Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-08-28
or very expressive bit of pal.

. cleared the forests and put up tw
or three rude cottages for winter
quarters. There is no evidence G
WInthrop'S presence on the islam,
until the spring of l645, when h
came with a company, and the set
tIement of the island was actively
urged forward. None of the pio
neers, however, brought their wive
and families with them; these re
mained behind until the autumn o
1916, or until comfortable dwellings
had been built for them; but tht
colonists were not all this time
without the refining influence O
/ female society. AS early as April
1915, there is evidence of lady's
presence among them. Roger Will
liams, writing to Gov. Winthrop
| from "Narragansett, %, 4, 49,
sends his slowing saiutes to your
i dearest and kind sister, and other
letters of the Winthrops at this peri
Od mention her. This brave lady
was Mrs. Lake, sister-in-law to Gov.
/ winthrop: She had been visiting
Lady Fenwick at Saybrook, but on
! Winthrop's arrival on the island
went thither in company with Mr..
! Thomas Peters, a brother of the
Rev. Hugh Peters, a Puritan di-
vine, who figures somewhat largely
in the early records of the colony.
She is worthy of honor as being the
first Englishwoman who trod the
soil of the Pequot country.
Gov. Winthrop remained on the
island until the success of the PLAN
tation was assured, and then, hav-
ing received a grant on the banks of
| the Thames, removed thither and
founded the present city of New
London.
The piratical annals of the island
(if may be allowed the expression)
form not uninteresting episode in
its history. For period of nearly
fifty years-from 1880, LET us say,
until 1923, when the Greyhound,
man-of-War, broke the spirit of the
marauders by capturing pirate
crew of twenty-five men, and bring
ing them into Newport, where they
were hanged-the shores and islands
of the eastern part of the Sound and
of the ocean as far east as Cape Cod
were havens of refuge for all the
pirates who infested the American
coasts. Hard pressed, hither they
fled for safety. The innumerable
islands, bays, creeks and channels
of these waters afforded secure hid
lug places, and their swift currents,
shoals, reefs and the dense fogs that
are whirled swiftly in from the
ocean were additional elements OF
security.
Everyone who has read of Capt.
Kidd will remember Gardeners
Island and bay on the coast of Long
Island as his favorite haunt, and
Fishers Island, directly opposite,
was much frequented by himself
and others of his ilk. Here, behind
its wooded shores, in their low,
black schooners they waited until a
rich West Indiaman, bound to or
from New London, came sailing by,
when they pounced upon her, and |
after rifiing her of such parts of her
cargo as pleased their fancy, either
burned her or allowed her to pro-
ceed on her voyage.
Many marvellous tales and legends |
of these freebooters still linger about |
the coast, and eerie sights still con-
tinue to be seen by the cTedulous
fishermen. In the dead of night |
ghostly companies land upon the |
island, seek some secluded dell, and |
fall to digging with spade and pick
axe, but in the morning when the
fisherman seeks the spot no trace of
their labors is seen, and frequently /
spectral vessels with low, black |
hulls, tapering masts, and every.
thing, 'fas they sailed, as they
sailed" under Capt. Kidd, are seen
flying down the Sound amid the
scud and drift of the departing east
erly storms. There are persons who
sneer at these tales, and even of the
existence of the pirates themselves
as mere figments of the Imagination,
and who would rob Captain Kidd |
of his glory by making him out
mere thievish landsman who was
in the habit of putting out from the
shore in Whaleboat occasionally !
and capturing such unfortunate
customers as came in his way. But |
these gentlemen forget the large
mass of documentary evidence
their view of the matter,
which if gathered together might |
make some interesting annals of
piracy. 1t is doubtful il they ever
met with the following paper, which
copy from the records of meet /
ing of the governor and council at
Hartford in 1852, and which is the
earliest authentic document that /
have seen proving the existence of
pirates on this coast, although there
may be earlier. 1t is addressed to |
the above-named body by Daniel |
Wetherell, of New London:
"NEw LONDON, July %, 1857
Hon'd Sir: This may inform your
honor that lately arrived at East |
hampton ON LOnge Island Catch |
and small sloops with about 80 or |
40 privateers or rather pirates; one |
of the sloops laye some time at
Plum Island when 5 of her men left
her and came hither, the rest went
for the Bay ColOnie, and at Nam
tasket met with more of their COM
panions and gave chase to a slOop of
Mr.. Isaac Arnold's vt was bound to
Virginia and took her with thous-
and pound cargo as he informs me
the Ketch was about 130 tunn which
they made sale of at East hampton
to one Hutchinson of Bostone, and
with part of the money bought an
other slOop of Capt. Hubbard of the
same place; which came over to
this harbor pretending to buy some
but bought not any only
q little bread, ! doe suppose they
intend to supply themselves by pi-
racy. The next day after they i
were gone / receaved the enclosed,
which gives account of the third
small sloop by the governor of
Rhode Island, since which here ar
rived Mr.. Jonas Clarke bound to
to put Mr.. Arnold ashore
there, and from thence to COnneeti.a
cut, who was chased by that priva-
teer that went out of this harbor
and lyes still about Fishers Hand
and Gardeners Hand but they
were too nimble for we privateers
and came into this harbor where
they desired some men and arms to
secure them, having as they said a
very considerable cargo on board.
Sir, my humble de-
sire is that your Honor with your
Honored Councell would please to
inform me what to do in these exi-
gincys for they are yet waiting for
TO take all they can master, being
well armed and fitted with grana-
das for the work. earnestly beg