New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-04
PIRATES OF OLD
TO BE EXHIBITED
Low, RakiSh Pasts of Buc-
cancers Unveiled at
GrOlier Club.

Black Beard and Kidd. Sir Harry
Morgan and Captain Avery. Esquemel
ing and Captain Edward England,
pirates all, whose names echo the clink
of doubloons and the creak of the
piratical plank, loom large in the eX-
kibltion at the Groiier Club, where the
evil they did lives after them in con-
temporaneous ballad, book and en-
craving. =,
Don c. Seitz, of 1.-THE New York
World" member of the club, who for
many years has been an ardent col
lector Of buccaneering lore, will deliver
an address upon his hobby at the open
ing of the exhibition this evening.
The crooks of former ages, long
enough dead to acquire the glamour OF
romance, are all set forth in the exhi-
bjtion. which comprises the most com
plete collection of manuscripts relating
TO pirates ever gathered together. They
are all there, in picture and volume
brown with age. Some have names
remembered only in the Valhalla OF the
buccaneers.
Who of to-day knows OF Charles
Gibbs or George Cusack or Captain
Thomas Green? Their cutlasses arc
rust. their barks are coral in the laps
of tropic seas, and what good was
theirs in life was inferred with their
skulls and crossbones.
Es0uemeling, the buccaneer-author,
was the first of the great school OF
piratical biography, which in time de-
generated into the dime novel eXtoi-
ling the exploits of Kidd, and then
The first edition of his work, as well
as its translation from the original
Dutch TO Spanish, is included in the
collection. After him follows a legion
Of tattered, jaundiced books eXtolllng
the long dead fame OF that disrtputa-
Bile company who flew the Jolly Roger
in the Spanish main, or lurked ABOUT
the spice isles on Africa's east coast
for the unwary lndiaman.
Old prints. too, portray the supposed
" august features of onetime terrors
NJ the seas. Usually they appear as
we'll intentioned, rather stodgy gentle
men in stiff poses, their real characters
being shown by scenes IN the DaeA,
ground. where ships are being scuttled
and seaports looted. while thew remain
calm and dyspeptlc of appearance.
Edward Teach. alias Black Beard, the
ccourge Of the Carolinas, alone upholds
In his portrait the dignity OF all pl-
ratedom. He. an Englishman, was the
real originator of the German policy
OF terrorism. When from his low. black
sloop he sprang 10 the deck of coast
or finder concealed in his long whisk-
ers making n halo of smoke about MS
head. and his lips bleeding from the
broken glass he chewed. the innocent
merchantmen became too proud 10
fight. and walked the plank almost
Willingly, TO be rid of the sight OF NM
Captain Kidd, probably the most IA
nous and least deserving OF notoriety
of all the buccaneers, figures largely
in the collection. The articles OF
sgreement into which he entered with
the Earl OF Bellomont and Robert Liv-
incston. of New York. whereby he was
IN sweep the seas clear of pirates;
"The Arrangement, Tryal and Condem-
nation OF Captain William Kidd for
Wurther and Piracy" and last but not
least the ballad ascribed TO the doughty
captain himself. all are there. ms
last purports 20 have been written Dy
Kidd himself while languishing IN New
gate before he was hanged. 9,
my name was Robert hldd, as
sailed, as ! sailed the lyric oegins.
Divine afiatus evidently caused the
convicted pirate " tVieN,
Christian name Or perhaps he changed
from William 20 Robert. as he sailed.
The whole tale of his 'urid hie IS
done into verse, from the time when'
'I'd a Bible in my hand by my father :
great command. but ] sunk II IN me
sand" until he waxed wealthy. with
ninety bars of gold and dollars man
fold" and Then fourteen ships | see
and ali brave men they be, and they
were too hard for me
"Tske warning now by me, for | must
die, must die;
Take warning now from me, must die'
Take warning now from me, and shun
bad company,
Lest you come TO He'll with me. mus,
die. | must die"
Thus ends the lament. Pirates are
moral folk At heart