The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-30

It was not many minutes before the
pirate found that he had been tricAed
He would then have got away. but the
breeze fell and he was under the guns
of the Courier. The only thing to the
credit of the Black Devil was the fight
she made against superior force. cap
ture meant the halter. and for four long
hours the pirates stood up to their work.
At the end of that time they had lost
eighty men, half their guns we're dis
mounted, and the brig had been hulled
so often that there was five feet or
water in her hold. She was still fghtlng
when the frigate ran her aboard ana
poured fifty men on her decks. In ten
minutes they had possession.
Little of value was found aboard the
brig as she had Just returned to her
cruising ground. but many of the art-
Giles removed are to be found in the
British museum today. She was regu-
larly fitted out with a stock of 1mple-
ments of torture. Between decks there
was a large cauldron set in brickwork,
and close by a stock of seven barrels OF
oil She had thumbscrews by the dozen.
spiked boots. the racks and benches
used in the Inuuisition. and indeed moth
ing was lacking in the torture line.
only twenty-eight men of the pirates
crew lived to be taken prisoners
Among them was her fourth or fifth
captain, whose name was Alvarez. He
was a man of thirty. and greater
fend never lived. He was the last man
to give in. and was so severely wounded
that for some days 1T was a question
whether he would live or die.
The brig was so badly knocked about
that she foundered. and the fr1gate land
ed the pirates in Jamaica for trial
They were a staggering, bOaStfng, de-
faint lot Not one of them would turn
kings evidence. nor did any fear death
| In cold blood. and knowing they would
| be used against them. the captain, mate
| and several of the crew made state
! &c ioT7 hold them U1rff1 HE
devils. The captain had only engaged
| in two captures. and both vessels were
English. One had crew of fifteen, and
the other of eighteen men. He boosted
that every man had been tortured Il
death, and that some of them had lived
six hours after their torture commenced
| He said that with his own hand he had
cut off the ears. toes and fingers OF
merchant captain and then spiked hin
down on his own deck with no less thar
fourteen ship nails
The mate had been with the bris
! from the outset of her career. 1t tool
him two days to make his confession:
| All the implements of torture were IL
! his charge. and he was the one who di
rected their application. He said he haC
been the death of 100 English. French
| and American sailors. and there wa:
| sufficient cOrrObOratiVe evidence L
prove that he was not boasting.
| The first capture made by the Blacl
| Devil when she started OUT. was the shil
] ElXmOuLn ROCK OIL otileIIl- Ontll lile llIid
capture of the pirates the fate of thi
craft was a mystery. although it was gen
orally believed that she had sprung
leak and foundered in a gale at sea. Tha
devil of a mate. chucl6ling over the mem
| DRY as if he relisked it. told of capturing
the ship off San Salvador and of tortur
ing seven of her crew with his own hands
One of them was flung into the cauldro
of boiling oil. and his struggles splashe
the oil into the fire and nearly caused tn
loss Of the brig. The others were hacl<e
and gashed and had their bones broke
before being put to death
A F-9-,c', IAN man called the Dow
rad been m Ssinr for two wears, and wa
srppo-ed 70 have been lost at sea. TIL
mate of the Black Devil had her nam
and the circumstances OF her eaptur
recorded in his memory The Dove had
crew of sixteen men and carried nine pa;
sengers, all of whom were men She wa
armed and made fight. and five Of he
crew were killed before she was captures
AS the pirate craft was pressed for TIM
| none of the living were tortured. Hole
were bored to scuttle the Dove. and the
| her anchor was Got u-ca tie BOWS al