1722 at the age of 32. At his trial he pleaded that he did not enter with
the pirates of his own free will, and called witnesses to prove that at
the time he was captured he was so very drunk that he had to be hoisted
out of his own ship, the _Jeremiah and Ann_, into the pirate ship in
tackles.
JOHNSTON, THOMAS.
Of Boston.
Known as "the limping privateer." Sailed with Captain Pound. Wounded in
the jaw in the fight at Tarpaulin Cove. Tried for piracy at Boston, and
hanged on January 27th, 1690.
JONES, CAPTAIN PAUL.
Probably few persons, even in Great Britain, would to-day call Paul Jones
a pirate, but this was not always the case. In all books on pirates
written shortly after the American war, Paul Jones figured as a notorious
character.
This famous privateer, let us call him, was born at Kirkcudbright in
Scotland in 1728, the son of Mr. Paul, head gardener to Lord Selkirk, and
was christened John Paul. So much has been written about this man in
books, easily procurable for reference, that little need be said about him
here.
Starting life as a sailor before the mast, he quickly showed abilities
which led to his promotion to the rank of mate in an English ship trading
in the West India Islands, and later he was made master. On the
declaration of war with America, Jones joined the rebels, and was given
command of a privateer, and from 1777 he became a terror to English
shipping around the British Isles.
One of his most startling exploits was his surprise visit in his ship, the
_Ranger_, to his old home with the object of kidnapping his former
employer, Lord Selkirk.
On September 23rd, 1779, he fought his famous action off Scarborough
against a British convoy from the Baltic under the command of Captain
Pearson, in the _Serapis_, and Captain Piercy in the _Countess of
Scarborough_. Jones had left the _Ranger_ for a frigate called the _Bonne
Homme Richard_ of forty guns and a crew of three hundred and seventy men,
and had also under his command four other ships of war. A furious
engagement took place, the utmost bravery being shown on either side; the
English ships at last being compelled to surrender, but not until the
enemy had themselves suffered fearful damage to both their crews and
ships. After the conclusion of peace, Paul Jones, once the darling of two
continents, faded into obscurity and even poverty, and died in Paris in
the year 1792 at the age of 64.
JONES. SEAMAN.
A mariner. "A brisk young fellow" who served with Captain Bartholomew
Roberts's crew. On one occasion Captain Roberts had reason to think that
one of his men had spoken disrespectfully to him, so, as a warning to the
rest, he killed him. The dead man's greatest friend was Jones, who,
hearing what had happened, had a fierce fight with Roberts. This severe
breach of discipline was punished by Jones receiving two lashes on the
back from every man on board. Jones after this sailed with Captain Anstis
in the _Good Fortune_.
JONES, THOMAS.
Found to be "not guilty" at a trial for piracy at Newport, Rhode Island,
in 1723. One of Captain Charles Harris's crew. Age 17.
JONES, WILLIAM.
Tried for piracy at Boston, 1704.
JONES, WILLIAM.
Of London.
Age 28. Hanged at Rhode Island, 1723.
JONNIA, CAPTAIN.
A Spaniard.
Commanded in 1821 a fast schooner, carrying a crew of forty men, armed
with muskets, cutlasses, blunderbusses, long knives, dirks, two
carronades--one a twelve, the other a six-pounder. They had aboard with
them three Mexican negresses. The pirates took and plundered the Boston
schooner _Exertion_, on December 17th, 1821, the crew being considerably
drunk at the time. The plunder they took to Principe in the Island of
Cuba. The pirates took everything from their prisoners, even their
clothes, but as a parting gift sent the captain a copy of the "Family
Prayer Book" by the Rev. Mr. Brooks. The prisoners were marooned on a
small mangrove quay, but they eventually escaped. Jonnia and some of his
crew were afterwards captured by an English ship and taken to Kingston,
Jamaica, and there hanged.
JOSE, MIGUEL.
Hanged at Kingston, Jamaica, in February, 1823. This old man's last words
on the scaffold were: "No he robado, no he matado ningune, muero
innocente."
