
months, and fifteen days. As soon as the ship landed, he
journeyed at once to his home in Marblehead, where his
family who had long ago given him up for lost, joyously
greeted him.

Thus ends a remarkable story of Philip Ashton, who
saw adventuresome days over two hundred years ago,
when the pirates of the high seas almost ended his career
on many occasions. When he had recovered his health

90 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

and strength, Ashton related his experiences to the Rev-
erend John Barnard, who had preached a timely sermon
in honor of the boy's return, choosing as his text, "God's
Ability to Save His People from All Danger." No reader
can claim that Barnard did not have a good subject for
his sermon that Sunday morning.

THOMAS POUND, WHO ESCAPED
THE HANGMAN'S NOOSE

Shortly before midnight on the night of August 8,
1689, the dim outlines of seven persons could be seen as
they passed along Bull's Wharf in Boston, today the busy
city terminal of the South Station. The leader of the group
was Thomas Pound, Boston Harbor cartographer and
pirate unique, who was soon to take an unusual part in
the attempt to help Sir Edmund Andros escape from New
England.

Looking back over the 255 years which have passed
since the event, one finds the history of the Boston rebel-
lion against Sir Edmund Andros blurred and confused
in many places, and Thomas Pound's part is as difficult
to understand as any other.

Sir Edmund Andros, Governor of the Dominion of
New England, was captured and imprisoned by a group
of citizens on April 18, 1689, shortly after the arrival of
news that King James II had been deposed from his
throne. As nearly as can be ascertained, Pound and his
friends gathered at the Bull Tavern that August evening
for the express purpose of working out a scheme to help
Andros make a successful escape. Their plan apparently
was to sail out of Boston and capture ships and supplies
while off the coast in an effort to give the government
frigate Rose an excuse to sail out and pursue the pirate
ship. As the Rose would actually be manned by Andros
sympathizers, the two ships were to unite and sail for
Rhode Island, where the governor expected to flee. With

92 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Andros aboard, the two vessels would then sail for France
where Andros could come to the aid of his deposed leader.
One must go back a few years into Massachusetts
history to understand the events of the period. The reader
may recall that the Massachusetts Bay Charter of 1629
was voided in 1684. The people on losing their control
over the colonial government became greatly dissatisfied
with the general situation as time went on. In November
1685, Edward Randolph, the unpopular collector of cus-
toms, left England in the Rose frigate, which was com-
manded by Captain John George. Randolph was carry-
ing a commission for Joseph Dudley to become the Pres-
ident of the Council for New England. In the Colonial
Society's Publications John H. Edmonds tells us of the
occasion :

"Randolph notes that Captain George was
a civil person, that the Rose was the biggest
first rate [ship] yet one of the worst for sailing
and had six months provisions aboard. This the
Rose surely needed, as she did not arrive at
Nantasket until May 14, 1686 . . . Dudley and
his Councillors were duly installed, but Ran-
dolph, as godfather to the new government, nat-
urally tried to keep things in his own hands,
but with ill success."

Randolph soon found that he was going to have con-
siderable trouble in his position of "godfather." Presi-
dent Dudley granted his own son, a minor, the post of
Clerk of the County Court, giving him three-quarters of
the gratuities of Randolph's secretarial office, while Cap-
tain George started a scandal about Randolph's wife, and
challenged Randolph to a duel. The duel, however, was

POUND, WHO ESCAPED THE HANGMAN 93

not fought, as friends of both parties interceded. The
arrival of the frigate Dartmouth from Bermuda did not
help matters because the master became involved in a
quarrel with Randolph almost at once. Although the duel
had been avoided, a rough and tumble light actually did
develop on one of Boston's main streets between Captain
George and Captain Saintlow of the Dartmouth on one
side and Randolph and his constable on the other. Not
only were there troubles of a personal nature; the polit-
ical situation was going from bad to worse.

Matters became so serious that Sir Edmund Andros
arrived from England as the new Governor in December
1686. The following May he sent Captain George to
cruise aboard the Rose as far north as Pemaquid, keeping
a watchful eye for pirates and the like. Thomas Pound,
who was an expert cartographer and mariner in his own
right, was appointed pilot for the expedition and con-
tinued in this capacity off and on through the years 1687
and 1688.

The first news of the entry of William of Orange
into England as the new king reached America in Jan-
uary of 1689, when Sir Edmund Andros was at Pemaquid
with 1,000 soldiers. Andros immediately ordered all
men under him along the coast to be alerted for possible
invasion. He returned to Boston later, and on April 4 the
royal proclamation of William of Orange arrived in town,
and was reprinted by Richard Pierce.

Sir Edmund Andros tried hard to suppress the pub-
lication of this proclamation, putting Pierce in jail as a
penalty for printing it. But the news became generally
known, and the inhabitants began a rebellion against
Andros. Captain George of the Rose was ashore at the

94 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

time, and the citizens quickly seized him. The ensigns
fluttered to the breeze on the beacon atop Beacon Hill as
a signal for the men of Charlestown to cross over to Bos-
ton at once. Both Dudley and Andros were made pris-
oners. Fearing he might help Andros escape, the rebels
would not release Captain George.

Out on the frigate Rose Lieutenant David Condon
was preparing to shell Boston, but the townspeople no-
tified him that they were holding Captain George as a
hostage, and if one shot was fired from the frigate, George
would be executed at once. The next day four strong-
holds trained their guns on the frigate — the North and
South Batteries, Castle Island, and Fort Hill. Lieutenant
Condon saw the hopelessness of further resistance and
allowed the frigate to have her topmasts struck. Her sails
were carried ashore as a precaution, with the crew, one
by one, declaring their allegiance to King William and
Queen Mary.

Word finally came from England that William and
Mary had acceded to the throne, and most Bostonians
breathed easier. But there was still bitterness about the
frigate Rose, for when pirates were reported off the coast
and it was suggested the Rose be refitted to chase them,
objections were made on the grounds that Captain George
was not loyal to their new majesties. The townspeople
still thought it dangerous to permit him to sail out of the
harbor.

Most evidence which can be found points to the prob-
ability that Captain Thomas Pound and Captain John
George agreed to a scheme whereby Pound would pre-
tend to become a pirate, making so much trouble near
Boston Harbor that the town would have to send Captain

POUND, WHO ESCAPED THE HANGMAN 95

George aboard the frigate Rose in pursuit of him. Then
Pound and George would join forces to sail to Rhode
Island, where Sir Edmund Andros would be waiting after
his escape from Boston's Castle Island.

Governor Edmund Andros escaped from Castle
Island on August 3 according to plan, and Thomas Pound
and his crew made their way from Bull's wharf five days
later, as we have already related. Pound, not knowing
that Andros had by that time been captured, sailed away
believing the scheme would be successful.

Early on the morning of August 10, 1689, a Ber-
muda-type vessel with the pretended pirates aboard
anchored off the shores of Lovell's Island in Boston Outer
Harbor, where a small boat from the island was expected.

Thomas Hawkins, who actually owned the ship, was
now told by Pound to await the arrival of the small boat,
Originally, Hawkins had merely agreed to sail to Nan-
tasket with Pound and his group, but once under way,
Pound took over the vessel and there was nothing Haw-
kins could do about it. Finally the noise of a boat being
pulled over the rocks was heard, and one of the men in
Pound's crew shouted out, "There they are!" Soon the
small boat came alongside with five heavily armed men,
who climbed aboard.

Pound ordered all the fishing casks thrown over-
board, and an easterly course set. The Brewster Islands
faded away in the distance as the coast was left far be-
hind. By this time Hawkins realized that Pound was bent
on a piratical cruise, and he seems to have been forced
to serve as sailing master, while Pound commanded the
expedition.

The first vessel which the pirates encountered was a

96 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

small fishing sloop, commanded by Captain Isaac Prince
of Hull, who was then about ten leagues off the Brewsters.
Hawkins hailed the sloop, asking him for eight penny
worth of fish and three or four gallons of water. As the
exchange was made, fisherman Prince noticed that Haw-
kins did not bring his vessel alongside, but held his craft
bow-on by the quarter of the fishing craft. Evidently
Pound did not wish Prince to see the extra men aboard
his vessel.

Some of Prince's crew, however, noticed ten or
twelve sailors lurking out of the way on the sloop, so
Captain Prince asked Hawkins where he was bound.

"Billingsgate," replied Hawkins.

"How come you are so far to the northward," asked
the astonished Prince.

"It's all one to me," replied Hawkins, and the two
vessels soon parted. When Prince reached Boston he re-
ported the incident at once.

After parting with the sloop, Hawkins reached the
vicinity of Half Way Rock off Salem, where he fell in
with the ketch Mary, commanded by Captain Helen
Chard, homeward bound with a cargo of fish. Hawkins
boarded the ketch and seized the wheel, announcing that
he was taking the vessel. After a few days, Hawkins and
the pirate crew transferred to the ketch, and allowed the
captain and two men to go free. John Darby willingly
joined the pirates, while another lad was forced. Chard
noticed one of the pirates limping quite a bit, and recog-
nized him as a former acquaintance. Thomas Johnson,
the "limping privateer," was a well-known waterfront
scoundrel of Boston.

Chard arrived at Salem the following Monday with

POUND, WHO ESCAPED THE HANGMAN 97

the news that the pirates had taken his ketch. Promptly
a vessel manned by North Shore militia sailed out in
search of the Mary, but came back to port without having
sighted the pirates at any time.

There was a good reason why the pirate ketch was
not sighted, for by that time she was well on her way up
the coast, bound for Casco, Maine. Anchoring in Casco
Bay some four miles below the fort there, three of the
pirates went ashore in a long boat to Fort Loyal. While
two of the men filled their water casks, the third, John
Darby of the Mary, reported to the fort's commander that
the ketch had been taken off Cape Sable and robbed by a
privateer.

John Darby also gave certain details of an encounter
in which Captain Chard had been injured, saying that a
doctor was needed aboard. When the physician arrived
on the pirate vessel he did not find Captain Chard, but he
received a proposal that he become the pirate doctor, and
sail with the Boston buccaneers on the high seas. This
exciting life appealed to him, but the fort physician,
although agreeing to recruit for the pirates, finally lost
his nerve and did not accept. When he went ashore, he
told several stories about what was going on aboard the
pirate ketch, thus being responsible for numerous ver-
sions of the event.

The doctor communicated with the soldiers at Fort
Loyal in a manner to arouse the suspicions of the com-
manding officer, who placed a special guard around the
fort. Unfortunately, the very men chosen were those who
later escaped, seven soldiers in all. As soon as the fort
was quiet for the night, these guards robbed the other
sleeping men of everything they could, then took all the

98 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

ammunition and a brass gun. Arriving aboard the ketch,
the soldiers from Fort Loyal joined up with the pirates.
Fort Loyal, left without ammunition and poorly manned,
was attacked and captured by the Indians the following
spring, with the women, children, and wounded soldiers
slaughtered in cold blood.

Pound's delay in leaving the bay when the wind
failed gave Commander Davis a chance to send out a
canoe to demand the return of the deserting soldiers.
Ignoring the request, Pound went ashore on an island
whence he took a calf and three sheep, after which he
sailed for Cape Cod, capturing the Nantucket-bound sloop
Goodspeed in sight of Race Point, where the lighthouse
stands today. The pirates swapped ketch for sloop, and
then asked Captain John Smart of the Goodspeed to sail
for Boston at once with the message to the government
there that if the government sloop sailed out after them
it would "find hott work for they wd die every man be-
fore they would be taken."

Of course, Pound expected the Rose frigate to come
out in response to his dare, but instead the government
sent out the sloop Resolution. The sloop never did fall in
with the pirates. Meanwhile Pound had sent Hawkins
ashore with some men at Cape Cod to obtain fresh meat
and they returned with four pigs. After this they sailed
for "Martyn's Vineyard Sound" sighting a brigantine at
"Homes Hole." Pound ran up his pirate emblem, and
Captain John Kent of Newbury surrendered his vessel,
the Merrimack. The Merrimack was allowed to sail away
after Pound had robbed it of food and supplies.

Pushed by a northeaster into Virginia waters, Pound
sailed up the York River. Here Pound and Hawkins went

POUND, WHO ESCAPED THE HANGMAN 99

ashore, where they met two likely fellows who joined up
with the pirates, bringing aboard a negro lad and several
articles of value. When Pound sailed away, he noticed
another sloop following which the pirates quickly out-
distanced. Soon the stranger tacked and returned to the
James River.

Once again Pound headed for the Massachusetts
coast, although by this time he must have known that any
chance of carrying Sir Edmund Andros to France or of
enticing the Rose frigate to come out was merely wishful
thinking. Whatever reason he had to start his piratical
cruise, he was now an adjudged pirate, a rover on the
high seas who was a menace to all honest sailors.

Reaching Naushon Island in Vineyard Sound, the
pirates went ashore at Tarpaulin Cove to fill their water
casks. Hawkins went aboard a Salem bark also at anchor,
trading the negro and some sugar for an anchor and
money. Later in the week Pound chased a small ketch into
Martha's Vineyard Harbor, where the inhabitants helped
defend the ketch against the pirates, who finally gave up
and sailed away. In the fight Thomas Hawkins had been
recognized by several Boston sailors, who told him that if
he ever came to Boston he would be hanged.

Pound reached Race Point again, where Hawkins,
who had been brooding over his fate, went ashore and
deserted the ship, telling the others that he had been
worrying about being recognized at Tarpaulin Cove. This
had shaken him so much that he had decided to jump ship
at once, hoping that if he kept out of sight for a while he
might be forgotten.

Hawkins was due for a rude awakening, for he fell
in with some native fishermen from Nauset, Massachusetts,

100 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

to whom he told his hard luck story of escaping from
Pound and the other pirates. The fisherman grabbed him
quickly, took all his money and valuables, and then left
him to perish. The next person Hawkins encountered
was a Portuguese whaler named Captain Jacobus Loper,
who was then planning a voyage to Boston.

Explaining to the captain that he had originally in-
tended to go to St. Thomas for a privateering commission
when he had sailed away from Boston, Hawkins told
Loper how he had been tricked. When Captain Loper
asked how they could possibly have reached the West
Indies in that small Bermuda boat, Hawkins became em-
barrassed and was silent. In the Boston Court House
Loper's testimony still exists, deep in the records of the
Suffolk Court Files.

[undated]
I Jacobus Loper aged forty years testi-
fieth that in the time of my bring Thomas haw-
kins to boston prison from his pyracy heard
him say that noset [Nauset] men ware a pasel
of Roughes & that if he got Cleer at boston that
he would be Revenged on them for thaire base
dealing for said he they be wors pirts then
pounds & Johnson . . . then sd I did you meen
to Goe theather [to the West Indies] with your
lettel boate: he was upon this Surprised &
wholly Silent: I ferther told him that it apeerd
by his words that he would first take a biger
vessell as he before said & did: & that he was
a fool & would hang him self by his much dis-
corce then he answered, by God they kant hang
me for what has bin don for no blood has been

POUND, WHO ESCAPED THE HANGMAN 101

shed to the above truths I subscribe
Jacobus Loper

Realizing that Hawkins was not returning to the
pirate vessel, Captain Pound sailed away shortly after-
wards. Soon the buccaneers fell in with a Pennsylvania
sloop, which they chased for a considerable time, finally
taking her "under" or south of the Cape. Pound let her
go after trying to get salt pork from the cargo, and then
captured the sloop Brothers Adventure, which supplied
the hungry pirates with the food they were after. Three
barrels of beef, a good quantity of peas, corn, butter, and
cheese, with thirty-seven barrels of salt pork made up
the booty.

Now able to make his cruise into southern waters,
Pound anchored at Tarpaulin Cove again making final
preparations for a voyage. Unknown to him, the Gover-
nor in Boston, informed of Pound's whereabouts by Gov-
ernor Matthew Mayhew of Martha's Vineyard Island,
ordered Captain Samuel Pease of the sloop Mary to make
ready for sea in order to capture him. With Lieutenant
Benjamin Gallop and twenty seamen, Pease left Boston
Harbor to go after the pirate and his men.

Sailing southward, they reached Cape Cod the first
week in October and were told that Pound had gone west-
ward. The following Friday definite word reached Pease
and Gallop, then off Woods Hole, that Pound was still
at Tarpaulin Cove. All hands gave a cheer when the in-
formation was released, and the Mary set sail at once to
meet the sea ruffians. Soon the pirate was seen in the
distance, slowly sailing out of the cove. Hoisting the
King's Jack, the Boston sloop approached the pirates,
who then ran up a red flag on their mainmast. A terrific

102 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

fight now ensued.

Captain Samuel Pease shouted across to the pirates
to surrender in the name of the King of England, while
Pound stood on the quarter deck of his vessel flourishing
his sword with great sweeping motions through the air
and dared the others to come aboard. Gunfire now be-
came heavy, the two ships engaging each other as fast as
the weapons could be reloaded. Captain Pease shouted
that quarter would be given if the pirates surrendered,
but his words were met by curses and shouts of anger.
At the height of the battle Captain Pease was seriously
wounded and taken below. With renewed fury his men
continued the conflict. Throwing their grapnels aboard
the buccaneer craft, the Bostonians clambered over to
the pirate vessel. A terrific hand to hand combat began.

It was one of the fiercest and bloodiest duels in the
entire history of piracy, Pound and his followers seeming
to fight with that strange fanaticism which typifies some
defenders of a hopeless cause. Only when every pirate
had either been killed or wounded did the contest end.

Thomas Pound was severely hurt in the side and arm.
Pirate Thomas Johnson was shot in the jaw, and pirate
Eleazer Buck had seven wounds in his arms, while his
comrade John Siccadam had been shot in both legs. A
bullet had entered the ear of pirate Richard Griffin,
knocking his eye out on its passage through his head.
William Warren was severely injured in the head. Every
pirate was wounded, and six were killed: Henry Dipper,
John Darby, John Hill, John Watkins, John Lord, and
James Daniels. The Boston craft also suffered heavily
in killed and wounded. Captain Samuel Pease of the
Mary died of his wounds shortly afterwards, and was

POUND, WHO ESCAPED THE HANGMAN 103

buried at Newport, Rhode Island.

That same night when the prisoners were all securely
shackled, the victors sailed for Newport, where Captain
Pease and several of the wounded were put ashore. The
sloop Mary started for Boston with fourteen wounded
pirates aboard, arriving October 18, 1689.

Boston's new stone jail awaited the arrival of Cap-
tain Pound and his crew. The walls were constructed four
feet thick, with a fine, deep dungeon for dangerous men.
Although no gold or silver had been taken by these un-
usual buccaneers, whose only purpose seems to have been
to lure the government sloops or frigates out in chase of
them, the appraiser made his usual summary of every-
thing brought to Boston. He estimated that the value of
the sloop and all on her amounted to something over 209
pounds. The fight had been a terrific one, as already in-
dicated, with twelve of the fourteen wounded pirates in
serious shape. The doctor was evidently very busy with
the injured men for his bill in administering aid and
comfort to them came to the sizable sum of twenty-one
pounds ten shillings.

Hawkins, the deserter at Cape Cod, had been the first
pirate to reach Boston. Governor Bradstreet and his mag-
istrates examined him on October 4, 1689. He was thrown
back into jail. Tried again on January 9, 1690, Hawkins
was found guilty. Shortly afterwards, Thomas Pound
and the other wounded pirates were brought in. After
a trial lasting several days, on January 17, Thomas
Pound, Thomas Hawkins, Eleazer Buck, and Thomas
Johnson, the limping privateer, were found guilty of
felony, piracy, and murder, and were sentenced to be
hanged.

104 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

As if the end of the trial were the signal for action,
Waitstill Winthrop, one of the magistrates who had tried
the pirates, suddenly decided that the verdict was not a
fair one. Possibly the fact that he was a brother of Adam
Winthrop, who married Thomas Hawkins' sister, might
have had something to do with it.

Magistrate Winthrop visited numerous influential
people of Boston to obtain their signatures on a petition
for a pardon, and himself headed a committee including
Samuel Sewell which appeared before the governor. The
old order, back in power under Governor Bradstreet,
gave Hawkins, Buck, and Pound a respite.

It came near being too late, for by the time the gov-
ernor had agreed to grant a respite, the condemned men
had reached the gallows erected out over Boston Harbor.
The order did not reach the North End until Thomas
Hawkins was actually standing on the scaffolding, with
the fatal hangman's noose adjusted around his neck. Just
as the trap was to be sprung, the messenger reached the
execution pier and stopped the hanging.

Thomas Johnson, the limping privateer, did not
seem to have a single friend among the thousands of
persons in the gathering. His bad record was well known
in Boston. Still, there are those who believed that he was
hanged to satisfy the crowd which had congregated on the
waterfront.

Judge Sewall's ever active conscience bothered him
for helping to free Hawkins. In his diary the jurist says
that some of those in the council "thought Hawkins, be-
cause he got out of the Combination before Pease was
kill'd, might live; so I rashly sign'd, hoping so great an
inconvenience would not have followed. Let not God im-
pute Sin."

STORY ON PAGE 296

MARY READ, THE WOMAN PIRATE

POUND, WHO ESCAPED THE HANGMAN 107

Less than a month later sentence of death was re-
mitted on Thomas Hawkins, William Warren, Daniel
Lander, Richard Griffin, John Siccadam, Eleaser Buck,
and William Dunn, on payment of thirteen pounds six
shillings each. Four days later Thomas Pound was re-
prieved at the request of Epaphus Shrimpton and several
women of quality among whom undoubtedly were Haw-
kins' sisters, then socially prominent. So it proved that
the limping privateer, Thomas Johnson, became the only
pirate of all those who sailed with Pound to pay the ex-
treme penalty on the Boston gallows. Having good family
connections made the outcome safer in those days should
one desire a-pirating-to-go.

After their narrow escape from the hangman's noose,
the men remained in Boston until the following spring.
Thomas Pound and Thomas Hawkins went aboard the
frigate Rose in April 1690. Evidently Hawkins' deser-
tion at Cape Cod had not affected his friendship with
Pound. On the twentieth of that month the Rose sailed
from Nantasket for England. Thomas Hawkins, however,
was never to reach England. The Rose fell in with a
French vessel from Saint Malo, France, on May 24. The
French ship fired a broadside into the English frigate,
and both craft began a terrific engagement. Another
English vessel came alongside and helped to defeat the
French ship, but the battle lasted over two hours with
heavy loss on both sides.

The Rose lost her mizzenmast, and her sails and
rigging were torn and destroyed by the fire of the enemy.
The French vessel fared even worse, for her ports were
so raked that two or three of them were made into one in
several places on her hull. Not less than 100 Frenchmen

108 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

were killed. Nevertheless the French captain was a quick
sailor and escaped. Captain George himself was killed
in the battle, while Hawkins also fell in the encounter.
Pound, however, reached England safely, arriving at Fal-
mouth where he communicated with Sir Edmund Andros,
who had arrived in London. August 5, 1690, Captain
Pound was appointed commander of the frigate Sally
Rose. Later, when Andros became Governor of Virginia,
the erstwhile pirate and his frigate were stationed off the
Virginia coast. The arrangement was probably due to Sir
Edmund's gratitude to the man who went through so much
trouble for him back in the year 1689 when his escapades
as a pirate almost caused his hanging from a Boston
gibbet.

Some years later Captain Thomas Pound, pirate
extraordinary and expert cartographer, retired to lies-
worth, located near the outskirts of London, where he was
accepted as a gentleman by all. In the year 1703 he died,
loved and honored by his neighbors and associates in and
around London. Though the whole truth of his strange
experience as a pirate will probably never be revealed,
it seems probable that his activities were not strictly in
the piratical tradition.

THOMAS TEW OF NEWPORT
AIDED BY NEW YORK'S GOVERNOR

Thomas Tew, grandson of the Richard Tew who
settled at Newport in 1640, appeared at Bermuda in the
year 1691, eager to purchase a share in the sloop Amity,
which was owned by prominent men of Bermuda. He did
not reveal his real plans for buying a share of the vessel,
but bought a part-share in the sloop just as any other
sailing master might have done. Thomas Tew was made
the captain of the Amity. Obtaining a privateering com-
mission, he enlisted a crew of volunteers for a voyage to
the eastward.

Tew had already been a pirate, although his fellow-
owners did not know this. A perusal of the Calendar of
State Papers concerning England's relation with the West
Indies for the year 1699 will reveal the statement of a
man named Weaver, who said that it was "known to.
everyone that he [Tew] had before then [1691] been a
pirate." Another sailor whose connections with Tew had
been of long standing said that Tew was known to have
done much "rambling." Nevertheless, as is often the case,
those who should have been informed of Tew's back-
ground didn't find out until it was too late, and Tew sailed
away from Bermuda in company with another privateer
sloop, both bound for the west coast of Africa. Their
orders stipulated the capture of the French factory of
Goree, on the river Gambia.

When the two vessels were out of sight of land, a
great storm arose. The other sloop sprung her mast, and

110 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

rapidly fell behind. Two days afterwards the gale sub-
sided and the disabled sloop was nowhere in sight. Thomas
Tew took advantage of the situation to call all hands on
deck. Without question, when many of the old timers
filed out of the forecastle they guessed what was to fol-
low, and they were not disappointed. Tew then made his
speech.

"You probably realize that the attack on
the French factory will be of little value to the
public and will give none of us any reward.
There is not any prospect of booty. Speaking
for myself, I took the commission for the sake
of employment, so I am of the opinion we
should turn our thoughts to bettering our con-
dition. If so inclined I shall shape a course
which will lead us to ease and plenty for the
rest of our days."

According to Johnson, who wrote about the pirates
more than two centuries ago, the men were all for Tew
and his piratical plans, shouting, "A gold chain or a
wooden leg — we'll stand by you."

In this manner the buccaneering career of Thomas
Tew was resumed. Setting a course at once for the Cape
of Good Hope, Tew rounded the Cape and some weeks
later reached the Red Sea. As the Amity entered the
Straits of Babelmandeb, a heavily laden Arabian ship
hove in view, carrying 300 soldiers who were guarding
a treasure of gold. Tew surmised that the soldiers' re-
sistance would not be formidable against a bold attack.
Ordering his men to battle stations, Tew sailed into the
Arabian vessel. In spite of her overwhelming superiority
in guns and men, the vessel struck her colors in short

THOMAS TEW OF NEWPORT 111

order. It was a rich prize. When the immense treasure
was counted, every member of the pirate crew received
a share of 3,000 pounds sterling, while the powder cap-
tured was so bulky that much of it had to be thrown over-
board.

Madagascar was the next objective of the pirates.
Located in a pleasantly hot climate, the island offered
such alluring possibilities to the quartermaster and
twenty-three other members of Tew's crew that they de-
cided to leave the ship then and there. Taking their in-
dividual treasures ashore, they bade farewell to their
comrades. Captain Tew now began the long journey back
to America.

Before losing sight of land, however, he fell in with
another ship. Dreams of additional booty prompted him
to hoist the Jolly Roger and fire a gun to windward. The
vessel proved to be the Victorie, which at once hove to
and fired to leeward, a favorite pirate recognition signal.
Tew discovered that he had met the famous pirate, Cap-
tain Mission, who, it was known, had left France some
time before fitted out as a privateer, frequently an inter-
mediate step from merchant sailing to piracy. Mission
had established a veritable island kingdom of pirates at
Madagascar, which he called Libertatia. Certain acts of
pirate Mission at his Utopian settlement compel us to
admit that for some it did mean freedom.

Royally entertained aboard the Victorie, Tew was
won over to the method and plans of his fascinating host.
When it was suggested that he sail along with the Victorie
for a visit to the pirate kingdom, he acquiesced. Follow-
ing pirate custom, he consulted his crew, who proved to a
man to be agreeable to this diversion.

112 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

The harbor of Libertatia was soon reached. As the
two vessels slid in between the outer ledges of the bay
Captain Tew noticed with growing amazement that great
forts guarded the approaches to Mission's island king-
dom. Salute after salute came booming out to them from
the strongholds ashore as they ran for the moorings.
When Tew landed on the beach, the entire pirate com-
pany received him with great kindness and civility. The
more we learn about this interesting piratical experiment,
the more unusual it seems, for when Tew had met all of
the other captains and officers ashore, he was invited to
participate in a stately conference.

The conference was to decide the disposition of
more than 100 prisoners whom Mission had brought in as
captives. Was the decision to be that they would draw
and quarter every tenth man, or force half to become
pirates and hang the others? Nothing so bloodthirsty was
even dreamed of in this piratical Utopia. The prisoners
were examined and divided into two groups, it is true.
Members of the first group were invited to join forces as
fellow pirates, while those who for various reasons were
not to become pirates were placed at work on the new
pier which was being built a half-mile from the mouth
of the harbor!

Tew stayed on for a long time at Libertatia, until
finally it was agreed that he sail out to capture slaving
vessels then operating off the Guinea coast, freeing slaves
so that he could bring them back to Libertatia to work
with equal privileges with the other pirates. Evidently
Mission wished to build up a strong, faithful, independent
island empire free from classes and groups of oppressed
or wronged individuals.

THOMAS TEW OF NEWPORT 113

Captain Thomas Tew's crew when he sailed from
the pirate haven consisted of two hundred men, a mixture
of French, Portuguese, Africans, and Englishmen. Cruis-
ing around the Cape of Good Hope, he sighted a Dutch
East Indiaman of eighteen guns, and soon captured her
with the loss of but one man. There were several chests
aboard bulging with English crowns which Tew appro-
priated as booty. Nine willing Dutchmen were made
members of his crew, while the others were set ashore in
Soldinia Bay.

Cruising along the coast of Soldinia Bay, Tew cap-
tured an English ship which had aboard 240 slaves, some
of whom the Negroes in Tew's crew recognized as rela-
tives. When the slaves were told of the glorious and free
life enjoyed by the pirates at Libertatia, they were all
anxious to reach this happy land and join up with Cap-
tain Mission. As the Negroes accepted the new order of
things, their handcuffs and leg-irons were knocked off,
and they became free men. Arriving at Libertatia, the
strangers were put to work on the construction of the
pier inside the harbor.

Tew's next adventure was on a small sloop, the
Liberty, which mounted eight guns. Accompanying him
on this cruise was a strange character known as the school-
master, who commanded a sloop called the Childhood.
Each of these pirate captains had 100 men under him.
Was this new venture a bloodcurdling voyage of plunder
and pillage, with no quarter given, a cruise across the
ocean highway to India to encounter adventure and seize
rich booty? Decidedly not. These buccaneers were sent
out from the pirate kingdom of Libertatia to chart and
survey the treacherous coast of Madagascar, discovering

114 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

and recording dangerous shoals and possible channels for
future piratical fraternity. The sloops were gone four
months on this humanitarian task, and returned to port
with the job well done.

After his return Tew told Mission that he believed
trade should be established with America. He suggested
that he would be glad to sail across the ocean to arrange
for the purchase of a cargo of ship's stores, luxuries, and
other commodities necessary for the comfort and enjoy-
ment of the pirate kingdom of Libertatia. Captain Mis-
sion agreed to Tew's plan, and the Amity was made ready
for the long journey around the Cape of Good Hope and
across the broad Atlantic. Several American pirates who
wished to return to their respective families at this time
were allowed to sign on.

Tew set his course for the island of Bermuda. A
bad gale which sprung his mast forced him off the course.
After beating about for two weeks he decided to head for
his home at Newport, Rhode Island, which he reached a
week later. One might imagine that Tew would have
feared to go ashore at his Newport home but evidently a
pirate's return was accepted as an ordinary occurrence.
He was received with much respect on arriving ashore,
especially when it was found out that he had been emi-
nently prosperous.

Waiting to hear from him in Bermuda, however,
were the five co-owners of the Amity and included in their
members was one of the Governor's Council! Tew at once
sent a dispatch to them, asking for an agent to come to
Newport to receive their shares of the Amity's trip. When
Captain Starrs, the agent appointed by the Bermuda part-
ners, sailed into Newport Harbor, he discovered that some

THOMAS TEW OF NEWPORT 115

of the money had been buried by Tew, while the rest was
deposited in Boston. Substantial gains were made by all
concerned in the venture, Governor's Councilman William
Outerbridge becoming richer by over three thousand
pounds. Tew was able to bank around eight thousand
pounds for his efforts on the high seas. He brought so
much Arabian gold into Newport that for a time these
sizable coins, worth twice the value of Spanish dollars,
were common not only in Newport but in New York as
well!

Captain Tew journeyed to Boston to apply for a new
privateering commission. He was refused. On his return
to Newport, he obtained what he was after at the cost of
five hundred pounds. Armed with his commission au-
thorizing him to capture French ships, Tew went to New
York, where he located one Frederick Phillips, who de-
clared himself interested in a voyage to Madagascar. The
ship Frederick was outfitted and made ready for sea, and
Tew a few weeks later sailed with a full cargo for the
port of Libertatia, the pirates' happy land. After a rela-
tively uneventful journey he reached the pirate's haven
on the Madagascar coast.

Pleased with Tew's success, Captain Mission wel-
comed him heartily, and the rich cargo of New England
merchandize was brought ashore and distributed. After
the welcome had worn off a little, Captain Mission sug-
gested to Tew that a cruise to the Red Sea might prove
lucrative to them both. For this purpose Mission fur-
nished two large ships manned by 250 men each, and the
voyage began.

Off the Arabian coast the captains, Tew and Mission,
fell in with a ship of the Great Mogul, packed with 1600

116 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

pilgrims on the way to Mecca, their Holy City. Although
the Great Mogul's vessel carried more than one hundred
guns, when the pirates sailed in against them they offered
little effective resistance. In this short encounter not one
of the buccaneers was killed. The pirates now boarded
and examined their prize.

It seems that the lack of suitable women at the pirate
Shangri-La was one of the few things which caused dis-
content among the pirates. When they encountered hun-
dreds of desirable females on board the pilgrim vessel,
certain ideas at once presented themselves. All women
were forced to declare their marital status. The unmar-
ried group were placed in one part of the ship, while the
married women were congregated elsewhere. It was de-
cided that about one hundred unmarried girls between 12
and 18 years old could be accommodated without trouble
back in Libertatia. And despite the pleas and entreaties
of the Mecca-bound Mohammedans, the girls were re-
moved to the pirate vessels.

The return journey to Libertatia began, with the pil-
grim ship in company. On arrival at the Madagascar sea-
port, the pirates examined the Pilgrim ship's hold, where
they located countless treasures in diamonds, rich silks,
and gold. As the ship was not a good sailor, she was
taken apart, and the hundred guns mounted in two bat-
teries near the harbor's mouth. Affairs were now progres-
sing so favorably that even the Swiss Family Robinson
would have been envious. The prosperous pirate colony
was by this time strongly fortified, and a pastoral scene
was being developed in the rear of the village, where
several score acres of land were cultivated. Three hun-
dred head of sturdy black cattle were grazing on the roll-

THOMAS TEW OF NEWPORT 117

ing land nearby, and the great pier had been completed.
Each pirate had chosen his own location for a home,
which was built in such a satisfactory manner that it
accommodated not one but two, three, or four of the wives
of his particular choice.

One beautiful morning some months after Tew had
returned from America, one of the pirate sloops came
sailing into the harbor, chased by no less than five great
ships of the Portuguese navy. It was a dangerous mo-
ment, but the pirates were equal to the occasion. Every
cannon around the entire harbor system of fortifications
was manned within a few precious minutes, and when the
Portuguese ships drew abeam of the first fort, Tew was
in command of every Englishman on the island and Mis-
sion in charge of the others.

All but one of the five warships safely ran past the
outer system of fortifications. But when the Portuguese
reached the inner harbor they received such a merciless
pounding that two of the attackers were immediately sunk.
Devastating fire was poured into the remaining vessels by
the combined efforts of the shore batteries and the pirate
ships in the harbor. A third vessel was boarded and taken,
while the two remaining Portuguese men-of-war, realizing
that the battle was lost, ran for the harbor's entrance to
escape. They made it successfully, although they were
badly damaged, and sailed away. It is said that this en-
gagement became the subject of pirate conversation all
over the world for years to come. The pirate stronghold
on the Madagascar coast had defeated a fleet of the best
ships of the Portuguese Navy!

Tew had acquitted himself well in the fight. As a
reward, he was now made Admiral of the Fleet. Great

118 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

dreams of a powerful piratical empire filled his mind.
He suggested a voyage to the Indian Sea, to gather new
recruits. The Colony, thought Tew, was rich enough, but
needed fresh blood. Leaving Libertatia on board the
flagship Victorie, with 300 of the toughest pirates man-
ning his guns and yards, Tew decided to call on his old
quartermaster who had left the Amity to settle ashore on
another part of the island. The quartermaster was pleased
to see his old captain again, but declined as did the others
in the colony to leave their idyllic settlement where they
were living in comfort and security, with plenty of their
treasure still intact. But he asked Tew to stay for the
afternoon, and had a feast prepared for the occasion.
Meanwhile, a storm arose to churn the waters into a
frightful gale, throwing the Victorie ashore on a rugged
promontory near the settlement. All of the pirates aboard
were drowned in full sight of Tew, who could give them
no assistance.

This sudden change in the fortunes of the Newport
pirate crew came as a shock to Thomas Tew, who was left
without a ship and with no means of communicating with
the home port. When weeks passed without word from
buccaneer Tew, Captain Mission started a search for him.
Two sloops sailed into the quartermaster's harbor some
weeks later, to Tew's great happiness. His joy was short-
lived, however, for while it was Captain Mission, the
pirate leader had news of a tragic nature to give Tew.
After Tew's departure with the 300 men aboard the
Victorie, another pirate vessel, the Bijoux had also left
the settlement with a large force of buccaneers aboard.
Perhaps the camp had contained a spy, for in some way
it became known to the natives that the pirate stronghold

THOMAS 'TEW OF NEWPORT 119

had been seriously weakened by the absence of the two
ships. Seizing the opportunity, the natives secretly pre-
pared to attack Libertatia.

The invasion of the buccaneer stronghold started in
the dead of night. Men, women and children were
slaughtered without mercy, as the natives stormed in upon
them. The weakened garrison proved no match for the
determined Madagascars, who possibly had old scores to
settle. Captain Mission, seeing the way the battle was go-
ing, fled to the waterfront, where he ran aboard a sloop
at the pier. Hoisting sail, he and a small group hastily
sailed out of the harbor. Another sloop later also got
away, but only forty-five pirates survived the native on-
slaught. A substantial amount of diamonds and gold was
brought away in spite of the speed of Mission's departure.

After the pirate captains commiserated with each
other a sufficient time, Tew proposed a journey to Amer-
ica, where they could settle unmolested in either Newport
or New York. But Mission claimed that he was a little
homesick for his family in France, and would return to
the continent before deciding. He gave Tew one of the
sloops, however, and divided his diamonds and gold
with the Newport pirate. The two parted company, Mis-
sion sailing away with a crew of fifteen, while Tew started
from Madagascar with thirty-four Englishmen.

More trouble lay ahead. Running into a violent
storm on the way to the Cape of Good Hope, Captain Mis-
sion's sloop went down within a short distance of Tew's
vessel. The Newporter was unable to save his friend. It
was such a terrific storm that not a single pirate could be
saved from the raging seas, and Tew sailed off after
futile efforts to help.

120 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

The rest of the journey around the Cape of Good
Hope and across the Atlantic to America was more or
less uneventful, the sloop arriving safely in Newport
Harbor a few weeks later. Here Tew divided his gold
and diamonds with the members of his crew, who, it has
been said, hied themselves to Boston, where they ap-
peared publicly on the streets of our sedate Athens of the
New World. Tew, however, settled down quietly at New-
port, where he lived without comment at his island home.
Gradually others of his crew returned to Newport, one of
them, Thomas Jones, marrying Penelope Goulden and
settling in Rhode Island.

The other pirates, as was usual among seafaring
men, soon squandered their wealth, and urged Tew to
make further adventuresome trips for buccaneering gains.
Tew was not anxious to go to sea again, but when other
pirates joined their comrades in an appeal for action,
Tew finally consented to plan another voyage.

A good friend of Thomas Tew was the governor of
New York, Benjamin Fletcher. His honor was not averse
to being seen with a notorious pirate on the streets of
New York, nor did he mind dining him at his palatial
home. Of course, Tew had many dealings in New York,
where he disposed of a large share of his uncut diamonds.
Dow and Edmonds say that Governor Fletcher, like some
other colonial governors, was always ready to turn "an
honest penny," so when Tew presented himself at the
governor's mansion to apply for a privateering commis-
sion to go on the voyage which his crew had urged, Gov-
ernor Benjamin Fletcher readily consented — after the pay-
ment of three hundred pounds had been made, of course.
This occurred on November 8, 1694.

THOMAS TEW OF NEWPORT 121

"Tew appeared to me not only as a man of courage
and activity, but of the greatest sense and remembrance
of what he had seen of any seaman that I ever met with,"
said the governor later. "I wished in my mind to make
him a sober man, and in particular to cure him of a vile
habit of swearing." At the time of this statement Fletcher
was being grilled as to his activity with Tew, and pre-
tended that he had no idea that Tew was a pirate. "Cap-
tain Tew brought no ship into this port," said the gov-
ernor. "He told me he had a sloop well manned and gave
bond to fight the French at the mouth of Canada river,
whereupon I gave him a commission and instructions ac-
cordingly ... It may be my misfortune, but not my crime,
if they turn pirates," concluded the harrassed leader of
New York.

It was not characteristic of Tew to mince words, it
seems, so the governor was probably trying to talk his
way out of a bad situation. While outfitting the Amity in
October 1694, the pirate had told a traveler that he plun-
dered a ship of the Great Mogul the year before, receiving
for his trouble 12,000 pounds, in addition to the thou-
sand pounds which each crew member had for his share.

Sailing from Newport Harbor in the month of No-
vember, 1694, Tew was shortly joined by two other ves-
sels, one a sloop commanded by Captain Wake, an old
pirate pardoned by King James, and the other a brigan-
tine captained by Master Want, Tew's mate on his first
trip. Others who made the voyage included Thomas Jones
of Newport. Tew's fleet was further augmented by the
appearance of Captain Glover in a ship from New York.
By June 1695 the fleet had reached Liparau Island at the
mouth of the Red Sea, where Tew joined the pirate

122 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

armada of the great "Long Ben" Avery. A week later
twenty-five Arab ships passed the pirate fleet in the dead
of night. When Avery heard the news, he started in quick
pursuit. Tew's Amity, unfortunately, could not keep up
the fast sailing pace, so fell behind and was out of the
entire affair. Avery soon came up with a Moorish ship,
from which he took sixty thousand pounds in gold and
silver. Then another ship was sighted, overhauled, and
captured, this time with one hundred and eighty thousand
pounds to be divided.

Whether or not Captain Tew ever heard of the rich
treasure taken from the other Moorish ships is not known,
but he fell in with another one of the fleet some days
later and attacked it. Perhaps his luck had turned, or his
quiet life had made him and the crew soft, for when the
Moors offered unexpected resistance to the Yankee pirates,
Tew realized that he was face to face with defeat. Sud-
denly a shot carried away a portion of his stomach, and
in the words of Captain Johnson, Tew "held his Bowels
with his Hands some small Space; when he dropp'd, it
struck such a Terror in his men, that they suffered them-
selves to be taken, without making Resistance."

And so Pirate Thomas Tew died, far from his native
Newport, where he had planned to live in peace and com-
fort during his declining years.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
WHOSE HEAD WAS PICKLED

John Phillips, whose head was brought to Boston in
a pickle barrel, was a native of England. Working in the
carpenter trade while a young man, he later resolved upon
a sea faring life, shipping on a voyage to Newfound-
land. His vessel was captured and the crew made pris-
oners by the pirate Anstis. Evidently Phillips was soon
attracted to the life of a marine highwayman, because he
signed pirate articles and became carpenter aboard
Anstis' ship.

While sailing off Martinique, Anstis captured the
ship Irwin, commanded by Captain Ross. Phillip's initia-
tion into the brutal side of piracy could not have been
more complete, for he witnessed aboard the Irwin one of
the most fiendish occurrences ever recorded in the annals
of piracy. A woman passenger aboard the Irwin was
seized by a pirate and assaulted. Twenty other pirates
in turn ravaged the girl in sight of the other captured
persons on the Irwin. One of the latter; Colonel William
Dolle of Monserat, forcibly intervened, whereupon he
was terribly abused and severely wounded as well for his
efforts to protect the unfortunate woman. Finally the
pirates bent the poor girl's back until it snapped and then
threw her overboard to her death.

A short time later the pirates decided to try for a
pardon from the English government. The members of
the buccaneer band sailed to the island of Tobago, where
they drew up a round robin, signing their names in a

124 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

circle so that no one signature headed the list. In this
petition they appealed to the King for clemency, claim-
ing to have been forced by the master pirate Bartholomew
Roberts. They further claimed that they loathed and de-
spised the mere thought of piracy, and their only reason
for capturing' vessels was to use them as a means of
escape, and to obtain a pardon.

This unusual message was sent to England aboard a
merchant vessel from Jamaica. Several of the braver
pirates also shipped on the merchantman, including the
principal character of this narrative, John Phillips. On
reaching England he went at once to some friends who
lived in Devonshire. He was soon rudely awakened from
his dream of clemency, when he heard that other pirates
who had returned with him had been locked in the British
jail. Hurrying to Topsham, he again shipped on a voyage
for Newfoundland, this time under Captain Wadham.

