St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-05
THE REAL CAPT. KIDD.
He Was Not the Bold, Bad Pirate
History Has Made Him Out to Be.

History Has Made Him Out to Be.
Louisville Courier-Journal.
1t seems somewhat late in the day to
send an expedition to search for the
treasure buried by Capt. William Kidd,
but your average treasure-seeker is not
easily discouraged. and will de-
vote more labor and ingenu-
ity to the task of hunting for
imaginary treasures than would be suf-
ficIent to earn real ones. An expedi-
ton is now engaged in searching the
shores of Chester bay, Nova Scotia, in
the hope OF discovering treasures buried
there by Kidd, although there Is no evil
dence that Kidd was ever there.
The popular idea of Capt. Kidd is that
he was pirate who swept the seas for
many years and accumulated vast GUAM
titles of gold, silver and jewelry, which
he was in the habit of burying
In all sorts of places and then forget
ting where he had put them. There mas
never been more than very slender
basis for the impression. Capt. Kidd
was accused of piracy, but he was not
convicted because there was no evil
dence to Justify such conviction. He
was executed, it is true, but it was on
the charge of numbering a sailor, and
the justice of this conviction has always
been questiod. He died protesting his
Innocence. He did not deny that he had
struck the sailor, William Moore, with a
bucket, and that he died of the injury
so inflicted, but he protested that the
man was mutlnouS, and that the blow
was inflicted in Self-defense.
The people who are busying them
selves with the task of reconstructing
history, and who are never so happy as
when they find grounds for smashing a
popular idol, have been busy with the
case of Capt. Kidd, and with the usual
result. 1t must be owned, too, that they
had in this instance fair basis upon
which to begin their researches.
Kidd was a bold and successful
navigator, a native of Scotland,
who had done good service against
the French and had received ain award
of $3.50 from the conncil of the city of
New York for protecting the colony
against pirates. He had acquired a
competency and was living in retire
ment in New York when the Earl of
Bellamont was sent over by William
III. as governor of New York
and Massachusetts. The new gov
ernor was told by his sovereign
that he had been selected be-
cause he was believed to have the cour-
age and honesty requisite to free the
colony from the reproacheS of piracy.
Kidd was recommended to the governor
by Robert Livingston as the man for the
purpose, and he consented to undertake
the task. The British admiral made OBJ
Jectlons to furnishing an outfit. so
syndicate was formed to engage in the
business of catching pirates for profit.
1t was Kidd's misfortune, dhubtiess,
that
powerful. In The scheme besides such
men as Bellamont and Livingston were
Lord Shrewsbury, Lord Romney. Lord
Oxford, first lord of the admiralty, and
Somers, keeper of the great seal. The
sum OF 900 was raised and a priya-
teer equipped. The king was to get
one-tenth of the booty, the men to have
a share in lieu of wages. and the residue
was to be divided among the stock
holders. Kidd started out in 1896.
cruised for some time in the Indian
ocean, proceeded TO the West Indies,
and thence to Long Island sound. In
the meantime the rumor had been cir
culated that he had become pirate,
and orders had been sent out
for his apprehension. He sent
lawyer to Boston to confer with
Bellamont, and in the meantime buried
quantity of gold. silver, Jewels and
merchandise on Gardeners island. He
was encouraged to give himself up,
which he did in 1899, and was sent to
England, where he was executed in
1701. The treasure on GARDENERS island
was recovered and proved to be of the
value of $4,000. There is no record
that. he busted valuables at any other
place, nor is there any probability that
he did so.
1t is claimed that the research has
completely rehabilitated the character
of Kidd. so far as the charge of piracy
is concerned. His chief offense Is said
to have been failure to declare dlvi-
dend to the stockholders, who were
powerful enough to crush him. At the
same time, it must De owned that
the burying of the treasure on
Gardeners island had a rather sus-
picious appearance, and it is probable
that Kidd was not the most suitable
man to handle the money of others. If
he had lived two centuries later, and
had been the cashier of an American
bank, he would probably have ended
his career in Canada.