The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-16
DEATH OF A PIRATE KING.
Re Was the Deuce of a Fellow, Wicked
and Big, with Voice Like Thunder.


From the NeW YorI; sam
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb IA vessel Just
in from Honolulu brings news of the death
Of man whose history is as thrilling as
that of any pirate king of yellow-covered
literature. Twenty-Five years ago he was
a pirate king as brave and as wicked as
pirate kings always are. Since then he has
been hermit.
In the days of his wickedness and power
he commanded a vessel called the Red
Cloud, stanch. unusually fast, and furnished
with powerful guns. Periodically this car
mlne-red craft disappeared from the seas,
and in her place would come another all in
Somber black and named the Black Cloud.
This piece of theatrical effect, which cost
nothing more than little paint, had its ex-
pected Influence upon the superstitious
minds of the sailors who were some
times sent in pursuit of the vessel.
Most of them fully believed that
there was something uncanny about
the craft and that her Captain had super
natural help In those days he was the ter
ror of the South Pacific seas, and the British
government set big price upon his head.
Hundreds Of attempts were made to cap
ture him by fair fight and by traps, and by
every means that could be devised. But he
eluded all the traps, came out victorious in
all the fights and in every case sailed away
with the traditional scornful laugh of the
pirate king. He had Spanish name which
nobody remembers now, and he was sup
posed to belong to that nationality,
although he spoke Spanish, English, French
and German, all with equal fuency. At
last young English nobleman, loving adj
venture and DESTROYS of the reward, under
took to capture him. After cruising
around in the Pacific for some time he
came, late one afternoon, directly upon the
Red Cloud. The buccaneer spoke the
Englishman, asking where she was bound
and what she had on board The reply was
that they were looking for the pirate, that
thew knew they were talking to him and
tnat ne had better give himself up at once.
In an instant bright lights appeared all
over the Red Cloud, and Der captain an
swered in good English: II will see you in
- trstw Then a cannon ball whizzed
through the air, but it was aimed too high
and passed above the vessel IL will see you
there, shouted back the Englishman, and
a oroadside from his guns aimed low, sent
tne Red Cloud to the bottom of the sea.
BUT the buccaneer escaped, and not long
erterward he and two Of his crew appeared
n a rowboat on the barren island of Molo-
KIM, which is near the East Maui Islands Of
Ine Hawaiian group. 1t is a small, barren,
rocky place, uninhabited. There his two
companions even left him, and there he
ihved alone for twenty-five years. Since his
landing there he was called only Morrotin-
nee, the native name for the island. A
sailor, who has been going to and fro
from the Sandwich Islands for ten
or twelve years, learned all he could
ABOUT Morrotinnee, and says that he
was much liked and feared by the
natives They carried to him all
Ine dellcacies to be found in the kingdom,
ana enabled him TO live life of ease and
luxury. They said he was tall man, big,
ana commanding, with voice like thunder
so powerful that they firmly believed he
could cause the wind TO rise or the waters
70 subSde They would not allow white
men to go near the island if they could help
~ probably because they had been so com
L,uanded by him. and when he died they
buried him near the place where he had
lved, with much mourning over his de-
parture.