Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1842-09-09
C.9PE4-N KIDD.

THE American Jurist in its last numbers,
contains sketch Of the life Of this adventurer.
1t is given in an article relating to the defec-
tive administration Of criminal justice in for
mer times. 1t is told in plain and natural
manner, without any high wrought colors
We sxtract it as an interesting sketch of the
"Pirase." ALBANY Argus.]
Few names in the annals of our country have
been more familiar 10 every class in the COM
munity than that of William Kidd. Child
hood has listened with terror to the the tales
Of his unnumbered crimes, and credulous love
Of gold has sought with tue confidence Of as
sured success, the ill.goiten treasures which
he buried in the lonely recesses Of the sea
shore.
The ballads Of the nursery, too, have i'm
mo!ialized this renowned freebooter of the
ocean, and, although it was not trie that ''his
name was Robert Kidd, as he sailed" and
and among other things, "he murdered Will
lam Moore, and left him in his gore, not many
leagues from the Shore" and when at last JUS
tice overlook him, he made solemn appeal to
''young and old TO see him die;' most disin-
,eres,edIy telling them they were "wecome
to his gold. for by it he'd los, his soul and
must de-"
Romance, also, has borrow ed from the same
siorehouse, and has told us how carefully the
treasures which the pirate and his crew con-
ceaed, have been watched over, from time
lmmemorlal, by certain grm-visaged person.
age. who for valuable consideration, made
known It's hiding place to that curious gentle
man,-'Thomas Walker"
Although these romantic incidents have
made their abiding impression upon the youth
1ul Imagination OF thousands, few have stop
PED TO draw from the personal history of Kidd,
the Illustration which ii affords of the manner
10 which justice was administered in the En-
gllsh courts, century and half ago.
Although from simple perusal of the in
dlctments against Captain Kidd, and the evil
dence adduced to sustain them, no one would
be led to imagine that this trial had any con-
Dexlon whatever with the political affairs of
the country, yet such In fact was the case: and
II becomes necessary, therefore, to offer a brief
explanation Of bis previous history, in order to
understand the full degree of importance which
was attached to his arrest, trial, and convic.
ton as murderer and pirate
The hrst we learn of his history was in 16
96. Before that time he had been an enterpri-
sing ship master, sailing from New York,
where his family resided.
AT this time there was an universal alarm
1e't' IN consequence of the numerous acts CT
piracy which had beeu committed on the high
seas, especially in the Atlantic and Indian
Oceans, and the attention Of the government,
OF England was particularly directed to the
means OF arrestlng the evil The war, which
had been terminated by the peace of Ryswick
III 1894 mad given rise to an extensive system
OF legalized piracy, called .'priva.eerng.' -
ceiVed commissions from James the Second,
then an exile, TO ctuize against the commerce
OF England. Many of these priva,eers had
laid aside The iilmsy veil that covered their
true character, aud waged war indiscrimnate.
~ npon whatever vessels came in their way.
Under the administration of Gov Fletcher
OF New York, many of these piratieal vessels
sailed from ports within his government. and
Smollet, in his history Of England gravel,
afflrms that ''during the war, the colonies baS
grown rich by piracy"
Upon the removal of Fletcher from his GOV
eminent, the king resolved to appoint som,
one who would be certain to adopt effieieo
measures to break up the system of pirac,
winch had become SC alarming and far ,hi.
purpose commissioned Lord BeIamont. no
Oieman OF high rank, as governor of New York
and soon after added the provinces Of Massa
ton. Ju'isoic
was proposed to fit ont a naval exned;
oon 10 take command of the enterprise.
by singular and most unfortunate f.,,,;,,
nlua was the person SO selected. He wa
men IN London, and was highly recommends
~, '"e place by MIR. Livingston of New Yorl
VINO mao known him there, and who hannene
'heh 70 be IN London, where he was cop FL
upon the subject by Lord Bellamont s0''''' x