Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-12-09
A DREADED PIRATE.
BLACKBOARD LOOKED ENOUGH LIKE
SATAN TO BE A BROTHER.

/ The Ferocious Robber of the Seas Had a
Fashion 81 Getting Himself Up in
Hideous and Repulsive Manner-story
| of His Successful Voyages.
Pamlico sound. now the haven of the
storm tossed mariner and the home of
peaceful industry. was once the theater
of FAR different scenes. In the beginning
of the last century its placent waters re
fiected "a flag which struck terror TO
| thousands of hearts and paralyzed the
commerce of the New World; the thick
| ly clustering wives and luxuriant growths
| fringing its shores concealed, like the
| original Eden, y hiding devil, the foe of
| God and man-Blackbeard, the pirate.
From strange tendency of human ma
ture the life of the pirate possesses a fas-
clnating interest, not only for the small
boy who devours the pages of his half
dime yellow back novel, but also for the
reader of stronger judgment and better
| taste. Indeed some of the greatest
writers have been unable TO resist the
! fascinations of this wide and tempting
| field
Sir Walter Scott, Marryatt and Cooper
thought it not unworthy their mighty
| pens, and the genius of Byron attained
one of its highest flights in the descrip-
tion of the prisoner Conrad in the lonely
turret, barring his bosom to the midnight
storm and defying the lightning of of
! tended heaven 30 transfix him. OF all
! this unholy brood Blackboard was facile
| princeps, AS Milton says of satan, by
merit raised TO that bad eminenee" 1t
was an Arabic tradition, relative TO the
| great unknown Atlantic that the
| gnarled and bony hand of the devil rose
| from out the waves of the sea of dark
ness 10 seize the presumptuous mariner,
| and III his dlabolic career Blackboard
seemed To be the impersonation of this
mystic monster. Perhaps a greater de
mon never prowled the seas or walked
! the earth in human form.
Even i'll personal appearance he was
hideous and repulsive, nature having
stamped him both as a physical and
moral monster. The name by which he
was known throughout the world was
derived from a singular circumstance,
which illustrates his savage ferocity.
| His naturally dark and forbidding face
was covered almost to his fierce, sensu-
Gus eyes with shaggy black beard,
reaching below the waist. This hirsute
adornment, of which he was very proud.
and which he cultivated with sedulnus
care, he was accustomed to braid with
ribbons and to twist about his ears until
it stood forth like projecting horns.
| Into 4hn 10 ,T l., 4
slowly burning fuses, whose sulphurous
| fumes enveloped him in a lurid hue and
rendered him not uniting representa-
! ton of the satanic ideal whose characte.
| he so successfully emulated. In time of
action he slung around his neck scarf
into which were thrust three braces OF
| pistols. Our readers, even those who
are not endowed with Danteseue powers
OF imagination, and especially our femi-
| nine friends, can readily fancy the i'm
! preston such an aspect would create
when met upon the lonely ocean, with
the black flag fluttering above his head
and his merciless face lighting up with
CLEAN of demoniacal joy as his help
less victims walked the fatal plank.
| The real name of this man was Ed
ward Teach, and he was a native Debris
| tol, England. OF his early career moth
ing definite is known. He first emerged
| from obscurity as common sailor on
! board privateer commanded by Cap
tain Benjamin Hornigold, sailing from
Jamaica and preying upon French COM
merce. In that humble capacity he dis
tinguished himself by his skill and cour-
! afra which attracted hn ut r
his not over scrupulous commander, who
soon intrusted him with prize he had
captured. In 1717 these two choice
! spirits spread their sails from Provi-
dence (auspicious nameD for America.
capturing en- voyage three vessels laden
with wine, flour and miscellaneous car
goes, which they appropriated to their
! own use and turned the crews adrift.
] The speed of their vessels being Grip
| pied by foul bottoms, they cleaned them
upon the coast of Virginia and went
in quest of fresh booty. On this cruise
they secured the most valuable prize
yet captured, large French Guinea
man, richly freighted, bound for Mar
Unique. AT this juncture Hornigold's
ayarice seems TO have been satisfied. or
more likely his heart failed him, for.
| taking the two vessels with which they
originally sailed, he returned TO Provi-
dence and availed himself of pardon
offered by the king to all pirates who
should surrender in a specified time.
Teach, however, only emboldened by
success, now assumed an independent
character and began that career of crime
| which rendered his name so Infamous
1 Richmond Times.