When he had arrived safely on the American side of
the Atlantic, Phillips jumped ship, and as the season was
getting under way, became a Newfoundland fish splitter.
At heart, he was still a dyed-in-the-wool pirate. Becoming
better acquainted with his fellow fish-splitters every day,
he correctly evaluated the character of certain of the men.
He chose an auspicious moment to sound them out. Would
they care to exchange a fish-splitter's apron for the Jolly
Roger? The answer was to his taste and a credit to his
discernment. Sixteen of the men were in hearty accord
with the suggestion.

At anchor in the harbor of Saint Peters, Newfound-
land, lay a comfortable schooner belonging to William
Minot of Boston. The pirates-to-be planned to seize this
vessel on the night of August 29, 1723. But when the hour

PHILLIPS, WHOSE HEAD WAS PICKLED 125

arrived for the venture, only four of the sixteen had sum-
moned courage enough to make their appearance. Phillips
was tired of fish-splitting, and decided to attempt the
venture in spite of reduced numbers. The five men appro-
priated and sailed the schooner from the harbor without
trouble.

When safely away, the pirates drew up articles. This
procedure was almost abandoned when it was found there
was no Bible on board upon which the pirates could take
oath. Finally one of the resourceful men found a hatchet,
which was used instead of the Bible, and the ceremony
continued. We include excerpts from the articles:

THE ARTICLES ON BOARD
THE REVENGE

1. Every Man shall obey Civil Command;
the Captain shall have one full share and a half
in all Prizes; the Master, Carpenter, Boatswain,
and Gunner shall have one Share and quarter.

2. If any Man shall offer to run away, or
keep any Secret from the Company, he shall be
maroon'd, with one Bottle of Powder, one Bot-
tle of Water, one small Arm and Shot.

3. If any Man shall steal any Thing in the
Company, or game to the Value of a Piece of
Eight, he shall be maroon'd or shot.

4. If at any Time we should meet another
Marooner that Man that shall sign his Articles
without the Consent of our Company, shall
suffer such Punishment as the Captain and
Company shall think fit.

126 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

5. That Man that shall strike another whilst
these Articles are in force, shall receive Moses'
Law (that is, 40 Stripes lacking one) on the
bare Back.

6. That Man that shall snap his Arms, or
smoak Tobacco in the Hold, without a Cap to
his Pipe, or carry a Candle lighted without a
Lanthorn, shall suffer the same Punishment as
in the former Article.

7. That Man that shall not keep his Arms
clean, fit for an Engagement, or neglect his
Business, shall be cut off from his Share, and
suffer such other Punishment as the Captain
and the Company shall think fit.

8. If any Man shall lose a Joint in Time
of an Engagement, he shall have 400 Pieces of
Eight, if a Limb, 800.

9. If at any Time we meet with a prudent
Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with
her, without her Consent, shall suffer present
Death.

Phillips was made captain, John Nutt the navigator,
James Sparks the gunner, Thomas Fern carpenter, and
William White, whose career ended later in Boston Har-
bor, became the single crew member. But it was not long
before he had company, for the piratical cruise gathered
ships and men. Some willingly joined the pirates; others
had to be forced. Among the former was John Rose
Archer. Archer had already served in illustrious com-
pany, for he had been with the great Blackbeard, as
bloodthirsty a villain as ever hoisted the Jolly Roger.

PHILLIPS, WHOSE HEAD WAS PICKLED 127

On account of this background of buccaneering bravery,
Archer was made the ship's quartermaster.

September 5, 1723, was a busy day for the pirates.
They captured several fishing vessels off Newfoundland
and forced three men, Isaac Lassen, an Indian, John
Parsons, and John Filmore, the great-grandfather of
President Millard Fillmore. Later in the month Captain
Furber and his schooner were taken. The Massachusetts
Archives reveal that the next capture was a French vessel,
from which the pirates removed thirteen pipes of wine,
many supplies, and a large cannon. Two of the crew,
Peter Taffrey and John Baptis, were forced at this time.

Early the next month an important capture was
made. The buccaneers overtook the brigantine Mary,
under Captain Moor, and a cargo worth five hundred
pounds was transferred from the captured vessel. A few
days later another brigantine fell to the pirates. This
time a William Taylor joyously accepted membership in
the crew as, according to his words, he was being taken
to Virginia to be sold "and they met with these honest
men and I listed to go with them." Just how honest Tay-
lor eventually found the pirates is a question.

Ship after ship was captured as the pirates continued
their profitable undertaking in the West Indies, but
eventually their fortunes changed, and provisions ran low.
When the meat rations were practically exhausted, they
ran afoul of a French sloop from Martinique, mounting
twelve guns. Ordinarily they would have sailed clear of
this formidable opponent, but hunger made them reck-
less. Hoisting the black flag, Phillips ran alongside and
shouted that unless immediate surrender was made, no
quarter would be given. The French crew unexpectedly

128 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

gave in at once. The buccaneers plundered the sloop and
took four of her men, after which they allowed her to sail
away.

By this time the bottom of the Revenge needed clean-
ing. To this end the ship was headed for the island of
Tobago, where she was run up at high tide and careened.
The pirates found bad news awaiting them here, learning
that their old buccaneering associates had all been taken
to Antigua and hanged. Even as the Revenge was having
the heavy sea growth removed from her sides and bottom,
the masts of a man-of-war became visible on the leeward
side of the island. In hot haste the vessel was launched
and at the flood of the tide she sailed from the harbor,
leaving four Frenchmen on the beach.

For the next few days the pirates followed a north-
erly course, which brought the Revenge some distance to
the south of Sandy Hook. The month was February 1724.
They soon fell in with Captain Laws, master of a snow
bound for Barbadoes. Fern, James Wood, William Tay-
lor, and William Phillips (who should not be confused
with Captain John Phillips) were sent aboard the snow
and ordered to keep company with the Revenge. The two
vessels pursued a southern course until latitude 21° was
reached, whereupon Fern, who was disgruntled when
Archer was made quartermaster, tried to run away with
the snow. Captain Phillips was on the alert, however, and
gave chase.

Drawing alongside, he ordered Fern aboard the
Revenge, For reply Fern fired his pistol at Captain Phil-
lips, missing him. A short skirmish ensued in which Wood
was killed, William Phillips badly wounded in the leg,
and the other two forced to surrender. As something had

PHILLIPS, WHOSE HEAD WAS PICKLED 129

to be done at once for Phillips, the decision was made to
amputate. Because of his experience in sawing, the car-
penter was chosen to perform the operation. He went
below and soon appeared on the deck with the largest
saw he could find in the chest. Taking the painfully in-
jured leg under his arm, he fell to work. Finally the leg
dropped off the injured man's body. The task of sealing
the wound was next. The carpenter heated his broadax
white hot and seared the leg as best he could. Strangely
enough, the operation proved a complete success, and
William Phillips lived on to be tried as a pirate, con-
demned, and pardoned. Some time later a fishing
schooner was captured. At the suggestion that Phillips be
put aboard, the injured man demurred, fearing that he
would be hanged upon reaching the mainland. He chose
to convalesce with the pirates.

Within a short time the buccaneers seized a ship
from London, from which they removed cannon and pow-
der. An expert navigator, Henry Giles, was forced from
this ship and came over to the Revenge with his "Books
and Instruments." Since he was a man of parts, he was
also placed in charge of the journal by Nutt, the sailing
master.

Soon Fern again attempted escape, but this time
Captain John Phillips promptly shot and killed him. An-
other person who tried to get away a little later was also
summarily put to death. The rest of the forced men de-
cided to be more cautious, having plans afoot, however,
for eventually taking over the Revenge.

Two ships from Virginia were now captured, one of
them in charge of another Captain John Phillips. The
second ship was commanded by Captain Robert Mortimer,

130 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

a young married man on his first trip as a master. Pirate
Phillips went aboard Mortimer's ship. While there he
heard of a mutiny aboard his own vessel. With quick de-
cision Captain Mortimer seized this opportune moment to
start a fight of his own. Grabbing a handspike, he hit
Phillips on the head. The blow either lacked force or
Phillips' head was singularly hard. He staggered back,
drew his sword, and ran Mortimer through. At once two
of the crew cut« Mortimer to pieces. Mortimer's own men,
frightened at the bloodshed, stood by without offering a
hand to help their own captain.

Meanwhile two men were forced from the other ship,
seaman Charles Ivemay and Edward Cheeseman, a car-
penter, who was needed to take the place of Fern, killed
by Phillips. As luck had it, John Filmore was rowing
Cheeseman across to the Revenge. Enroute he found the
opportunity to discuss certain plans with the carpenter,
schemes which called for the eventual seizure of the
Revenge. Cheeseman gave his heart and soul to the idea
right there, and from that moment the perfection of de-
tails which brought final escape was effected.

Resuming the cruise, the pirates captured eleven
vessels in rapid succession. William Lancy, who was
captain of a fishing schooner, was brought aboard the
Revenge and while there saw nine vessels overhauled and
captured. One of the captains gave the pirate a merry
chase, but was finally taken. Captain Phillips, enraged
at this lack of consideration, ordered the unlucky com-
mander, Dependence Ellery, aboard' the Revenge, where
he was prodded around the deck and made to dance and
jump until he collapsed in a dead faint.

Now begins the voyage which ended in the death of

PHILLIPS, WHOSE HEAD WAS PICKLED 131

Phillips. On April 14, 1724, Captain Andrew Haraden
sailed from Annisquam for a trip aboard his new fishing
boat the Squirrel. The deck of the sloop was not quite
finished. Leaving Ipswich Bay, the sloop fell in with an-
other vessel, which was actually the pirate ship Revenge.
Off the Isles of Shoals Captain Phillips sent a shot across
the sloop's bow, and ran up a black flag with a skeleton
on it. When Haraden saw that the situation was hopeless,
he rowed across to the Revenge and surrendered. Phillips
liked the lines of the trim sloop from Annisquam, and
ordered all stores transferred to the Squirrel. The other
fishermen were allowed to go aboard the Revenge and
sail for home, but Haraden was forcibly detained on his
own vessel, which now became the pirate flagship. Before
long Cheeseman approached Haraden with ideas of es-
cape, ideas in which Haraden was very interested.

Several of the forced men believed that the best
time to capture the sloop was at night, but the presence
of tall, husky John Nutt proved a stumbling block. The
conspirators finally decided it would be too risky to try
to take him without firearms. Cheeseman suggested a day-
light attempt, when there would be less chance for con-
fusion, and the conspirators agreed upon this plan. High
noon on April 17, 1724, was chosen as the most appro-
priate time. The various tools of the carpenter could be
placed around the unfinished deck, on which men were
working and then, at a given signal, the attack was to be
made with the tools as weapons.

The initial moment arrived. Cheeseman brought out
his brandy bottle, took a drink, and passed it to John Nutt,
offering as a toast, that they should all drink to their next
meeting. Then Cheeseman and Nutt took a turn about the

132 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

deck. Passing a broadax lying on the planks, Filmore
casually picked it up. Holding it carelessly in his hand,
he watched Cheeseman as the latter asked Nutt what he
thought of the weather. Before Nutt could answer Cheese-
man, Haraden winked knowingly at the other forced man,
whereupon Cheeseman thrust a hand between the aston-
ished Nutt's legs, grabbing the sailing master by the
collar with the other hand. Striding across the deck with
the struggling pirate, he threw Nutt over the side. But
Nutt grabbed frantically at Cheeseman's coat sleeve, cry-
ing, "Lord, have mercy upon me! What are you trying
to do, carpenter?"

Cheeseman answered that it was obvious what was
happening, "For, Master, you are a dead man," he cried.
Striking Nutt heavily on the arm, Cheeseman watched
the pirate fall to his death in the sea.

Meantime there was plenty of action elsewhere on
the sloop. When Filmore saw the sailing master being
thrown to his death, he split the boatswain's head clear
down to his neck in one mighty blow. Captain Phillips
rushed on deck just in time to receive a terrific blow on
the head from a mallet in the hands of Cheeseman. This
broke the pirate's jaw, but Phillips leaped for his assail-
ant. Haraden then sprang at the captain. Cheeseman, see-
ing Gunner Sparks trying to interfere, tripped him, caus-
ing him to fall into the way of the two Frenchmen who
hurled him into the sea.

Haraden now brought his trusty broadax down on
the captain's head, killing him instantly. Cheeseman
started toward the hold looking for John Rose Archer,
the quartermaster. Encountering him in the runway,
Cheeseman hit Archer two or three times with his mallet,

PHILLIPS, WHOSE HEAD WAS PICKLED 133

but as he was about to finish him off, he heard someone
shouting, "Stop!" It was Harry Giles, the young seaman
who said that some of the pirates should be taken alive
as evidence. Recognizing the wisdom of this, Cheeseman
bound Archer and three other pirates hand and foot with
ropes.

Captain Haraden was again in command of his
sloop. While the Squirrel was running for Annisquam,
the sailors cut the head from the body of Captain John
Phillips and affixed it to the mast of the sloop.

Sailing up the bay, Captain Haraden ordered a gun
fired to announce their happy homecoming. But in some
way the gun went off prematurely, killing a French doc-
tor on board. It is probable that the bodies of several of
the pirates who had been killed in the struggle were taken
ashore at Hangman's Island, in Annisquam Harbor. Tra-
dition, always a little at fault, has it that the men were
hanged at the island, but as they were dead already, it
seems likely that their bodies were strung up in chains to
warn other pirates. There is no evidence on this point,
however. The heads of Captain John Phillips and another
pirate, Burrill by name, were brought to Boston in a
pickle barrel.

Captain Andrew Haraden had now the not-too-easy
task of proving his own innocence. The Boston News-
Letter estimated the pirates' victims as three shallops,
fifteen fishing vessels, three schooners, three brigantines,
four sloops, and five ships — a total of 33 vessels which
Phillips had captured in something less than eight
months.

Haraden at once went to the "Harbor" as the pres-
ent Gloucester was then called. There he made oath be-

134 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

fore Esquire Epes Sargent, swearing the details of his
capture by the pirates and his eventual delivery. He then
returned to the sloop to await investigation. Shortly after-
ward, on May 3, the four real pirates and the seven forced
men were all locked up in the Boston jail.

The Court of Admiralty, with its customary pomp
and ceremony, was held in Boston May 12, 1724, to try
the men accused of piracy. Lieutenant-Governor William
Dummer, erstwhile commander of the great fort at Castle
Island, presided at the court held in what is now the Old
State House. Skipper Haraden, who does not seem to
have been brought to trial, gave important testimony as to
the character of John Filmore and Edward Cheeseman,
who were tried first. When Haraden told of the events
of the 17th of April, in which Filmore and Cheeseman
fought so effectively against the pirates, the court was
visibly affected. Dummer ordered the room cleared, and
the verdict of "not guilty" came as welcome news to the
two accused men.

Later that day the Court sat again, but this time
William Phillips, whose leg had been sawed off by the
energetic Fern, Henry Giles the navigator, Isaac Larsen,
*an Indian, and other pirates were brought to the bar,
When it was revealed that Larsen had held Captain Phil-
lips' arm when Haraden struck him with the adz, the
Court seemed favorably inclined toward the Indian. Fil-
more said that he had never seen Larsen guilty of piracy
except when "they now and then obliged him to take a shirt
or a pair of stockings when almost naked."

William Phillips, who had lost a leg, claimed to have
been a forced man, but the evidence seemed to prove his
guilt. William White, the only one left of the original

PHILLIPS, WHOSE HEAD WAS PICKLED 135

five who captured the sloop at Newfoundland, was then
brought in. Filmore, who had been at Newfoundland
when the sloop was stolen, testified against him. Filmore
said that White admitted he had been drunk when he
joined up. William Taylor had so often been in confer-
ence with Captain Phillips that he was adjudged guilty.
John Rose Archer, whose record was very bad because of
his previous service with the great Blackbeard, was
found guilty also, as were William Phillips and William
White. The two Frenchmen were pardoned when it was
shown that they had assisted in defeating the pirates.
Phillips and Taylor were also reprieved, so there were
only two pirates left in government custody when the date
of execution, June 2, 1724, finally arrived. All others had
been pardoned, for one reason or another.

Cotton Mather preached his usual sermon to the con-
demned men on May 31, 1724. According to Mather,
both pirates had requested the sermon. Afterwards
Mather conversed with the condemned men privately, and
believed them truly repentant.

Previous to the springing of the trap both men gave
substantial speeches of penitence.
Said Archer:

"I greatly bewail my profanations of the
Lord's Day, and my Disobedience to my Par-
ents. And my Cursing and Swearing, and my
blaspheming the Name of the glorious God. ... .

"But one Wickedness that has led me as
much as any, to all the rest, has been my
brutish Drunkenness. By strong Drink I have
been heated and hardened into the Crimes that
are now more bitter than Death unto me.

136 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

"I could wish that Masters of Vessels
would not use their Men with so much Severity,
as many of them do, which exposes us to great
Temptations."

William White followed with his parting message.
Probably Cotton Mather had helped him compose the de-
tails.

. "I am now, with Sorrow, reaping the
Fruits of my Disobedience to my Parents, who
used their Endeavours to have me instructed in
my Bible, and my Catechism. . . .

"But my Drunkenness has had a great
Hand in bringing my Ruin upon me. I was
drunk when I was enticed aboard the Pyrate."
The usual large gathering of Boston people then
watched the two men climb the ladder which led to the
scaffold. At one end of the gallows the black pirate flag
had been hung, the skeleton on it dancing in the wind as
the men climbed the last rungs. The local paper said
that the flag gave the whole affair "the sight dismal."
At the signal the hangman sprung the trap and the two
pirates were left hanging in the air. So died pirate John
Rose Archer, aged 27, and pirate William White, aged
22, between the rise and fall of the tide at the Charles-
town Ferry in Boston. A few hours later their bodies
were cut down, placed in an open boat, and taken over to
Bird Island, whose low-lying flats were located between
Noddle's Island and Governor's Island.

Down at Bird Island, meanwhile, Marshall Edward
Stanbridge busily superintended the erection of a gibbett.
Measurements had already been made of Archer's head,
the local blacksmith turning out a wide iron band which

PHILLIPS, WHOSE HEAD WAS PICKLED 137

would fit nicely. Other iron bands were made to go
around Archer's chest, hips and ankles, with chains con-
necting the various bands to keep them from slipping.
On the arrival of the bodies at the island, that of White
was quickly buried. Archer, however, who had been with
Blackbeard, was hung in chains as an example for all to
see. Incidentally, the iron bands and the chains, together
with the hire of an extra man to help secure the bands
and chains cost the sum of twelve pounds ten shillings.

So the body of Archer swung in the wind, its iron
bands creaking rhythmically, a reminder of the awful
fate awaiting pirates. Bostonians made excursions and
trips out to Bird Island to see at close range the gruesome
sight. One good citizen, Jeremiah Bumstead, a brazier by
trade, took his wife and ten friends down the harbor six
days after the execution to see the "piratte in Gibbits att
Bird Island."

In later years Bird Island washed completely away.
Today Bird Island, like the pirate who hung there, is only
a memory.

OTHER NEW ENGLAND PIRATES
DIXIE BULL

Fortunately for the reader interested in pirate history,
men like John Winthrop, William Bradford, and Captain
Roger Clap were fond of writing about the daily occur-
rences of their times, for otherwise the first pirate in New
England history, Dixie Bull, would be practically unknown
to the modern generation.

What we have discovered about Dixie Bull is at best
sketchy, but it has been established that he was living in
London in 1631, one year after the settlement of Boston by
the Puritans. In the fall of that year he arrived at Boston,
in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, where he stayed for
several months. It seems very probable that this young man
was sent over to America by Sir Ferdinando Gorges. At
least we know that he is mentioned with Gorges in a land
grant at York, Maine. Coming from an extremely re-
spectable family in England, he is called by Dow and
Edmonds a man of "adventurous disposition." This should
not necessarily condemn him. His disposition rapidly
changed from adventurous to piratical, however, and all
this came about because of the French.

Soon after reaching New England, Dixie Bull became
a beaver trader and seemed to enjoy the life which involved
bartering and associating with the Indians. Since his ac-
tivities took him up and down the beautiful coast of Maine,
he soon was known from Mount Desert Island to the shores
of the Piscataqua River. A friend of the white settlers who
had established themselves in various parts of the country,

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DIXIE BULL, THE FIRST PIRATE 141

he also seemed to get along well with the Indians. The
Pilgrim trading post at Penobscot Bay was one of his
favorite visiting places.

This situation changed, however, as the result of a
French shallop. The Pilgrim traders often journeyed inland
from the trading post with their supplies of coats, blankets,
biscuits, and the like, which they would exchange for
beaver pelts and otter skins, leaving the settlement in the
charge of a small group of men. One day, when they had
left for the interior of Maine, a French shallop was seen
approaching the shore. A man on the French vessel called
to the Pilgrims in English, imitating the accent of a
Scotchman. He explained that the shallop had just arrived
from a long journey, and its passengers knew not where
they were. Claiming that the vessel was leaking badly, he
asked permission to bring her up on the beach at low tide
for repairs.

The Pilgrims agreed, and the Frenchmen, after pull-
ing their shallop up, went over to the trading post, where
they found conditions ideal for their particular plans.
There were only four men left at the post. Seeing the racks
of guns and muskets on the walls, they examined them
carefully, complimenting the Pilgrims all the time on their
fine workmanship. Suddenly, however, the Frenchmen held
up the four Pilgrims, using the trading post's own guns to
accomplish their purpose. After rifling the post of some
three or four hundred pounds' value in merchandise, they
sailed away, telling the four unfortunate Pilgrims to in-
form their masters that gentlemen from the Island of Rhe
had called.

Whether or not Dixie Bull knew of this depredation
at the time is not known. Some time later, however, while

142 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

he was sailing in Penobscot Bay, he sighted a French
pinnace, which engaged him and captured his shallop,
took all his supplies away, and left him destitute. This
was in June 1632.

Without question, Dixie Bull tried manfully to get
his revenge on the French pirates who had descended on
both the Pilgrim trading post and his own little shallop.
Organizing a small band of fifteen men of his own na-
tionality, he sailed along the northeastern coast line, hoping
to catch some French vessel and thus retrieve his losses.
As the summer months waned and his own supplies grew
smaller and smaller, Captain Bull realized that something
would have to be done soon.

His next move was one which established him as the
first New England pirate in history. Descending on the
pinnaces and shallops of some defenseless English traders
located nearby, Dixie Bull confiscated their supplies and
forced several men from the traders' vessels to join his
pirate band.

Thus reinforced, Captain Dixie Bull sailed brazenly
into Pemaquid Harbor where he looted the settlement at
his leisure, because there was no opposition of any im-
portance. Bull and his cohorts loaded aboard their shallop
goods and merchandise to the value of more than five
hundred pounds, leaving the inhabitants practically
stunned, with the exception of a small group of armed
men. These defenders sent a parting volley out toward the
pirate ship just as the ruffians weighed anchor to sail off
with their booty. One of the bullets scored a lucky hit,
killing Captain Dixie Bull's second in command.

The death of the pirate caused a terrific reaction on
his fellow sailors, as this was actually the first bloodshed

DIXIE BULL, THE FIRST PIRATE 143

which any of them had encountered. None had ever served
before on any piratical voyages, and it was a long time
before the effects of the incident wore off. Captain Roger
Clap, who was commander at Castle Island for many years,
interviewed several of the men a year later. Clap said that
the pirates were so upset weeks afterwards that they were
afraid of the very rattling of the ropes.

News of Dixie Bull's turning pirate reached Boston
via a dispatch from Captain Walter Neal of Piscataqua,
who wrote a letter to Governor John Winthrop, describing
incidents which led to Bull's becoming a sea highwayman
incidents which led to Bull's becoming a sea highway-
to send an armed vessel with twenty men up the coast to
Piscataqua, now Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where they
would be joined by others from that settlement searching
for pirate Bull. After the officials underwent much trouble
in getting the expedition organized, the weather interfered.
First it snowed, then came extreme cold, and finally con-
trary winds prevented the sailing. An interesting sidelight
on the expedition is the fact that Samuel Maverick, men-
tioned years before in the York Deeds along with Dixie
Bull, actually was the man chosen to outfit the expedition
to capture him.

At last, late in November, the expedition was able to
leave the seaport of Boston. A well-armed pinnace started
up the coast with twenty of the strongest marines aboard.
Reaching Pemaquid, the pinnace was joined by four other
heavily-armed vessels, one of which was from "Pascata-
quack." Weather conditions then interfered again, and the
ships lay storm-bound in Pemaquid Harbor for the next
three weeks.

144 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Historians should take note of the fact that this force
was the first hostile fleet ever outfitted in New England as
well as the initial naval demonstration in the colonies.

But nothing ever came of the efforts of these brave
men of New England. Week after week of searching went
by, but they were unable to find Dixie Bull. Finally the
fleet returned to Boston and Piscataqua, where the sailors
were disbanded. Lieutenant Mason, leader of the expedi-
tion, was given ten pounds for his services, while the other
expenses came to 24 pounds 7 shillings. When the month
of February 1633 arrived, three deserters from Dixie
Bull's pirate fleet reached their homes. Their opinion was
that Dixie Bull had left American waters forever, going
over to fight for the French. Writing in his journal two
years later, Governor John Winthrop is of the same
opinion. Captain Roger Clap of Dorchester, however, be-
lieved that Dixie Bull eventually reached England. His
words follow:

"Bull got to England; but God destroyed this wretched
man. Thus the Lord saved us at this time, from their
wicked Device against us."

Bull was either executed or met a violent death on
reaching England. Regardless of how he died, America
never again to our knowledge saw the man who was des-
tined to wear the mantle of New England's first pirate.

THE PIRATE OF DUNGEON ROCK

At sunset one summer's evening in 1658, a small
pirate vessel anchored at the mouth of the Saugus River
in Massachusetts. Four men, putting out in a boat, rowed
up the river as far as they could, and made off into the
woods. Several people observed the incident, and the news
travelled over to Lynn and up to Boston.

By the next day, however, the vessel had vanished.
On the walls of the Saugus Iron Works nearby, however,
was a mysterious message asking the workers to perform
a service. It said that if shackles, handcuffs, hatchets, and
other ironmongery were made and left at a secret place in
the woods, an amount of silver to the full value would be
deposited in their place. The ironmongery was made and
left at the designated place, and surely enough the next
morning all articles had been taken, and a rich sum of
money secreted in the hiding place.

Some months later four men landed in similar fashion,
making their way to the same pretty glen deep in the
Lynn Woods. Near the great rocky ledge they built a
rough dwelling place and sank a well into the earth. They
even planted and tended a garden. The pirates seemed
quite content in their wild, inaccessible location deep in
the woods.

News reached the authorities, however, of these ac-
tivities, and plans were made to apprehend the pirates.
One fine day a British man-of-war appeared between
Nahant and what is now Revere, anchoring close to the
beach. A long-boat full of British marines then rowed
ashore. Here they were met by a guide, who soon jumped
aboard, directing them up the Saugus River toward the
pirate hideout.

146 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Without warning the marines struck. All but one of
the pirates was captured. Taken back to England, they
were executed, to the best of our knowledge. The pirate
who escaped, Captain Thomas Veale, fled deep into the
woods to a high rock two miles farther north. Here he
found a natural cavern which began at the top of a high hill
and extended more than a hundred feet into the earth.
Today it is known as Dungeon Rock. Whether or not the
pirates had buried their treasures in the depths of this
huge rock probably will never be known, but many thou-
sands of dollars have been spent here in an effort to find
the alleged treasure.

Thomas Veale made his way into nearby Lynn and
pretended to become a cobbler of shoes, but later left the
scene to resume his piratical life. By 1685 he had a shallop
with fourteen men aboard. While in New London Harbor
he was accused of piracy by Captain Daniel Staunton of
Pennsylvania. Staunton appeared before the New London
magistrate, demanding that Veale and his partner Harvey
be arrested at once for piracy. The magistrate was uncer-
tain about what he should do, and in the meantime Veale
and Harvey escaped.

Veale lay in wait for shipping outside of New London
Harbor. He attacked the ketch of Captain John Prentice,
and, as both ketch and shallop manned guns, the two
vessels kept up a running fight all the way to Boston
Harbor. When Pirate Veale sighted Great Brewster Island,
he veered off to the northward, probably running in to
his hideout up the Saugus River and dismasting his shallop.

The records in the Massachusetts Archives tell us of
the excitement when Captain Prentice reached port. The
Court ordered the beating of drums to recruit forty men

THE PIRATE OF DUNGEON ROCK 147

for the search of Veale and his crew. Evidently the pirate's
fame was well known as forty men could not be found.
It was common knowledge that Veale had a sizable treasure
on board his shallop, for while in New London he had
shown considerable wealth on the streets of that Connec-
ticut town, offering John Wheeler fully three times the
value for some carriage guns he desired.

The Court then decided to announce "for their
Incouragemnt . . . free plunder be offered to such as
Voluntarily list themselves." If this plan failed to work,
the men would be impressed. The forty men were finally
recruited, and a parting message given to beware of "kill-
ing any of the enemy unnecessarily." After a voyage of
several days the expedition returned empty-handed. It is
possible that Veale was in hiding all the time at the Pirate
Dungeon Rock in the Lynn Woods.

Thomas Veale was never caught, but a legend has
come down through the years that a great earthquake closed
the entrance to Dungeon Rock, walling him up alive there.
The only recorded earthquake after Veale fled to the north
from the vicinity of Boston's Brewster Islands did not
occur until 1727; therefore if Veale was an active pirate
in 1658, as stated by Alonzo Lewis in his History of Lynn,
he must have been around ninety at the time of the 1727
quake which allegedly trapped him deep inside the cavern
at Dungeon Rock.

According to the legend, his skeleton was found
years later when Hiram Marble moved to Lynn and began
his excavations. Marble actually began digging in 1851,
prompted by clairvoyant revelations of mediums in
Charlton, Worcester County, Massachusetts. Marble dug
unsuccessfully year after year. He erected a small but

148 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

attractive home near the scene of his excavations, and his
faith in the treasure was unusually persistent. One could
tell that he was deriving real satisfaction and enjoyment
from his undertaking. From time to time the mediums
would produce messages from Captain Veale himself. The
last one was, "Cheer up, Marble, we are with you and
doing all we can."

But Marble never found the treasure. Assisted by his
young son, who, it was said, was a more confirmed spir-
itualist than Hiram Marble himself, he spent the rest of
his life digging in vain. His modest fortune of $1500 was
exhausted in 1855; from that time on he accepted the
donations of visitors.

Some of the more philanthropic visitors, influenced by
his kindness and faith, printed bonds in Hiram Marble's
name, known as Dungeon Rock Bonds. For the sum of one
dollar Hiram Marble issued these interesting documents,
promising to pay the bearer one dollar WHEN ABLE.
Marble was never able to redeem his pledges, dying in the
year 1868, faithful to his dreams and spiritualistic advice
to the end. Perhaps some medium can answer why this
energetic, tireless man was not rewarded for his blind
faith.

FIRST PIRATES HANGED
IN BOSTON

A most interesting story of pirates who, perhaps,
were the first ever hanged in Boston concerns Alexander
Wilson, John Smith, and William Forrest. These men
seized the ship Antonio off the Spanish coast in the year
1672. The Antonio's crew rebelled against the harshness of
their captain and put him adrift in an open boat. Some of
the ship's officers preferred to go with their captain in the
long boat, which was provisioned.

Cotton Mather tells the story in his History of Some
Criminals Executed in the Land. The pirates sailed the
Antonio into Boston and went over to Charlestown, stop-
ping at the home of Major Nicholas Shapleigh, at that
time a prominent merchant. Shapleigh accepted certain
goods from the pirate ship.

What might be called an Act of God then occurred.
The captain of the Antonio came into Boston Harbor in the
long boat, and after landing at Long Wharf, reported his
strange voyage to the authorities, telling of the death of
one of his officers by exposure. They informed him that the
Antonio was also in port, and made haste to apprehend
the three pirates. Brought back to Boston, the men faced
their captain. Cotton Mather describes the scene:

"The Countenance of the Master, was now become
Terrible to the Rebellious Men, who, though they had
Escaped the Sea, yet Vengeance would not suffer them to
Live a Shore. At his Instance and Complain, they were
Apprehended; and the Ringleaders of this Murderous
Pyracy had sentence of Death Executed on them, in
Boston."

For receiving the pirate loot, Major Shapleigh was
fined five hundred pounds. He pleaded poverty so the fine

150 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

was reduced to 300 pounds, which he paid.

The Antonio case excited so much comment that after
proper consideration, a law against piracy was drawn up
in General Court, October 15, 1673.

Eleven years later it also became a crime to enter-
tain, harbor, or trade with "privateers, pyrates, or other
offenders." The ranking official in each Massachusetts
Bay Colony was impowered to issue warrants for the
seizure of suspected pirates or privateers.

JOSEPH BRADISH

The date of the birth of Joseph Bradish was duly
recorded at Cambridge, Massachusetts, as the 28th of
November, 1672. Twenty-six years later he was aboard
the hakeboat Adventure bound for the island of Borneo.
While most of the passengers and crew were ashore at
Polonais Island for water, Bradish and his associates
aboard cut the cable and sailed away with the Adventure.
As Joseph Bradish was the best artist, or navigator aboard,
he was chosen captain of the pirates.

After rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the ship's
treasure was divided between the twenty-six pirates aboard,
each receiving at that time over fifteen hundred Spanish
dollars. Other riches and jewelry were divided later. The
following spring, in March 1699, the Adventure arrived
off the east end of Long Island. Captain Bradish went
ashore at Nassau Island with most of his money and
jewels. After an unsuccessful attempt to purchase a vessel
in Rhode Island, Bradish finally purchased a small sloop
which he came upon at sea, and departed. His men were
put ashore along the coast, one here and one there, and

JOSEPH BRADISH OF BOSTON 151

said their farewells, going inland immediately. At last
only Bradish and ten of his men were left. They finally
agreed that the coast was clear and they could enter
Boston. In this they were greatly mistaken, for as soon as
they entered the great seaport, the authorities arrested
them and threw them into the great stone jail. It was un-
known to the officials, however, that Caleb Ray, the gaoler,
was a relative of Bradish. After a few weeks plans were
made to escape. It was the same jail in which Captain Kidd
himself was confined a few weeks later. Fortunately for
Bradish he did not have to wear irons.

On the morning of June 25 Ray found the jail doors
open, with Bradish and a one-eyed man, Tee Wetherly,
both missing. Governor Bellomont was furious at the
escape. He found that other pirates had escaped in the
past, so ordered Ray dismissed at once. Governor Bello-
mont offered a reward of two hundred pieces of eight for
the apprehension of Bradish and one hundred for Weth-
erly's capture. An Indian sachem named Essacambuit was
in Boston at the time, and knew where Bradish was.
Journeying at once to the area north of Saco, Maine,
Essacambuit soon had the pirates captured and brought
them safe to Fort Saco. By October 24 they were back in
the Boston jail, where there was now no relative of Bradish
to help them.

Bradish made the journey to London in the illustrious
company of Captain Kidd, who was also a prisoner on the
man-of-war Advice. Bradish and Wetherly were later
hanged at Hope-Point, London.

THE LAST PIRATES
EXECUTED IN BOSTON

At ten o'clock on the morning of September 11, 1835,
a lonely, terror-maddened pirate was taken from his cell
at the Leverett Street jail in Boston to the scaffolding
where he was to be hanged. Having feigned insanity to
escape the death which befell the other members of his
crew sometime before, Francisco Ruiz, declared sane by
a medical board, stood on the platform with the hang-
man's noose around his neck, awaiting his fate. The
signal was given and the trap sprung. In this manner
the last pirate to be executed in Boston died, paying for
his crime of three years earlier when the pirate schooner
Panda captured the Salem brig Mexican on the high seas.

More than a century has slipped by since this episode
in Boston history was enacted, but one of the men cap-
tured aboard the Mexican was still alive in 1906, living
in Salem. He was Captain Thomas Fuller, then in his
ninety-fourth year. Serving as cabin boy aboard the
Mexican in his youth, Fuller had as shipmate one John
Battis, who wrote an account of his experiences a few
years after his capture and escape.

The story actually begins at Havana, Cuba, for it
was in the summer of 1832 that we find the pirate yacht
Panda lying at anchor in the harbor there. Her captain,
Don Pedro Gibert, was a native of Spain and the son of
a Spanish grandee. His mate, Don Bernardo De Soto,
owner of the clipper-built schooner, had married a beau-
tiful fifteen year old girl named Petrona Peyrara, who
belonged to one of the first families in Spain.

LAST PIRATES HANGED IN BOSTON 153

Reputedly engaged in the slave trade, the officers and
crew of the Panda were in reality pirates. Leaving Ha-
vana Harbor on the night of August 20, 1832 the Panda
sailed the sea lanes until the evening of September 19,
1832, when the lookout at the mast head sighted a brig,
the Mexican of Salem, sailing southward. The captain
was notified at once and went into consultation with the
mate, whereupon the carpenter, a thoroughly despicable
individual, joined the pair. They decided to board the
brig, take her money and cargo, put the crew below
hatches where they would kill them, and destroy the
vessel.

But the Panda was still a long distance from the brig,
and it was not until the next day that the plan was carried
out. Drawing closer to the American stranger, Captain
Gibert ordered the firing of a musket, and the brig Mex-
ican hove to.

The Mexican had left Salem on August 29, com-
manded by Captain John G. Butman. Owned by Joseph
Peabody, the brig carried a substantial treasure in silver,
ten boxes of two thousand dollars apiece, with which the
captain had planned to trade. Let us allow seaman John
Battis, who later wrote the whole story of the encounter,
to tell us what happened, beginning with the events before
sailing.

"It was suggested that we go after the cook,
Ridgeley, who then boarded with a Mrs. Ranson,
a colored woman living at Becket Street, so we
set out to find him. He was at home but disin-
clined to go, as he wished to pass one more
Sunday home. However, after some persuad-
ing he got ready, and we all started out of the

154 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

gate together. A black hen was in the yard and
as we came out the bird flew upon the fence,
and flapping her wings, gave a loud crow. The
cook was wild with terror, and insisted that
something was going to happen; that such a
sign meant harm . . .

"At about ten o'clock we mustered all
present and accounted for, and commenced to
carry the specie, with which we were to purchase
our return cargo, on board the brig. We carried
aboard twenty thousand dollars in silver . . .
we also had about one hundred bags of salt-
peter and one hundred chests of tea. The silver
was stored in the 'run' under the cabin floor,
and there was not a man aboard but knew where
the money was stored.

". . . On account of the several acts of
piracy previously committed on Salem ships,
Captain Butman undoubtedly feared, or per-
haps had a premonition of a like happening to
his vessel, for the next day while aft at work
on the main rigging, I heard the captain and
first mate talking about pirates. The captain
said he would fight a long while before he'd
give his money up. They had a long talk to-
gether, and he seemed to be very much worried.
I think it was the next day after this conver-
sation between Captain Butman and Mr. Reed
that I was at the wheel steering when the cap-
tain came and spoke to me. He asked me how
I felt about leaving home, and I replied that I

LAST PIRATES HANGED IN BOSTON 155

felt the same as ever, 'all right.' I learned after-
wards that he put this question to the rest of the
crew.

"We sailed along without anything of note
occurring until the night of the nineteenth of
September. After supper we were all sitting
together during the dog-watch (this being be-
tween six and eight o'clock P. M.) when all
seemed bent on telling pirate yarns, and of
course got more or less excited. I went below at
twelve o'clock and at four next morning my
watch was called. Upon coming on deck the first
mate came forward and said that we must keep
a sharp look-out, as there was a vessel 'round,
and that she had crossed our stern and gone to
the leeward. I took a seat between the knight-
heads, and had been sitting there but a few
minutes when a vessel crossed our bows, and
went to the windward of us.

"I was at the wheel when the captain
came out of the cabin; he looked toward the
schooner, and as soon as he perceived her, he
reached and took his glass and went into the
main-top, He came down and closing his glass,
said, 'That is the very man I've been looking
for. I can count thirty men on his deck.' . . .

"Then the captain altered the brig's course,
tacking to the westward, keeping a little off
from the wind to make good way through the
water to get clear of her if possible. After
breakfast when we came on deck the schooner
was coming down on us under a full press of

156 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

sail. I noticed two kegs of powder alongside
our two short carronades, the only guns we
had. Our means of defense, however, proved
utterly worthless, as the shot was a number of
sizes too large for the gun."

Just before the crew discovered that the cannons
were worthless the pirate ship fired the musket shot which
we have already mentioned. Hoisting the flag of Colombia,
the schooner with its crew of ocean marauders lay to
about a half mile to the windward. Those aboard the
Mexican described her as a regular Baltimore clipper.
Carrying thirty men, the Panda had as armanent a long
thirty-two pound swivel amidships with two brass guns
on each side, making five guns in all.

As she drew nearer, a pirate shouted across from the
schooner demanding to be told where the Mexican was
from and what she carried for cargo. Captain Butman
replied that his cargo consisted of tea and salt peter, and
that he hailed from Salem. The same man then ordered
Captain Butman to get into a small boat with his papers
and row over. It was a tense scene as the captain pre-
pared to leave his vessel. While the boat was made
ready, Captain Butman shook hands with the mate, Mr.
Reed, and told him to do the best he could if he never
saw him again. Then he climbed in the boat with four
of his men and pulled away.

Reaching the gangway of the pirate schooner, the
sailors were ordered to row to the forechains, where five
heavily-armed ruffians jumped into the boat. One of them
called up to Captain Gibert, asking what should be done
to the men and the brig.

"Dead cats don't mew, — have her thoroughly

LAST PIRATES HANGED IN BOSTON 157

searched, and bring aboard all you can — you know what
to do with them." One of the Mexican's crew, Jack Ardis-
sone by name, understood the Spanish captain's state-
ment, and bursting into tears, told the other in broken
English that it was all over.

Captain Butman and the five pirates then rowed
back to the brig, where they all climbed aboard. It was
soon discovered that the Mexican carried a load of silver
dollars, and the crew were ordered to bring the money
up on deck. As they started aft, one of them was tripped
by the villainous carpenter of the Panda. This was the
signal for an attack by the pirates on the entire crew of
the Mexican. Armed with swords and clubs, the buccaneers
unmercifully pummeled the men from Salem, beating
one into unconsciousness. Murder, however, did not seem
to be their aim, despite Captain Gibert's orders. Perhaps
they were new at the game. Nevertheless no one was killed
in the fight.

John Battis was struck with a long knife on the head,
but he was wearing a heavy Scotch hat at the time, and
the blow did little damage. The fight stopped almost as
quickly as it had started, and those in the American crew
still able to walk were sent on their interrupted journey
for the boxes of silver dollars. The chests were soon piled
high on the deck, whereupon the pirates signalled for the
buccaneers aboard the Panda to send over the launch as
the coins could not be carried in the smaller boat. The
launch arrived, manned by sixteen ruffians who stowed
the treasure of $20,000 and returned with the loot to the
Panda.

After the launch had delivered the booty to the
pirate schooner, twelve other men came back in her, went

158 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

aboard the Mexican, and began searching for more treas-
ure, hoping that there were additional boxes which the
Americans had tried to secrete. Smashing a speaking
trumpet over the head of the captain, they demanded
money. John Battis and Jack Ardissone then made a run
for the steerage, but they were going so fast they both
toppled over into the hold, where Battis landed on Ardis-
sone, breaking two of the latter's ribs. For some reason,
the pirates did not follow. As there was no cargo below
decks, the two men had a clean sweep from one end of the
brig to the other.

Toward noontime it seemed to quiet down on deck,
so Battis climbed part way up the companion hatchway
and cautiously raised his head to the deck's level to de-
termine what was going on. Just as he did so, a cocked
pistol was pressed against his skull, and he was ordered
to come up on deck. One pirate grabbed Battis by the
collar and held him at arm's length, as though he planned
to knife him. Courageously Battis looked the outlaw in
the eye, and the reluctant buccaneer dropped the knife.
In fact, it seems as though none of the pirates except the
captain was anxious to kill anyone aboard the Mexican.

All the members of the crew were then ordered be-
low, where they could hear the marauders on deck de-
stroying every part of running rigging they could find.
The yards were tumbled down, and the cook's galley was
filled with tar, rope-yard oakum, and the like, prepara-
tory to setting it afire. The aft companionway leading to
the cabin was also locked below. The pirates' plan, of
course, was to burn the ship and everyone aboard, where-
as their captain had ordered them to kill all hands before
leaving the brig. Dreading the actual killing of the vie-

LAST PIRATES HANGED IN BOSTON 159

tims, the pirates had decided to burn them alive instead,
and set fire to the Mexican.

The pirates were seen leaving the brig about three
o'clock that afternoon by Captain Butman, who was stand-
ing on the cabin table looking out through a small sky-
light which the pirates had forgotten to lock. As the
smoke gathered and spread through the vessel, Captain
Butman knelt in prayer for several moments, after which
he told the crew to go forward and wait for him. The
men obeyed. A few minutes later Captain Butman called
his crew and ordered them to get water buckets to put
out the fire. Drawing himself out of the cabin through the
skylight, Captain Butman took one of the buckets filled
with water which the crew, trapped below, handed to him,
and crept along the rail toward the galley, or caboose, as
it was called. Making sure to escape observation from
the schooner, as it was still standing by, Captain Butman
reached the galley and doused the fire which was just
breaking through the galley roof. He did not dare to ex-
tinguish the blaze entirely however, as the pirates, who
had started to sail away, would get suspicious and return.

