Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1831-04-11
CONFESSIONS OF a PIRATE.

r.
CHI. the p,Yn!e.-lLe confessions OF tbi.
! .sf.tched be iag, aow III tbe confines oil eteI.
ot,. to one of The Police magistrates, unyel .
career OF lone and desperate ormas and the '
bring tine varying ior,nenis oil his partially a.
wak,o.d conscience Inio an existence that IL
alnos, yisib 2 upon bis agitaied brow while he
r.cile. The horrible Catalogue. he has been
familiar with scenes oil blood AMI carnage, t.
ven from hi, bnyhoo aud nm activr Partci-
paior III the commission OF crimes that art
.lsmpeB with the most shocking barbariiy
W. have been unable 10 obtain The entire eon-
fessIon which he ha, made. Dui the following
brief sketch vi his lilo may be relied on as au-
fhentic, so far as goes.
When hut about 10 yea's OF age, he was
d SAILOR on board the soop OF Wal Hornet, anh
was IA tho action when sLe Captured the
,ioop OF war Peacock, off The coast of Per
| nan,buco Upnn lie return OF the Hornet
TO mo Unied States, he followed tho gal
iant CAPT. LAwREacE 90 the Chesap eakr,
and became prisoner oi ~ar, after the ineisn-
choly result OF heT encounter with tue 5han-
non. He sta,es that Previous TO The engage
meot the crew OF the Chesapeake were almost
| in Slate of iautiny, growing out OF the nog-
payment OF their piIze money, and ihsi tae
address OF Capt. Lawrence was received by
than with GOODNESS and muTm0r-. Alter his
exchange. he returned 10 BestaD, where having
aetes IN med 10 abandon the sea, he established
nimse II in the grocery business. With capita!
of one thousand dollars, which lie procured
from his friends 10 Rhoae lsIanL How long
he continued 10 that business We kno" not, but
10 the end il proved unsuccessful, and he re-
solved again 20 try the sea fos a subsistsnce.
With a hundred dollars IN bis pockel the rem
naut of his property, ue embarked N the ship
IL, Il b..
ing exhausted soos after his arrival there, he
entered on board a Baenos AyTean priYaierl,
and sailed On a crulzes 9aarrel b4t"e.n
tn officers ind IA crew 10 regard 20 the div isiou
OF prlze money, led eventually 10 a ,Dut,Hy !;
aud the nu',nees gaining ths asNeDdanc,,
took possessio Oh OF the vessel, landed the 9TH.
cers somew he re Oh the coast OF Florida, mud
steeIed for llse West lndlas, WIN hears re-
solved 90 make their fortunes nj ali hazards.
Inc horrible atrocities which they commted
will be fully developed wDen the confessions
of Glbbs are made public. We only know thst
lac Was A c0-ope<df0r 10 the capture =. nea,is
twenty vessels, aud III the MURDER Of NEARLY
L UR HUNDRED HUBAk BgiEGs.
On one occasion they captured Dutch ship
bound from Curacea 10 Liverpool, with var
liable cargo, aud company Of tn,rty so,ds,
including lhe craw. All were pnt 10 utath
4,
who, though spared, wa, compelled to witness
the hear -rrndDg spectacle oil ihe hatchery vi
her father aud motner, 0efore her eyes. They
kept her on board for some t,u,e, aud when
IL was determined 10 proceed 10 Havana, a
consultation was held to decide whether i
would be safe TO give her lISerty upon their al
rival. The majority we're sPprehensWe tAa,
she might beiray them, and IL was therefore It,
solved ,nat she must die. Poison Was admin,
is'ered ~ her, and she soon shared ibs tate oi
her parents. Clubs declares that of all III.
murders in which, h- has participated, no one
has narrowed his soul With SO much reiuoTse
a the recollection Of thu cold blooded de-
straci,on oil this Interesting and accomplished
iemaIe. lie AYERS that he made a vigorous et.
tort u ,escae her, but that he was oVerawed
by the rest oil hls comrades, VINO would listen
TO no mercy.
On another occasion, An American ship, the
Caroline, WIS captured by two Of the pil atlcI
vessels and run lahore off Cape Anton,o.
They were busly engaged in lsndiog The
90, when ,he United States brig Enterprist
hove IN srgh', aud sem her barge 10 atack
them. The plra,es defended themselves ID
some lime behind a smali 4 gun battery winch
they had erected but Ia tue eud ~e,e iotced
TO abandon their own vessels and The prz
aud dy toi safety g. the mountains, lhis as.
count, rs gwen by Gibbs, may bs true, tho,ls Il
We have no distinct recollection Cf such cii-
cunstancr. We find, however. b, u tecul-
renee TO our files, that u p.ra,Ical sloop aud
schoones were destroyed by tue Brii.h sloo,
oi val icerus, near fiavans, in The summer
oil 1894, Under similar Giro nnsianses, aud that
.he most OF the pirates, when attacked by her
oaI srs, made Tor the shore aEt fed IN the
woods. lhe sloop oil war found tnere twelve
u hIrh had >.
edge, aud II was salisactoria, ascerIained thai
htf creWs daouattng 10 one hundred and fifty
persons had been murdered. 1hlrs il, thett-
lore. sumo reason 10 believe that Glib. my AZ.
ief 10 ,ais ALTAR, anu mat the Vessel was tue
British sloop al war above mentioned, aud not
tue EnterPI'se. "a The pirates supposed at the
time.
lae harqle Transit, an American vessel,
WAS also captured by them and Tue whole OF
ntr crew destroyed.
Havana was The general resort of the pi-
rates, To dispose ot their booty. Ihey saunteI-
en about without apprehension, and even
lodged Al the same house With ntany ot ihe A.
mefican officer, WHO were sent oat 10 destroy
them. H. states that he was acQaaio I'D with
many oil the officers and was npp,ised OF ali
their intended movements before they istl lLe
harbor.
Alter their complete expulsion from those
seas, We are uuadvised Oft The ,onrse III gibbs
untiI he sailed sometime during the last spring
Tor Gibraltar, and thence to Algie,s, ~ the
hope OF getting on board some oil the Barhary
Corsats. The blockade OF the harhor by the
French fleet prevented the Accomplishment OIL
ms purpose, aad he setu'oed by the way Of
Maisellles TO Boston. He embarked thence for
New oilesns, where he shipped as Que vi tue
crew OF the brig Vlaeyard.
we have sen TWO letters from him TO
friend, since sentence was passed upon hun.
winch evlace some anguish oil spirit, but there
Is no reason to conclud that he is so Thoroughly
penlent thu he would MOI, by the recovery OF
ms liberty, rush again. il he Ind an opportuni-
w Into the prepa, atlon OF similar acts OF afro