JUDSON, RANDALL.
One of Captain Roderigo's crew. Tried for piracy at Cambridge,
Massachusetts, in June, 1675, and sentenced to be hanged; "presently after
the lecture," which was delivered by the Rev. Increase Mather. Afterwards
pardoned, but fined and banished from the colony.
KELLWANTON.
A notorious pirate in the sixteenth century. Was captured in the Isle of
Man in 1531.
KENNEDY, CAPTAIN.
Began life as a pickpocket and housebreaker in London. He was Captain
Roberts's lieutenant, and was afterwards given command of a prize, the
_Rover_.
Kennedy could never, even when a captain, forget his old trade. It is
recorded that he stole a black suit of clothes from the captain of the
_Bird_ at Sierra Leone in 1718. These he put on with the captain's best
wig and sword. He then swaggered about on board in these till his
fellow-pirates drenched him with buckets of claret, so that he had to
disrobe and throw the garments overboard.
Owing to a quarrel with Captain Roberts, Kennedy went off in his ship, the
_Rover_, and sailed to Barbadoes. His first prize, a Boston ship, was a
distinct novelty, being commanded by one Captain Knot, a Quaker, who lived
up to the principles of his sect by allowing no pistol, sword, or cutlass,
or other weapon aboard his vessel. The crew, finding Kennedy had no
knowledge whatever of navigation, threatened to throw him overboard, but
because he was a man of great personal courage they did not in the end
carry out their threat. The crew next decided to give over piracy and to
set sail for Ireland. This island they altogether missed through bad
navigation, and they ran the ship ashore on the north of Scotland. The
crew landed and passed themselves off as shipwrecked mariners, but owing
to their drinking and rioting in each village they came to, the whole
countryside was soon roused. Kennedy slipped away and reached Ireland.
Having soon spent all his ill-gotten gains in Dublin, he came to Deptford
and set up a house of ill-fame, adding occasionally to his income from
this source by a little highwaymanry. One of the ladies of his house at
Deptford, to be revenged for some slight or other, gave information to the
watch, and Kennedy was imprisoned at Marshalsea and afterwards tried for
robbery and piracy. Kennedy turned King's evidence against some of his old
associates, but this did not save his neck, for he was condemned and
hanged at Execution Dock.
KHEYR-ED-DIN. Corsair.
Brother of the famous Barbarossa. When the latter was defeated and killed
by the Spaniards, Kheyr-ed-din sent an ambassador to Constantinople,
begging for help to protect Algiers. He was appointed Governor of Algiers
by the Sultan of Turkey in 1519. Now greatly increased both in ships and
power, he scoured the whole Mediterranean for Italian and Spanish prizes.
He raided the Spanish coast and carried off slaves from the Balearic
Islands. He next took and destroyed the fortress of Algiers, and employed
7,000 Christian slaves to build a new one and also a great mole to protect
the harbour. Invited by Solyman the Magnificent to help him against the
Christian Admiral Andria Doria, in August, 1533, he sailed from Algiers
with his fleet, being joined on the way by another noted corsair,
Delizuff.
A year afterwards, at the age of 73, Kheyr-ed-din set out from
Constantinople with a vast fleet, sacking towns and burning all Christian
ships that were so unfortunate as to fall in his way. He returned to the
Bosphorus with huge spoil and 11,000 prisoners. He sacked Sardinia, then
sailed to Tunis, which he vanquished.
Charles V. of Spain now began to collect a large fleet and an army of
25,000 men and sailed to Tunis. A fierce fight followed; the Christians
broke into the town, massacred the inhabitants and rescued some 20,000
Christian slaves. Kheyr-ed-din escaped with a few followers, but soon was
in command of a fleet of pirate galleys once more. A terrific but
undecisive naval battle took place off Prevesa between the Mohammedans and
the Christians, the fleet of the latter being under the command of Andrea
Doria; and Kheyr-ed-din died shortly afterwards at Constantinople at a
great age.
