The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-25
BLACKBEARD'S DEN
Haunt of the Notorious Freebooter on
ST. Thomas.
VERY PICTURESQUE FIGURE
Murder OF His Men and Captives
Among His Favorltes-Had Nine
teen Wives and a Hoard of
Valuable reasure.
VERY PICTURESQUE FIGURE

Come down into the hold, my merry
men. and we'll have a little hell of our
own" This was the cheerful request
of the pirate Blackboard, when busi-
ness was dull and time hung heavy on
his hands. AS such a request was also
in the nature of a command and fur
ther emphasized by a display of the
small arsenal of pistols. arquebuses
and cutlasses which Blackboard wore
about his person, his crew always &C
cepted his invitation with alacrity.
once in the hold, with the matches
battered down, the genial pirate light
ed sundry pots of birthstone. previous
ly prepared. and then serenely awaited
developments. With lungs of leather
and a constitution habitued to diaboli-
cal pastimes, Mr.. Blackboard inhaled
the sulphurous fumes as though they
were gales of incense from Araby, and
when one of his unfortunate mess
mates ventured to cough he was
promptly knocked on the head. And
when at last, sneeZing and coughing,
splitting and swearing, the crew es-
sayed a bolt for the matches and outer
air. the festive mariner simply crossed
his hands and fired Unfortunately
into the crowd of writing wretches,
wounding and killing without mercy.
A PICTURESQUE PIRATE.
That wars Blackbeards idea of a
good time and perhaps anticipatory of
the good times in store for them when
he and his comrades should have de
parted for the pirates happy hunting
grounds. At all events, ii was simply
one of his lighter pastimes. his really
serious work being put in on the hap
less sailors and merchantmen who fell
into his hands while his vessel was
cruising the seas between the Island of
Jamaica and the coast of America.
Another of his diversions consisted i'm
making his many prisoners walk the
plank said plank being stuck out over
the side of the vessel, with the farther
end projecting into nowhere and the
bowling waves beneath. The scene of
this pirates deprecations was chiefly
about the group of islands known as
the Virgins, In the West Indies, where
the numerous concealed harbors and
inlets gave him opportunity for escape
when holly pursued by his many enc
mics. For, though II may seem very
strange, this great man had enemies,
who, perhaps jealous of his success and
DESTROYS of putting an end to them,
chased him from one place to another
most persistently.
1t was about the middle of the seven
teenth century that Blackboard for
merly known as Captain Tench of Bris-
toll. England. took to the high seas for
a living and became the scourge of the
Spanish, Dutch and English merchant
marine. He had discovered in the ISL
and of st. Thomas, then recently taken
possession of by the Danes, retreat
after his own heart. 1t abounds in
hidden harbors, deep inlets, reef-in-
closed bays and protecting promonto-
ries that commanded wide extended
view of the surrounding seas. The
Danes had seized IL, finding IL par
ticularly unoccupied; and, not TO be
behind them in push and progress, he
took possession Of the best strategic
point on the island. They had erected
a little red fort (Which may be seen to-
day., supplied II with a cast iron can
non (still there). garrisoned 1t with a
handful of stolid soldiers, appointed a |
governor and police inspector and then
claimed II all. This claim Captain |
blackboard was disposed to resent, and |
so, when the valiant Danes drove him |
out of their fine harbor he vowed he |
would bring the compatriots of the inn |
mortal Hamlet TO terms.
He sneaked around to the other side |
of the island. the northern shore. where |
he knew of harbor as good as their |
own. and there landed. This harbor |
is still there and is yet as solitary as |
the day old Blackboard sailed into il /
with his rapacious crew. Ii lies direct
ly north of the fortified harbor of |
Charlotte Amalia, which is also known
as st. Thomas. but there is "A high hill |
intervening, which shuts IL out from
the rest Of the world. and the handful
OF Danes in their little red fort 1t is
deep, hard-shaped, with high cliffs on
either side. and a beautiful beach of
white sand at it's lower end, nearest to
the town beyond the hill.
CONQUERED THE DANES.
Landing there at their leisure the
pirates carried their stores and guns
to the top of the hill, peeping over the
crest OF which they could see all the
town and harbor of Charlotte Amalia
Sprpad ont before aud hapaafb tb,,,,
This hill crest is about 800 feet above
either harbor, north or south with its
outlying reefs and islets. Having taken
possession of the hill crest. blackboard |
then had the Danes at his mercy But /
this was not what he wanted-this mar
row ridge. so far above the sea that
his retreat might be cut off at any mo-
ment-his desires We're fixed upon a /
certain tower. standing isolated upon /
one Of the central hills on which the /
town was beginning to be built. Hav-
ing accumulated at the crest all the |
stores and ammunition necessary. To- |
gether with such cannon as he could /
spare from his ship, he waited a IA
vorable opportunity To descend and
take the tower. This came that night
and. II any OF us had been there. we
might have seen a band of Villainous
cutthroats carefully vending their way
down the steep hillside toward the oh
Ject of their desires. They finally
reached IL, summoned the captain i'm
command Of its small garrison To sur
render-which he did at discretion
and then quickly took possession
When, next morning. the peaceful
Danes gazed northward they saw the
pirate flag, with its emblems OF death
flying from the parapet OF the cid |
tower.
That they were astonished goes with
out saying: that they FASTENED 10
point their Anticipated cast iron gums
in the direction of the tower is a mat
ter OF course. But they never fired
them of. Discretion was clearly the
better part Of valor In this instance
especially as IL was enforced by the
pirate commanders threat 10 blow
their fort into smithereens at the least