The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-01-19
A DREADED PIRATE.
ri AcKgeARD LOOKED ENOUGH LIKE
SATAN TO BE A BROTHER.

% ] AN ~ OF - y
The Ferocious Robber of the Seas Had "A
Fashion of Getting Himself Up in a
Hideous and Repulsive M~anner-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-
fected a flag which struck terror to
thousands Of hearts and paralyzed the
commerce of the New World; the thick
ly clustering wives and luxuriaut growths
fringing its shores concealed, like the
original Eden, a hiding devil, the foe of
God and man-Blackbeard, the pirate.
From a strange tendency of human ma
ture the life of the pirate possesses a fas-
cinating 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 nave been unable to resist the
destinations 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-
ton of the prisoner Conrad in the lonely
turret, barring his bosom to the midnight
storm and defying the lightning of Of
Tended heaven to t~ransfix him. Of all
this unnoly brood Blackboard was facile
princeps, as Milton says of satan, "by
merit raised to that bad eminence." 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 to seize the presumptuous mariner,
and in his diabOlic career Blackboard
seemed to be the i"mpersonation of this
mystic monster. Perhaps a greater de-
mon never prOwled the seas or walked
the earth in human form.
Even III personal appearance he was
hldeous 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 n shaggy black beard,
reaching below the waist. This hirsutt
adornment, of which he was very proud.
and which he cultivated with sedulou>
care, he was accustomed to braid Will
ribbons and to twist about his ears until
it stood forth like projecting horns.
Into the ends of these he stuck small,
slowly burning fuses, whose %sulphurous
fumes enveloped him in a lurid hue and
rendered him a not uniting representa-
ton of the satanic ideal, whose characte:
he so successfully emulated. In time Of
action he slung arOund his neck a scarf
into which were thrust three braces or
pistols. Our readers, ever those WHO
are not endowed with Dantesque power
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, witt
the black fig futtering above his head
and his merCiless face lighting up with
a 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 of Bris-
tOl, England. OF his early career moth
ing definite Is known. He first emerged
from obscurlty as a common sailor on
board a ~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-
age, which attracted the attention or
his not over scrupulOus~ commander, who
soon intrusted him with a prize he had
captured. In 1717 these two choice
spirits spread their sails from Provi-
dence (auspiciOuS namely for America,
capturing Ell voyage three vesselsladen
with wine, flour and miscellaneous car
goes, which they appropriated to their
w 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
Ill quest of fresh booty. On this cruise
they secured the most valuable prize
yet captured, a large French Guinea
man, richly freighted, bound for Mar
Unique. At this j%uncture H~ornigold's
avarice 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 awaited himself of a pardon
offered by the king to all pirates who
should surrender in a specified me.
Teach, however, only emboldened bv
success, now assumed an independent
character ana beg. / that career of crime
which rendered his name so Infamous -
Richmond Times.