KIDD, CAPTAIN WILLIAM, sometimes ROBERT KIDD or KID.
In the whole history of piracy there is no name that has so taken the
world's fancy than has that of William Kidd. And yet, if he be judged by
his actions as a pirate, he must be placed amongst the second- or even
third-rate masters of that craft. He took but two or three ships, and
these have been, after two hundred years, proved to be lawful prizes taken
in his legal capacity as a privateer.
Kidd was born at Greenock in Scotland about the year 1655, and was the son
of the Rev. John Kidd. Of his early life little record is left, but we
know that in August, 1689, he arrived at St. Nevis in the West Indies, in
command of a privateer of sixteen guns. In 1691, while Kidd was on shore,
his crew ran away with his ship, which was not surprising, as most of his
crew were old pirates. But that Kidd was an efficient seaman and a capable
captain is shown by the number of times he was given the command of
different privateer vessels, both by the Government of New York and by
privateer owners.
In 1695 Kidd was in London, and on October 10th signed the articles which
were to prove so fatal for him. In January, 1696, King William III. issued
to his "beloved friend William Kidd" a commission to apprehend certain
pirates, particularly Thomas Tew, of Rhode Island, Thomas Wake, and
William Maze, of New York, John Ireland, and "all other Pirates,
Free-booters, and Sea Rovers of what Nature soever."
This privateer enterprise was financed chiefly by Lord Bellomont, but the
other adventurers (on shore and in safety) were the Lord Chancellor; the
Earl of Orford, the First Lord of the Admiralty; the Earl of Romney and
the Duke of Shrewsbury, Secretaries of State; Robert Livingston, Esq., of
New York; and lastly, Captain Kidd himself.
The ship the _Adventure_ galley was bought and fitted up, and Kidd sailed
away in her to suppress piracy, particularly on the coast of America.
Nothing was heard of him till August, 1698, when ugly rumours began to get
about of piracies committed by Kidd in the Indian Ocean. In December of
the same year a general pardon was offered to all pirates who should
surrender themselves, with two exceptions--namely, Captain Avery and
Captain Kidd. In May, 1699, Kidd suddenly appeared in a small vessel at
New York, with rich booty. His chief patron, Lord Bellomont, was now
Governor, and was placed in the most awkward position of having to carry
out his orders and arrest Kidd for piracy and send him in chains to
England in H.M.S. _Advice_, which ship had been sent specially to New York
to carry back Kidd, Bradish, and other pirates to England.
The trial of Kidd proved a scandal, for someone had to suffer as scapegoat
for the aristocratic company privateers, and the lot fell to the luckless
Kidd. Kidd was charged with piracy and with murder. The first charge of
seizing two ships of the Great Mogul could have been met by the production
of two documents which Kidd had taken out of these ships, and which, he
claimed, proved that the ships were sailing under commissions issued by
the French East India Company, and made them perfectly lawful prizes.
These commissions Kidd had most foolishly handed over to Lord Bellomont,
and they could not be produced at the trial, although they had been
exhibited before the House of Commons a little while previously.
It is an extraordinary and tragic fact that these two documents, so vital
to Kidd, were discovered only lately in the Public Records Office--too
late, by some 200 years, to save an innocent man's life.
As it happened, the charge of which Kidd was hanged for was murder, and
ran thus: "Being moved and seduced by the instigations of the Devil he did
make an assault in and upon William Moore upon the high seas with a
certain wooden bucket, bound with iron hoops, of the value of eight pence,
giving the said William Moore one mortal bruise of which the aforesaid
William Moore did languish and die." This aforesaid William Moore was
gunner in the _Adventure_ galley, and was mutinous, and Kidd, as captain,
was perfectly justified in knocking him down and even of killing him; but
as the court meant Kidd to "swing," this was quite good enough for finding
him guilty. The unfortunate prisoner was executed at Wapping on May 23rd,
1701, and his body afterwards hanged in chains at Tilbury.
