Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-06-07
A REAL PIRATE ISLAND
1t Was Once the Stronghold of
Morgan, the Buccaneer.
"A TINY COUNTRY TO ITSELF.

Reckless, Murderous Crew That Now
Claim It as Their Own.
Sailing upon that almost unknown
sea which Gibbs and flows upon the
Mosquito Coast, the line of the horizon
Is broken by two faint points. AS the
vessel approaches nearer strange
sight meets the vision. The points
have become two jaws looming against
the clearness Of the sky and water. II
Is as if an enormous mouth had been
suddenly thrust out Of the sea with
listended jaws pointed skyward
Truly the sight is uncanny, but the
Jaws mark an uncanny spot in the
not so deserted by man. Upon their
bosom passed stately galleons the
plate ships loaded with treasure from
the new Spain. When their captains
saw those black jaws they may have
said an Ave as, altering their course.
they sailed away from them, for this
bit of dry spot in the ocean was then
known, as it is today, as a pirate is
land.
Old Providence, as the map maker
calls it, is i'll truth dot on the waters
Not over four miles from end to end
in its longest direction and half as
much in width. a good walker can ell
circle it by the little coast path the ma
tives call highway in half a day. The
human beings who call it home are
confined to its outer edge. for the sub
marine volcano which at some time in
the past ages gave birth to Old Provi-
drnrn in one Of its commissions. topped
it off with a miniature mountain range
sire; ching above the center of the is
Land. 1t is o2lr of these mountains that
forms the li.lck gaping jaws so plainly
seen long bet ne the graceful cocoanut
palms marking .Er shore line are viSi-
bic. In Il whimsical display Of its
power the Volcano cut q great wedge
J in one Of the r"aks-a wedge fully a
hundred feet ;;,rnss at the top and
tapcrins to Il Sror" or so at the bottom.
Today, as centuries ago, Old provi-
denre is tiny country to itself. Far
out Of the modern ocean highway, in
one Of the least frcuuentcl parts Of the
Carihhcan the steamship or sailing
unless driven there by storm. There is
no postolIcc, for the reason that there
lis no mail service. True, it is claimed
ihy some country just as every point
that sticks out Of the sea is claimed.
Colombia calls Old Providence part
of its republic. but not man lives
upon it to act as governor, judge or
and commit other crimes utterly re-
CARELESS Of any authority save force
and the little influence Of the solitary
white man who has cast his lot among
them.
St. Catherine, as it was mockingly
called in the old days. was the strong
hold Of Henry Morgan. For nearly $50
years the blood Of his followers has
flowed in the veins Of it's people, but
before the freebooters sailed into it's
harbor the Spanish governor of Costa
Rica had made it an island prison for
criminals he thought too dangerous to
keep on the mainland. When Morgan
guards Of his captives 100 Of these con-
victs. released on their promise to join
has band-literally human dregs Of
new Spain. Again the Spaniards cap
tured the island and turned it into a
penal colony until Morgan's flag was
raised above it in 1910 and the struggle
for its possession ended. Since then
have been descendants Of the white
outlaws, their convict allies and the
black women who went there from the
West Indies on Morgan's ship.
The blood of the islanders Is the
blood Of English. Irish and Scotch, but
adulterated with that Of the negro. To,
day fully 1000 persons live upon this
islet-a thousand human beings who
have degenerated in mind until the
majority Of them are little better than
beasts. Murder is common; theft is not
a crime; marriage is unknown. Only
the fear Of a stronger keeps many q
man from taking life for trife.
Most Of the cocoanuts are traded for
clothing, liquor. firearms. knives and
trinkets. After a vessel has loaded
and departed. for days the island may
be the scene of a drunken debauch
which brings to mind stories written
about the carousals Of the buccaneers
after the capture Of prize, but here
is no captain or discipline Of the sea
The weaker are the prey Of the
stronger, and robbery and killing pass
unnoticed. 1t is the testimony of Fa
Their st. John, the brave priest who
alone Is endeavoring to do something
to improve the condition of these peo
pie, that scarcely a week passes with
out murder.
With only handful out Of the 1000
population acknowledging any form Of
Christianity, it is not strange that the
belief in fetiches, even voodooism
should be widespread. Witch doctors
and sellers of charms for good ani
evil are numerous. Most Of the wo
men wear next to the skin a tuft Of
hair, piece Of rag smeared witt
blood or some other amulet which Il
Intended to cast spell over their enc