Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1880-02-25
Captain Kidd.
SPECIFIC REASONS GIVEN FOR BELIEVING HIN
TO HAVE BEEN A GOOD MAN.

The event of the evening was the read.
ing by Douglas Campbell of an interesting
historical paper entitled :" Was Capt. Kidd
a PIRATE p the author taking the ground
that Kidd, Instead of being the freebooter
and murderer he is painted, was in reality
a loyal subject of the king, and fell a
victim of the political persecution of his
| friend and wing patron. Lord Chancellor
Somers, by he tory lords who came into
rover in the last days Of William III.
hldd was by birth an freshman or Scotch,
man TOR both countries claimed him), who
distinguished himself as privateer com
mandcr in the war against the French,
ana with the wealth acquired from priva.
te"rrg settled in New York. His house
was IN Liberty street near Nassau. During
the LeislSr anarchy, which preceded the
arrival of the earl Of Bellamont, Kidd
rendered the city valuable services, for
which the governor and assembly pre-.
s"nte' him with Gl5O SO great was his
reputation as a successful naval officer that
the colony OF Massachusetts,, in 1861. tried
to hire hlnl to take charge OF an expedi.
ton against a privateer which was then
raVa9lng their coasts. Piracy and free.
bostng had then grown to most alarm.
ing extent especially in the Indian ocean.
many OF them were sOl-distant DrVateers
from New York and other colonies, who,
beginning with the pursuit of French and
Spanish ships, in the ond extended their
operations To those of all nations. 1t was
to put down these Red sea men," as thew
were called, that Kidd was sent out ia the
adventure galley with his crew of scape,
graces and desperadoes. Among his patrons
and PARTNERS in the expedition were Somcrg.
Halifax, and other powerful whig lords.
and even the king himself offered to in.
vest $4,000 in the undertaking. Arrived
Ia the Indian ocean Kidd found his in,
subordinate crew more ready to take sides
with the pirates than to fight them He
captured some vessels which he claimed
were sailing under French papers. 1t was
his misfortune that his rautinous crew pre-
vented his taking them before a prize
court. After his capture Of the QuciaM
merchant, owned by Moors, and which was
made the basis OF the principal charge
against him, 80 Of his crew deserted and
Joined the pirates. The others endeayored
to persuade him by threats to turn pirate
and take the Lo4ul Captatt, an armed Eng.
lish ship, which was sailing in his company.
Kidd steadily refused, and in an alterca.
ton growing out of the affair he struck
William Moore, one OF his petty officers,
over the head with n bucket. inficting
fatal injuries. lie was recalled Ia Boston.
where Lord Bellamont took his papers
containing the French papers of the ships
he captured, and which he was never after
able to obtain, although his life depended
upon their production. Whilo he was gone
the wings had suffered defeat III the par
llamchtary elections, and tory ministry
had come IN, eager to revenge themselves
on the WING chancellor, Somers, by proving
Kidd pirate and then impleadinc Somcrs
for having affixed the great seal of Eng
land to Kidd's commission. Kidd, who
had now assumed the dignity of a state
prisoner, was taken to England in the
man Of-war 1ctcc, which had been dis
patched to bring him. The lords Of the
admiralty, the sworn enemies Of the lord
chancellor, subjected him to long and
tortuous examination, in which they strovs
to induce him to implicate the lord chan
cellof in his transactions, but without effect
Kids fidelity was not to be shaken. On
the 30th Of March, l70l, he was ordered
for trial at the Old Bailey, and two DAYS
later Simon llarcourt, the tory leader in
the house OF commons, introduced the
resolutions impeachng Somers. The for
NAL articles which were not submitted till
two months later, after Kids trial and
with being implicated with civilian Kidd,
a person Of evil fame and reputation, and
since that time convicted of piracy I"
Kidd was really hanged in order to help
out the impeachment of Somers His trial
in which he was denied access to his
papers, and confronted by host of law
lords and kings counsel all anxious for his
conviction, was monstrOus farce Even
his two sailors, whs turned informers, were
forced to admit, on cross examination, that
Moore was killed IN an angry alteration
and IN manner that showed no premedi.
tation or intention to cause death. One of
them testified that on the capture of the
foreign merchantmen Kidd showed him
papers which he (the witness) could not
read, but which Kidd informed him were
French. The Lord Chief Baron Wood put
insulting questions to Kidd's witness, and
the court unanimously refused to allow
him time to get his papers from Lord Bella
mont in America Military and naval off.
GERS testified to the prisoners splendid
courage in the French war, and Col. Hew.
son told how Kidd, with two English ships,
whipped six Frenchmen in a desperate sea
fight. The witness repudiated with scorn
the charge that they had ever known him
to be guilty of piracy or anything an.
preaching it. Kidd was denied counsel.
was hampered by legal tricks, and brow.
beaten, overpowered by the six partial
judges on the bench and the five cunning
lawyers opposed to him. His trial was
"railroaded." 1t began May s, two yer.
diets, one of "murder" and the other
piracy" were brought in on the 9th, and
on 18th, three days following, Kidd
was hanged in execution dock, The ina.
parchment of Somers, which the tories
had thought to carry by the aid of Kidd's
death, failed, the house of lords throwing
out the articles. History had done full
justice to the character Of the great whig
chancellor, while that of his friend, viii,
liam Kidd, the New York sailor, had for
six generations rested undeserved ignominy.
On motion of Mr.. Delaney vote of
thanks to the author passed unanimously.
~ \. Times.
Pat. DWELL, Daa, and have We heard
tho news-hava We heard that Rory the
miller's dead?" Dan. Rory, the miller,
is it that's dead now? Jabers, but We don't
say Sc and lac was n young man, too"
Pat. "Faith, an that's threw for ye, Dan