Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-04-11
A DREADED PIRATE.
BLACKBOARD LOOKED ENOUGH LIKE
ass SATAN TO BE A BROTHER.

BLACKBOARD LOOKED ENOUGH LIKE
SATAN TO BE A BROTHER.
The Ferocious Robber Of the Seas HaA >
Fashion Of Getting Himself Up IN .
Hideous and Repuisive Man1er--stpry
Of His successfuI 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 flag which struck terror to
thousandsof hearts and paralyzed the
commerce of the New World; the thick
ly clustering wives and luxuria,lt growtns
| fringing its shores concealed, like the
original Eden, u hiding devil, the foe of
God and Blackboard, the pirate.
From strange tendency Of human ma
ture the life of the pirate possesses a fas-
cinating interest. not only for the small
boy who devonrs 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
destinations of this wide and tempting
field. 9 esst
! 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 transfx him. OF all
this unholy brood Blackboard was facile
princeps, as Milton says of satan, by
merit raised to that bad eminence." Ii
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 Black beard
seemed to be the impersonation of this
mystic monster. Perhaps greater de.
mon never prowled the seas or walked
the earth in human FORM 4
Even in personal appearance he was
hideous and repulsive, nature having
stamped him both as physical and
| moral monster. The name by W hich hi
was known throughout the world wa.
derived from singular circumstance
which illustrates his savage ferocity
His naturally dark and forbidding face
was covered almost to his fierce, sensn
GUS eyes with a shaggy black beard
reaching below the waist. This hirsut.
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 unit
it stood forth like projecting horns.
Into the ends of these he stuck small
slowly burning fuses, whose sulphnrou
fumes enveloped him in lurid hue an,
rendered him not uniting representa-
ton of the satanic ideal, whose characte
he SO successfully emulated In time O
action he slung around his neck a scarf
into which were thrust three braces o
pistols. Our readers, even those wi.
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 Great
when met upon the lonely ocean, wit
the black flag futtering above his hea
and his merciless face lighting up wit
CLEAN of demoniacal joy as his hell
less victims walked the fatal plank.
The real name of this man was Ee
ward Teach, and he was native of Bri.
toll, England. OF his early career moth
ing definite is known. He first emerge
from obscurity as a common sailor o
board a privateer commanded by Cal
; tain Benjamin Hornigold, sailing froI
Jamaica and preying upon French con
). merce. IN that humble capacity he di
. tinguished himself by his skill and cou
. age, which attracted the attention
: his not over scrupulous commander, WI
+, soon intrusted him with prize he ha
captured. In 1717 these two chois
spirits spread their sails from Prov
dence (auspicious nameD for Americ;
capturing en- voyage three vessels lade
d with wine, flour and miscellaneous ca
. goes, which they appropriated to the
Il own use and turned the crews adrift.
: The speed of their vessels being cri
e pied by foul bottoms, they cleaned the
9 upon the coast of Virginia and wei
p in quest of fresh booty. On this cruz
e they secured the most valuable pri.
o yet captured, large French Guine
9 man, richly freighted, bound for Ma
q Unique. At this juncture Hornigold
z. avarice seems to have been satisfied,
}, more likely his heart failed him, fo
u taking the two vessels with which tn,
e originally sailed, he returned to Pro,
J dence and availed himself of pard,
offered by the king to all pirates wi
e should surrender in specified time.
Il Teach, however, only emboldened
% success, now assumed an independe
/ character and began that career of crir
s. which rendered his name so infamous.
l. Richmond Times.