[Illustration: A PIRATE BEING HANGED AT EXECUTION DOCK, WAPPING.
To face p. 182.]
A popular ballad was sung to commemorate the life and death of Kidd, who,
for some reason, was always called Robert Kidd by the populace. It
consists of no less than twenty-four verses, and we here give fifteen of
them:
THE BALLAD OF CAPTAIN KIDD
My name was Robert Kidd, when I sailed, when I sailed,
My name was Robert Kidd, when I sailed,
My name was Robert Kidd,
God's laws I did forbid,
And so wickedly I did, when I sailed.
My parents taught me well, when I sailed, when I sailed,
My parents taught me well, when I sailed,
My parents taught me well,
To shun the gates of hell,
But 'gainst them I rebelled, when I sailed.
I'd a Bible in my hand, when I sailed, when I sailed,
I'd a Bible in my hand, when I sailed,
I'd a Bible in my hand,
By my father's great command,
And sunk it in the sand, when I sailed.
I murdered William Moore, as I sailed, as I sailed,
I murdered William Moore, as I sailed,
I murdered William Moore,
And laid him in his gore,
Not many leagues from shore, as I sailed.
I was sick and nigh to death, when I sailed, when I sailed,
I was sick and nigh to death, when I sailed,
I was sick and nigh to death,
And I vowed at every breath,
To walk in wisdom's ways, as I sailed.
I thought I was undone, as I sailed, as I sailed,
I thought I was undone, as I sailed,
I thought I was undone,
And my wicked glass had run,
But health did soon return, as I sailed.
My repentance lasted not, as I sailed, as I sailed,
My repentance lasted not, as I sailed,
My repentance lasted not,
My vows I soon forgot,
Damnation was my lot, as I sailed.
I spyed the ships from France, as I sailed, as I sailed,
I spyed the ships of France, as I sailed,
I spyed the ships from France,
To them I did advance,
And took them all by chance, as I sailed.
I spyed the ships of Spain, as I sailed, as I sailed,
I spyed the ships of Spain, as I sailed,
I spyed the ships of Spain,
I fired on them amain,
'Till most of them was slain, as I sailed.
I'd ninety bars of gold, as I sailed, as I sailed,
I'd ninety bars of gold, as I sailed,
I'd ninety bars of gold,
And dollars manifold,
With riches uncontrolled, as I sailed.
Thus being o'er-taken at last, I must die, I must die,
Thus being o'er-taken at last, I must die,
Thus being o'er-taken at last,
And into prison cast,
And sentence being passed, I must die.
Farewell, the raging main, I must die, I must die,
Farewell, the raging main, I must die,
Farewell, the raging main,
To Turkey, France and Spain,
I shall n'er see you again, I must die.
To Execution Dock I must go, I must go,
To Execution Dock I must go,
To Execution Dock,
Will many thousands flock,
But I must bear the shock, and must die.
Come all ye young and old, see me die, see me die,
Come all ye young and old, see me die,
Come all ye young and old,
You're welcome to my gold,
For by it I've lost my soul, and must die.
Take warning now by me, for I must die, for I must die,
Take warning now by me, for I must die,
Take warning now by me,
And shun bad company,
Lest you come to hell with me, for I die.
KILLING, JAMES.
One of Major Stede Bonnet's crew, who gave evidence against him at his
trial at Charleston in 1718.
KING, CHARLES.
Attempted to escape in the _Larimore_ galley, but was captured and brought
into Salem. Tried at Boston with the rest of Quelch's crew in June, 1704.
KING, FRANCIS.
One of Captain Quelch's crew captured in the _Larimore_ galley by Major
Sewall, and brought into Salem Harbour on June 11th, 1704. Tried at Boston
and condemned to be hanged. Was reprieved while standing on the gallows.
KING, JOHN.
One of Captain Quelch's crew taken out of the _Larimore_ galley. Tried at
Boston in June, 1704.
KING, MATTHEW.
Of Jamaica.
