The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-01-31

died, the entire six cities forming a cluster
of distributing and collecting points for the
products of some of the richest countries
on earth. These towns were full of mer-
chants, Maracaibo being a settlement of
Christianized Jews, and all of them were
fabulously rich.
BOLDEsT OF ALL PIRATES.
The pirates were not long in getting
under way. Francis 'Ollonnois, the
most intrepid of the buccaneers, gathered
fleet and set sail for Puerto Cabello, then
a mere pirates resort, from which point he
fitted out and proceeded toward Maracaibo.
This was in 1854. L'Ollonnois was a re-
markable character. He came of good
family in France, and as young man
went to Tortuga as the "engage,' or in
dentured slave, or apprentice. of bucca-
neer. Such things were common in those
days, and after serving his term he took
command of ship and began operations
on his own account against the Spaniards.
A short time before he started on the
Venezuelan expedition the governor of
Cuba sent man of war against him, with
instructions to show L'Ollonnis and his
crew no quarter The latter was lying off
Haiti, and ascertaining the location of the
Spanish ship, armed himself with meat
cleaver, and telling his men that he would
give them lesson in bravery, left with
one companion for the hostile vessel.
Climbing on board, he surprised and killed
the seutinels on guard, and, going below
among the sleeping officers and crew, he,
singlehanded, beheaded them one by one,
placing the cleaver to his lips and tasting
the blood as he dispatched them one at a
time. This feat stands unparalleled for
daring and courage. He then wrote a
letter to the governor telling what he had
done, thanking him for "his kindness, .
and promising to visit him before long and
serve him in the same style.
The sack of Gibralter, Merida, and
Maracaibo, which followed this adventure,
was carnival of bloodshed and debauch-
cry from start to finish. L'Ollonnois diff
fered from Morgan in the respect that he
did not torture much If a prisoner did
not divulge the location of treasure instan-
ter, L'Ollonnois, whom Esquemeling states
was the most impatient man that ever lived,
simply struck off his head with his meat
cleaver, his favorite weapon. From the
sack of these cities l. Ollonnois reaped a
harvest of 5000, 900 in coin and 500, 900
in church plate and jewels. This, accord
ing to the rules of the buccaneers, he di-
vided among his men. He spent his own
share in two days.
Soon after this he set sail for Honduras,
but fate turned against him, and l. Ollon
nois, who was so fond of chopping people
to pieces, was hewn down by the Darien
Indians, among whom he hadsought shell
ter from the Spaniards, and who actually
chopped him up in fragments, boiling and
eating the remains for supper.
CHARACTER OF MORGAN.
Henry Morgan, Welshman, the great
est of the English buccaneers, was diff
ferent sort of man from L'Ollonnois.
Burney states that ''hee was create rogue,
and littel respeckted the olde proverb Of
honoure among thieves. P" In 1867 he
attacked Porto Bello, or Puerto Velo, on
the Isthmus, with 300 men, surprising and
storming the outer works at night, In
the morning he locked the officers in one
room of the castle, set fire to the magazine
ana Dl6W UHetl llIO GIclHlpJ
The explosion caused such CONSERVATION
that the brave old governor could not rally
the people to his support, and was obliged
to retire within the inner castle, where the
fighting continued until Morgan compelled
the priests and nuns of a convent to plant
ladders against the wall. They screamed
and pleaded for mercy, but the governor,
who had some of the old Cortez spirit in
him. shot them down in crowds When
the ladders were planted the pirates rushed
to the attack, scaling the castle wall and
putting all to the sword From the raid
the pirates secured $3.50, 900.
1t was soon after this that Morgan un-
dertook what turned out to be one Of the
most remarkable naval engagements ever
fought, and which is of interest to Ameri-
cans owing to the fact that the conditions
were almost exactly the same as those
which prevailed in the Santiago fight, Of
the late Spanish American war Maracaibo
had been sacked in 1854 by l. Ollonnois,
but had recovered from the shock, and liz
1868 was again a very rich town. Like
Santiago, in Cuba, it is situated on the
shores of long bay, OF lake, having very
narrow mouth, so narrow in fact that one
ship could almost block it.
Morgan entered this peculiar bay with
three ships, stormed the town and took the
fort. His entire command entered the
building and were making merry with some
wine which the garrison had left, when
Morgan stepped outside to take view Of
the place. As he did SO he noticed some,
thing burning on the ground, and, fastening
to where it lay, found that it was fuse