Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1842-09-09
1t was proposed to fit out a government ship


expedition, as public one, failed, and pri-
vate adventure was planned as substitute.
1t had two objects in view, one TO cruise
against the French with commission as a
| privateer, the other to seize and send home tor
| trial, all who had been engaged In plratIcai
enterprises. and high expectations were raised
! Of making the adventure profitable one. Mr.
livingston offered to be concerned with Capt.
Kidd in one fifth of the vessel, and 10 be bound
/ for the faithful execution Of his commission.
1 The king not only counienanced the enter
| prise but was to share enc tenth in the profits
so confidently anticipated to result from it
| Several Of the nobility took shares in the adj
venture, among whom were the Duke of
Shrewsbury, the EarIs of Romney and Oxford,
and Lord Chancellor Somers.
The chief management Of the affair was en-
| trusted to Lord Bellamont. through whom the
commission Of Kidd was regularly issued.
Under this he sailed from Plymouth for New
York in April, 1906, in ship called the Ad-
| venture Galley. On his way hither he took
French ship which he carried into N. York,
where she was condemned, and there he enlist
| ed large number of men by promising them
| share of the prizes he might take. His
| whole crew in the end, consisted Of about one
hundred and fifty men.
| Be,lamont did not reach New York til
nearly two years gler Kidd had sailed from
| England, and found, on arriving there that in
| stead ofhaving exterminated piracy. The man
whom he had commissioned for that purpose,
had become the terror OF The ocean, by the
bold and indiscrinnate war which he had
been carrying on against the vessels of all ma
| tsns.
Such an issue Of an expedition, which the
ministry and leading wings had originated
| could hardly fail to bring reproach upon its
| authors, especially while party spirit was as
rife as 1t then was in England.
Lord Somers, though of long tried worth,
| and great sagacity as political leader, was
| particularly obnoxisus to the tories, and after
holding the great seal for seven years was, by
| their lnstigation dismissed from Office.
In l70l, he, with the earls of Portland and
Oxford, were impeached for high crimes and
| msdemeanors,. and one of the articles against
| the late chancellor was his conr exion with
Captain Kidd. Kidd was even exmined at the
| bar OF the house Of cot.mons, with view to
make evidence against the ministry, but the at
| tempt to connect him with them, in any way
| calculated to impeach their neral or political
character, wholly failed. The commons did
not pursue their articles of Impeachment, and
| no trial was ever had upon them; and when
the trial of Kidd took place, the entire nno-
cence Of all who We're interested in the enter
| prise which had entrusted to him was conclu-
| sively established
The course which Kidd pursued, after leav-
ing New ork with his augmented. crew was
directed 20 the Indian Ocean, where he made
so many rich prizes, and having diyi ded his
booty with crew. about ninety left him, and
engaged in other similar adventures. He there
| upon burned his own vessel, and embarked in
one of his prizes for the West Indies. Here
he purchased a sloop, and leaving his prize in
charge Of part Of his crew, he sailed with the
remainder for New England. and with a strange
| degree of fool hardness, venturcd to appear
openly in Boston, and to engage in traffic
there.
AS soon, however, as his arrival there was
known, he was sent for by the government, and
required to render an account Of what he had
done under his commission, within three DAYS.
As he had failed to comply with this order, an
| officer was sent to arrest him on the 9th of Ju-
w, 1863, but Kidd, being determined not TO
| surrender, drew his sword uron the officer
! and only submitted after he was overpowered
| by superior force.
The governor made no delay in sending no.
ilce OF his arrest to England, and inportan,
was 1t deemed to secure him from escape, that
man ot-War was fitted out for the purpose.
and ordered TO Boston to bring him to Eng.
land.
Upon his being arrested in Boston, his plate
and other valuable property was seized in New
York, but subsequently given up by the gov
eminent to his wife, upon her representation
that she had come honestly by it. True TO her
character as a woman and wife, she came 10
Boston and visited her husband ia prison, and
made most urgent application to the govern
or to extend favor towads him. This applca-
ton, as well as that for the restoration of her
| property, is among the curious papers preser-
we'd In the secretary's office of the common.
wealth.
The same ill-fortune, which first involved
'he ministry In connection with Kidd, attend
ed their efforts to remove him to England. The
vessel sent out for the purpose, after encoun-
tering tremendous storms, was obliged to put
back without reaching her destination, and il
was openly charged that she dared no, to brine
the matter to public trial.
Kidd, however, together with one Bradish,
a famous pirate, was at length sen, home.
where he was indicted and put upon his trial
tor murder and piracy. This did not ,ahe place
until the eighth Of May, 1861 ALTHOUGH, as has
been stated, his original arrest was nearly two
years prior to that date.
In regard to the charge murder of which he
was convicted, 1t SENS to have been the resnl,
of hasty brawl between him and his ounne,
William Moore, and at this day would have
been regarded as an act OF mansIaugh,er only
The blow which caused his death was inac.
ted with bucket, and was given in conse.
quence of irritating language used by the de-
ceased towards his commander in angrv d;s.
pute.
1t made however, bu, little practical differ.
ence with the prisoner, whe,her ,ho rard;o
was right or wrong, for upon ouch of ths five
indictments which followed. he wac ,oo,,;a.aI