One of Major Stede Bonnet's crew. Was hanged at Charleston, South
Carolina, on November 8th, 1718, and buried in the marsh below low-water
mark.
KNEEVES, PETER.
Of Exeter in Devon.
Sailed with Captain Charles Harris, and was tried for piracy with the rest
of his crew at Rhode Island in 1723. Hanged at Newport at the age of 32.
KNIGHT, CAPTAIN W. Buccaneer.
In 1686 Knight was cruising off the coast of Peru and Chile with Swan,
Townley, and Davis. At the end of that year, having got a fair quantity of
plunder, he sailed round the Horn to the West Indies.
KNIGHT, CHRISTOPHER.
One of Captain Coward's crew. Tried for piracy at Boston in January, 1690,
and found guilty, but afterwards reprieved.
KNOT, CAPTAIN.
An old Massachusetts pirate who retired from the sea and was settled in
Boston in 1699. His wife gave information to the Governor, the Earl of
Bellomont, of the whereabouts of a pirate called Gillam, who was "wanted."
KOXINGA. His real name was Kuo-hsing Yeh, Koxinga being the Portuguese
version.
The son of a Chinese pirate, Cheng Chih-lung, by a Japanese mother, he was
born in 1623.
From early youth Koxinga was inspired with a hatred of the Manchus, who
had imprisoned his father.
The young pirate soon became so successful in his raids along the coast of
China that the Emperor resorted to the extraordinary expedient of ordering
the inhabitants of more than eighty seaboard towns to migrate ten miles
inland, after destroying their homes.
There can be no doubt that Koxinga was a thorough-going cut-throat pirate,
worked solely for his own ambitious ends and to satisfy his revengeful
feelings, but the fact that he fought against the alien conquerors, the
Dutch in Formosa, and defeated them, caused him to be regarded as a hero
pirate.
His father was executed at Peking, which only increased his bitterness
against the reigning house. Koxinga made himself what was, to all intents
and purposes, the ruler of Formosa, and the island became, through him,
part of the Chinese Empire.
After his death, which took place in 1662, he received official
canonization.
The direct descendant of Koxinga, the pirate, is one of the very few
hereditary nobles in China.
LACY, ABRAHAM.
Of Devonshire.
Hanged at the age of 21 at Rhode Island in 1723.
DU LAERQUERAC, CAPTAIN JOHN.
This Breton pirate was captured in 1537 by a Bristol seaman called John
Wynter. Du Laerquerac, with other pirates from Brittany, had been holding
up ships on their way to the great fair of St. James at Bristol. On being
arrested, he denied that he had "spoiled" any English ships, but on being
further pressed to confess, admitted that he had taken a few odds and
ends, such as ropes, sailors' clothes, some wine, fish, a gold crown in
money and eleven silver halfpence, as well as four daggers and a
"couverture."
LAFITTE, CAPTAIN JEAN.
Jean and his brother first appeared in New Orleans in the year 1809.
Though blacksmiths by profession, they soon took to smuggling goods
brought by privateersmen and pirates. The headquarters of this trade was
on the Island of Grande Terre in Barataria Bay. This island was inhabited
and governed by ex-pirates; one Grambo being the acknowledged chief, until
he was shot by Jean Lafitte.
In 1813, the Baratarians were denounced by the Governor of Louisiana as
pirates. This made no difference to the pirate smugglers, who grew more
and more rich and insolent. The Governor then secured an indictment
against Jean and his brother, Pierre, who retained the very best and most
expensive lawyers in the State to defend them, and they were acquitted. In
1814, war was declared with England, and Jean was invited by the English
to fight on their side, with the offer of a commission in the navy and a
large sum of money. He refused this, and eventually General Jackson
accepted his offer of the services of himself and his Baratarians, who
proved invaluable in the Battle of Orleans, serving the guns. He
disappeared completely after the war until 1823, when a British sloop of
war captured a pirate ship with a crew of sixty men under the command of
the famous Lafitte, who was amongst those who fell fighting.
LAGARDE, LE CAPITAINE.
