New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1890-09-10
BLACK BEARD THE ROVER,

fringed with groves Of
protected from all winds by the low
keys that serve as a breakWater.
early in the last century the island
belonged to several English noble
men who had received it as a grant
from the crown and established a
Tdourishing colony there. By the
peace of Utrecht the European pow
,ers had agreed to exterminate the
buccaneers, those pests Of the West
Indies, and everything looked serene
at New Providence whence a strange
feetfying the black flag with bloody
skull and bones was seen entering
the port. 1t proved to bethe squad
ron of John Teach, sea rover of
great ability and most desperate
character who had just entered upon
an independent career of adven ture
and blood on the high seas.
Teach was first engaged in trade
with Jamaica. But when his VEN
lures turned out unsuccessful he de-
cided as SO many did in those days
to try his fortune in piracy. He soon
'contrived to seize large ship whose
decks he mounted with forty guns.
His promises of booty soon gather
ed crowd of eager ruffians under
his command. Ship after ship was
captured; some were scuttled and
their crews made to walk the plank
But he saved the five best of these
ships. When he had a feet of six
vessels he felt the need of a port of
his own, where he could reft and store
the spoil. New Providence lay near
the track of ships bound to the West
Indies, and hither this new freeboot-
~er now steered. .. .--
The colony of New Providence was
too feeble to offer fit resistance, and
Teach, without so much as sa ying
"by your leave" at once proceeded
to take possession and make that an
ambush from which his cruisers could
spring forth and waylay the merchant
ships. There he held high carnival;
there many bloody deed was
wrought, and the ribald revelry of
many a foul orgie profaned the mid
night stiffness Of that summer isle.
Teach from all accounts was in ap-
pearance exactly what the pirates Of
romance should be OF a grim and
most terrible aspect. He was heavi-
ly built, his shoulders were broad,
and his muscles like iron. His COM
plexion was tawny, his eyebrows
black and bushy, and beneath them
his eyes shone with a glare that
freezes one to the marrow. But the
most remarkable feature of this sea
ruffian was his beard. 1t was of a
raven blackness and grew to his
waist. When he was going into bat
tie or preparing to toss a score of
trem bling wrenches from the yard
arm he had the habit of twisting his
beard into braids Indeed he took a
special pride in this hairy ornament,
and by it acquired the notorious
name at Black Beard. This practical
admiral always carried cutlass
at his side and over his shoulders
were a popular belt contrived by
himself, in which no less than six of
the huge pistols of that day were
suspended. This was evidently a
pirate Of uncommon magnitude, and
his deeds showed that he was as
fierce and daring as he looked
But, after a time, the oft repeated
soutrages ofBlack Beard reached such
a point that the West india mer-
chants appealed for aid to the Eng
lish government. A powerful feet
was sent against him, too powerful
for him to resist with any hope Of
success, and the pirate prince OF the
Bahamas, the self-appointed govern
or Of New Providence, John Teach,
otherwise Black Beard, wisely decid-
ed to put up his helm and run to a
safer port.
We next hear of Black Beard on
the coast of the Carolinas. A rem
devious was made in the night, at
Cape Fear. And this BOLD desperate
actually dared to block Charleston.
Tt seems incredible to us now, butts
none the less a fact. His three ablest
captains were named Vane, Morley
and Steed Bonnet, men whose reputa-
ton for courage and skill was only
second to that of their dread ADM
raj, and in the royal service might