Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-09-28

would enrich the adventures, and Civ
a great impulse to the. business. A
] long as the war lasted, and as long a
the privateeTs confined their attacks t
the enemy's ships, no one objected
But when peace returned, there was {
| large body of men, afiOat and ashore
who had been demOralized by the rOv
| ing reckless life ola privateeT, and wht
were nOtat all disposed to settle IOwl
again into the humdTum life of gOOC
citizens or to be satisfied with the regu
lar gains of ordinary Seamenship.-
Many of these men becrme pirates, ahC
preyed upon the increasing cOmmercl
between Europe and America.
Ships upon the ocean were then few
and far between, and i'm the time o
peace there were few men of war serv
ing as the police of the sea. The cOuse
quenee was, that pirate ship of some
some magnitude, well manned and wei
armed, usually had everything its Owl
way for time, ana captured every YES
sci it overlook.
The success of some noted pirates gave
such powerful stimulus to the bust
ness that there appeared, at length
some danger of the total extinction o
honest commerce. In one of the letter,
Of that learned and excellent Philadel
phia Quaker, James Logan, writer
1717, there is remarkable passage
which shows how numerous the pirates
had become on our coast:
I'VE have been extremely pestered
with pirates he writes. 'whO now
swarm in America, and Increase theil
numbers by almost every vessel they
take. If speedy care be not taken they
will become formidable, being now al
least fifteen hundred strong. They
particularly talked of visiting this place
many of them being well acquainted
with it, and some born in it; for they
are generally all Englishmen, and
therefore know our government can
make no Defense
Philadelphia was then only thirty
two year old, and being inhabited chief
ly by Quakers, could have offered little
resistance to pirate fleet manned by
fifteen hudred sailors. In that same
year 17l7, there was one week in Oct,
Mr.. Logan mentions, when the pirates
took and plundered, in the Delaware
six or seven vessels Some Philadel-
phians were taken prisoners, heard
them say that had eight hundred men
in Rhode Island, and another band i'm
of one captain. The pirate vessel
which made those captures had crew
of one hundred and thirty men, 'all
stout fellows says Logan, 'all English
and doubly armed They said they
were only waiting for their consort Of
twenty-s guns to attack and plunder
Philadelphia. Nor was this a mere
momentary or occasional panic, for a
year after the same James Logan
wrote; ir- .T..-..
I'VE are now sending down a large
vessel to seize those TOgues, If not
strengthened from sea. We are in
manifest danger here, unless the kings
ships take some notice of us. It is pos
sible indeed, that the merchants of New
York, some of them Imean, might not
be displeased to hear we are all redIced
to ashes. Unless these pirates be deter
red from coming up our rivers by the
fear of men-Of-war outside to block
them in, there is nothing but what we
may fear from them.
The danger was ali the greater, be-
cause none of the merchants and con-
tractors, who had fitted out privateers
during the war, cOntiued to supply the
same vessels, when, at the return of
peace, they had turned pirates. Some
times, indeed, the pirate ships were
strong enough to hold their own against
q man-Of-war. In the year 1923, fer ex-
ample, two pirate vessels came in near
Sandy Hook when a British man-Of-
war was going out New York harbOr,
After desperate fight, the smaller of
the pirates was taken, and the whole
crew of fOrty-twO men were hanged in a
row on Long Island. But the other es-
capped, and made twenty prizes before
she was caught. In the same year 1928,
twenty-siX pirates were hanged at New
port, Rhode Island. Indeed, it was 8
events, about that time for pi-
rates to be strung up in row in that
fashion: for, bp this time, the
British government had begun TO bestir
itself and put forth systematse efforts
for the suppression Of piracy.
Captain Robert Kid, bonn about 1850,
was for many years resident Of the
city New York, where he had wife
and child, and whence he Sailed, for
several years, as a respectable merchant
captain and privateersnau. So highly
was he esteemed, that no nlan's services
were in so much request among the
of New York, and every one
was eager for shares in q privateer
which he was to command. Among the
records of the city Of New York his
name frequently occurs. Sometimes he
is mentioned as demanding the return
of one of his sailors who had been inn
pressed into the kings service, and
some times as bringing in a prize, and
paying to the king the tenth and to the
governor the fifteenth which the law
allowed them.
About 1885, the piraeies on the Amer
lean coast had become SO numer-
Gus, and so destructive Of commerce.
that kind of society was formed in En-
gland, headed by the King William III.
for their suppression. The company
fitted out and armed a ship of thirty
guns, named the Adventure designing
chat she should pursue and capture the
pirates, and sell their vessels for the adj
vantage Of the company, Whea the
ship was getting ready for sea it so hap
Dehed that Colonel Robert Livingston
Of New York,a member of the we'll
known New York family of that name,
was in London. Colonel Livingston
not only recommended Captain Kid for
the command of this vessel, but engag-
ed to become his security for the faith
ful performance of his duty. He spoke
Of Kid as bold and honest well fitted
TO suppress the piraoies In the Ameri-
lan seas. The appointment was ac-
given to Kid, and he received
5he kings commission, which was di-
-ected Ito the trusty and well-beloved
Captain Kid Bearing this commits
sion, he sailed from plymouth in 1926,
and bore away from the American
coast.
Probably the pirates took tho alarm;
Tor he cruised for several months be-
tween Boston and Virginia, without |
making imsOrtant captures. Occasion !
lily he visited New York harbOr, an
1hOriDg off the Battery, and while /
here, took pains to enlist a daring and |
numerous crew, until, at last, he had |
band ola hundred and fifty |
men.
Toward the close of 1886 lie struck /
across the Atlantic, bound for the East /
indies, and on the way made known to |
lis crew that he meant to turn pirate, /
md dash in among the richly freghted .
jhips of the Eastern seas. The men Of /
ering no effective opposition, he con- /
inued his course around the Cape of |
fooh Hope, and made his way to the .
Red sea, where he commenced his dep |
edatiOns. He captured many vessels /
gaining rs he supposed a prOdigious
,oOty, and at length took 4 merchant |
ship of four hundred tons, laden with |
PRECIOUS merchandise,
With this vessel and q vast amount of
,Old and silver and precious stones he
tarted on his return to America.
The large ship he gave up 10 one of
lis hand and with his own vessel he re-
urned to our waters. and Duried a lorpp /.