The Washington bee., 1910-10-01
A DARING BUCCANEER
Edward ThatCh, Who Was Known
as the Blackboard Pirate.
HIS BATTLE WITH MAYNARD.
After the Hand to Hand Conflict the
Desperado's Head Hung at the Bow
spirit End of the Lieutenanps Sloop
as She Sailed Back to Virginia.


Thatch, better known as the pirate
Blackboard, was name with which
to terroriZe the Atlantic coast Of the
then new country Of America. AS a
buccaneer whose deeds Of desperate
daring made him feared wherever his
name was known be stands a close
rival of the famous Captain Kidd, If
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 foremast hand to
Major Stede Bonnet a gentleman Of
Barbados, who, although a man Of
property and having small knowledge
OF the sea, thought proper TO fit out
sIOop and take to a life Of piracy, the
explanation OF his being "a little dis
tracted" being charitably given by one
biOgrapher. However that may be,
his crew missed in the major the quail
tiles Of a successful commander. They
deposed him and elected Thatch in his
lpIace. Bonnet was tried and executed
lin 1711.
Tbatch's first independent exploit OF
! which we have a detailed account took
place in June, 171S, when he captured
two French ships near the Bermudas,
enc laden with sugar, the other empty.
Transferring to the latter the crew OF
the laden vessel and letting them go
their way, he sailed with his prize Of
vessel and sugar for Bathtown, n. c.,
ho ,F MI
Charles Eden. he had 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
as his share. Tobias Knight, his sec
retary. 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 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 slOops, the war
ships to furnish a complement Of
men. Lieutenant Maynard of the
Pearl was placed in command. and
the punitive expedition sailed on Nov.
II, 1718 On the 21st the pirates were
sighted in an inlet about sixty miles
from Bathtown, and Maynard anchor
ed for the night.
On the following morning Thatch,
maneuvering to elude attack, ran his
vessel aground. but Maynard'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
swer to a truculent defiance from
Thatch promised TO be soon aboard
him with his sloop" Coming at last
within close range, a 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 III a desperate personal
encounter The Heutenant's sword
broke, and more than once he narrow
ly escaped a fatal injury. But at
last Thatch. having received sixteen
wounds fell dead III the act of cock
ing a pistol His followers jumped
overheard and cried for quarter May
n hvrDrr NJ
spirit end. sailed for Bathtown, where
he seized the governors storehouse
and then, still with his grisy sign
of triumph swinging in the wind, re-
Joined his ship in Virginia, where thir-
teen Of the captured pirates were
hanged
One Of the Blackbeard'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 a pistol shot in the knee
fired by Thatch from under the cabin
table. at which be. 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 be felt himself in the vein or
was going into action his appearance
was somewhat startling-his bushy
black beard tied up with ribbons, the
ends Of which were thrown over his
ears; a fur cap on his head, with q
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.