The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-02-03
Capt kidd Mad Raldercs On
That TleplllIart.
Ne MAD oeeO MElCAeOas
Married His Property Was an un'
lucky pirate searching Tor
Mythical Treasures.
New York SUM-

And be sailed. and he sailed!
At the last meeting OF the New York
Historical Society william 5. pelle-
treau read paper on the subject of
where Capt. Kidd lived and who his
neighbors were. The Captain, aecor-
ding 10 Mr.. Pelietreau, had very res
pectable neighbors. some of the best
people OF the city Of New York living
close to him In Wall street and its
vicinity. In fact, Mr. Pelletreau was
rather panied to note that among mo
dern New Workers some of the very
respectable people of other days of the
city are not SO well remembered as the
pirate Captain who dwelt among them.
As an instance, he cited an experience
at the time the statute of Recorder
John Watts was put up in Trinity
churchyard or five young fellows who
stood looking on, all OF whom pre-
sumaby had had the benefits of a
common school education in the city,
three when asked who John Watts
was answered You've got me" one
said that he was the hymn writer, and
another that he invented the steam
engine ANY OF these would have been
able to tell who Capt. Kidd was" said
Mr.. Pelletreau. The incident may have
suggested itself through the connec-
ton OF the name of Gen. DE Puyster
who erected the statue, with the his
tory OF Capt Kids New York resi-
dence.
Col. Abraham De Puyster was the
most important neighbor the pirate
Captain had, Mr.. Pelletreau said. Capt.
Kidd lived at what is now So Wall
street, and although nearly all the lots
of that neighborhood have undergone
changes in the last two centuries, that
lot remains as 1t was laid out at the
time Kidd lived on 1t. IL seemed bit
curious, with all the stories OF Kids
wealth In mind, TO hear the speaker
say that Capt. William Kidd never
bought lot, never built a house and
never owned one. Kidd came into his
Wall street house by marriage. After
the need for the wall which gave Wall
street its name had disappeared the
property on the north side Of the street
was bought in part on speculation. In
1859 George Brown, maltster, sold a
lot there to William Cox for ESQ. Cox
was drowned in August of that year
off Staten Island, and In 1851 his widow
married Capt. Kidd. Mr.. Pelletreau
said that the only person who seems
TO have said good word for Capt.
Kidd that has come down TO us was
a brother -in-law, Samuel Bradley, who
praised him in a will which he made
in 1898.
Bradley, however, outlived Kidd. Cox
had left his property In such shape
that his wife inherited the Wall street
house. She did not. Mr.. Pelletreau
said, from the evidence that Is attain
able, lose any social standing by mar
rying Kidd. Col. De Puyster owned
the property all along William street
near Wall and the grounds were known
as De Puyster's Gardens. The land re-
NAMED in the De Puyster family many
years. There were plenty OF neighbors
on the east, along Pearl street. The
Kids held property in the neighbor-
hood Of 81 Pine street, and some au-
thorities say that it was the Captains
intention to build on those lots. but
on July 8, 1893, he and his wife sold
them to Capt. Thomas Clark. who, in
February, 1896. sold them at a good
profit. In 1893 the Kids sold some
land to Robert Livingston, who built
two houses on 1t. He lived until 1928.
Another important neighbor OF Kidd
was James Graham, an Alderman, who
one night was stabbed with a sword
by Capt. James Baxter. Many wit
nesses were examined, but they prov
ed as blind as the proverbial bat. They
all knew that the Alderman had been
stabbed and that the Captain had had
something TO say to him privately,
but none saw the thrust. Dlerck Van
der Cliff, proprietor Of the well-known
house OF entertainment on the north
side OF Maiden lane, near Gold street,
was one OF the blind witnesses. The
gentlemen had been drinking wine and
cider at his place.
Kidd came to his end on May IL,
l7Ol, when he was hanged in England.
His wife soon afterward married again
and outlived her third husband. Mr..
Pelletreau said that Capt. Kidd, as he
walked about the city In three-corner-
cd hat and fine blue coat, doubtless
presented very respectable and dig
nifed appearance. Mr.. Pelletreau, ask
ing whether he was Justly or unjustly
condemned, said that II he was inuo-
cent the question was pertinent, How
did he accumulate all his property?