The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1904-01-05
4 SPANISH PIRATE
IcopyrIght. 1eOs. IL q. p. 49, !,

Tor the West Indies. had righted Porto
Rico, a pirate brig appeared to wind.
ward She had been so often described
that there was no installing her. She
was a Spanish craft Familiarity known
as the Black Devil.
Josiah Marsh was skipper OF the
Snow, and his crew numbered twelve
men AS he had no guns aboard and
as the craft was slow sailer he order
ed out the longboat, and everybody got
into her, and the Snow was abandoned
The pirates chased the longboat for a
couple of hours, but as the wind was
light they could not come up with her.
Then they returned to pick up the
Snow. She was loaded with slaves
and lumber, and there was little or
nothing aboard of her the fellows could
make use of. They dared not set IRE
tp her, and the holes bored in her bot.
tom only waterlogged her. A cat and
q parrot were left aboard, and in re-
yenge the pirates tortured the cat to
death and hung the parrot to one Of the
beams of the cabin.
AS the longboat. with Josiah Marsh
and his crew aboard, ran down through
the Mona passage they met the British
frigate Courier and gave her the news.
They had left the pirate craft forty
miles behind them, but the Engiishman
was prompt to go in search. The Amer.
leans asked that they might be taken
aboard and serve until the Black Devil
was destroyed, and their request was
complied with.
In spirit of bravado the pirate cap
tain had entered her capture on the log
and had added that he should cruise
for a week between Porto Rico and
Barbados. Accident had changed his
plans. however. AS his craft lay along
side the Snow their rigging became en-.
tangled, and the Black Devil had her
fore topmast sprung. She came to an
Choir under the lee Of one of the Virgin
islands to repair damages and had just
got all autanto when the Courier hove
in sight.
The Epglishman knew that he must
disguise his ship If he wished to get
near the Spaniard. AS he took up the
pursuit he began TO overhaul his top
hamper, and after few hours the
smart frigate looked as slovenly as any
merchantmen afoat The pirate let
herself be overhauled to within mile
before she flew the black flag, and as
the emblem ioated TO the masthead she
fired the first gun. She mounted twelve
guns and had crew of lis men. The
frigate mounted twenty-four guns and
a crew of 40
Ii was not many minutes before the
pirate foInd that he had been tricked.
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
were dismounted, and the brig had
been hulled so often that there was
five feet of water in her hold. She was
still fighting when the frigate ran her |
aboard and poured fifty men on her |
decks. In ten minutes they had pos
session.
Little of value was found aboard the |
brig, as she had just returned to her
cruising ground, but many of the ar
icles removed are to be found in the |
British museum today. She was regu-
arly fitted out with a stock of 'imple-
nents of torture. Between decks there
was large caldron set in patchwork
md close by stock of seven barrels
If oil. She had thumbscrews by the
lozen, spiked boots, the racks and
benches used in the inquisition. and in
Iced nothing was lacking in the tor
ure line.
Only twenty-eight men Of the pirates
rev lived to be taken prisoners. |
Amoug them was her fourth or fifth
captain. whose name was Alvarez He
vas man of thirty. and a greater
lend never lived. He was the last
nan to give in and was so severely
that for some days 1t was u
question whether he would live or die.
The brig was so badly knocked acout
hat she foundered, and the ffigate
anded the pirates in Jamaica for trial.
they were a staggering, Boosting. de-
liant lot Not one of them would turn
ling's evidence, nor did any fear death.
In cold blood, and knowing they
would be used against them, the cap
ain, mate and several of the crew
made statements which held them up
Is veritable devils. The captain had
,nly engaged in two captures, and both
'esseIs were English. One had crew
II fifteen and the other of eighteen
men. He boosted that every man had
,een tortured to death and that some
# them had lived six hours after their
orture commenced. He said that with
lis own hand he had cut Off the ears,
oes and fingers of merchant captain
md then spiked him down on his own
Ieck with no less than fourteen ship
lails.
Tho ,nata had haor ,,,;+h +t,a t.,-;,,