The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-03-13
4 DARING BUCCANEER
Edward Thatch, Who Was Known
as the Blackboard Pirate.
HIS BATTLE WITH MAYNARD.
After the Hand 60 Hand ceaSlie4 IN
0esperade's Head Hung q The osGs..
spirit End Of the lieutsnant's Sleep
a. She Sailed Back TO Virginia.

a. She Sailed Back to virsinia.
1t Is almost 800 years since Edward
Thutch. better known a. the pirate
Blackboard. was q name with which
to terrorize the Atlantic coast Of the
then new country Of America. As q
buccaneer whose deeds Of desperate
daring made him feared wherever His
name was known he stands . close
rival Of the famous Captain Kidd. if
Indeed In some respects be did not sur
pass that notorious freebooter.
The date Of Thatch's birth II lost In
history. and his native place II vari-
He first appears as ferefhast hand to
Major Stede Bonnet. n gentleman Of
Barbados. who. although a man Of
property and having small knowledge
OF the sea. thought proper to MT out .
sloop and take to a life Of piracy. the
explanation Of his being n little dis
tracted" being charjtably given by one
biographer. However that may be.
his crew missed In the major the quail
!ties of successful commander. They
deposed him and elected Thatch In hia
place. Bonnet was tried and executed
In iii.
Thatch's FIRST independent exploit Of
which We have detailed account took
place in June. IT'S when he captured
two French ships near the Bermudas.
one laden with sugar. the other empty.
Transferring to the latter the crew OF
the laden vessel and letting them %
their way. he sailed with his prize OF
vessel and sugar for Bathtown, N. C..
With the governor OF which place.
Charles Eden. he lad previously ar
rived at a pleasant understanding.
Thatch gave out that he had found
the French ship deserted. Governor
Eden received sixty hogsheads OF sugar
rs his share. Tobias Knight. his SEC
Rotary. took twenty. and the remain
der fell TO Thatch and his crew.
Thatch :; fingered there for some
months. plundcring and insulting the
merchants Of the place. These. under
pecting redress from Eden, applied TO
the governor Of Virginia to rid them
of the pest.
The governor. after consultation
with the captains Of the Pearl and
Lime. then lying in the James river.
agreed to provide two sleeps. The war
ships to furnish q complement Of
men. Lieutenant Maynard Of the
Pearl was placed In command. and
the punitive expedition sailed ON Nov.
II, 1710 On the 21st the plrates were
sighted In an inlet about sixty miles
from Bathtown. and Maynard anchor
ed for the night
On the following moening Thatch.
maneuvering 70 eiude attack. ran his
vessel aground. bot Naynard's sloop.
drawing more water. though she had
no guns On board. failed to get to
close quarters. The lieutenant, how.
ever. threw out his ballast and In an
swee to q truculent deAance from
Thatch promised to be soon aboard
him with his sloop." Coming at last
within close range. . broadsido from
the pirate kuJed O. wounded twenty
OF Naynacd's crew and nine o. board
his conoort
Maynard now ran alonGs1do the pl-
rate, when, under cover Of . discharge
Of grenadee. Thatch and fourteen fol-
lowers boarded ths kings sh1p. May
nard and Thatch. pistol and sword In
hand. engaged IN q desDerats pefsoaal
! encounter. The lieutenant's sword
broke. and more than onse - aaErow-
" escaped Q fatal injury. but ae
last, Thatch. having reeeeved sixteen
wounda, ten dead In the act Of cock
ing q pistol Hb followers JaDDe4
oveeooard and cfied fer quarter. Nay.
nard hung Thatch'o head at the bow.
spR1t end. sailed for bathtoWn, wh0O
he SEIZED TIE governer's stureAsuse.
ana thea, stin with ~ gEaay -
OF triumph swinging u N wa. 10
joined n1e emp N vMS.ae. wnste s1s
teen OF u eoDe0eo pskae Ws0
Ous u
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ufe 80 slss 49,.
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