Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-11-26
ONLY LADY PIRATE.
SAILED THE SPANISH MAIN AND
FOUGHT LIKE A FlEND.

The Strange Career of Anne Bonny-A
South Carolina Girl who Eloped with
Bloodthirsty Buccancer-As Pretty as a
Picture, But as IIeartlcss as Captain Kidd.
In the latter part of that period in
which fleets rOamed about the Carib-
bean Sea and the Mexican Gulf flying
the Jolly roger" and armies of buc-
cancers stOrmed and plundered cities
of the Spanish main, there appeared
female pirate from South Carolina.
pretty as picture and as bloodthirsty
as Captain Kidd
Her name was Anne Bonny and she
could lead boarding party to take a
galleon of Spain and make the passen-
gers and crew walk the plank after
ward with the most dashing buccaneer
that ever sailed under the skull and
crossbOnes.
Anne was born in Ireland, her par
ents immigrating to the Carolinas
when she was a baby. She was a wild
and headstrong girl as she grew up,
but as her father was a man of prop
erty it was expected that she would
make a good marriage and settle down
Several desirable young men were
striving for her hand and fortune, and
but for that opportunity which Satan
always sends to the wickedly-inclined
Anne BOnnys name might now be
read in the pedigree of some old and
proud Southern family. But the OPP
portunity came in the shape of a
wicked sailor, fresh from the Spanish
main, a sailor strong and lusty of
limb, full of strange oaths and Jamaica
rum, and more than half suspected of
being a pirate. And in sooth he was
a pirate, left by some chance on the
American coast, and waiting for an OPP
pOrtunity to get back to the West In
dies and the life of rover again. Anne
turning her back on her well-born
sweethearts, she eloped with the pi-
rate-sailOr. The pair, somehow, found
their way to the island of Old Provi-
dence, then great pirate resort.
At Old Providence Anne found a
man who pleased her more than her
sailor in the person of Capt Rackham
a mighty plunderer of the seas. a
stOrmer of cities, a slayer of men and
a taker of gold-laden Spanish galleons
Rackham and Anne were married. and
they put to sea in his ship on a voyage
of blood and plumber.
There never was a crew in the world
that approved the captain taking his
wife to sea with him. Pirate crews
were no exception. Rackham did not
care to run counter to the wishes of
his gallant crew, or pirates were a
hasty folk, and it was i'll arguing with
them. So Anne went on board her
husbands ship disguised as a cabin
boy. On board tn ship she found
woman named Ma y Reed, who was
disguised as sailo The ship had an
eventful voyage, and many fierce
fights with armed merchant vessels
and ships of the King which tried to
take them.
The old chronicles say that in all
these engagements the two women nj
rates fought like fiends, killing MANY
with their own hands and encouraging
the men to all sorts of horrible deeds.
At last there cane along one of the
Kings ships too strong for Capt. Rack
ham to fight with successfully, and too
swift for her to flee from. 1t was an
English frigate, and she at once gave
battle to the saucy pirate. storm of
grape and canister swept the decks of
the pirate ship. and the crew in terror
ran below. Anne BOnny and Mary
Reed, so far from leaving the deck
waved their cutlasses in the faces of
the enemy and CT rsed them. Mary
Reed drawing her istol, fired into the
men who were hud led below. killing
one and wOunding theirs. The ship of
the wicked Rackhi m was taken. and
those left alive on board of her were
tried for piracy. Anne Bonny and
Mary Reed, though they had exposed
themselves so recklessly in the fight
were taken alive and carried to Eng
land to be tried. At the trial both were
found guilty and sentenced to be
hanged. Anne, however, was reprieved
from time to time, and finally ESCAPED
execution. What ultimately became of
her is uncertain.