Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-01-21
Pirate and WhaIeT,
BY GEORGE 4. WALSH.

When Captain Ned Low, one of tn,
most formidable pirate leaders il
Colonial days, committed his depreda
tions along the Atlantic coast from
Newfoundland to Panama, he took
special delight in wreaking vengeanc,
upon the crews and captains of New
England vessels.
The reason for this is found in the
accounts OF his exploits by an old
historian. The sturdy colonists would
not permit him to perform his out
RACES without some sort of retaliation.
SO formidable afoe did they send after
the noted pirate chief that more than
once he was cornered and nearly cap.
tured
In June, 1928, Captain Low formed
q partnership with successful pirate
of lesser note known as Charles
Harris. The two united forces and
directed their energies toward the New
England coast. They soon aroused
such Indignation in the New
England coast towns that the warship
Greyhound was sent ont after the
pirates, and, disguised as merchant
man, she soon fell in with the enemy.
The warship was manned with twenty
guns and one hundred and twenty
men. When she sighted the pirates
her captain pretended to be in great
CONSERVATION, and the vessel stood
away for two hours, with the pirates
close at her heels.
When Low and Harris were in gum
shot the warship suddenly turned
around and delivered several broad
sides into the chasing vessels. Dur
ing the conflict which followed Cap
tain Low escaped on his fleet vessel
but Harris and his crew were captured
and hanged near Newport on July 10,
1928.
This incident created a feeling of
relief and rejoicing throughout New
England, but it was of short duration.
Instead Of being frightened away by
the fate OF his partner and his crew,
Captain Low increased his activity
and secured the seas after Now Eng
land vessels.
At that time New England was send
ing ont large fleets of whaling boats,
and the sturdy, innocent seaman of
these were bothered by the pirates
probably more than any other class.
They carried very little merchandise
that was of any value to the pirates,
but ont of a sense of revenge Captain
Low took special delight in destroying
the whaling vessels and in setting
their crews adrift in small boats or
killing them.
Matters went on this way for a few
months, when the noted pirate chief
either became frightened at the num-
Der of warships searching for him or
he felt that he had been sufficiently
reyengcd for the hanging of his part.
ner, for after the winter Of 1923 there
Is no record to show that he ever again
visited the American coast. His opera
tions thereafter were confined chiefly
to the African coast and among the
Canaries and Cape Verde islands.
But one incident of his career
among the New England whalers be-
fore he left for southern waters will
illustrate the pluck and ingenuity of
the sturdy seamen of that day.
The Carrie Bald, of Boston, sailed
from that city manned with crew of
fifteen sailors, and after ten weeks of
successful whaling she turned her
prov toward home loaded down with
blubber 'and whale oil, Her crew
were in the best of spirits, anticipat-
ing large profits from their cargo and |
a hearty welcome home by their wives,
children and sweethearts.
On July 10th she sighted land, which
proved to be a rocky headland on the
Maine coast. With this guide-post
telling the captain and crew that they
would be in Boston harbor in a few
days everybody began to make pre-
parations for landing. Everything
about the vessel was put ship-shape,
and the old sailors even got their be-
iongings together and packed them in
bags and old sail-cloth.
But before Mount Desert island was
sighted n sail was seen heading toward
the coast, standing up from the sea
like a great, white cloud. Captain
Bald OF the Carrie grew anxious
as the sail approached nearer and dis
played'a flag at the mizzen masthead
which he could not make out. One
reason for his running so far ashore
had been to escape the notice Of any
piratical craft that might he cruising
up and down the coast. Most of the
trading vessels stood well ont from the
rocky Maine shore,
Half an hour.l later Captain Bald felt