Butman, with the fire under control, opened the aft
companionway to let the crew come up on deck. Allowing
the blaze to smoulder so that the pirates would continue
to sail away, Captain Butman ordered his men to examine
the brig. It was found that all sails, halyards, and run-
ning gear were cut, and the headsails left dragging in the
water. In spite of the great damage, before nightfall the
brig was repaired and new sails were bent on the masts.
All of the valuable instruments, including the compass,
quadrant, and sextant, which had been safely hidden
under a quantity of oakum, were now salvaged and put

160 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

in place. Just before darkness came on, a strong north-
erly wind began to blow, which rapidly developed into a
severe thunderstorm. Since the captain and the entire
crew were anxious to escape as quickly as possible, they
ran before the fury of the wind, not taking in a stitch of
canvas. And well it was that they did. In the meantime
the pirate captain, learning that his men had not made
sure of the death of the Salem mariners before returning
to their own vessel, ordered the Panda to cruise* in the
vicinity until they could again find the Mexican and
murder every one on board. Thus the thunderstorm saved
the Americans from death, for the pirates never caught
them. On October 12, 1832, Baker's Island Light in outer
Salem Harbor hove in sight and the Mexican soon reached
Crowninshield's Wharf, where Captain Butman told his
amazing story to a group of astonished listeners.

The ship's reporter from the Essex Register com-
piled a fine account of the entire episode, and the article
was read everywhere with interest. Captain Hunt of the
ship Gleaner sailed away from Salem Harbor shortly
afterwards, a copy of the paper aboard his vessel. He
spent much of his spare time memorizing the general
appearance of the Panda which was described in the
paper. Running into the harbor of St. Thomas, Captain
Hunt noticed a topsail schooner coming in the bay. As
the vessel anchored a short distance away, Captain Hunt
went below to obtain his copy of the Register and brought
it up on deck, where he studied it carefully, glancing
from time to time at the schooner. Later he obtained per-
mission to go aboard the schooner on a pretext, and while
there noticed two spars which he remembered had been on
the Mexican. Hunt returned as soon as possible to his own

LAST PIRATES HANGED IN BOSTON 161

vessel. He decided to run out of the harbor that night and
search for an English man-of-war, where he could report
his story. His visit aboard the pirate vessel, however, had
excited suspicion, and just before dark the Panda hoisted
sail and streaked out of the bay. As the schooner passed
close to the Gleaner, a voice from the Panda shouted across
to Captain Hunt that if he went to sea that night, every man
aboard would have his throat cut before dawn.

Captain Hunt, deciding that discretion should be prac-
ticed, did not leave the harbor that night, but fortunately
an English man-of-war appeared shortly, so that he was
able to tell his story sooner than he had anticipated. The
captain of the British frigate ordered an immediate search
made, but the pirate schooner had escaped in the darkness.
Every British warship was given a good description of the
pirate vessel, however, and it was not long before she was
sighted again.

The British warship Curlew was sailing off the African
west coast when her master, Captain Trotter, received a
description of the pirate schooner. He recalled that the
lines were similar to a schooner he had recently noticed
in the River Nazareth, and sailed at once for the vicinity.
Anchoring off the mouth of the river, Captain Trotter took
forty men and went upstream, reaching the Panda at day-
break. The pirate sentinel gave the alarm, however, and
the alert buccaneers all went over the side and escaped
ashore, where they hid in the swamps. The schooner was
seized, but the accidental explosion of gunpowder aboard
killed four men from the Curlew and ripped apart the
Panda so that she soon sank, damaged beyond repair.

Fleeing inland, the pirates sought the protection of
one of the native rulers in the vicinity, but when he heard

162 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

that the might of the British Navy was interested in the
pirates' apprehension, he released four of them at once.
Five later turned up at Fernando Po, while seven others
were captured back at St. Thomas, making a total of six-
teen of the villains who were transported to England.
After they had been in prison there for some time, it was
decided that the pirates should be delivered into the cus-
tody of the American Government, which should take
such action as it saw fit.

With a high regard for the rightness of things, the
captain of the British man-of-war Savage who brought
the sixteen pirates across the ocean, escorted the unhappy
men into the very harbor from whence the Mexican had
sailed on her fateful voyage. The people of Salem were
so surprised and pleased at this admirable gesture of the
British Government that they decided to entertain the
sailors from the Savage in a proper manner. As the War
of 1812 had not been over for too many years, there was
not a British flag in all Salem, and so the embarrassed
reception committee went aboard the Savage and asked
the English sailor for the loan of one of their own flags.
The celebration thus was a complete success.

The sixteen Spanish pirates were escorted in car-
riages up to the town hall, where, in their heavy hand-
cuffs, they created quite a stir. One of them, a seaman
named Perez, made matters a little easier by turning
state's evidence and confessing in full. The wretched
men were found guilty of the crime of piracy, and as
pirates against the United States were all moved to Bos-
ton and lodged in the Leverett Street Jail, awaiting trial
in the Federal Courts.

The presence of such a large group of buccaneers

LAST PIRATES HANGED IN BOSTON 163

created much excitement and comment. Cotton Mather,
whose particular interest in such matters led him to visit
and pray with the pirates while in jail, had long passed
away, but another nameless person did visit the unfortu-
nates at their Leverett Street goal. He was a reporter from
the Boston Post, and wrote in that esteemed newspaper
for September 2, 1834 that having heard

"a terrific description of the Spaniards now con-
fined in Leverett Street jail on a charge of
piracy, we availed ourselves of our right of
entree and took a bird's eye glance at the mon-
sters of the deep but were somewhat surprised
to find them small and ordinary looking men,
extremely civil and good-natured, with a free
dash of humor in their conversation and easy
indifference to their situation. The first in im-
portance as well as appearance is the Captain,
Pedro Gibert, a Castilian 38 years old, and
the son of a merchant. In appearance he did
not come quite up to our standard for the
leader of a brave band of buccaneers, although
a pleasant and rather a handsome mariner."
Manuel Delgardo became so unhappy in the Boston
jail that he committed suicide by cutting his throat a
short time after his arrival. Others in the condemned
group also tried to end their own lives, but none was
successful. They were held to await the case being called
in the Boston Circuit Court.

November 11, 1834, the trial began. Lawyers
Hilliard and Child were chosen to represent the pirates,
while Captain Butman and several of the crew of the
Mexican were in court to testify against the Spaniards.

164 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Before long it was brought out that five of the sixteen
were not aboard the Panda when the Salem brig was cap-
tured, so regardless of their subsequent careers could not
be tried for that particular crime. The five men were
freed.

A dramatic incident was enacted in court during the
trial when Thomas Fuller, called to the stand to identify
Francisco Ruiz, became so enraged that he smashed the
Spanish pirate across the shoulder with his fist. After a
mild rebuke from the magistrate, the indignant Salem
mariner apologized and sat down.

The case of First Mate Bernardo De Soto proved
one of interesting and complicated nature. It seems that
in the year 1831 he had been master of his own ship,
sailing from Havana, Cuba, and on the passage De Soto
discovered the Salem ship Minerva on the rocks of one
of the Bahama Islands. At great danger to himself he
effected the rescue of no less than 72 persons, carrying
them all safely to Havana. For this truly remarkable feat
of bravery De Soto had been awarded a beautiful silver
cup by the grateful Americans. When this former act
was brought to the attention of the proper people, it was
suggested that a respite should be granted and the pre-
siding judge readily acquiesced.

Meanwhile, the wife of pirate De Soto, whom the
reader will recall, was a member of one of the leading
families of Corunna, was hastily summoned and crossed
the ocean on the first ship, landing in New York. She was
told to go at once to President Andrew Jackson in Wash-
ington. Enlisting the services of the Spanish Ambassador,
she quickly obtained the audience of the President of the
United States. Andrew Jackson had already received

LAST PIRATES HANGED IN BOSTON 165

word from Boston about the heroism of De Soto, and
after due deliberation President Jackson announced the
pardon of Bernardo De Soto. His grateful wife hurried
to Boston with the news, and the pirate left the jail shortly
afterwards, homeward bound.

No such happy news reached the other pirates, how-
ever, for the remaining six pirates were sentenced to be
hanged in the rear of the Leverett Street Jail. They were
Captain Don Pedro Gilbert, Francisco Ruiz, the villainous
carpenter, Manuel Boyga, seaman Castillo, Angel Garcia,
and Juan Montenegro.

Judge Joseph Story sentenced the pirates to their
death in the following words: "The sentence is that you
and each of you, for the crime whereof you severally
stand convicted, be severally decreed, taken, and adjudged
to be pirates and felons, and that each of you be severally
hung by the neck until you be severally dead. And that
the marshal of this District of Massachusetts or his Dep-
uty, do on peril of what may fall thereon, cause execu-
tion to be done upon you and each of you severally on
the 11th day of March next ensuing, between the hours of
9 and 12 of the same day."

When the day came for the execution, one of the
pirates, Francisco Ruiz, had so successfully feigned in-
sanity that he was given a reprieve until a board of sanity
shall decide his condition. The others mounted the scaf-
folding behind the Leverett Street Jail shortly after ten
o'clock, where a Spanish priest followed them to receive
their final confessions, but none of them expressed the
desire for either penitence or confession. One pirate,
Manuel Boyga, had succeeded in cutting himself with a
sharp fragment of tin the night before, and was so weak-

166 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

ened by loss of blood that he had to be carried and seated
in a chair placed directly on the wooden framework of
the drop, so that when the trap was sprung, he and the
chair fell together. The others met their death in a brave
manner.

Francisco De Soto, who was pardoned by President
Andrew Jackson, did not return to Spain to embarrass
the parents of his dear wife, Petrona, whose efforts had
saved his life. Instead, he sailed for the West Indies,
where his ability soon earned him a berth on one of the
vessels carrying passengers in those waters. One day,
many years afterwards, Captain Nicholas Snell of Salem
recognized the captain of a steamer operating between
Havana and Matanzas as the same man who had been
freed in the Boston courtroom over thirty years before.
Introducing himself, Snell was greeted with great friend-
liness on the part of the former pirate, who recalled viv-
idly the davs when his life was in jeopardy at the Massa-
chusetts capital.

fart Ofofl
(Elj^aj^ak? latj tn SUnrtim

CAPTAIN GEORGE LOWTHER

Captain George Lowther is the first in a series of as
bloodcurdling villains as ever sailed the waters off the
Atlantic Coast. He trained the infamous Low, who in turn
aided and abetted two other marauders of the sea, Francis
Spriggs and Charles Harris.

Early in 1721 George Lowther sailed down the
Thames River from London, bound for the Gambia River
aboard the ship Gambia Castle. Serving in his capacity
as second mate, he soon noticed that Captain Charles
Russell had a group of passengers aboard, soldiers under
John Massey, who were going to garrison a fort near the
Gambia River.

The Gambia Castle reached its destination safely,
and the soldiers were put ashore under the leadership of
Massey. However, trouble started a short time later. The
merchants and traders, normally expected to victual the
garrison, were very meagre in their daily allotments of
food, so after a few days of such hardship, Massey's in-
dignation mounted to the point of rebellion. Boldly he
declared that he had brought his soldiers all the way from
England with the understanding that they were to be
treated in a handsome manner with plenty of food and

168 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

provisions, and if the population did not change its atti-
tude, then he would have to "be under the necessity of
consulting for himself."

At that time the Governor of the Colony was sick and
was taken aboard the Gambia Castle, where accommoda-
tions were better suited to his recovery. Lowther, with
the Governor aboard, began to think of capturing the ship
as he felt the temporary conditions would make the ship's
seizure less difficult. He had struck up a friendship with
soldier Massey, and now became openly belligerent to
Captain Russell, who ordered him punished by the other
sailors. This they refused to do. Lowther soon sought the
ear of Massey, telling him of his humiliation at the hands
of Russell in front of the crew, mentioning the fact that
the crew had stuck by him. Massey listened carefully,
for by this time he was sick of the whole business. The
merchants ashore had not added to the rations for the
soldiers, nor were they planning to do so. As a result of
their talk, the two men agreed to seize the ship at the
earliest opportunity.

This was accomplished in a clever manner. When
the time came for mutiny, Lowther sent word ashore to
Massey by messenger that he should repair on board at
once. The officer realized that the moment for action was
at hand. Massey stepped out into the barracks and spoke
to the soldiers, who because of their ill treatment were
ready for almost anything. "You that have a mind to go
to England, now is the time," Massey told his men. Most
of them agreed on the impulse of the moment to join him.
Massey sent a message out to the chief mate that the King
of Barro was coming aboard for dinner.

CAPTAIN GEORGE LOWTHER 169

As the Governor of the Colony was then ashore with
Captain Russell, the chief mate was perplexed at the mes-
sage, and consulted with Lowther about it. Lowther rec-
ognized it at once as a signal that Massey was bringing
his soldiers aboard, and, seizing the chief mate, had him
confined below, while the crew made preparations for
sailing. That afternoon Massey and his soldiers came
aboard the Gambia Castle, bringing with them the Gov-
ernor's son, almost all the stores ashore, and the guns
from the local fort. When he learned what was transpir-
ing, Captain Charles Russell rushed down to the shore
and called out to the ship, offering them whatever terms
they wished if he could only be allowed aboard again.
George Lowther scornfully refused Russell's terms, but
he did put ashore in a small boat the governor's son and
three others who decided against a sea voyage at just that
time.

The Gambia Castle then sailed out of the harbor,
and soon the shores near the Gambia River were but a
thin line on the horizon. The seriousness of the situation
made the men silent, for they were just beginning to
realize that there was no turning back. Lowther perhaps
understood what their thoughts might be, for shortly after-
wards he took definite action. Calling all hands aft, the
pirate announced that the time had come to make their
plans for the future.

"Men, it is folly to return to England," exclaimed
Captain Lowther, "for by seizing this ship we have been
guilty of an offense, the penalty for which is hanging, as
you all know. I for one, do not propose to chance such a
fate. If you do not accept my proposal please set me
ashore at some safe place. However, my proposal is that

170 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

we should seek our fortunes on the high seas as other
brave men have done before us." Needless to say the
men accepted Lowther's plan at once.

The ship was stripped flush fore and aft with the
cabins knocked down, and the name Happy Delivery was
bestowed on the old Gambia Castle. Eight articles were
drawn up and sworn to over a Bible, after which every
member of the crew was given a chance to sign his name.
A fitting idea of a pirate's mind two hundred years ago
can be gained by study of the following eight articles
which Lowther offered to his men.

1. The Captain is to have two full shares; the
Master is to have one Share and a half; the
Doctor, Mate, Gunner, and Boatswain, one Share
and a quarter.

2. He that shall be found guilty of taking any
unlawful Weapon on Board the Privateer, or
any Prize, by us taken, so as to strike or abuse
one another, in any regard, shall suffer what
Punishment the Captain and Majority of the
Company shall think fit.

3. He that shall be found Guilty of Cowardice,
in the Time of engagement, shall suffer what
Punishment the Captain and Majority shall
think fit.

4. If any Gold, Jewels, Silver, & c. be found
on Board of any Prize or Prizes, to the Value
of a Piece of Eight, and the Finder do not de-
liver it to the Quarter-Master, in the Space of
24 Hours, he shall suffer what punishment the
Captain and Majority shall think fit.

CAPTAIN GEORGE LOWTHER 171

5. He that is found Guilty of Gaming, or De-
frauding another to the Value of a Shilling,
shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and
Majority of the Company shall think fit.

6. He that shall have the Misfortune to lose a
Limb, in Time of Engagement, shall have the
Sum of one hundred and fifty Pounds Sterling,
and remain with the Company as long as he
shall think fit.

7. Good Quarters to be given when call'd for.

8. He that sees a Sail first, shall have the best
Pistol, or Small-Arm, on Board her.

On June 20, 1721, a week after articles had been
signed, the Happy Delivery fell in with the brigantine
Charles of Boston, Massachusetts. After ransacking the
brigantine in a thorough manner, removing all articles
of value, the pirates allowed the Charles to sail away.
Not a single person aboard the Boston brigantine had
been injured in any way, nor was the vessel herself dam-
aged. Later Lowther captured a Spanish pirate which
had a short time before overtaken and looted a ship from
Bristol, England. Lowther impressed the British seamen
and set the Spaniards adrift in a launch, after burning
both the Bristol ship and the Spanish vessel.

On reaching Hispaniola, Captain George Lowther
sighted and approached a French vessel which had a
cargo of wine and brandy. Pretending that he was a
merchant who desired to purchase certain wines and
brandies of the Frenchman's ample stock, he went on
board to view the liquors. Lowther then carried his de-
ception further by offering a price for the greater part

172 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

of the cargo, which the Frenchman refused. This annoyed
the buccaneer a trifle, so he stepped closer to the French
captain, and whispered in his ear that they were going
to take all the cargo anyway without paying anything.
The terror-stricken Frenchman then collapsed, and Low-
ther ordered the immediate removal of thirty casks of
brandy, five hogsheads of wine, and other valuable goods
in the cargo. As the Frenchman had given in so easily,
Lowther gave him five pounds for his trouble.

The French settlements appealed to the mind of
Officer Massey, whose rank was never divulged. He told
Captain Lowther that he was anxious to go ashore and
pillage the villages along the water's edge. Lowther ad-
monished him, claiming that such a plan \vould result in
death and disaster, for only at sea was a pirate successful.
"Stay in our own field of activity," were Lowther's words
of advice to the soldier, and a majority of the crew agreed
with him. Most of the soldiers, nevertheless, were still
under Massey's command, and the army leader from that
time on made himself objectionable. He picked quarrel
after quarrel with Lowther as the weeks went by, with
the crew and soldiers frequently testing their swords
against each other on the deck.

Captain George Lowther realized that this state of
affairs could not possibly continue. When a small sloop
was taken soon afterwards, Massey expressed his desire
to be allowed to take her over. Lowther, who by this time
was getting very tired of Massey's continual quarreling,
readily agreed. Massey found ten of the soldiers willing
to sail with him, and soon Lowther and his followers were
alone on the high seas.

STORY ON PAGE 167

CAPTAIN GEORGE LOWTHER

AWAITING THE CAREENING OF HIS VESSEL,
SHOWN IN THE BACKGROUND

STORY ON PAGE 200

CREW MEMBER OF CAPTAIN LOW'S COMPANY

KILLING A WOUNDED SPANIARD WHO HAD ASKED FOR QUARTER

STORY ON PAGE 199

THE PORTUGUESE CAPTAIN CUTTING AWAY
THE MONEY BAG

STORY ON PAGE 195

RUSSEL AND ROBERTS

CAPTAIN GEORGE LOWTHER 177

False news of Lowther's capture by the British man-
of-war Feversham was received in London, and Captain
Charles Russell, from whom Lowther had stolen his vessel,
started for Barbadoes to testify against the pirate. Rus-
sell had his long journey for nothing, however. When
he arrived in Barbadoes there were no pirates awaiting
him, for their capture had been merely a rumor.

Meanwhile Captain George Lowther had taken a
small sloop which he ordered to accompany him. A short,
time later he careened both vessels at a small island.
Part of the time the pirates spent with certain of the native
Indian women, who did not object to engaging in amorous
activities with the English pirates. Finally, when the ships
were ready the pirates sailed away for the Bay of Hon-
duras, arriving there in the last week of 1721. Here it was
that Lowther fell in with Captain Ned Low of Boston,
and the two evil spirits joined forces. Shortly afterwards,
they embarked on a vicious career of buccaneering and
murder. Their various adventures while sailing together
are described elsewhere in this volume. It is said that
Edward Low was a quick and willing pupil of his pirate
teacher, George Lowther.

Finally Low and Lowther came to the parting of their
respective ways. On the night of May 28, 1722, Captain
George Lowther, in company with Charles Harris, a pirate
who had become his lieutenant, sailed for the waters
around New York and Long Island. A few days later he
fell in with the ship Mary Galley, homeward bound for
Boston. Lowther removed a barrel and thirteen hogsheads
of rum, five barrels of sugar, several cases of pepper, to-
gether with six negroes. All of the passengers were robbed
of their entire wealth, but the Mary Galley was allowed

178 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

to proceed on her way the following morning.

The next destination of the pirates was the upper
waters of Chesapeake Bay, where they captured a large
sloop. Anchoring the same evening not too far from shore,
the pirates were heard beating their drums all night long,
according to the reports of the excited populace of that
region. Word was rapidly passed up and down the shores
and all shipping in the region was brought to an imme-
diate standstill.

A well-aimed dig at the majesty of the British Em-
pire was made at this time by Benjamin Franklin's brother,
James, in the pages of Boston's New England Courant.
Commenting on the absence of any men-of-war in the
vicinity of Chesapeake Bay, where the bold pirate George
Lowther was then known to be, Franklin's newspaper
printed the following on August 6, 1722:

Philadelphia, July 26. On Sunday the 22d ar-
rived a small sloop, Jonathan Swain, Master,
from Cape May, by whom we have Advice, That
a Pyrate Brigantine and Sloop have been cruis-
ing on and off both our Capes for above Three
Weeks . . . They were both seen on Thursday
last cruising about their old Station, not fear-
ing disturbance from the Men of War, who, by
dear experience, we know, love Trading better
than Fighting.

Leaving Chesapeake Bay, Lowther approached the
shore of South Carolina, where he overtook a ship which
had just sailed from the Carolinas bound for England.
It was the Amy, commanded by Captain Gwatkins, who
was not afraid of pirates or anything else. When Lowther,
thinking he would scare Gwatkins, hoisted the Jolly Roger,

CAPTAIN GEORGE LOWTHER 179

Gwatkins let go a broadside that did great damage aboard
Lowther's ship. The pirate then tried to escape. Running
aground on the Carolina coast, Lowther ordered all his
men to take their arms and go ashore where they could
scatter if defeated. Captain Gwatkins sailed as close as
he dared to the beach, and filling one of his boats with
armed men, jumped in the midst of them. His sailors
resolutely rowed toward the stranded sloop, intending to
burn it. An unlucky shot from the shore hit Gwatkins as
the men were approaching the pirate craft, wounding him
fatally, whereupon his mate took charge and returned to
the Amy. Because of the death of his captain, the mate
abandoned the fight and hoisted sail, leaving the pirate to
roam the seas and plunder at will.

It had been a narrow escape for Lowther, who rowed
out to his sloop the moment the Amy sailed away. As
many in his pirate crew had either been killed or wounded,
Lowther thought it wise to pull in at one of North Caro-
lina's many inlets. There he rested his men who were not
hurt and gave the wounded a chance to recover.

Winter caught them, however, before they were pre-
pared to go to sea again, so they remained at their North
Carolina inlet throughout the winter months, hunting the
great black cattle which roamed through the underbrush
there, capturing hogs and other animals whenever they
could for their food. When the weather grew extremely
cold, they went back aboard the sloop.

With the first signs of spring Captain George Lowther
told his men a voyage to the fishing grounds off New-
foundland was in order. The next day the sloop left the
inlet and proceeded out to sea. Lowther's first victim was
the schooner Swift, which was captured with forty bar-

180 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

rels of salt beef. In the pages of the Boston Gazette of the
period we read that three men were forced from the crew
of the Swift, Andrew and Henry Hunter and Jonathan
Deloe. Several other vessels were taken shortly after-
wards. July 5, 1723, Captain Lowther fell in with the
brigantine John and Elizabeth, and forced two men from
her, after removing stores from the cargo.

The merchants and sailors of New England were
now so thoroughly frightened that they were over-cautious.
Almost every master sighting a sail in the distance would
run away from it, and time after time two honest cap-
tains meeting far at sea would turn and run at once. In
the pages of the Boston News-Letter for August 22 we
read of a sloop with a white bottom, having eight gun
ports, which anchored off Block Island and sent a small
boat ashore. The men asked for a pilot and provisions,
going over to Captain Rea's establishment, where they
paid for some sheep with silver money. It was believed
that Lowther, the pirate, had made the visit, until two
weeks later when the true story became known. The sloop
had been a London vessel, commanded by Captain Rupert
Wappen, and had actually carried a dozen or so chests of
silver, but she was not a pirate nor had Captain Lowther
been aboard. Other reports came thick and fast regarding
Lowther' s whereabouts, but they were all false.

Oblivious of the excitement which he was causing up
and down the Atlantic Coast, Captain George Lowther
actually had sailed for the West Indies, where he cap-
tured a vessel loaded with provisions from Martinique.
Lowther followed this capture by taking the Princess,
commanded by Captain Wickstead. A short time later he
decided the Happy Delivery needed careening, for the

CAPTAIN GEORGE LOWTHER 181

vegetation had grown to such an extent on the bottom of
the ship that her speed was too slow.

Blanco Island was chosen as an ideal location for
this work, and Lowther ran the Happy Delivery up on the
beach at high tide, sending the guns, sails, and supplies
ashore.

Captain George Lowther, however, had careened his
last ship. Just as the men started to work on scraping the
bottom of the Happy Delivery, the lookout sighted an-
other sloop sailing along just off the cove. It was the
armed sloop Eagle, commanded by Walter Moore, who
was bound for Comena. Having chanced to sail close to
Blanco, Moore noticed a vessel careened on the beach.
He passed in close enough to determine what type of ship
it might be. Firing a shot of inquiry which forced Lowther
to show some sort of flag, Moore awaited an answer.
Lowther was desperate. As the tide was out, he was hope-
lessly trapped, but decided to try a ruse. Running the
flag of Saint George up to the topmast head, Lowther
hoped this would satisfy the armed sloop, but it did not.
Captain Moore became more and more curious, and chose
to come in closer.

Lowther observed the action. Determined to sell his
liberty dearly, he opened fire with his guns from the
shore as the Eagle neared the beach. The organized fire
from the Eagle proved too much for Lowther, however,
and his men either surrendered or broke and ran for the
woods. The tide was sweeping in all the time, and at high
water Captain Moore was able to go aboard the Happy
Delivery, and soon had her anchored off in deep water.
He organized a searching party of twenty-five armed
men; by nightfall sixteen buccaneers had been taken in

182 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

the dragnet, but Captain Lowther was not among them.
The pirate had succeeded in eluding the searching party
completely.

Captain Walter Moore sailed away from Blanco with
sixteen prisoners and the Happy Delivery in company. A
Spanish sloop was sent to capture the rest of the pirates
shortly afterwards. Four more men were eventually cap-
tured, all of whom became slaves for the rest of their
lives. Lowther, however, still managed to escape.

When the sloop Eagle finally arrived at St. Chris-
topher's, a Court of Vice-Admiralty for the pirates was
ordered convened on March 11, 1724. Fourteen men
were tried for piracy. Two others had either died of
wounds or were freed. Eleven were found guilty. Two
of the condemned pirates were afterwards pardoned. Nine
days later the unpardoned pirates were hanged from a
gallows erected between the rise and fall of the tidal
waters at St. Christopher's. Although Lowther was not
captured and hanged, he did not escape, for another vessel
touched at Blanco Island a few weeks later. A searching
party sent to capture him found the pirate leader lying
beside his discharged pistol, dead, it is said, by his own
hand. It is believed that in desperation he finally com-
mitted suicide. Such was the strange finish of Captain
George Lowther, who among his other villainous achieve-
ments trained the despicable Edward Low of Boston,
Massachusetts,

CAPTAIN EDWARD LOW
THE INFAMOUS BUCCANEER

On August 12, 1714, the Reverend Mr. Benjamin
Wadsworth of the Old Brick Church in Boston united
Edward Low and Eliza Marble in marriage. After this
almost momentary meeting, the careers of the two men
had widely divergent paths. The Reverend Mr. Benjamin
Wadsworth later became President of Harvard College.
Low, a year or so after his marriage, began his career
as a pirate, in which profession he gradually sank to
deeds so infamous and depraved that he was finally aban-
doned in an open boat by his own men.

Born in the parish of Westminster, Ned Low was
the younger brother of the notorious Low hanged as a
highwayman at Tyburn. Ned went to sea at an early age.
On one of his visits ashore in Boston he became so attracted
to- the town that he decided to establish himself there, and
obtained employment at a shipyard. Shortly after this
his marriage to Eliza Marble took place. At that time he
made a definite effort to be an honest man, living quietly
at home with his wife whom he dearly loved.

The first child of the Lows died soon after birth. The
next baby, a girl, lived, but her mother died. Probably
Eliza Low's death was responsible for Low's subsequent
behavior, for it was shortly afterwards that he became
quarrelsome at the shipyard and was discharged. The
death of his young wife and then the loss of his job when
he had been leading an honest life was such cruel fortune
that he now seemed anxious to revenge himself on all
humanity.

184 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Unable to obtain employment elsewhere in Boston,
Low shipped aboard a sloop bound for Honduras. As he
displayed unusual ability, he was detailed to go ashore
with the armed crew whose business it was to steal log-
wood from Spanish territory. The loading went on un-
eventfully until, one day, the logboat reached the sloop
just as dinner was ready and appetizing odors were filling
the air about the sloop. The captain ordered the men to
make another trip before they could have their dinner.
This was too much for Low, who was hungry and tired
after a long day. Working himself into a frenzy, he dis-
charged his musket at the captain. Low then jumped aboard
the small boat and rowed ashore with the rest of the twelve
men aboard.

On the beach the men all gathered around Low to
make plans for the future. The thirteen men agreed to
become pirates, with Edward Low as their captain. A
black flag was fashioned and hoisted aloft. The next day
the pirates fell upon a small ship which they easily cap-
tured. Then Low set a course for the Grand Caymans
Islands, a pirate rendezvous near Jamaica. Here they en-
countered Captain George Lowther, a well-known bucca-
neer. After a few days spent fitting out the vessel, Low
joined forces with Lowther, the latter assuming the title
of captain of the fleet, with Low as lieutenant. They finally
decided to sink Low's smaller vessel, and the whole com-
pany sailed away aboard the Happy Delivery, Lowther's
larger craft.

The first ship which the pirates encountered, the
Greyhound, was commanded by a Yankee captain, Benja-
min Edwards of Boston, who exchanged shot for shot
until he realized his hopeless position, and surrendered.

INFAMOUS EDWARD LOW 185

Five of Edwards' crew were impressed. Seven other Boston
vessels suffered the same fate as the Greyhound primarily
because Lowther hated all men from New England, where
the hanging of pirates was becoming a habit. Lowther cap-
tured a fine sloop from Newport and turned it over to
Ned Low as his personal command. Next a Jamaican sloop
was seized and given to Charles Harris, one of the forced
men from the Greyhound, who had shown much piratical
promise after his capture. With these three ships and a
small sloop as a tender, the sea marauders started once
more on their voyage of plunder and pillaging.

The pirate fleet sailed for Port Mayo at Matique,
where good careening grounds were available, the ships'
bottoms being badly in need of scraping. Setting up a
small colony ashore, they placed their plunder in tents
erected near the beach.

One day, as the pirates were working scraping the
bottom of the Happy Delivery, a band of natives, with
blood-curdling yells rending the air, suddenly swooped
in upon them from the forest!

Taken at a disadvantage, the men retreated to the
sloops lying at anchor, near the shore, leaving their stores
on the beach to be plundered by the enemy. This disaster
naturally caused no little bitterness among the pirates.
Quarreling and recrimination flamed among them. Hungry
and discouraged, they up-anchored and sailed away. After
such a disastrous defeat, the pirates planned to consoli-
date all the stores aboard one ship. Lowther was in com-
mand of the largest sloop, which he had named the Ranger.
It was such a staunch craft, with ten guns and eight swivels,
that the pirates chose it to remain afloat, while all the
other sloops were scuttled because of the emergency. Low

186 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

and his infamous company of one hundred sea brigands
then sailed away.

Several weeks went by with no other vessel sighted.
They finally overtook a small brigantine near the island
of Discade, in the West Indies. Going aboard the vessel,
they plundered and sank it. The pirates felt better after
the capture, for the affair revived their flagging spirits.
Sailing for the Bahamas, the buccaneers fell in with and
captured the brigantine Rebecca, homeward bound for
Boston. There were five women and eighteen men aboard,
but all eventually reached home safely after being trans-
ferred some time later to another captured vessel.

It was shortly after this that Lowther and Low fell
apart. Evidently Lowther had been steadily growing tired
of the dissatisfied attitude and senseless cruelties of his
lieutenant. Low was given the Rebecca and a crew of forty
on the afternoon of May 28, 1722. Captain Lowther, hav-
ing taught his pupil the lesson of cruelty on the high seas
only too well, sailed away from Ned Low of Boston for-
ever.

Captain Low now began a voyage to New England
waters. Arriving off Block Island early in June 1722, he
fell in with a sloop from New Jersey which he boarded
and plundered. Later in the day he captured a Newport
sloop commanded by James Cahoon. Disabling the sloop,
Low then stood away to the southeast, in an attempt to
flee the vicinity.

Cahoon reached Block Island that same midnight,
however, and a whaleboat arrived in Newport Harbor the
next morning with the terrifying news that a pirate ship
was off the coast. All Newport was aroused. The governor
of Rhode Island ordered drums beaten around town for

INFAMOUS EDWARD LOW 187

volunteers to fight the sea rovers, and the excitement in
Newport reached fever intensity.

Two of the best sloops in Newport were outfitted and
prepared for battle. Captain John Headlund was chosen
to be master of the first sloop of ten guns and eighty men.
Captain John Brown commanded the other sloop, which
had six guns and sixty men. The sloops were under weigh
before sunset the same day, at which time the pirate ship
was still visible from the heights of Block Island. But a
wind which sprang up allowed the buccaneer to escape
from his pursuers, and the men of Newport returned home
without their prey.

When news of Pirate Low's being off the coast of New
England reached Boston, the drums were beaten for a
muster, and over 100 volunteers left Boston Harbor under
Captain Peter Papillion to hunt him down. Although he
was unable to catch Low, Papillion did overtake the brig-
antine Rebecca which Low had abandoned in the charge of
homeward bound Marblehead sailors. The fittings and
goods on the Rebecca were sold at Captain Long's house in
Charlestown.

Captain Low had actually sailed to Buzzard's Bay,
where his men went ashore on No Man's Land to steal
sheep for food and to replenish the water supply. The plan
at that time was to sail for the Bahamas. But Low changed
his mind, and sailed north until he reached Roseway, near
what is now Shelburne, Nova Scotia. A fishing fleet of
thirteen vessels lay at anchor. Suspecting nothing, the
fishermen would allow a boat from Low's vessel to ap-
proach. Once aboard a schooner, Low's men would draw
cutlasses and pistols from under their clothes and force
the fishermen to surrender. One by one the freebooters

188 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

visited the entire thirteen vessels in this manner, thor-
oughly plundering the helpless fishermen of all usable
material.

Captain Low took special interest in one particular
schooner, the Mary, owned by Joseph Dolliber of Marble-
head. Choosing the Mary for his new flagship, he renamed
her the Fancy, transferring his own men and supplies to
her decks. All the fishermen except ten were allowed to
go aboard Low's old brigantine, and a short time later
they sailed for Boston.

Low's adventures for the period immediately follow-
ing are told in detail in Philip Ashton's narrative, also
in this volume, so we shall pick up the story after Ashton,
a fishing lad from Marblehead, escaped to the island of
Bonaco. This took place on March 9, 1723, during the
period when Low was ashore on Roatan Island.

Running into a terrible storm, Low barely weathered
the blow. After the winds subsided he came across a great
ship badly crippled, having lost all her masts in the hurri-
cane. Low removed a thousand pounds' worth of gold and
silver from the disabled vessel. This same hurricane, it may
be noted, caused terrific damage at Port Royal. The can-
non of Fort Charles on the island were washed into the
sea, while at least 400 persons lost their lives. The gale
wrecked forty vessels in the harbor.

On August third Low sailed into St. Michael's Road,
capturing seven vessels without resistance. One of them,
the pinkie Rose, was a former man-of-war, and could easily
have won over the pirate craft with any show of strength.
But there was such terror attached to the name of Low
that no opposition was offered. Quick to appreciate the
advantages of the Rose, Low assumed command of her,

INFAMOUS EDWARD LOW 189

giving Charles Harris the captaincy of the schooner.

In a short time Captain Harris fell in with a galley
commanded by Captain Wright, who resisted the pirates
in a short skirmish. This so enraged Harris that he allowed
the pirates to parade around the decks of the defeated
galley, cutting and slashing the prisoners at will. The
Portuguese captives, including two Roman Catholic friars,
were triced up at each arm of the f oreyard, but before they
died Harris had them cut down again. When they had re-
covered their senses, they were again trussed up aloft and
the process repeated until death spared them further
torture.

Captain Low happened to be aboard at the time, and
in the mixup one of the pirates slashed him across the
lower jaw, laying bare his teeth. Low complained bitterly
about the way the surgeon sewed his jaw up. Enraged,
the surgeon smashed him across the mouth, bidding him
to sew up his own chops. As the surgeon was a necessary
member of the ship's company, Low accepted the affront
in silence.

Following this fracas, the two pirate leaders steered
for Madeira. At this port they seized an old man from a
fishing boat and sent his companions ashore for water.
When the water was duly delivered, the hostage was re-
leased, bedecked in stolen finery as a show of the pirate's
generosity. Later, while off the Cape Verde Islands, the
Liverpool Merchant and the King Sagamore were cap-
tured. For some perverse reason the buccaneers put ashore
Captain Andrew Scott completely naked. About this time
Nicholas Merritt of Marblehead, together with other forced
men who were thoroughly disgusted at Low's cruel antics,
escaped from his control by sailing away in a small trad-

190 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

ing sloop which had been captured a short time before.
When they ran into the Azores for needed provisions, the
crew members were made prisoners and thrown into jail.
But several, including Merritt, escaped and eventually-
reached America.

After careening his vessels at the island of Bonavista,
Low sailed for St. Nicholas for water. At the southeastern
end of the island Captain George Roberts and his sloop
Margaret fell prey to the pirate fleet. (Roberts later wrote
of his experience in The Four Voyages of Capt. George
Roberts, published at London in 1726.)

Brought into Low's cabin by one of the other pirates,
Roberts was welcomed by Commodore Low himself, who
apologized, with fine irony, no doubt, for taking Roberts'
ship. Roberts answered grimly that it was still in Low's
power to let him go. Low argued that he was but one man
out of many; all business of that nature had to be done
in public, and by a majority of votes. Neither he nor the
others wished to meet with vessels of their own nations,
but when it happened, it could not be avoided. As the
pirates were gentlemen who depended on Dame Fortune,
they could not be ungrateful to her. After a long discussion
which settled nothing. Roberts was allowed to leave the
cabin.

The subsequent ten days or more, about which Captain
Roberts discourses at length in his journal, give us much
insight into the mind and reactions of pirates on the high
seas, and for anyone desiring a real running account of the
life of a pirate, nothing has been written which illustrates
better the thoughts and actions of the buccaneers of two
hundred years ago.

The next morning after the capture Captain Roberts

INFAMOUS EDWARD LOW 191

turned out at eight o'clock and went up on deck. While
taking a walk around the boat, he was met by a man who
asked if the captain remembered him. Roberts disclaimed
ever having seen the fellow before, whereupon the man
gave him further information.

"I once belonged to you, and sailed with you when
you were Commander of the Susannah in the year 1718,"
said the pirate.

Two others, who were also under him on the same
voyage, later came up to Captain Roberts, expressing their
sorrow that he had fallen among thieves, and promising
to give him substantial presents of silk and linen before
he departed if he was permitted to leave the ship. The
three men then glanced around as if to see if other pirates
were listening. Satisfied that they were indeed alone with
the captain, they told him to be very careful, as Roberts'
mate had divulged information that Roberts was an expert
pilot familiar with the coast of Brazil, whereas not one
sailor of the whole pirate fleet had any nautical knowledge
of Brazilian waters. They further charged him with the
need for utmost secrecy, for it would mean certain death
to them were it known they had so spoken.

Later in the day Captain Low came up on deck, and
asked Roberts if his bed had been comfortable. Roberts
replied that everything had been satisfactory, and stated
that he was obliged for the care which had been taken.
Low nodded and ordered the consultation flag run up. This
flag was a strange one, a green silk emblem on which the
yellow figure of a man blowing a trumpet had been sewn.
Shortly afterwards boats came from the other vessels of
the fleet, and soon the deck was filled with pirates. Captain
Low invited them to dinner and a conference in the cabin.

192 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

The motley crowd poured down tke hatchways into the
cabin, and those who could not squeeze into the crowded
compartment went below into the steerage.

When the pirates had finished eating, Captain Low
asked Roberts if he happened to be married, and if so
did he have any children. Roberts answered that not only
was he married, but that he had five children when he
left home, and possibly had six by then, "one being on the
Stocks when I came from Home." Then came further in-
quiries about his wife, whether she was well-provided for
or not. Roberts replied that he had left her in rather in-
different circumstances, and if the present trip turned out
poorly, the wife and children might suffer for bread. Low,
whose own child was then living in Boston, turned to pirate
Russel and said:

"It will not do, Russel."

Russel asked Low what the trouble was, and Low
replied that they could not take Captain Roberts, who was
needed at home. Russel said that self-preservation was the
first law of nature, and necessity has no law. Then Low
said that it would never be with his consent. The time came
for the vote, all the pirates leaving the cabin. Roberts was
told to stay below and await the verdict.

Two hours later the pirates returned. It seems that
Russel had been very bitter against Roberts, but most of
the others wished to let him sail away. Russel interviewed
Roberts then as to what would happen should he be allowed
to leave. He would be short-handed ; they would allow him
no supplies; he had lost his cargo and money. How could
Roberts hope to sail under those circumstances? Roberts
answered him question for question in such a masterly
fashion that he excited the admiration of the crew, and
nothing was settled that day.

INFAMOUS EDWARD LOW 193

The next day, in the forenoon, Captain Russel re-
turned. His conversation soon indicated that he was at-
tempting a new tack to win his point. He told Roberts he
knew him to be a man of great understanding, and wished
him well. Then he said that the only way out would be to
sink the Roberts sloop, and then have Roberts join the
pirate company until their next capture, at which time
Roberts would be given the new vessel and a crew, and
could sail away.

Roberts told Russel that his kind offer could not be
accepted, and gave his reasons. If the owners of the vessel
should hear of it, he would have to make restitution, or
he might even be hanged as a pirate. Russel retorted that
they, the pirates, would give Roberts a bill of sale for the
vessel and cargo, which would settle the difficulty. Roberts
admitted that this might absolve him, but even if he re-
ceived thousands of pounds in wealth, he would not be at
peace with his conscience. By this time a small group of
the pirates had gathered around to hear the argument,
and one of them said that Roberts would do well at preach-
ing sermons, and would make a good chaplain. Others,
however, quickly decided that they could do without "God-
liness to be preach'd there: That pirates had no God but
their Money, nor Savior but their Arms." A silence then
fell over the buccaneers gathered on the deck, after which
Captain Jack Russel replied to Low's remarks.

"'I suppose you think, that all the Claim we have to
the Ships and Goods that we take, is by an Act of Violence,
and therefore unjust?"

"I could not express my Conceptions of it better or
fuller," answered Roberts, "but hope that neither you nor
Captain Loe will be offended at my taking so much Lib-
erty."

194 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

At this clever retort the crew agreed that they were
enjoying to the utmost the arguments of the two men, Russel
and Roberts, and thought they were very well matched.
One of them added that Captain Russel seldom met with a
man that could stand up to him. The arguments continued
throughout the day, and still nothing was settled. Finally
Captain Low got up and called the gathering to him.

"Gentlemen, the Master, I must needs say, has spoke
nothing but what is very reasonable, and I think he ought
to have his Sloop. What do you say, Gentlemen?" Almost
every man agreed with him, several of them suggesting
that a small amount should be presented to him before he
went aboard his vessel. Russel, boiling mad at the turn
of events, determined secretly to kill Roberts.

Approaching Low, Russel suggested that as the pirates
had voted to return the sloop to Roberts, he would like
to take the captain over to his own vessel, where he could
treat him to a sneaker of punch before his departure. Low,
suspecting nothing, assented, and Roberts had perforce to
accept the offer, although he said in his book, "I had
rather stay'd with Loe." But Russel overwhelmed him with
kindness, and seemed so solicitous that Roberts felt that
perhaps all would be well. Roberts and Russel left at once
for the latter's vessel.

After a sumptuous repast a bowl of punch was set
on the table. Captain Jack Russel took a bumper, and
drank the first toast of the evening, which was called "Suc-
cess to our undertaking." Roberts, not daring to refuse,
drank with the rest. The next health was announced, "To
the King of France." The third toast gave Russel the
opportunity for which he waited. It was started as "To the
King of England." By the time it had gone halfway around

INFAMOUS EDWARD LOW 195

the table, however, the pirates were saying "The aforesaid
health," and when it came Roberts' turn, he cried out, "To
the aforesaid health."

"What health is that?" shouted Russel, becoming
angry.

"Why," answered Roberts, "The King of England's
health."

"Who is the King of England?" countered Russel.

"He that wears the crown is certainly king while he
keeps it," answered the perplexed Roberts, wondering what
it was that Russel, who was working himself into a rage,
was getting at. "King George at present wears it," con-
cluded Roberts.

At this remark Russel, who considered it was high
time to shoot Roberts, whipped out his pistol. But the
gunner grabbed Russel and disarmed him. Russel then
shouted out that the Pretender was the real King of Eng-
land, and it was a sin to allow such a traitorous dog to
live. With those words he grabbed another pistol from his
holster and cocked it instantly. Fortunately just as he
fired a pirate struck the gun out of Russel's hand, so that
the charge went off without doing any damage.

