New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-27

dered bv them and real pirate captain
and took two rich merchantmen uhoe'
the conviction that they were Frehc"'
II turned out that they were vessels pe-
longing to subjects OF the Great Mosu''
whose irritation at genuine pira''ca'
nreving on his imperial belongings was
uncomfortably wreaked upon the East
India Company. Reports Of piracies by
English seamen in Eastern waters came
mourning into England. and Kidd was
made scapegoat. Returning al'er
three years to Boston with his story io'
Bellamont the gist of which we nave
recsted. he was made a prisoner ana
sent to England for trial.
Perhaps Kdd's simple and apparently
straightforward story was true; perhaps
II was not; but II untrue there was III
tic in the testimony Of members OF MS
crew summoned by the prosecutloh'
which supported the accusation VI
piracy He was In prison for two years
awaiting trial, and If evidence OF value
was to be found it ought surely 70 nave
been produced within that time. There
were many atrocious tales as 10 MS
piracies-imaginary tales, 1t would seeiii'
for none of these were brought INTO
court. He had supposed that the only
charge was to be piracy. and not until
he was actually In the dock was ne
aware that the first charge was MURDER
AS to this he had had, of course, no legal
advice and had prepared no defence.
Three years before, in an alteration OF
the coast Of Malabar with one OF his
mutineering crew, he had struck the
man-and the man had afterward died'
Dalton points out that II Is not even
clear from the evidence. that he dieu
from the blow. However, the Judge
summed up against Kidd and the jury
returned verdict of Guilty Next
uay the prisoner was tried for piracy ana
the reader can hardly fail to see tnat
the verdict was predetermined. 1here
were great personages who were in dan
ger from an alton of participation
in Kidd's supposed enterprise, and tney
were not anxious To test his faithfulness
too far. The trial was travesty on
English Justice. Kidd relied upon the
French passes which he had received
from the two vessels he captured to
prove his innocence Of the charge of
piracy. He had delivered them to Lord
Bellamont Bellamont had. unknown TO
him. sent them to England. and the
House OF Commons had turned them
4, lev in, rrhnc
he was being tried. He believed that
Bellamont still had them. He begged
for chance to get these papers. when
furnished so good a defence, They were
not produced. and al the end Of the trial
the Judge. who must have been aware
of their existence. contemptuousy
sneered al the prisoner for his failure to
make such a material defence. Apropos
Of this Sir Cornelius Dalton says:
In mercy to the memory Of this wicked
old Judge let us hope that this obtuseness
was not feigned. and he had really for
gotten, though ii is difficult to see how ne
could have done so, Kids imprisoned en-
treaties at the beginning Of his trial on the
preceding day for the production OF these
papers. the protracted discussion which took
place thereon, in which he mad hlmsen
taken part. and the undertaking that the
papers should be produced.
When sentence had been pronounced
Kidd said: MY lord, It is a very hard
sentence. For my part, 7 am the inno-
contest person of them all, only I have
been sworn against by perjured persons
! Whatever may have been the mans
wrongdoings 1T is certain from the ac-
! count given in this volume that the trial
was grossly and cruelty unfair one.
He remained loyal to his hackers in the
venture in the East, and he met a pc
culiarly painful death on the gallows
with manly courage and resignation.
Many picturesque legends have clustered
round his name and career No man
has been more roundly abused, and not
until this late day has anybody arisen TO
| effectively defend his memory. The pa
pers which our author presents in APP
pendices-the two French passes. copies
Of which are to be found in the Jour
nails Of the House Of Commons, are
among them-so far to establish Kids
own story. We may regretfully say. per
/ haps. that his innocence was not
proven'-but we must IN justice admit
that neither was his guilt proved
i -o-