Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1903-03-05

since the Spaniards first appeared in
that region. Not long ago in fact, our
consul at Maracaibo reported an attack
they made on German bark near the
shoals Of the gulf, only IL miles dis
tant from Fort San Carlos, when the
captain and crew were carried ashore
and compelled to leave their vessel
prey to these modern pirates, who were
led by half-breed known as Cachim-
bo This was the fourth case of piracy
the consul stated, that he knew had
been committed on large foreign sailing
vessels, and he recommended that the
masters Of such trading along the coast
of Venezuela should provide themselves
with breech-loading rifles and ammuni-
ton, especially with signal gun, for
warning and defense.
Last Act of Piracy.
The very last act of piracy committed
In American waters, it Is said, in which
the intent Of the pirates was to burn,
kill and destroy, occurred just 70 years
ago, when the good brig Mexican,
bound from Salem. Mass, for Rio de
Janeiro, was overhaued by Spanish
pirates when abreast the West Indies.
Had the Danes followed their first
sane impulse and transferred to the
United States their West Indian pos
sessions, st. Thomas, st. John, and
Santa Cruz, we should now own, among
other assets Of the first-named island,
the veritable tower, which, according
to local tradition, Blackboard made his
castle when in the heydey of his Grim
fna1 90 do Nf
three shapely hills that serve as but
tresses for the beautiful port of Char
lotte Amelia, about 500 feet about the
land-locked harbor which Uncle Sam
erstwhile coveted as a coaling static?
AS the tower dominated both the port
and the little red fort erected there by
the compatriots of the immortal Ham
let, the pirates were allowed perrorce
to remain (again referring to tradi-
tom, and as the island abounded in
secluded harbors, reef-guarded inlets,
and other restreatS to pirates liking
here Blackboard and his companions
made their headquarters as long as they
chose to stay.
1t was out Of the Beverly-Salem har-
Dor that the Mexican sailed at the be-
ginning Of her voyage toward Rio,
clearing at the custom-house made
famous by Nathanial Hawthorne, and
shaping course for the open ocean. She
carried, besides miscellaneous cargo,
some 10000 Spanish milled dollars, sent
by her owner, Joseph Peabody, to sup
ply any deficiencies of her cargo of
lumber and Goldfish. The master was
Captain Butman Of Beverly, and there
were Is in the crew, all told, no men
ton being made In the vessels log Of
what they thought as to the supersi-
tion attaching to the "unlucky num-
ber." They had uneventful sailing for
three weeks, at the end Of which time
they found themselves we'll over toward
the coast of Africa, to which they had
been driven by battling and contrary
winds.
They did the best they could to re-
cover their course, and were getting
along very we'll when they sighted the
Tong, low, rakish craft" that the ira
ditional pirate always cruises in. AS
these Yankee sailors were not looking
for any suspicious characters, however,
they paid little attention to the strang-
er until finally they could not help but
notice that she was logging their
tracks. 1--WE sailed along, ship and
ship" says one of these ancient mari
ners in a recent narrative of his ex-
perience, until about o'clock in the
morning, and then that old man
couldn't stand 1t any longer and altered
the course. That settled it, for the
clipper altered her course to correspond |
and came down on use like a sea hawk !
on fat duck. She few the flag of one
of the South American republic, and |
we could see guns on her deck and a |
crew of murderous-looking Spaniards |
all armed with knives and pistols"
The piratical vessel proved to be the |
Spanish brig Panda, which had stolen |
out from her customary haunts along |
the African coast on the watch for I'M
wary Yankees like our friends from |
Salem
She ordered the master Of the Mexi- !
can to send boat aboard, and then |
sent a crew Of murderous cuthtroats |
back to board the schooner. These |
miscreants took Captain Butman down |
below and by fearful threats made him |
disclose the hiding place Of his treasure |
$4,000 in silver-stOwed away be- |
meath a scuttle in the captains cabin. |
The old man did not want to let it go. |
but as there were no firearms aboard |
his craft, he had to comply with the
pirates demands. There were ten !
money boxes" with $4,000 in each box,
and the Spaniards were not at all slow
in getting them up and transferring
them aboard their brig. This done, 1t |
might have been thought they would
allow the plucked Yankees to go their
way; but no so. The pirate captain
gave orders for the Americans to be
confined below and the matches bat
and left her burning in dozen places.
The Panda sailed away, but slowly
and ever with watchful eye upon the
schooner. her master evidently intend
ing to leave no men alive. It was af-
terward learned that so long as the
two vessels were within sight Of each
other, the captain Of the Panda had
man at the masthead to report any sign
OF life aboard the Mexican. Had there
been, doubtless there would today be
no survivors to tell of their exploits In
the very long ago. But the Americans
were wary, for, though Captain But,
man found means to escape from the
The enforced resignation Of NJ. Kov-