A French filibuster of San Domingo, who in 1684 commanded a small ship,
_La Subtille_ (crew of thirty men and two guns).
LAMBERT, JOHN.
One of Captain John Quelch's crew. Hanged on Charles River, Boston Side,
on Friday, June 30th, 1704. In a broadside published at Boston in July of
the same year, Lambert's conduct on the gallows is described thus: "He
appeared much hardened and pleaded much on his Innocency. He desired all
men to beware of Bad Company and seemed to be in great Agony near his
Execution."
LANDER, DANIEL.
One of Captain Pound's crew.
LANDRESSON, CAPTAIN MICHEL, _alias_ BREHA.
Filibuster.
Accompanied Pain in his expedition against St. Augustine in 1683. He was a
constant source of annoyance to the Jamaicans. His ship was called _La
Trompeuse_, but must not be confused with the famous ship of that name
belonging to Hamlin. Landresson, when he had got a good booty of gold,
jewels, cocoa, etc., would go to Boston to dispose of it to the godly
merchants of New England. In 1684 a Royal proclamation was published in
Massachusetts, warning all Governors that no succour or aid was to be
given to any of the outlaws, but, in spite of this, Landresson was
received with open arms and the proclamations in the streets torn down.
In 1684 he was at San Domingo, in command of _La Fortune_ (crew of 100
men and fourteen guns). At this time the filibuster was disguised under
the _alias_ of Le Capitaine Breha.
Captured in 1686 by the Armada de Barlorento, and hanged with several of
his companions.
LANE, CAPTAIN.
In 1720 Lane was one of Captain England's crew when he took the _Mercury_
off the coast of West Africa. The _Mercury_ was fitted up as a pirate
ship, named the _Queen Ann's Revenge_, and Lane was voted captain of her.
Lane left Captain England and sailed to Brazil, where he took several
Portuguese ships and did a great deal of mischief.
LARIMORE, CAPTAIN THOMAS, or LARRAMORE.
Commanded the _Larimore_ galley. In 1704 was with the pirate Quelch and
several other pirates, and, among other prizes, seized a Portuguese ship,
the _Portugal_, from which they took gold dust, bar and coined gold, and
other treasure, and at the same time "acted divers villainous Murders."
For these Larimore was tried, condemned and hanged at Boston, June 11th,
1704.
LAWRENCE, NICHOLAS.
Tried for piracy with the rest of Quelch's crew at Boston in 1704.
LAWRENCE, RICHARD.
One of Captain John Quelch's crew. Tried for piracy at Boston in 1704.
LAWSON, EDWARD.
Born in the Isle of Man.
One of Captain Harris's crew. Hanged at Newport, Rhode Island, in July,
1723, at the age of 20.
L'ESCAYER. A French filibuster.
In 1685, in company with Grogniet, Davis, and Swan, sacked Paita and
Guayaquil and blockaded Panama. Afterwards sailed with Townley and his
English pirates and again plundered Guayaquil. Suffered a severe defeat at
the hands of the Spaniards at Quibo, afterwards being rescued by Townley,
with whom he and his crew of buccaneers sacked Granada in Nicaragua.
LESSONE, CAPTAIN. French filibuster.
In 1680 he joined Sharp, Coxon, and other English buccaneers in an attack
on Porto Bello. Putting 300 men into canoes, they landed some sixty miles
from the city and marched for four days, arriving in a weak state through
hardship and lack of food, but in spite of this they took the city on
February 17th, 1680.
LEVERCOTT, SAM.
Hanged in 1722 at the Island of St. Kitts, with the rest of Captain
Lowther's crew.
LEVIT, JOHN.
Of North Carolina.
One of Major Stede Bonnet's crew. Hanged at White Point, Charleston, South
Carolina, on November 8th, 1723.
LEWIS, JAMES.
After being a prisoner in France, he managed to reach Spain, and was with
Avery when he seized the ship _Charles the Second_. Tried for piracy at
the Old Bailey in 1696 and hanged.