The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-20
HIS NATE WAS CAPT. KIDD.

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Of the American pirates, has appeared
twice in recent literature. A novel of
early New York, called ''At the City
Gates" deals with his crew and him
self, and makes the English governor
of those days, Lord Belmont or Bella
mont, one of its principal characters.
while the Rev. n. H. Chamberlain's
Samuel Sewan and the World He
Lived IN sets forth an interesting ac-
count Of that worthy's connection with
the treasure found in Kids possession
and confiscated.
Kidd was the. son of a Scotch clergy
man. not of the kirk, as by law estab-
lished, and the future navigator was
born in the northern kingdom about the
middle of the seventeenth century. Not
finding the limits of a country parson-
age wide enough for his budding ambi-
ton, he ran away to sea as a lad, and
there his manifest abilities soon
brought him into command of a ship.
He engaged in privateering against the
Spanish and French in the Gulf of
Mexico and elsewhere, amassed a COM
potency, and with it settled in New
York City. then but little while in the
possession Of the English.
Lord Bellamont the newly appointed
governor, had been deeply annoyed by
the incursion OF pirates into his terri
tory, some of them being audacious
enough to attack heavily freighted
merchant vessels almost within sight
of his manson So, for the purpose of
clearing the seas of such verTnin, as he
and his friends averred, or in order to
obtain share of their nlgotten gains,
as was charged by his enemies the
lord governor made up joint stock
company in which he was aided by
~s-,~r
with their new ruler, for the ostensible
object OF attacking the pirates of the
northern Atlantic coast. With the
money raised, Lord Bellamont bought
a new galley, the Adventure, in En-
gland, a vessel OF nearly 300 tons. and
carrying "a guns. After considerable
persuasion Captain Kidd was induced
TO give UP his well earned retirement.
and to assume charge of the enterprise
He went TO England to get the galley
and pick out the men 10 handle her
Something went wrong at the outset.
and he left Plymouth late in April, 1886,
short handed. intending TO make up his
crew in New York
on the voyage across the Adventure
fell in with a French fisherman on the
Newfoundland banks. and brought her
into port as a prize He had no diff
Guilty in obtaining all the volunteers he
wished from among those who owed
their duty to Lord Bellamont. Sept
6 of the same year, Captain Kidd clear
ed for Madagascar, the headquarters of
the pirates OF those days, with 154 men
and the good wishes of an entire COM
munity.
1t was not long, as news Travelled in
those days, before the rumor of Kids
rnisdcings reached the colonies. 1t did
NOT. perhaps, require any great amount
OF persuasion from an unruly crew for
him 10 set UP as a pirate himself He
made friends with the desperadoes and
freebooters of Madagascar. and the En-
g,ish all over the world were warned
against him. He was cruising on the
asst coast of Africa, in the way Of the
past Indiamen, when ne broke into
omen defiance Of the law, attacking the
ouidah Merchant, a rich prize, burning
his own Adventure and transferring |
his energies to the larger vessel. After /
several years of active piracy on the /
bjgh seas. ne seemingly repented him I
Of his evil ways. set sail for the island /
of Saona, near Hayti. n the West In !
dies. secured him ship in lagoon there /
sns came on TO Long Island in a 55-tOn 4
Simon. the San Antonio, seeking imTnu- !
nifty for himself and his companions.
Had BeIlamont's good name not been /
a affected. the end might have been diff 1
farant. Kidd was encouraged to go to |
Boston. There he was arrested. On /
him they found $1,000 in gold and a bag (
If silver. SIR Gardiner OF Gardeners
island. in the sound, was found to have
coia. siiyer ard jewels of his worth
so. 900, together with goods Zone bale