The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-06-18
THE MESSENGER, FRIDAY. JUNE IS. 1897.

troying the rified vessels at sea.
At last the people Of the province, be-
coming indignant at the high handed
acts Of the great outlaw. and thinking
that Governor Eden was a secret &C
complete of the pirate. appealed 70
Governor SDotswood, of Virginia. for
protection. The appeal was not made
in vain. The Virginian answered
promptly that he would send ample
force to bring the noted desperate TO
justice. AT that time Captain Ellis
Brand was the naval officer in command
in Virginia waters with q small squad
ron under his immediate direction
Upon the Application Of Governor Spots
wood he detailed Lieutenant Maynard
with two sloops to go in pursuit Of
Teach, who was then in the neighbor-
hood of Ocracoke. Maynard departed
from James river at once to perform his
mission. After a few DAYS sail he
crossed the bar at Ocracoke and came
in sight of Backwards ship. Queen
AEne's Revenge, with its crew of deS-
peradoes. The pirate had been in
formed of the coming Of Maynard. but
made no effort to escape. doubtless
thinking thai Maynard and his crew
would soon De prisoners in his hands.
As Maynard's boat came in gunShot,
Teach opened upon him with all his
guns. Maynard replied with effect, and
the battle soon became bloody. May
nard steered his vessel straight for the
pirate, intending to board, but unfor-
tunately ran aground. The pirates fire
hen became CALLING. AT one discharge
twenty Of Maynard's men were swept
from the deck into the sea. The young
lieutenant saw that his antagonist had
the advantage, and that his own boat
would sOon be disabled and captured
unless some rtifice could be successful
ly put into practice.
AS a desperate means of safety he
resolved upon a bold stratagem. If the
plan should be successful, it would be
a decisive stroke: if unsuccessful. it
could only hasten the result. Maynard,
therefore, ordered all his crew to go be-
low, and in a moment no one was left
upon the deck but the dead and dying.
Blackboard ~suppOsing his enemy at his
mercy approached the stranded vessel
and prepared to board. The two YES
sells were dashed together and Black
beard with twenty deSperadOes armed
to the teeth leaped on board to take
possession. Instantly Maynard gave
a signal and twenty doughty sailors
rushed up the hatchway and lined
themselves on deck. For an instant
the two determined parties stood cycling
each other. Blackboard and his crowd
were evidently surprised at the arti-
flee of their opponents.
Only for an instant. however. was
there a lull in the storm. Each party
rushed upon the other and the deck
speedily became slippery with blood.
Zach man singled out an opponent n
the battle became an aggregate of
duels. blackboard mad for Maynard,
and the young lieutenant accepted the
challenge. They discharged their pis-
tolls without effect in each others face
and flung them away. Both drew their
daggers. Each glanced at the steel Of
the other and sprang to the combat like
ferOciOus beasts. There was a pause
among the other combatants to see the
issue between the The
two circled arOund each other for a
brief moment, and then each pounced
| upon the other. They clinched and
rolled over upon the deck. They arose
n continued the fight. Blackboard
had never before met a match. He had
. one now in the athletic young lieu
tenant.
Like an angry lion that is defeated
in his object, Blackboard gathered all
his native forces together and made a
final lunge at Maynard. The young
| man saw the glare of his opponents
eyes, and knew that that moment was
the most critical of his life. He did not
cringe, however, but met the pirate in
the full career of his onslaught. The
blow of the freebooter was successfully
| parted and Blackboard staggered. Be
fore he could recover himself, May
nard's knife had found his vitals, and
the great cOrsai- fell dead upon the
deck.
By his time all the pirates who had
boarded the vessel We're dead except
seven They begged for mercy and OBJ
tanned it. Maynard and his gallant
crew men boarded TIE pirate vessel
and forced the remairder of the band
to submit just as a burly negro was
about to cast a fiji brand into the mag
| azine of powder to blow w the ship.
The negro was seized and the catas-
trOphe averted. The living members Of
the band, thirteen in ali, We're bound
and confined as prisoners in the hold.
! Maynard ordered Blackbeard's head
to be cut from his shoulders. He had
the CHASTITY object placed upon the
bOwsprit Of his vessel, and with it sail
ed up to Bath. While there he received
the congratulations of many people
| who came to see the head of the man
who had terrorized North Carolina
waters so long. After a short stay he
sailed away to report at Williamsburg,
where he was received with great hon.
or by Governor SpOtSwOOd and the
council of state. The thirteen prison.
ers were shortly afterwards a~rraigned
before the court of the province of Vir-
ginia and given a fair trial. They were
all convicted and hanged. In the prog
ress of the trial evidence was taken
from n man relative to the finding Of
the French ship mentioned in a former
paragraph of this article. He described
how the boat was boarded. her crew
put to death. and the prize secured.
Blackboard, however. was beyond HUI
man punishment. Thus the southern
colonies were rid of a band of outlaws
that had exacted tribute from nearly
all nations for thirty years.
It has been often said that Black
beard and his gang buried quantities Of
gold and silver at different places along
the shores of Pamlico river and sound.
Many people have been so foolish as to
dig for these hidden treasures with the