Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-11-28
THE REAL CAPTAIN KIDD
I'rT~ IA ..,d q" q" To Sea in Search oi
Pfo"l"r- lie Ma, Forced To Turn Pirate

| l'rT- iA..,d ." q" 10 Sea in Search oi
Ifo"l"f-. ~" Was FORCED To Turn Pirate
Dispatches told, the other day. how
"orkngmrn engaged in tearing down
Az rld huUs. at Damaliscotta. Mills.
Nj. found IN rhr walls q pot Of rDan-
ieL gold. which might have been
! placed there 10y Captain Kidd The
| silly rhras'- indicates the popular io-a
ot KIDD ,actions-thal he buried trees
NE anyN here aud everywhere along
| th- Atlantic Coast. Says the Youths
| COMPANION Yet th- truth seems To he
! that all the Naluables ne really li5
conceal w"r. discovered during his life
| tim-
! TWO hundred years ago William Kid
! as hanged ~ Execution Dock. Lon
| don. ANA time has sifted out from
| many fables some of the facts about
his career. 1T Srens that ne was born
m Gr--n"rk. scotland. ana was The
son VI! " NuLcunformiSt minister. n, no
had suffered imprisonment and tor
tur- l"r cunsci-ncr'S SAKE Some If
III. fathers sterling stun must have
been I'll IN s"n. ~. went ~ sea. rosa
&" ~ captain ANA made 4 fortune
IL had Specially distinguished him
S-M a. privateerSman against the
French II II, West Indies. ana T. hrr
tn Earl of Bellamont. Governor "
assLchusetis Bay. undertook i'll II.
- stamp OUT piracy. no less important
4 New Yorker Than Robert Livingstone
recommended Kidd for the command
VI th- expedition.
There would probably H. gold gained
~ u-n ~ good accomplished by suca
n movement. and Bellanont ana others
of tn nobility and gentry raise
ctnoo 10 iit out the pirate catchers. |
a new shin MAS provided, the Ad-
venture Galley. of Is. tons anG |
mounting n guns And Kidd VII, !
had retired ANA was living mt his ease |
gladly made ready 10 20 to sea again |
There was difficulty i'm raising |
crew at Plymouth. England. wher, |
tho vessel MAS built. and Kidd SAILED |
her To his home port. New York |
where. five years earlier. he had betr |
presented with else for protecting In, !
colony from pirates Al New York ht |
shipped men enough 10 make in al |
l5i. Then in september 1896 the Ad !
venture bore away i'll search Of III, |
pirates who rruwlrd between III,
cape VI Good Hope ana the Strait a.
Malacca."
Eut after while strange tales bega
to come back. 1t was said that Kid,
had turned pirate himself. that H. haC
seized the Quidah Merchant East In
diaman. and other ships OF his oWr
nation. Finally the governors Of ri
English colonies werr ordered to Sciz
him "n sight. :" when Kidd tirne
-.,t1 -y,N-t rEtrt loo n 1
near Haiti and with a f,w men IN |
small slu"p. sailed ~ u tinrdincrs Is
lana. which lieS on the east enc "f Ion: |
Island. y. y. Thence he sent au ennis |
sarN 10 Boston. to Uellamont. prottStin; |
inuucrnc". and asking il il werr safc 4
come ashore.
.Arparently Bellamont enc,uraged him
X idd Vruturrd to Boston. \ week late !
hr was arrested To- be sent 10 Englan0 |
Political complications cause 4 4 year
delay, hut in May, l7Hl. h. was put ol |
trial at the Old Bailey. charged not cnl, |
with piracy, but with burning houses
peaSantrN. hrutaIly treatint !
prisoners. anu murdoring William Moore
4 gunner ON his ship.
Kidd answered that his own crew forced |
him into piracy; that after they has
rruisrd 4 Year and found no pirates, ant
therefore no booty. they mutinied alit
made him un their VIII. lie admitted |
killing Muor". 'as he sailed" hui asserte, |
that hc had To- do 50 IL maintain disC |
pliu. There seems doubt that hts |
lfldt WIS grossly Qnlatf. he was rttustt |
counsel uud al facilities for making de
Tense. still the charge of piracy failed |
but he was convicted of the murder OF
Moore. and Kidd and nine of his crew
were hanged
As for the treasure" OF this man. who |
may have been better than his reputation. |
some was buried at Gardeners Island,
some was carried on his person, and some |
was stored ON his sloup. 1t consisted OF
about .ln0 ounces of gold. $50 ounces ut z
silver. l. nIuces of Jewels 90 stonesl, 30
bags OF sugar. II bales Of merchandise.
ana g. pieces of canvass, the total value :
being about Sli00N.