The gunner announced that Roberts had not been to
blame, and that Russel had acted in a hasty manner.
Russel, still furious, began to argue with the other pirates,
but they were all against him. The result was that Russel,
by vote of the other pirates, had all his firearms and
weapons taken away for the time being. Sensing the danger
which Roberts was in, the Master, the Gunner, and five
or six others decided to sit up all night with the poor man,
to prevent Russel or his cronies from finishing the plan of
murder.

196 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

The next morning Roberts was rowed back to Low's
ship, where the gunner and the steward told Low the whole
story of the night's events. While Low was hearing of the
affair, Russel had gone to the first mate of Roberts' old
ship, and by four o'clock that afternoon, had talked the
man into becoming a pirate. Then Russel rowed over to
Low's ship, and confronted Low and Roberts. He was ready
to play his next card.

"The mate of the sloop is willing to enter with us as
a Volunteer," said Russel, whereupon Low asked what
they should do, as the captain could not sail away without
the mate.

"Zounds!" exclaimed Russel, "the mate is a lusty
young brisk Man, and has been upon the Account before,
and told me but even now."

Low retorted that to give Roberts his sloop without
hands was to give him a lingering death. Russel came back
by declaring that he only spoke for the good of the whole
company; the rest could do as they pleased. He was the
acknowledged quartermaster, duly elected, and would en-
ter the mate then and there, and had a pistol ready for
any who opposed him. As the pirate law was very clear
on that particular point, the other pirates, after a little
complaining, admitted that Russel's plan would have to
be carried out. Russel, realizing that he had won, now
turned to Roberts.

"Master," said Russel, "the Company has decreed
you your Sloop and you shall have her; you shall have
your two Boys, and that is all: You shall have neither
Provisions, nor any Thing else, more than as she now is.
And, I hear, there are some of the Company design to
make a Gathering for you; but that also I forbid, by the
Authority of my Place."

INFAMOUS EDWARD LOW 197

Captain Roberts stoutly objected to being placed on
his sloop under such impossible conditions, and started to
discuss the situation, but Captain Low gave him the wink,
and Roberts subsided. Later that afternoon Low called to
Roberts, explaining that whatever he had said to Russel,
the latter would have taken it "edgeways."

Further discussion of Roberts' case ensued. Russel
said he was ready to take Roberts aboard his vessel, as
his duty as quartermaster allowed. He would see that
Roberts was placed aboard his sloop. As soon as Roberts
reached Russel's vessel, the pirate reiterated to the un-
happy captain that he was to be placed aboard the sloop
without food or drink. At ten that night he called the
sloop's boat over, and asked the occupants if they had
cleared the sloop of everything as he had ordered. They
answered in the affirmative. Then Russel inquired about
the sails, and when he found the mainsail was still on the
sloop, ordered it removed, as he did not wish Roberts to
have any sails whatever.

"Damn it," said one of his men, "Then you must
turn the Man adrift in the Sloop without a Mainsail."

"Pish," said Russel, "The same miraculous Power
that is to bring him Provisions, can also bring him a
Sail."

"If he be such a mighty Conjurer," said one, "how
the Devil was it that he did not conjure himself clear of
us?"

The gunner seems to have been a pretty fair sort,
judging from the reasoning which he used in the follow-
ing statements:

"If any of you were at Tyburn, or any other Place
to be executed, as many better and stouter Men than some
of you, have been, and the Spectators, or Jack Catch should

198 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

make a Droll and May-game of you, you would think them
a very hard-hearted, as well as inconsiderate Sort of
People. . . . Take care, Russel, you have not this to answer
for one Day . . . and I tell you, John Russel, if ever such
Cases as these be any more practis'd, my Endeavor shall
be to leave this Company as soon as I possibly can."

Two sailors then stepped into the boat and rowed
Captain Roberts over to his sloop. Halfway across he
met the schooner's boat, with his two boys aboard, and
they were all transferred to the sloop in short order.

After a long and tedious voyage of considerable hard-
ship, in which improvised methods were necessary to
sail the ill-manned sloop, Captain George Roberts finally
reached land in a starving condition. It is believed that
the pirates, without Russel's knowledge, had smuggled
aboard a few meagre provisions.

In spite of Roberts' glowing account of Low's genial
nature, the Boston pirate was actually one of the most horri-
ble buccaneers of the deep. Roberts was lucky to encounter
the bloodthirsty leader in a pleasant mood. In addition,
Low knew that Roberts had a wife and children at home.
This appeared to make a difference to this Jekyll-Hyde
pirate, Edward Low of Boston.

With Roberts out of sight and mind, Low now began
a campaign of terror and brutal deeds which have seldom
been equalled in piratical annals. After leaving Captain
Roberts, he started for the Brazilian Coast. But no victims
could be found, so the fleet sailed northward. Finally
reaching the Triangles, near the Island of Surinam, the
pirates careened and scraped the vessels. The pinkie was
lost at this time as is told in Philip Ashton's story.

Shortly afterwards the buccaneers captured a French
sloop. Low then assumed command of the sloop, putting

INFAMOUS EDWARD LOW 199

Captain Spriggs in charge of the schooner. After captur-
ing several vessels, they fell in with an extremely rich
prize, the Nostra Signiora de Victoria, from Portugal. As
the treasure which Low knew had been on the ship could
not be found, he tortured some of the sailors until they
revealed what had happened to it. The day they had been
taken, the Portuguese captain had placed the entire treasure
worth $50,000 in a money bag which he suspended out of
a cabin window. When the pirates climbed aboard his
ship, the captain cut the rope and the treasure fell into the
sea. '

The fury of Low at this discovery was almost un-
believable. He had the poor man lashed to the mast, where-
upon Low drew his cutlass and slashed off the captain's
lips with quick, decisive strokes. Broiling the severed
members of the man's face, he then compelled the Portu-
guese mate to turn cannibal and eat them while hot from
the fire. After this bit of horrible torture, the pirates mur-
dered in cold blood every officer and sailor from the
Nostra Signiora de Victoria. It had been a bloody day for
Captain Low and his men.

Low seems to have developed an overwhelming hatred
for New England men, for not only was Boston a port
where many pirates were hanged, but Low himself had
once been discharged from a position which he held in
that town. His treatment of Yankees grew more and more
severe. When, however, he seized a Spanish vessel which
had in turn captured several New England ships, and even
then had their captains confined below decks, Low ordered
his crew to eliminate the entire Spanish company. The
buccaneers waded into the helpless Spaniards, cutting
them to pieces with poleaxes and cutlasses, and shooting
those who jumped over the side. Several Spanish sailors

200 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

managed to escape and swim ashore, although severely
wounded. Some days later Low's men were walking on
the beach, when one of the wretched Spanish sailors,
crawling out of the bushes, asked for quarter.

"God damn you, I will give you quarters presently,"
said the pirate, and he shoved the end of his musket down
the throat of the helpless Spaniard, pulling the trigger.
An illustration of the scene is included in these pages.

Later the American captains were released and al-
lowed to sail for home, after having promised not to reveal
they had met Low. In the pages of the American Weekly-
Mercury, however, we read the whole account in detail.

With Low so close to New York, the man-of-war
Greyhound was dispatched to catch this bloody rover of
the seas. She sighted him in the early morning hours of
June 10, 1723. The battle which followed was a fierce
one. Finally the sloop and the schooner began to edge away,
with the Greyhound in hot pursuit. After a running fight
which lasted two hours, the pirates got out their boats in
the dying wind, and began to row their vessels away from
the heavier man-of-war. But the Greyhound, employing the
same tactics, came up with them around 2:30 that after-
noon. When the mainmast of the schooner was shot away,
Low decided that he had had enough, and sailed away,
leaving his friend Captain Harris and his crew to be cap-
tured aboard the schooner. This cowardly action hurt
Low's reputation aboard his own vessel, and he soon real-
ized it. Captain Edward Low decided that the next victim
he met should suffer for his loss of face.

Two days later he fell in with a whaling sloop from
Nantucket, about eighty miles off the island. One of the
whale boats was some distance from the sloop, and the

INFAMOUS EDWARD LOW 201

men rowed hastily over to another vessel in the vicinity
and escaped. The whaler was boarded. Nathan Skiff, the
captain, was found to be an unmarried man, so Captain
Low had him stripped and severely beaten on the deck,
after which his ears were slashed off. Then he was shot
through the head and his sloop scuttled. The story of the
incident was brought ashore by the whalers, who had
reached land in a small boat, and the tale subsequently was
printed in the Boston News-Letter. Incidentally, the pages
of the News-Letter of this period often mention the exploits
of the infamous Captain Low.

Two days following the whaling incident, Low cap-
tured another vessel, a fisherman off Block Island. The
poor captain was dragged aboard, and other pirates held
the victim while Low cut and slashed at him with his cut-
lass, finally decapitating him. The same day two more
whaling sloops were taken, and the master of one craft
was brought aboard. Low, gone berserk by now, pounced
on him. He stabbed the captain's chest and cut a hole,
pulling out the man's heart, which he roasted over a grill.
The captain's mate was made to turn cannibal and eat the
heart. The other whaling captain was taken aboard. Cap-
tain Low cut off his ears, had them roasted, and sprinkled
them with salt and pepper, after which his crew were
forced to eat their own captain's ears.

And so it went, down through the pages of Captain
Low's subsequent career. We need not dwell on any more
of his sadistic adventures. Enough has been told of his
fiendish methods. His style of torture changed slightly as
his tastes varied. There was a period when he would
hang those he captured. At other times various new forms
of torture were suggested, approved, and inflicted.

202 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

When the fall of 1723 came, Captain Ned Low of
Boston was cruising in the Atlantic. At that time the fleet
included Captain Low's own Merry Christmas, which had
been captured the previous July, and the ship Delight in
command of Captain Spriggs. A short time later Captain
Spriggs deserted and went on his own account.

We cannot state with any degree of certainty exactly
how and when Low met his fate, but we read in the pages
of the Boston News-Letter that he captured a ship called
the Squirrel in January 1724. The following May sailors
arriving at St. Lucia reported they had been taken by
Low, who at that time had only thirty pirates in his
crew. A French warship was dispatched to capture him,
and discovered Low and three others of his group adrift
in an open boat. Low had murdered his quartermaster,
and the crew arose against him and cast him adrift without
food or provisions. The French captain quickly brought
Low into the harbor at Martinique, where the pirate was
tried by the French court along with his companions. They
were adjudged guilty and hanged on the gallows.

There are many who do not believe the story that
Low was set adrift, but confirmation is present in a most
unusual manner. In the Massachusetts State House in
Boston, buried for years under huge stacks of similar
documents, can be found a statement of one Jonathan
Barlow, a sailor who was with Captain Ned Low aboard
the Merry Christmas. It confirms the abandoning of Low
on the high seas by his own crew, so it is reasonable to
assume that the story of his hanging in Martinique is a
true one.

CAPTAIN FRANCIS SPRIGGS
ACTIVE OFF FLORIDA'S COAST

When Captain Lowther sailed down the Thames from
London in March 1721 aboard the Gambia Castle, one of
his more lively crew members was Francis Farrington
Spriggs. Later, when Captain Low joined forces with
Lowther, Spriggs and Low became good friends, and
when the two captains separated the following year,
Spriggs chose Low as the man he wished to follow.

We tell elsewhere the story of the battle between the
Greyhound and the pirates in which Captain Low escaped
while Captain Harris was captured. In that encounter,
Francis Spriggs was back at his favorite post of quarter-
master on Low's vessel. Toward the end of the year 1723,
Low took another vessel, the ship Delight, off the Guinea
coast, and in a short time he put Spriggs in charge of
her with a crew of sixty men. In spite of this promotion,
Spriggs was then nursing a grudge. A member of the
pirate crew had without reason murdered a prisoner in
cold blood and a debate ensued. Spriggs believed the
pirate should be executed as a penalty, while Ned Low
did not feel that the buccaneer deserved this punishment.
This led from a heated discussion to open animosity. The
quarrel, instead of being forgotten, became more pro-
nounced, and two nights later Spriggs sailed away for-
ever from Captain Low.

The following day all hands of the renegade crew
were called together to elect a new captain. They chose
Francis Spriggs. The buccaneers made an emblem quite
similar to that which Low fluttered to the breeze whenever

204 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

overtaking a ship, consisting of a white skeleton holding
an arrow in one hand and an hour glass in the other.
After the election and sewing of the new flag, the pirates
hoisted the standard to the masthead and fired a salute
of guns. Then they sailed for the West Indies, keeping on
the alert for ships to rob and sink.

A Portuguese vessel, which hove into sight a short
time later, didn't have a chance against the newly-organized
band and capitulated at once. The pirates were able to
obtain some valuable merchandize from the cargo. Not
satisfied with their loot, they decided to have some games
with the captured crew. One of the little antics in which
they indulged was called "sweating." A group of pirates
would take one of the captives between decks around the
mizzenmast. Several candles on the mast six feet up threw
an eerie light on the scene. A circle of pirates gathered
about four feet from the mizzenmast, and the captive was
forced to run around the mast again and again, while the
pirates, armed with various types of sharp instruments,
all the way from pen knives to six-foot pikes, prodded
the man. Accompanied by raucous laughter and songs,
the game reached its height after ten or twelve minutes
of torment for the victim, who was exhausted by this time.
Captive after captive was thus abused. When the pirates
tired of their sport, the Portuguese crew members were
thrown into an open boat with a limited amount of pro-
visions and set adrift.

Having seized two other vessels, Captain Spriggs, on
March 22, 1724, came up with the ship Jolly Bachelor,
in command of Captain Hawkins, near the island of
Roatan. Since her cargo of logwood did not appeal to the
outlaws, they removed what they could of the stores and

SPRIGGS, ACTIVE OFF FLORIDA 205

ammunition before practically wrecking the ship. In a
short time the ruffians were knocking down the cabins,
smashing the windows, and cutting the cables. The two
mates were forced to join the pirate crew, and then the
Jolly Bachelor was allowed to proceed. Burridge, the first
mate, finally signed articles with Captain Spriggs.

On March 27, the sloop Endeavor, from Newport,
Rhode Island, was captured, and the mate, Dixey Gross
by name, said he did not wish to go with the pirates. He
was then told he should have his discharge, which would
be written on his body at once; every pirate aboard gave
him ten lashes on his bare back.

Six days later the pirates sighted another vessel.
After drawing within cannon range, the sea marauders
fired a broadside into her. The vessel proved to be the
same one which they had captured on March 22, the Jolly
Bachelor. This strange occurrence made the pirates so
angry that they boarded the ship and began to slash right
and left with their swords and cutlasses. They started for
poor Captain Hawkins with the intention of killing him,
but his old mate Burridge rushed aboard and pleaded for
his former commander, thus saving Hawkin's life.

The Jolly Bachelor was soon ablaze. Later that eve-
ning luckless Captain Hawkins was forced to eat a dish
of assorted candles. After this unpleasant meal the cap-
tain was thrown and pushed about the cabin until he was
a mass of bruises, whereupon he was allowed to join the
other prisoners forward. On April 4, Spriggs reached the
island of Roatan, which Philip Ashton, whose story is
told elsewhere, had left several days before. There Spriggs
marooned the following men: Captain Hawkins, his
boatswain, Captain Samuel Pike, Dixey Gross, Simon

206 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Fullmore, an old man whose name was not known, and
James Nelley, one of Spriggs' pirates who was causing
trouble. As soon as an ancient musket and a supply of
powder and ball were brought ashore for the unfortunate
men, Spriggs sailed away. In a relatively short time the
marooned victims were rescued by Captain Jones of the
Merriam and taken to Jamaica.

Spriggs was now forced to clean his ship's bottom.
After the task was completed, he decided to settle an old
score. In his mind all this time was revenge on Captain
Walter Moore of St. Christopher, who had caught and
defeated his old friend Captain George Lowther, later
causing his death. Making great sweeps across the seas
where Moore usually sailed, one day he encountered what
he believed to be Moore's vessel, the sloop Eagle. The
craft actually proved to be a French man-of-war, which
turned and gave chase at once. In the excitement the
Frenchman lost her main topmast, allowing Spriggs to
escape.

Captain Francis Farrington Spriggs now believed
the waters around Bermuda would be more favorable for
his activities, and sailed northward. Late in April he
fell in with a New York schooner commanded by Cap-
tain William Richardson, who came into Boston Harbor
the following month with the serious news that Spriggs
was on his way up the coast, planning to sink or burn
every sloop, schooner, or ship anywhere north of Phila-
delphia. Because of the threatening danger, His Majesty's
ship Sea Horse, in command of Captain Durrell, sailed
at once in search of Francis F. Spriggs.

Meanwhile, Spriggs was continuing his course into
northern waters. On May 2, 1724, he captured the brigan-
tine Daniel, bound for Boston, forcing two sailors to join

SPRIGGS, ACTIVE OFF FLORIDA 207

his crew. .This was done, according to the local Boston
paper, "notwithstanding their importunate Prayers and
Tears to him to dismiss them." Spriggs told Master John
Hopkins of the Daniel that he was after Captain Solgard,
who had captured Charles Harris, Spriggs' dearly-beloved
fellow pirate later hanged at Newport. Indications are,
however, that Spriggs never reached New England, for
we hear from him next on June 4 near St. Christopher,
where he captured a small sloop commanded by Nicholas
Trot. As the cargo was practically valueless to the pirates,
they treated the crew shamefully, hoisting them aloft to
the main and fore tops, and then letting go the ropes so
that the men came crashing down on the deck. After
amusing themselves by this strange torture for a time, they
allowed the crippled and bruised sailors to get back
aboard their sloop as best they could and sail off.

A short while later Captain Spriggs captured a fine
ship from Rhode Island which had as part of her cargo
some splendid horses on their way to St. Christopher's.
The pirates abused these animals to the utmost, riding
them backwards and forwards across the deck, and gal-
loping fore and aft, while they shouted like devils all the
time. So frantic did the horses become that in their frenzy
they threw their buccaneer riders, forcing the pirates to
give up what they considered an interesting pastime. The
sea-ruffians then turned their attention to the ship's crew.
The usual tortures were applied to the unfortunate sailors,
who were whipped and cut in a horrible manner. The
pirates explained that the absence of boots and spurs for
proper horsemanship was responsible for their punishing
the sailors.

Appearing off Jamaica, Spriggs attracted the atten-
tion of two British warships in the harbor of Port Royal.

208 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

James Wyndham, the captain of one man-of-war, the
Diamond, had spent much time studying the career of the
notorious Spriggs, and so rightly figured the pirate leader
would sail for the Bay of Honduras. Proceeding from
Jamaica with all sails set, Captain Wyndham caught
Spriggs in the very act of plundering a fleet of logwood
vessels then loading. Captain Spriggs, realizing that he
was trapped, ordered the gunners to fire at the man-of-
war, but after a few broadsides had been exchanged,
thought of a method of escape. A short distance away
were some dangerous shoals, which Spriggs' vessel was
able to clear, while the Diamond could not sail over
them. The pirate leader therefore ordered every bucca-
neer to the sweeps, and they rowed across the shoals to
freedom, the heavier man-of-war Diamond helpless to
maneuver in chase. The fire from the British warship had
killed six pirates and wounded an equal number, how-
ever.

The Bahama Channel soon attracted the attention of
the captain, who was now in company with Captain Ship-
ton, a bold rogue of ill repute. After capturing a sloop
loaded with negro slaves, he fell in with Captain Richard
Durffie, bound for Newport. When he proposed to load
Durffie's vessel with negroes, he met with the other's ob-
jections that their lack of provisions would make them
all starve to death, so Spriggs put only a dozen slaves
aboard the Newport-bound vessel and let Durffie sail
away.

Off the western end of Cuba Captain James Wynd-
ham was still trying to locate Spriggs and his companion,
when one day he observed two sails on the horizon. They
were the pirate marauders who also recognized Wynd-
ham's man-of-war, so parted company. Heading at once

ANN BONNEY

WHO LOVED AND FOUGHT

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STORY ON PAGE 256

BLACKBEARD AND HIS MEN ASHORE AT THE PLANTATION

STORY ON PAGE 267

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SPRIGGS, ACTIVE OFF FLORIDA 213

for Florida, the frightened Shipton drove his sloop with
such recklessness that it soon smashed aground and was
wrecked. Few of his seventy men escaped. Some of the
buccaneers were captured by the Indians ashore while
others surrendered to the sailors from the warship. It is
actually on record that cannibalistic Indians killed and
ate sixteen of Shipton's pirates, while 49 others were
taken aboard the Diamond. The sailors aboard the man-
of-war were able to secure two thousand pounds in gold
from the pirates they captured.

Spriggs, who seemed to bear a charmed life, escaped
again. Returning to the Florida coast, he located ten
pirates, including Shipton, who had managed to escape.
Spriggs took the buccaneers back to his old haunts in the
Bay of Honduras before the end of 1724, and together
with Shipton, who had assumed command of a large dug-
out canoe, again hit the logwood vessels loading in the
Bay. They made seizure after seizure until the captured
craft numbered sixteen. Boston men seem to have been
the particular victims of Spriggs' activities, but as more
vessels from Boston than from any other port were get-
ting logwood, it is only natural that they would be cap-
tured with greater frequency.

One day Shipton overcame the crew aboard the Bos-
ton ship Mary and John, commanded by Captain Thomas
Glen who had as his first mate Matthew Perry. Glen was
placed aboard another vessel.

Spriggs, anxious to sail away for a rendezvous at
the usual pirate headquarters on Roatan Island, told
Shipton to follow him after arranging for a crew aboard
the newly captured Mary and John. Because Shipton was
short-handed, however, he placed Mate Perry back aboard
his own ship, the Mary and John, with two other forced

214 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

men, Nicholas Simmons and Jonathan Barlow, to serve
as crew. Three buccaneers went aboard to guard the
forced men. Making a survey of the situation, the pirates
decided to tie the hands of Matthew Perry, the mate, but
still allow him to give advice on the sailing of the ship.
It was then arranged that Simmons would be acting mas-
ter and navigator.

Simmons, although he agreed to be master and navi-
gator, had ideas of his own as well. As soon as they were
out of sight of land, he untied the hands of Perry, and
together they formed plans to seize the ship from the
buccaneers. Jonathan Barlow handed Perry a pistol. Thus
there were three armed pirates against three forced men.
Perry, hearing one of the pirates rummaging in the steer-
age started to shoot him, but at the critical moment his
pistol missed fire. At the sound of the click, the pirate
jumped around and faced the mate, and Perry discovered
to his horror that the pirate carried no less than four
pistols in his belt. Drawing one, the buccaneer fired at
close range, but his pistol also missed fire. Simmons then
rushed up and fired point-blank at the sea rover, killing
him instantly, whereupon he shouted, "In the name of
God and His Majesty King George, let us go on with our

Barlow, meanwhile, had been busy on his own ac-
count, having succeeded in killing the second pirate. The
third desperado surrendered without offering the slightest
opposition. Heading the Mary and John for northern seas,
the three happy mariners brought the ship into Newport
several weeks later. The account of the adventures of the
Mary and John was published in both the Boston News-
Letter and the New England Courant in February 1725.

SPRIGGS, ACTIVE OFF FLORIDA 215

It would be pleasing to tell of the subsequent hang-
ing of Spriggs and Shipton, but truth compels a less sat-
isfactory ending. Very little is known about these sea
marauders after they sailed for the rendezvous at the
island of Roatan. Four months later a report was brought
into New York Harbor that Spriggs had increased his
fleet to five vessels. The following month a Captain Mac-
Karty sailed into Boston Harbor with the news that Spriggs
had seized a South Carolina pinkie. The buccaneer at
that time was sailing a vessel mounting twelve guns and
shipping thirty-five men. MacKarty brought a warning
that Spriggs was behaving inhumanly with all his pris-
oners and was threatening again to sail up to New Eng-
land. He never carried out his threat.

Over a year later the New England Courant pub-
lished the news that Captain Francis Farrington Spriggs
and Captain Shipton had both been marooned by their
own men and were later captured by the "Musketoo
Indians."

Spriggs' quartermaster, Philip Lyne, then started on
a piratical cruise by himself, capturing vessels off New-
foundland and in the Eastern Atlantic waters. In October
1725 two sloops from Curacao, falling in with pirate
Lyne, fought a terrific battle with the buccaneer, in which
all but five pirates were killed before Lyne surrendered.
Brought into Curacao, Lyne and his four companions
were given a short trial and then hanged by the Dutch Gov-
ernment. The fate of Spriggs, however, will always be a
mystery.

CHARLES HARRIS, HANGED
WITH HIS CREW AT NEWPORT

Pirate Charles Harris, the subject of this chapter,
was navigator aboard the ship Greyhound in 1722. Cap-
tain George Lowther, whose career we discuss elsewhere,
captured the Boston-owned Greyhound on January 10 of
that year, while the ship was homeward bound under her
commander, Captain Edwards. Edwards had fought des-
perately for more than two hours, but finding further re-
sistance useless, had surrendered his ship, crew, and cargo.
Coming aboard, the pirates, who were expecting to dis-
cover rich treasures, were disappointed to find a mere
load of logwood. Exasperated, the buccaneers vented their
wrath on members of the crew, suspending two of the
unfortunate sailors from the mainmast and unmercifully
lashing them. The Greyhound was set afire, and the cap-
tain and crew removed to Lowther's ship, the Happy
Delivery.

Aboard the pirate craft, Lowther extended them the
usual invitation to join up, ordering mugs of rum given
to all hands. The artist, or navigator, first mate Charles
Harris, was forced to join the pirate crew, as were four
seamen. Captain Edwards and the other captured men
who refused to join were permitted to sail for home
aboard another logwood vessel.

Charles Harris evidently enjoyed the free and easy
life aboard the pirate ship. Less than a week later he un-
qualifiedly signed articles as a full-fledged member of the
ship's company, under the insistent urgings of Captain
George Lowther. The pirate captain decided Harris was
well-fitted for his new tasks, for a few days later he was

HARRIS, HANGED AT NEWPORT 217

so pleased with his accomplishments that he awarded him
the command of a new Jamaica sloop. Of course, the for-
mer Captain Edward Low, mate of the Happy Delivery,
had already been handed the captaincy of another cap-
tured vessel, but that episode is described in the chapter
about Low.

For more than a year following his promotion, Cap-
tain Charles Harris cut a ruthless path of piracy wherever
he chanced to sail. Then he disappeared from sight for a
period of five months. Perhaps he went ashore or became
ill; in any case the contemporary sources are silent as to
his whereabouts at this particular time. In May, 1723,
however, he reappeared off South Carolina as captain of
the sloop Ranger. Here, in company with Low, Harris
helped capture three ships in quick succession. Some
weeks earlier, Captain Low had sliced off the right ear of
a certain Captain John Welland, whose vessel had been
overtaken. While the encounter was at its height, another
vessel sailed right into the clutches of the pirates, and
Captain Welland, together with his crew, was allowed to
board the second vessel commanded by Captain Estwick
of Piscataqua, New Hampshire. The outraged Welland
reached Portsmouth aboard the Estwick ship, and later
gave valuable testimony against Harris at his trial at
Newport.

When Harris, still cruising in company with Low,
reached a position off Long Island, New York, he sighted
a large ship bearing down upon him. As the ship drew
nearer, Harris noticed that it was bristling with guns, and
accordingly prepared his sloop for battle, as did his fel-
low pirates on board the other vessel. The time was 4:30
in the morning, June 10, 1723. The ship then tacked and

218 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

stood to the south, whereupon Low and Harris gave chase.
At eight o'clock Harris opened fire, followed at once by
Low, but the stranger returned shot for shot. The black
flags of piracy, now hoisted on the two sloops, were hastily
pulled down half an hour later when it was realized that
the ship was a man-of-war, the Greyhound, commanded
by a man who had sworn to capture the two pirates. His
name was Captain Peter Solgard.

The sea rovers sent a "bloody" flag aloft, signifying
that they were not planning to board, and managed to
keep a mile away, but the man-of-war slowly gained in
pursuit. Exchange of fire continued at a brisk rate for
half an hour. The wind dropped and then died away
completely, giving the pirates an opportunity to escape.
Resorting to their oars, they rowed steadily away. Cap-
tain Solgard soon discovered what the pirates were doing,
and ordered 86 sailors to man the Greyhound's oars.
With this added help, the man-of-war gradually crept
up on the pirates again so that by 2:30 in the afternoon
she was close enough to place herself between the sloops.

Captain Peter Solgard of the Greyhound then con-
centrated his fire on the sloop commanded by Harris,
allowing Low to escape. Shot after shot raked buccaneer
Harris' craft. The mainsail was first to fall, after which
the sloop was gradually reduced to a helpless hulk. At
four o'clock Captain Harris saw that further fighting was
useless and surrendered, asking for quarter. One pirate
suggested that they all blow themselves up, but Harris re-
fused this solution of their troubles, whereupon the pirate
committed suicide. An hour later all the pirates had been
brought aboard the Greyhound as prisoners, and the pur-

HARRIS, HANGED AT NEWPORT 219

suit of Captain Low began. Darkness fell before the man-
of-war could overtake Low, so once again this villain suc-
ceeded in making good his escape.

It was perhaps one of the most joyous days in the
history of Rhode Island when the Greyhound arrived in
port with 48 pirates aboard. Of these, thirty outlaws were
brought ashore, and escorted under heavy guard to the
Newport jail. Several of the pirates had died as a result
of the engagement, eight were wounded, and seven were
held aboard the Greyhound which continued to search for
Low and his sloop.

The seven pirates who were kept aboard the Grey-
hound while she was out hunting for Low were brought
back to Newport July 11. They were Captain Charles
Harris himself, 25 years old, of London; Joseph Libbey,
21 years old, of Marblehead; and the following five per-
sons, whose homes were not known: Thomas Hazell, 50;
John Bright 25; Patrick Cunningham, 25; John Fletcher,
17; and Thomas Child, 15 years old.

When the news was circulated that more than thirty
pirates were in jail there, Newport became the center of
interest in all New England. The probability of a mass
hanging attracted the attention of citizens from as far off
as New York and Maine. How pirate-conscious Cotton
Mather could have stayed away from Newport at this
time is incomprehensible to me.

The Honorable William Dummer soon arrived from
Boston with many members of His Majesty's Council,
and Governor Cranston of Rhode Island, accompanied
by several local judges, met with the Boston group at
the town house. Thus the Court of Admiralty was organ-
ized on July 10, 1723, and then adjourned until the morn-

220 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

ing of the next day. Two alleged pirates were freed with-
out further action. The other buccaneers, headed by
Harris, were brought in to court to be arraigned.

Captain Solgard of the Greyhound was among the
first to appear against the pirates and his testimony was
particularly damning, especially when he told of the
fight with the two sloops. Captain Welland, who had lost
his ear, then took the stand, and by the time he had fin-
ished, it was clear what the verdict was going to be. Nev-
ertheless, every man among the pirates pleaded not guilty,
claiming he had been forced. Fourteen of them were
ordered for trial at that same session.

At this time the Advocate General addressed the
Court. His speech included a definition of piracy and a
pirate, with reference to the Roman Emperors and His
Majesty's dominions. He then called several men who
gave important testimony, including Captain John Wel-
land, Peter Solgard, Edward Smith, and William Marsh.
In summing up the case after their testimony, the Advo-
cate General mentioned, among other things, that the
plea of being forced should be ignored, for unless it were,
no pirate would ever be convicted, as they would all claim
they were forced. He ended by asking for a conviction.
His wish was granted with two exceptions, John Wilson
and Henry Barnes. All the others were sentenced to be
hanged.

The next group of pirates then appeared at court.
Captain Welland was able to recognize six of them, while
carpenter John Mudd testified that he well remembered
one of the buccaneers whose name was Joseph Sound, for
Sound had cut the very buttons off his sleeves at the time
of Mudd's capture. Benjamin Weekham of Newport rec-

HARRIS, HANGED AT NEWPORT 221

ognized William Blades and John Waters as two of the
pirates at the time he was taken in the Bay of Honduras.
William Marsh testified that John Brown, "the tallest"
(as distinguished from John Brown "the shortest," also
a pirate) told him that he had willingly joined up, as he
had "rather be in a tight vessel than a leaky one." And
so it went throughout the trial, the pirates either betray-
ing each other or being accused by other maritime men.

The youthfulness of four of the pirates was of inter-
est. John Brown, "the shortest," Thomas Jones, and John
Fletcher were only seventeen years old, while Thomas
Child was a boy of fifteen when brought to the bar. While
none of the four was eventually hanged, the fact that they
were brought to trial is a sad commentary on conditions
of that particular age.

An Indian, Thomas Mumford by name, testified that
while fishing off Nantucket, he had been captured with
five other Indians, two of whom were hanged by Low at
Cape Sables. Mumford was released. The pirate doctor
John Kencate presented a problem to the court, but the
Advocate General decided that if "he received part of
their plunder, was not under a constant durance, did at
any time approve, or join'd in their villanies, his guilt
is at least equal to the rest." Captain Welland then tes-
tified in favor of the doctor, saying that the medical man
"seem'd not to rejoice when he was taken but solitary,
and he was inform'd on board he was a forced man; and
that he had never signed the articles." Others spoke in
the doctor's behalf, and finally it was decided that Dr.
John Kencate, formerly chirurgion of the Sycamore
Galley, could walk out of the Newport town house a free

222 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Such was not the fate of the next two men brought
in, Thomas Powell and John Libbey, whose records spoke
against them. Powell was the gunner on board the
Ranger, while Libbey, according to the statement of
Thomas Jones, was "a stirring, active man among them,
and used to go aboard vessels to plunder." John Wilson's
testimony claimed that on the Sabbath Day before the
Greyhound captured them, Powell expressed the strange
wish that he and Wilson could both go ashore stark naked.
Mumford, the Indian, attempted to testify in Powell's
case, but could not be understood. Finally an interpreter
was found, Abissai Folger, who said that Mumford had
seen Powell shoot a negro, but never a white man. The
Indian also admitted that he had seen Libbey steal a pair
of stockings from a captured vessel.

Powell then testified that he had been captured by
Lowther in the Bay of Honduras, and from Lowther had
gone over to Low. Libbey claimed that he had been a
forced man, and actually had a newspaper advertisement
to prove it! The ad turned out to be a waste of money
however, for Libbey was sentenced to be hanged along
with gunner Powell.

The next group of pirates reluctantly filed into the
unfriendly atmosphere of the court room. One of them,
John Bright by name, was the drummer who beat the
drum "upon the round house in the engagement." Cap-
tain Wjelland spoke on behalf of one Patrick Cunningham,
who had brought him water when he lay bleeding from
the wounds inflicted by the vicious Captain Ned Low.
Cunningham and John Brown the shortest, were recom-
mended for remission, but John Bright and the other two
were sentenced to hang. Thus ended the greatest pirate
trial in New England history.

HARRIS, HANGED AT NEWPORT 223

The local ministers made frequent visitations to the
Newport jail. In a pamphlet published at Boston after
the affair was over, one of the ministers noted that while
the pirates were in prison, "most seemed willing to be
advised about the affairs of their souls." John Brown,
"the tallest" wrote out a warning to the younger genera-
tion, part of which I quote below:

"It was with the greatest Reluetancy and Horror of
Mind and Conscience, I was compelled to go with them
. . . and I can say my Heart and Mind never joined in
those horrid Robberies, Conflagrations and Cruelties com-
mitted."

John Fitz-Gerald, the Irish lad from Limerick
County, composed a poem which expressed his feelings
at the time. We quote a few lines:

To mortal Men that daily live in Wickedness and Sin;
This dying Counsel I do give, hoping you will begin
To serve the Lord in Time of Youth his Precepts for to

keep;
To serve him so in Spirit and Truth, that you may mercy

reap.

In Youthful blooming Years was I, when I that Practice

took;
Of perpetrating Piracy, for filthy gain did look.
To Wickedness we all were bent, our Lusts for to fulfil;
To rob at Sea was our Intent, and perpetrate all III.

I pray the Lord preserve you all and keep you from this
End;

0 let Fitz-Gerald' s great downfall unto your welfare tend.

1 to the Lord my Soul bequeath, accept thereof I pray,
My Body to the Earth bequeath, dear Friend, adieu for aye.

224 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

The entire countryside around New England was
deeply stirred by the news that the greatest mass execu-
tion ever staged in the vicinity was about to take place.
The gibbets were erected, in the usual fashion, between
die rise and fall of the tide, at Gravelly Point, Newport,
and the drop was tested for the gruesome occasion. On
the morning of July 19, 1723, every person who was
able began what was almost a pilgrimage across the open
fields to Gravelly Point, and those fortunate enough to
obtain boats were early on the scene to reach one of the
best vantage points. When the pirates arrived at the
scaffolding, most of them spoke of their wrong-doings,
cautioning the youngsters of the populace who had gath-
ered at the scene of execution to avoid the sins which
would lead to a pirate's death on the gallows.

In a postscript to the New England Courant for July
22, 1723, we learn that Mr. Bass went to pray with the
pirates on the scaffolding, while the Reverend Mr. Clapp
concluded with a short exhortation to them.

Then, at high noon, the solemn and terrifying busi-
ness of executing twenty-six pirates began. Before one
o'clock every last reprobate and scourge of the sea had
been hanged and was dead. Newport, however, did not
follow the Boston and London custom of hanging the
bodies in chains after death, for the buccaneers were cut
down and unceremoniously buried on Goat or Fort Island
down the bay.

Their Black Flag, with the emblem of death holding
the hour glass in one hand and a dart in the other, was
fluttering from one corner of the gallows. This was fitting
justice, for many of the forced men had often heard the
pirates exclaim:

This flag is our Old Roger, and we
shall live under it and die under it.

Part ®fjm

Hem $Jnrk, PfUafcelpljta anil g>mtthroarii

CAPTAIN WILLIAM KIDD, "THE
INNOCENTEST OF THEM ALL"

Captain Kidd's name has echoed down the corridors
of time as a flaming symbol of the blood-and-thunder buc-
caneer, the sinister figure digging at midnight on a lonely
beach where fabulous treasure chests of gold lie buried.

Discount all stories of this nature which you may have
heard, and prepare yourself for a surprise. The actual
facts in the life of William Kidd of Dundee, Scotland,
New York, and Wapping-on-the-Thames, prove that this
adventurer of the high seas had a comparatively mild
career, judged by standards of the period.

There appears to be little doubt that Kidd's father
was a minister, the Reverend Mr. John Kidd, a Puritan.
This good man, because of his religious convictions, had
undergone the terrible torture by the boot, in which the
victim's foot is squeezed and twisted until it is hopelessly
out of shape.

William Kidd was born at Dundee in 1654, as nearly
as we can tell, and followed the sea as a young man. By
1689 he was in command of a privateer and had settled
in New York. For his services in connection with the ar-
rival of Governor Slaughter, the assembly granted him 150

226 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

pounds. His certificate of marriage, issued in 1691, men-
tions him as William Kidd, gentleman.

Kidd for some reason returned to London in 1695.
Recognized as an outstanding mariner, he was hired to
command a privateering scheme developed by a group of
prominent Englishmen. This organization, composed of
the leaders of English political life, included no less a
person than the king himself, who, of course, chose to
remain in the background. Shareholders were Richard
Coote, Earl of Bellomont; Sir John Russell, First Lord
of the Admiralty; Sir John Somers, Lord Keeper of the
Great Seal; the Duke of Shrewsbury, Secretary of State;
and the Earl of Romney, Master-General of the Ordnance.
It was agreed that King William, in permitting the ex-
pedition, was to receive one-tenth of the profits from the
voyage. William III had contracted to advance 3,000
pounds himself, but found a convenient excuse to recon-
sider when the time came.

Paine in his Book of Buried Treasure describes the
Earl of Bellomont, Richard Coote, as an "ambitious and
energetic Irishman." In appointing him royal governor
of New York and Massachusetts in 1697, King William
was especially anxious that Bellomont stamp out the piracy
then rampant along the New York and New England
coasts. On the other hand, the privateering cruise was
nothing but a sort of robbery on the high seas from ships
of enemy nations and pirates in general. So important was
this expedition which Kidd was appointed to lead, that
the document authorizing it was issued under the Great
Seal of England. Kidd was nominated for the post by
Robert Livingston, an influential Englishman who was
familiar with qualifications of the various sea captains and
knew of Kidd's notable exploits as a privateersman.

KIDD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 227

Although the venture was announced to the public
as a cruise to suppress pirates, the real purpose was to
obtain the "Goods, Merchandise, Treasure and other
Things which shall be taken from the said pirates." An
idea of the type of man desired can be found in the
articles drawn up at the time of sailing. They specified
that if no prizes were taken, there would be no pay, re-
gardless of the time Kidd remained away from port. A
prospective crew member with a wife and family depend-
ing on him would have hesitated a long time before sign-
ing such articles, and naturally only privateer-minded
seamen or pirates would be attracted to such an assign-
ment. Kidd himself, although feeling it an honor to be
chosen, was not anxious to lead the expedition. He viewed
the plan, it is said, without undue enthusiasm.

A prosperous ship captain with a fine home and fam-
ily in New York, Kidd thought that the idea of sailing
the high seas with a bloodthirsty share-and-share-alike
crew was scarcely an enticing prospect. But other men,
especially Lord Bellomont, worked on his sympathies,
so that Kidd eventually capitulated to the fine talk of his
social superiors. He was offered about three shares in forty
of whatever treasure he captured on the high seas.

Kidd's privateering commission should interest the
reader. Excerpts are as follows:

WILLIAM REX
WILLIAM THE THIRD, by the Grace of
God, King of England, Scotland, France, and
Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. To our trusty
and well beloved Captain William Kidd, com-
mander of the ship, Adventure Galley, or to any
other, the commander of the same for the time
being, GREETING:

228 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Whereas, we are informed that Captain
Thomas Tew, John Ireland, Capt. Thomas Wake,
and Capt. William Maize . . . have associated
themselves with divers other wicked and ill-dis-
posed persons, and do, against the law of nations,
commit many and great piracies, robberies, and
depredations on the seas upon the parts of
America and in other parts, . . . Now, KNOW
YE, that we being desirous to prevent the afore-
said mischief ... do hereby give and grant to
the said William Kidd (to whom our Commis-
sioners for exercising the office of Lord High
Admiral of England have granted a commission
as a private man-of-war, bearing date the 11th
day of December, 1695) . . . full power and
authority to apprehend, seize, and take into your
custody, as well the said . . . pirates, free-
booters, and sea rovers, being either our sub-
jects or of other nations associated with them . . .
In witness whereof, we have caused our
Great Seal of England to be affixed to these
presents. Given at our Court in Kensington, the
26th day of January, 1696, in the seventh Year
of our reign.

The terms of the agreement finally allotted to the
king one-tenth of all proceeds from the voyage. After
Captain Kidd and Livingston had been paid, the bulk
of the remainder of what the underwriters hoped would
be a substantial fortune was to go to Bellomont, Somers,
Orford, Romney, and Shrewsbury.

The vessel chosen was a sturdy one. Outfitted with
thirty-four guns, the 287-ton Adventure Galley was made
ready for sea at Plymouth, England. As only the adventure-

KIDD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 229

some sailor with no home ties or the out-and-out privateers-
man could afford to go on such a trip, by the time Kidd
had recruited seventy rough and ready seamen, he had
exhausted all available men of that type. Therefore he
sailed for New York in April 1696 to complete his task.

As Kidd was anxious to sail, he recruited all types of
characters, with no questions asked. Finally 155 daring
lads were aboard. The Adventure Galley weighed anchor
and sailed down the Hudson with her course set for the
West Indies.

Evidently word of the expedition had been spread
abroad. The Spanish Main was singularly free of pirates.
After several months spent in futile cruising, Kidd re-
crossed the Atlantic, rounded the Horn, and made harbor
in Madagascar. Three-quarters of a year had passed, and
the stores were running low. The motley gathering aboard
the privateer was grumbling and growling. No prizes, no
pay, and they had spent nine, dreary months at sea!

Matters shortly became worse. Kidd learned with
dismay that the Madagascar pirates had intelligence of
his arrival. He must learn their whereabouts ! While cruis-
ing with that object in view, fate relented. Word came to
him of a shipwrecked French vessel in a Malabar port.
Crowding on canvas, Kidd ran for the scene of the dis-
aster. The wreck was sighted, and on the distant beach
the white gleam of tents told its story.

Crowding his boats with armed buccaneers, Kidd went
ashore. The helpless Frenchmen were promptly subdued
and their supplies and a moderate amount of gold appro-
priated. With this loot Kidd was enabled to restock his
vessel. With the renewal of hope, the murmurs of his
crew subsided.

But more trouble beset the expedition. While touch-

230 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

ing at Mehila Island, the crew went ashore. Within a
short time fifty of the crew fell ill of some mysterious
malady and died. Hastening from this fatal spot, Kidd
encountered a small native craft from Aden during the
summer of 1697. This boat he plundered of a few bales
of coffee and pepper. Tidings of the exploit brought two
Portuguese men-of-war from Aden to capture Kidd and
his men. But for the episode, let us read Kidd's own
story, taken from the Public Record Office in London :
"The next morning September 23, 1697
about break of day saw the said two Men of War
standing for the said Gaily . . . the Commodore
of the said Men of War kept dogging the said
Gaily all Night, waiting an Opportunity to
board the same, and in the morning, without
speaking a word, fired 6 great guns at the Gaily.
. . . The Fight continued all day and the Narra-
tor had eleven men wounded; The other Portu-
guese Men of War lay some distance off, and
could not come up with the Gaily, being calm,
else would have likewise assaulted the same."
It may be assumed that Kidd ran with all the canvas
he could crowd on the vessel from this not too pleasant
encounter. At any rate, he is reported, shortly after this
event, closing in upon the "Loyal Captaine" which was
bound for Surat under the command of Captain How.
By some means Kidd's crew learned that rich Armenians
and Greeks were aboard with precious stones and other
valuables. Their cupidity was aroused. Gunner William
Moore urged taking the vessel by trickery. Kidd, however,
demurred, and allowed the Loyal Captaine to sail away to
safety, knowing that it would be piracy if the vessel were
captured. Moore was enraged and did not forgive Kidd

KIDD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 231

for letting the rich treasure slip away. In revenge he
started trouble which resulted in a near-mutiny among
the crew.

