The Portland daily press., 1896-08-22
BUCCANEERS OF OLD.
Human Fiends Whose Name Inspires
Fear On the Seas.

For More Than Two Hundred Years They
Terrorized Ocean Travel and Shipping.
The Horrible Deeds In Which John Da-
Wis Seemed to Take Delight.
Piracy on the high seas has become
thing of the past. Civilized nations, with
their warships, have made it possible for
every class of vessels to pillow the watery
main without danger of being overhauled
by band of barbarous freebooters The
pirates of old are no more; their cruel vo-
cation is gone But while they existed
their daring excited admiration, while
their barbarity thrilled every human being
With horror. Old sailors spin peculiar
yarns about some of the pirates and their
supposed fabulous wealth.
Looking backward upon those old times
when it was necessary for every merchant
ship to carry guns to protect herself against
the depredations of the marauders of the
sea, it will prove of interest to recall some
of their exploits,
Tho freebooters, or pirates, commenced
their organized work about the year 1900
and continued their depredations until this
present century was we'll advanced In
fact, in certain parts of the Chinese sea
there are at present numerous Chinese pi-
ratical craft, and at intervals foreign YES
sells fall q prey to the diabolical cruelty and
stink balls. 1'he first pirates ransacked
ships in Spany American waters. They
made themselves formidable and dreaded
enemies of that nation S merchant marine
service.
Lewis Scott, an Englishman, was one of
the first daring freebooters whose name
sent thrill of terror into the heart of ev-
cry sea captain. He not only pillaged ships
on the ocean, but also invaded towns, car
ried off women and ransacked the treasury
of the community. One of his first notable
acts of outlawry was his invasion of the
city of St. Francis of Campechy He sud-
denly appeared one night in that city with
brutal band of followers at his command
He pillaged the town, carried off women
and demanded heavy ransom for the cap
tiyes. This example of Scott's was fol-
lowed by John Davis native of Jamaica,
West Indies, who, with one ship and 80
men, attempted an act the audacity of
which excited admiration and astofish.
ment
Davis landed near Nicaragua in the sew
enteenth century, leaving his ships at
anchor, guarded by ten men, The remain
der he distributed into three canoes Avail
ing himself of the darkness of the night,
he sailed up the river which leads to the
city of Granada. They were challenged by
a sentinel, to whom they spoke In Spanish
and were passed as fishermen After dis
embarking without encountering any OBJ
stacles Davis and his crew fell upon the
soldiers who had peaceably witnessed their
landing. The attack was so sudden and
unexpected that the whole of the soldiers
were massacred before they had time to
make any effort to protect themselves.
After that bloody deed had been commit
ted they dispersed themselves throughout
the town and pillaged houses and churches.
Cries Of terror resounded on every side.
But the Davis gang offered no violence
to the Inhabitants of Nicaragua. The
booty secured by the pirates on this occa-
sion amounted to several thousand dollars
After this adventure Davis returned to
Jamaica, where fleet of eight ships, of
which John Davis was appointed admiral
by his comrades, was fitted out, and the
whole started on a pillaging expedition.
The pirates of old, after overhauling
a.
All the crew of the cantured 1,esso1 WOW,
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