The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-29
BLACKBEAR'S CASTLE.
NINETEEN WIVES THE PIRATE
KEPT THERE AND VAST
TREASURE.

1t Is on the Picturesque Island of
81. Thomns-There the OLD villain
0vernwed the Dnncs-His Head
Came on at Last, However, ana
Properly, Too.
From the New York Times.
Come down into the hold, my merry
men. and Wen have a little hell Of our
own" This was the cheerful request OF
the pirate Blackboard, when business was
dun and time hung heavy on his hands.
As such request was also in the nature
of a command, and further emphasized
by a display of the small arsenal of piss
tolls. arquebuses, and cutlasses which
Blackboard wore about his person, his
crew always accepted his invitation with
alacrity.
once in the hold, with the matches bat
tened down, the genial pirate lighted sun
dry pots of birthstone, previously prepar-
ed, and then serenely awaited develop
ments With lungs Of feather and a con-
stitution habltuated to diabolical pastimes.
Mr.. Blackboard inhaled the fumes sulphur
Gus as though they were gales of incense
from Araby and when one Of his unfor-
tunate messmates ventured to cough he
was promptly knocked on the head And
when, at last, sneezing and coughing,
splitting and swearing. the crew essayed
bolt for the matches and outer air, the
festive mariner simply crossed his handss
and fired unfortunately into the crowd
of writhing wretches, Wounding and KILL
That was Blackbeard's idea of a good
time, and perhaps anticipatory Of the good
times in store for them when he and his
comrades should have departed for the
pirates happy hunting grounds. At all
events, IT was simply one of his lighter
pastimes, his really serious work being put
In on the hapleSs sailors and merchant
men who, fell into his hands while his ves
sci was cruising the seas between the Is
land Of Jamaica and the coast OF America.
Another of his diversions consisted in
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
depredations was chiefly about the group
Of islands, known as the Virgins, In the
cealed harbors and inlets gave him OPP
portunity for escape when holly pursued
by his many enemies. For. though 1t may
seem very strange, this great man had
enemies, who, perhaps jealous OF his sue
cess and DESTROYS of putting an end to
them chased him from enc place to an
other most persistenty.
1t was about the middle of the seven
teenth century that blackboard, formerly
known as Capt Tench of Bristol, England
took to the high seas for a living, and be-
came the scourge of the Spanish, Dutch
and English merchant marine He had
discovered In the island of st. Thomas
then recently taken possession of by the
Danes, a retreat after his own heart. 1t
abounded in hidden harbors, deep inlets
reef-inclosed bays, and projecting prom
Qntories that commanded wide extended
Views of the surrounding seas. The Danes
had seized it. finding IT practically unoc-
cupied; and. not to be behind them in push
and progress, he took possession of the
best strategic point on the island. They
had erected little red fort (which may
Ia plnplipd wi aQf iron
cannon (still thcre), garrisoned IL with a
handful of stolid soldiers, appointed
governor and police inspector, and then
claimed 1t all. This claim Capt Black
beard 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 immortal Hamlet |
He sneaked around to the other side
of the island, the northern shore, where |
he knew of a 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 1t with |
his rapacious crew. 1t lies directly north |
of the fortified harbor of Charlotte Anal |
la, which is also known, as st, Thomas. |
but there is a high hill intervening, |
which shuts 1t out from the rest of the |
world, and the handful of Danes in their |
little red fort. 1t is deep, harp-shaped, |
with high cliffs on either side, and |
beautiful beach Of white sand at its |
lower end, nearest to the town beyond |
Landing there at their leisure, the pi- |
rates carried their stores and guns to the |
top Of the hill, peeping over the crest |
and harbor Of Charlotte AmaIia spread |
out before and beneath them. This hill |
crest is about 100 feet above either har-
bor north and south and commands, in /
fact the entire island, with it's outly- |
ing reefs and islets. Having taken pos |
session of the hill crest, Black beard then |
had the Danes at his mercy. But this |
was not what he wanted-ths narrow |
ridge, so far above the sea that his |
retreat might be cut off at any mo-
ment-his desires were fixed upon GER
tain tower, standing Isolate upon one of /
the central hills on which the town was
beginning to be built. Having accumu-
lated at the crest all the stores and |
ammunition necessary, together with such |
he awaited a favorable opportunity to /
descend and take the tower This came
that night and IL any Of us had been
there we might have seen a band Of /
their way down the steep hillside to-
ward the object of their desires. They
finally reached II, summoned the cap
tain in command Of Its small garrison
to surrender-which he did at discre-
tion-and then quickly took possession
When, next morning, the peaceful Danes
flag, with its emblems Of death, flying
from the parapet of the old tower
That they were astonished goes without |
saying; that they fastened to point their
antiquated cast-iron guns in the direction
of the tower Is a matter Of course But
they never fired them of. Discretion was
clearly the better part of vaior In this In
stance, especially as It was enforced by
the pirate commanders threat to blow
their fort into smithereens at the least
sign Of offensive preparation. Down from
the hill-crest, Blackboard brought his am
munition and plumber; not forgetting you
may be sure, the nineteen women who
stood to him in the nature of wives, and