The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-11-29
Blackboard, the Pirate.

The career of Blackboard throws a
curious light upon the manner in which
the colonies Of his Britannia majesty,
King George H., were governed. His
friend, the governor Of North Carolina,
made no scruple of convening q court
OF vice admiralty at Bath Town, which
condemned his captures as lawful prizes,
although he had never held a commits
sion in his life.
Blackboard was typical pirate, pos
sessed with mania for getting married,
His friend, the governor, after the man
ner Of the plantations, married him to
his fourteenth wife, q young creature of
sixteen, whom he treated scandalously.
1t is not on record that Blackboard, like
Bluebeard, slew his wives. On the con-
trary, he had, at the period referred to,
about dozen living in various places.
| Obviously, he was q man Of domestic
instincts, modified by o rowing life, and
liked to have somebody to welcome him
home wherever he was. His cognomen
OF blackboard was derived from the
large quantity of hair which, like o
frightful meteor, covered his whole
face. In boarding, the pistol was the
favorite weapon of the rovers, who al
ways wore two or three brace in silk
sling, hung rather round the neck than
over the shoulders. Armed thus, the
freebooter was nearly as we'll off as if
he had possessed a revolver. He had
only to cock and fire, drop one pistol
and seize another ready to his hand,
without the risk of losing his Weapons.
This reliance on the pistol was, doubt
less, one reason OF the success of the
rovers in close fighting. To add terror
/ In u
lighted matches under his hat, which,
eyes naturally looking fierce and wild,
made him altogether such figure that
imagination cannot form an idea Of q
fury from hell to look more frightful. "
He was a froGcsome fellow, this Cap
tain Teach, in his grim way. One day,
being at sea and q little flushed with
drink, he determined to make an in
ferno "of his own," and to that end
went down into the hold with two OF
three others, end, having filed several
pots full of birthstone, set them on fire
and was very proud of having held out
the longest against suffocation. An.
other evening, being in pleasant mood
drinking and playing cards with few
choice kindred spirits, he blew out the
light, and, crossing his hands under the
table, fired his pistols, laming ono man
for life, and when asked the meaning OF
this, said, eff he did not now and then
kill one OF them they would forget who
| he was"
One eerie story of Blackboard and his
crew runs thus: "Once upon O cruise
they found out that they had q man on
board more than their crew; such a one
was seen several days among them,
sometimes below and sometimes on
deck, yet no man on the ship could give
en- account who he was or from whence
he came, but that he disappeared lit
tie before they were cast away in theil
great ship; but it seems they verify be.
lieved it was the devil"
Like many other great men, Black
beard did not improve upon acquaint.
ance, and his faends, the planters, al
last got tired of his society. Redress
from the governor of North Carolina
was hopeless, and the governor of Vir.
ginia was applied to. This gentleman
at once sent Lieutenant Maynard, with
a couple of sloops, to capture the pi.
rate. A desperate fight ensued. Ate,
some heavy firing, Blackboard, after
hurling on to the enemy several "new
fashioned sortof grenades" case bottles
filled with powder and slugs-boarded
him, but this time met his match, and
fell dead, after receiving twenty-five
wounds, fighting like fury to the last.
His head was cut off and hung to the
bowsprit of the victorious sloop.