Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-03-20

|lt was the place on which so many OF the
sea robbers OF old met their dooIa at the
hand OF outraged law. There numberless
picaroons and buccaneers havo cxpiated
their crimcs the picaroons being tho ras'
lcal on tho largo and unblushing scale,
while the buccnnccr--at 1rst, mt any rate
had colorable pretsxt for existence In
q sort of chartered privilege to rob the
6paninrds as much as possible. In fact,
the buccaneer was IN ostcnsible trader be-
Iforo he deeeneratcd into pirate. Tho
celebrated Morgan belonged to this per-
'suasion-he, the poor Welsh boy, who,
latter escaping from slavery In Barbados,
became ono of the boldest 'privateors" OF
the seventeenth century, who attacked
Panama pillnged tho place of enormous
treasure, was knightod for his success
there and was afterward appointed gov
ernor of Jamaica. A very different fato
befoll, In later times other buccaneers
but It Is to DO remembered OF Morgan that
he did not practice the cruclties only too
common in lis profession.
One Of the most notorious Of the plea
Iroons was Blackboard, whose body was
destined to decorate Gallows point. An
othcr, scarcely less celebrated in his day,
was Captain Rackham, who ended his
Jamaica, thereafter known as Rackham
cay--cay being word of Spanish dcri-
yation, frequently applied in tho West In
dies to small islands. And it is concerning
this plcaroon OF lsackham cay that our
story has TO do.
Captain RaclSham had run short OF
hands, and in fact, seems to bavo been in
rather reduced circumstances generally,
WHOM, in 1920, no put into Ncgril bay in
tho hope Of picking up recruits. There ho
Invited OH board some nine Of tho crew of
a French fishing boat and was regaling
them with rum punch when a British
pirate chaser hoyo around the point. Rack
ham slipped his anchor aud made sail with
the nine fishermen ON board. He was cap
tured, however, brought into Port Royal,
tried at an admiralty assizes and con-
demned to be hung along with eight OF
his own crow. Tho Frenchmen were tried
for constructive piracy Is, aiding
and abetting notorious pirate-and they
also were hanged. But there were two
other persons on board the pirate vessel
who also came up for trial with the plea
rooms, and who only escaped sentence by
disclosing themselves as women. These
women were Anne Bonney and Mary
Read.
! Anne Bonney was the wife Of Captain
Rack ham, and well suited she was to DO
pirates bride. Her father had been an
Irish attorney. who deserted wife and
family in Cork and eloped to South Caro-
lima with servant girl. whom no thero
married. He made fortune as planter,
and Anne, the daughter OF the servant
girl, was much courted by the young plant.
ers OF Carolina, both for the money that
would bo hers and for her good looks.
But sho loved sailor, and having married
him against her fathers ordors was han
ished from tho parental roof. The young
couple made their way to New Provi-
dence, the catherine place at that time ut
all discontented beings. and Anne, to ac-
custom herself to u life of adventure, put
on mans clothes.
! At first she lived with her child on ono
Of the outer islands while Captain Rack
ham roamcd tho seas, but by and by sho
shipped with him as ono of the crew and
accompanied him In all his dcpredations
She was, in fact, accounted tho most
courageous and fearless of tho ships com
pany, and she was tho last to yield at the
capture of Negril bay above related 1t
Is said that when allowed To visit her hus-
band to say goodby before he was led To
tho scaffold her parting words wero 70
buke-that had he but fought like a man
before he was taken he would not have
been led away to be hanged like dog.
! The story of Mary Read is still moro TO-
mantle. Her mother was an English girl
who, when very young. married sailor
belonging to u good family. He went OIL
once on voyage from which he never re.
turned. leaving her with one little boy
child She was not faithful to his mem.
ory. and a girl child was born to her. but
to conceal tho fact from her husbands
family she repaired to distant part OF
the country for two or three years. There
the legitimate boy died. and she was driv-
en- TO the cxpedient OF passing of the H.
Legitimate girl in his place. Thus 1t was
that Mary Road was drst dressed In those
male garments that che was destined to
wear during the most OF her life.
Mary was presented to her mothers
mother law and accepted by her as her
grandson So long as tho grandmother
llivcd there was an allowance OF 8 shillings
q week for the child. but when the old
lady died Mary had to work for n living
She took situation as foot boy or page
with French lady, and In that capacity
Travelled a good deal. firing Of service,
she tried the sea for time, but abandoned
that for soldering during tho war In
lFlanders.
First she Joined an Infantry regiment,
but soon changed into the cavalry and
fought splendidly under Marlborough.
The fortune OF wsS sSnt her comrade I'm
1.-THE shape OF a good looking young Elem.
iish soldier. with whom she fell violently
IN love IL was delicate matter to make
known her sex and her sentiments. but
her woman's wit rose above her garb, and
tho two were publicly married by tho rogi.
mental chaplain. Their romantic story
brought them a shower of money presents.
with which they started an inn. But tho
Fleming did not live long, and Mary, find.
ing business not q congcnial occupation,
sold tho concern, disguised herself once
more and re-entcred the army. She fought
at Families and Oudenarde and Malpa.
Iquct. and only gave up the pursuit OF mill
Itary glory when tho peace Of Utrecht dis.
banded the forces. BY that time sho was
n worry expert swordsman