The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-09-21
GFrom the Ledger.] III
Captain Kid and the Pirates.
By JAMES PARTON.

Captain Kid and the Pirates.
-,oa By JAMES PARTON.
From an early period in the histo-
ry of New England, the coast was IN
tested with pirate vessels. AS early
as 1852, we hear of a man named
Dizzy Bull, who turned pirate, and
plundered the towns on the coast and
the fishermen near it. Governor
Winthrop sent pinnace in pursuit
of him, which cruised two. months
without success, and the pirate after
ward got safely to England, where he
died violent death. For hundred
years after, no ship approached the
coast, nor left it, without keeping a
bright lookout for. pirates, and few
seasons passed without ships being
captured by these highwaYmen of the
sea. -..,.r....
In that age wars were frequent be-
tween Holland, France, England and
Spain No sooner was war declared
than privatering licences were issued
and the more adventurous sailors were
eager to take advantage of them, and
scour the sea in quest of rich prizes.
Landsmen too, used to club together,
buy a vessel, arm and equip her as q
privateer, and send her to sea in COM
mand of some daring captain noted
for his success in this kind of warfare.
Occasionally a splendid prize was
brought in, which would enrich the
Adventures. and give a great impulse
to the business. As long as the war
lasted, and as long as the privateers
confined their attacks to the enemy's
ships, no one objected. But when
peace returned, there was large body
Of men, afoat and ashore, who had
been demoralized by the rowing reck-
less life of a privateer, and who were
not at all disposed to settle down again
into the humdrum life Of good citizens
or to be satisfied with. the regular
gains of ordinary seamenship. Many
of these men became pirates, and
proved upon the increasing commerce
between Europe and America.
Ships upon the ocean We're then
few and far between, and in time of
peace there were few men. of war
serving as the police of the sea. The
consequence was, that pirate ship of
some magnitude, we'll manned and
we'll armed, usually had everything
its own way for time, and captured
every vessel it overlook.
The success of some noted pirates
gave such q powerful stimulus to the
business that there appeared, at length
some danger of the total extinction OF
honest commerce. In one of the
letters of that learned and excellent
Philadelphia Quaker, James Logan,
written in l717, there is a remarkable
passage, which shows how numerous
the pirates had become on our coast:
: .'We have been extremely pestered
with pirates" he writes, "who now
swarm in America, and increase their
numbers by almost every vessel they
take. If speedy care be not taken
they will become formidable, being
now at least fifteen hundred strong
They have very particularly talked of
visiting this place, many of them be-
ing very well acquainted with it, and
some born in it; for they are gener-
ally all Englishmen, and therefore
know our government can make no
defence"
Philadelphia was then only thirty
two years old, and being Inhabited
chiefly by Quakers, could have offer
ed little resistance to pirate feet
manned by fifteen hundred sailors
In that same year. 1717, there was
one week in October, Mr.. Logan
mentions, when the pirates took and
plurdered, In the Delaware, six or
seven vcsselsI Some Philadelphians-
who were taken prisoners, heard them
say that they had eight hundred men
in Rhode Island, and another band in
North Carolina, all under the COM
mand of one captain. The pirate YES
sci which made those captures had a
crew of one hundred and thirty men,
call stont fellows" says Logan. 'all
English and doubly armed They
said they were only waiting for their
consort of twenty-six guns to attack
and plumber Philadelphia. Nor was
this mere momentary or occasional
panic, for year after the same James
Logan wrote:
eve are now sending down large
vessel to seize those rogues, if not
strengthened from sea. We are in
manifest danger here, unless the kings
ships take some notice of us. 1t is
possible, indeed, that the merchants
of New York, some of them l mean,
might not be displeased to hear we
are all reduced to ashes. Unless
these pirates be deferred 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 all the greater, be-
cause none OF the merchants and con-
tractors, who had fitted out privateers
during the war, continued to supply
the same vessels, when, at the return
Of peace, they had turned pirates
indeed, the pirate ships
were strong enough to hold their own
against man-ofwar. In 1 the year
1928, for example, two pirate vessels
came in near Sandy Hook when a