Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-24

| Aoh LII W COHluue us plratlCdl career DOluly
| than to take the course he did pursue. But
| holding freebootiDg commission from William
| Ill, he imagined that he could bluff his way
| out OF the difficulty. So he divided the booty
| with his men and left most of them on board of
| the stolen 1ndiamsn with the part Of the treas
ure that was theirs. 1t is believed that the ship
and all on her were lost in a storm. for they
| were never heard Of afterward The guilty
commander bought sloop and sailed in her to
New York by way Of Long Island sound, hover
ing for some time along shore before he could
make up his mind what to do. 1t is supposed
that he buried the bulk Of his gold and Jewels
before landing. and people have been trying to
dig up that missing booty ever since. On reach.
Ing New York he was arrested. He made a
strong defense, contending that he had not
robbed any vessels which his papers from the
king did not entitle him to take. Though there
was no doubt Of his guilt evidence against him
was so incomplete that he would have escaped
II he had had fair trial; but the powerful
hackers of his speculative enterprise requires
a scapegoat and made him the victim.
WOMEN AS PIRATES.
| Two Of the most extraordinary Of the pirates
who scourged the waters Of the West Indies
were women. One Of them was Mary Read.
She was a native of England and had been
dressed as u boy from childhood for the pur-
! pose Of hiding family secret. At one time
she served on a British war vessel where her
l
sage on a ship bound for Cuba. which was cap
| tured by a pirate. Having nothing better to
| do she adopted the piratical trade. One of her
rcutthroat shipmates Anne Bonny, who
was likewise disguised man. Anne, not
| imagining that Mary was a female fell in love
with her, revealing her own sex. Mary was
thus obliged to make a similar revelation.
| These two extraordinary persons took their
part with the men in overy conflict. The facts
regarding them are perfectly we'll authenticated
While fighting bravely their ship was at length
taken by war vessel. Thew were tried for
their lives at Jamaica, where Mary died in
prison. 1t is not certain what became Of Anne,
but she was not executed.
Madagascar has been spoken Of as a great
rendezvous for pirates. 1t became such DUR
ing the seventeenth century, when O lot Of
cutthroats made themselves masters Of a large
part OF that great island. awning the natives
into submission. Stirring up wars among tho
inhabitants, they were able to determine the
issue OF every conflict by the superiority Of
their weapons. From the prettiest of the fe-
male captlves they selected as many wives and
concubines as they wanted, thus providing
themselves with extensive seraglios. By ex-
cessive cruelty they made themselves as much
feared as If they had been so many demons
On one occasion they would all have been
killed by the aborigines, who formed a plot to
take them unawares, had it not been for q
warning conveyed just in time by a woman.
Quarreis among themselves finally induced
them to dwell separately like SO many feudal
princes. each with his retainers occupying q
citadel in the forest which could only be APP
preached by labyrinthine paths defended with
formidable thorns One OF these men had
been Waterman on tho Thames; the others
were common sailors Descendants Of their
numerous progeny are plentiful to this day in
Madagascar.
THE BARBAgY CoRsAIRs.
1t was the government Of the United States
that put quietus on the terrible Barbary oor-
sairs. For 800 years, up to 1918, these robbers
held the trade Of Europe at their mercy. All
nations-for long time even this country
paid tribute to them. When Ferdinand and
Isabella drove out the Moors thousands Of des-
perste men left Spain and crossed over to
Africa, where they settled at Algiers. Oran and
other points. Thereupon they proceeded to
harass the Spaniards the sea, making de-
scents upon the coast from time to time, mas
sacreing the men and carrying away the
women. No attention was paid to them for
many years, and meanwhile their strong places
on the Barbary shore became populous and
well garrisoned. They were reinforced by
Turks from the Levant. The first OF these
Turkish piratical commanders Barbarossa-or
Red Beard-who made himself Sultan Of Jiljil,
became a terror to the civilized world. During
his lifetime and for centuries afterward the
vessels of no nation were safe from the pirates
of Barbary.
1t seems astonishing that the powers Of Eu-
rope should have permitted the ravages OF these
pirates International quarres and jealousies
were largely responsible for the fact. Policy
induced France to be friendly to Algiers be-
cause the latter damaged the commerce Of her
enemy, Spain. The Dutch allied themselves
with Algiers in order to obtain protection for
their own ships. Even England subsidized the
robbers SO that their depredations might be
directed against her foes. So late as the early
part of the present century the European ma
tons gave brides under the name of presents to
Tunis and Algiers to induce them to let their
vessels alone. They put up with all sorts of
indiRnities. Consuls general were made to
creep on all fours into the presence of the Bey
Of Tunis-a common soldier elected to his au-
thority by Turkish militia. The Danes sent a
fleet to beg leave to hoist their flag over the
consulate in Tunis, and the bey demanded
$4,000 sequins for the privilege.
A COMMERCIAL TREATY BOUGHT
No attempt worth mentioning was made to
put down the scourge from 1860 to 1916. In
1899 the United States bought a commercial
treaty from Tuns for Sl5, 900 in cash. twenty
eight cannon, 900 balls, a quantity Of pow
der and some jewels During the period mem
toned, covering nearly three centuries the
consular officers Of Great Britain and other
maritime nations were subjected to every con-
ceivable affront. In 1888 the acting papal cor
sui and many OF his countrvmer were blown
from Inc cannon mouth DIV the Bey or Tunis
on some slight pretext. Nothing was done
about it. Half n dozen years later the same
outrage was repeated with impunity. In 1sOS
because the tribute late from Denmark
the Danish consul at Tunls was put into irons
and set to labor with slaves. From 1918 to
1922 400 British vessels were captured and
brought into Algiers, the officers and crews be-
ing imprisoned and ensaved. During the ten
years from 1890 to 1910, 5000 Englishmen were
confined in Algerian prisons. The women cap
tured went to supply the bagnios Of Algiers.
There was no attempt at reprsal. though efforts
were made to ransom the people. The fighting
gal!eons Of Barbary even cruised in sight Of
British ports. On one occasion they sacked the
town of Baltimore, in County Cork, carving
off the inhabitants. All this time there was no
war.
During the first few years after arriving at
the dignity of independence the United States
accepted this situation and made the best of it.
Meanwhile the Barbary corsairs took many
American vessels and made slaves of the people
captured. At length Congress was appealed to
and several frigates were built for the purpose
Of making an armed resistance to such out
| RACES The Bey Of Algiers heard of these prepa.
rations and FASTENED to conclude a treaty with
this government. To make the agreement
binding Congress agreed to give large annual
tribute in money. When news Of this got
abroad the Bey Of Tunis demanded tribute also.
and likewise the Pasha of TrIpoli The latter
wrote to the President, saving: 1T will be inn
possible to keep peace longer unless you send