The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-07-22
MORGAN RAvAGED THE SPANISH MAIN.
Noted Exploits Of a Seventeenth Century Pirate who Pilaged and
Burned hi Coast Cities OF Cuba and the West lndies.

of his Companions; h~ereupOn they
oreder'd every Captain to weigh an
Choir and set Sail, steering toward that
Coast nearest to Puerto de ell Principe.
Here in the bay named by the Span
iards Ell Puerto de Santa Maria; being
arrived at this Bay, a Spaniard who
was prisoner aboard the fleet, swan
ashore by night, giving account to the
inhabitants Of the design of the Pirats,
which he overheard in their Discourse,
while they thought he did not Under
stand English.
1.-THE S%paniards upon this Advice be-
gan to hide their Riches and carry
away their Moveables; the Governor
Immediately raised all the People of the
town, Freemen and Slaves, and with
part of them took a Post by which Of
necessity the Pirats must pass"
Numerous trees were felled n am
buscades of well-armed men were en-
trenched, ready to give Captain Nor
gan and his cutthroats the warmest
kind Of Il reception.
Luck, however, favored the bucca-
neers, for. finding the passes to the
town insurmOuntable, they ,traversed
the wood and SO avoided the trops so
carefully laid for them by the COVER
nor. Emerging from the wood at last,
to the plain before the town, the free
hooters prepared for the attack. They
were almost Immediately discovered by
the Spanish, who repeatedly charged
them, with the idea of scattering their
forces. nj attempt proved futile, the
piratesp reserved their line in perfect
order, and with beating drums and
flying colors steadinly advanced, firing
as they came, with deadly effect. The
S~paniards were soon routed, their
greater number killed and the remain
der forced to fly to the woods in the
effort to save themselves. Morgan's
men suffered a trifing loss, the Span
iards proving as poor marksmen as
their descendants Of the present time.
The entrance to the town was warmly
contested, but finally effected. A mum
Der of the inhabitants retored to their
houses n from these vantage points
maintained an annoying fire. The
threat of the pirates to fire the town
unless they desisted had the desired
effect. With the town in their hands,
the pirates drove the Spaniards. men,
ONE and children into the churches
and held them as prisoners. They then
proceeded to loot the place, gathering
together everything of value the in
habitants had failed to hide. The sur
rounding country was diligently search
ed, resulting in the capture of more
booty n prisoners.
These poor wretches We're inhumanlX
tortured day after day, to make them
confess where their V~aluables were
hidden. BY thes mean they acquired
a vast quantity of money and goods.
Provisions finally growing scarce,
Morgan began to think Of departing for
richer fields. The prisoners were told
that if they desired their freedom they
would be obliged to pay for it, n on
payment for liberty a second ransom
would be demanded for the town or
every house in it would be burned.
-Four prisoners received permission to
seek the required ransom, but to hasten
their return Morgan a a number of
prisoners tortured before their eyes. A
few days later they returned with the
information of their inability to get to-
gether the necessary amount of money
Morgan demanded, and requested fif-
teen days time to raise it. To this
Morgan agreed, but a day or so later
a number of his men who had been
on an extended pillaging expedition,
returned with considerable booty and a
number Of prisoners, among them a
negro who bore a letter to the towns
men from the governor of Santiago, in
which they were advised to delay the
payment of ransom to the pirates as
long as possible, as an army was being
equipped to rescue them.
OpOI IIllS lHlClIIldIlO1 "oi 6olI ~
ported the booty he had gathered to his
ships and demanded the immediate
payment of the ranso mfrom the pris-
oners. This they could not do, and
Morgan, fearing to be caught by a 81
perior force, compromised on 500 beeves
for victualing his fleet, which were
given.
The sum secured by this foray ir
money and good amounted 5 $4,000, OF
- r. .s-I 90 <lo old IN rich dol
lar was called. The pirates had LEFT
Jamaica heavily in debt, and this sum
considerable as it was, hardly sufficec
to pay their obligations. According tc
the ancient chronicler this fact caused
genera dissatisfaction. The French
and English buccaneers separated a.
this time, the English returning to ia
maica.
The insursions of the pirates who op
Grated before Morgan's time had beer
prosecuted so diligently that the great
err number of small towns. along tn
coast of Cuba and neighboring island
had beer stripped of their. wealth ant
their inhabitants repdered so wretchet
and poverty stricken as to preclude al
pecuniary advantages from another at
tack.
The pirate of the seventeenth centur.
by all accounts loved fighting, but love-
gold far better, and he insisted on tn
two being combined before he riske'
his rascally skin.
For successful operation against tn
larger towns, the only places remain
ing which promised remuneration,
large force of men and a plentiful sup
ply of war munitions was absolutel,
necessary. Deserted by the French
Morgan's gang Of rascals was great,
reduced in numbers, but within a fey
DAYS after his arrival at Jamaica, h
succeeded in getting together $50 me-
and a fleet of nine small ships.
Cutthroat and all around scoundre
as Morgan's actions proved him un