Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-23

He touched at two ports in the West
Indies, but was refused stores. as he
had been proclaimed pirate. Not only
that, but he learned of an English war
ship being nearby in search of him. He
was in desperate plight. He did not
know the temper of Lord Bellomont and
Mr.. Livingston in New York, and the
Quedah Merchant was so foul he had
sighted him. An enterprsng merchant
OF the sea named Button served him
we'll at this juncture. selling to him a
vessel named the San Antonio. with
which he went to Curacao for supplies
after transferring most OF the Quedah
Merchants cargo to her. The Quedah
Merchant was run up one OF the rivers
IN San Domingo and burned
From Curacao Kidd started for New
York. But his conscience troubled him.
AT several places along the route he
stopped and put men ashore. Maybe
the men were anxious to get away, fear
ing arrest.
Maybe he put them ashore to hurry to
New York with messages to his lawyer
there and to his wife, and also to Lord
Bellomont and Mr.. Livingston. He
stopped in the Chesapeake. He stopped
in the Delaware. He stopped on the
Jersey Sore. If the vague stories that
have been told are true he put ashore
treasure every place the San Antonio
stopped, and the treasure chest was
buried secretly at might. OF course.
this IS nonsense. 1t is a fact, however.
that he loafed along. He was waiting
Tor his messengers to reach New York
and for his friends to have time to reach
the rendezvous he had appointed. When
he had waited what he believed to he
a sufficient time he sailed again But
he avoided New York. He skirted Long
Island and off GARDENERS Island, at the
eastern end of Long Island. he dropped
anchor. lie remained there several DAYS
He got some pigs, a cask of cider. some
sheep and other supplies
lie sent a treasure chest ashore too
This treasure chest was buried near the
mansion of John Gardiner. lord of the
manor, by Gardiner himself Kidd paid
Gardiner for his trouble. not lavishly but
well. He gave gold and silk and sugar
and linens to him. The silks and linens
were DANA ged, and the sugar was not AT
its best, but gold is gold the world over.
From New York there came to Gardi-
ners Island lawyer named Emmett to
meet Capt Kidd. They held long and
earnest converse. The captain learned
that Lord Bellomont was in Boston. and
was loud in his denunciation of Capt
Kidd
The captain pulled up anchor and start
ed off for Boston town. He stopped at
BLOCK Island There are 1894 different
places on Block Island that the natives
point out as the spot where Capt. Kidd
buried treasure. From Block Island he
made short run down to Oyster Bay
IL he buried any treasure in the Roose-
Welt grounds 1t has not been found, so
far as is known. Maybe he met Mrs.
Kidd there. Next he sailed for Nara
gansett bay. There has been a lot OF
digging for the treasure he buried there.
Then he loafed along the coast little
more. and July l, 1899, he sailed into
Boston harbor.
X
The Earl of Bellomont received him,
not cordially. but not hostilely. The earl
insisted that they should not speak ex-
cept in the presence of other persons.
The captain reported as to the cruise of
the Adventure and the Quedah Merchant.
and said he was ready to turn over the
proceeds If the earl would relieve Mr..
Livingston from his Okidd's) bond The
captain played fair, but the earl did not,
for he refused to release Mr.. Livingston.
For a week Capt. Kidd occupied a
house in Boston which stood the
ground now occupied by the Boston
Globe Then one day he was arrested.
Lord Bellomont, Immediately after put
ting the captain in Jail, sent a vessel to
GARDENERS Island. The treasure chest
was dug up. Next everything Mrs. Kidd
had received rom the captain was seiz-
ed. Searches were made at every point
where the San Antonio had stopped but
nothing ldu been Durleu SO Tar as cOuiu
be learned, except at GARDENERS Island.
The loot that Kidd brought to America.
aside from merchandise of small value,
was listed at about LOO ounces of gold.
2.40O ounces Of silver and IL ounces of
precious stones. The total value was
less than $4,000.
From Boston Kidd was taken to Lon
DON There was a great political row
on there, the outs accusing the ms OF
having sent Kidd out as pirate TO en-
rich themselves. Even the king got his
share of the blame.
For a year they kept Kidd in prison.
Then he was put on trial. 1t was neces
sary. in order for the government to vim
dictate itself, that Kidd should hang. He
did hang. but his trial was farce. They
found him guilty of me- TO-. He had hit
a mutinous sailor with d DucAet and tue
blow fractured the sailors skull. Then
they found hum guilty of piracy and sew
eral other crimes May H. l701. three
DAYS after his conviction, he was hanged
Poor William Kidd, He has fame he
does not deserve. He became a pirate
against his will, and his name ever will
stand a synonym for piracy. And the
farm on which he and his good wife lived
is now decked with skyscrapers in which
the pirates of today. the pirates of
finance, plan campaigns and cruises in
which the treasure of the Quedah Mer-
chant could cut only a small figure.
Copyright 1910, by Richard SpillansD