Two weeks later the incident occurred for which
Kidd was later hanged. The gunner, William Moore, ring-
leader of the troublemakers, was talking with Kidd while
sharpening a chisel on the grindstone. Evidently Kidd
had been mulling over the incident of the near-mutiny.

"How could you have put me in a way to take this
ship and been clear?" asked Kidd.

"Sir," said Moore, "I never spoke such a word, nor
thought such a thing."

"You are a lousy dog," growled Kidd, angrily.

"If I am a lousy dog, you have made me so. You
have brought me to ruin and many more," answered Moore
in a surly tone.

This remark infuriated Kidd. He seized a wooden
bucket encircled with iron hoops and smashed it to pieces
against Moore's head. The gunner fell heavily to the deck.
He was taken below by the ship's surgeon and the next
day died without recovering consciousness. Although this
was a severe punishment for crossing his commands, many
another captain of that period in history has been guilty
of as brutal treatment of his crew for insubordination
without being hanged for it.

Captain William Kidd gradually came to suspect
that the Arab ships of the Great Mogul were deceiving
him with an extra set of flags. Whenever he overtook one
of the Moorish vessels, it would be flying the British
standards. To counter this subterfuge he resorted to an-
other— flying the French flag at his mast. The next Arab
he encountered had the French standards flying, and Kidd
triumphantly boarded the ship, demanding the French

232 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

pass which all Moorish vessels needed to prove their
alliance. When it was produced, Kidd seized the vessel
in the name of King William. As the Arabs were operat-
ing under French protection, and England and France
were to the best of his knowledge at war, the capture
seemed perfectly legal. Kidd's privateering orders plainly
authorized him to seize the ship.

After confiscating the cargo, Kidd burned and sank
the prize. Since it was in November 1697, the capture
actually took place after the Treaty of Ryswick, but the
news of the peace did not reach the Indian Ocean until
April the following year.

Another ship of the Great Mogul's fleet, the Quedah
Merchant, which Captain Kidd seized by the same ruse
in February 1698 was his most important capture. About
$500,000 worth of rare silks, silver plate, jewels, and
gold was found aboard the vessel. Kidd was so pleased
with the Quedah Merchant that he decided to make it his
flagship, and abandoned the Adventure Galley. Launched
at Deptford in 1695, the Galley had not stood the years
well. The French passes from the two vessels Kidd care-
fully preserved for the future.

Arriving at the port of St. Mary, Captain Kidd found
the notorious pirate Robert Culliford in the harbor aboard
the frigate Moca. According to the terms of his commis-
sion Kidd was in duty bound to attack Culliford's frigate.
But his crew refused to obey his commands and he was
forced to desist.

Not only did the crew refuse to attack the pirates,
but ninety-five of them actually deserted Kidd and went
over to Culliford. This fact, more than any other, should
convince us that Kidd was not a pirate at heart, since
his crew of blackguards were willing to desert him for

KIDD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 233

a man whose record was infamous and bloodthirsty. Dis-
couraged by the turn matters had taken, Kidd decided to
sail for American waters with the booty from the Quedah
Merchant.

Reaching Snake Island in the West Indies April 1,
1699, Kidd anchored in the harbor and went ashore. He
found to his dismay that the people would not deal with
him because he had been officially declared a pirate. Kidd
knew not where to turn. He went to the Island of Nevis
hoping to find a friendly reception, but was unwelcome.
From Nevis he ran to St. Thomas, where all the inhabi-
tants turned against him. Antigua, his next port of call,
was equally hostile. Kidd's dilemma was serious. He
learned that other more notorious and murderous high-
waymen of the sea had been given amnesty, but his name
was bracketed with that of the great "Long Ben" Avery,
the despoiler of Arabian ships. They were the only two
buccaneers still denied amnesty by the 1698 Act of Grace.

Like a hunted animal Captain William Kidd sailed
from port to port. Because of the proclamation, no one
would accept his friendship. Finally, he approached an
English trader, Henry Bolton, by name, who agreed to
help him, especially when Kidd showed him his royal
commission with the great seal of England firmly affixed.
Bolton also noticed the signatures of Lord Bellomont and
the Earl of Orford. Captain Kidd explained that he was
desperately worried about the whole situation, and asked
Bolton to get him a small sloop on which he could sail to
New York and contact Bellomont. Kidd stated that he
was certain that there was some strange misunderstanding
which he could easily correct with Bolton's assistance.
After an exchange of goods in which Kidd obtained the
sloop St. Antonio for merchandise and supplies, Kidd

234 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

asked Bolton for additional assistance. The following is
from Bolton's statement, made at a later date:

"Capt. Kidd took several Goods out of his
ship, and put them on Board the Sloope I sould
him and left his owne ship in the River Higuey
and desired me to doe him all the service I could
in selling and disposeing of the Goods left on
Board of the said ship for Account of the Owners
of the Adventure Galley. ... That Capt. Kidd at
his going to New Yorke promised to return him-
selfe or send some other persons in two Moneths
to bring Necssaryes for refitting his said
ship "

Captain Kidd took leave of Bolton and sailed for
New York to contact Lord Bellomont. Perhaps Bolton
gave him some good advice, or Kidd himself may have
formed careful plans, but we know that when Kidd ar-
rived at Lewes, Delaware, he had decided upon his course
of action. Although many adventuresome souls like to
think his journey up the coast was a treasure-burying
campaign, nothing could be further from the truth. Of
course, pirate James Gillam was set ashore with his sea
chest which probably contained some gold, but no other
treasure was brought to the mainland at this time.

After purchasing many needed supplies in Delaware
Bay Captain Kidd sailed around Long Island, entering
Long Island Sound from the eastward, where he anchored
in Oyster Bay. His wife and children joined him aboard
ship at this time. Uncertain of his reception by Lord Bello-
mont, Kidd decided to deal with the governor from a dis-
tance, and sent for James Emmott of New York, a lead-
ing maritime lawyer, to come aboard the sloop. Emmott
informed Kidd that Bellomont was in Boston. Kidd at

KIDD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 23$

once sailed for Narragansett Bay where James Emmott
was put ashore in a small boat. He carried with him the
two French passes which figured so prominently at a
later date.

Emmott hired a horse and set out for Boston. The
last rays of the evening sun were fading in the west,
when in the distance, the lawyer sighted the spires and
rooftops of the great town of Boston. But dusk had settled
when he clattered across Boston Neck. A short time later
he drew bridle at the Blue Anchor Tavern (located where
the Boston Globe building stands today.) Having supped,
he inquired where he could find Lord Bellomont. Bello-
mont, he learned, was staying at the Province House
nearby. Soon afterwards, Emmott sounded the door
knocker of that official residence.

Governor Bellomont admitted him to an audience at
once. Emmott told Bellomont that he represented Kidd,
and informed the Lord that Kidd had returned to New
England. The exact location of the vessel he withheld.
Bellomont was intensely interested in Kidd's adventures,,
especially that which pertained to the large treasure, but
he feared to act according to his desires because of the
English political situation and the declaration of Kidd's
piracy. While Emmott was talking Bellomont's mind was
undoubtedly busy wondering what course he should pur-
sue. His final decision was to betray the man who was
awaiting his word off the Narragansett shore. He would
make Kidd the victim of the whole venture.

Sometime after midnight he sat down and wrote Kidd
a letter, but shortly tore it up. Time and again during the
next few days he wrote and rewrote his message. Finally
he finished a draft which was clever enough to fool Cap-
tain Kidd completely. This letter brought the alleged pirate
hurrying to Boston. Bellomont's letter is interesting:

236 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

[June 19, 1699]
Captain Kidd:

Mr. Emmott came to me last Tuesday night
late, telling me he came from you, but was shy
of telling me where he parted with you, nor did
I press him to it. . . . He proposed to me from
you that I would grant you a pardon. I answered
that I had never granted one yet, and that I had
set myself a safe rule not to grant a pardon to
anybody whatsoever without the King's express
leave or command. . . .

Mr. Emmott delivered me two French
passes taken on board the two ships which your
men rifled, which passes I have in my custody
and I am apt to believe they will be a good Ar-
ticle to Justine you. . . . Mr. Emmott also told me
that you had to about the value of 10,000 pounds
in the Sloop with you, and that you had left a
Ship somewhere off the coast of Hispaniola in
which there was to the Value of 30,000 pounds
more which you had left in safe hands . . .

I have advised with his Majesty's Council
and showed them this letter this afternoon, and
they are of opinion that if your case be so clear
as you (or Mr. Emmott for you) have said, that
you may safely come hither. ... I make no man-
ner of doubt but to obtain the King's pardon for
you . . .

I assure you on my word and on my honor
I will performe nicely what I have now prom-
ised . . .

YOUR HUMBLE SERVANT

KIDD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 237

Unfortunately for Kidd, he was without suspicion
of Bellomont's duplicity. Bellomont sent Duncan Camp-
bell, Boston postmaster, to accompany Emmott on his re-
turn to the pirate ship. The two men reached Kidd a few
days later. To Bellomont's letter Kidd wrote in reply:

June 24th, 1699
May it please your Excellencie:

I am honor'd with your Lordship's kind
letter of ye 19th., current by Mr. Campbell
which came to my hands this day, for which I
return my most hearty thanks. 1 cannot but
blame myself for not writing your Lordship be-
fore this time, knowing it was my duty, but the
clamorous and false stories that has been re-
ported of me made me fearful of writing or com-
ing into any harbor till I could hear from your
Lordship . . .

A Sheet of paper will not contain what may
be said of the care I took to preserve the Owners'
interest and to come home to clear up my own
Innocency. I do further declare and protest that
I never did in the least act Contrary to the King's
Commission, nor to the Reputation of my honor-
able Owners, and doubt not but I shall be able to
make my Innocency appear, or else I had no
need to come to these parts of the world . . .

Wm. Kidd
Although it appears from Kidd's tone that he believed
completely in Lord Bellomont's honesty, his actions indi-
cated that he was still determined to leave part of the
treasure behind when he started for Boston. It was on
Gardiner's Island that he put ashore most of the booty.

238 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Gardiner's Island, formerly known as the Isle of
Wight, is located at the eastern end of Long Island Sound.
More than three thousand acres of wooded land present
a fine view to the visitor. At the time of Kidd's adventures,
John Gardiner lived on the island. One day late in June
he noticed a strange sloop anchored off shore, and on
rowing out to it, met Captain Kidd.

Kidd had aboard the sloop two negro boys and one
negro girl, whom he asked the owner of the island to take
ashore and keep for him until he returned from Boston.
The privateer rewarded Gardiner for his kindness with
several bales of goods. The grateful islander in turn sent
out six sheep and a barrel of cider. Kidd fired a four-gun
salute as he sailed away. Three days later he returned
with a request that Gardiner store a chest and a box of
gold and several other bales of goods for him. Besides
these articles, Kidd put ashore a small amount of gold
dust, and presented the islander with a bag of sugar.

Kidd, having received another friendly message from
Bellomont, set sail for Boston. After an uneventful trip
around Cape Cod, Captain William Kidd sighted the bea-
con at Greater Brewster Island, July 1, 1699, later coming
up the Narrows to pass Nix's Mate Island, where the
bodies of buccaneers were often hung in chains. That
evening he lodged with his friend, Postmaster Campbell.
The treasure he brought with him he secreted in his room
at Campbell's house (located near the present corner of
Washington and Water Streets in Boston).

The famous captain spent most of the following week
strolling around the streets of Boston town, visiting here
and there, frequenting the tap room of the Blue Anchor
Tavern, and acquainting himself with the wharves and

KIDD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 239

piers of the waterfront. His supposed security, however,
was merely a wishful dream, for Bellomont suddenly gave
orders for Kidd's arrest. Cornered at his lodgings, Kidd
drew his sword. When he was pinioned unexpectedly from
behind, he was forced to surrender. In this manner, Cap-
tain William Kidd, gentleman, learned of his betrayal
at the hands of his own partner, Richard Coote, the Earl
of Bellomont.

Kidd was taken at first to the home of the jailor,
but later was removed to the stone jail where the City Hall
annex stands today. The authorities made a systematic
search of his lodgings, discovering six bags of gold and
one handkerchief filled with the yellow metal. Some per-
sonal belongings of Mrs. Kidd were also taken at this
time. These were later returned, it is said.

On board Kidd's ship when it returned to America
was one James Gillam, a notorious pirate, who had killed
Captain Edgecomb of the Mocha frigate. Lord Bellomont
was especially anxious to locate Gillam. By some ruse
and a bit of luck he finally secured him. Bellomont,
though a deceiver and a man who lightly broke his word
to William Kidd, was, we must admit, an astute detective
when it came to tracking down pirates. Here are his words
describing the capture :

BOSTON the 29 November 99.
My Lords

I gave your Lordships an account in my
Letter of the 24th of last moneth by the last ship
that went hence for England, of my taking
Joseph Bradish and Tee Wetherley, the two Py-
rates that had escape from the Goal of this town;
and I then also writ that I hoped in a little time

240 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

to be able to send your Lordships the news of my
taking James Gill [am] the Pyrat that killed
Captain Edgecomb, Commander of the Mocha
frigat for the East India Company. ... I have
been so lucky as to take James Gillam, and he
is now in Irons in the Goal of this town. My
taking of Gillam was so very accidentall that I
cannot forbear giving your Lordships a narra-
tive of it, and one would believe there was a
strange fatality in that m[an's] Stars. ... I ex-
amined Captain Knot. . . . and then he told me
of Francis Dole in Charlestown, and that he be-
lieved Gillam would be found there. I sent half
a dousin men immediately over the water to
Charlestown and Knot with them. . . . Two of
the men went through a field behind Dole's
house, and . . . met a man in the dark (for it
was ten o'clock at night) . . . and it happened
as oddly as luckily to be Gillam, he had been
treating young women some few miles off in
the Country, and was returning at night to his
Landlord Dole's house, and so was met with. I
examined him, but he denied everything, even
that he came with Kidd from Madagascar, or
ever saw him in his life. ... He is the most im-
pudent hardened V n I ever saw in my whole
life. . . . Cuthbert informs that being lately in the
East India Company's service . . . Gillam had
killed Captain Edgecomb with his own hand,
that he had served the Mogul, turned Mohametan
and was Circumcised. I had him searched by a
[su] rgeon and also by a Jew in the town to

KWD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 241

know if he were Circumcised, and they have both
declared on oath that he is. . . . Four pound
weight of gold brought from Gardiner's Island
which I formerly acquainted your Lordships of,
and all the Jewels, belonged to Gillam, as Mr.
Gardiner's Letter to Mr. Dummer . . . will
prove ...

We have advice that Burk an Irishman and
Pyrat that committed severall robberies . . .
is drowned with all his ship's company. . . .
It is said he perished in the hurrican that was
in those Seas. . . .

Your Lordships most humble and obedient
Servant

BELLOMONT

It was impossible at this time to hang a pirate in Bos-
ton since the British Admiralty rules specified that the court
must sit in London. Bellomont wrote to the Lords of Trade
and Plantations, July 26, 1699, asking their advice as to the
disposal of the Kidd case. The verdict was that Kidd should
be sent to England. February 16, 1700, Kidd and the
other pirates sailed from Boston Harbor for the last time,
bound for England and their doom.

Meanwhile, the Great Mogul had complained to
the East India Company of the capture of the Quedah
Merchant, and in turn the East India Company complained
to Parliament. When the Tories discovered that the Whig
cabinet of Lord Somers had backed Kidd, they made the
most of it, speaking lengthily in Parliament and publish-
ing pamphlets and newspaper articles by the score. Em-
barrassed by this turn of events, the Whig government
of Somers solemly repudiated the unfortunate captain.

242 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

It was as a result of this controversy that Lord Bello-
mont had been notified that if Kidd landed in America
he should be arrested at once. This explains, in a measure,
his singular treatment of Kidd. The pirate, in this way,
came to be tried by the very government which was being
criticized for allowing Kidd to conduct privateering opera-
tions on the high seas.

Unluckily for Kidd, the alleged pirate, he arrived
in England just as the opposition party was discussing
the possible removal from office of his partner John
Somers, Lord Chancellor of England. Kidd's case be-
came a political issue. As if this were not enough, his
capture of two ships belonging to the Great Mogul had
antagonized the powerful East India Company. Kidd
freely admitted taking the two vessels, but rightly
claimed that existence of the two French passes gave him
full privileges of attack and capture. The only trouble
was that the two French passes which Kidd willingly sur-
rendered to Bellomont were being purposely concealed by
those who found such a course politically expedient. So
Captain William Kidd became the scapegoat, as was
intended. The passes came to light two hundred years
later through the remarkable research work of Ralph D„
Paine and one is reproduced in this volume.

Some of the testimony at Kidd's trial may be of
interest to the reader. He was in jail more than a year
before the trial was finally called. All his efforts to find
the passes failed. To make matters worse, Lord Bello-
mont had died in far away Boston. Kidd now realized
that whatever hope he may have had was futile.

The crown was aware that it might be difficult to
prove Kidd a pirate. Therefore it was decided to try

KIDD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 243

him first for the killing of William Moore, the gunner.
An imposing array of legal talent confronted Captain
Kidd at the trial, but he was allowed no counsel at all.
Although Kidd pleaded not guilty to the charge of mur-
der, others in his crew, in order to save their own lives,
testified against him, and were freed. Kidd was convicted
of the murder. After they were certain of his eventual
death, the Court, deciding there was nothing to lose,
proceeded to try him for piracy. Kidd's remarks at the
time are of interest:

"It is hard that the life of one of the King's
subjects should be taken away upon the perjured
oaths of such villians as these. Because I would
not yield to their wishes and turn pirate, they
now endeavor to prove that I was one. Brading-
ham [the ship's doctor, who testified against
Kidd] is saving his life to take mine."
The crown next proved that Kidd captured the two
ships belonging to the Great Mogul. Again Kidd insisted
that the two French passes be produced. Again they failed
to materialize. In spite of the testimony of several lead-
ing mariners of the day, who spoke of the sterling char-
acter of Kidd, the jury found the privateer guilty of
piracy. Six in his crew were to hang with him. Before
the sentence was read to him, Captain William Kidd
made a final statement.

"My Lords, it is a very hard judgment. For
my part, I am the innocentest of them all, only I
have been sworn against by perjured persons."

Execution dock at Wapping-on-the-Thames has long
since disappeared from the waterfront of London, but I
visited the ancient Pirates' Stairs while there in 1942.

244 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

It was down these same stairs that William Kidd took
his last long walk on the morning of May 23, 1701.

The usual procession preceded the actual execution.
The deputy marshal, carrying the silver oar, emblem of
the Admiralty, walked ahead of the doomed men on their
way to the gallows.

Following his execution by hanging infra fluxum et
refluxum maris at Wapping, Kidd's body was cut down
and soaked with tar for preserving purposes. The remains
then were thrown into an open boat and rowed up to the
shore near Tilbury Fort. Here the body of Kidd was
suspended in chains to warn other sailors of the price
exacted for piracy on the high seas.

3f» SfS 2|S 3JC

What has caused the legend of Captain Kidd as a
bloodthirsty pirate and burier of buccaneering riches to
reach such huge proportions down through the years?
Two men are more to blame than any others. They are
Lord Thomas Macaulay and Governor Fletcher of New
York.

Lord Macaulay in his History of England makes sev-
eral erroneous statements in his story of the period.
Macaulay confuses privateering and piracy, for he defi-
nitely places Kidd in the latter group. In fairness to
Macaulay, his account of Kidd is written in one of his
posthumously published chapters of his monumental his-
tory, which he never had a chance to correct. His words
follow :

DESCRIBED ON OPPOSITE PAGE

THE BODY OF WILLIAM KIDD

HANGING IN CHAINS NEAR TILBURY FORT, ENGLAND
KIDD WAS EXECUTED AT WAPPING-ON-THE-THAMES

MAY 23, 1701

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STORY ON PAGE 251

BLACKBEARD, ALIAS TEACH
THE MOST FEROCIOUS PIRATE

KIDD, "INNOCENTEST" OF THEM ALL 249

"Kidd, having burned his ship and dis-
missed most of his men . . . who easily found
berths in the sloops of other pirates, returned to
New York with the means, as he flattered him-
self, of making his peace and living in splen-
dor."

Of course, Kidd never burned his ship. His men de-
serted him; he did not dismiss them. Writing from the
Whig viewpoint, Macaulay naturally tried to whitewash
the Whig cabinet responsible for the Kidd episode.
Macaulay had plenty of data available, for there are many
references to Kidd in Luttrell's notes taken in the years
1699 to 1700. Thus we see that Macaulay must be at
least partially blamed for perpetuating the Kidd legend.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Governor Fletcher
of New York, with a keen interest in pirate ventures, was
filled with lively concern when the British leaders hired
Kidd to clean out all the buccaneer nests on the Atlantic.
Replaced by Bellomont, Fletcher did everything in his
power to discredit Kidd and his expedition. While Kidd
was in New York, Fletcher contrived to blacken his char-
acter as much as he could, and rumors derived from this
source spread through the provinces. The Kidd legend was
further extended by the articles which Kidd posted in New
York. A similar procedure was used by the dyed-in-the-
wool pirates, when they required new candidates to sign
their articles. The reader will find striking resemblance
between the articles which Kidd posted and pirate articles,
quoted elsewhere in this volume. The following are typical:
3. If any man should Loose a Joynt in ye said
service, he should have a hundred pieces
of 8.

250 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

4. If any man shipps himself aboard yet said
shipe and should offer to go away from her,
he shall suffer what punishment ye Capt. and
ye Quarter-Master shall think fitt, and shall
have no share.
Another reason for the popular misconceptions of
Captain Kidd's career is the following poem, which shall
end the story:

My name is Captain Kidd, who has sailed, who

has sailed,
My name is Captain Kidd, who has sailed.

My name is Captain Kidd,

What the laws did still forbid
Unluckily I did while I sailed, while I sailed.

Upon the ocean wide, when I sailed, when I

sailed.
Upon the ocean wide, when I sailed

Upon the ocean wide,

I robbed on every side
With most ambitious pride, when I sailed.

Farewell the ocean main, we must die, we must

die
Farewell the ocean main, we must die;

Farewell the ocean main

The coast of France or Spain
We ne'er shall see again; we must die.

BLACKBEARD, ALIAS TEACH,
THE MOST FEROCIOUS PIRATE

Returning from the muddy air fields of North Africa
early in the spring of 1943, I was one of several Army
Air Corps patients aboard the British hospital ship Ama-
rapoora, bound for the famous city of Bristol. So many
seafaring adventurers and pirates had hailed from Bristol
in the old buccaneering days that I was especially anxious
to see this fascinating seaport. After a three months'
period of fretful convalescence, I was finally given per-
mission to visit the wharves and piers of the ancient
metropolis, and the career of one bold adventurer who
had sailed from Bristol kept forcing its way to the front
of my mind. His name was Edward Teach, or Thatch.

Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, was born in Bris-
tol, England, although the exact location of his birthplace
is unknown. Going to sea at an early age, Teach did not
attract attention until the year 1716, when he was serving
under pirate Benjamin Thornigold. Early in 1717 Cap-
tain Thornigold, with Teach aboard, sailed from New
Providence in the West Indies for the American main-
land, capturing several vessels in rapid succession, in-
cluding a Havana sloop with 120 barrels of flour and a
ship loaded with wine from Bermuda. Next a craft from
Madeira, loaded with a rich cargo of silks and bullion
was intercepted and robbed, after which the vessel was
allowed to proceed to her South Carolina destination.

Their next capture was a large French Guineaman,
bound for Martinique. By this time Edward Teach had

252 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

shown such energy and leadership that he asked Captain
Thornigold if he could take charge of the latest capture.
Thornigold agreed, and Captain Edward Teach began a
piratical career of his own. Meanwhile, because of the
King's Proclamation offering pardon to all pirates who
would reform, Captain Thornigold returned to New Prov-
idence where he surrendered to the mercy of the govern-
ment there.

Teach soon had forty sizable guns, most of which
were from recent captures, mounted on board his vessel.
He named the craft the Queen Anne's Revenge. Near the
island of St. Vincent's he fell in with a ship named the
Great Allan, commanded by Captain Christopher Taylor.
A thorough job of pilfering was done on this fine vessel,
with all valuable supplies removed to the pirate sloop.
The crew members of the Great Allan were put ashore at
St. Vincent's, while the ship was set afire.

An event now occurred which put Teach on a spe-
cial pedestal in the annals of piracy. Falling in with the
British man-of-war Scarborough, of 30 guns, Blackbeard
so successfully fought the English warship that after an
engagement of several hours in which blood flowed freely
on the decks of both ships the Britisher withdrew and ran
for the nearest harbor in Barbadoes. Pleased with his
defeat of the English warship. Captain Teach sailed tri-
umphantly for Spanish America, with his fame as a bold
and dangerous pirate spreading rapidly around the blue
waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Shortly afterwards he fell in with a Major Stede
Bonnet, an interesting pirate who had formerly been a
gentleman of good reputation and estate on the island of
Barbadoes. This man had taken up piracy for excitement
and adventure. Unfortunately for Bonnet, however, he

EDWARD TEACH, ALIAS BLACKBEARD 253

knew nothing of navigation, so Blackbeard tactfully sug-
gested that the major come aboard the Queen Anne's Re-
venge to serve as lieutenant to Teach, while Teach would
send an experienced master aboard Bonnet's own sloop,
the Revenge.

"As you have not been used to the fatigues and cares
of such a post," said Teach to Bonnet, "it would be bet-
ter for you to decline it and live easy, at your pleasure,
in such a ship as mine, where you will not be obliged to
perform duty, but follow your own inclinations." Major
Bonnet quickly saw the wisdom of Teach's statement, and
exchanged places with pirate Richards, who took charge
of the Bonnet sloop.

A short time later the pirates were loading fresh
water at Turneffe, near the Bay of Honduras, when they
saw a sloop enter the inlet. Captain Richards, hoisting the
black flag of piracy, slipped his cable and ran out to en-
counter the stranger. The sloop was the Adventure, com-
manded by Captain David Harriot, who observed the
black pirate flag on Richard's mast and ordered his own
sails struck at once, finally coming to under the stern of
the Queen Anne's Revenge. Harriot and his crew were
quickly transferred to the larger vessel, and Israel Hands,
whose name Robert Louis Stevenson borrowed for one of
his pirates in Treasure Island, was given the command of
the Adventure. We shall hear of Israel Hands again.

On April 9, 1717, the pirate fleet weighed anchor
and left Turneffe, sailing to the Bay of Honduras, where
they found a ship and four sloops. The ship was the
Protestant Caesar, out of Boston, commanded by Captain
Wyar. When Teach hoisted his pirate flag and fired his
gun, Captain Wyar and every member of his crew fled
ashore in their boat. The four sloops were quickly cap-

254 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

tured, whereupon the Caesar was ransacked and set afire,
along with one of the sloops. Teach explained that the
two vessels were destroyed because they came from Bos-
ton, where the inhabitants had had the unmitigated nerve
to hang certain pirates who had been captured. Evidently
the mention of the word Boston left a bad taste in the
buccaneer's mouth.

Some time later the sea rovers cruising in waters
around Grand Cayman, located about sixty miles west-
ward of Jamaica, seized a small craft occupied in hunt-
ing turtles, which abounded in the waters nearby. Work-
ing northward toward the Carolinas on the Atlantic Coast,
they engaged and captured three more vessels. Soon the
buccaneers sighted the shores of the North American
mainland.

Arriving off the bar at Charles-Town, or Charles-
ton as it is known today, they waited there several days
until a ship came out. It was a vessel bound for London
and commanded by Captain Robert Clark. The pirates
took it in short order. The following day four more cap-
tures were made, a ship, a brigantine, and two pinkies,
and all the prisoners herded aboard the pirate vessels.
This activity threw terror into the hearts of the inhab-
itants of Charleston.

At this time there were eight sails in Charleston
Harbor, none of which dared to go out and risk capture
by Blackbeard. Word also reached other ports that the
notorious Edward Teach was near Charleston Harbor, so
incoming commerce as well was suspended. It was a par-
ticularly trying period for the colonists of South Caro-
lina, who had just finished a gruelling war with the Tus-
carora Indians.

EDWARD TEACH, ALIAS BLACKBEARD 255

Every ship and every man taken by Teach had been
detained off the bar. Now Blackbeard showed not only
his colossal nerve but his contempt for Americans in gen-
eral, but sending his representative, Captain Richards,
right into the harbor and ashore in the center of the town,
with a message demanding a chest of medicine for the
pirate fleet. Teach could afford to be insolent, for aboard
his ship as a prisoner was Samuel Bragg, one of the gov-
ernor's councilmen. Richards told the people of Charles-
ton that unless they sent the chest of medicine out to the
fleet, all the prisoners would be murdered and every ship
set afire. Meanwhile, Richards and the other two pirates
strutted through the streets of Charleston, appearing
wherever and whenever they wished.

The Governor soon reached a decision with his coun-
cilmen. Since there was nothing else they could do but
comply with the wishes of Blackbeard, the citizens of
Charleston sent the pirate fleet an expensive chest of med-
icine worth at least three hundred pounds. When Teach
received the chest he kept his word and allowed every
prisoner to go free, after he had robbed them of their
wealth, which totalled 1500 pounds in gold and silver.

Northern Carolina was now the destination of the
pirate fleet, which consisted at that time of Teach's "man-
of-war," two "privateeers" commanded by Richards and
Hands, and a small sloop which served as a tender. Ac-
cording to historian Johnson, the pirate biographer, Teach
now decided to break up his company, cheating and
marooning those for whom he did not care, and dividing
the spoils with his friends. To this end he ran his own
vessel aground, and had Captain Israel Hands do like-
wise. Thus the two ships were destroyed, and every pirate
was forced to go aboard the tender, leaving the Revenge

256 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

V

on the rocks. As the tender was purposely overloaded,
Teach sailed to a sandy island some three miles off the
mainland, and put ashore seventeen of the unfortunate
pirates whom he did not care for. Fortunately Major
Bonnet rescued the marooned men two days later.

Teach decided to take advantage of the Proclama-
tion of His Majesty about this time, so appeared before
the Governor to obtain a certificate of his desire to retire
from the pirating profession. Then followed a shameful
act of Governor Charles Eden, who ordered a court of
Vice-Admiralty held at Bath-Town for the purpose of de-
claring Teach an honest privateer. This farce of justice
was carried through according to law, thus enabling
Blackbeard to lay claim to a vessel which he had captured
from the Spanish some time before, although England
and Spain were not at war when the capture was made.

The marital life of Captain Edward Teach was a
trifle overcrowded, for he had acquired thirteen wives.
Before he left Bath-Town he fell in love again, this time
with a girl of fifteen. He asked Governor Eden to officiate
at the marriage. The Governor readily performed the
ceremony, after which Blackbeard moved out for a few
days to the plantation where his wife's people lived. The
girl's happiness was short lived, however, for Blackbeard
invited his ruffian friends out to the plantation, where
they all caroused, gambled, and drank night after night.
The poor girl was finally made miserable with the pirates
continuing their debaucheries.

Teach sailed away shortly afterwards, and tradition
has it the pirates went far to the north on this particular
voyage, running in at the Isles of Shoals off the New
Hampshire coast. It is true that some of the characters
who have made the Isles of Shoals their residence in far-

EDWARD TEACH, ALIAS BLACKBEARD 257

distant times have been of the type which would not mind
the presence of pirates, but at best the story of Teach
there is based on tradition rather than recorded state-
ments.

According to legend, Blackbeard often went ashore
at the Isles of Shoals, having as his special abode Smutty-
nose Island. After a trip to England he returned to the
islands with a woman whom he took ashore. A consider-
able portion of Blackbeard's silver treasure was buried
at this time. Telling the girl to guard the treasure until
his return, Teach sailed away with his pirate band, but
never came back, continuing his career elsewhere. She
lived here many years and finally died on this lonely
island, where it was said her ghost haunted the Isles of
Shoals for almost a century. Regardless of the truth of
the story, there is no question but that Samuel Haley, in
building a wall many years later, uncovered four bars of
solid silver worth a fortune. Haley built a breakwater
between his property and the adjoining island at Malaga
after the discovery of the fortune, and many believe that
part of the money used was from Blackbeard's treasure
which Haley uncovered.

Let us return to the story of Blackbeard. Teach
sailed for Bermuda in June 1718. Falling in with three
English vessels, he took from them only such food and
provisions as he needed, but shortly afterwards he came
up with two French sloops bound for Martinique. Putting
both French crews aboard one vessel, which he permitted
to go free, Teach sailed the second ship to North Caro-
lina, where he and the Governor shared the spoils. Gov-
ernor Charles Eden demanded that everything should be
done legally, and so he had Teach swear that he found

258 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

the French ship adrift at sea. The governor then convened
a court which declared the vessel condemned. This action
allowed Governor Eden to have sixty hogsheads of sugar
as his share while the governor's secretary, Mr. Knight,
received twenty barrels for his efforts. The pirates were
permitted to have the rest of the cargo, but the ship re-
mained in the harbor, causing Teach a great deal of worry.
He was afraid that other vessels might recognize her, so
told the governor that the ship was leaking, and might
sink to block up the inlet. Thereupon Governor Eden
ordered Teach to sail her out, giving Blackbeard the op-
portunity to burn her to the water's edge, and the vessel
sank in deep water.

Records of some of the queer incidents which took
place aboard Blackboard's ship have been preserved. One
night Teach sat drinking in the cabin with Israel Hands
and another man, when suddenly Blackbeard drew out
two pistols and cocked them under the table. The other
pirate observed what was going on, and quickly left the
cabin, but Hands did not notice Teach's action. Black-
beard suddenly blew out the candle, crossed his hands
under the table, and fired. Israel Hands received the full
force of one of the pistols in his knee, which left him
lame for the rest of his life. Some time later other mem-
bers of the crew asked Blackbeard why he had injured
one of his good friends. "If I do not now and then kill
one of you, you'll forget who I am," was the astonishing
reply.

Another time Blackbeard was drinking heavily, and
suggested to the others that they try a little sport of a
slightly different nature. "Come," said the leader, "let
us make a Hell of our own, and try how long we can bear

EDWARD TEACH, ALIAS BLACKBEARD 259

it." He then took three of the bravest of his followers
down into the hold, where he closed the hatches. After
filling up several large pots with brimstone, he set them
on fire, and they all remained there breathing the suffo-
cating smoke into their lungs until some of them shouted
for air. Then he released the hatches and allowed the
others to go up on deck, not a little pleased with himself
that he had held out the longest.

An excerpt from this strange man's diary follows:

"Such a day, rum all out: — Our company
somewhat sober: — A damn'd confusion amongst
us! — Rogues a-plotting; — Great talk of separa-
tion— so I looked sharp for a prize: — Such a
day took one, with a great deal of liquor aboard,
so kept the company hot, damned hot; then all
things went well again."

Teach's beard was the talk of two continents. Jet
black, it completely covered his face, even growing
around his eyes, giving him a fierce appearance which he
made the most of. He would twist the ends into small pig-
tails, fastening them with hair ribbons and turning them
about his ears. When going into battle he purposely tried
to create an effect to overwhelm his adversaries with fear,
wearing three braces of pistols hanging in holsters from
his shoulders. Inserting hemp cord under his hat, Black-
beard would set the hemp ends afire, allowing them to
burn like punk, making his eyes look fierce and wild,
while his whole appearance suggested the Devil himself.
There was one man, however, who had heard of the
doings of the notorious buccaneer Edward Teach, and
determined to kill this monster who preyed on all ship-
ping up and down the coast. He was Lieutenant Robert

260 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Maynard of the British man-of-war Pearl. Maynard was
thoroughly exasperated by the fear which Blackbeard
created among some of the inhabitants of North Carolina
and the tolerance with which he was treated by others.

When planters and traders along the coast were
obliged to submit to the pirates going ashore and molesting
their own wives and daughters, they met together secretly to
plan a campaign of retaliation. Knowing that their gov-
ernor was hand in hand with Teach, they expected no
help in that direction, but decided to send a delegation
of protest direct to Virginia.

Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia received
the North Carolina planters with courtesy and kindness.
He agreed that something must be done, and that it was
useless to consult with Governor Eden of North Carolina.
Therefore it was arranged that two small sloops should
be hired, capable of running over the shoals where bucca-
neer Teach was lurking. It was also agreed upon that
they should be manned by two crews chosen from the
man-of-war vessels Pearl and Lime, then at anchor in the
James River. The command of the expedition was given
to pirate-hating Robert Maynard.

As the two sloops were made fit for sea, Governor
Spotswood called an assembly which agreed with him on
a proclamation, excerpts from which follow:

A PROCLAMATION
Publishing the Rewards Given for Appre-
hending or Killing Pirates.

WHEREAS, by an Act of Assembly, made
at a Session of Assembly, begun at the Capital
in Williamsburg, the eleventh day of November

EDWARD TEACH, ALIAS BLACKBEARD 261

in the fifth year of His Majesty's reign, en-
tituled An Act to Encourage the Apprehending
and Destroying of Pirates: It is, amongst other
things enacted, that all and every person or
persons, whom, from and after the fourteenth
day of November, in the Year of Our Lord One
Thousand Seven Hundred and Nineteen, shall
take any Pirate or Pirates . . . shall receive . . .
the several rewards following; that is to say,
for Edward Teach, commonly called Captain
Teach or Black-Beard, one hundred pounds;
for every other commander of a pirate ship,
sloop or vessel, forty pounds; for every lieu-
tenant, master or quartermaster, boatswain or
carpenter, twenty pounds; for every other in-
ferior officer, fifteen pounds, and for every
private man taken aboard such ship, sloop, or
vessel, ten pounds; and, that for every Pirate
which shall be taken by any ship, sloop or ves-
sel, belonging to this colony, or North Carolina
. . o like rewards shall be paid according to the
quality and condition of such pirates . . . And,
I do order and appoint* this Proclamation, to be
published by the Sheriffs at their respective
County houses, and by all Ministers and Readers
in the several Churches and Chapels throughout
this Colony.

Given at Our Council Chamber at Wil-
liamsburg, this 24th day of November, 1718.
In the Fifth year of His Majesty's Reign.
GOD SAVE THE KING

A. SPOTSWOOD

262 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Of course, the Governor of Virginia must have
realized that he had not the slightest jurisdiction over
North Carolina;, which he mentioned in his proclamation,
but he probably decided that the legal sidestep was neces-
sary because of the gravity of the situation. And he was
right.

Lieutenant Maynard lost no time in getting the ex-
pedition ready for sea. Sailing from Kicquetan, on the
James River, the two vessels reached the mouth of the
Ocracoke Inlet, where the spars and masts of Teach's
vessel were sighted. Although the proclamation had not
been officially issued at the time Maynard arrived off the
Inlet, Mr. Knight of North Carolina, who had his spies
in Virginia, had already written to Blackbeard, warning
him of trouble brewing. When Blackbeard saw the sloops
approaching, he stripped his vessel for action, and awaited
his adversaries.

By the time Maynard had reached the vicinity of
the pirate stronghold, darkness was falling, so Maynard
wisely anchored for the night.

The channel was intricate, and the shoals were many.
When morning came, he sent a boat out ahead to sound,
and followed slowly behind. In spite of this precaution
the sloops grounded on several sandy spots, and Maynard
ordered all ballast thrown overboard. Even the water bar-
rels were emptied, for Maynard was determined to cap-
ture Blackbeard or die in the attempt.

Finally Blackbeard fired a shot in the direction of
the two sloops, whereupon Maynard hoisted the King's
colors and stood directly for Captain Teach's vessel. The
pirate chieftain then cut his cable, planning to make a
running fight of it. The sloops were without cannon, while

EDWARD TEACH, ALIAS BLACKBEARD 263

Teach could use his, giving the pirates a definite advan-
tage at first. Maynard was not deterred in the least by
this, going ahead with his plans as if all were in his own
favor. Finally the two opposing forces were close enough
for hailing distance.

"Damn you for villains, who are you?" asked the
exasperated pirate captain. "And from whence came
you?"

"You may see by our colors we are no pirates," re-
sponded the resolute Maynard, who now felt fairly cer-
tain of his objective. Blackbeard then asked Maynard to
send his boat aboard, so he could find out who he was.
But Maynard was not to be tricked.

"I cannot spare my boat, but I will come aboard of
you as soon as I can with my sloop," replied the British
lieutenant. This so upset Blackbeard that he had to go
below and swallow a glass of whiskey before he could re-
ply. Returning to the deck, he glowered across at May-
nard.

"Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarter or
take any from you," the thoroughly angered buccaneer
declared.

"I do not expect quarter from you, nor shall I give
any," were Maynard's words. When we realize that he
was about to tackle one of the hardest fighting pirates
the world has ever known, and had nothing but small
arms to do it with, while buccaneer Teach was armed with
many cannon, we can understand why Robert Maynard
was called a brave man.

Blackbeard's sloop, which had run aground, was
soon floated off in the incoming tide, but the wind died
down completely. Afraid that his prey would escape,

264 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Maynard ordered his men to the sweeps, and in this man-
ner he rapidly gained on the becalmed pirates. Suddenly,
however, Captain Teach let go with a broadside, which
did terrific slaughter to the poor men at the sweeps, ex-
posed as they were while rowing. When the smoke of the
discharge had died down it was discovered that no less
than twenty-nine were either killed or wounded in May-
nard's two sloops.

It was a serious blow to the English officer's plans,
and many another equally brave leader would have given
up then and there. Maynard, however, was determined
to capture or kill the great Blackbeard and forever rid
the seas of his presence. The British lieutenant ordered
all hands below, remaining on deck alone with the man
at the helm, whom he told to crouch down as far as pos-
sible. The other sloop was out of the contest, temporarily
disabled by the broadside. The wind now freshened a trifle,
allowing Maynard's sloop to draw closer to the pirates.
But it was a difficult course, the sloop grounding and slid-
ing off time and again.

Maynard ordered two ladders placed in the hatch-
way so that the men could scramble from the hold when
the signal was given. Closer and closer the sloop came
to the pirates, who were awaiting them with hand gre-
nades. When within throwing distance, the pirates lighted
the short fuses on the grenades and tossed them over to
the deck of the sloop, but as most of the sailors were be-
low, the grenades exploded harmlessly. Blackbeard, when
the smoke had partially cleared, looked over at the sloop.

"They are all knocked on the head except three or
four," he exclaimed. "Let's jump aboard and cut them
to pieces."

EDWARD TEACH, ALIAS BLACKBEARD 265

As the two ships came together, Blackheard and four-
teen of the pirates jumped across to Maynard's vessel.
Then the men below decks raced up the ladders and the
bloody conflict began. The tides of victory surged back
and forth, with the sabers gleaming and flashing in the
sun and the pistol shots sending out their fatal charges
echoing across the water. The two forces fought on until
almost every man was bathed in blood.

Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, was in his last
fight, although he probably did not realize it. Anxious
to come to blows with the British upstart who had threat-
ened his piratical kingdom, he gradually worked his way
aft until he could see Lieutenant Maynard, who had also
noticed the fearsome spectacle which he identified as
Blackbeard, and was advancing to meet him. Having
waited for such a long time to come to grips with this
hated outlaw, who represented everything loathesome
connected with the ocean, Maynard was not to be fright-
ened by the truly dreadful apparition which came at him
from out of the thinning smoke of gunshot and hand
grenade.

Maynard and Blackbeard fired at each other simul-
taneously, but Blackbeard missed his aim, while May-
nard wounded his adversary in the body. In spite of this
the huge, lumbering form kept moving steadily forward,
until suddenly he struck with a terrific sweep of his cut-
lass which smashed into Maynard's sword with such force
that it broke the weapon off at the hilt. Getting his balance
again for a fresh lunge which would have done for the
lieutenant, Blackbeard drew back his cutlass. As he
started his second sweeping parabola he was given a ter-
rific blow in the throat by a British marine, and this tell-
ing wound deflected his own blow so that it struck May-
nard's knuckles instead of killing him.

266 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

The result of the battle seemed to change time after
time, but finally when Blackbeard had suffered twenty
saber thrusts and five pistol wounds he was seen to waver.
Just as he began to cock his last pistol, having fired three
others previously, he was seized with a spasm. Tottering
for a brief moment in helplessness, Blackbeard fell dead
at the very feet of the man who had sworn to take him,
Lieutenant Robert Maynard. By this time only a few of
the buccaneers were left alive. When they saw that their
leader was dead, the buccaneers quickly jumped over the
side into the water, crying piteously for quarter.
Maynard told them they could have mercy, but did not
guarantee them against hanging later on. Back on the
pirate ship the sailors from Maynard's other sloop had
finally gone into action, and the outlaws aboard Teach's
vessel, who had seen Blackbeard go down to death and
defeat, also asked for mercy.

It had been a glorious but fearful day for the British
officers and sailors. Lieutenant Maynard deserved all the
credit for the victory, for he had pushed ahead in the
face of what seemed hopeless defeat to win one of the
greatest encounters ever staged with pirates along the
Atlantic Coast. His subsequent conduct in continuing the
fight after twenty-nine of his small force had been put
out of action showed the highest form of bravery.

