The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-01-16
The Buccaneers who Sailed and Stole
and Slaughtered.

| anu slaughtered.
EYE ON THE MAIN CHANCE. FLY, AT
KINsoN AND PHILLIPS AND SOME OF
THEIR DARING DEEDS.
Captain Johnson's History of the Py-
rates." unique and valuable work. was
''printed for Tho. Woodward at the Half
moon over against ST. Dunstan's church.
Fleet street, about the year 1920, or soon
thereafter, says the New York Post There
were several editions of it, the first vol
ume alone being known to have gone
through four. The best known editions
are the first and that of 1734, although
the latter is rendered less valuable as a
historical authority by the introduction of
much sensational matter which can hard
ly stand the test of careful research.
CAPTAIN BELLAMY's CAREER.
Captain Bellamy, in whom johnson took
much interest," started on his piratical ca
reer early in 1717. He was seafaring
man, and in company with one Paul Will
liams, a confederate, he boarded a Span
lsh wreck in February of that year. and,
not finding as much treasure as he ex
pected, resolved to indemnify himself for
his loss of valuable time by going "upon
the account as the old expression was.
Accordingly those two worthless put to
sea, and in few days they had captured
tue Whidaw, a small vessel bound from
Jamaica to London with rich cargo of
gold dust and merchandise. The vessel
was a stout one and well armed, and Bel
lamy abandoned his own craft, and mount
ing twenty eight guns in the prize started
out on an extensive cruise with $50 DIES
peradoes, picked up all along the Ameri-
can coast and pressed into service from
the crews of captured merchantmen.
The first trip of which we have anv au-
thentic account was to the coast of Vir-
ginia, where he lowered about the en-
trance to Chesapeake bay, stopping YES
sells passing in and out and relieving them
of any articles of value in their cargoes.
and not infrequently, if any resistance was
offered, sending the officers overheard as
food for the fish. On the Virginia coast
Bellamy encountered storm which came
near sending him to the bottom, and the
Whdaw was so seriously damaged that
she had to run up to where Machias, Me,
now is for repairs. There, in the terra
incognitd, they built a temporary fort, and
some of the corsair crew thought of es-
tablishing pirate colony. They had two
vessels in their fleet, and when thorough
ly repaired set sail for the Newfoundland
banks
BRAVE MANS DESPERATION
Beilamy took several valuable prizes off
Newfoundland and was enjoying profit
able expedition when a French man of
war, carrying soldiers to Quebec, hove in
sight. The Whidaw, mistaking her for a
merchantmen, engaged her with much
spirit, but the pirates soon found that
they were no match for the trained soldiers
who fought with great determination from
the decks of the Frenchman. They there
fore decided upon escape, and sailed south
with the man of-wa in close pursuit. The
pirate vessel escaped under the cover of
night, however, and continued her flight
past the old Maehlas river landing down
the New England coast.
1t is impossible to tell what outrages
Bellamy might have committed upon that
coast had it had not been that his career
was brought to a sudden termination by
the desperate resolve of one of his prs-
oners, whom he had pressed into his SER
vice as pilot. This man was the master
of vessel which had been taken some
months before near Cape Cod, and, being
we'll acquainted with the coast, he was
lOlCtQ ny lue plIdlCS W Nolh tl tllC w llGtl.
One night, while the crew were INDUCING
in one of their frequent drunken orgies,
he ran the vessel ashore, and leaping over
board, swan to the beach and made his
escape. The second vessel of the pirate
fleet, which was following close behind
him, also ran upon the rocks and in a short
time went to pieces. When the pirates
realized what had happened they brutally
murdered every prisoner on board and
threw their bodies into the sea, and the
next day the inhabitants of the coast wit
messed the CHASTITY spectacle of a score or
more of mangled corpses washed on the
beach by the incoming tide.
Seven of the pirates escaped by SWIM
ming ashore, and they would probably
have gone unmolested had not the dead
bodies on the beach acted as silent but
unmistakable witnesses against them.
The inhabitants We're aroused. and in a
few hours all the survivors of the wreck
were apprehended They were all sent to
Boston, and on the confession of Bellamy
We're condemned and executed.
FLY NOT Up TO HIS NAME.
No less notorious pirate than Bellamy
was William Fly, an Englishman, who
began his career by heading mutiny on
board Guinea bound vessel in the spring
of 1926. While at sea the crew rose under
the leadership of Fly, murdered the of
ticers and started on a cruise to the coast
of North Carolina. Here they captured a
small sloop, but the South Carolina au-
thorities had for a number of years made
it so unpleasant for pirates who came any
where near their coast that they deemed
it advisable to sail north as speedily as
possible. They accordingly set out for
the New England coast, capturing Bar
BADGES vessel on the way, out of whicn
they took several prisoners, including a
passenger from Boston named Atkinson.
The pirates were persuaded that Atkinson
was capable pilot and acquainted with
the New England coast, and, despite his