The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-04-05
A SLAVE OF PIRATES.
THRILLING "REMINISCENCES OF A
TEXAS NEGRO CENTENARlAN.

Acts OF LarDarity. -
An old negro whom the white people a
believed to have been much more than O
100 years old died on the Brule cotton
plantation, near All Seeing Eye, in Tex :
as a short time ago. The negroes called a
him Old Pirate, from the fact that he . !.
never tired Of talking Of his adventures /,
at sea- To the white people he has al
ways been known as Uncle Jolly,
name which he maintained was given
to him by LaGtte's pirates when he was
a boy, from the fact that he was spright-
ly and always in good humor.
Uncle Jolly was carefully looked after
in his old age by the white people, with
whom he had been an object of great
interest. Many of the descendants OF
the wealthy family to whom he belong
ed when slave are still living, ana
there are few of them who have not sat
! at the old mans feet when they were
| children and listened to his blood cur
ding stories Of the revelries and cruel
ties of the buccaneers of the gulf.
According to their story, he was born
slave on one Of the islands OF the |
West Indies. When he was 10 or IL |
years of age, his master started on
VOYAGE to New Orleans, taking his fam
ily and the negro boy, Jolly, along |
One day, shortly after they had lett the
island, big ship sailed close to them
and began to fire big guns. The women
and children began to cry and scream
and cling to the men. Ho heard his
master say that they were pirates lie
had no idea what that meant, but ne
realized that they were all in danger OF
being murdered. The ships drew closer
, together. and the people i'll both vessels
began TO fire guns and pistols. AFTER
! few moments the pirate ship ran along
, side and hundreds Of ferocious looking
men. with swords and pistols III their
, hands, sprang on board, uttering savage
: ye.. I'd curses.
Jolly saw his master fall fighting on
:. the deck, and he ran below to tell ms
mistress. There were several women
and many children i'll the cabin. IL IS
-, hard for one to believe that anything Ill
n the shape of a human being could nave
n been guilty of such cruelhes as 'hese
10 monsters perpetrated upon their detense-
~ loss victims. The negro said that he
~ conld not bear to witness the agonies OF
- the women and children, and he return
nj ed to the companionway, where ne me,
co several of the pirates. One STRUCK a.
him with q cutlass, but another inter
posed, remarking:
Don't kill him. He is worth pocK
otful Of gold" They threw him up OF
10 tbe deck and went on into the capin o
tbe shin The negro boy saw many dea
H. MON living in their blood on the decks
oh' and he noticed the captain ana sewers
a &C the sailors standing In Sroul
5ht e,,,ordod Inv pirates The women an
po children and two or three men wio Id
ley hoen found in the cabin were drasSe
III, nm deck and driven aboard OF the pir"
ho' shin The captain and hall dozeii
be +ho crew who had escaped the massacl
lot wore mt in chains. The womeF al
TN, cbildren were driven below. The plrat
Ileo Of once began to loot the doomed Vess'
lco' and several hours were spent III ,l" =,
az norting the booty to the decks VI
was nirate ship. Late i'll the evening the 81
10 ,yos set ON fire. and the pirates sail
the "do oo'
,o,,l away. a., ,ha peo
.n"P how. and he was permitted 10 wa.e
IL ! about as he pleased. The pirates sP ~
/! l the night in singing and drinking
u II next morning the pirate captain lolio
now cd Inv several officers, stumbled Oh NC,
own ond then the negro boy wlthesseu
aiG scene that haunted him to his grave
. Tho prisoners were all driven on
nm sor,yord deck of the ship, preparatory
ing walking the plank. The captain was
mo'e frst one ordered to walk out. he iol
timo h;s arms across his bosom ana iiio
ough MS u Us .'t,, With q firm step and "
IL his head erect. The women anu III ,.o
n'u now realized that they were " VIC wv
no III cd in the sea, and they began 10
oceh and moan piteously. One poor won
acah' nressing child to her BOSOM wa
nm RI one of the pirate ofhcers anu
aiored him to spare her life, one
b;,, her Jewels and promising III
" AZ ,arro snm of money. The monster
no aiu MS I5 chain from her neck and b.
rap ,,rso hor The child was crying
, r., the merciless demon wrencheo ~
~ hor arms and hurled 1t INTO .iie
e"po. M moor mother at once ran to the
aoned Of the ship and sprang overpoalo g.
= ,ran Tvs curiosity prompted nm W :.
70 70. ,he her to the ships side, where ne say
as . , hiS rise mon wave and grasp her y
nS , V in her arms He felt some sat,sia
horgh in knowing that the poor m ',.a'n
u, no u r, rise no more with her little
- An. clasped to her breast. -
= tho The poor women had to be lor, g,
'!.,o on dragaed ON the plank. They Gu
IND and the knees of the pirates and pegge
goo 60. ,mnlored for their lives III wa.
: do would have wrung mercy from any ~,
: -, 80 but n heart of iron. Many Oh wv
pu PA Jren were thrown into the sea-
. pr''' Of thev were snapped W. ana cru u,
'e"' I'D the laws of swarm OF sharks VII
I 10 INV gathered around the ship -0''
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