Blackbeard's plans miscarried aboard his own ves-
sel, however. Had not Teach believed victory was certain
when he boarded the Maynard sloop, the pirate vessel
would have been blown up, for Blackbeard left explicit
orders to set off the gunpowder should defeat seem im-
minent. Apparently victory changed to disaster in such a
rapid and unexpected fashion that the giant negro whose

EDWARD TEACH, ALIAS BLACKBEARD 267

duty it was to blow up the ship if defeat threatened could
not reach the powder magazine in time. Thus the outlaw
vessel, with all its incriminating documents was left se-
cure for Maynard to go aboard and salvage. Among the
documents which Maynard found were a great number of
letters addressed to Teach from many leading citizens in
various colonies along the Atlantic Coast.

Finally, after all had been secured, Maynard ordered
Blackbeard's head severed from his neck and suspended
from the bowsprit of the victorious sloop. In this manner
Maynard sailed into Bath-Town, where he and his ship
excited the awe and amazement of the entire populace
there. Sending his wounded men ashore for treatment,
Maynard left at once for the governor's storehouse. Armed
with the incriminating letters between Secretary Knight
of Bath-Town and pirate Teach, involving twenty barrels
of sugar for Knight and sixty for Governor Eden, May-
nard boldly seized the eighty barrels piled up in the ware-
house and ordered them taken away. Secretary Knight
was so frightened at the sudden turn of events that he
actually fell sick with fear, and was literally scared to
death at the consequences of his act and its discovery,
dying a few days later.

With the ferocious head of the infamous Blackbeard
still dangling from the end of the bowsprit, Maynard
sailed out of Bath-Town and reached the James River,
where the inspiring news of his daring exploit had pre-
ceded him. The sale of the pirate sloop and of certain
effects and supplies of the pirates which were located
ashore came to twenty-five hundred pounds, a tidy sum,
in addition to the rewards paid for the apprehension of
the pirates themselves. All of this small fortune, the equiv-

268 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

alent of over $10,000 today, was given to the survivors
of the battle aboard the Pearl.

The result of the trial which was held later in Vir-
ginia was a foregone conclusion, with two exceptions.
Israel Hands, ashore at the time of capture, was later
apprehended and brought to the bar, where he was con-
victed. Sentenced to be hanged, he was told of the exten-
sion of King George's Proclamation, and this condemned
pirate in the shadow of the gallows had the cleverness to
announce that he would agree to the King's offer and
turn honest. The astonished justices in turn were forced
to accept his statement as sincere, and pardoned him on
the spot. Some years later pirate biographer Johnson
heard that Hands had turned up in London, where he
practiced for many years as a professional beggar.

Another pirate, Samuel Odell, was discovered to
have been removed from a trading sloop the very night
before the engagement. Having received no less than
seventy wounds in the encounter, Odell was acquitted,
and gratefully left the courtroom. He later recovered com-
pletely from the effects of his many injuries.

Nine of the pirates had been killed in the battle,
with the two acquitted making eleven who were not
hanged. All the other pirates, fourteen in number, were
hanged with proper ceremony in the royal colony of Vir-
ginia. But the body of Captain Edward Teach, alias
Blackbeard, did not grace any Virginia gibbet, for one
of the most ferocious pirates of all time ended his career
as he probably wished it would end, fighting a worthy
opponent in the throes of a wild and thrilling conflict at

MAJOR STEDE BONNET,
THE GENTLEMAN PIRATE

Major Stede Bonnet, a most unusual pirate, was
originally a gentleman of leisure and wealth, living on the
island of Barbadoes. Why he turned pirate is hard to
understand, unless we believe Bonnet's claim that he
craved excitement and adventure. He began his depreda-
tions with a small vessel of ten guns, and a crew of seventy
men whom he paid in regular fashion from his own pocket
as though he were a master making a cruise.

Sailing away from Barbadoes in the dead of night.
Major Bonnet headed the vessel for the Cape of Virginia.
After plundering several ships, he continued his course to
the northward, reaching Gardiner's Island, where he went
ashore and purchased provisions as any other trader might
have done. Soon afterwards he captured two other vessels.

About this time the Major experienced great difficulty
in deciding who should navigate the ship, since he himself
knew nothing at all of this important science. Some weeks
later he fell in with Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard. We
have already told of his meeting with Blackbeard, of their
decision to place a competent navigator on Major Bonnet's
ship, allowing Bonnet to sail aboard Blackbeard's vessel,
and of Blackbeard's subsequent trips in Bonnet's company.
When Blackbeard decided to take advantage of the Royal
Proclamation of amnesty, Major Stede Bonnet held out a
few days longer, going back on his own vessel. Finally he
decided to give up. Bonnet sailed to Bath Town and placed
himself at the mercy of the King's magistrates.

270 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

A short time after he received his royal pardon,
Major Bonnet went to the island of Saint Thomas where
he accepted a commission as a privateer against the
Spaniards. Sailing back from Saint Thomas, Bonnet dis-
covered seventeen members of Blackbeard's crew whom
Teach had marooned on a lonely island, and rescued them.

While off the Virginia Capes, the Major fell in with
a vessel from which he took twelve barrels of pork and
four hundred weight of bread, leaving in place of the
provisions ten casks of rice and an old cable. Two days
later he captured a vessel, which was carrying a cargo of
rum, off Cape Henry. Bonnet chose several casks which
were to his fancy and removed as well other badly needed
articles from the cargo.

After this beginning, Major Stede Bonnet resumed his
piratical course on the high seas. Changing his name to
Edwards and then to Thomas, he became a hunter of ships
as well as a hunted pirate. He soon encountered two
tobacco vessels bound from Virginia to Glasgow, but the
only thing of value which he could remove was several
hundred weight of tobacco. The next day he captured a
Bermuda-bound ship, which netted him twenty barrels of
pork and two forced men. Another ship headed for
Glasgow and several other vessels quickly fell to the de-
termined Major.

When the pirates reached the Cape Fear River their
ship sprang a bad leak. Finally refitted, she sailed out only
to meet two vessels which had been sent after her by the
council of South Carolina. A terrific battle followed, but
the forces of the law were too strong for the pirates, who
finally surrendered. The pirates were all manacled and
imprisoned below deck but in some way Captain Bonnet
and pirate Herriot made their escape.

BONNET, THE GENTLEMAN PIRATE 271

The other members of the pirate crew were brought
into Charles-Town and tried for piracy on the high seas.
Of the twenty-six buccaneers, twenty-two were sentenced to
be executed by the Court of Vice-Admiralty and four were
freed. Meanwhile Colonel Rhet started out after Major
Bonnet and his fellow pirate, spurred on by a reward of
seven hundred pounds offered for the major's capture.
Reaching Bonnet's hiding place late one afternoon, the
soldiers under Colonel Rhet killed Herriot on the spot;
Major Stede Bonnet was quickly captured and brought
back to Charles-Town to face trial.

The twenty-two condemned members of Major Bon-
net's crew were taken out of prison on Saturday, November
8, 1718. Following the gentleman with the silver oar, the
unhappy buccaneers reached White Point, near Charles-
Town, where they were given a chance to say their prayers.
Then they were hanged. The twenty-two bodies outlined
against the sky made a fearsome sight.

Four days later the trial of Major Stede Bonnet,
which had commenced October 30, entered its final stages.
It had been quite a problem, administering justice to this
gentleman pirate, who was so different from the usual
rough, uncouth, uneducated buccaneer. Much was made of
the fact that he was brought up with all the advantages of
a civilization which he was doing his part to destroy. The
magistrate also stressed the fact that after taking benefit
of the King's grace, Captain Bonnet captured eleven more
vessels on which eighteen innocent victims were killed.

We quote part of Judge Nicholas Trott's final speech
from the court records:

272 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

"You being a Gentlemen that have had the
Advantage of a Liberal Education, and being
generally esteemed a Man of Letters, I believe it
will be needless for me to explain to you the
Nature of Repentance and Faith in Christ . . .

"And therefore having now discharged my
Duty to you as a Christian, by giving you the
best Counsel I can with respect to the Salvation
of your Soul, I must now do my office as a Judge.
"The Sentence that the Law hath appointed
to pass upon you for your Offences, and which
this Court doth therefore award, is

That you the said Stede Bonnet shall go
from hence to the Place from whence you came,
and from thence to the Place of Execution where
you shall be hanged by the Neck 'til you are
Dead. And the God of infinite Mercy be merciful
to your soul."

So Major Stede Bonnet, gentleman pirate of Bar-
badoes, was taken from his cell in Charles-Town on
December 10, 1718, to the gallows at White Point, where
he was hanged. A contemporary illustration of the event is
in the pages of this volume, showing Bonnet stepping off
into eternity as the hangman's cart is driven away.

CHARLES GIBBS, WHO WAS
HANGED AT NEW YORK

Some pirates rise above the common level of their
profession. In certain ways they have distinguished
themselves so that they are classed in a different light
from other marauders of the sea lanes. Such a desperado
was Charles Gibbs, who was born on his father's Rhode
Island farm in the year 1794. His father was a well-to-
do citizen with an efficient, up-to-date farming property,
and was respected and admired everywhere in the com-
munity.

Charles was his father's joy. Sending the lad to the
best academy in the neighborhood, the elder Gibbs con-
fidently awaited reports of his son's success with his les-
sons and deportment. Favorable reports, however, never
arrived at the farm to gladden the heart of the fond
parent, for after minor misdemeanors, Charles developed
his capacity for causing trouble to such an extent that he
finally was banished from the hall of learning and sent
home for good. This was a severe blow to his father's
pride, and he sought to reform the lad by giving him hard
manual labor to perform on the farm.

Charles, however, soon began to commit acts of such
outrageous nature in the neighborhood that the despairing
father realized his boy was becoming a problem. If .he
heard of any new outbreak in the vicinity, it usually was
the act of his son. Feeling between the two became more
and more strained as the career of Charles continued,
finally causing the boy to run away from home at the age
of fifteen.

274 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Evidently his thoughts for some time had been of the
sea, and so his footsteps naturally turned to Boston, the
sailing metropolis of New England. At that time the
great man-of-war Hornet, commanded by Captain James
Lawrence, was in the harbor. Charles obtained a berth
aboard her. Life on an American warship seemed to be
what he needed, for he remained on the Hornet until the
outbreak of the War of 1812, and acquitted himself with
glory when the Hornet defeated the Peacock several
months later. So much a part of Lawrence's force did
Gibbs become, that he was transferred to the ill-fated
Chesapeake when his commander took over the vessel early
in 1813.

The Chesapeake sailed out of Boston Harbor on June
1, 1813, and was defeated by the British warship Shan-
non off Boston Light in a fierce and bloody encounter.
Gibbs fought by the side of his commander to the end.
When brave Lawrence fell, shouting his immortal "Don't
give up the ship," his men fought on but were finally
overwhelmed. Although in the thick of the engagement,
Charles Gibbs received but minor injuries, and was among
those brought into Halifax a few days later.

The grim walls of Dartmoor Prison in England later
received Gibbs and his shipmates. Here they lay in all
the wretchedness and filth of Britain's most notorious jail
until the end of the war. Finally returning to his home
in Rhode Island, he announced his decision to forsake
the cares and troubles of the sea for the steadier career
of a farmer ashore. His parents, of course, were highly
gratified at this turn of events, and treated him as a prod-
igal son. After a few weeks spent on the farm, however,
Charles felt the call of the big town, and announced that
he was going to Boston, where he would try to establish

GIBBS, HANGED AT NEW YORK 275

himself in some suitable trade. His father had a serious
talk with him, and it was decided Charles should take
$1,000 with him to Boston for the purpose of starting up
in the grocery business.

It is true that he started a grocery store, but the
neighborhood in which he established himself was that
section of the town where the houses of ill repute were
located. Gibbs soon obtained a license to sell liquor over
the counter. Always fond of the opposite sex, his near-
ness to them now proved his downfall, for while they were
very willing to purchase his stores and liquors, they did
not often make a cash trade, and before long his modest
fortune was gone. Utterly discouraged, Charles Gibbs
sold out his entire stock for the sum of one hundred dol-
lars and shipped away to sea.

Signing on the ship John, he worked his way to
Buenos Aires, where he jumped ship. Gibbs followed his
inclinations in the South American city until all his
money had vanished, and then joined the crew of a pri-
vateer. Near the successful termination of a long cruise
when sailing toward port, Gibbs evidently decided to turn
pirate, for he stirred up the crew with complaints about
their share of the prize money, starting much trouble
between the officers and their men.

Finally the discontented men met with Gibbs and
determined to mutiny. Choosing an opportune moment,
Gibbs led the attack which succeeded in overpowering the
officers and those of the crew who were loyal to them.
All were forced below under hatches, but were humanely
treated. Gibbs was not chosen the sole commander, but
the pirates took turns in running the ship. When the muti-
neers reached the coast of Florida, they took all of the

276 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

honest privateers and crew ashore, bidding them to shift
for themselves.

The pirates then began their career in earnest. Sally-
ing forth from a small inlet in the West Indies, they would
fall upon an approaching ship, capture and murder the
crew, and change the general appearance of the vessel.
Their next move was to sail into Havana and sell the vessel
for a substantial sum. Time and again this practice was
repeated. Whenever the whimsy struck them and they
felt lazily inclined, the pirates would run the captured
vessel into the inlet which was their headquarters and
burn the ship to the water's edge. As not one of the cap-
tured ships' crews ever returned to civilization to tell his
story, more than five hundred souls must have been mur-
dered in cold blood.

The pirates' secret was finally revealed when their
capture of the American ship Caroline was observed by
officers aboard the British man-of-war Jarius, then cruis-
ing in the vicinity. Following the pirates into their inlet,
the commander of the Jarius ordered his crew ashore in
long boats to attack the buccaneers, who were firing from
a small battery erected on a nearby promontory. The
marines organized a determined assault against the sur-
prised marauders. For this sort of frolic the pirate gang
had little stomach, fleeing ingloriously to the shelter of
the woods. For some reason they were not pursued. Ex-
ploring the nearby area, the marines found no less than
twelve vessels burned to the water's edge. When these
ships are added to the number taken into Havana Harbor
and sold, the pirates were probably responsible for from
twenty-five to thirty ships which never returned to their
owners.

GIBBS, HANGED AT NEW YORK 277

Gibbs had long before distinguished himself as a
leader, and when the pirates fled into the woods, he was
chosen to command. One night the pirates rowed out and
boarded a Dutch vessel, anchored off shore, which was
loaded with silver plate. The pirates divided the rich
loot. The passengers and crew, numbering thirty, were
all killed with one exception, a beautiful young girl of
17, who appealed to Gibbs. Falling on her knees before
the pirate leader, the maiden begged for her life, and as
he was attracted by her charms, Gibbs promised to save
her. After the other people had been killed he sailed
away to Cape Antonio, where she accompanied him
ashore. Two months went by, during which the two were
constantly together. This excited the jealousy and anger
of the others.

Finally one of the sailors openly rebelled against
Gibbs, grabbing the girl in his arms and taking his hatchet
to dash her brains out. Drawing his pistol, Gibbs shot
from the hip, and the pirate fell dead at his feet. It was
not the end of the matter however, for the other pirates
demanded a showdown. Gibbs reluctantly agreed to a meet-
ing of the buccaneers. As he was tiring of his liaison with
the Dutch girl, Gibbs then promised that he would abide
by the decision of the majority. A vote was taken imme-
diately and it was agreed to poison the girl. This was
done at once, and she died shortly afterwards in terrible
agony.

Some time later Gibbs visited Havana. He was told
that conditions were becoming increasingly difficult in his
particular profession. Authorities were going to watch
carefully any and all transactions along the waterfronts,
and patrols were to sail up and down the coast around
the pirate haunts, on the lookout for marauders of the

278 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

deep. Upon mature reflection, Gibbs decided that it was
an opportune time to return to his native land. With-
drawing $30,000 which he had on deposit in a Havana
bank, he booked passage for New York City, where he
arrived on Christmas Day, 1819.

Disgusted with city sharpers and their clever manipu-
lations, Gibbs decided to visit the old world, and sailed
from Boston to Liverpool a short time later. The charms
of a lady in Liverpool so appealed to him that he never
left the city while he was in England. Day and night her
attractiveness enchanted him, until finally she tired of his
slavish devotion, and fled from him with another man.
This development embittered him against all England,
and he sailed on the next ship for America.

Arriving in the United States again, he wandered
around various cities of this country, but was suddenly
excited into action by the declaration of war between
Argentina and Brazil. He took passage at once on a vessel
bound for Buenos Aires, and on his arrival there sought
an interview with the governor, who signed him on in the
navy as a fifth lieutenant. Gibbs went aboard a warship
of thirty-four guns, named the Twenty-Fifth of May.

After a number of skirmishes with the enemy in
which he fought bravely, his abilities were recognized by
Admiral Brown, who placed Gibbs in charge of a privateer
schooner mounting two long twenty-four pounders and
carrying a crew of forty-six men. He made two successful
voyages before he was captured by the enemy on the
third, and taken to Rio de Janeiro, where he remained
until the end of the war. His own words, taken from
Gibbs' confession, which was published after his death,
tell us what befell him.

"After the lapse of about a year, which I

GIBBS, HANGED AT NEW YORK 279

passed in travelling from place to place, the
war between France and Algiers attracted my
attention. Knowing that the French commerce
presented a fine opportunity for plunder, I de-
termined to embark for Algiers and offer my
services to the Dey. I accordingly took passage
from New York in the Sally Ann, belonging
to Bath, landed at Barcelona, crossed to Port
Mahon, and endeavoured to make my way to
Algiers. The vigilance of the French fleet pre-
vented the accomplishment of my design, and
I proceeded to Tunis. There, finding it unsafe
to attempt a journey to Algiers across the desert,
I amused myself with contemplating the ruins
of Carthage, and reviving my recollections of
her war with the Romans. I afterwards took
passage to Marseilles, and thence to Boston."
Gibbs next went to New Orleans. Soon after his
arrival he found himself without funds, so shipped on
board the brig Vineyard, commanded by Captain Thorn-
by, bound for Philadelphia. Sailing from the Gulf port
on November 9, 1830, the Vineyard was soon far at sea.
The members of the crew learned of the existence aboard
the vessel of $54,000 worth of Spanish dollars consigned
to Stephen Girard, a merchant of Philadelphia. Gibbs
was greatly excited on hearing of the treasure aboard,
and he determined to seize the ship and appropriate the
money for his own use.

After talking for a short time with a negro seaman
named Thomas J. Wansley, Gibbs convinced him that
they should attempt to take the vessel. The other members
of the crew were cautiously sounded out. Edward Church
and James Talbot openly joined the conspirators; John

280 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Brown finally was persuaded, while the other three re-
fused but agreed to remain silent. It was then five pirates
against four honest men, and Gibbs' determination car-
ried the day.

On the night of November 23 the blow fell. About
midnight Captain William Thornby was standing a little
forward of the companion hatchway, when Wansley came
up the steps, carrying a lantern, which he placed on the
deck. In his left hand he had a knife, but at the last
minute he saw a pump-break on the deck, which he seized.
Swinging it high in the air, he dealt the unsuspecting cap-
tain a blow over the head, knocking the poor man un-
conscious. Gibbs and Wansley picked up the fallen man
and dumped him unceremoniously into the sea.

The noise of the scuffle had attracted the attention
of the mate, William Roberts, who rushed up the com-
panion hatchway. Awaiting him were Gibbs on one side
and Wansley on the other. They hit him simultaneously,
and he staggered back down the steps. The two pirates
were on Roberts at once, beating him unmercifully, after
which he lapsed into unconsciousness. Roberts was also
tossed into the ocean. Gibbs then announced himself as
commander of the brig.

When daylight broke, the search for the silver dol-
lars began. Finding the treasure intact between decks,
the pirates divided their spoil and set to work sewing
money bags in which their respective shares would be
placed. With seaman Dawes in charge of the wheel, the
brig continued northward. The next evening Southampton
Light was sighted, and Gibbs made plans to leave the
ship. When more than ten miles out to sea he transferred
to the longboat, with the three other pirates, while the
honest men took to the jolly boat, carrying the small

STORY ON PAGE 280

PIRATES SEIZING THE BRIG VINEYARD

STORY ON PAGE 277

CHARLES GIBBS SHOOTING PIRATE ATTEMPTING
TO KILL HIS SWEETHEART

CAPTAIN BARTHOLOMEW ROBERTS, THE CAVALIER PIRATE

SPANISH PIRATES UNDER RUIZ
REMOVING SILVER FROM THE MEXICAN

STORY ON PAGE 152

THOMAS FULLER STRIKING
PIRATE RUIZ IN COURT

GIBBS, HANGED AT NEW YORK 285

shares of money which the pirates had given them. The
buccaneers carried the bulk of the treasure in the long
boat, of course. Gibbs then applied the torch to the brig,
which burned and sank.

The three honest men struck a bar while rowing
toward the shore, overturned and were drowned. The long
boat hit the same sandspit, but carried over it successfully,
landing later that day at Pelican Island, where the
marauders at once buried the treasure in the sand. They
then rowed across to Great Bar Island, where lived a man
named Johnson. Pirate Brownrigg communicated with
him. Brownrigg, a pirate by coercion, pretended that
Johnson would cooperate with the cutthroats. But he had
no intention of allowing them to escape.

Just as the pirates were being driven away by horse
and wagon from the home of Mr. Johnson, Brownrigg
chose the moment to announce that Gibbs and Wansley
were murderers. Panicked by the sudden denunciation,
the two ruffians were so overcome that they jumped out of
the wagon and fled to the woods. A searching party was
quickly organized, and started in pursuit. Late that night
the buccaneers were discovered, huddling in a clump of
bushes. They were taken to the local jail, together with
Brownrigg and Dawes, and were conveyed to New York
City the next day.

Realizing the game was up, the pirates talked freely
in the conveyance which carried them from Flatbush to
the city. Wansley told the whole story, occasionally
prompted by Charles Gibbs. The two men implicated
Dawes, but their testimony showed that Brownrigg took
no part in the crime. Nevertheless, when the case came
to court both Dawes and Brownrigg were admitted as

286 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

state's evidence, with Gibbs facing trial for the murder of
Mate William Roberts, while the charge against Wansley
was the murder of Captain Thornby. After due delibera-
tion, both Gibbs and Wansley were found guilty as
charged. Controlling his emotions, Charles Gibbs heard
the verdict calmly, sitting with his hand between his knees,
but Wansley went to pieces toward the end of the trial,
and trembled violently when he heard that he was to
hang.

Wansley was given a chance to speak. He mentioned
the fact that he was colored, and said that it hurt his
chances when white men were judges. White men, said
Wansley, had stolen Africans from their own country,
and there always had existed among the whites a strong
dislike for the blacks. Then Wansley announced that he
had said enough, but when urged to continue he did so.
It was Atwill, one of those who later drowned, who first
told him of the conspiracy to rob the vessel, said Wansley
in his statement. "I felt no inclination to join them," said
Wansley, "and so I told Church, who was the only one of
the crew that I knew before I shipped in the Vineyard.
Church told me by all means not to inform against the
conspirators. If I had informed upon them I should have
only been in the same situation in which I am at present.
I have nothing more to say."

The judge then sentenced the two men to die by hang-
ing on the next 22nd of April. Gibbs wrote two letters
while awaiting his execution, both of them to the woman
he had previously known in Liverpool, advising her to
forsake her vicious life and seek repentence before it was
too late. It was said at the time that the letters proved
him to have a limited education, but nevertheless showed
much innate talent.

GIBBS, HANGED AT NEW YORK 287

The day of the execution arrived, Friday, April 22,
1831. Charles Gibbs and Thomas Wansley, in charge of
the marshall, his aids, and thirty marines, made the walk
to the gallows, which they reached at noon. Two clergy-
men prayed for their souls. Wansley also joined in the
prayers, later chanting a hymn as the time drew near for
his execution. Gibbs addressed the great crowd which
had gathered.

"The law believes me guilty of the charge, but I take
my God, before whose tribunal I shall in a few moments
be summoned, to witness that I did not murder the mate."

The caps were quickly adjusted over the faces of
the doomed men. Gibbs himself, by dropping a handker-
chief, gave the signal for the trap to be sprung, and the
two pirates were suspended between heaven and earth.
It is said that Wansley died peacefully, without strug-
gling, but Gibbs fought to the end. After hanging for two
minutes he raised his right hand to his head, as if in some
involuntary movement he was trying to remove the black
cap, and partly succeeded in dislodging it before his hand
dropped. Shortly afterwards he raised the same hand to
his mouth, but then the hand dropped lifeless to his side
and his struggles ceased. It has been said that when Gibbs
was later cut down, part of his body was sent to Harvard
College for preservation.

Thus ended the career of a brave man, who fought
aboard the Chesapeake for his country in the War of
1812, became a prisoner of war at dreaded Dartmoor,
started a grocery store in Boston, became a notorious
pirate, again became a marine fighter in South America,
and then after many years was attracted to piracy by
chance and hanged for his evil deeds.

THE PIRATES WHO WERE
EXECUTED AT PHILADELPHIA

Sometimes almost pitiful attempts at piracy have
been made by wholly uneducated sea outlaws. Their
weaknesses as regards sailing, navigation, and even the
ability to read, were so great that once they had captured
ships, they were unable to work out their subsequent prob-
lems successfully, and authorities found it easy to step
in and capture them. One such case of piratical inade-
quacy occurred on the schooner Eliza, which left Phila-
delphia on August 27, 1799 bound for St. Thomas.

At this particular period in American history, it was
hard to find sailors from the United States to sign on for
a voyage, so when Captain William Wheland hired his
crew it consisted of two Americans — Thomas Croft, whom
he appointed mate, and Jacob Suster. There were three
foreigners, Jacob Baker, Joseph Brous, and Peter Peter-
son. A French gentleman named Charles Rey went along
as supercargo. Rey had. been a resident of St. Domingo
up to the time of the negro revolution there. Moving to
Philadelphia, he watched his fortune dwindle steadily, so
he resolved to return to St. Domingo and try to regain
part of his former immense holdings on the island.

Both Captain Wheland and Mr. Rey had poor opin-
ions of the foreigners who had signed on, for the sailors
seemed to have resentful manners and revengeful spirits.
On the way down the Delaware River from Philadelphia,
one of them, Peter Peterson, refused to obey the mate, so
Captain Wheland struck him. When Baker rushed to
Peterson's aid, Rey stepped in to protect the captain.
Baker received a good beating, after which both he and

PIRATES EXECUTED AT PHILADELPHIA 289

Peterson promised to behave if they would be forgiven.
In this Captain Wheland readily agreed, and for the next
fourteen days there was no trouble at all.

At ten o'clock the night of September 12, Mate
Thomas Crofts was standing his watch on deck. Both Rey
and the captain had retired. Apparently the mate dozed
off, for as far as can be gathered, the three foreigners
came up on deck while he was asleep. Brous and Baker
hit him over the head with an axe and threw him into the
sea. Next, the men entered the cabin and crept up to the
bunk where the sleeping captain lay. The axe swung
again, catching Captain Wheland on top of the skull,
while a sword was thrust into his arm. Terribly injured,
but partially conscious, he reached for the pistols under
his pillow.

The confusion awakened Charles Rey, who jumped
from his bunk in the cabin and cried out, asking what
the trouble was. Seeing the captain fighting the ruffians,
he snatched up his pistol and ran for the three pirates,
who retreated from the cabin. Awaiting him outside, they
smashed Rey over the head with the pump handle, and he
staggered back into the cabin. Again he attempted to
leave. Another terrific blow hit him, and he collapsed.
Rey, gathering his senses, looked over at the captain,
whose entire body was bathed in blood from his painful
wounds. Almost delirious himself from the murderous
blows on his head, Rey crawled over to where the captain
lay. The two men talked together quietly. They felt that
another attempt would soon be made on their lives, and
that they did not have long to live. After talking over his
chances with the captain Charles Rey determined to make
a last attempt to overcome the pirates. Seeing a light on
deck, he believed he might have a chance to surprise the

290 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

ruffians. Rey staggered to his feet and rushed out where
the pirates were standing around a lantern, but he was no
match for them. They beat him unmercifully with their
weapons, hitting him long after he had fallen to the deck.
The buccaneers were wasting their blows, however, for by
that time he was dead.

Later that night Captain Wheland crawled up on deck
to the Frenchman's dead body where he wrenched the
pistol from the lifeless grasp, and retreated to the cabin
prepared to defend himself. Early in the morning the
pirates asked him to show himself, which he refused to
do. Next they asked for liquor. The captain said he could
not get any because of his wounds. Evidently the problem
of navigation had been discussed, for the pirates then
asked Captain Wheland if he would compromise with
them, offering him his life if he would navigate the
vessel. Captain Wheland agreed, for the plan was better
than death.

Under this partial armistice, the pirates entered the
cabin and dressed Captain Wheland's wounds. The
pirates went out on deck and threw Rey's body overboard.
They then called the only remaining crew member, Jacob
Suster, who had been sleeping all through the mutiny.
When he reached them, they brutally knocked him down
with an axe and threw him overboard. As the wind was
light, the vessel made little headway, and the helpless
captain could hear the cries and screams of the victim
for eight or ten minutes after he was cast into the sea, as
they grew fainter and fainter, finally stopping altogether.

The pirates returned to the captain's cabin, where
they washed the blood from the floor and seemed anxious
to remove all signs of the fight. Later they cleaned up
the deck as well, but with the coming of dawn the ruf-

PIRATES EXECUTED AT PHILADELPHIA 291

fians began to loot the property of the men they had
thrown into the sea.

Daylight gave Captain Wheland hope, for he felt
that the pirates were in desperate need of his knowledge
of navigation, and because of this his life would be
spared. He was worried about his two pistols, however,
for he knew, that he could not keep awake all the time
and that they would be a powerful weapon in the pirates'
possession. Debating at length with himself, he finally
decided to toss the weapons overboard secretly. The
pirates never discovered that he had done so and con-
tinued to believe that Captain Wheland still had the
pistols in his possession.

The cutthroats now ordered Captain Wheland to set
a course directly for the Spanish Main, but he deceived
them easily, setting his own course. Day after day passed
in this strange state of existence, with no one trusting any
one else. The sails and rigging soon showed signs of the
poor seamanship of the ignorant sailors. They knew, or
thought they knew, that the captain was not physically
able to handle a rope, and they were too lazy most of the
time to do the work themselves, so considerable damage
to the ship's fitting was done during this period.

The captain's arm was not as feeble as he pretended,
however, for he tested it secretly day by day. His entire
body was slowly gaining in strength. The pirates occupied
themselves chiefly in rifling the vessel, breaking open
packages or looting staterooms. As they grew more and
more careless, Captain Wheland, always keeping in the
background, awaited his chance to recapture the schooner.

On the 21st of September, nine days after the pirates
had seized the ship, Wheland's opportunity came. Peter-
son and Baker had gone down into the fore scuttle to

292 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

bring up some choice hams, of which they were very fond,
while Brous was in the caboose, or galley as it is known
today, getting the fire ready. Accompanied by the mur-
dered Rey's dog, which followed him everywhere, Cap-
tain Wheland sauntered into the galley, holding in read-
iness a club he had picked up from the deck. Stepping
behind Brous, he hit the pirate on the back of the head,
knocking him to the deck. When Brous began to get up,
Captain Wheland aimed another blow at him, but his
bad arm prevented good delivery, and Brous rolled safely
out of the way. Rey's bull dog now entered the fray,
rushing at the pirate, who turned and ran in terror into
the shrouds, where he climbed high up in the rigging.

Captain Wheland, pleased at his success, ran over to
the fore scuttle, slipping his strengthened arm out of the
sling completely for the coming effort. Grabbing an ax
with both hands, he raised it over his head just as the
pirates prepared to climb out of the scuttle. The sight of
the apparently wounded man holding the ax with both
hands completely bewildered the other two pirates. In-
stead of coming up on deck and trying to take the ax
away, they ran down below into the scuttle again, so Cap-
tain Wheland immediately secured and locked the hatch-
way over the scuttle. Then he dragged a huge anchor and
several other heavy pieces of timber over to the scuttle
cover, piling them on the hatchway so that the men would
be unable to get out of the fore scuttle even if they forced
the lock.

Captain Wheland now turned his attention to Brous,
who was still clinging to the rigging, gibbering in French
to the other pirates. Wheland told Brous that if he came
down on the deck and allowed himself to be tied up, he
would not be killed. But Brous had completely lost his

PIRATES EXECUTED AT PHILADELPHIA 293

nerve. It was a long time before he could get up enough
courage to descend to the deck, but he finally climbed
down. Falling on his knees, Brous took the captain's hand
and kissed it several times, making the humblest of state-
ments of gratitude and subservience. Captain Wheland,
unwilling to trust the pirate's claims of complete sur-
render, chained the blackguard to the ring bolts on the
deck.

Not wishing to antagonize the two men in the scuttle,
he bored a hole in the hatch cover large enough to pour
water down to them. There was plenty of food there any-
way. From time to time the pirates attempted to break
out but finally they gave it up. The two men believed that
Brous had been killed, for he had promised to make no
signal to them and kept his word. Of course, the captain
realized that he might doze off and be murdered in his
sleep should Brous escape, so he tried to keep awake con-
stantly, day and night, never lying down.

October 4 Captain Wheland sighted the island of
St. Bartholomew's and by seven p. m. was off the port,
where he hailed a passing vessel and made known his
unusual story. Commander John Peterson of the Swedish
brig Housare then sent to his assistance two officers and
ten men who brought the schooner Eliza safely into the
harbor. Captain Campbell, of the American brig Eagle,
met Captain Wheland there and offered to assist in any
way. The two men went down to the American consul's
office, where Consul Job Wall arranged to have the three
pirates put in irons aboard the Eagle.

His adventure at an end, Captain Wheland was then
faced with a heavy salvage claim from the Swedish brig,
but Wheland pointed out that the American-Swedish treaty
would allow only a fair amount to be paid for towing the

294 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Eliza into the harbor, and nothing else. After considerable
discussion he made the payment of $200. Selling his
cargo and loading a fresh one of sugar, Wheland hired
on a new crew, and finally sailed away for home Novem-
ber 4, 1799. He arrived at Gloucester Point on the twenty-
fifth of the same month.

The prisoners were taken to Philadelphia, where
they were examined by Judge Peters. Confessing readily
to the several murders, they claimed they were French
prisoners in the service of the French Republic, and as
United States and France were then at war, they had a
right to seize any American ship and kill those who re-
sisted. Judge Peters decided that as the pirates had vol-
untarily signed on an American vessel, they came under
the jurisdiction of American courts. He ordered them to
trial for murder and piracy on the high seas. It was then
revealed that Peterson's real name was LaCroix, although
he may have been Swedish, while the other two were
actually Frenchmen. Baker's name was Boulanger, while
Brous's was LaRoche.

They were tried in the circuit court at Philadelphia
before Judges Peters and Chase on April 21, 1800. Cap-
tain Wheland, of course, as the only survivor of their
murderous scheme, was the single witness against them,
but after a short retirement the jury brought back the ver-
dict, guilty. The pirates were sentenced to be hanged by
the neck until dead.

On May 9, 1800, the three marauders of the deep
were taken from their cells in Philadelphia out to Smith's
Island opposite the great city of brotherly love, and exe-
cuted for their crime of murder and piracy on the high
seas.

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ALWIDA AND MRS. CHING

Shrill cries of women pirates have echoed down
through the corridors of time. The daughter of a Gothic
king, Princess Alwida, embraced the life of a sea rover to
avoid marriage with Alf, the son of a Danish King.
Embarking on a piratical voyage with a crew of young
women, all attired in male garb, Alwida soon distinguished
herself among the pirates.

She came to be such a menace to shipping along the
coast that Prince Alf himself was sent out in pursuit of
her, not knowing, of course, that the object of his search
was Alwida. Killing most of the sea rovers, Alf forced
Alwida to surrender. On removing her helmet, she re-
vealed herself as the girl he desired to wed. Pleased with
his ability in battle, the princess married Alf on board the
pirate ship, and left the sea forever.

The Chinese woman pirate, Mrs. Ching, was a terror
to all Europeans in the early years of the Nineteenth Cen-
tury.

Ann Bonney and Mary Read, however, are the two
most interesting women pirates in history, and because of
their activities along the Atlantic Coast their adventures
are included in detail.

MARY READ AND ANN BONNEY
WHO LOVED AND FOUGHT

This generation falls into the habit of thinking that
the girls and young ladies of today are becoming more
independent and active than ever before. Here is a story,
however, of how two young women over two hundred
years ago became experts at the world's most dangerous
and exciting profession, that of piracy on the high seas.

Mary Read was an English girl whose mother mar-
ried a sailor when she was very young. Perhaps the sailor
decided it was a bad bargain, possibly there were other
motives in his subsequent behavior, but he went to sea
and never came back. A little later a "sprightly boy" was
born. Shortly afterwards, Mrs. Read found herself again
expecting an addition to her family, so in her embarrass-
ment she moved away from home to a place in the country,
where the little boy died. A few months later, Mary Read,
who was to become a pirate, arrived in this world.

Mrs. Read stayed on in the country for a few years,
until Mary was about four years old. All this time she
had been very secretive as to her activities, never letting
the folks back home discover that her boy had died or
that another baby had been born. Her plan was to substi-
tute this girl child of another man for her husband's baby
son, so that she could return to her home. Her husband's
mother was fairly well to do. Mrs. Read now decided that
the time had come to attempt the deception.

Dressing Mary in the most appropriate boy's clothes
which she could find, Mrs. Read taught the girl to con-
sider herself a boy at all times. She started for her hus-

MARY READ AND ANNE BONNEY 297

band's family home after she had coached little Mary on
what to say and how to act. As soon as she arrived in the
city, which was on the coast of England, mother and
daughter made their way to the house where she planned
to carry out the ruse, and confidently knocked on the
door.

They were soon invited in by the good lady, who
was favorably impressed with the appearance of the stocky
lad standing before her, so impressed, in fact, that she
proposed that the two move in with her and live at the
mansion. Of course, Mary's mother realized that the de-
ception would be short-lived under such intimate circum-
stances, so told the kindly woman that she had made other
plans. She intended to live down in the village where she
had obtained employment and would consent to no other
arrangement. The grandmother insisted that Mary receive
a crown a week for support, which was exactly according
to the plot. As the years passed, this ruse continued, but
the grandmother finally died and the income stopped alto-
gether. Mary's mother had informed the girl of her back-
ground, explaining why she was being raised as a boy,
and Mary agreed that the plan should be continued. Ob-
taining employment as a footboy, Mary grew stronger
and stronger until, a few years later, she was manly
enough in appearance to enlist in the Royal Navy where
she was put aboard a man-of-war.

Mary, however, evidently inherited a wandering dis-
position from her unknown father. We find her next in
Flanders, where she joined a foot regiment as a cadet.
With the ambition to become an officer dominant in her
thoughts, she fought in every engagement with daring
and bravery. She was not promoted in spite of her good

298 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

record, as in those days commissions were almost always
bought and sold.

After many battles Mary Read remained a cadet,
so in her discouragement the girl left the service and en-
listed in a regiment of horse marines. Mary soon became
a favorite in her new regiment, gaining the esteem of all
her officers. Occupying the same tent with her was a hand-
some young Dutch youth. Without declaring herself, she
fell violently in love with him. This passion was so ab-
sorbing that it affected her soldierly bearing and the offi-
cers were quick to notice the change. Even her tent-mate
considered that she had gone out of her head, while the
others decided she should be discharged from the service
because she seemed insane. Finally, in her desperation,
she found a moment when the two were alone in the tent
and revealed to the astonished lad that she was actually a
girl. After his extreme surprise had been overcome, we
are told that the lad easily reconciled himself to the sit-
uation, believing that his tent-mate would readily acqui-
esce in whatever suggestions he might make. But in this
he was disappointed. He found that it was necessary to
court Mary for his wife. He was entirely successful.
Eventually the officers were informed of the amazing sit-
uation between the two troopers.

The romantic aspect of the affair so impressed the
commanding officer of the regiment that he decided the
wedding should be a memorable occasion. Almost every
officer on the post honored the union by his presence. The
gifts were handsome and costly. A few weeks later ar-
rangements were completed whereby both were allowed
to leave the regiment.

Returning to the coast of England, the two lovers

MARY READ AND ANNE BONNEY 299

set up an ordinary or tavern called the Three Shoes, and
because of the notoriety they had received soon were do-
ing a very lively business. But after a while, Mary's hus-
band became ill and died. With the coming of peace, the
soldiers and troopers left the army, and business became
so bad that the young widow was forced to give up the
ordinary. She crossed over into Holland, where she again
assumed the guise of a man and enlisted in a regiment of
foot-soldiers quartered in one of the frontier villages.
Within a few months, however, Mary tired of her duties,
so she left the service, signing on as a sailor aboard a
Dutch West Indiaman.

While at sea she soon demonstrated her abilities in
a satisfactory manner, and the men never realized she
was a girl. When nearing its destination, the ship was
overtaken by English pirates who ransacked it for spoils.
The only English sailor on board, Mary Read, was im-
pressed into the pirate service, after which the buccaneers
permitted the Dutch vessel to sail away.

Month after month Mary Read participated in the
capture of many ships of all nations, so effectively dem-
onstrating the manly qualities of hardihood and courage
with the best of the other pirates, that they were unsus-
pecting of her sex. Sloops, brigantines, and other vessels
were captured up and down the Atlantic Coast of North
America, after which the pirates sailed for the West
Indies.

When a royal pardon was announced for all pirates
who would give up their unlawful pursuits, Mary Read
was among those who decided to retire to an inactive life
ashore. Moving to a pleasant island in the West Indies,
she lived for several months without incident, but grad-

300 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

ually her food and money dwindled. Mary realized that
she would have to seek some occupation before all her
funds were exhausted. Hearing of a privateering expedi-
tion which was being outfitted by Captain Rogers in the
Island of Providence, Mary Read signed on as a member
of the crew.

Others aboard the ship included the infamous Cap-
tain Jack Rackam and his sweetheart, Ann Bonney. This
strange couple had become enamoured of each other to
such an extent that Ann had deserted her husband for
pirate Rackam, and wherever he signed on as a pirate she
always accompanied him in men's clothes. All three —
Mary Read, Jack Rackam, and Ann Bonney — were aboard
the same ship.

Ann Bonney had been a native of Cork, Ireland, the
daughter of a respectable attorney and his serving maid.
The three had gone to America, where the serving maid
died, leaving Ann to manage the household. Although ap-
proached by offers of marriage from many respectable
and wealthy young men it is said that her heart and not
her head determined her choice, for she married a young
sailor who admitted that he did not have a single shill-
ing. Her father was so upset at the marriage that he
turned Ann out of his house, and the couple then sailed
to the Island of Providence. While on the Island, she be-
came enamoured of handsome Jack Rackam, and soon she
had left her sailor husband forever. Pirate Rackam, who
seems to have held a fascination for all women, then took
Ann with him whenever he went on a buccaneering cruise,
and during the heat of battle she fought as well as any
man on the ship.

Such were the histories of the two people with whom

MARY READ AND ANNE BONNEY 301

Mary Read was soon to toss her lot. We shall now learn
of the strange way in which the event occurred. Of course,
Mary's fair skin, when seen among the privateering crew,
most all of whom had beards, attracted the attention of
Rackam's paramour. Ann Bonney was soon thinking of
various ways to attract the good looking young man.
Naturally, Captain Jack noticed this wavering of devo-
tion, and, not being used to competition, became extremely
jealous. Ann finally made her desires known to the dis-
concerted Mary, who saw there was only one way out of
the difficulty. She told Ann Bonney that she, also, was a
girl. After overcoming her surprise and disappointment,
Ann realized she must make the most of the situation.
In an attempt to conceal what her true feelings had been,
she explained to Jack Rackam that the only reason she
and Mary had been familiar was th^t Mary was actually
a woman and the two were befriending each other.

About this time the pirates aboard the privateer de-
cided the opportunity was at hand to seize the ship from
Captain Rogers. One night, as the watches were being
changed, the buccaneers arose en masse. Outnumbering
the honest sailors two to one, the pirates soon overcame
all opposition. After the fighting ended, the buccaneers
chose Jack Rackam to lead them.

Few changes were necessary to convert the privateer
into a buccaneering galley, and the pirates fell to work
with a will. A piratical cruise was then the order of the
day. The buccaneers sailed along for several weeks under
tropical skies, until a merchant vessel was overtaken. A
terrific fight ensued during which almost every sailor
aboard the merchantman was killed. Finally the survivors

302 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

surrendered. Among them was the ship's young artist (or
navigator, as he is called today).

The old story again presented itself. Mary saw the
young man for the first time as he signed the ship's
articles, and within a few days she was violently in love
with him. Her passion soon became so pronounced that
she decided to reveal to the navigator why she was so
attracted. She told him she was a woman. Esteem and
friendship on his part then changed within a few days
to the most ardent affection, and the two lovers were as
happy as any two lovers could be on the decks of a pirate
ship far at sea. Their happiness was short-lived, however.

