The Wahpeton times., 1890-10-23
Tho Pirate "Blackbeard.. |.

maue more than one captain walk the
plank, and who committed moro pri.
vatemurders than he could number on
the fingers OF bothhands; one who fills
and will continue to fill, the place to
which he has been assigned for gener.
ations, and who may be depended
upon to hold his place in the conf.
dence OF others for generations to
come.
Captain Teach was Bristol man
born. and learned his trade on borad
OF sundry privateers i'll the East In.
dies during tie old French War-that
OF llo2-and q better apprenticeship
could no man serve. At last. some.
where about the latter part OF the
year l7l6, q privatcerins captain, one
Benjamin HorniScld, raised him from
the ranks and put him in command
OF sloop-a lately captured prize
and Blackbeards fortune was made.
1t was Il very slight step. and but the
change OF q tew letters, to convert
"privatcer" into pirate" and it
was q very short time before Teach
made that change. Not only did he
make it himself, but lie persuaded his
old captain to Join him.
And now fairly begun that series OF
bold and lawless depredations which
have made his name sojustly famous,
and which placed him amongst the
very greatest OF marooning treeboot.
ers.
"Our hero" says the old historian
who sings OF the arms and bravery OF
TINS great man-"Our hero assumed
the rognomen OF Blackboard from
that large quantity OF ha,r which. like
q 1righttul meteor, covered his whole
face, and frightened America more
than any comet that appeared there
Tor q long time. He was accustomed
to twist it with ribbons into small
tails, after the manner OF our Ram.
HE; wiz, and turn them about his
ears. In time Of action he wore 4
slim. over his shoulders, with three
brace of pistols hanging iii holsters
like band oleers; he stuck lighted
matches under his hat, which, appear.
ln@ on each side OF his face, and his
eyes naturally looking fierce and wild,
made him altogether such q figure
that Imagination cannot form an
idea OF Il Fury from hell to look more
frightful"
The night before the day OF the nc.
tion in which he was killed he sat up
drinking with some con.enial com.
pany until broad day light. One ol
them asked him ii his poor young wife
knew where his treasure was hidden.
mo" says Blackboard; nobody but
the devil and knows where it is, and
the longest liver shall have ALL"
For 81 time Blackboard worked at
MS trade down on the Spanish Main,
gathering in, the few years he was
there, u very neat little fortune in the
booty captured from sundry vessels;
but by-and-by he took it into his
head to try ms luck along the coast
OF the Carolinas; SO off he sailed to
tho northward, with quite respect.
able little fleet, consisting OF his own
Nesse! and two captured sloops.
From that time he was actively en-.
sayed in the making OF American his.
tory in his small way.
He first appeared off the bar ol
Charleston Harbor, to the no small
excitement of the worthy town OF
that ik, and there he lay for five or
six days, blockadms the port and
stopping incoming and outgoing Nes.
sells ut his pleasure, SO that, for the
time, the commerce OF the province
was entirely paralyzed. All the YES
sells so stopped he held as prizes, and
all the crews and passengers (;lmong
| the latter of whom was more than
one provincial worthy of the day. he
retained as though they were prison.
ers of the war.
And it was n nightly awkward
thing for the good folk of Charleston
to behold day after day !. blarll flag
with its white skull and oss-bones
tluttering ut the fore OF the pirate
captains craft. over across the level
stretch OF green salt-marsnes; and it
was nightly unpleasant, too, to
know that this or that prominent
| citizen was crowded down with the
other prisoners under the matches.
Becoming tired OF an inactive life,
Blackboard afterward assumed his
piratical career. He cru,scd around
i'll the rivers and in!ets and sounds OF
North Carolina for II while, ruling the
roOst, and with never Il one to say
with such pest any longer. So they
sent q deputation up to the Governor
OF Virginia asking ii he would be
pleased to help them in their trouble
There were two mer-of-war lying at
KeQuetan. in the James River, ut the
time. 10 them the Governor Of .Vir.
eina applied, and plucEy Lrutatiant
kAiaynnr'', OF the Pearl. WAS sent to
fOcracoke Inlet To fight this pirate who
! ruled it down there so much like cock
OF Il walk. There he found Black
beard waiting fer him. and us ready
FOR q fight as ever the lieutenant him
self could he. Fight they did, and
while it lasted it w;ls rs pretty apiece
OF business OF its kind as one conid
wish to see. Black beard drained
glass OF slog, wishing the lieutenant
luck in getting aboard OF him, fired u
broadsde. blew some twenty of the
lie,;tenunt's men out OF existence, and
totally crippled one OF his little sloops
for the balance Of the fight. After
that, and under cover OF the smoke,
the pirate and his men boarded the
other sloopssand then followed IL fine
old-fashloned hand-to hand conflict
betwixt him and thelieutenant. First
they fired their pistols. and then they
took to it with curlasses-risht, left, up
and down, cut and s!ash-until the
lieutenant's cu.lass broke short off at
the hilt. Then Blackboard would
have finished him off handsomely, on.
y up steps one of the lieutenant's
men and fetches him great slash
ho