The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-24

I
Well along in the eighteenth century
Capt. Bellamy fitted out a private vessel
called the Whidaw manned with $50 hands
and mounting twenty-eight guns. This
ship scourged the entire coast of America
from Virginia to Newfoundland, taking
many vessels, and committing some of the
most fearful deeds of brutality and murder
Imaginable. The pirate made an ill-ad-
vlsed attack upon French warship of
thirty-six guns of Newfoundland, and
after two hours engagement, during which
, Bellamy received the worst Of the fight the
Whidaw was forced to take himself off
Had not the night favored Bellamy he Ger
tainly had been taken but in the darkness
he escaped with the loss of thirty-six men
killed. Shortly after this the Whidaw re-
turned to Newfoundland, where another
prize was taken, and a return to the coast of
New England was made. The master of
the prize, who was native of Cape Cod
was kept at the wheel for the purpose of
plotting the pirate between St. Georges
Banks and Nantucket Shoals, but, while
the pirates were drinking and carousing in
the cabin, he took the opportunity to run
the vessel ashore near Eastman and alone
escaped alive. The Whidaw, following,
also ran ashore near by, and those of the
pirates who were not drowned were seized
by the inhabitants, tried and executed
Many American born seamen were among
fierce in their depredations as were those of
other nationalties. Capt. Samuel Burgess
| was native of New York and well edu-
Gated man. About the year 1740 he fitted
out a pirate and began to prey upon the
| merchant ships of the AlanUic but love of
| further adventure took him around Good
| Hope, and he took many prizes among the
| East Indiamen. He was captured and taken
to England and piracy sworn against him
by Culiford but after a long imprison-
| ment at Newgate he was acquitted of the
| charge. He then began his plundering
career again, but died soon after at Port of
the Red Sea, where it is believed he was
poisoned by the natives for having de-
| frauded them.
Capt William Fly, Capt. North, Capt.
| Williams and John Angus were other we'll
known pirates who infested the waters
about North America and West Indies
| They became so numerous and daring even
| down to the beginning of the present ecu
| fury, that the then Commodore Porter was
| dispatched in the Enterprise from Balti-
I more, Jan. 49, 1928. His cruise was very
successful and great many of the despera-
| does were driven from their vocation. On
| Feb. Z, 1923, ten pirates captured by the
| British ship of war Tyne were hanged at
| Kingstown, Jamaica, and piracies on the
high seas defined percephbly.
The buccaneers, who were closely allied
| &DDGarCnCG
| in large numbers on this side of the Allan
tic as early as the beginning of the seven
! tenth century. These were then composed
| mostly of Frenchmen, though EugliShmen
and Spaniards afterward Joined, and chose
| the vicinity of the West Indies and Carri-
| bean Sea, or what is sometimes called the
"Spanish MAN," as the scene of their
| operations. Their depredations there were
extensive, alarming, and they proved them
| selves so desperate that the Spanish govern
ment began to fear for their possessions in
| the new world AT first the pirates were
| satisfied with an occasional attack on q
| merchant vessel, richly laden with the
| products of those fertile countries, but they
| soon became so numerous that they did rot
| hesitate to lay seige to the smaller cities,
| and even to the large fOrtreSses, which they
often succeeded in taxing, and after sacking
them and taking everything of value from
| the citizens, they would sail away to new
| fields of operations. The Spanish govern
ment finally found it necessary to make
| war upon them, SO bold and desperate had
| they become, and number of expeditions
| were sent to suppress them.
| About 1920 the buc cancers founded a SET
Element on the island of Santo Domingo,
from which position the Spaniards at
| tempted to expel them, and the result was
a long war, in which many victories were
accredited to the buccaneers. In 1850
| these freebooters made the island of
| Tortugas, west of the Florida Kevs, their
stronghold, from which place they went
out in row boats, armed to the teeth, and
attacked European vessels passing by.
| Many richly laden treasure ships were
boarded by them, plundered and their crows
| cast into the sea.
The French buccaneers made their head
quarters at Santo Domingo and the Eng
| llsh at Jamaica during the long war be-
Eron and
proved themselves SO cruelty blood
thirsty and successful that Spanish COM
MERGE defined to an almost Incredible de-
gree In the numerous attacks on the
| large cities, the taking of the fortified town
| of Carthagena, which was the strongest in
the south, proved the most remunerative,
| and in 1897 the buccaneers succeeded in
| carrying off no less than $4,000 600 worth
of property and treasure.
Finally the European governments saw
| something must be done, and an alliance
between the English, Dutch and Spanish
finally drove them from the sea. For long
period, viz, between the years l6S4-93 the
Carolinas were disposed to assist the buc-
cancers and harbored them during that
period at Charleston.
Prominent among the Anglo-Saxou buc-
cancers was Sir Henry Morgan, who was
born among the hills of Wales at the OPEN
| ing of the seventeenth century. When
quite young boy he betook himself to
Liverpool, where a vessel just about to sail
for Barbados gave him al opportunity to
| take up seafaring life
| Arriving at that island he found two
pirate vessels just fitting out, and being in
| destitute circumstances he was Obliged to
seize chance on board one of them. In
that vessel he made several cruises, and
finally. with number of his companions,
bought a swift schooner, Of which he was
| immediately chosen captain.
| His first expedition was in 1924, when he
determined to take the island of St Cath
crime, which is situated not far distant from
what is now the republic of Costa Rica.
| The expedition was successful and the
Spanish garrison was taken by Morgan's
force, numbering about 500 mon. 1t was
the pirate captaia's intention to make St.
Catherine his headquarters, but the Span
ish government sent large feet against
him, and he was compelled to leave the
| island with, however, a small loss Some
time later he made an attack on the city of
Puerto Bello, which, next to Carthagena
| and Havana, was the strongest city on the
Spanish main. After severe fight he sue
ceeded in reducing this fortress also, having
at that time a force of about 1000 men,
Taking everything of value from the in
habitants he then sailed away to Maracaibo,
in Venezuela, which town also was reduced
and plundered.