One day the navigator and another member of the
crew quarreled violently, deciding to fight a duel when-
ever land was reached. Some time later the buccaneers
anchored off an island. The two men agreed that the com-
ing day would be suitable for their encounter. Desperate
in her fear that she might lose the man she loved, Mary
Read openly picked a quarrel with the artist's opponent
of the morrow, finally succeeding in agreeing on a duel
for the following morning two hours earlier than that
which her lover had chosen. Unbeknownst to the naviga-
tor, Mary Read left the ship before dawn, and engaged
the pirate with both sword and pistol. Showing a method
of fighting which far surpassed anything her opponent
had ever encountered, Mary Read laid the other pirate
at her feet. When the artist learned of this act of un-
qualified devotion on the part of his sweetheart, he went
to her at once, and they pledged to each other a faith so
binding, that according to pirate historian Johnson, they
considered their attachment just as strong as "if the cere-
mony had been performed by a clergyman."

MARY READ AND ANNE BONNEY 303

Captain Jack Rackam, sometime after he had dis-
covered that Mary Read was a woman, questioned her
about pirates in general. He could not understand why-
she could be interested in the profession.

"Why do you follow a line of life that exposes you
to so much danger, and at last to the almost certainty of
being hanged?" asked Rackam. Her reply was typical of
her unusual life.

"As to hanging, I think it no great hard-
ship, for were it not for that, every cowardly
fellow would turn pirate, and so infest the seas
that men of courage would starve. If it were my
choice, I would not have the punishment less
than death, the fear of which kept some das-
tardly rogues honest. Many of those who are
now cheating widows and orphans, and op-
pressing their poor neighbors who have no
money to obtain justice, would then rob at sea,
and the ocean would be as crowded with rogues
as the land, so that no merchant would venture
out, and the trade in a little time would not be
worth following."

One day in 1720, Captain Jack found himself
caught by a Spanish man-of-war south of Cuba, where he
had been careening his vessel. The Dons warped their
great battleship into the channel that evening, completely
blocking all possibility of the ship's escape. Captain Jack
Rackam told the two women that the game was up, and
they prepared to sell their lives dearly. Nearby the Span-
ish man-of-war, just a little farther out to sea, was a small
English sloop, which had been captured as an interloper
in Spanish water. A prize crew was then aboard.

304 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Rackam called his fellow pirates together to explain
his plan. They would launch their long boat, into which
everything of value would be placed, and row in the dead
of the night far to the south of the man-of-war, after which
they would come up on the English sloop, and capture
the prize crew. The program was carried out without a
mishap. Captain Jack and his crew soon were aboard their
prize, where they quickly silenced the Spanish crew,
slipped cable, and sailed triumphantly out to sea. The
following morning the Spanish man-of-war opened fire
upon the pirate's ship, but in a short time they discovered
the true state of affairs, and cursed themselves for the
fools they had been.

Rackam had escaped this time, but his hour glass
was slowly running out. In August 1720 he went to sea
again capturing several small craft and eventually reach-
ing Harbor Island where the pirates stole fishing nets and
tackle from schooners anchored off the shore. Sailing
across to Hispaniola, they killed and ate many cattle
from several French settlements along the coast. On the
nineteenth of October off the island of Jamaica they cap-
tured a schooner which was commanded by Master
Thomas Spenlow. Reaching Dry Harbor Bay the next
day, Captain Rackam stood in and fired a gun, causing
the men on a sloop at the wharf to run ashore, but when
they found out it was Captain Jack they all came back
and even asked to be signed on.

Sailing around the western point of the island at
Point Negril, Rackam came up on a small pettianger, or
dugout, and invited the men to come aboard for a drink
of punch. All nine members of the crew of the dugout
accepted the invitation, coming on board fully armed,

MARY READ AND ANNE BONNEY 305

however. After a few drinks they put down their muskets
and pulled off their cutlasses, deciding to enjoy their
drinking without encumbrances.

At that very minute a sloop which had been outfitted
by the Governor of Jamaica sighted the pirate ship, and
started at once in pursuit. The pirate lookout noticed the
sloop, standing directly for them, and reported the state
of affairs to Captain Rackam. Handsome Jack ordered
the anchor weighed at once. Captain Barnet, commander
of the armed sloop, rapidly overhauled the pirate ship,
whose captain soon realized this was one vessel from
which he could not escape.

The sloop caught the pirate ship, and boarded it.
A bloody engagement followed, but the soldiers and
marines were too strong for the buccaneers. After a few
quick skirmishes most of the pirate crew ran below decks.
There were three exceptions, Ann Bonney, Mary Read,
and another pirate whose name is not known. Captain
Jack, to the scorn of Ann Bonney, fled below with the
others. Without question Mary Read and Ann Bonney
were braver than any other pirates aboard the ship that
day, fighting on long after the other buccaneers had gone.
The two women only surrendered after the hopelessness
of their situation was realized. All the buccaneers were
brought to Port Royal, Jamaica, given a quick trial, and
sentenced to be hanged.

On November 15, 1720, Captain Jack Rackam was
allowed to visit Ann Bonney. Expecting her to com-
miserate with him, Rackam was amazed when she began
to scold her lover.

"I am sorry to see you there, Jack," said Ann, "but
if you had fought like a man, you need not have been

306 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

hanged like a dog." These were her last words to the
man she loved, for the following day, November 16,
Captain Jack Rackam was hanged at Gallows Point, Port
Royal, along with eight in his crew. Handsome Jack and
two others were given the after-death consideration of
hanging in chains as a special honor to their wickedness.
The nine men who had gone aboard Rackam's vessel for a
drink were also finally sentenced to be executed.

Ann Bonney and Mary Read, then in prison, an-
nounced that they were expectant mothers. Therefore their
execution was put off until such a time as they could be
properly hanged. Poor Mary, however, grew sick in jail
and died, her thoughts to the last of the handsome young
navigator who ended his career at Gallows Point, Jamaica.
Ann, more fortunate, outlived her companion, and actu-
ally disappeared from the prison about a year later. All
we are sure of is that she was not executed, but whether
her child was born in prison or out, the records of Jamaica
do not tell.

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BARTHOLOMEW ROBERTS,
THE PIRATE CAVALIER

Captain Bartholomew Roberts, in several ways the
most remarkable pirate of all, was born in Wales. Un-
like the typical buccaneer, he was a man who never
touched intoxicating liquor, drinking nothing stronger
than tea. He made his pirates retire at nine every night
and was a strict disciplinarian in the matter of women,
never allowing his men either to take liberties with them or
have them aboard ship. The penalty for seducing a woman
on board was death. Furthermore, the practice of betting,
card-playing, or rolling dice was forbidden aboard his ves-
sels. He was extraordinarily fastidious in dress and is said
to have been a Beau Brummell even in the stress of battle.
In religious matters he allowed the pirates to follow their
own wishes, but was careful to let the musicians have a
period of "Rest on the Sabbath."

In the year 1719 Roberts sailed from London as
master of the Princess, bound for the Guinea coast to pick
up a cargo of negroes at Anamaboe. Reaching port, he
was attacked in the harbor by another Welshman, the

308 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

notorious pirate Howel Davis. Davis captured the Princess
after a short fight. To the unlucky Roberts, Davis sug-
gested that he might as well join up with the pirate crew.
As there seemed to be no other alternative, Bartholomew
Roberts reluctantly agreed. In the first stages of his career
with Davis he would have deserted had the opportunity
presented itself, but gradually he became reconciled to
his new calling.

One day the pirates arrived at the Island of Princes,
off the African coast. Davis had in mind a sinister scheme
to invite the governor aboard, capture him, and then, later,
to subdue the island. This plan almost worked. But on
the night before it was to be carried out one of the negro
captives swam ashore and revealed the plot to the resi-
dents. The next day when Davis and a small group of
pirates unsuspectingly went ashore, they were ambushed
by soldiers of the governor and killed. This was the end
of the notorious Howel Davis. Crowding canvas upon
the vessel, the pirate crew put to sea. After some dis-
cussion, Bartholomew Roberts was chosen as one of the
candidates for leader. Incidentally, the pirates of long
standing aboard Davis' vessel were known as Lords. When
they addressed each other it was often with the title
"fellow noble." The under dogs of this pirate state were
called Commoners.

There were several other candidates for the position
of leader besides Roberts, including Simson, Antis, and
Ashplant. Lord Dennis, one of the older pirates, made a
long speech to the Lords, in which he stated that the elec-
tion was not too serious a matter, for, according to him,
"if one should be elected who did not act and
govern for the general good he could be deposed,
and another one substituted in his place. We are

ROBERTS, THE PIRATE CAVALIER 309

the original of this claim, and should a captain
be so saucy as to exceed prescription at any time,
why, down with him! It will be a caution, after
he is dead, to his successors, of what fatal conse-
quence any kind of assuming may be; however,
it is my advice, while we are sober, to pitch
upon a man of courage, and skilled in naviga-
tion,— one who, by his prudence and bravery,
seems best able to defend this commonwealth,
and ward us from the dangers and tempests of
an unstable element, and the fatal consequences
of anarchy; and such a one I take Roberts to be:
A fellow in all respects worthy of your esteem
and favor."

It is said that every pirate of the "commonwealth"
applauded this speech except one man, Lord Simson, who
designed to make himself commander of the expedition.
Finally Simson gave in, saying that he didn't care who
was elected as long as he "was not a Papist, for I have
conceived a mortal hatred of them, because my father had
been a sufferer in Monmouth's rebellion." Then the vote
was taken and Bartholomew Roberts was elected.

Roberts, on accepting the leadership of the pirate
band, made a blunt speech, very much to the point. "Since
I have dipped my hands in muddy water," said Roberts,
"and must be a pirate, it is better being a commander
than a private man."

A plan for revenging the death of Captain Howel
Davis met with general approval, and a pirate named
Kennedy was chosen to lead a landing party of thirty
men. Returning to the island, they stormed ashore under
a brisk cannonade from the ship's guns. The soldiers
manning the fort fled into the depths of the woods behind

310 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

the town. The pirates seized the fort, pushed the cannon
into the sea, and returned to the ship unmolested. The
suggestion was made to Roberts that the town be stormed
and burned. But when he reminded the enthusiasts that
a large force of men was probably hiding in the woods
and could pick them off at leisure, the idea was abandoned.

The pirates hoisted anchor and sailed away to the
southward. Shortly afterwards a Dutch Guineaman was
captured, looted, and set free. Next an Englishman was
taken. Every man on this ship voted to join Roberts' com-
monwealth of pirates. As soon as they fired the vessel,
the pirates made sail for Anamaboe to procure water
and repair the ship. Once the vessel was refitted and
ready for sea again, the Brazilian coast was chosen by
vote of the crew as the next scene of action. After a voyage
of twenty-eight days Captain Bartholomew Roberts
sighted the shores of South America at the Bay of Bahia.
Ill luck accompanied the venture for about nine weeks,
not a sail being sighted on the blue waters of the rolling
seas. At last, off the Bay of Los Todos Santos, a huge fleet
of Portuguese vessels came into view. Heavily loaded, the
ships were en route to Lisbon, but were anchored off shore,
awaiting the arrival of two Portuguese men-of-war.

With a reckless courage and abandon characteristic
of the man, Captain Roberts sailed in among the great
fleet. Singling out for special attention the most likely
sail, he ordered his crew below deck and edged gradually
closer as if he were the 43rd member of the fleet. Later
that day he communicated with the captain of the vessel
he planned to loot, ordering him aboard the pirate vessel.

When the frightened captain of the Portuguese ship
obeyed this blunt summons, Roberts saluted him by ex-
plaining that they were both gentlemen of fortune and

ROBERTS, THE PIRATE CAVALIER 311

all he wished of him was information as to which was
the richest vessel in the fleet. If the Portuguese captain
complied, he would he restored to his own vessel; if not,
he would be summarily executed. The harassed captain
pointed out to a vessel of forty guns, telling Roberts that
she carried 150 men. Roberts replied he would sail over
at once, using the Portuguese captain as a decoy.

Approaching the treasure ship, Captain Roberts or-
dered the Portuguese prisoner to hail the captain of the
vessel, ask after his health, and invite him aboard. The
ruse was apparently successful. The other captain re-
plied that he would come aboard presently. But some-
thing seemed amiss. Roberts noticed an unusual rushing
to and fro on the decks of the Portuguese craft. Suspecting
a trick, he ordered his men to open fire at once, and
lowered boats full of pirates to board the treasure ship.
In an astonishingly short time Roberts had captured a
very rich prize. There were forty thousand moidores of
gold aboard, besides sugar, skins, tobacco, and other valu-
able commodities. The gold alone was worth about $130,-
000, a moidore being valued at $3.27.

After making this rich haul, the pirates sailed for
a safe retreat to relax in comfort and revel in luxury. They
chose the Devil's Island on the river Surinam, where a
warm reception was accorded them by the governor. He
entertained them lavishly, and all was well.

However, provisions were needed and the pirates
were informed of a brigantine from which they could
supply themselves. Roberts started in pursuit of the brig-
antine, but when the quarry was located she showed a
clean pair of heels. After eight days Roberts, short of
food and water, abandoned the idea of catching the
brigantine. Sending his dinghy back to the Devil's Island

312 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

colony, Roberts lay off the shore day after day awaiting
her return. Finally, in his desperate need for water, he
tore up the cabin to make a raft, on which his men
paddled and poled their way to shore.

But the worst was yet to come. The dinghy finally
returned from the island. The delay, they told him, was
caused by Lieutenant Kennedy's running off with both
the other ships of the pirate fleet. Captain Bartholomew
Roberts blamed himself for the situation. Left with a
small sloop, his two larger vessels gone, he was forced
to new ventures.

Sailing out again in search of victims, he captured
two sloops, from whose stores he was enabled to provision
himself for a long voyage. The voyage scarcely began,
however, before he fell in with a vessel from Bristol,
England, which he plundered and allowed to sail away.
A few days later Captain Rogers of Barbadoes aboard
a vessel of twenty guns caught up with pirate Roberts,
who little thought she was anything but a merchantman.
Roberts closed in. When within range his cannon roared
over the choppy seas. In quick response, Captain Rogers'
ship belched flame and smoke, and three hearty British
cheers sounded out over the intervening water. It was a
rude awakening for Roberts, who suddenly became aware
of his mistake. Following a bitter engagement lasting
for the better part of two hours in which losses on both
sides were heavy, Roberts decided that he had enough of it.
He ordered his yards braced and sheered off. His vessel,
being the better sailer, enabled him to shake off pursuit
and escape from the English gunboat.

Roberts concluded that West Indian waters were
becoming decidedly unhealthy. Far to the northward lay

ROBERTS, THE PIRATE CAVALIER 313

the great island of Newfoundland, with its rugged cliffs
rising two and three hundred feet out of the water. At the
extreme southern tip of Newfoundland, between Cape
Pine and Mistaken Point lies beautiful Trepassey Bay,
leading into Trepassey Harbor. To this new and presumably
safer field of operations, Roberts turned the prow of his
vessel.

After a peaceful voyage over summer seas, the rugged
shores of Newfoundland finally appeared on the horizon.
Approaching more closely, Roberts observed the masts
of twenty-two ships anchored in the harbor. In his cus-
tomary audacious fashion, he sailed directly into the har-
bor, his trumpets blaring and his drums beating. Trumpets
and drums, he believed, would so awe the inhabitants
that when the black flag of piracy was unfurled the fisher-
men would be easy prey.

He had not miscalculated. Cannon boomed, mus-
ketry rattled. The black pirate vessel became a living
volcano belching smoke and flame! Panic spread through-
out Trepassey Harbor and when the guns ceased fire every
vessel except one was either sunk or afire. Without fear
of molestation, Roberts went ashore to pillage the houses
and destroy the plantations. The ship which Roberts had
saved was from Bristol, England, and this vessel Roberts
later exchanged with a Frenchman he had captured. The
residents of Trepassey never forgot the day when pirate
Roberts came to Trepassey.

Following this raid Roberts returned to tropical
waters. Vessel after vessel, ship after ship, he captured
and destroyed, until he finally decided to take his chances
at the settlement of Martinique. He was familiar with the
Dutch system of hoisting a jack should they desire to

314 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

trade with the natives, and Roberts followed their practice
when reaching a point off shore.

Twenty-one small vessels came sailing out to him
for barter. Treacherously he destroyed them, one by
one, as they reached the pirate ship. Only the last one
did he save, and on this he placed the crews of all the
others and sent them ashore. A strange incident took
place here. Three of the pirates who decided to go on
a little expedition of their own choosing were speedily
recaptured by a vessel which Roberts sent in pursuit. The
three men were tried for their lives as deserters; two
were hanged and one was freed.

Shortly afterwards the pirates went for another cruise,
capturing a vessel on which a clergyman was sailing. Hav-
ing no chaplain on board, the pirates thought the clergy-
man should join forces with them. The clergyman refused.
They explained to him that all he would have to do was
to make punch and say prayers for them. He would be
allowed to carry along whatever he called his own. It
is not known whether or not the clergyman went aboard,
for Roberts never forced a man to join up against his
will. However, it is hard to imagine a clergyman who
would go aboard Roberts' vessel willingly. One account
has it that the prelate begged to be excused and was
finally allowed his freedom in exchange for three prayer
books and a corkscrew.

Captain Roberts was coming to the end of his rope,
but he was to leave a record never equalled again in all
the annals of buccaneering: the capture of at least 400
ships in his career of piracy.

Sailing through the same waters was a determined
English naval officer named Captain Chaloner Ogle, who
was commander of the warship Swallow. In his cruising

ROBERTS, THE PIRATE CAVALIER 315

from port to port he was keeping much better track of
Roberts than the pirate had any reason to believe. It so
happened that when Roberts ran into Parrot Island to
careen the two ships which he possessed at that time, Ogle
was not far behind. Off Cape Lopez Captain Ogle learned
of Roberts' whereabouts and sailed at once for Parrot
Island.

Arriving off the beach, Captain Ogle, by a ruse,
tempted Roberts to send his ship in chase. The Swallow
pretended to flee from the pirate vessel. Once out of sight
of shore, however, Ogle turned on his pursuer just as
the black flag was being raised confidently aloft. The
severe cannonading of the gunboats effectually silenced
the pirate guns. The buccaneers struck their colors, pull-
ing down the black flag and throwing it overboard that it
might not rise in judgment over them.

Roberts himself was next on the British captain's list.
Returning to Parrot Island a few days later, Ogle sailed
boldly into the bay. It was early in the morning. Captain
Bartholomew was enjoying a breakfast of hot West Indian
pickles, known as salmagundi, when the news reached him
that the Swallow was coming up the bay. Somehow he
seemed to have a presentiment that he might not survive
the encounter. At any rate he gave explicit orders to
his subordinates to throw him overboard at once should he
be killed or seriously wounded in the battle.

Roberts questioned one of his men, who had for-
merly been a member of the crew aboard the Swallow,
as to the sailing qualities of the craft. Perchance he
might run for it and escape, but it was not to be.

In pursuance of his habit and in accordance with his
motto, "A short life but a merry one," Roberts went below
to change into his battle regalia. Putting on the most ex-

316 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

pensive garments in his wardrobe, made of magnificent red
damask, he hung several fine pistols, handsomely carved,
from his shoulders, and placed around his neck a costly
solid gold chain, from which a cross of diamonds was
suspended. As a finishing touch he donned his gala hat
with a red peacock feather. It was the tenth day of Febru-
ary in the year 1722, an eventful date in piratical journals.

Ominously the British man-of-war nosed slowly up
the bay. When he realized that she was after him, the pirate
ordered the ship's cable cut and sailed out to engage her
in a running battle. Fighting began. The cannonading
was terrific, with neither side gaining the advantage. Scup-
pers ran red with blood. Hoarse cries mingled with the
thunder of artillery and small arms. Powder and smoke
drifted over the heaving vessels. It was a desperate and
bloody engagement. Suddenly a burst of grape shot hit
the pirate ship. Captain Bartholomew Roberts fell mor-
tally wounded, shot through the throat. A stream of blood
spurted from his mouth, and without a word he died. When
the pirates saw that their leader was dead, in accordance
with his command they threw him overboard. Thus ended
the career of the most successful pirate of them all. The offi-
cers and men of the pirate vessel, deprived of their brave
leader, lost their courage and soon surrendered to Captain
Ogle.

Bartholomew Roberts, during his unusual lifetime,
held that in honest labor there are low wages and hard
work, while a pirate always had liberty and power. At
least he escaped the fate of his men who, after their sur-
render to Captain Ogle, were hanged or gibbeted at Cape
Corso. He died a violent death, it is true, but it was in
the heat of battle as he had wished.

A

\

^0'

EDWARD ROWE SNOW
POINTING OUT EXACT POSITION OF PIRATE SHIP WHIDAH AT CAPE COD

TREASURE SEEKERS AT CAPE COD

DIVER BILL GEORGE PUTTING THE HELMET ON DIVER AL GEORGE. WHO IS ABOUT

TO DESCEND TO THE FLOOR OF THE SEA OFF CHATHAM TO EXAMINE THE PIRATE

TREASURE SHIP. WHILE LAURENCE P. WOLFSON STANDS BY.

TWO LARGE CANNON AND A QUANTITY OF SILVER HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP.

THE HUSBAND AND WIFE
PIRATES OF NOVA SCOTIA

Halifax, Nova Scotia, was the scene of a strange
court case in November 1809. On the sixteenth of that
month Edward Jordan and his wife were brought to trial
in the courthouse for murder and piracy on the high seas.

The story of the couple is a singular one. Edward
Jordan was a fisherman at Perce in the Gaspe Peninsula,
living in that beautiful country with his wife and four
children. It is all the more surprising that in what ap-
peared to be a happy family the mother and father actu-
ally were pirates.

On July 15, 1809, Captain John Stairs of the
fishing schooner Eliza sailed from Halifax to Perce
with John Kelly his mate, and two seamen, Thomas Heath
and Benjamin Matthews. Aboard the vessel were two
passengers, Edward Jordan (who later turned pirate)
and Patrick Cinnet. Jordan was returning home to ar-
range for the shipment of fish aboard the same craft.
After a journey of two weeks the schooner reached her
destination, and the loading of the cargo began. By Sep-
tember 10 about 600 quintals of fish had been stored.
Captain Stairs planned to sail for Halifax late that after-
noon. Edward Jordan and his entire family were to make
the voyage with him.

The schooner sailed along the coast until Sep-
tember 13. On that date the vessel was somewhere be-
tween Cape Canso and White Head. When Captain Stairs
went below to get his quadrant to take the sun between
eleven and twelve in the morning, Thomas Heath followed
him. Captain Stairs stood for a moment near the cabin

320 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

table directly under the skylight. A noise from above
attracted his attention. Looking up through the skylight
he saw Edward Jordan leaning down with a pistol in his
hand.

Jordan, aware that he was discovered, fired. An
orange flame flashed from the muzzle. The charge passed
close to Captain Stairs, grazing his nose and the side of
his face, but entered the body of Heath standing behind
him. Thomas Heath fell to his knees.

"Oh, my God, I am killed," he screamed and col-
lapsed on the cabin floor.

Captain Stairs, recovering slowly from the shock of
the incident, made his way to his trunk for his pistols.
The lock had been forced! The pistols were gone! Thor-
oughly alarmed, he searched frantically for his cutlass.
It also was missing!

Grimly determined to face the situation, Captain
Stairs hastily mounted the ladder, encountering Jordan,
pistol in one hand, axe in the other, just about to descend.
Stairs seized him, pinioning Jordan's arms so that the
pirate could not move. Begging Jordan not to kill him,
Stairs pushed him backwards. Jordan managed to free
his arm and cocked his pistol. Stairs promptly grabbed
the weapon by the muzzle and threw it overboard, at the
same time roaring to Mate Kelly for help. Kelly, un-
known to Captain Stairs, had been won over to Jordan's
plans for taking over the schooner, and kept out of sight
completely. Loyal Ben Matthews, however, in spite of the
fact that he had already been badly wounded, attempted
to answer the captain's cry for help. Staggering along the
deck, the poor man collapsed as he attempted to come to
the aid of the struggling captain.

HUSBAND AND WIFE PIRATES 321

Rolling over and over in their fight, Captain Stairs
and pirate Jordan were evenly matched. Finally Stairs
pulled the axe away from Jordan, slinging that weapon
also into the ocean. Captain Stairs renewed his calls for
Kelly, but the effect was opposite to what he had hoped.
As his shouts continued Jordan's wife appeared, armed
with a boat hook handle. Striking the handle against Cap-
tain Stairs repeatedly, she screamed as if she were pos-
sessed.

"Is it Kelly you want? I'll give you Kelly!" she
shrieked, and hit him again. Making a superhuman ef-
fort, Captain Stairs pulled himself away from the pant-
ing Jordan, and crawled forward. By this time Heath,
shot by Jordan when the latter stood at the skylight, had
died, and with Kelly nowhere in sight and Matthews
unconscious, things looked bad for Captain Stairs.

Jordan obtained another axe, and made his way to
Matthews, where he struck the unconscious form several
times with the murderous weapon. While this was taking
place Captain Stairs, with a tremendous effort, dragged
a hatch cover to the side of the ship and heaved it over-
board, whereupon he jumped in after it. He later declared
that he thought he might as well drown as be shot. Perched
on his raft, he watched Jordan and Kelly walk over to
the side of the ship. When Jordan aimed at Stairs, Kelly
told him that the captain would drown within a few hours
anyway, so Jordan put away his pistol, and Stairs drifted
out of range.

Captain Stairs watched the Eliza disappear in the
distance, but within a short time his heart was gladdened
as another sail rapidly came into view. Tacking close
to him, the schooner's helmsman maneuvered the vessel

322 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

within a few yards of the floating hatch cover so that Cap-
tain Stairs could climb safely aboard. He was soon tell-
ing his strange story.

The vessel which saved him was an American
schooner bound for Hingham, Massachusetts. Since the
Yankee commander had lost his pilot by impressment at
Halifax on the outward journey, he flatly refused to run
into that port. He did agree to put the captain ashore near
Cape Sable, however. The wind changed and this proved
impossible. Stairs perforce remained aboard the schooner
for several days, until finally the vessel passed Boston
Light and anchored off Hingham.

Captain Stairs thanked his rescuer and then jour-
neyed to Boston, where he lost no time in interviewing
the British consul. The story of his capture by the husband
and wife pirates was published in the local papers and
the British consul sent letters to various ports along the
Atlantic Coast to be on the lookout for Jordan and the
Eliza.

Back on the fisherman pirate Jordan took command,
after throwing overboard the victims of the fight. From
all available testimony it seems that Mate John Kelly
readily accepted the situation and agreed to cooperate
with the pirates. The children, still aboard the ship, ap-
parently were innocently unaware of all that was taking
place.

A short time later the Eliza sailed into Little Bay,
an inlet on Fortune Bay. Two seamen of the settlement,
William Crew and John Pigot, were invited to join the
ship. Certain signs indicated that she was on the "run-
away account," according to Pigot's testimony later, "for
the fish was not stowed properly, but carelessly tossed
about, and the hatch cover was missing."

HUSBAND AND WIFE PIRATES 323

Declaring that they would not sign on, Pigot and
Crew returned ashore with a man who called himself
John Stairs, but who in reality was John Kelly, the mate.
When, after repeated urgings Pigot still refused to go on
the schooner, Kelly drew him into the counting house of
a man named Thorn where Jordan was hiding. Jordan
demanded the reason for Pigot's refusal to help. Bluntly
Pigot answered that it was not his wish to go. Jordan
went out, to return shortly with Thorn and a justice of
the peace. The justice of the peace was induced to de-
clare that unless Pigot went aboard, he would be tied
to a flagstaff, punished, and according to Pigot's state-
ment, "have man of war for my money." At this poor
Pigot went aboard and reluctantly signed on.

The Eliza set sail at once for St. Mary's, where the
ship lay at anchor for several days, after which Jordan
decided to run up the coast in search of a navigator who
could sail them to Ireland. Jordan finally fell in with a
navigator named Patrick Power. Power seemed dubious
about joining the crew of the Eliza, but on October 19,
1809, was induced to pilot the Eliza to Ireland for the
sum of eleven pounds a month, Jordan signing the agree-
ment in the name of John Tremain, one of the actual
owners of the schooner.

While the vessel was getting ready for sea, John
Kelly and Jordan came to blows about Jordan's wife,
whose attractiveness started trouble many times on the
journey. When Kelly drew two pistols, Power took them
away from the sailor, and went up on deck. He was fol-
lowed by Margaret Jordan, who asked Power to throw
the pistols overboard. Without question Mrs. Jordan was
familiar with several of the men aboard the ship.

324 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

"You know not the mischief they have done!" was
her surprising remark when Power asked her why she
wanted the pistols thrown overboard: He refused to obey
her. Leaving the woman, he went below to Jordan, trying
to pacify him. Jordan shouted, "Don't let my wife come
to bed with me, if you do I shall kill her."

Kelly later rowed away in the boat, and never came
back. His subsequent history is unknown, but evidently
he was as guilty as the Jordans. About this time Jordan
cut the schooner's cable, and the jib was hoisted. An hour
later a sail was sighted, which proved to be His Majesty's
schooner Cuttle.

Commanded by Lieutenant Bury, the Cuttle actually
had been sent along the coast to look for the Eliza in re-
sponse to the appeal sent out by the British Consul's office
in Boston.

Jordan by this time had become very uneasy, and
repeatedly asked the others what they thought the on-
coming stranger might be. When told that she was a
King's schooner, he cried out in alarm:

"The Lord have mercy on me, what will my poor
children do?" He then ran down into the cabin, but came
up shortly afterwards, instructing everyone to say that
they were bound for Halifax. Finally the Cuttle drew
near, and signalled that she was sending a boarding party
over to the Eliza. A boat arrived under the command of
Mr. Simpson of the Cuttle, who announced that Captain
Stairs was still alive and that the game was up for Jordan
and his wife. At the time of capture there were six new
crew members, all of whom had been recruited since the
murders. The Eliza sailed into Halifax Harbor a few days
later under escort, and the pirates were lodged in the

HUSBAND AND WIFE PIRATES 325

local jail. The trial began the following month. After
much testimony, in which Jordan's guilt was definitely
proved, he was charged as follows:

EDWARD JORDAN — The Gentlemen
Commissioners, before whom you have been
accused of Piracy, Felony, and Robbery, have
deliberately examined the articles of charge
exhibited against you; and having maturely
weighed and considered the several evidences
produced against you . . . have agreed that
sentence should be pronounced against you for
the same accordingly.

You, EDWARD JORDAN, shall be taken
from hence to the place from whence you came,
and from thence to the place of execution, there
to be hanged by the neck until you are dead —
and may God Almighty have mercy upon your
soul.

Edward Jordan's co-partner in the piracy, his wife
Margaret, was pronounced not guilty. The Court decided
that Margaret Jordan's part in this strange drama of the
sea was so hard to ascertain that, as she was the mother
of several children who would be orphans unless she lived,
she was freed. Her husband, however, was taken from the
jail on the twentieth day of November, 1809, and
executed.

fart §>ix
g>?arrfjmg fnr luriri* prate ulreasur?

THE LURE OF PIRATE GOLD

Buried treasure always holds a fascination for the
adventuresome person. There are only a few individuals
who have not contemplated the possibility of finding a
fabulous hoard of gold or silver buried in the sands of
some interesting beach or inlet along the Atlantic Coast.
Nevertheless, treasure, as a rule, eludes most of those who
hunt for it.

As far as Americans in search of buried treasure are
concerned, the only man who really found so substantial a
sum that it more than repaid his expenses was Sir William
Phips. His discovery of a Spanish galleon in the West
Indies in 1686 brought him wealth and the Royal Gov-
ernorship of Massachusetts. Phips conveyed to the surface
the equivalent of at least $1,250,000 in gold and silver.
Phips received more than $80,000 as his share.

True, there have been other successful treasure hunts,
but most of them have cost the seeker more than the find
was worth. Three efforts to locate and bring up the purser's
safe on the ill-fated Portland failed to find much of value,

THE LURE OF PIRATE GOLD 327

while more than a score of attempts to discover buried
chests were equally unsuccessful. Without question, at
least a third of a million dollars has been spent vainly in
efforts to reach the famous Oak Island treasure supposedly
buried more than one hundred feet below the surface of
the Nova Scotia Island.

The ancient timbers of the pirate ship Whidah are
now in the barn of artist Edward A. Wilson of Truro,
Massachusetts, where I saw them during the summer of
1944. Of course, they were from the superstructure washed
ashore, and not from the hull of the vessel itself, which
still lies buried under water in the sand off the Cape, close
to where Cyprian Southack located the vessel on his map.

John Howard Nickerson of Chatham deserves much
praise for his rediscovery of the Whidah during the sum-
mer of 1923. Walking along the bank with his son at dead
low water one Sunday, he observed a discoloration in the
water. Descending t© the sand, he undressed and swam out
to the location. His feet touched the hull of the old pirate
ship, and he stood erect, the water reaching his armpits.
Diving down, he examined the hull of the Whidah, and
discovered the projecting trunnion of one of the old guns
of the famous pirate ship.

Two Sundays later he returned to the beach with a
hacksaw and swam out to the wreck again. Finding the
trunnion, he went under water with the hacksaw and began
to saw methodically. After descending time and again
under water to the cannon, coming up at intervals for a
breath of air, Nickerson sawed the bolt through, and the
trunnion was brought up to the surface. Made of lignum
vitae, the trunnion was little the worse for its immersion
of two hundred years.

328 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

While strolling along the beach in the vicinity of
Plymouth, Massachusetts, Ben Lay of Colebrook, New
Hampshire, came across a chest of money evidently un-
covered by a recent northeast gale. The treasure consisted
of gold and silver money, and included coins dated from
1769 to 1845. No explanation has ever been given, but
Ben Lay still has the treasure.

During a hike along Cape Cod south of Chatham in
the summer of 1944, I came upon the wreck of what is
believed to be an old pirate galleon. Two great cannon
have already been removed from her, besides a consider-
able amount of money. Laurence Peter Wolf son of Everett
is now conducting extensive diving operations at the treas-
ure ship, and reports that his discoveries of late are par-
ticularly gratifying.

Orin A. Arlin, who is more familiar with the coast
line from Gloucester to Salisbury, Massachusetts, than any
other living man, came across a peculiarly marked rock
one day with the letter "A" enclosed in a circle. He has
reason to believe that forty thousand pounds, the equiva-
lent of around $175,000, lies buried in the vicinity.

PIRATE TREASURE FOUND
NEAR BOOTHBAY, MAINE

George Frederick Benner of East Boston had a fas-
cinating experience many years ago concerning a pirate's
treasure. The story begins at Middlesex, Vermont, around
the year 1880. His aunt, Emeline Benner Lewis, was at
home one stormy October evening when an ancient sea-
faring man, resembling a pirate in general appearance,
called at the cottage, asking permission to store a small
sea chest until his return. Mrs. Lewis consented, and the
trunk was placed in the attic. The years went by, and the
sailor never returned.

Young George Benner often called at his aunt's cot-
tage, and every year he asked the lady if he could open
the chest to find out what was in it. The good woman
always refused, claiming that the mariner might come
back. Finally, around the year 1900 she admitted that
the sailor was probably dead, and gave George permission
to open the trunk.

Besides the usual sailor's trinkets, there were a
whale's tooth, an old quadrant, a few shells, a copy of
Scott's The Pirate, and several letters. One letter dated
at Bristol, England, in 1830, was the only clue to the
sailor's home. The most important find, however, was a
piece of folded vellum. George opened it, revealing a
map of the Kennebec River in Maine, with a star on a small
bay. Underneath the star were these instructions:

"Stand abrest qurtsbolder bring top in line
with hill N y2 m it lise 12 fathom N E near big
trees under stone."

330 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

The map, according to Benner, was about 150 years
old. The following fall young Benner and a friend
chartered a small boat and sailed to Boothbay, Maine.
The day after their arrival they started up the river early
in the morning, exploring the bank hour after hour, until
they came to a large quartz boulder which glistened in
the sun. The men ran their boat ashore and searched the
vicinity half a mile to the northward, but were only able
to locate a single tree. By this time the afternoon sun had
set, and they decided to return to Boothbay to await the
next day.

Leaving Boothbay with the arrival of dawn, they soon
found the great rock and again went ashore. When they
walked over to the tall tree and discovered the remains of
another large elm nearby, they decided they might be on
the right trail. By sinking their crowbar into the earth
every few feet, the two men located a large flat stone which
was a few inches under the surface, and after straining and
tugging, lifted the stone high enough to roll it over. An-
other smaller stone was more easily removed. There, ex-
posed to the sunlight, lay a cask, the top stove in, covered
with a fine green mold. Excitedly plunging their hands
into the rotting cask, they brought up handfuls of decayed
wood and discolored coins which proved to be gold! The
keg was entirely filled with coins except for a roll wrapped
in badly-rotted canvas. They knelt there with hands full
of gold, stunned for a moment at their find. With a quick
glance around to see if anyone were watching them, the
successful treasure hunters threw the treasure into the new
canvas bags they had brought with them, and beat a hasty
retreat to the boat. Nervous because of the large treasure
in their possession, they agreed that it would be safer to

PIRATE TREASURE FOUND IN MAINE 331

travel right to Boston aboard their craft and thus avoid
embarrassing questions.

Starting down the coast at once, Benner and his friend
reached Boston two days later, and tied up at the Northern
Avenue Public Landing. The two men soon made arrange-
ments for the treasure to be taken to a well-known bank,
where experts examined and counted the hoard. When they
opened the canvas roll, a pearl necklace and a diamond-
studded gold cross nine inches high were revealed.

The bank finally reported that the sum of $20,000
awaited the two men, an amount which they divided
equally. Benner's friend finished college with part of
his share, but lost the remainder of his money through
stock manipulations. George Frederick Benner still is
alive and active on the streets of Boston today, his brisk
manner and quick step belying the fact that he has long
since passed the biblical allotment of years.

A SUCCESSFUL CAPE COD
PIRATE TREASURE HUNT

An old resident who lives in Chatham, Massachusetts,
has just revealed a most unusual story of Cape Cod treas-
ure. Time, place and size of fortune — details which are
usually rather indefinite in accounts of treasure — are all
convincingly presented as evidence of the truth of this story.
The name of the man who found the treasure chest, about
how much he obtained from it, and where he found it are
known. It is possible to tell approximately, within a few
rods, the present location of the chest which still holds a
sizable fortune.

The story starts more than a hundred years ago in the
tailor shop of one of Chatham's leading citizens whom we
shall call John Eldridge. Having a prosperous tailoring
business, Eldridge was well known to all the residents of
Chatham and the nearby towns as an honest and hard-
working person. One day a friend, Arthur Doane, came into
the shop and asked Eldridge if he were busy. The tailor
said that he was working, but that if Doane wanted to talk
with him he could come on out back where Eldridge was
cutting out a suit of clothes on the large table in the back
part of his shop. Doane followed the tailor into the work-
room and sat down. His eyes seemed to glisten attentively
as the huge scissors in the hands of his friend described
their pattern on the cloth. Arthur Doane seemed strangely
restless, but, Cape Cod fashion, Eldridge did not query
him needlessly, knowing that Doane would come to the
point sooner or later. Finally Arthur, a fisherman by trade,
asked a question.

CAPE COD TREASURE HUNT 333

"Is it possible to change foreign coins into American
money?" faltered Doane in a tense voice.

"Why, yes, there are places in both Boston and Phila-
delphia, where I go for my cloth," answered the surprised
tailor. "Why do you ask?"

"I have a reason," responded the now excited fisher-
man, who then lapsed into a stony silence.

John Eldridge bided his time, waiting for the thought
reflexes which had frozen up inside Arthur to thaw and
assert themselves. Finally Doane seemed to decide his
course and reaching into his pocket, brought out a coin.
About the size of a half dollar, it was made of gold.
Grabbing it carefully between the thumb and forefinger of
his right hand, he rapped the coin's edge significantly on
the cutting table.

"Can you do anything with this?" Arthur queried.
He was trembling now, the excitement causing small beads
of perspiration to come out on his brow. "Can you turn
it into American money?"

Laying aside his scissors, Eldridge took the gold piece
and examined it carefully. It was a Spanish coin, slightly
smaller than those of our own which are worth twenty
dollars. He turned it over slowly, and then handed it back
to the fisherman, who now appeared to be sorry that he had
revealed his secret.

"Why, yes, I can cash it the next time I go up to
Boston or over to Philadelphia," said John slowly. "But
where did you get it?"

"Never you mind where I got it. Just tell me if you
will change it for me."

John stood motionless for a minute or two, his eyes
on his friend, and then thoughtfully agreed to obtain

334 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

American money for the Spanish piece, whereupon Arthur
pulled five more similar coins from his pocket.

"Get me money for all six coins," he cried, and ran
out of the shop in a panic, seemingly afraid to trust him-
self further.

Perplexed, Eldridge watched his friend out of sight,
and after putting away the coins for safekeeping, resumed
his work. Some time later in the month he visited a coin
dealer in Philadelphia, where he was told that the gold
content in the Spanish pieces was very satisfactory and
that he would receive approximately $12.00 a coin.

As soon as he returned to Chatham with the American
money, John Eldridge sent word to Arthur Doane to come
to the shop. A few hours later, the excited fisherman
reached the tailor and heard of his good fortune. Taking
his money, after leaving a small amount for Eldridge's
expenses, Doane left the tailor shop without revealing in
any way how, where, or when he had obtained the gold.
A few weeks went by, and Doane again appeared in the
shop, this time with another six gold coins.

"What is this all about?" asked John curiously. "How
do I know that this money is honestly obtained?"

"Never mind that," returned Arthur, "I have come
by it honestly, never you fear. If you will change these
six coins when you go up to the city, you won't have to
worry. You may trust me in that."

And thus the strange arrangement was made, with
John going in to either Boston or Philadelphia every few
weeks. The weeks quickly turned into months and the
months to years. Eldridge made his usual pilgrimages
to the coin dealers of both cities, and the prudent men
never suggested that they were curious, although they

CAPE COD TREASURE HUNT 335

must have been puzzled about the source of the driblets
of six, eight, and ten coins which reached them at regular
intervals. Probably between $1200 and $1700 a year was
redeemed by the coin dealers in this way over a period of
forty-six years, making a total treasure of about $60,000.

Meanwhile, Arthur Doane prospered and married.
His only son, born in due time, was unfortunately para-
lyzed. As the boy grew up he was a common sight in
Chatham, as he manfully pulled his withered left leg after
him while making his way along the main street of the
town. Neither he nor anyone else knew, however, of his
father's good fortune which enabled him to add to his
income from the fishing business.

In 1876 Eldridge's young grandson, who still lives
at Chatham, was leaving the tailor shop, when suddenly
the boy shouted, "Here comes Arthur Doane." The youth
darted back into the shop and hid in the rear room. Doane
entered the tailor shop, deposited a small pile of coins on
the table, and went out without a word. The youth came
out from his hiding place in time to watch his grand-
father place the gold coins in his strong box.

Four years later Doane became bedridden and sent
word to the tailor that he wished to see him. Eldridge
hastened to the bedside of the crippled fisherman who
asked everyone else to leave the room.

"Sit down, John," said the sick man, "for it is a story
of unusual nature I am going to tell you."

Eldridge seated himself comfortably in the creaking
rocker beside the huge feather bed, and waited for Doane
to continue.

"You have waited more than forty-nine years for this
story, John, and I know I haven't been very fair in not

336 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

telling you about it before. But gold does strange things
to ordinary people when they find it, and I guess I'm just
as ordinary as the rest of them.

"When I told you that afternoon so many years ago
that the money was honest money, it was only partly true.
I probably had just as much right to it as the men who
buried it where I took it from. Anyway, it is too late now
to do anything about that. What I called you over for was
to tell you the whole story so that you can get the money
for me.

"You may remember that day when I brought the
first six coins in to you?" asked Doane. Eldridge nodded,
and the bedridden man went on. "Well, at that time I
was on a banker, fishing out from Chatham. There was a
girl I was going with (I won't tell you her name), and I
was especially anxious to spend as much time with her
as I could. The captain would let me go up and see her,
and then I would have to meet the schooner at the North
Chatham Beach. Well, one night I arranged to meet the
banker at four o'clock the next morning. I spent the evening
with my lady friend, leaving her around midnight, to set
out on the lonely trip to the rendezvous on the beach.

"It must have been three o'clock when I was within
a mile and a half of the meeting place, that I saw a light
in the distance. Naturally I was curious, and walked
stealthily over to the location where the light was. As I
approached, I soon heard the sound of voices speaking in
hushed tones, and then the rattle of picks and shovels.

"Lying on my stomach and straining to look through
the darkness, I could see that there were several fierce-
looking men shovelling sand into a partly-filled hole as
fast as they could. They seemed to be talking in a foreign

CAPE COD TREASURE HUNT . 337

language, but one man appeared to be an American. I was
greatly excited by this time, for I had hopes that they had
been burying something of value in the sand. Otherwise
why should they choose such a lonely location where no
one would bother them, and go there in the middle of the
night?"

Arthur Doane went on with his story, pausing now
and then to take a drink. He told how the men finished
smoothing over the sand and then started away, taking
their lantern with them. He remained near the filled in
hole, too interested in what they had buried to leave. Even
after four o'clock arrived he decided to forget the fishing
boat and let his shipmates sail away to the banks without
him.

Daylight found him huddling behind a low clump of
bushes, peering out on the ocean, where two schooners were
visible. His own vessel, hull down, was rapidly disap-
pearing, while another schooner, of a type rarely seen in
northern waters, was slowly making her way from the
vicinity of the beach, evidently with the men aboard who
had buried the treasure.

