Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1909-02-03
A DARING BUCCANEER
Edward Thatch, Who Was knoMa
as the Blackboard Pirate.
HIS BATTLE WITH MAYNARD.

Artcr tne RAND TO HAND Conflict the
Desperado's Head Hung at the Bow
spirit End Of the Lieutenant's SIoop
as She Sailed Back TO Virginia.
1t is almost 200 years since Edward
Thatch, better known as the pirate
Blackboard. was n name with which
TO terrorsze the Atlantic coast Of the
then new country OF America. AS a
buccaneer whose deeds OF desperate
daring made him feared wherever bis
name was known he stands n close
rival Of the famous Captain Kidd. II
indeed In some respects he did not sur
pass that notorious freebooter.
The date OF Thatch's birth is lost In
history, and his native place is vari.
ously given as Bristol and Jamaica.
He first appears as a foremost hand TO
Major Stede Bonnet, gentleman OF
Barbados. who. although n man of
property and having small knowledge
OF the sea, thought proper to ut out a
sloop and take to life OF piracy. the
explanation OF his being n little dis
tracted" being charitably given by one
biographer. However that may be.
his crew missed In the major the qunl.
tiles OF n successful commander. They
deposed him and elected Thatch In his
place. Bonnet was tried and executed
In iii.
Thatch's first independent exploit OF
which we have n detailed account took
place in June. Ills. when he captured
two French ships near the Bermudas.
one laden with sugar. the other empty.
Transferring 10 the latter the crew OF
the laden vessel and letting them 20
their way. he sailed with his prize of
vessel and sugar for Bathtown. \. C.
with the governor OF which place.
Charles Eden. he had previously ar.
rived 1T pleasant understanding.
Thatch gave out that be had found
the French ship deserted Governor
Eden received sixty hogsheads OF sugar
as 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. plundering and Insulting the
merchants OF the place. These. under.
standing at length the futility OF ex-
pecting redress from Eden. applied 10
the governor of Virginia TO rid them
OF the pest
The governor after consultation
with the captains Of the Pearl a..d
Lime. then lying In the James river
agreed TO provide two sloops. the war.
ships TO furnish complement ~
men. Lieutenant Maynard of the
Pearl was placed In command and
the punitive expedition sailed on Nov
IL. Ills On the Dist the pirates were
sighted IN an inlet about sixty miles
from Bathtowu. and Maynard anchor
ed for the night
On the following morning Thatch.
maneuverlng to elude attack. ran his
vessel aground. but Maynard's sloop.
wing 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.
swer 10 a truculent defiance from
Thatch promised to be 'soon aboard
him with his sloop-" Coming at last
within close range. n broadside from
the pirate killed or wounded twenty
OF Maynard's crew and nine on board
his consort
Maynard now ran alongside the pi-
rate. when. under cover OF a discharge
OF grenades. Thatch and fourteen fol-
lowers boarded the kings ship. May
nard and Thatch. pistol and sword in
hand. engaged In a desperate personal
encounter The lIeutenant's sword
broke. and more than once he narrow
ly escaped n fatal injury But at
last Thatch. having received sixteen
wounds. fell dead in the act OF cock
ing Il pistol His followers Jumped
overheard and cried for quarter. May
nard hung Thatch's head ut the bow
spirit end. sailed for Bathtown, where
he seized the governors storehouse,
and then. still with his grisIy sign
Of triumph swinging I'm the wind, re-
Joined his ship In Virginia. where thlr-
teen of the captured pirates were
hanged.
One Of the lackbeard's crew who
obtained pardon was Israel Hands,
who makes his appearance in Treas
ure Island " Shortly before Thatch
met his death Hands had been famed
for life by Il pistol shot I'm the knee
fired by Thatch from under the cabin
table. AT which he. with Hands and
others. was carousing. just to remind
his crew in general "who he was"
Such an act was only one of the many
eccentric brutalities Of Thatch's ca
reer.
When he felt himself I'm the vein or
was going into action his appearance
was somewhat startling-hfs bushy
black beard tied up with ribbons, the
ends OF which were thrown over his
ears; fur cap on his head. with n
lighted match on either side, and three
brace Of pistols slung across his shoul-
der. OF the usual condition of himself
and his crew much may be gathered
from the fact that "our company
somewhat sober" was circumstance
deemed worthy of note in the diary
found after his death.-London Globe
Not Vet.
ssDO won dacfra m ~0ov,o xx,t&t, - Io4t,