Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-09-06
BLACKBOARD.
The Tragic End of the Bloodthirsty
English Pirate.

English Pirate.
All the world has heard of BLACK
beard" the English sailor who, after
having been a highly respected officer
in his majesty's navy, turned pirate
and raised the black flag against every
thing afloat.
This notorious sea robber, whose real
name was Teach, l believe, took his
pseudonym from the fact that he wore
very heavy black beard, which he
was in the habit of doing up in two
large braids and tying them up behind
his ears. He was a man of gigantic
proportions and of SURPRISING strength.
His heart was as cruel as that of a
tiger. Every now and then, when there
was nothing else in sight, he would
shoot one or two of his own men-just
to keep his practice up!
In the early years of the eighteenth
century Blackboard patrolled the wa
tiers of Europe, but it finally became
too hot for him there, and he struck
out for the coasts of North America.
How well he piled his trade in the new
field is evidenced by the fact that from
Nova Scotia to Florida he succeeded in
making his name a mortal terror.
In captured ship of forty guns he
entered Charleston harbor and held the
town up for a large ransom. From
Charleston he passed into the waters of
North Carolina, plundering and STAY
ing right and left and in their distress
the Tar Heels" being able to get no
aid from their own governor, Eden, ap-
pealed to Governor Spotswood of Viz
ginia to relieve them of the terrible
pirate, who was making their lives a
living hell
Spotswood did not listen to the ap-
peal in vain. Looking about for some
one to put a quietus upon blackboard
he found the person he wanted in one
Robert Maynard, a young officer on his
majesty'S ship Pearl, which happened
to be lying at the time in Chesapeake
bay.
Manning couple of small craft with
some sixty resoute men. Maynard set
out early in November, Ills in search
of blackboard, and on the DIST of the
same month found him at Ocracoke in
let, North Carolina. Black beard did not
know what fear was, young Maynard
was as full of fight as a hungry wild
cat, and the ball opened at once. The
dancing was to the tune of NO Quar-
ter For over three hours Maynard
and his sixty men fought the pirate
and his fifty associates.
Blackboard sprang to the rail of his
ship and Selling a bottle of whisky,
drank from it and shouted, "Damna-
ton seize my soul if l give you any
quarter or take any from your' Il nei-
Their ask for nor will l give you any
quarter" roared back Maynard.
In the shallow waters of the Carolina
sound the pirates ship grounded, and
Maynard made for her, intending to
board her in the final death grapple,
but as the two vessels came together
Blackboard anticipated his intended
movement and jumped aboard of him
with sixteen Of his followers. Maynard
had but thirteen men left by this time,
but with these he tackled the sixteen
pirates and their desperate leader.
Crossing swords with Blackboard,
Maynard succeeded in dealing him a
death thrust in the throat, and in the
meantime his men had killed or wound
ed all of Blackbeard's followers.
With the sea robbers head swinging
by its long black hair from the bow
spirit of his little craft Maynard sailed
back to Virginia to receive the con-
CALCULATIONS of the governor and the
! loving thanks of all jewellers along the
American seaboard.-Rev. Thomas b.
Gregory in New York American.