The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-04-25
PIRATES OF OLDEN TIMES.
Stories of the Sea That Thrilled ouA
Ancestors Nearly Two Hum
dred Years Ago.

dred Years Ago.
Anewspaper a fewdays oldis of about
as much value to many people as last
years birds nest, but let the paper be-
come old enough and the ancient his
tory that it records is news to the preB-
ent generation and becomes absorb
ing reading. Maj. T. F. Cords pos
sesses a copy of the Boston News-LeT~
ter. 1t Is a tiny, one-sheet affair, bus
packed full of the records of Important
events. This paper was printed in INT
and bears the date from Monday,
April 30, to Monday, May c." Although
it lacks but II years Of being two Gems
turtles old, the paper shows surprising
" little wear, and the print is stiIs
clear and legible. In this Newsletter
one reads the first news of happenings
that have either become a part of his
tory or else entirely forgotten.
Here is a thrilling Stevensonian talc
of piracy, told first hand by this ole
paper in the matter-of-fact way OF
news dispatches. From Philadelphia,
April "a, we learn that "pyrate sloop
of 10 guns has for some weeks been
plying about the cepes of Virginia, wha
has boarded and plundered a greas
many European vessels. There appear
IN sight but about 40 or 80 hands, some
of which are Negroes and Molato's-
They have a prisoner on board, sup
posed to be a master Of some vessel
but none are suffered to ask him ques-
lions. 1t is thought they want good
ship of force
A dispatch from New York, dated
April 20, says: "It is reported here that
q pirate sloop has been at the east
end of Long Island, landed on Gardeners
Island, purchased some fresh pro-
visions, and gone again. Teneyck Is ar
rived in 8 days from Boston, who on
Thursday saw large ship, brigan-
tine and sloop in Homes's hole"
The story is carried along by dis
tells how Capt. Beer, from Block Is
land for South Carolina, was taken
about 40 leagues from land by "py-
rate" sloop and 40 men, commanded
by zone Paul Williams, captain" Capt
williams had q consort, "a very fine
built London gally of 30 guns, 200 brisk
men of sevral nations" She was called
the Whido, and Samuel Bellame was
the commander. After the pirates had
unloaded the captured vessel Capt.
Williams would have returned the ship
to Capt Beers, but the crew ordered
her sunk, so civilians put him on shore
at Block Island, and we were told that
the said ship (the Whido) is cast away
at Cape Cod and 30 of her crew
drowned"
From Boston comes the story of tho
fate that the pirates met: "By an eU-
press to his excellency the governor,
from Col. Baffet of Sandwich, April
2Sth, we are informed that there is
PIRATE ship upon the coast on the back
of Cape Cod, who had taken one Of our
vessels there, on whom he put on board
seven of his men, ordering them to
steer after him. The pirates being
free with the liquor that his captive
had, got themselves drunk and asleep,
and the captive master in the night
thought it fit opportunity to run her
on shore on the back side of Eastman"
The feven pirates, "al1 foreigners,
mariners, or seamen," were put into
Barnstable Jail and confessed that on
April &c, between Nantucket shoals
and st. Georges banks, "they had taken
O ship called the Mary Anne, which
was stranded on the shore of East
ham, and that they belonged to ship
called the Whido, under the command
of Capt. Samuel Bellamy, who had not
any commission from any prince or
potentate." 1t appears that fort
night after they had captured vessel
called the Snow and also two other
ships on the high seas.
By another letter from Sandwich the
governor was informed that "the nv
rate ship commanded by Capt. Samuel
Bellame was shipwreckt against Table
Lad, on board whereof 100 men were
drowned. and none saved except two
men, an English man and an Indian
that were cast on shore. They say
that three weeks ago they parted with
O. consort sloop near the capes of Vir-
ginia, that had 30 men on board her,
whom they had NOT seen since; that
the next day after parting with their
consort, they took Snow that came
from Scotland, bound to Virginia,
which Snow was at anchor near the
PIRATE ship when she was shipwreckt;
but next morning the Snow sayl'd off
with 10 men on board her and a small
sloop they had taken on the coast with
four men. A great many men have
been taken up dead near the place
where the ship was cast away" The
fate Of the Whido's consort and the
name of the quick-witted master of the
Mary Anne are not recorded by the
News-Letter.-Springfield (Mass.) Re-
publican.
Remarkable Cure of Rheumatism,