The fisherman decided to settle the affair then and
there. Waiting another hour, to make sure he was not
observed, he came out from the thicket and began scooping
the sand up with a large plank he found nearby. After he
had been digging energetically for two and a half hours,
his improvised shovel struck the hard surface of a box,
which proved to be a chest, about six feet long and two and
a quarter feet wide. At this discovery, he was excited
beyond sanity. He jumped down into the hole and started
scraping madly with his fingers against the hard edges of
the chest. At length when he found the lock, he seized his
plank and forced the catch open.

338 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

Doane threw back the cover. He was confronted with
bag after bag of heavy coins. Opening one of the canvas
sacks, he brought out a handful of the glittering gold.
Quickly he retied the hemp rope which secured it, placed
the bag down on the sand beside him, and planned his
campaign of action.

"I knew that the safest way was to do it all alone.
So many people have lost out by telling what they thought
would remain a secret. Thinking it all over carefully, I
slowly worked out what I would do. Then I arose, replaced
the lid of the huge chest, covered it with sand, and walked
out over the dunes.

"Almost a quarter mile away (375 yards as I paced
it) there was a great sand dune fairly near the ocean whose
crest was so placed it was easy to identify. At the base of
this sand dune, which was due east of a grove of trees
over on Strong Island, I began to dig. Hour after hour
passed. I was so tired that there were times I wanted to
quit. Finally, the hole was seven feet deep, and I went
back and opened up the chest again. Taking a bag in each
hand (they were very heavy), I trudged across the sand
to the dune, where I piled the bags up at the edge of the
hole. Time after time I made the journey. It must have
been noon when the last cumbersome canvas money bag was
safe near the dune. The chest itself was my next problem,
for I didn't wish to leave a trace if the pirates should
come back and dig.

"After considerable tugging and tipping it end over
end, I pushed and dragged the great box to my new hiding
place. Then I found the hole was just a bit too short, so
another fifteen minutes' digging was necessary.

"I was completely done in after this. Hungry, tired,

CAPE COR TREASURE HUNT 339

and ready to quit, I threw myself down on the sand. But in
a short time I was thinking of the mass of wealth around
me. You can be greatly refreshed by thoughts of castles
in the air, and I was enjoying quite a few. A half hour
later I was ready for work again.

"The pit was now eight feet deep. I then pulled the
heavy chest over to the hole and carefully eased it into
place. Opening the great cover, I propped it up with a
gyzarium, and in less than an hour I filled the chest with
the bulky canvas coin bags I had piled up on the banking.
I left out about sixty coins which I later took home.

"Closing the cover, I secured the latch. Then I
shovelled desperately for a long time, filling in the sand
over the chest. I was pretty scared about then, for I noticed
two men landing from a dory, far down the beach. They
paid no attention to me, however. In fact I don't think
they even saw me.

"After smoothing the sand so that no one could tell I
had been digging there, I broke up my plank into small
pieces and scattered it around the sand dunes. By the time
I had returned to the place where the treasure chest lay
buried, I collapsed exhausted on the sand and knew no
more.

"When I awoke the stars were shining. There was no
moon, but I could see fairly well. By the position of the
Dipper, I knew it must be around midnight. I felt for the
sixty coins and found them intact. Evidently no one had
discovered my secret during the long sleep I had enjoyed.
I returned to town around two in the morning, and hid the
money in my bureau drawer, which I locked.

"You know the rest of the story, how I came to you
with the six coins, and how you had them changed into

340 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

United States money," concluded Doane as he lay back on
his pillow to rest. When he had gained enough strength to
raise himself again, he took a string which had been around
his neck. Attached to the string was a key.

"Go over to the bureau and open the top port-side
drawer," Arthur directed. Eldridge unlocked the drawer
and pulled it open. There he found eighteen gold coins.
"Those are all I have left now," said Arthur. "When you
have cashed them, no more are in the house, so you'll
have to walk out on the dunes and get some."

Because of the exertion of telling the long story,
Doane was quite worn out by then. John finally had to
agree to visit the hoard within a few days to pacify his
sick friend. Arthur then relaxed into a peaceful sleep,
and Eldridge left shortly afterwards.

The following Sunday Eldridge made the long
journey out to the beach, where he soon located the dune
which bore due east of the grove of trees on Strong Island.
He began to dig. John was successful the first attempt, for
within an hour he struck the top of the chest. Opening the
cover with little difficulty, for it was not locked, he saw
that there were seven bags of the golden coins. After
removing one of them, he closed the chest and covered over
the hole. He then started for home. As soon as he entered
his residence, he poured the golden hoard out on top of
his dining room table and counted the coins, replacing the
treasure in the bags when he had finished. The next day
John Eldridge left for Philadelphia, where he exchanged
the Spanish coins for $4300. On his return he placed the
money in the local bank.

After a few weeks he again visited Arthur Doane,
telling him what he had done. Arthur was strangely upset.

CAPE COB TREASURE HUNT 341

"It may seem queer to you," said Doane, "but I don't
think we are going to have any further luck in the matter.
I think that taking the entire bag of coins seemed greedy."
Eldridge tried to calm the sick man's fears, but it was no
use. While appreciating the efforts John had made in his
behalf, Doane was restless and disturbed. Later that year
he grew worse and passed away. As his son and wife had
died some years before, he was the last of the family.

Eldridge then planned to visit the treasure hoard and
remove the remainder of the fortune. On the very day
before he had arranged to make a trip to the outer beach,
a terrific storm blew in from the northeast, causing great
damage to property in and around Chatham. The bank
near the former site of Chatham Light had all washed
away, and the next day came reports of silver coins found
near the spot where the lighthouse had stood.

The discovery of the silver coins made Eldridge
wonder if his treasure chest, which then probably contained
around $25,000 in gold, was safe from the ravages of the
sea. As he hurried out to the sand dunes, he saw with
sinking heart that the entire beach had washed away in
the storm. Walking down to the location where he obtained
his cross-bearing with Strong Island's grove of trees, he
looked around him in dismay. Nothing remained. The
chest, which was far too heavy to wash very far, had
evidently sunk deep in the sand during the storm. After
many futile weeks of searching, Eldridge finally gave up
in despair. There have been others who have dug on the
low tide sands for the golden coins, but not a single trace
of the money has been uncovered to this day.

Thus the story of a successful treasure hunt at Cape
Cod also may inspire some reader in the future to try to

342 PIRATES AND BUCCANEERS

locate the missing chest, which, it is believed, still contains
enough gold coins to permit the finder to enjoy moderate
prosperity for his efforts, if luck is with him.

Somehow, I have a feeling that the chest will never
be uncovered. Perhaps it will join the much richer cache
of pirate gold located a few miles to the northward at the
scene of the wreck of the pirate ship Whidah, which has
lain undiscovered for more than two hundred years. The
spirits of the notorious Bellamy, the infamous Blackbeard,
and the despicable Low must indeed rest uneasy wherever
they are at the knowledge of such great sums of pirate gold
lying hidden and unknown on the silvery beaches of the
Atlantic Coast.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

NEWSPAPERS

American Weekly Mercury

Boston Gazette

Boston News-Letter

Boston Post

Essex Register

New England Courant

published volumes
Colonial Society

Publications
Dow, G. F., and Edmonds. J. H.

Pirates of the New England Coast, 1630-1730 [1923]
Ellms, Charles

The Pirates Own Book [1837]

ESQUEMELING, ALEXANDER 0.

History of the Buccaneers of America [1684]
Gosse, P.

The Pirates' Who's Who [1924]
Jameson, John F.

Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period [1923]
Johnson, Charles

General History of the Py rates [1724]
Johnson, Charles

General History of the Lives and Adventures of the most
famous Highwaymen, to which is added Voyages and
Plunders of the most notorious Py rates [1734]
Lewis, Alonzo

History of Lynn
Macauley, Thomas B.

History of England
Massachusetts Historical Society

Collections
Mather, Cotton

History of Some Criminals Executed in the Land
Paine, Ralph D.

The Book of Buried Treasure [1911]
Roberts, George

The Four Voyages of Captain George Roberts [1726]
Stockton, F. R.

Buccaneers and Pirates of our Coasts [1917]

unpublished sources
Massachusetts Archives, Boston
Public Record Office, London, England
Suffolk Court Files, Boston

Addington, Isaac, 50

Aden, 230

Adventure, 150, 253

Adventure Galley, 227-230, 232,

234
Advice, 151

Africa, 109, 113, 161, 286, 308
African, See Africa
Alf, 295
Algiers, 279
Allen, John, 41
Alwida, 295
America, 16, 25, 42, 45, 58, 111,

114, 117, 119, 120, 124, 138,

144, 153, 157, 158, 160. 164,

190. 200, 233, 239, 242, 251,

276, 278, 288, 293, 294. 300,

322, 326. 333, 334, 337
American Coast, 14, 16, 322
American Government, 162
American Weekly Mercury, 200
Amarapoora, 251
Amity, 109, 110, 114, 118, 121,

122
Amsterdam, 41
Amy, 178, 179
Anamaboe, 307, 310
Andros, Sir Edmund, 91, 93-95,

99, 108
Ann Bonney, 295-306
Annipquam, 131, 333
Annisquam Harbor, 133
Anstis, 123
Antigua, 128, 233
Ant is, 308
Antonio, 149, 150
Apthorp, Edward, 63
Arab, 110, 115, 122, 231 233
Arabian, See Arab
Archer, William Rose, 126, 128,

132, 133, 135 137
Ardissone, Jack, 157, 158
Argentina, 278
Arlin, Orlin A., 328
Armenians, 230
Army Air Corps, 251
Ashplant, 30S
Ashton, Philip, 68-90, 188, 198,

205
Atkinson, Captain William, 58,

60 63
Atlantic, 45, 114, 120, 124, 229,

249 252
Atlantic Coast, 15, 17, 167, 180,

254, 266, 267, 299, 322
Atwill, 286
Austin, James, 46
Avery, "Long Ben", 16, 17, 122,

233
Azores, 190

Bahama Channel, 208
Bahama Islands, 24, 164, 186,

187
Baker, Pirate Thomas, 30, 41
Baker's Island, 89
Baker's Island Light, 160

INDEX

Baker, Jacob, 288, 289, 291, 294
Baltimore, 156
Baptis, John, 127
Barbadoes, 59, 128, 177, 252,

269, 272, 312
Barcelona, 279
Barlow, Jonathan, 202, 214
Barnard, John, 90
Barnes, Henry, 220
Barnet, Captain, 305
Barnstable, 31, 34
Bass, Mr., 224
Bath. 279

Bath Town, 256, 267, 269
Battis, John, 153, 157, 158
Bay of Bahia, 310
Bay of Honduras, 78, 86, 88, 177,

208, 213, 221, 222, 253
Bay of Los Todos Santos, 310
Beacon Hill, 94
Becket Street, 153
Beer, Captain, 27 29
Bellamy, Samuel, 17, 21-42, 342
Bellomont, Gov., 35, 40, 151
Benbrook, James, 61,62
Benner, George Frederick, 329-

Bermuda, 92, 109, 114, 206, 251,
257, 270

Beverly, Mass., 48

Bijoux, 118

Billingsgate, 96

Bird Island, 53, 136, 137

Blackbeard, 14-16, 126, 135,
137, 251, 269, 270, 342
See Teach

Blades, William, 221

Blanco Island, 22, 23, 181, 182

Blaze, John, 78

Block Island, 29, 180, 186, 187,
201

Blount, 13

Blue Anchor Tavern, 235, 238

Boat Meadow Creek, 36

Bolton, Henry, 233, 234

Bonaca, 84, 85, 87, 88, 188

Bonavista, 75, 190

Boneta, 58, 61

Bonnet, Major Stede, 252, 253,
256 269-272

Book of Buried Treasure, 226

Boothbay, Maine, 329, 330

Borneo, 150

Boston, 17,27,34,35,39,40,43,
45, 46. 47, 50, 52, 55, 63, 70,
73, 91, 93-99, 100-104, 107,
108, 115, 120, 123, 124, 134,
136. 138, 143-145, 147, 149,
151, 152, 162, 163, 165, 166,
171, 177, 178, 182-188, 192
198, 199, 202, 206, 207, 213,
216, 219, 223, 224, 234, 235,
237-239, 241, 242, 253, 254,
274, 278. 279. 287, 322, 324,
331,333,334

Boston Bay, 17, 44, 45

Boston Court, 100

Boston Circuit Court, 163

Boston, England, 40

Boston Gazette, 180

Boston Globe, 235

Boston Harbor, 55, 63, 64, 91,

94, 95, 104, 126, 146, 149, 187,

206,215,241,274
Boston Light, 35, 322
Boston Neck, 235
Boston News-Letter, 32, 66,133,

180,201,202.214
Boston State House, 39
Boston Post, 163
Boulanger, 294
Boyga, Manuel, 165
Bradford, William, 138
Bradstreet, Gov., 103, 104
Bradish, Joseph, 150, 151, 239
Bragg, Samuel, 255
Brazil, 44, 51, 191, 198, 278, 310
Brenton, Jahlael, 50
Brewster Island, 95, 147
Bright, John, 219, 222
Bristol, England, 17, 22, 25, 55,

58,59,171,251,312,313,329,
British, 34, 75, 89, 124, 145, 161,

162, 171, 177, 207, 231, 249,

251, 252, 260, 261. 265, 274,

276,312,315,316,322,324
British Admiralty, 52
British Empire, 178
British Navy, 162
Brotlier's Adventure, 101
Broughton's Hill, 52
Broughton'8 Warehouse, 53
Brous, Joseph, 288, 289, 292-294
Brown, Admiral, 278
Brown, John, 41, 280
Brown, Captain, 47
Brown, Captain John, 187
Brown, John, the tallest, 221,

223
Brown, John, the shortest, 221,

Brown's Bank, 61, 63

Brownrigg, Pirate, 285

Buck, Eleazer, 102-104, 107

Buenos Aires, 275, 278

Bull's Wharf, 91, 95

Bumstead, Jeremiah, 137

Burk, 241

Burridge, 205

Burrill, Pirate, 133

Bury, Lt.. 324

Butman, Capt. John G., 153,

154, 156, 157, 159, 160, 163
Buzzard's Bay, 187
Byfield, Nathaniel, 47, 48, 50

Caesar, 254
Cahoon, James, 186
Campbell, Captain, 293
Campbell, Duncan, 237, 238
Cambridge, Mass., 150
Canada River, 121
Cape Ann, 47, 48, 61
Cape Antonio, 277
Cape Canso, 319

INDEX

345

Cape Cod, 17, 21, 29, 30, 32-36,
39, 40, 98, 101, 103, 238, 327,
28,332,341
Cape Cod Harbor, 35
Cape Coreo, 316
Cape Fear River, 270
Cape Henry, 270
Cape Honduras, 80
Cape Lopez, 315
Cape May, 178
Cape Pine, 313
Cape Sable, 68, 97, 221, 322
Cape Verde Islands, 189
Cape of Good Hope, 110, 113,

114,119,120,150
Cape of Virginia, 269
Carolinas, 27, 178, 179, 254
Caroline, 276
Carthage, 279
Casco Bay, 97
Casco, Maine, 97
Castilian, 163
Castillo, Seaman, 165
Castle Island, 46, 94, 95, 134,

143
Cat Island, 44
Central America, 80
Chard, Capt. Helen, 96, 97
Charles, 43-46, 50, 171
Charles River Dam, 52
Charleston, Charles-Town, 254,

255, 271, 272
Charlestown, Mass., 94, 199,
187, 240

Charlestown Ferry, 41, 136

Charlton, Mass., 147

Chase, Judge, 294

Chatham Beach, 336

Chatham Light, 341

Chatham, Mass., 327, 328, 332,
334, 335, 341

Cheeseman, Edward, 130-134

Cheever, Mr., 49

Chesapeake, 274, 287

Chesapeake Bay, 167,178

Child, Lawyer, 163

Child, Thomas, 219, 221

Childhood, 113

Chinese, 295

Ching, Mrs., 295

Church, Edward, 279, 286

Cinnet, Patrick, 319

City Hall, Boston, 239

Civil War, 21

Chap, Capt. Roger, 138, 143, 144

Clapp, Rev., 224

Clark, Capt. Robert, 254

Clarke, William, 46

Clifford, John, 46, 51

Coke, Lord Edward, 13

Cole, John, 31

Cole, Samuel, 63, 64, 66

Colebrook, N. H., 328

Collections, Mass. Hist. Soc, 33

Colman, John, 46

Colombia, 156

Colonial Society Publications, 92

Columbus, Christopher, 16

Comena, 181

Condick, George, 64, 66

Condon, Lt. David, 94

Coote, Richard, 226-228, 233-

242, 249

See Bellomont
Copp's Hill, 65
Copp's Hill Cemetery, 52
Cork, Ireland, 300
Corunna, 164
Court Street, 46
Cowel, Dr., 13
Cranston, Gov., 219
Crow, William, 322, 323
Croft, Thomas, 288, 289
Crowninshield's Wharf, 160
Crumpstey, Andrew, 29, 32
Cuba, 14, 16,23, 164,208,303
Culliford, Robert, 232
Cundon, Moris, 56, 57, 63
Cunningham, Patrick, 219, 222
Curacao, 77, 215
Curlew, 161
Cuthbert, 240
Cuttle, 324

DaHel, 206, 207

Daniels, James, 102

Danish, 295

Darbv, John, 96. 97, 102

Dartmoor Prison, 274, 287

Dartmouth, 92

Davis, Commander, 98

Davis, Howel. 30S, 3 9

Davis, Thomas, 23, 24, 36. 40

Dawes, seaman, 280, 285

De Soto, Bernardo, 164-166

Delaware, 234

Delaware Bav, 234

Delaware Rivei, 288

Deliyht, 202, 203

Deloe, Jonathan, 180

Dennis, Lord, 30S

Devil's Island, 311

Devonshire, 124

Dey, 279

Diamond, 89, 207, 213

Dipper, Henrv. 102

Discadc, 18fi

Dixie Gross, 20.5

Dixie Bull. 138-144

Doane, Arthur, 332-342

Doane, Just ice Joseph, 31, 33, 34

Doggett, Captain, 39

Dole, Francis, 240

Dolle, Col. William, 123 '

Dolliber, Joseph, 73, 188

Dorchester, 1 44

Dorothy, John, 16

Dove, Captain, 89

Dow, George F., 24, 54, 66, 120,

138
Drake, Francis, 16
Dry Harbor Bay, 304
Drv Salvages, 49
Dublin, Ireland, 29 '
Dudley, Governor Joseph, 43,

45-48, 50, 54, 92, 94
Dudley, Paul, 46, 47
Dummer, Lt. Gov. William, 63,

134,219,241
Dundee, Scotland, 225
Dungeon Rock, 145-148

Dungeon Rock Bonds, 148
Dunn, William, 107
Durffie, Capt. Richard, 208
Durrell, Captain, 206 '
Dutch, 41, 113, 215, 277, 298,

299 313
Dutch Guinea, 310
Dutch West Indies, 299

E
Eagle, 181, 182, 206, 293
East Boston, Mass., 329
East India Company, 240-242
East Indiaman, 113
Eastern Point, 49
Eastham, 31, 36
Eden, Gov. Charles, 256-258,

260, 267
Edgecomb, Captain, 239, 240
Edmonds, John H., 24, 54, 67,

92, 120, 138
Edwards, 270
Edwards, Capt. Benjamin, 184,

185.216
Emmott, James, 234-237
Eldridge, John, 332, 334-336,

340,341
Eliza, 288, 293, 294, 319, 321-

324
Elizabeth, 55-58, 63
Ellery, Dependence, 130
Endeavor, 205

England, 24, 40, 44, 54, 55. 93,
94, 107-109, 123, 138, 144,
146, 162, 167, 169. 171, 177,
178, 194, 195, 227, 228, 232,
233, 239, 241, 242, 251, 256,
257, 274, 278, 297, 298, 312,
313 329
English, 22, 25, 83, 84, 88, 113,
117, 123, 124, 141, 157, 161,
226, 233, 235, 252, 257, 264,
296, 299, 303, 304, 310, 312,
314
Escambuit, 151
Esqucmeling, John, 16
Essex North Regiment, 47
Essex Register, 1 60
Essex South Regiment, 47
Estwick, Captain, 217
Everett, Mass., 328
Europeans, 295

F
Fabens, Lawrence, 70
Falmouth, 108

Fame's Revonge, 57, 58, 60-62
Fancy, 188

Ferguson, William, 63
Fern, Thomas, 12C, 128-130, 134
Fernando Island, 51
Fernando Po, 162
Feversham, 177
Filmorc, John, 127, 130, 132,

134, 135
Filmore, Pres. Millard, 127
Fitz-Gerald, John, 223
Flanders, 297
Flatbush, 2S5
Fleet Street, 52

Fletcher, Gov. Benjamin, 120,
121,244,249

346

INDEX

Fletcher, John, 219, 221

Florida, 167,203,213,275

Fly, William, 55-67

Folger, Abiasai, 222

Forrest, William, 149

Fort Charles, 188

Fort Hill, 94

Fort Loyal, 97, 98

Fort Saco, 151

Fortune Bay, 322

Four Voyages of Captain George
Roberts, The, 190

France, 92, 99, 107, 111, 113,
119, 121, 128. 194, 227, 232,

• 250,279,294

Franklin, Benjamin, 178

Franklin, James, 178

Frederick, 115

Freetown, 36

French. 13, 16, 23, 43, 76. 77,
107-110, 115, 127, 132, 133,
135, 138, 141, 142, 144, 171,
172, 198, 202, 206, 229. 231,
232, 235, 236, 242, 243, 257,
258, 279, 288, 292, 294, 304,
313

French Guinea, 251

Fulker, John, 58-60

Fuller, Thomas, 164

Fullmore, Simon, 205, 206

Furber, Captain, 127

Gale, Captain John, 59

Gallop, Benjamin, 101

Gallow's Point, 306

Gambia, 109

Gambia Castle, 167-170, 203

Gambia River, 167, 169

Garcia, Angel, 165

Gardiner, John, 238, 241

Gardiner's Island, 237, 241, 269

Gaspe Peninsula, 319

George, Capt. John, 92-95, 108

George's Bank, 29

Gilbert, Captain, 153, 156, 157,

163, 165
Gibbs, Charles, 273-287
Giles, Henry, 129, 133, 134
Gillam, James. 234. 239-241
Girard, Stephen. 279
Girdler, Captain George, 61
Glasgow, 270
Gleaner, 160, 161
Glen, Captain Thomas, 213
Glossarium, 13
Gloucester, 48, 49, 133, 328
Gloucester Point, 294
Glover, Captain, 121
Goodspeed, 98
Goree, 109

Gorges, Sir Fernando, 138
Gothic, 295

Goulden, Penelope, 120
Governor's Island, 136
Grand Caymans Islands, 184,

254
Grand Grenada, 76
Gravelly Point, 224
Great Allan, 252
Great Bar Island, 285

Great Mogul, 16, 115, 116, 121,

231, 232, 240-243
Greater Brewster Island, 146,

238
Greeks, 13, 230
Green, Capt. John, 55-58
Grenville, Pirate Henry, 62, 64,

66
Griffin, Richard, 102, 107
Greyhound, 184, 185, 200, 203,

216, 218-220, 222
Guinea, 23, 55. 61. 112, 307
Gulf of Florida, 89
Gulf of Mexico, 16, 77
Gwatkina, Captain, 178, 179

Haley, Samuel, 257
Halfway Rock, 44, 96, 98
Halifax Harbor, 324
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 274, 319,

322 324
Hands. Israel, 253, 255, 258, 268
Hangman's Island, 133
Hanson's Point, 53
Happy Delivery, 77, 170, 180-

182, 184, 185, 216, 217
Haraden, Capt. Andrew, 131,

132, 134
Harbor Island, 304
Harding. Samuel, 34, 36
Harriot, Capt. David, 253
Harris, Capt. Charles, 167, 177,

185, 188, 200, 203, 207, 216-

224
Harris, Samuel, 61
Harvard College, 183, 287
Harvey, 146
Havana, Cuba, 164, 166, 251,

276-278
Havana Harbor, 153, 276
Hawkins, Thomas, 95, 96, 98-

101, 103, 104, 107. 108, 204,

205
Hazell, Thomas, 219
Headlund, Captain John, 187
Heath, Thomas, 319-321
Herrick, Captain, 48
Herriot, 270, 271
Highland Light, 21
Hill, John, 102
Hilliard, Lawyer, 163
Hingham, Mass., 322
Hispaniola, 171, 236, 304
History of Some Criminals, 149
History of England, 244
History of Lynn, 147
History of the Pirates, 26
Holding, Anthony, 44, 51
Holland, 41, 299
Holmes Hole, 98
Holy City, 116
Honduras, 184, 208, 221, 222,

253
Hope, Father, 87, 88
Hope Point, 151
Hopkins, Caleb, 36
Hopkins, Master John, 207
Hood, Peter, 41
Horn (Cape), 229
Hornet, 274

Housare, 293

How, Captain, 230

Hudson River, 229

Hull, 96

Hunt, Captain, 160, 161

Hunter, Andrew, 180

Hunter, Henry, 180

I
India, 113
Indians, 127, 141, 151, 177, 221,

222
Indian Ocean, 16
Indian Sea, 118
Interpreter, 13
Ipswich Bay, 131
Ireland, 29, 227, 300, 323
Ireland, John, 228
Irish, 223, 226, 241
Irwin, 123

Island of Princes, 308
Island of Providence, 300
Island of Surinam, 198
Isle of Wight, 238
Isles of Shoals, 48, 49, 131, 256.

257
Islesworth, England, 108
Ivemay, Charles, 130

Jackson, President Andrew, 164-

166
Jamaica, 22, 23, 41, 55, 89, 124,

185, 206-208, 217, 254. 304-

306
James, 61, 63

James River, 98, 260, 262, 267
Jarius, 276

Jenkins, Mate Thomas, 57
Jeremiah Gutter, 36
Jeremy Dream, 36
John, 275

John and Betty, 59, 60, 63
John and Elizabeth, 180
John and Hannah, 58, 63
Jolly Bachelor, 204, 205
Jones, Captain, 206
Jones, Thomas, 120, 121, 221,

222
Johnson, Captain (historian),

110,122,255,268,302
Johnson, Mr., 285
Johnson, Edward, 26, 27
Johnson, Thomas, 96, 102-104,

107
Jordan. Edward, 319-325
Jordan, Margaret, 319-325
Julian, John, 32, 34, 40

K
Kelly, John, 319-324
Kencate, John, 221
Kennebec River. 329
Kennedy, Lt., 312
Kensington, 228
Kent, Capt. John, 98
Kicquetan, 262
Kidd, Mrs., 234, 239
Kidd, Rev. John. 225
Kidd, Capt. William, 14, 24, 35,

40, 151, 225-250
KingofBarro, 168

INDEX

347

King, Francis, 52

King George, 124, 195, 214

King James, 23, 91, 121

King Sagamore, 189

King William, 94

King's Chapel Burial Ground, 53

Knight, Mr., 258, 262, 267

Knot, Captain, 240

L
L'Olonnois, Francis, 16
LaCroix. 294
La Fitte, 16
LaRoche, 294
Lambert, John, 46, 52, 53
Lancy, William. 130
Lander, Daniel, 107
Larramore, Captain, 47, 48
Larramore Galley, 47, SO
Larsen, Isaac, 134
Lassen, Isaac, 127
Lay, Ben, 328
Lawrence, Capt. James, 274
Lawrence, Richard, 47
Laws, Captain, 128
Lebous, Capt. Louis, 22, 23
Legg, Colonel, 47, 48
Leverett Street, 152
Leverett Street Jail, 162, 163,

165
Lewes, Del., 234
Lewis, Alonzo, 147
Lewis, Emeline Benner, 329
Lewis's, Lynn, 46
Libbey, Joseph, 70, 219, 222
Libertatia, 111-116,118,119
Liberty, 113
Liparau Island, 121
Lime, 260

Limerick County, 223
Lisbon, 310
Little Bay, 322
Liverpool, 278, 286
Liverpool Merchant, 189
Livingston, Robert, 226, 228
London, 23, 108, 129, 138, 151,

167, 177, 180, 190, 203, 219,

224, 226, 230, 241, 243, 268,

307
Long, Captain, 187
Long Island, 150
Long Island, N. Y., 177, 217
Long Island Sound, 234, 238
Long Wharf, 149
Loper, Capt. Jacobus, 100, 101
Lord, John, 102
Lovell's Island, 95
Low, Capt. Edward, 69, 70, 73-

78, 167, 177, 182-203, 217-

219,222,342
Lowthor, George, 167-182, 184-

186. 203, 206. 216, 222
Loyal Captaine, 230
Luttrell, 249
Lyne, Philip, 215
Lynn, 46, 145-147
Lynn Woods, 115, 147

M
MacKarty, Captain. 215
Macaulay, Lord Thomas, 244,

Mackonachy, 40

Madagascar, 111, 113, 115-117,

119,229,240
Madeira, 29, 189, 251
Maine, 97, 138, 141, 151, 329,

330
Maize, Capt. William, 228
Malabar, 229
Malaga, 257
Manchester, Mass., 48
Marble. Eliza, 183
Marble, Hiram, 147, 148
Marblehead, Mass., 43, 45, 47,

6S, 73-75, 78,83,84,89, 187-

18", 219
Marblehead Harbor, 43-46, 54
Marblehead Rock, 44
Margaret, 190
Marsh, William. 220. 221
Martha's Vineyard, 98. 99, 101
Martinique, 123, 127, 180. 202,

251, 257, 313
Mary, 96, 97, 101-103. 127, 188
Mary and John, 213, 214
Mary Ann, 29, 30
M.iry Galley, 177
Maverick, Samuel, 143
Marseilles, 279
Marshall, Joseph, 63
Mason, Lt., 144
Massachusetts, 15, 30, 43, 48-50,

54, 68, 89, 92, 99, 145, 147,

150, 165, 166. 171, 182, 226,

322, 326-329, 332
Mass. Archives, 127. 146
Mass. Bay, 35, 138
Mass. Bay Charter, 92
Mass. Bay Colony, 150
Mass. Historical Society, 33
Mass. State House, 202
Massey, John, 167-169, 172
Matanzas, 166
Matique. 185
Mather, Rev. Cotton, 32, 40-42,

52-54, 64, 65, 135, 136, 149,

163,219
Matthews, Benjamin, 319-321
Maynard, Lt. Robert, 259-267
Mayhew, Gov. Matthew, 101
Mayo, Port, 1«5
Mecca, 116

Middlesex, Vermont, 329
Mediterranean, 13
Mehila Island, 230
Menzies, James, 51
Merriam, 206
Merrimack, 98
Merritt. Nicholas, 70, 73, 75,

189 190
Merry Christmas, 202
Mexican, 153, 156-160, 162, 153
Miller, John, 46, 52
Mindanao, 14
Minerva, 164
Miuot, William, 124
Miseries, 89
Mission, Captain, 111-115, 118,

119
Mistaken Point, 313
Mitchell, Alexander, 56, 61, 63
Mocha, 232, 239. 240

Mohammedans, 116

Monmouth, 309

Monserat, 123

Montenegro, Juan, 165

Moodey, Cousin, 53

Moor, Captain, 127

Moore, Capt. Walter, 181, 182,

206
Moore, Gunner William, 230,

231 243
Moorish, 122, 231, 232
Morgan, Henry, 16
Mortimer, Capt. Robert, 129

130
Mt. Desert Island, 138
Mudd, John, 220
Mumford, Thomas, 221, 222
Musketoo Indians, 215

N

Nahant, 145

Nantasket, 92, 95, 107

Nantes, 41

Nantucket. 21, 29, 98. 200, 221

Narragansett, 235

Narragansett Bay, 235

Narrows, 238

Nassau Island, 150

Nathaniel, 35

Nauset Coast Guard Station, 21

Nauset, Mass., 99

Naushon Island, 99

Neal, Capt. Walter, 143

Nelley, James, 206

Nevis. Island of, 233

New England, 17, 21, 24. 27, 42,
43, 48, 50. 54, 77, 83, 91, 92,
115, 138, 142, 144, 180, 185-
187, 199, 207, 215, 219, 222,
224, 226. 235, 274

New England Courant, 178, 214,
215.224

New Hampshire, 50, 143, 217,
256, 328

New Hampshire Coast, 48

New Jersey, 186

New London, 146, 147

New London Harbor, 146

New Orleans, 16, 279

New Providence, 251, 252

New Spain, 45

New York, 29, 41, 109, 115,
119-121, 164, 177, 206, 217.
219, 225-227, 229, 233, 234,
244, 249, 273, 278, 279, 285

New York Harbor, 215

Newbury, 46, 98

Newcomb, Uncle Jack, 33

Newfoundland, 75, 123, 124,
127, 135, 179, 215, 313

Newfoundland pirates, 307-316,

Newport, 21. 29, 46, 70, 103, 109,
114, 115, 118, 119, 121, 122,
185-187, 205, 207, 208, 216
217,219-221,223,224

Newport Harbor. 114, 120, 121,
186

Nickerson, John Howard, 327

Nix's Mate, 53, 54, 62, 66, 238

Noddle's Island, 136

No Man's Land, 187

348

INDEX

North Africa, 251

North America, 299

North Battery, 94

North Carolina, 58, 179, 255,

257, 260-262
North End, 104
North Shore, 46, 97
Nostra Signiora de Victoria, 199
Nova Scotia, 68, 187, 307, 319,

327
Nova Scotia pirates, 319-325
Nutt, John, 126, 129, 131, 132

Oak Island, 15, 327

Ocrecoke Inlet, 27, 262

Odell, Samuel, 268

Ogle, Capt. Chaloner, 314-316

Old Brick Church, 183

Old North Church, 65

Old State Houso, 17, 50, 134

Orford, Earl of, 228, 233

Orleans, Mass., 30, 31, 36

Orn, Mr., 70

Outerbridge, William, 115

Oyster Bay, 234

Paine, Ralph D., 226, 242

Panama, 16, 81

Panda, 152, 153, 156, 157, 160,

161, 164
Papillion, Capt. Peter, 187
Parrot Island, 315
Parrot, James, 46, 51
Parsons, John, 127
Peabody, Joseph, 153
Peacock, 274
Pearl, 260, 268

Pease, Capt. Samuel, 101-103
Pelican Island, 285
Pemaquid, 93, 143
Pemaquid Harbor, 142, 143
Pennsylvania, 61, 101, 146
Penobscot Bay, 141, 142
Perce, 319
Perez, 162
Perley, Sidney, 33
Perry, Matthew, 213, 214
Peter the Great, 16
Peters, Judge, 294
Peterson, 52

Peterson, Commander John, 293
Peterson, Peter, 288, 291, 294
Petrona, 166
Philadelphia, 178, 206, 225, 279,

288-294, 333, 334, 340
Phillips, Captain, 123-137
Phillips, William, 128, 129, 134,

135
Phillips, Frederick, 115
Pierce, Richard, 93
Pike, Capt. Samuel, 205
Pilgrim, 116, 141, 142
Phips, Sir William, 326
Pierre of Tortuga, 16
Pigot, John, 322, 323
Pirate, The, 329
Piscataqua, N. H., 46, 143, 144,

.217
Piscataqua River, 138

Plowman, Captain Daniel, 43-

45
Plymouth, Eng., 228
Plymouth, Mass., 328
Pochet Island, 30
Point Negril, 304
Police Station 8,
Polonais Island, 150
Pompey, 58

Port of Nombre de Dios, 16
Port Mahon, 279
Port Roseway, 68
Port Royal, 188,207,305,306
Porto Rico, 23
Portsmouth, N. H., 143, 217
Portland, 326
Portugal, 44, 51, 199
Portuguese, 44, 46, 51, 100, 113,

189,201,230.310,311
Portuguese Navy, 1 1 7
Portuguez, Bartholomy, 16
Pound, Thomas, 91-108
Povey, Lt.-Gov., 46, 50
Powell, Thomas, 222
Power, Patrick, 323, 324
Prentice, Capt. John, 146
Primer, Matthew, 47, 51
Prince, Capt. Isaac, 96
Prince, Lawrence, 23, 24
Princess, 180,307,309
Protestant Caesar, 253
Province Galley, 35
Province House, 235
Provincetown, 39
Provincetown Harbor, 36
Public Record Office, 230
Puritans, 138, 225

Quantico, 294, 295

Quedah Merchant, 232, 233, 241

Queen Anne's Revenge, 252, 253

Oucen Mary, 94

Quelch, Captain John, 43-54

Quintor, Hendrick, 41

Race Point, 98, 99

Rachel, 61

Rackam, Capt. Jack, 300-301,

303-306
Randolph, Edward, 92, 93
Ranger, 185,217,222
Ranson, Mrs., 153
Raveneau de Lissan, 16
Ray, Caleb, 151
Rea, Captain, 180
Read, Mrs., 296
Read, Mary, 295-306
Rebecca, 186, 187
Red Sea, 110, 115, 121
Reed, Mr., 153, 156
Resolution, 98
Revenge, 128-131, 255
Revere, Mass., 145
Rey, Charles, 288-290, 292
Rhode Island, 21, 27, 29, 31, 91,

103, 114, 120, 150, 186, 205,

207, 219, 273, 274
Richards, Captain, 253, 255

Richardson, Captain William,

206
Ridgeley, 153
Rio de Janeiro, 278
River Higuey, 234
River Nazareth, 161
Roach, 52
Roatan, 77, 78, 81, 84, 85, 188,

204,205,213,215
Roberts, Capt. Bartholomew,

124, 307-316
Roberts, Capt. George, 190-198
Roberts, Mate William, 280, 286
Robinson Crusoe, 68
Roc the Brazilian, 16
Rogers, Captain, 300, 301, 312
Roman Catholic Friars, 189
Romans, 13, 279
Romney, Earl of, 226, 228
Rose, 91-95, 98, 99, 107, 188
Rosewav, Nova Scotia, 187
Ross, Captain, 123
Royal Navy, 297
Ruiz, Francisco, 152, 164, 165
Russel, Capt. Jack, 70, 74, 192

Russell, Capt. Charles, 167-169,

177
Russell, Sir John, 226

Saco, Maine, 151

Sea Horse, 206

St. Antonio, 233

St. Bartholomew (Island), 293

St. Christopher's, 182, 206, 207

Saint Croix, 23

St. Domingo, 288

St. George, 181

Saint Johns, 75

St. Lucia, 202

Saint Malo, France, 107

St. Mary, 232,323

Saint Michael, 22, 23, 32

St. Michael's Road, 188

St. Nicholas, 190

Saint Peters, 124

St. Thomas, 76, 100, 160, 162,

St. Vincent's Island, 252

Saintlow, Captain, 93

Salem, 46, 47, 50, 52, 53, 89, 96,

99, 153, 156, 157, 160, 162,

164, 166
Salem Fort, 48
Salem Harbor, 160
Salisbury, Mass., 328
Sally Ann, 279
Sally Rose, 108
Sandy Hook, 128
Santa Cruz, 76, 77
Sargent, Epes, 134
Saugus Iron Works, 145
Sauius River, 145, 146
Savage, 162
Scarborough, 252
Scarlett's Wharf, 52
Scotch-Irish, 61
Scottish, 25, 157, 141
Scotland, 25, 225, 227
Scott, Capt. Andrew, 189

INDEX

349

Scott, Sir Walter, 329
Scudamore, Christopher, 47, 51

52
Bewail, Samuel, 46-49, 52, 63

104
Sewall, Major Stephen, 48-50
Shangri-La, 116
Shannon, 274
Sheean, John, 41
Shelburne, Nova Scotia, 68, 187
Shipton, Captain, 208, 213, 215
Shrimpton, Epaphus, 107
Shute, Gov. Samuel, 34, 35, 39

40
Siccadaro, John, 102, 107
Simmons, Nicholas, 214
Simpson, Mr., 324
Simson, Lord, 308, 309
Skiff, Nathan, 201
Slaughter, Gov., 225
Sluttsbush, 30
Smart, Capt. John, 9U, 149
Smith. Edward, 220
Smith's Island, 294
Smuttynose Island, 257
Snake Island, 48, 233
Snell, Capi. Nicholas, 166
Snow, Nicholas, 14
SoldiniaBay, 113
Solgard, Capt. Peter, 207, 218,

220.
Somers, Sir John, 226, 228, 241,

242
Somerset, 34
Sound, Joseph, 220
South America, 275, 287, 310
South Atlantic, 44
South Battery, 94
South Carolina, 178, 215, 217

251,254,270
South Station, 91
South, Thomas, 40
Southack, Cyprian, 34-36, 39,

40, 327
Southampton Light, 280
Squirrel, 131, 133, 202
Spain, 166, 250, 256
Spaniards, 85, 86, 270
Spanish, 13,21,43, 115,149. 150.

157, 162-165, 171, 182, 184,

199, 200, 279, 303, 304. 326,

333, 334, 340
Spanish Ambassador, 164
Spanish America, 252
Spanish Main, 229, 291
Shapleigh, Major Nicholas, 149
Sjwrks, James, 126, 132
Spellman, 13

Spi-nlow, Master Thomas, 304
Spotswood.Gov. Alexander, 260,

261
Spriggs, Capt. Francis F., 77, 78,

87, 167, 199, 202, 203-215
Stage Harbor, 30
Stairs, Capt. John, 319-324
Starrs, Captain, 114
Stanbridge, Marshall Edward,

136
Staunton, Capt. Daniel, 146
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 79, 253
Story, Judge Joseph, 165

Straits of Babelmandeb, 110
Streator, Thomas, 57, 62
Strong Island. 340, 341
Suffolk Court Files, 100
Su//anu, 23, 24
Swat, 230

Surinam, 76, 198, 311
Susannah, 191
Suster, Jacob, 288, 290
Swain, Jonathan, 178
Swallow, 314, 315
Swan, 39
Sweden, 41
Swedish, 293, 294
Swift, 179, 180
Swiss Family Robinson, 116
Sycamore Galley, 221
Symonds, John, 88, 89

Taffrey, Peter. 127
Talbot, James, 279
Tarpaulin Cove, 99, 101
Taylor, Capt. Christopher, 252
Taylor, William. 127, 128, 135
Teach, Edward, 251-270
Ten Pound Island, 49
Testagos, 23
Tew, Richard, 109
Tew, Capt. Thomas, 109-122,

228
Thacher'B Island, 49
Thames River, 167, 203
Thatch, 251
Thomas, 270

Thorcau, Henry David, 33
Thorn, Mr., 323
Thornby, Capt. William, 278,

280,286
Thornigold, Benjamin, 22, 251,

252
Three Shoes, 299
Tobury Fort, 244
Tilbago, 76, 123, 128
Topsham, 124
Tories, 241

Treasure Island, 79, 253
Treaty of Ryswick, 232
Tremain, John, 323
Tremont Street, 53
Trepassey Bay, 313
Trepassey Harbor, 313
Triangles, 76, 198
Trott, Judge Nicholas, 171, 207
Trotter, Captain, 161
Truro, Mass., 35, 327
Tunis, 279
Turueffe, 253
Tuscarora Indians, 254
Twain, Mark, 14
Twenty-Fifth-cf-May, 278
Tyburn, 183, 197

United States, 1

288,294,340
Usher, John, 50
Utilla, 77
Utopia, 111, 112

2, 154, 278,

VanVorst, Simon, 41

Veale, Capt. Thomas, 146-148

Vermont, 329

Victorie, 111, 118

Vineyard, 279, 286

Vineyard Sound, 99

Virginia, 59, 98, 108, 127, 129

260,262,270
Virginia Capes, 270

Wadham, Capt., 124
Wadsworth, Rev. Benjamin, 183
Wainwright, Colonel, 47
Wake, Capt. Thomas, 121, 228
Wakefield, Samuel, 47
Wales, 307

Walker, Samuel, 62, 63
Wall, Consul Job, 293
Wansley, Thomas J., 279, 280.

285-287
Want, Master, 121
Wappen, Capt. Rupert, 180
Wapping-on-the-Thames, 225,

War of 1812, 274, 287

Warren, William, 102, 107

Washington, D. C, 164

Washington Street, Boston, 238

Water Street, Boston, 238

Waters, John, 221

Watkins, John, 102

Weaver, 109

Weekham, Benjamin, 220

Welchman, 23

Welland, Capt. John, 217, 220-

Wellfleet. 33

Wellfleet Life Saving Station, 31

Welsh, 307

Wetherly, Tee, 151, 239

West Indiaman, 68

West Indies, 13, 16, 21, 22, 76,

100, 109, 127, 166, 180, 186,

204, 229, 233, 251, 276, 299

312,315,326
Westminster, 183
Wheeler, John, 147
Wheland, Capt. William, 288-

294
Whidah, 21, 23, 24-27, 29-33

36, 42, 327, 342
Whigs, 241, 249
White, Mr., 49
White Head, 319
White Point, 271, 272
White, William, 126, 134-137
Wickstead, Captain, 180
Wiles, William, 46
William III, 226, 227, 232
Williams. Paulsgrave, 21-23, 25,

27,36
Williamsburg, 260, 261
Wilson, Alexander, 149
Wilson, Edward A., 327
Wilson, John, 220, 222
William of Orange, 93
Windward Passage, 23
Winthrop, Adam, 104

350

INDEX

Winthrop, Gov. John, 138, 143,

144
Winthrop, Thomas, 57
Winthrop, Waitstill. 104
Wolfson, Laurence Peter, 328
Woods Hole, 101

Wood, James, 128
Worcester County, Mas
Wright, Captain, 189
Wyar, Capt., 253
Wyndham, James, 207

Yankee, 122, 184, 199, 322
York Deeds, 143
York, Maine, 53, 138
York River, 98

Z
Zamboanga, 14